At the age of thirteen, I fell on a beat up copy of Norstrilia, and fell in love with Smith's works. I soon got a copy of "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" and it vanished on a summer camp trip. It took me years to replace it. Imagine my delight to have all those loved stories in one (heavy) volume, unlikely to go astray!

As you probably know, Smith was actually Dr. Paul M.A. Linebarger, a Johns Hopkins professor and specialist in Asian affairs. He was a master of psychological warfare.

His stories fit no easy category. They are not fantasy, they are not hard science fiction, they are not alternative history. They incorporate bits and pieces of Asian culture and myth. They are often troubling, haunting. "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" ends with most of its characters dead or with their minds wiped, yet it is a happy ending for all that, with Joan's views obviously spreading through the underpeople. "Under Old Earth" is a fascinating tale, filled with allusions that must be beyond the scope of this note. Even "War No. 81-Q", the original version of which was written by Smith as a teenager, is an excellent story. "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" is simply one of the great SF short stories of all time. I could go on, but . . .

The volume also includes the Casher O'Neill trilogy, that I had read of, but not seen before.

If you haven't read Smith before, this is how to buy his stories, so that you have them all. If you have--well, again, you'll have them all.

It's worth it. Buy it.

Cordwainer Smith is one of the most unique and original authors to ever write science fiction, and is definitely among my favorites. These stories are the best of Cordwainer Smith, though he also wrote Nostrilia, a good book that nevertheless pales in comparison to the selections in The Rediscovery of Man. What I like about Smith is that he has a sense of the epic in science fiction, while still maintaining the focus of his writing: humans and near-humans (the underpeople). Many of his stories deal with love, something to be admired in a genre that often ignores this important concept. Especially in "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell", "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard", "The Burning of the Brain", and "Three to a Given Star", Smith shows his competency in this area, giving often heart-wrenching accounts of the survival of love in this far flung future. Other key stories include "The Crime and Glory of Commander Suzdal", the horrifying "A Planet Named Shayol", and "The Dead Lady of Clown Town". Such stories show an incredible depth of imagination, though Smith never loses touch with his characters, imbuing them real emotion and intelligence. If I had one complaint it would be that Smith sometimes lets his imagination run wild, creating a story that is a little too abstract. This is shown in "Under Old Earth", the only story I had trouble finishing. This, however, is a minor grievance, and the pure brilliance of the other stories occludes this one misstep. Give yourself a chance to appreciate this often overlooked genius.

A few years ago I encountered, in an undistinguished anthology of Year's Best Something-Or-Other, a short science fiction story called "The Ballad of Lost C'mell." Love at first sight. I ransacked used book stores, the crowded shelves and dusty boxes of my house, and even libraries to find more short stories written by this miraculous Cordwainer Smith. I managed to assemble eight or nine, all from various anthologies, before my parents took pity on me and gave me "The Rediscovery of Man" for my birthday. Smith's writing is so good, it's intoxicating: you put down his writing with your head full of fantastic images, from underpeople toiling away in the mysterious corridors of Downdeep-downdeep, to star sailors riding the interstellar winds, the indescribable poetry of Space-3 and the strange futile lives of the Scanners. In my eyes Cordwainer Smith has only one fault-he died too soon! How dare he leave such a colorful, complicated, weird and wild future universe unfinished? Fortunately he left these stories, and if you have not already read them, I suggest you waste no further time in discovering the Instrumentality of Mankind and the universe around it. And even if you've read the stories before, read them again. They're just as good the second time around . . . or the fifth . . .or the fortieth . . .

"Every Man Will Do His Duty" is an anthology of 22 excerpts from actual diaries and journals of men who served in the the British and American navies during the late 18th century and early 19th century.

I loved this book. Each selection was entertaining and well chosen, both for the glimpses the provide into the lives of the officers and men who served on such ships, and for their historical context (Such as Dr. William Beatty's account of the death of Horatio Nelson).

