Benjamin Bennett is professor of German at the University of Virginia and one of the finest Germanists in the country. This book may be his magmum opus.

I bought this book knowing relatively little about German Lit and reading this book made me feel like an expert. Bennett's book is incredibly well done, and it crosses the boundaries of genre and national literature like few others of its kind. A great book for the drama enthusiast of any age, and it will certainly appeal to specialists.

The definitive book on the Inquisition is B. Netanyahu's The Origins of the Inquisition. This work goes back to the 6th century BCE and traces the destructive path of anti-Semitism and xenophobia all the way to Spain. One of the main points of this book is stating how most of the Conversos were good Christians and not heretics. This book also makes known how most of the hatred for Jews and later New Christians came from the lowest classes who felt socially, politically, religiously, and most importantly economically threatened by these supposedly alien people. It is also worth mentioning that Netanyahu believes that the hatred of the New Christians stemmed from RACISM; first for the Jews and then for their descendants, the sociopolitical jealousies only stoked the underlying fire. Netanyahu also demonstrates how the Morranos were caught in the middle a power struggle between monarchic supremacy and nobiliar and urban aristocratic independence. This work is worth your time and will add to your edification.

this encycolpedic oeuvre is almost overwhelming in its sheer scale; however, the attention to detail is necessary in order to understand how this horrifying portion of liturgical history developed. social contexts and authentic resources make this a very thorough history of the inquisition as it was experienced in spain. i only wish i could find an equally thorough treatment of the inquisition in italy and france. a very revealing work for the lay person who wants to know more about liturgical history, the woman's place in medieval social order, and the development of the social relationships among medieval spanish christians, jews, and muslims.

A must-see cover design by Terence Kelleher. This one feature sets the book in a whole world of its own. I challenge anyone to read the contents, and not cry, and not consider their outlook changed.

With a thought-provoking and attractive cover painting by Terence Kelleher, this book is the latest addition to a growing literature on the lives of the 2000 or so men and women awaiting execution in the United States. Composed almost entirely of accounts written by the men themselves, this makes a harrowing but life-affirming (ironically) read. It may well change the way you think.

Pearls from the Most Exquisite Strand does what it was sent to do, stir every dormant longing deep within the soul. Michelle's poems are prepared like a savory meal...with loving care. A kaleidoscope of her mind she shares along with memories of her father in "Our Song" ...very touching!

Pearls from the Most Exquisite Strand, exemplifies what it means to be gifted. Ms. Benjamin creates for the reader a window full of imagination. From the front cover, to the last page, the book speaks to the possibilities of being all one can be-- in love and life. A gem of literary work, words ooze from the page and saturate the readers mind. Pearls from the Most Equisite Strand is a must read and is in no way limited to the 5 stars allowed through this review system. The book is a 10 in my opinion. The poems are sure to reside in your heart and mind for a very long time.

We read this book in our homeschool history class. It's great for colonial unit study. Even mom learned a few new things about Ben Franklin! How cool is that!

These picture book biographies are great for lower elementary students. Big colorful pictures and packed with information. Great for colonial unit study.

World peace? NAH - just a utopian pipe dream. That's what I thought, too, until I read this book. One of the authors (Ferencz) grew up ghetto tough, fought in WWII, witnessed nazi atrocities, and had the honor of serving as an attorney in the Nuremberg war trials.

He went on to study international law, and came to the conclusion that world peace does have a chance, if people will insist on it. It would take a framework of international law, and some capability for enforcing that law, but IT COULD WORK.

He gives examples, quotes from great thinkers, quotes from great leaders and generals, and spells out an action plan for getting from here to there. You read the book, and you think - maybe for the first time - "Hey, maybe this could work".

I buy used copies and give them away. I wish everyone could read this book. Tomorrow. Boy, there is a lot of stuff that could be fixed, if everyone would expose themselves to these ideas.

Got kids? Want them to have a world free of the threat of global war? Want them to have a world where pollution and environmental abuse are subject to global control (rather than based on the greed and myopia of the population where the abuse occurs)? You NEED to read this book!

Ferencz is not claiming that he can change human nature - that is not the point. Instead, his plan is to replace the law of force (between nations) with the force of law. It has been done before, to a limited degree (in the Constitution of this great country). It is still happening, each time we find some new opportunity for international accord. But it is happening too slowly. We can all speed the process up, and this book will give you some ideas and excitement about doing so.

If you read it and get the fever, write me at relaskop@aol.com - I will be glad to hear your thoughts.

