The cover of Caligula shows an abstract horse bucking, and that is just what Caligula does to us. It knocks us off our high-horse by bringing us face-to-face with death. Only (and I do not choose that word lightly) a true understanding of death can put lives in perspective. Sure Caligula is a despot who could have the life of any of his subjects, but the fact-of-the-matter is that our lives can end at any second. Caligula teaches us not to take life for granted, which is something that is all to easily done in this era. This theme also exists in State of Seige. The other two plays, The Misunderstanding, and The Just Assasins are more subtle, but they also deal with idea that we take petty concerns and ideas too seriously, and fail to look and the big picture. I should also add that the language and passion of the plays are exceptional.

Encompassing the doctorine of the Ubermensch cast alongside the dictatorship of Hitler, Camus creates an absurd, absolute ruler whom the people are at his beck and call. Every whim, be it for food or a specific person's death for the merge specticle of it, are just some of the scenes depicted in this play. It forces the question of whether one would rather possess a ruler who is consistant in all actions, thought, etc. or one who is willing to contradict him or herself for the good of the people. This is a complex work whose depths it seems may never be compeletly explored. Often overlooked due to the potency of his prose, Camus has produced yet another masterwork.

Camus' raw talent. There isn't anything negative to say about Camus, other than he died too young. If he'd lived through the 60's, he'd at the most give Sartre a good run for his money.

I love Camus simply because he's the only writer/philosopher who 'beats you up' with the truth, and comforts you with the notion, that he too has done this to himself. He doesn't try to replace your religion or your belief, or even question your place in the world. And he certainly didn't trade in one 'ism' for another like his Toad-faced contemporary!

Read this! It's wonderful. Camus sums up life's absurdities simplier than Kierkergaard and a tad bit kinder--maybe even sublte--than Nietzsche (who in my estimation is the one and only TRUE existential----maybe Che Guevara is a close second)

Moore's poetry is striking in a number of ways and well worth reading. The fact that they have been translated into Spanish by the well-known translator and poet, Alicia Zavala Galvan, is also worth noting for the value it adds to Moore's book, but also for the access it now allows Spanish readers to Haiku. A nice job by poet and translator!

In this cluttered world where many busy themselves with the radio, television or CD players, enters the haiku. It is not a new type of poetry but one that has been rediscovered. The unique dimension in this presentation by the haiku specialist Michael Moore is that he presents them to us in two languages, English as well as Spanish. He is not a novice to writing haiku His three other collections: Chocolate Haiku, Chocolate Chips and Home Grown in the Haiku Garden attest to this. Alicia Galvan is right in her introduction when she states "translation of a literary work into another language can best be described as opening Pandora's box." However, she has carefully and skillfully translated these poems as if she had the secret to the lock. The task of the poet as an artist is to employed strong vibrant images in as few words as possible. Similar to his other collections, Michael's poems are like (candy kisses), too many of them will only leaves you feeling stuffed. A few at a time will lighten your day and be the inspiration that is often needed for the mind and soul after a full day's work. Contemporary View of Haiku is enriched by the subtle use of the oriental brush of Don Albert, a San Antonio artist. I would suggest having a copy of this near the dinner table and reading a few before meals to whet the appetite or before retiring in the evening. Contemporary View of Haiku would be a wonderful book to teach contemporary haiku to children, especially since it is a bilingual edition. (Trinida Sanchez)

Contemporary View of Haiku is a work that explore the free-verse style of an old Japanese art form in a bilingual format. ISBN: 0-9610702-6-9

Mustard Seed Press

Michael Moore's poetic microcosm is inhabited by the subjects usually associated with haiku: cicadas, fish, dragonflies, crickets, plum blossoms, gardens, and the seasons. But Moore juxtaposes themes with images as diverse as bungi jumpers, cotton candy, and a Navajo blanket. Haiku is an intuitive experience, and at times Moore's deft touch results in a surreal leap. Residing in the here and now details, he mines the evocative power of the common place object: a lounge chair, a wheelbarrow, a collar button, an habachi, a clock, a bullet, bike, and museum bench. Moore's perception lies beyond the threshold of utility. As poetic images, he redeems them. to read Moore's poetry is to dwell in the house of possibility:

Gently waking
the sleeping butterfly
a distant temple bell.

La campana lejana de un templo
suavemente despierta
una mariposa que duerme.

------------------------

Spider leaps
from the ceiling fan
ancient bungi jumper.

Arana brinca
del abanico del techo
saltador bungi antiguo.

Bienvenidos al microcosmo de Michael Moore. Su obra poetica celebra no solamente un jardin de temas asociados con el haiku pero tambien el inesperado poder de objectos que presuponemos. Sus poemas celebran el toque transcendental que redide en los detalles de nuestra vida cotidiana. La poesia haiku es un relampagueo. Michael Moore no los desilusiona.

