This is not a book for the philosopher timid of heart. Blessed John Duns Scotus is one of the greatest minds that the Franciscan school of thought has produced. He has inspired so much of the work of the Franciscan philosophers and theologians; although it must be said that the Franciscans are very free thinkers. The book contains both selections from the metaphysical texts of Scotus and a commentary by William Frank and Allan Wolter, who have brilliantly unwoven the tightly knit thought of this logical mastermind. Scotus can prove a great challenge for the sheer depth of his work and also because of the modern mind's distance from the time, place, and style within which Scotus wrote. These two commentators provide the avid philosopher ample tools for the successful comprehension of the Scotistic vision of metaphysics, including his highly contraversial theory of univocity (Thomists, please read this with an open mind).

I'm a parish pastor, and spending over a hundred dollars for one reference book better be worth it. It is. Volume One contains 465 articles (alphabetically from A-D). Topics of current interest include "Abortion" and "Abortion Counseling" and "Black Churches." Information on most of the world's countries and the latest statistics are at my fingertips. Although the encyclopedia is based upon a massive German publication, this edition is written in American English. In my opinion, many of the articles would be useful for high school students and Sunday School teachers. I'm going to put Vol. 2 on my next Christmas "wish" list.

Anyone interested in design, illustration --especailly retro 50's/jazz stylings --- you MUST explore this "godfather" of the movement. Eric dies unfortunatley in WW2 in his 30's -- but his design legacy carries on even today. His work is incredible.

An excellent choice for anyone who is interested in transportation. The essays range from issues related to developing countries to those that are pertinent to the US. While this is not exactly a beginner's book it is very easy to read with some background in economics or engineering.

This book contains the report written by John Murdoch on the ethnological studies of a US Army Signal Corps expedition to Point Barrow (actually about 7 or 8 miles south of the point itself) undertaken as part of the US effort in the International Polar Year. Although the primary thrust of the IPY was geophysical, the Point Barrow expedition collected a good amount of ethnological data, and large amounts of carefully documented material culture. Murdoch produced a very thorough well-illustrated report after returning from the field. Even skimming it should bring tremendous respect for the complex and ingeneous, yet sustainable, technology which enabled the Inupiat to not only survive, but thrive, in what is generally considered one of the harshest environments on Earth.

This volume contains that report along with a number of other documents produced by various members of the expedition, which prove to be very interesting supplements to Murdoch's report. The reproduction is excellent. Although it is in slighly smaller format than the original, the drawings and illustrations are still clear.

The primary audience will probably be those who are interested in pre- and post-contact Inupiat material culture, especially that of North Alaska, but others will find things of interest in it as well. Certainly, for anyone who needs to identify artifacts, whether archaeological or ethnographic, from this general region, this is the best resource there is besides an Elder. In fact, Murdoch has illustrations of things that some Elders of today have never seen in use.

This book is a true classic. The Smithsonian should be thanked for reissuing it, as the original was hard to find, expensive, and a bit heavy and delicate for field or lab use. This paperback version is both inexpensive enough and portable enough for such use. I actually have two copies (lab & office) so that the original can stay unmolested on the shelf.

William MacLure is usually considered the "father of American geology" but he was far more. He was also one of the founders of the utopian community of New Harmony, Indiana and its Working Men's Library (the city and library are well worth visiting).

His European journals contain his views on politics, history, geology, sociology, ethnology, etc., in a most candid and, often, humorous style. MacLure is an almost forgotten American figure who is brought to life by Doskey's superb and vigorous editing.

This is a dictionary of the words used in the New Testament (Authorized Version). It is an easy-to-use tool to anyone wanting to delve deeper into the meaning of the words used in the NT.

Unlike more difficult lexicons such as Strong's, the words in Vine's are alphabetized by the English word; then you are told which various Greek words are translated using that English word and their meanings Other usages in the NT are also compared and contrasted. References to the Strong's numbering system are given in the margins.

It's a quick source of lexigraphical information that is useful to any lay Bible scholar.

William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn made an enormous contribution to psychoanalysis in the early part of this century although he was little known in his own lifetime. This fascinating psycho-biography of a great man of the mind gives insights into his own development and the reasons why he gave up ideas of working in the clergy, to study medicine and arrive at his Object Relations Theory, which is now receiving much wider attention around the globe. It is a fantastic book - but then I would think that: WRD Fairbairn was my grandfather.

Verdi's two Comedies philosophically, and emotionally, frame his long career. While writing Il Giorno di Regno, his first comedy, and only his second opera, the rather naive young Verdi lost his first wife and their children in a fire. Needless to say, the opera wasn't very funny, and the audience booed it off the stage. Verdi quit Opera...he thought for good. However, his self-imposed exile didn't last long, and Verdi eventually wrote several of Opera's greatest masterpieces. He also loved Giuseppina, first as his paramour, eventually as his second wife, became one of Europe's most generous philanthropists, and admired his great rival Richard Wagner, who referred to Verdi simply as "pig." Arrigo Boito, a genius in his own right (if you don't believe it, get a good recording of Mefistofele), testified in Italian newspapers that Verdi's "old ways" of writing Opera were permanently invalidated by Wagner. Yet one day, eight years after Verdi had retired for the second time, Boito, the great Verdi hater, came to Sant' Agata, hat in hand, to ask Verdi to compose music for two Shakespearean music dramas he had written. The second of those music dramas, Falstaff, was to be Verdi's second comedy, and his last opera. Falstaff is a towering monument to artistic collaboration. In it, Verdi, Boito, and Shakespeare tell us that life is a great cosmic joke, and, since we cannot escape being its brunt, we might as well laugh along. Dover republished an early Ricordi edition of Falstaff. Ricordi is, simply put, the most useful publisher of late romantic Italian opera, especially of Verdi and Puccini. The scholarship is top notch, making this Dover edition quite a useful volume. The book itself is, as always, well crafted and easy to read. The score may be too large, and the book too small, to make this volume useful for the podium, but at home, in front of the stereo, it's invaluable. Falstaff is one of the west's great example's of existentialism expressed in artistic form. If you are not familiar with this opera, I strongly recommend you buy this score, and a good recording to go with it, and knock yourself out.

An essential book for every American both young or old, male or female, Democrat or Republican. A delightful discovery on the need of God and guns (or perhaps swords) in the United States and the intolerance of a government in charge of all but answerable to noone. An undeniably perfect fit for todays culture.

Discover your roots from the men that gave their lives for the signing of the Constitution; true heroes. Their resolve was unquestionable and the love for country without reproach.

They brought us so far. We've walked away. Read it and weep. BK