Terry Fethe

This book was extraordinarily helpful to me and made a world federalist of me. I bought 100 copies (I think they were 50 cents at the time) and handed them out to my friends. The book helped me see that just as Maryland is not at war with Pennsylvania because we have a federal government to deal with interstate disputes, so we would not have wars between nations if we had a strong world federal government. This would include a criminal court that could bring individuals as well as nations into the courtroom when international laws were broken, such as laws against drug trafficking and terrorism. The authors give an analogy of the "wild west" where people settled before governments (and therefore laws) were established, where guns ruled and civilization was difficult to maintain. This book helped me to compose a number of letters to the editor of our local paper over the years. The logic is so simple and obvious, yet I find that most people, even those in the peace movement, are not tuned in to this issue. I wish the book would be reissued and offered cheap in bulk once again. If cheap enough, I would certainly buy another 100 copies and give them away.

As a student of history I have had to read many books about the the rise of the Nazi party, and I must say that this one by far is the best! It is well researched and quite honestly a real page turner. I highly recomend it for anyone interested in Nazi politics.

Benjamin Lapp's magnum opus, "Revolution from the Right" is a fantastic source for scholars looking in the Weimar period of German History. Lapp's style is much like the style of William Sheridan Allen's "Nazi Seizure of Power". Lapp's book is simply a superb historical synthesis. Not many authors have choose to study single towns/provences during the Weimar Republic/Nazi revolution. One can only ponder of all footwork and sweat in writing such a concise historical book. One can study the social, political, economic, and emotional aspects of the Nazi revolution in Saxony. I would recomend this book to anyone who believes they know how common German people reacted to the Nazi movement. This book will add another aspect of the Nazi movement in Germany to anyone's repertoire.

This is a historically thorough yet immensely enjoyable work. Filene's take on "roots music" is refreshing--honest and free of gushing hyperbole; just cynical enough without ever becoming acerbic.

The stories Filene chooses to tell are illuminating and often funny--Leonard Chess faking his way through Blues hitmaking; Leadbelly being marketed as a country bumpkin in overalls when he preferred to wear suits.

There are so many more stories to be told, though--musicians to discuss, angles of the folk boom to expand, that I wish Filene would write more--perhaps another volume.

Most books about popular music fall into one of two categories. You have your pretentious rock n' roll critic who writes in impenetrable and cryptic prose (Hello Anthony DeCurtis and Robert Christgau) or you have purely academic writings that miss the heart of what is often music felt at a gut level. Then along comes Benjamin Filene. Filene offers up a brilliant discussion of the ways in which folk music became a part of our American consciousness. Profiling the careers of such artists as Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, "Romancing the Folk" presents an extremely lively, readable and well thought out discussion of the way folk music was presented to the American public and ultimately accepted as a valid art form in its own right. In doing so, Filene breaks from the stale world of traditional popular music writing and gives you a fine read while you listen to "Blood on the Tracks," "Goodnight Irene," "Hoochie Coochie Man" or "Talking Union."

Ben Kaplan's book is not only useful and valuable, but enjoyable. This is something every college seeker should go through. Also read Norman Thomas Remick's "West Point" for a surprising (and enjoyable) eye-opener on what the full-scholarship West Point is really about. As a teacher and board member, I recommend both books. That's my best advice.

I just finished reading the Scholarship Scouting Report, and I found it amazing! Not only does Ben Kaplan explain the top scholarships, he makes reading about them fun. (Just reading the sample scholarship essays from past winners makes this book enjoyable.) Ben Kaplan also puts his own personal touch on this book, with his lively comments. It's truly motivating -- unlike any other scholarship book I've read.

Walter Benjamin has progressed over the years from an obscure lesser member of the Frankfurt School to a widely read leading member of that obscure school. Aided by such as Hannah Arendt, who introduced him to a wider audience in her writings (and also to me), readers have come to appreciate Benjamin for the beauty of his writing as well as his sharp insight.

This volume, along with its companion, is an excellent introduction to the style and thought of this man who, while out of step with his times, possessed the insight to give those times an original critique.

Possessed of a lively style and free from the Marxist bagge that weighs down his Frankfurt School colleagues such as Adorno and Horkheimer (I think Benjamin owes much more to Heidegger than Marx), Benjamin will hook any reader who takes the time to spend an hour or two with this book. From here it's an easy step to purchase other Benjamin writings, a step I can almost guarantee.

While his work is as important as Barthes, Foucault, or Derrida, or any other critic of the 20th Century, Benjamin's work has a mystical quality, a kind of enchantment, that resonates much more than any other critic I have read. It is always human and sensitive, even despite his determinedly impersonal tone.

When I think of Benjamin, I think of Emerson's famous line about Hawthorne - that he was a greater man than any of his works betray. The integrity and character of Walter Benjamin shines through his works, and is an inspiration to anyone who takes literature seriously.

This first volume of Bejamin's complete works is very attractive and welcome. Some of my favorite essays are present, such as his essays on children's literature, and the nature of language. I eagerly await the other two volumes.