I'd suggest it to anyone who enjoys Naval History, or historical fiction (Such as Forrester or O'Brian) on the subject.

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If all you read in this book is "The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy", you will have gotten your money's worth.

If the only stories you read are the two chapters from the Nagle Journel, "For the Good of My Soul, 1795," and "Mad Dickey's Amusement, 1798-1800", you will have gotten your money's worth.

But you get more than this. You get a total of 22 stories picked from many to capture the history and character of the times.

If you like Patrick O'Brien, and C.S. Forester, you will enjoy the history that gave seed to these stories. You will recognize the events of Lucky Jack Aubrey's fiirst cruise in the cruise of the Speedy, and be amazed.

Index of stories:

1. In the King's Service, 1793-1794

2. Commence the Work of Destruction: The Glorious First of June, 1794

3. The Noted Pimp of Lisbon and an Unwanted Promotion in Bull Bay, 1794

4. For the Good of My Own Soul, 1795

5. The Would as Soon Have Faced the Devil Himself as Nelson, 1796

6. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797

7. Mad Diskey's Amusement, 1798-1800

8. The Fortune of War, 1799

9. The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy, 1800-1801

10. Bermuda in the Peace, 1802-1803

11. The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805

12. The Death of Lord Nelson, 1805

13. An Unequal Match, 1807-1808

14. With Stopford in the Basque Roads, 1808-1809

15. When I Beheld These Men Spring from the Ground, 1809

16. "Damn'em, Jackson, They've Spoilt My Dancing," 1809-1812

17. The Woodwind Is Mightier than the Sword, 1809-1812

18. HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States, 1812

19. An Unjustifiable and Outrageous Pursuit, 1812-1813

20. A Yankee Cruiser in the South Pacific, 1813

21. Showdown at Valparaiso, 1814

22. We Discussed a Bottle of Chateau Margot Together, 1812-1815

For anyone who is interested in naval warfare in the age of sail in general, or in the Napoleonic period, this book is a must. It is simply superb.

This anthology of first hand accounts covers events in both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including the War of 1812, in which the Royal Navy getting some very nasty surprises, and even nastier defeats, at the hands of the small, but expert United States Navy.

Some of the subjects covered are the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797, the sea fight between HMS Macedonian and the USS United States in 1812, the cruise into the Pacific of the USS Essex, and such esoteric subject as 'the noted pimp of Lisbon' and Bermuda in time of peace.

This book is an enjoyable read, an outstanding primary source, and one of the best books available on this often neglected subject.

Excellent review of the life and times of America's Moveable Fighting Man. Especially interesting are the details of the conception and behind-the-scenes work in creating the prototype figure and marketing concept, an aspect of the story that may interest even non-Joe devotees. Collectors may wish to note that this is a much-expanded (and therefore more essential) version of the slender book included with the G. I. Joe Masterpiece Edition boxed figure.

Don't confuse this book with the "GI Joe collector's guides" that exist in various forms. This is a different animal - - gripping, well-written nonfiction, telling the story of a small family-owned business and its leap of faith on a brand new type of toy for boys, the now-ubiquitous "action figure."

The story of the GI Joe product illuminates the story of the toy industry itself. I found this look inside the process of bringing a product to market and maintaining its value over the course of decades fascinating.

I don't normally give a Five Star rating, but my god, this book is wonderful. The story is fun and indepth. The design is AMAZING and the images of the GI JOE figures are wonderfully shot.

If you have even a slight, passing interest in GI JOE, buy this book, you won't be dissappointed!

This outstanding book trancends religeous beliefs, cultural backgrounds and any modern day (Western & Eastern) sadly misguided beliefs for what constitutes a happy marriage and true love. The author is able to accomplish this great feat by reaching deep down and grasping at wisdom in all its pureness, raising it to the surface and clearly defining without any doubt what TRUE LOVE really is.

While the core focus of the book is to teach the reader exactly what true love is and exactly what it is not; it goes beyond and takes the reader through various psycological analysis of the many types of people, their sentimental,sexual and psycological behaviour and the reasons they engage in the types of relationships they do. All of this being achieved with bullseye accuracy, logic reasoning and awakening clarity.

