"What is its individual make-up? Its essence, form, and matter?..
(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, VIII, 11)
I recall when I had in-class Greek examinations, and we were asked to translate quotes of Marcus Aurelius chosen at random. Chance did let me encounter this verse a few times, and each time I did put more effort finalized in the understanding and expression of meanings implied in these straightforward questions.
The greatness of this work could best be found in its brevity and simplicity. The plain style, and the naturalness of writing are persuasive. The moral truths that Marcus Aurelius had accepted in the past, and that much had enlightened his being both an emperor and a conflictual human-being, have been transposed in memorable form. Marcus Aurelius'soliloquy and self-analysis are a great spiritual exercise. As such, the book is an exhortation to think and meditate, and it is especially addressed to those who hold the power, and are in charge of other people who stand for them. The dynamics of leadership haven't changed in the millenia: [Yet] I ask myself if today's leaders are driven and inspired by such honesty of intents?!

Marcus Aurelius had been influenced by the work of Epictetus. Both belong to the late Stoicism: A period that didn't produce anything of original. In this viewpoint, it could be argued that "the Meditations" were a moral set of catchphrases of the earlier Stoa. As such, this work doesn't bring any novelty neither in physics, nor in logics, and ethics, or epistemology. It could also be argued that Marcus Aurelius was not a philosopher at all, but rather a self-disciplined and very well-educated man and leader. He didn't produce these chapters neither for a vast audience nor for publication. Things are best remembered when written down. As such, the emperor wrote expressions of his thought, and read them again and again to himself. I believe that this discipline much helped him to find the strength and willpower necessary to face enemies outside (and inside) Rome, and the destiny of the antiquity's greatest empire.

The "Meditations" are therefore a powerful and elightening work of self-analysis and virtues' devotion. Although it does not add anything new to the phylosophical Zeitgeist, it can be argued that -- on the contrary, both brevity and simplicity, are here best expressed with a plain, natural, and unpretentious style. Such lack of redundant embellishments make this work a duly inspiring masterwork.

This version is a very solid and contemporary transposition of Marcus Aurelius'notes. Both mastery and choice of terms are remarkable. Not only the Hicks have captured the essence and clarity of the emperor's thought and affection, but also have given him fresh and renewed life and recognition.

The Hicks brothers' collaboration has produced a masterful translation of a masterpiece. "The Emperor's Handbook" captures the sublime essence and ancient character of "The Meditations" but never strays into the arcane terminology of the ancient Stoics. The Hicks brothers also avoid the forced and complex grammatical constructs found in other translations. This translation could easily be understood by a sixth grade child yet it sacrifices none of the profound meaning or prosaic beauty of the original. Most refreshing is the absence of any effort to turn the work into some New-Age mystical revelation.

Having read about nine translations I must say, this one is, by far, the best contemporary English translation available. There are other fine ones such as the work by Hard and Gill or even the Loeb Classics version but they are better suited for people already familiar with Marcus Aurelius and Stoic philosophy.

My warmest thanks go out to David and Scot Hicks for a work that I hope will broaden the audience of Marcus Aurelius.

I have read several translations of this great work..and without a doubt this is the finest available. What makes this the best is its ability to seem both classical and modern at the same time..in other words its not overly stuffy--nor is it distorted into "New Age" drivle. Don't think twice about buying this..you won't be dissapointed.

I am a former Russian journalist and a documentary filmmaker who has also worked at NASA in the US.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" touches on many more subjects then just Russian Defense Industry. This is a very thorough, informative and important work that analyses the history of US and Russian Defense Industries, weapons exports and conversion, and possibilities of transformation from a militarized to a civilian economy in the new millenium.

The book also reflects on the current state of defense industries in the US and Russia, and "brain drain", or loss of intellectual capital in Russia and other countries after the Cold War.

I found reflections in Arkady Yarovsky's chapter "From the Culture of War to the Culture of Peace" very contemporary, especially in the light of recent events in the Middle East:

"Our time is unfortunately still characterized as "the culture of war." The culture of war is evident first and foremost in the hostilities between people and states, between nations and faiths, and in the inability to solve conflicts by peaceful means... Humanity has made it into the third millenium because the lust for power has been restrained by fear of nuclear war, but this restraint is not to be counted on permanently... The danger hidden in the separateness of people of different countries, unfortunately, remains a legacy for the next century... If humanity renounces the legacy of the culture of war, it can start down the road of cooperation, peaceful creation, and enlightenment. This is the only road leading to the culture of peace."

