This book explains more fully some of the information used to deduce some of the premises put forward in "The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail". It is based on other published works by scholars and authorites on the interpretations of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It puts forward a more educated translation of events covered by the New Testament based on information about the political and social issues at the time of Christ. As a person trying find the origins of Christianity, and what makes people believe something like the New Testament, I found the theories put forward by the authors to be intelligent and highly believable. If I was part of the Christian clergy, I would be extremely concerned about the future of the religion

A delightful stop, this second one, on the express to enlightened understanding. This sequel to "Holy Blood Holy Grail" is an essential companion piece to that masterwork of historical and religious scholarship. In this book, Messrs. Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln begin where they left off in the world of the man known as Jesus the Nazorean. They further dissect elements of his life and times and go on to discuss the development of the schism between Jesus's followers lead by his family members and the group of so-called "christians" lead by Paul. The method of these historians is breathtaking in its scope and elegance.

The second part of the book is much more theoretical and at first seems at odds with the rest of the work. As it melds with the third and final part of the book, there is a cohesiveness to the entire work that is satisfying enough.

As an American reader, one must make certain allowances when taking in the work of these authors. Their British take on things, which is interesting in and of itself, does not always extrapolate to American understanding. Particularly, their fascination with monarchs and chivalry is quite foreign to me as it would probably be to most American readers.

When it comes to writing about history from 2000 years ago through the Dark Ages, a lot of speculation is necessary. Literacy was low so there weren't many written records to begin with, and the church, etc., had a lot of control over what information could be dispensed. As a result, a lot of speculation over this period is necessary. Baigent, et al., recognizing this, for part of the book examine Biblical history using the oldest surviving records as a basis point instead of church doctrine or the latest translation of a translation, etc, of a pieced together, largely edited, and largely oral history called the Bible. Therefore, while their speculations may be as historically sound as anyone else's, some will denounce them as blasphemous. The rest of the book then seeks to at least verify that their interpretations of the Bible have existed long throughout history by trying to determine the beliefs of certain secret societies who claim to be guardians of "The Truth".

However, now instead of being impaired so much by a lack of records, the authors are forced to speculate about the secret societies' beliefs. Despite tracking down sources within a secret society, the authors' job is made difficult by the fact that such societies not only keep their secrets secret, but also fractionalize, engage in internal political struggles and have their own debates about dogma.

Like Foucault's Pendulum, which this inspired, this book is ultimately a detective novel about various writers trying to get inside the minds of secret societies and running into various obstacles. It may dissapoint readers who want all their answers handed to them (and the authors don't even pretend to have them), but life is not that simple. Sometimes knowing what the right questions are is just as important. This is a fun, interesting, thought-provoking, mind-expanding book.

This book is pretty much a joke. There are some useful points on negotiating, but by and large the author goes out of his way to pat himself on the back for his career success. Obviously Leigh Steinberg has plenty of lessons to teach aspiring negotiators, agents, etc., but a more even approach--i.e. listing actually conflicts or problems (as opposed to those that amazingly Leigh resolved through sheer brilliance and perseverance)--would have made for much better reading.

For a recently college graduate and moderate sports world observer with little experience negotiating in a business environment, this book was a pleasure to read. The concepts in this book are on or above par with my textbook on negotiation. However, I specifically enjoyed how Steinberg illustrates important concepts with stories involving the ever interesting personalities of professional sports. From establishing values to finalizing the contract, this book is efficiently organized to lead through the negotiation process. Also, at the end of each sub-chapter is a summary of the key points of the reading. Winning with integrity isn't easy in general, let alone in the ruthless world of sports agents. Leigh shares his experiences that have lead to his success in this fun and insightful book.

It's been said that if you want to learn how to be succesful, you go and talk to a person who is successful. In the area of negociation, few parallel what Leigh Steinberg has accomplished.

I dissagree completely with anyone who says this is an autobiography. Steinberg uses the lost art of storytelling to convey his principles, that's all. But I suppose if you prefer textbook, "gimme just the facts" sort of reading, you'd be disssapointed. Instead of slapping you across the face and saying, "Do this, and do that," Steinberg offers examples from his own life's experience. And, frankly, I'd rather learn from his experiences than from someone less successful.

The priciples are simple, yes. The best principles always are. But who practices them perfectly? I noticed flaws in my negociation abilities as I read this book, and I have made some changes for the better because of it.