Are you in love now? Think you don't need this book? THINK AGAIN!
Chances are you may need this book even more than those that seek to find love! You heard me right. It is unfortunate so many people today mistake feelings of extacy, moments of passion and romance, friendship and times of admiration for their partners for TRUE LOVE.

You will also find the book being composed of about 10% spirituality (without pushing any one specific religion/path) and 90% psycology. The spirituality side is partially derived from 5000 year old path called Hermetics -A very balanced Occidental path (with many parallels to Yogic,Buhddism, and whose modern version is influenced with Kabbalah). There are some quotes from the Christian bible as well in this book - but let me repeat, this book is for absolutely everyone, regardless of their spiritual path/religeous beliefs or lack of either.

If you would ever consider seeking counciling in an attempt to better understand or mend a relationship then you would be wise to pick up this book. In other words, don't wait until that day comes, educate yourself today so you won't have to save the relationship of tomorrow. If you've had many failed relationships it's time to ask yourself why and get to the bottom of it before failure comes strolling down your alley again. For those dilusioned by ignorance and lack of relationship experience who think they know how to have a healthy relationship, then time to get this book and get a serious reality check.

I find this book of such high value that I would recommend it even to the counselor(s) of relationships. Yes, even you WILL learn something here!

This book is a mirror of the ways people love, or think they love. What most people believe to be true love is probably corrupt. John Baines teaches us how to dicipher our reasons for being in a relationship and how to create truly, honest love.

I had become a sinic of love until I read this book. I always felt that how people love was not real and was always searching for the true meaning of love.

This book brought me to that understanding that I was looking at all the things that love was not, which I mistook for love, and gave me the vision to see what love really is. I am now on my journey to find true love for myself.

This book explains that healthy intimate relationships aren't about the romantic notions portrayed by the media or in the fairytales we all read as children, but rather about knowing ourselves, showing up, being authentic, and speaking our truth in a caring yet honest way. Authentic Heart provides a refreshingly realistic take on mature relationships, and is written in a very clear and easily digestible manner. You definitely don't need to be familiar with Buddhist philosophy to get a lot out of this book, but if you are, you'll likely resonate with much of the perspective here. I loved this book so much that I bought a second copy to pass around to all my friends!

If there is ever a Pulitzer Prize for a book about love, "The Authentic Heart" should win hands down. I have great admiration for John Amodeo's gentle yet powerful prose and lively writing style. I am inspired beyond words how often and beautifully he illuminates by example the significance of risking vulnerability and emotional honesty to achieve emotional intimacy in relationships. There is a genuine, moving wisdom in this book that speaks to people of all ages, not just those approaching or in mid-life.

I have long been an admirer of John Amodeo's work. A long-time therapist and counselor, he understand the dynamics of intimate relationships as well as anyone I know. In addition, he is an excellent writer--clear, thoughtful, probing. This book is timely. The boomer generation, especially, with its history of shattered relationship, broken dreams, and burned-out illusions, will benefit from its careful and thorough laying out of the eightfold path to authentic love. Amodeo shows us that real love, which means a deep spiritual and emotional connection, true friendship, and a healthy measure of chemistry and romance, is possible. It seems to me that this book is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking such a union.

Milton's "Paradise Lost" is the best work of literature in the English language, bar none. Christians and non-Christians alike should marvel at the vision presented by Milton. He is not a Satanist, as the Romantics would have you believe. Indeed, he is a devout Christian. This is what makes the work so extraordinary. Milton's vision of the astral world invokes various responses from the reader, all of them genuine and some contradictory. No matter who you are or what you believe, you will thoroughly enjoy this imaginary look into the events surrounding the fall of Lucifer and the beginnings of man in the Garden of Eden.