One can imagine that I, as a small child living in San Antonio, Texas, next to three Air Force bases and an Army base, living through the Cuban missile crisis, thought about the threat of the Russian military. I also met my parents' wonderful emigre' friends, and to this day have had warm relations with Russian people.

This book tells of the enormous cost to the Russian people of building and maintaining their war industry for so many years, a militarized economy where people got second best. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, defense industry just about shut down, but civilian industry has not grown great enough to support the population. There are horrendous unemployment, and terrible health and social problems. There is some danger that the path of least resistance for Russia, if we neglect the situation, could be to re-start weapons production, for export at first.

In my opinion, the United States also, to a lesser degree, has neglected the manufacture of quality consumer goods, importing them instead, and has let its physical economy deteriorate, despite much activity in the financial sector. We, too, have been insufficiently careful of the environment. This book provides some idea of what these trends could lead to, if carried to extremes.

Perhaps the involvement of United States companies in Russia, could lead to more of a recognition here, of the importance of the physical economy. Hopefully, both countries could also work to put industry on a healthy environmental footing as well.

There is awareness of the problem of Russian defense conversion, at high levels of our government. I hope this book helps educate people and sustain that interest.

The title of Marcus Valerius Messala Corvinus' latest mystery appears to indicate a mystery inextricably linked to the Roman tribal voting centuries, but this proves somewhat erroneous as we plunge into the murky politics of Latium and the apparent bad feeling between the Latins and the Romans (portrayed as decidedly one-sided). Marcus and Perilla are off to Castrimoenium to visit Marcus' stepdaughter, Marilla, indulge in a wine-tasting contest at Pontius' against a sheep, explore the gneral environs, oh, and solve a couple of murders along the way. Shortly after their arrival one of the two candidates for the local censorship- Vettius Bolanus, ex-fiance of Sulpicia, is found murdered in his own loggia (Concordius being the other candidate) and Marcus is called in by Libianus to solve the case before the potentially inflammatory Latin Festival. What results is Marcus having to understand the complex relationships between a corona civis decorated ex-centurion Spurius, his son-in-law Rufinius, the aedile Ruso, the property dealer Decidius and the anti-Roman Flacchus. Thow in a particularly nasty butcher, Euxperius and the Alban Brotherhood and you develop a severe case of things escalating out of control.
Marcus' habitual case-sleuthing with Perilla drops off compared the the last two novels and this is no bad thing though he manages to replace it somewhat with Marcia Fulvina's thoughts, the elderly aunt of the current senior consul, Persicus, the latter to whom Wishart approportions buffoon-esque tendencies.
There are multiple plot threads running through Wishart's latest but he manages to tie them all in neatly and plausibly, sending us down many dead ends. A case of many motives for the first murder but no realistic suspect being the culprits. The characterisation is delightful, from the Boudicca-esque Sulpicia, to the inexperienced but knowledgeable Flacchus, to the dour old veteran Spurius and the action moves along at a good clip until Marcus eventually works out the threads, discovers the plot and in the final denouement in an abandoned villa, confronts the culprits and barely escapes with his life. Humor abounds, no more so than when Marcus indulges in a wine-tasting competition - Wishart has built him up to be somewhat of a connoisseur (without degenerating to drunkenness) over the preceding episodes - and loses to his ovine relative.
The two preceding offerings - 'Last Rites' and 'White Murder' had slipped slightly compared to the previous but Wishart has served another fine offering with this current book. It is not often you find a series where you want the adventures to continue for a very long time. Lindsey Davis' Falco is one, Saylor's Gordianus another....you must add Wishart's Corvinus to those two peers for 'A Vote for Murder' further proves Marcus Corvinus' deserved place in the Roman Murder Mystery genre.
Highly recommended.

