The succession of essays, each on a facet of Reagan's philosophy, reveals an inspiring amalgam of contrast and comparison among Reagan, Jefferson, Jackson and FDR. Even Gatsby, Willy Loman, Horatio Alger, Micawber and Mr. Magoo are pointedly drawn into the mix. Indispensible if you wish to know Reagan.

I had long ago all but dismissed Ronald Reagan as an amiable and polished speaker of lines he had been given to read. Still I was curious about his appeal, even to such intelligent critics as George Will. Will and others had written columns over the years defending Reagan's views, but I wanted more: a coherent defense of the man's principles in view of his (to me) obvious callousness towards the have-nots. It was for this reason that I read Dr. Greffenius's impassioned championship of Reagan. Through Greffenius's presentation of the principles Reagan defended--all stemming from his radical belief in the importance of individual freedom--I began to think of Reagan, for the first time, as a brilliant conduit for the principles of democracy first espoused by Thomas Jefferson. Greffenius does not ignore Reagan's critics, but engages them directly. And as I read this book, I found myself thinking often of F. Scott Fitzgerald's conclusion to The Great Gatsby. The Last Jeffersonian opened my eyes to the ways in which Ronald Reagan gave us, perhaps for the last time in history, a view of our America from "somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night." I can't, even now, describe myself as a Reagan fan. But The Last Jeffersonian was nevertheless an interesting and very worthwhile read.

In The Last Jeffersonian, Steven Greffenius persuasively contends that Ronald Reagan articulated the values of American democracy as understood and defined by its great Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. It's a unique and valuable analysis. (Lou Cannon)

This is a very handsome book - of great interest for architectural buffs or historians. It pairs two great architects - Robert Venturi and Irving Gill - in a unique, engaging, and informative way. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (in La Jolla, California)is one of the finest small museums in the country, well worth a visit to see outstanding architecture as well as cutting-edge contemporary art.

This is an outstanding book for anyone interested in the work of two great architects - Robert Venturi and Irving Gill. The combination of their work at the museum in La Jolla is masterful, and this book gives a fascinating look into the museum's history and Venturi's thought processes as he sought to restore the historic "Scripps House" while expanding and modernizing the Museum of Contemporary Art. A great find - makes me want to visit La Jolla and see it for myself!

Buy this book even if you've never been to the La Jolla museum it describes. If you've been to the museum, it's worth buying to give you pause to reflect on what you've seen. This book offers both the history and theory behind Venturi's reshaping of a wonderful museum in an attractive location. Those of us who remember the museum in the old days have got to be impressed with what Venturi has done. Although this text is all too brief, it provides the illumination needed to appreciate more fully this California classic.

A very informative book. Talks about a variety of musical styles and gives exercise suggestions for practicing them. Also gives information on microphone technique. This is more in-depth than most vocal books. I really appreciated the depth and breadth of vocal information.

As a singing teacher of non classical music, I can certainly suggest that this is the best book I have read on this matter. It is really impossible to find a book where classical singing is not envolved. And I can assure you that there are great differences between both techniques...!

This is a focussed and well organized manual on singing. Dr. Combs deep understanding of the voice is made evident through concise explanation and facilitated where necessary through reference to other more detailed publications(including an annotated bibliography). I use this guide in my vocal pedagogy class along with Vennard and Miller (both of which do not address the unique aspects of the Pop/Broadway Singer). College students tell me that it provides a more "user-friendly" description which helps in their more detailed study.

The book introduces the levelset method, starting from the very basics: the idea of implicit functions, discretization, schemes for numerically solving PDEs. It also covers advanced issues like reinitialization, particle methods, levelset for modelling objects of codimension two. Finally, an extensive section on applications from computer vision and computational physics gives the reader an idea of the power and elegance of levelset methods.
The presentation is very readable and precise enough to allow implementing the algorithms described straight away on the computer.
This is a book for beginners and experts, written by a well-known expert in the field (Osher and Seithan wrote one of the most influential papers on levelsets).