I was assigned to read Paradise Lost on my own over the summer and I am so glad that I chose the Norton Critical edition. Obviously, reading Paradise Lost is a daunting task for anyone who isn't a religious historian and without the Norton Critical edition, I might not have finished the epic at all (which would be much of a loss, not only in my grades.)

This edition has a vast array of extremely helpful footnotes (have a Bible at hand for all those cross-references) and it has large margins for taking plenty of notes of your own. More than half of the book is a collection of various literature, excerpts and explanations that are also quite helpful.

Certainly, there is no doubt that Paradise Lost is an excellent work, but the Norton Critical edition is invaluable for any average person (like me) who wants to truly appreciate it. I highly recommend this.

Paradise Lost was not part of my core curriculum in science and mathematics. I was of course aware that scholars considered it a great work, a classic. But it seemed a bit daunting - long, difficult, dated, and possibly no longer relevant.

A few years ago I made two fortunate decisions. I elected to read Milton's Paradise Lost and I bought the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Scott Elledge). I read and reread Paradise Lost over a period of three months as well as the 300 pages of the Norton critical commentary. I was stunned by the beauty and power of Milton. Why had I waited so long to even approach such a literary masterpiece?

Make no mistake. I had been right in several ways. Paradise Lost is difficult, it is long, and full appreciation requires an understanding of the historical and religious context. But Paradise Lost is a remarkable achievement. It explores questions regarding man and God that are as relevant today as in the 17th century. And the genius of Milton has never been surpassed.

I found the Norton footnotes extremely helpful - definitions for rare or archaic words and expressions, explanations of the historical context, and links to the critical commentary section. The footnotes are at the page bottom, making them readily accessible.

The Norton biographical, historical, and literary commentaries were fascinating in their own right. I may well as spent as many hours reading commentary as with Paradise Lost itself.

John Milton led a remarkable life. His enthusiastic euology on Shakespeare was included in the second folio edition of Shakespeare in 1632. This was Milton's first public appearance as an author! While traveling as a young man he "found and visited" the great Galileo, old and blind, a house prisoner of the Inquisition for his astronomical heresy. Years later Milton, a close supporter of Cromwell, barely escaped the scaffold at the Restoration and was at risk for some period afterwards. Many considered Milton no more than an outcast, now old and blind himself, a republican and regicide who had escaped death by too much clemency. Within a few years this aging blind outcast created one of the masterpieces of the English language.

Milton broke all English tradition by writing Paradise Lost in blank verse. Homer in Greek and Vergil in Latin had used blank verse, but English demanded rhyme. Although others failed to imitate Milton's blank verse (I suspect that none wanted to be compared directly with genius), the praise was without exception. Dryden, a master of rhyme, is attributed with saying, "This man cuts us all out, and the ancients too".

Milton's characterization of Satan, Adam, Eve, the archangels Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel, and even God himself are masterful. The debates and arguments that evolve around free will, obedience, forbidden knowledge, love, evil, and guilt are timeless. And fascinating. And thought provoking.

Paradise Lost will require commitment and patience and thought. The commitment in time is substantial. (I enjoy Samuel Johnson's subtle comment: "None ever wished it longer than it is.") But the return is a personal experience with great literature, one of the masterpieces of the English language. I consider myself fortunate to have made such an investment.

you must read this book. For women, it can be very enlightening, and men will see much of themselves in the main character. It is very funny, but also very thoughtful. Not that I know first hand, but it seems to accurately chronicle the disatisfaction that many young men have with marriage, while not glorifying the behavior that leads to this disatisfaction. Deep down its message is that you need to appreciate what you have and that marriage requires maturity and sacrifice.

I enjoyed the book so much that I felt lost when I finished reading it. As a mother of two young children, I could understand what the characters were experiencing. I laughed out loud as I read the book. My husband only reads things with lots of pictures. He knew I was enjoying this wonderful book. I would stop and explain what was happening and even read small parts of the book to him (it's a start). It was so wonderfully written!