Whether or not there was an actual conspiracy to cover up the content of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the fact is that there were no Jews on the Scroll committee for decades, and Jewish scholars were repeatedly denied access. That in itself is inexcusable, given that the Scrolls are, after all, ancient Jewish documents. It would be as if original manuscripts of the Gospels were discovered, but no Christian scholars were allowed to see them. Absolutely inexcusable! Baigent and Leigh cover this story very well in this book. Those who doubt that there was blatant antisemitism on the original Scroll committee can also read Strugnell's infamous interview with Ha-Aretz in the Hershel Shank's anthology, "Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls." As a Jew, I find it supremely offensive that people with such anti-Jewish attitudes were the ones to have control of the Scrolls.

Now that the texts of the Scrolls have finally been published for all to read, "The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception" may seem a bit dated and its conclusions anticlimatic. Still, it does raise a lot of good questions about some of the basic assumptions that the general public holds concerning the nature of the ancient Jewish community that lived at Qumran -- a debate which, I'm sure, will continue for generations to come.

I had never read anything about the Dead Sea Scrolls until reading this book. It was methodically written, and even though obviously intent on showing that there was a "deception" or conspiracy to hide or obscure the content and meaning of the Scrolls, it nevertheless provides an excellent primer on the essential historical questions surrounding recent New Testament scholarship. The authors have supplied and clarified many key points of an overall thesis for readers, like me, who find thinking and questioning to be stimulating. In addition, it is quite readable, unlike some other books by "biblical scholars."

Hidden for nineteen centuries, the Dead Sea Scrolls-the earliest biblical manuscripts-were found in caves near Jerusalem more than forty years ago. Yet the content of a large part of the eight hundred ancient
Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts remains concealed from the general public.

In this remarkable book Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of the best-seller Holy Blood, Holy Grail, reveal new material that places the Scrolls in the time of Jesus and offers nothing less than a new
account of Christianity and an alternative and highly significant version of much of the New Testament.

Working closely with Professor Robert Eisenman-one of the foremost experts in biblical archaeology and scholarship-and with other scholars in both America and Britain, Baigent and Leigh set out to discover
why the content of the Scrolls was kept secret for so long. Their investigation began in Israel, led to the corridors of the Vatican, and into the offices of the Inquisition. They encountered a rigidly held
"consensus" on interpretation and dating, and discovered just how fiercely orthodox biblical scholarship was prepared to fight to retain its monopoly on the materials and their interpretation.

But The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception is much more than an expose of a bitter struggle among scholars. Extensive interviews, historical analysis, and a close study of both published and unpublished materials led
Baigent and Leigh to startling new views about the early Christians-for the Scrolls identify the group known as Christians as a band of fervent theocratic revolutionaries intent on breaking- Roman control of the
Holy Land and restoring the kingdom of Israel to its rightful Judaic dynasty, of which Jesus himself was a member.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have been news since their discovery, and with the release of the Scrolls themselves by the Huntington Library, they are on front pages and in prime time all over America. This remarkable
book tells the story of a great archaeological find and the mysteries surrounding it.

As a Master Mason I find books such as these to be, more often than not, complete fiction. This one has just enough historical truth in it to keep you reading. I feel that the authors focused on Scotland a bit much, but there were some interesting data that I was unaware of.

Baigent and Leigh have a bit of a reputation for jazzing up history to make it more interesting... OK, that was putting it very nicely. I do not believe that they made up any of the facts, but the conclusions they sometimes draw could use a little help. I'd recommend this book to anyone that is mildly interested in either Freemasonry or the Knights Templar. "Born in Blood" is slightly more scholarly, if you wish to step up a notch. Not saying either are 100% true, but what is? The "official" history of Masonry is based partially on speculation also, Baigent and Leigh just have a more exciting speculation...

The level of research that had to go into this book is amazing. The problem is that the book fails to make a strong connection between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. That in itself would not be a problem except that, that connection seems to be the basis for most of the book. John Robinson's "Born in Blood" does a much better job as far a logical argument for this connection.

I fail to see this book in any way as some sort of liberal defense of Freemasonry. Also,it overall would seem to apply more to English Freemasonry than American Freemasonry. One would think that an institution that counts among its members men like J. Strom Thurmond and Bob Dole would be attacked by the left instead of being defended by a "liberal" press.

Over all I would have given this book a higher rating based on the writing style and research but for the chapter on the American revolution. I must admit that I found the claims that Freemasonry's principles led some of Britain's leading generals to basicly take a dive to be somewhat far-fetched. Still this is an excellent book and should be read by anyone interested on the possible effects of Freemasonry on western history. Pro or con.