The book introduces the levelset method, starting from the very basics: the idea of implicit functions, discretization, schemes for numerically solving PDEs. It also covers advanced issues like reinitialization, particle methods, levelset for modelling objects of codimension two. Finally, an extensive section on applications from computer vision and computational physics gives the reader an idea of the power and elegance of levelset methods.
The presentation is very readable and precise enough to allow implementing the algorithms described straight away on the computer.
This is a book for beginners and experts, written by a well-known expert in the field (Osher and Seithan wrote one of the most influential papers on levelsets).

Exciting material, cool pictures. I love this book!

"My Universities" is a powerful, concise, and moving account of life in Tzarist Russia of the late 1800's. This is not a fictional novel but the third installment in a astounding autobiographical trilogy of Gorky's life. The colorful character studies and cutting social commentary on human nature, intellectual folly, and the true concequences of abject poverty provides facinating reading. If you like reading Tolstoy, Gogol, or Turgenev you will love Gorky.

Ahh The White Guard by Bulgakov, very good book! I also agree with your opinion on Gorky. But, bulgakov is by far one of my favorite authors.

Does anybody read out there? Only English Majors I guess. No one's read "The White Guard" either. I think I am going to throw up, Gorky is one of the best writers of the nineteenth century. Anyway, FIVE STARS, his eye roams like a camera and the book is completley honest, remarkably powerful.

Finally, a compilation of Howe's fantasy, and 144 pages, at that! I admit that this review is premature, but I am totally excited to snag this new arrival...

John Howe and Alan Lee are the indisputed masters of "Lord of the Rings" artwork. And this fantastic compilation of Howe's artwork, of all kinds, is a wonderful collection of artwork by an immensely talented artist. (And a cute part at the end has photographs of Howe in armor)

A great deal of the book is devoted to Middle-Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien's works. There are the creepily reptilian dragons, spiders chasing hobbits, the majestic Elves, several different incarnations of the Balrog and its battle with Gandalf, the black-armored and evil Morgoth, the dwarves dining in Bilbo Baggins' hole, a misty Treebeard, Smaug asleep on his glowing gold, the Dark Tower of Mordor with a hissing Fell Beast in front of it... all sorts of goodies. The pictures come from book covers, book illustrations, game boxes, and so forth.

But Howe's artwork is not just for "Rings" and Middle-Earth. Oh no. There are sketches (uncolored) and previously unpublished artwork. There are illustrations from picture books like "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Rip Van Winkle," Howe's fascination with armor and Arthuriana, which includes lots of solid horses, armor, and sword-wielding knights; his illustrations for books by Anne McCaffrey, Robin Hobb, Charles de Lint, Guy Gavriel Kay, Jan Siegel, Margaret Weis, a compilation of Merlin-related stories, and much more.

Howe's artwork has a lot of variety, and many of them look almost like photographs. While you can tell that they're paintings, they're frozen in one second, often in the middle of an action scene. So you almost expect them to start moving. He uses light and shadow expertly, such as in the pic where we see Smaug on his gold -- under his wings, the golden reflection of his treasure is lighting up his face and scales. Or when he is shown attacking Laketown, where everything is dark and shadowy except the fire.

When the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy was given the go-ahead, Howe (along with Alan Lee, ) was hired by filmmaker Peter Jackson to help with the sets and landscaping and other designs. Now Jackson has written a foreword to this book, in which he talks about what a fan he is of Howe's artwork (and was, even before the movies!), and how his artwork served as a guide of sorts to how certain things should look. (Such as Ian McKellen's "Gandalf" look, which was based on Howe's famed picture of the wise old wiz) And the afterword was by fellow artist and friend Alan Lee, who describes how they met in New Zealand in 1998, starting work on the movies, and praises Howe for his energy and skill.

This is a fantastic read for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, not to mention people who enjoy good artwork and fantasy/SF pictures. A lush, fantastical book of dragons, halflings, Elves and suits of armor. Marvelous.

I shall just get right to the point: if you are fascinated by the world of Tolkien or just like to read books with some extraordinary fantastic art, this is the book for you.

This book shows you a collection of the art of John Howe, a well-known artist of fantasy art, and someone who designed a lot of visual aspects in the Lord of the rings movies. It contains lots of artwork that has to do with the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, but also some of Howes other work with various subjects.

I can really recommend this almost everybody,because it's just fun to have this for the pretty pictures. The impressive things are not only the detail, the design and the colorscheme, but also the fact that the work really seem to show a certain greatness and movement. They make you believe that those moments were keymoments in the history of some other world.