But... this is one. Featuring English humour at its most incisive and similar to, but even better than, Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity", "The Best a Man Can Get" surrounds a clever storyline with more superb "one liners" than any other book I've read. Well written, and genuinely reflective on the dichotomies facing men when their lives become totally disrupted by childbirth, it's addictive and above all "funny". How good?... well my wife, children & I watched with great amusement as our (male, one loving wife, two loving children) friend completely disrupted a day and a half of our recent holiday as he raced through it, accompanied by regular and wholly disconcerting hoots of laughter. Once finished, I picked it up and read it straight through in similar time accompanied by similarly uncontrolled outbursts. It's totally "non-PC" and very "English" but it's honest, brilliantly witty and, in the end, charmingly tender. If you're male, if you shared a flat when you were younger and if you've had children, you will definitely relate to it - if not, well... treat it as an instruction manual on how men in that situation really think.

THIS BOOK IS A THRILLING ADVENTURE ....... A FRONT ROW SEAT TO WATCH THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO DARE TO OBEY THE TEACHINGS OF
CHRIST...AND TO TAKE HIM LITERALLY.....AND TO DO AS HE DID. THE READER HAS A CHANCE TO FEEL AND SEE GOD'S POWER AT WORK IN THE LIVES OF HUMAN BEINGS IN THE 21ST CENTURY.....RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. IT IS UP-LIFTING AND GIVES HOPE AND JOY TO ANY READER WHO REALLY BELIEVES. I AM NOW READING THIS BOOK FOR THE 3RD TIME, AND THINK WITHOUT QUESTION THAT IT SHOULD BE BACK IN PRINT, AS OUR WORLD TODAY IS IN DIRE NEED OF IT'S MESSAGE.

Perhaps it was what I was experiencing when I first found this book in a second hand book store, but whatever the reason I could not put it down until I finished it.

It is a powerfully moving story written without heavy theological dogma as to what is involved when a person has a personal experience with the Divine and chooses to follow that calling.

This is a book that changed my life and seemed to come at just the right time.

Hank Gavin's struggle to know God better and his willingness to give up the life he knew for what he believed he was being called by God to do made me ask questions about what I, myself, believed. The book started me on a lifetime journey. I wanted to believe that the God Hank found was alive for me, too. I had attended church all of my life, but what I was reading was a new way of seeing God - - new to me but forever present in His Word. I owe Mrs. St. John a tremendous debt of gratitude. I, too, believe that she must have had personal experiences which provided the idea for her book. My experiences with sharing the book are that one either loves it or cannot get into it. I've read it many times now and will read it again. It should be put back into circulation.

A FORTUNATE MAN: THE STORY OF A COUNTRY DOCTOR, first published in the mid-1960s by John Berger, has as its subject a certain John Sassall, a rural physician in England. This small volume, 169 pages in paperback, is also nicely illustrated with many apt b/w photographs by Jean Mohr.

If you've ever been enchanted by ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL by Dr. James Herriot, an English country veterinarian, then A FORTUNATE MAN starts out promising enough with a half dozen or so brief accounts of Dr. Sassall's interactions with his patients. Then, the remainder and greater portion of the text is a lengthy Berger essay based on his observations of the physician and his place in the community. Sassall himself, as might otherwise be revealed by his very real and illustrative day to day rounds, is reduced to the introductory cameos.

Berger mixes philosophy and social commentary as he explores such subjects as the doctor/patient relationship, the art of diagnosis, the physician's social standing in the community, and the physician's view of suffering. The flavor of Berger's dissertation can be sampled from this snippet regarding suffering:

"The objective co-ordinates of time and space, which are necessary to fix a presence, are relatively stable. But the subjective experience of time is liable to be so grossly distorted - above all by suffering -that it becomes, both to the sufferer and any person partially identifying himself with the sufferer, extremely difficult to correlate with time proper. Sassall not only has to make this correlation, he also has to correlate the patient's subjective experience of time with his own subjective experience."