Jacinto Jesus Cardona, Teacher and poet

I am a student of electronics engineering and am using this book as one of my text books in digital electronics. This is a great book for the beginers and clears the fundamentals such as - logic circuits and gates, various number systems, memory, counters,etc. I congratulate the author for producing such a helpful and educative edition.

Being a professor of computer sciences, I have read and taught this book for students of Master in computer science. The book has been designed such that students having no background of electronics can benefit equally. Using modular approach various courses can be designed for digital logic designers, computer scientists and hardware engineers. I have found this book very useful and I have recommended this book in Bachelors as well as Master's level program. The only problem I have been facing is that being a tutor I have not been able to find the tutor's manual. I will appreciate if someone can guide me how to get the teaching material of this book

I have read your book I had very little knowledge of digital electronic but after reading your book I got a very good knowledge about the subject & I would always recommend your book. The colour printing of your book make the book more attractive.

Private Ettinger, in his brief military career, managed to experience the battle of the Argonne Forest, survive four close shell bursts, a personal strafing by a German pilot, and some spectacular crashes on his dispatch-rider motorcycle, to provide us with one of the most engaging memoirs of the American Expiditionary Forces.
His very readable and entertaining reminiscences, augmented by some first-rate research by his son, are enhanced by rare photos, interesting appendices, and details of organization of a unit with some of the most colorful characters in American military history, such as "Wild Bill" Donovan, Father Duffy, Joyce Kilmer, and Douglas Macarthur (who personally delivered the author from incarceration).
Ettinger's story is highly recommended as a vivid window into the world of the doughboy, and a fine unit history as well.

(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

"It is enthralling and difficult to put down before completion." --Military Images

"A vivid portrait if a colorful outfit, DOUGHBOY places its emphasis on the human factor ... an invaluable and entertaining firsthand portrait of leadership, loyalty and morale -- the soul of any U.S. Army regiment." --Military History Magazine

"This well organized book becomes one of those rare war memoirs that has been back-checked for facts, that has such meticulous evidence of accuracy, it transcends the normal colorful remembrance to become a true work of history." --Gannett News Service

"Don't let 'A Doughboy With the Fighting 69th' escape you. It is destined to be a classic." --Irish Edition, Phila.

"An eye- witness account of World War I doughboy experience from a less than model soldier...a lively, personal account of both courage and realistic Army life." --The Bookwatch

"Although I have read many autobiographical accounts of famous generals and their bloody campaigns, few have touched me with the same effect as this story of one of America's true doughboy heros." --Ronnie Shimron, Curator, Jewish War Veterans

"It is enthralling and difficult to put down before completion. Afterward it is to be savored." --Military Images/ "A vivid portrait of a colorful outfit...an invaluable and entertaining firsthand portrait of leadership, loyalty and morale ... --Military History/ "This well organized book becomes one of those rare war memoirs that has been back-checked for facts, that has such meticulous evidence of accuracy, it transcends the normal colorful remembrance to become a true work of history." --Gannett News Service (John Hanchette)/ "Don't let [Doughboy] escape you. It is destined to be a classic." --Irish Edition (Philadelphia)/ "... a lively, personal account of both courage and and realistic Army life." --The Bookwatch

A very quick read and I read this book as fast as I could. It was hard to put down, as it was very enjoyable. There are quotes that I will use over and over again in my life, writing, and public speaking. You'll find yourself saying, Wow!, this is his best quote, only to be surprised again on the next page.

It showed the good and bad of Einstein (this was not a happily married man), and readers will probably get a better sense of the man than reading some sappy one-sided lovefest biography.

Once you pick up this book, you will be hard-pressed to put it down. I fully enjoyed reading this book of quotations of one of the most influential people in recent history. A wide selection of topics are covered including quotations about his colleagues. If you like Einstein, you will enjoy this.

If you're anything like me, you hate learning about a subject through a biased source. Be it the news, history, or a biography, when knowledge is passed on second hand, one is always left wondering what was lost in the translation, intentionally or otherwise.

This is why The Expanded Quotable Einstein is such a breath of fresh air; it allows one to learn about Einstein, his life, his thoughts, his character, in the purest way--through his own words. With over 400 pages of quotes, many of which are as poetically astute as you would expect from a top-notch professional writer, you can discover all there is to know, and draw your own conclusions, instead of being lead there on a leash by an author. Also, with factual information mixed in without the propaganda associated with a full-length biography, one can learn as many dates-names-places as one needs (unless you wish to write a complete fact-based synopsis of his life) and get to the heart of the matter: his spirit.