"This book is not an expose. It does not adress itself to the role or the activities, real or imagined, of Freemasonry in contemporary society; it does not attempt to investigate allegations of conspiracy or corruption. Neither, of course, is it an apology for Freemasonry. We are not Freemasons ourselves, and we have no vested interest in exculpating the institution from the charges leveled against it. Our orientation has been wholly historical. We have endeavored to track down the antecedents of Freemasonry, to establish its true origins, to chart its evolution and development, to assess its influence on British and American culture during its own formative years...

"...At the same time, it must be acknowledged that Freemasonry itself has done little to improve its own image in the public eye. Indeed, by its obsessive secrecy and its stubborn defensiveness, it has only reinforced the conviction that it has something to hide. How little it does in fact have to hide will become apparent in the course of this book. If anything, it has more to be proud of than it does to conceal."

Introduction, THE TEMPLE AND THE LODGE; Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh

I haven't read Baigent and Leigh most famous book, HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL, which put them on the map with alternative historical perspectives regarding religion, secrecy and culture, but now I want to. This book, THE TEMPLE AND THE LODGE, makes clear in its erudition and almost ideally objective/journalistic approach that, unlike the general statement made by the writer of the book HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION, a select few men who formed an ancient society centuries ago that evolved and metamorphose into what we now know as Freemasonry have both developed and cultivated their organization into being the spine of Western Civilization after Christ itself. It is magnificent in that their approach is so historically innovative and nearly all-encompassing, in regards to the cultural scene of the time periods in question, and its strange bedfellows/dance with Catholicism and Protestantism over several hundred years. It is embarrassing to think that the average educated person can rip off a dozen or so names of great historical figures in many disciplines who were either Masons or a part of a similiar and related organization (Isaac Newton, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Claude Debussy, Duke Ellington to name a very small few), and yet we do not even consider what the ramifications of such a fact are to our view of history and culture. And, how culture itself as we know it was actually shaped--regardless of what we were told.

The section on the American Revolutionary War, elucidated in such a way as to make clear it was 18th Century England's Vietnam and a hotbed of Masonic activity simultaneously (if not definitively), makes it worth the price of admission all by itself. But the significance, grandeur and antiquity they lend to our perception of the Masons via the connection with the mythical Nights Templar in Scotland after the 12th century is something that must be read to be fully appreciated.

An excellent and important work of history and culture that quietly revels in what it reveals. I enjoyed it very much.

Sorry, I am a fan of Leigh Michael's, but I have to say that this is not her best. Half way through the book, I wondered if this was even written by her. This book is like a very old Harlequin, where the couple barely tolerates being around one another (and she is a cold fish) and then, "Bing" a light goes off and the girl thinks, "Gee, I think I am madly in love with him". And you think, how could that have happened? Anyway, Leigh Michaels always has a good story, but this one lacked character depth, and you just can't get into 'feeling' that there is any chemistry between the two (normally what the writer is so good at). Anyway, buy and read at your own risk.

Leigh Michaels continues to hold us spellbound with the release of Bride by Design. David Elliot is a designer of jewelry -- he has been made a proposition that he can't possibly refuse by Henry Birmingham owner of Birmingham on State who's thinking about retiring from the family business.

David's been handed on a silver platter, the chance of lifetime to own one of the most prestigious jewelry stores in the world but of course there is always a catch -- he must marry the owner's granddaughter, Eve Birmingham.

What begins as a simple marriage of convenience turns into something altogether different than each expected. Eve and David entered into a marriage with only one goal "to ensure the continuance of Birmingham on State" but when you're confined in close quarters you sometimes learn more than you might want to know about a person you claim you want nothing romantically to do with.

The truth of the matter is that you never know when, how or where love is gonna hit you -- it's usually when you're not looking for it. Both Eve and David discover that in the end you can't put a price on love. This novel may be small in statue but it sure carries a punch. Enjoy!!!

I generally love Leigh Michaels books, but this one is not a keeper. It just didn't grab me like her books usually do. I didn't even bother finish reading it. It was just cliche romance writing. I knew how it would end without needing to read it all. I wouldn't waste my time or money on this book. Leigh Michaels has better books than this to choose from.