The book is less about Dr. Sassall then the author's discernment of the man, and the two are not necessarily the same. This volume would be well-received as part of any medical school curriculum - Theory of Bedside Manner or Medical Ethics 1A, perhaps. For myself, as one who is grudgingly granted 10 minutes of a doctor's distracted attention during the annual physical - the HMO's time is money, after all - I wanted to be presented with first hand evidence that real doctors (like my father the GP who made house calls!) still exist somewhere in the world. Berger's lecturing, while well-meaning and perceptive, didn't do that. It just bored.

I read this book for the first time as an undergraduate in 1987, now as a graduate student in health care, I'm realizing the wealth of information about how an effective system of care looks like. It's not the HMO approach, it's the approach that keeps one close to the ground in their community.

If you care about people and health care systems, read this book!

It begins as if it were fiction, and ends as a study of one man's life, his relation to his patients, and the economic and social conditions which frame this connection. It is less biography than philosophy, and it extends beyond doctors toward all people and their actions.

This is not to say that John Berger's observations of Dr. Sassall's life can be applied to all people. Much is specific to Sassall's identity as a doctor. His depression, Berger claims, is a result of "the suffering of his patients, and his own sense of inadequacy." But there is a theme of existentialism that underlies the book, and it is ultimately about, I think, the pain of searching for purpose after one has faced and understood absurdity. Berger cannot conclude his essay because Sassall's essence cannot be truly captured, and his existence is not yet finished.

Besides being a philosophical book, it is also very personal. It is difficult to categorize FORTUNATE MAN into nonfiction categories because it is very intellectually intimate. It is a unique and thoughtful book, not only to be enjoyed but appreciated with effort and time.

If you want to know how old-time sailors did things, this book can tell you in impressive detail. For a sailor on a tall ship from the last century and a half, however, most of this book is irrelevant, and could better be replaced by Eagle Seamanship (at a fraction of the cost).

'SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL: An Account of the Shiphandling of the Sailing Man-Of-War 1600-1860, Based on Contemporary Sources'(c.1984) by John Harland, is probably one of the most informative and valuable collections of useful knowledge on sailship handling in the late 20th century!

A major value of this work is its ability to answer the questions developed during today's contemporary square rig sailing. It fully explained why sailboats are pulled by the wind and not pushed (Bernouilli's Principle); the advantages and disadvantages of square rig sailing over fore & aft sailing (downwinds & length of luff); why large square rig ships don't need a center board (a shifting of CLR, CG, & G); or why all sails were never set on a square rig when simply cruising (courses don't draw in a well).

The book is punctuated with pen & ink drawings as well as period photographs and deguerrotypes of ships in the act of a sail evolution or other shipboard activity. And in a time period where photography was not yet invented, the author used contemporary paintings of vessels to demonstrate an aspect of ship handling. Going further back into history, the author delved into the archeological record to demonstrate the origin or existance of a ship component pertinent to his ship handling argument.

SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL further provided continuity answers as to why sails are shaped the way they are; or why the steeve of the bowsprit was lessened over time. The book gave valuable points on how to rig a ship while underway; how to rig the stun'sls; how to rig the braces, lifts, tacks, sheets, clews, and bunts; how to raise and lower heavy sails; how to bend sails to the spars; how to box haul or club haul the ship; and why the main topsail halyard is a heart attack waiting to happen.

Just as the serious and ambitious mate or deckhand in the 1700s was caught with a copy of Bowditch ('Practical Navigator') in his seachest; in the 2000s you can watch a mate or an ambitious O.S. walk up the brow to his sailship with a copy of SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL tucked under his arm. Despite its large size and bulk, this book is well worth taking along into the cramped crews quarters for an informed reading at night.

SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL is a wonderful archive of esoteric sailship handling maneuvers, equipment, gear, and nautical science. The author has done a wonderful job in his research and has provided a great resource to all sailing ship captains and mates.

If you came here deliberately looking for this type of book, look no further. This is THE one you want. Now I know how to fish an anchor! I just wish the publisher had put the book into a size that more easily fits a backpack or a tote instead of making it coffee-table size.