I feel that overall, this is the best way to present a historical figure, especially Einstein, whose thoughts and ideas need no embellishment, and for whom his own words serve as the best guide through his intricate mind.

One note: many people equate Einstein with E = MC^2, however do not be scared; this is a book of his quotes on everything, from politics to family to religion. No knowledge of mathematics or physics is required to enjoy the surprising insightful and well-rounded character that is Albert Einstein.

The delightful tale finds Albert Campion working his way through a Chinese puzzle of fashion designers, theatrical and entertainment people trying to solve the disappearance and death of the son of a friend. Richard Portland-Smith, a successful attorney, engaged to the beautiful actress Georgia Wells, disappeared without a trace several years ago, and his remains have finally been found by Campion, apparently having committed suicide. Campion gets the help of his sister, Val, a well-known designer, in meeting the actress, hoping to unravel the reason for Richard's death.

Instead, Campion is drawn into the glittery world of high fashion and theater, where appearances are often confused with reality. When Georgia's husband Sir Raymond Ramillies dies under suspicious circumstances Val is implicated and Albert goes into high gear. He uncovers one ugly secret after another, but the pieces never seem to quite fit together. Motives such as blackmail, greed, drugs and jealousy all abound but Campion is unable to pinpoint a suspect who has both means and opportunity.

This is one of Allingham's longest novels, and certainly is the most complex. It provides glimpses into London's fashion and theatrical world as well as some shattering demonstrations of the prejudices and flaws of the Great Britain's rich and famous. Written in 1938, the book reflects the morality of the times. A sensitive reader may find some statements that are, to put it mildly, politically incorrect. These are unfortunate, and provide an insight into the thinking of the upper classes on either side of the Atlantic, but should not be permitted to detract from the overall quality of the novel.

One of the special delights of this novel is the reappearance of Amanda Fitton, heroine of the "The Gyrth Chalice Mystery." She comes to Albert, seeking help, after a hiatus of six years, and manages to become engaged to him in the space of one evening. She becomes Campion's loyal, if irreverent, assistant and very nearly steals the whole novel. Lugg also gets in his share of grumping and grousing. "The Fashion in Shrouds" is one of Allingham's best, serving up mystery, humor, suspense and social commentary in great big, heaping doses.

Fashion in Shrouds, an Albert Campion mystery, is an exceedingly well-written mystery novel that functions equally well as whodunnit and character study. While many mysteries focus around theater and theater people, Allingham's look at their characters lacks either sentimentality or malice, and provides one of the most focused and accurate portrayals that I've ever read.

The Fashion in Shrouds is a wonderful novel and one of Margery Allingham's best Campion mysteries. One of the things that distinguishes it from your run-of-the-mill mystery is that it focuses clearly (and sometimes brutally) on the main characters and subtly draws the reader into their world. The author also provides some stunningly honest viewpoints on relationships between men and women that are relevant and insightful even today. A great book.

In this book, Al Ellis tells you everything you need to achieve long-term freedom from emotional upset. He explains why certain modes of therapy are ineffective and counter-productive. Even if they do no harm, they do not deliver the help you need, as opposed to more efficacious modes of therapy, such as REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) and Cognitive Therapy. He distinguishes between merely palliative techniques, like Yoga and Meditation, which help you feel better, but do not lead to lasting improvement, and those which help you get better and stay better.

Ellis makes no bones about the fact that it is often difficult to achieve the changes you want to make - but that's no reason for not doing so!

Having tried other therapeutic methods, until I discovered Dr. Ellis at one of his legendary Friday night workshops, I can tell you that if you stick to the principles laid out in this book, you will be the better for it.

In this book, Ellis shows the interested reader how Rational Emotive Therapy works, what the underlying philosphy is, and - most importantly - what you can do to get yourself out of emotional difficulties.
He emphasizes not only the aspect of feeling better, which many clients can more or less easily do (e.g. by exercising, meditating or distracting oneself from difficult feelings and situations). It is much more important to actually get better and permanently stay better. Ellis shows how you can achieve the kind of deep restructruring of your basic philosphies of life. He specifically recommends the use of the following techniques:
- Logical Disputing, e.g.: does it really follow that I am a worm if I am acting wormily?
- Realistic Disputing: Where is the evicence for my absolutist belief?
- Pragmatic Disputing: making cost-benefit ratios of short and long term benefits of my behavior and thinking patterns

To effectively dispute your irrational beliefs, you better dispute them cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally.
What I as a psychologist especially liked about this new book, are Ellis' exemplary disputations of low frustration tolerance, self-downing and other downing. This can help clients considerably to apply the ideas to their real life problems.
A good book to use for bibliotherapy!

Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better: Profound Self-Help Therapy For Your Emotions is a psychological self-help book with a wealth of advice on how to improve one's physical health by harnessing the power of one's emotional state. Chapters discuss such practical methods for improving one's attitude and therefore health such as thinking, philosophizing, emoting, and engaging in positive activities. A highly recommended addition to any personal self-help reading list, Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better is not a substitute for seeing a therapist or counselor, but rather a recommended supplement to a professional care in order to help the reader respond more effectively to treatment.

Full agreement with prior five star reviews. I would like to add that the reader gets a balanced but frank assessment of where the medical system and commanders succeeded, and where in some cases they failed sadly. Of particular interest are (a)the story of the lack of malaria preventive measures in certain South Pacific commands until they learned the hard way, (b) fascinating description of the development of practical treatment for psychiatric problems (combat fatigue), and (c) scathing criticism of the painful disability suffered by some 30,000 infantrymen in Northern Europe because of trench foot, much of which might have been avoided by better command decisions. Also excellent discussion of how the mushrooming military medical establishment tied in with the civilian professional services.

For World War II buffs this is one of those books that concentrates on behind-the-battlefield activity. The author does a superb and comprehensive job in informing the reader of the status of medicine and Allied medical organization during World War II. - I give the author five stars because he: (1) described the contemporary diseases and medicines as well as types of battle casualties; (2) narrates how the medics and field hospitals followed the troops into battle; and (3) gives us a good understanding of the development of military medical organization and the problems it had. On top of that, Cowdry keeps interesting a subject that otherwise could be boring, and, better yet, he starts at the beginning (Pearl Harbor) and takes us right through the war to the final atomic bomb and how the medics adapted and continued to do their stuff, including work on POW's. Good imagery to keep the reader's attention. Covers all theaters. An excellent background history, essential for students of WWII history.

A very well organized and researched book. Albert Cowdrey has written and collaborated on many other works regarding Military Medicine, but this is by far his best book. The trials and travails of Military Medical personnel during World War II are made clearly evident. The commitment to excellence in care is well documented. Fighting for Life is a must read for any Military Medical professional.

Captain John Eddy, Medical Service Corps, U.S. Army

"Galileo: His Science and His Significance for the Future of Man" by Albert G. DiCanzio should be required reading for each physics student starting at the high school, for some, or college freshman, for the rest, level. After reading several dozen books either translated from Galileo's work(s) or written about him, I find this book the best for the student of 2000. A better lesson for my engineering physics students to understand a sense of basic physics relative to that of the last twenty years does not exist.

The extensive amount of material, coupled with a concise writing style, led me to read the book a few pages at a time. There is not a word or phrase that is not needed. I found the book exhilarating.

I have occasionally wondered how trigonometric functions were conceived as infinite series. As an engineer I have been used to using the results, but it is fascinating to be taken through the process of discovery. My field has been mechanical engineering, and I rather assumed (without having investigated the mattter) that Newton framed his "laws" of motion largely on his own. I now appreciate better what towering contributions Galileo made to science.

Readers with some technical background will find the analytical and mathematical sections significantly enhance the descriptive material.

The book's treatment of the impact of Galileo on his contemporaries, and in turn of their reactions to him, is absorbing. Anyone involved in scientific research should have no problem understanding what Galileo confronted.

Dr. Stuart W. Greenwood

I really thouht the book was wonderful. It gave a great review on his teachings and life.

In my short time studying with him, Al Tillson instilled in me a love of this fertile time in history, as well as a love for four pocket cuban shirts. The title may not grab you, but the gripping history and Tillson's flowing narrative style will. Less a book about a specific time in history than it is about all history, it speaks to us universally, and gives us a deeper understanding of what is it to be human.

Albert Tillson could have easily written this book solely for the "gentry" of historical society, but instead took the brilliant path of penning this award-winning tome for the rank and file multitude of history buffs who relish the simple, compelling tour of Virginia's colonial commorants. He scrawls out a story so enchanting that I can only describe it as enchanting. Yes, the endnotes get rather long, but if you're like me you'll bask in the hedonism of his note structure and devour eeach of his many sources in the order he so masterfully lists them. Brilliance!

Dr. Tillson so thoroughly researched Virginia's history for this book that when I finished reading it I felt I could be considered a scholar on Virginia's history. This may seem like a book for graduate students, professors of history, and history-philes, but I am a lowly undergraduate student with an interest in history and appreciated and enjoyed this book. Any questions, comments, or concerns I had about the material while reading the book were answered quickly and thoroughly. If you aren interested in this time period or are taking a class on early America, this is an excellent read.