The title of Marcus Valerius Messala Corvinus' latest mystery appears to indicate a mystery inextricably linked to the Roman tribal voting centuries, but this proves somewhat erroneous as we plunge into the murky politics of Latium and the apparent bad feeling between the Latins and the Romans (portrayed as decidedly one-sided). Marcus and Perilla are off to Castrimoenium to visit Marcus' stepdaughter, Marilla, indulge in a wine-tasting contest at Pontius' against a sheep, explore the gneral environs, oh, and solve a couple of murders along the way. Shortly after their arrival one of the two candidates for the local censorship- Vettius Bolanus, ex-fiance of Sulpicia, is found murdered in his own loggia (Concordius being the other candidate) and Marcus is called in by Libianus to solve the case before the potentially inflammatory Latin Festival. What results is Marcus having to understand the complex relationships between a corona civis decorated ex-centurion Spurius, his son-in-law Rufinius, the aedile Ruso, the property dealer Decidius and the anti-Roman Flacchus. Thow in a particularly nasty butcher, Euxperius and the Alban Brotherhood and you develop a severe case of things escalating out of control.
Marcus' habitual case-reminiscing with Perilla drops off compared the the last two novels and this is no bad thing though he manages to replace it somewhat with Marcia Fulvina's thoughts, the elderly aunt of the current senior consul, Persicus, the latter to whom Wishart approportions buffoon-esque tendencies.
There are multiple plot threads running through Wishart's latest but he manages to tie them all in neatly and plausibly, sending us down many dead ends. A case of many motives for the first murder but no realistic suspect being the culprits. The characterisation is delightful, from the Boudicca-esque Sulpicia, to the inexperienced but knowledgeable Flacchus, to the dour old veteran Spurius and the action moves along at a good clip until Marcus eventually works out the threads, discovers the plot and in the final denouement in an abandoned villa, confronts the culprits and barely escapes with his life. Humor abounds, no more so than when Marcus indulges in a wine-tasting competition - Wishart has built him up to be somewhat of a connoisseur (without degenerating to drunkenness) over the preceding episodes - and loses to his ovine relative.
The two preceding offerings - 'Last Rites' and 'White Murder' had slipped slightly compared to the previous but Wishart has served another fine offering with this current book. It is not often you find a series where you want the adventures to continue for a very long time. Lindsey Davis' Falco is one, Saylor's Gordianus another....you must add Wishart's Corvinus to those two peers for 'A Vote for Murder' further proves Marcus Corvinus' deserved place in the Roman Murder Mystery genre.
Highly recommended.

David Ray Griffin's essay on Hartshorne is more than worth the price of the book all by itself.

As a History teacher of 5th graders, it provides an excellent primary source. As you know, one of the national standards is the use of primary and secondary sources. Some of the material is a little high, but I edit what they need.

This is the best book available on IOTP version 1 and ECML. The IETF working group in charge of these protocols is the TRADE working group. See it's charter page at ....

Donald, Author

After 4 fish discuss stealing, Tug alone decides to do it. This leads to his being lost. Because his "buddy" fish isn't paying attention, Tug's disappearance isn't noticed until the end of the trip. This story is entertaining for kids, but it can also be used to teach several lessons about honesty, obedience, saftey and thinking of others. It also has beautiful artwork.

David Marsh captures perfectly the essence of the 15th century in the awe inspiring account of the lost dialogue--a favorite literary form of Plato, Cicero, and other classicle writers. The text is recommended to all readers, even those whose knowledge of Italian is less than superior. Marsh offers a systematic account of the revival of the dialogue in 15th century Italy. My congratulations on his excellent work.

Gail Donovan has brought new wit and verve to the Rainbow Fish
series with this delightful book! My young son and I both
enjoyed the humor and drama of this undersea glimpse into a
'school' of fish and other sea creatures who reveal their
personalities-- familiar to anyone who's ever been to any
sort of school!-- through a wittily rendered session of
Show and Tell. Donovan's gentle humor and perfect ear for
both 'teacher-speak' and genuine kid voices make this book
one that can truly be enjoyed by both young readers and their
parents. I hope Donovan will continue to make Rainbow Fish
shine!

The financial concepts are explained very nicely. Though it is my first finance book i can go through it without much difficulty or extra help. However there are still some drawbacks need to be noticed:

1. Need more charts and graphics to explain the concepts, ie: when explaining the DU PONT System, i think the pyramid structure can be illustrated so as to state a whole concept, not only fragments

2. Too many examples

3. This book is too detailed in both relevant and irrelevant matters

Still, I think it is a good book.

If possible, please tell me the difference between this book (Fundamentals of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey) and Principles of Corporate Finance by Brealey and Myers. I currently own the 5th edition of Principles; having worn the book down with constant thumbing, I am looking for a replacement.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I and my friends(with no business background) are studying corporate finance by ourselves using this book and all of us are very satisfied with the book so far.

The concepts are explained very clearly(even kindly) and sample tests with complete solutions are very useful. The book also has solutions for selected end-of-the chapter problems and I enjoy mini cases which help me apply the concepts to the practice in detail.

I had tried other finance books before and most of them were not clear in explaining concepts and a bit difficult for me(my major was chemistry). I think that this book is probably the easiest and the best book to begin with for starters in finance.