This a MUST-HAVE.

Paul is an amazing man and it shines through his writing. I strongly believe that if any of you wish to be touched deeply by just how the spirit of love can grace all of us even when we have difficulty holding up our chins, read this book.

Thank you personally Paul, you are such a blessing in my life and in the lives of each person you touch. Love and cheers!

While many have written their thoughts on spirituality, few have gone the step beyond to share their personal experiences and problems with us in this capacity. The author, Paul R. Prows, in his search for answers, partners with God/dess and brings light and hope to us all that we are not alone in our trials and tribulations. Here is a diary, of sorts, which details real life thoughts and incidents with answers from the One. The author opens himself up to us as few have done before. Over and over again I was able to relate to an incident and gain insight on how to improve my own life dealings. I have truly found this book to have the most personal enlightenment in my own search to finding the answers. This is a book for all of us. A book that shows us how similar we are to one another in our day to day lives. You will gain much knowlege and helpful information on how to deal with most anything and live a more rich and fulfilling life. This is definitely a book you will refer to again and again. A must read!

An inspirational look at how we can relax, listen and let go to find the answers and help from God that we all need in our daily lives. It's an up close and personal look at the author, Paul Ronald Prows and his relationship with the Goddess, through his conversations with the Goddess. The Goddess responds to Pauls thoughts and feelings in a very unique way. By not only complimenting his abilities, but also telling it like it is and not holding back. I loved this book. Open it up and get ready for an awesome journey. Read it without being judgemental. Put your own lives situations and thoughts and feelings into it and listen to what you get back in return. I think we can all relate to most of the situations in this book. I myself have felt in many ways, the same way Paul has in his life experiences. As I read this book, I applied it to myself and my life.......what an eye opener! It has not only brought me closer to MY God, but has also helped me to look at things in a new light! God answers us and leads us in many differnt ways, this book is a great way of listening to the answers we need and finding them in our own hearts. The Goddess states at one point in this book " When you discover me, and learn how to partner with me, nothing in this world will be able to withstand our power"! What a true and powerful statement. For anyone wanting a closer relationship to God, and a better understanding of our lives feelings, thoughts, actions, accomplishments and dissapointments, this is a must read book! Refer back to this book again and again when you come to a situation you feel you need help with, and watch how much you grow and learn, like I have.

Terrific book for kids 11 years and up. I read it (I am 57), my son-in-law then read it (He is 36) and my 11 year old grandson then read it!! We all could not put it down until the end. A wonderful book to get kids into reading and a lesson on the outdoors all in one book!! I recommend it highly! I do hope there will be more adventures of the boys and the life on the Gunflint trail!

Yes it is a real page turner. Great for adult sportsmen and great for the young reader

I ordered One Last Chance this past summer for my 13 yr. old daughter to read to us on our lengthy trip across the Dakotas for a family reunion. My daughter, son, husband and I loved the suspense and it also brought back memories of our past trips to the BWCA.

"One Small Blue Bead" combines text by Byrd Baylor with illustrations by Ronald Himler. The story, which is told in rhyming verse, is about an apparently prehistoric stone age culture. The heroes of the story are an old man and a boy who are part of a stone age tribe.

The old man announces his intention to go on a journey to discover if other humans exist. The boy, who is simply called "Boy," volunteers to do the old man's share of work while the old man is on his quest.

"One Small Blue Bead" is a very moving story with striking illustrations. Himler makes effective use of warm earth tones. The book also contains an inspiring message about the interconnectedness of humanity across vast distances of both time and space. Truly a special book.

I am not even sure how this book came into my hands, but it has been influential in my life. I continue to get goose bumps, or sometimes cry when I read it. It exemplifies the brotherhood of man, the bridging of generational, as well as racial gaps. I had the good fortune to encounter another book by Baylor during my credential program, "I'm in Charge of Celebrations." I realized that there were other books and that this book was still available. It is a great gift, as well as great for use in kindergarten or first grade clasrooms. It can be used as an intro into friendship, acceptance of responsibility, risk-taking for the good of community, and much mmore.Enjoy!