although being far from exciting, the story backwards honeymoon is so realistic and had a lot of common sense and logic in it. It shows a story of a rich girl falling in love with the gardener's son in the evening of her wedding to a gambler. The story then shows in details how the girl and the gardener's son managed to run away and how they were very logic and reasonable about ecery step they took.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and am not in agreement with the two former reviews. I am a fan of Michaels' backlist, especially books like Traveling Man, O'Hara's Legacy, Temporary Measures, Marrying the Boss, Dating Games, The Fake Fiance, and Strictly Business. To me Backwards Honeymoon combined the charm of Ties that Blind (another snob-with-layman book) with the faster pace of her more recent books. Michaels has learned since her original Harlequin Presents how to make her characters extraordinarily likeable - intelligent, humorous, and willing to stand by their opinions, without being moralistic or righteous. As always there's an element of surprise at the end. The one thing I didn't think flew was the occasional switch to the hero's point
of view. This is something Michaels has been experimenting with in the last few years, and it detracts from one of her main strengths - her ability to make the hero seem incomprehensible and mysterious to the heroine. The times she switched to hero-POV, we learn nothing new, and in fact the reality is always a little disappointing - I've always enjoyed letting my imagination fill in the blanks about her heroes' perspectives with the hints she leaves. Overall, though, for me this only distinguished an excellent book from some of her truly marvelous ones. I had a great time reading the book and if she can continue to write at this level I will be very happy.

Caleb Turner was known for his inventions and his "bimbo of the month" relationships. When Sabrina Saunders causes him to badly sprain his ankle, Caleb blackmails her into protecting him from his hordes of women. Close quarters cause new feelings in Caleb: possessiveness, jealousy, and love.

Second book in a trilogy about the owner-operators of Rent-a-Wife, an agency designed to help busy career people with mundane chores. Not as good as HUSBAND ON DEMAND, the changes in Caleb's views of women and relationships are not shown in a convincing manner. More could have been done with Sabrina's family relationship.

Caleb Tanner is a millionaire playboy who can't keep his hands off women, even in trouble. Not a single simpering female has managed to tame him...till came Sabrina Saunders. This charming and at times funny story is about a playboy doing the impossible, falling in love with one woman for life. The heroine is bold, sassy and intelligent, and will appeal to many readers. It's got all the ingredients of a good book charm, humor, and attraction. The only thing missing from the is depth of emotion... Leigh doesn't explore the inner souls of the characters, which is usually what readers look for. But if you like light hearted books, then this is the one for you.

What a lovely tale. Definitely get the other two books as well--HUSBAND ON DEMAND and WIFE ON APPROVAL--and curl up with these three charming heroines (and heroes!) on a snowy day.

What a boring book! I've read others of Ms. Michael's works and was glad to note this is an early one.

I read the whole book through but am not sure why. There was nothing lovable about Katherine that I could see. I wanted to slap her about every other page and tell her to get a grip. I haven't seen so much jumping to the wrong conclusions in ages! And is she ever whiny! Even if it is in her head. In fact, what goes on in her head and what comes out of her mouth in interaction with others makes her sound like a split personality.

There is absolutely NO chemistry between Katherine and Stephen! Not emotional and, certainly, not sexual. They lived together for months and only shared one kiss? And this told her how much she really loved him? Sheesh! Spare me!

Another thing that bothered me was that the whole story is told from her point of view. We never get inside of Stephen's head to know what the heck's going on with him. He doesn't appear to be desperate for women so why he wants this loser is beyond me.

In fact, everybody in the whole book is just too one dimensional for me. And too many loose ends were left dangling. I'm not even going to donate this book to the library. Into the trash it goes!

I'm sure happy to know that Ms. Michael's writing skills have improved vastly since she wrote this drivel.

Katherine thought the plans for the future were set - then she learned the plans she thought were shared with the one she loved were not his plans. That resulted in Katherine's acting on impulse and creating seemingly unsurmountable problems - jobless, no references and pregnant. The working out of all this makes a sweet story where true love finally wins - that bad guy gets his and a grandfather pats himself on the back for a job well done.

I thought the female character in this book was extremely weak. She did nothing when her ex threatened to take their son away, just stood by and waited.She allowed others to put her down, and at the end she came blubbering to the guy begging for him to take her back. She has no spine, and it made the story weak.

Are you Kyle Emerson? I'm your son,Robbie. Kyle and Lanie Emerson had been married less than three months when she left without a trace. Now Kyle found that now only was he still married but he was also a father . Nine years ago, Layne had left after discovering that Kyle was only interested in producing a heir.She'd never told kyle she was carrying his child.but now,faced with the prospect of losing her precious Robbie,Layne must return to Wheatlands--and to Kyle. After all these years,could they be a family. this is a great family story. great characters. worth every penny to buy.

This book is about Gayle who lost her boyfriend Craig from Cancer when she was younger. She considers him to be the love of her life and refuses to become involved with another man. She devotes her life to her job which is being a secretary to boss Jared Logan. Her life is followed by her strict rules on how to be a perfect secretary until one day Jared ask her to pretend to be his fiancee to save him from a marriage he doesn't want. Pretending soon becomes real and Gayle finds herself falling in love with her boss.