This book is used by me in my fifth grade class for discussion, predicting and appreciating challenging thoughts outside their comfort zone.

I have to agree with the positive reviews below with regard to this book. I've been interested for some time in the issue of truth in religion. Yet, given the current phenomenon of religious pluralism, can there be objective truth in the realm of religion? This book was a great find for me, in that it helpfully worked through some of this philosophical territory. I'd never realized, for example, what an impact Kant has had on the development of a relativist approach to religion. The book's method is pretty unique: it uses a fascinating correspondence between two great Catholic philosophers as a means to study the philosophical issues involved. McCamy has made effective use of the discussion and debate between Jacques Maritain and Joseph Marechal in order to explore both sides of this subject. Those names didn't mean much to me before reading this book. Now that I know what truly significant thinkers Maritain and Marechal both were, I'm surprised I'd never heard of them before. McCamy's method somehow personalizes philosophical material that might otherwise be a bit abstract for some readers. The author ends up critiquing the relatlivism of religious pluralism, and defending objective truth in religion. His discussion is balanced, and his conclusion is carefully argued. He shows, for example, that the claim that all human concepts are "contingent" and "mutable" is really self defeating--he shows that conceptual knowledge DOES apply to religious claims. A religion, in other words, can't be "true" for me but "false" for you. I would have missed out on this book if a friend who uses the book to teach some of his college philosophy classes hadn't told me about it. While it's college or graduate school reading, it's also helpful to laypersons like myself. I also did some research on the book, and found out that it has been favorably reviewed in some academic journals (Philosophia Christi; Maritain Studies; Presbyterian Layman; etc.). The author seems well qualified: he has graduate degrees in both theology and philosophy. That matters to me, since so much of what is written about religious issues is just "fluff." I vote with the other reviewers and recommend the book.

How did I miss this book when it was first published? It has been a terrific help to me in understanding that the real divide in religion today is between those who think that truth and cognitive content applies to religious statements and those who do not. For the latter, there can be a "plurality" of "truths"--even when they are contradictory--because "truth" becomes relative to personal or cultural factors. For the Transcendental Thomists (new to me before this book), what counts is the non-cognitive "dynamism" to the Absolute. This is more fundamental, for them, than is conceptual knowledge. But it is conceptual knowledge that is the basis for doctrinal statements. Marechal, Rahner and Lonergan, in variations on an epistemological theme, can ultimately accept conflicting "truths" in religion, because the "dynamism" to the Absolute is more fundamental. For me, the position of Jacques Matitain makes more sense. I think he was right to insist that concepts and doctrine DO count, and that there is no such intellectual "dynamism" as that described by Transcendental Thomists. This book is very relevant to the Pope's latest Declaration on Truth in religion, "Dominus Iesus." McCamy's book makes the significance of this latest Declaration much more accessible and clear to me. I think it will to many others also. I strongly recommend this book for all those who have an interest in the relation of truth to religion, whether one is Catholic or non-Catholic, etc. Buy a copy for yourself, and donate one to your local library. Thanks Ronald McCamy for a very informative and important book!

McCamy examines a debate between the father of Transcendental Thomism, Fr. Joseph Maréchal, and a traditional Thomist, Jacques Maritain that took place in the 1920's. Joseph Maréchal attempted to find a way to bring about a "rapprochement" between Kantian subjectivism and traditional Thomist realism. As is the case with most pluralistic endeavors, some of the underlying rationale for doing such a thing is to bring the church "up to speed" with the age. Indeed, the contemporary pluralisms of Karl Rahner, Bernard Lonergan, etc., are directly indebted to the post-Kantian innovations of Maréchal. McCamy writes, "Maritain, on the other hand, understood such a development to be epistemologically suicidal." Maritain himself said, "A scholastic butterfly cannot be made to emerge from a Kantian chrysalis." McCamy demonstrates the lack of need for such a "rapprochement" with Kant by retelling this debate with adroitness and subtle wit.

McCamy's prose is lively and accessible. It will provide a solid foundation for anyone to understand and answer the philosophical underpinnings of pluralism and relativism. Its value is threefold: its historical perspective on Kantian subjectivism, a ready compendium for some sound philosophy, and real insight into the philosophical sloppiness of modern pluralism. This is a wonderful addition to any library!