I am in the process of collecting all of the Stanley Hastings books in hardcover. I have read them all and he is the most entertaining sleuth in the business. His reluctance at being drawn into the mystery makes the plots all the more irresistable and as a result, they are not predictable. He makes me laugh out loud...never have I read a more charming character.

I have read at least five other books featuring the unique Stanley Hastings, but this one is special because of the different setting. Instead of his usual ambulance-chasing, Stanley gets to play a major part in a production of "Arms and the Man". I had read the play long ago, and that added to my enjoyment of the book. Rarely has a protagonist risen so triumphantly over countless humiliating circumstances; you have to admire the almost masochistic determination of actors who put up with all he describes in hilarious, but still almost depressing detail. Ambulance-chasing in the Bronx seems a picnic compared to Stanley's experiences in this book.

PI Stanley Hastings is called by an old college buddy to fill in for an actor who died right before opening night of ARMS AND THE MAN in a tiny New England town. The stage manager promptly gets himself murdered, and Stanley has to help Chief Bob (an amateur actor himself) find the killer. The search is a comically depressing examination of backstage life and midlife crisis that leaves the reader amazed at Stanley's emotional resilience.

The amount of theatrical detail Hall included was impressive, and I enjoyed his use of internal dialogue, which ranks right up there with Lawrence Block's. And it's the rare mystery author who can sneak a Pinter joke into the dialogue like Hall does. I did find Stanley's hang-up on the spelling of the word "actor" mildly distracting, but it would take an awful lot more than that to detract from the fun of this book.

Crouch continues to prove beyond any doubt to be an individual with the highest standard of literary precision. His insight into the human condition and clearness of thought are peerless in American correspndence.

Ken Mask, MD
New Orleans

american's of all ages and colors should feel indebted to Mr. Crouch for writing some of the most interesting commentary on our american cultural scene. it is because crouch understands so well the basic promise and opportunity of american life that he can weave such wide-ranging and often disparate opinion without losing touch with the reality of the culture. most importantly, crouch establishes himself as part of the great triad of negro americans - along with the novelist albert murray and trumpet virtuoso wynton marsalis who seek to recommit americans to the power and complexity of our national music: jazz. this can only be done by tossing some left hooks at our great national embarrassment: namely the nihilism and materialism of modern popular music, especially rap music. the fact that this music has been co-opted by white suburban kids shows that it has long been a bankrupt and impotent force whose only purpose is to further depress the culture for the enrichment of a few. crouch is calling on americans of all stripes to turn their back on the 'electronic judgement day' of the mass media and the self-serving race-hustlers of the academic and literary establishment and rededicate the culture to jazz and literature based on the 'tragic optimism' that has always been at the heart of jazz/blues music and american culture. count me in.

Crouch has a long history as a politically incorrect commentator on the vexed questions of race & victim politics. From what he calls "the Afrocentric hustle" to the real "race card" played in the O.J. Simpson trial; a stunning suite of essays in praise of Ralph Ellison; and how the Constitution is like the blues, I found my self in passionate agreement & furious dissent - often within the same sentence. For pure verve, style & energy Crouch is possibly the only writer who stands with Camille Paglia as a thinker who is hard to like but impossible to ignore.

Great fiction has inner meaning, meaning which speaks to the true reality of life. Sometimes it takes a while for a mind to accept a new message, or a new story -- you cant understand something until you are ready to understand it. The short story - 'The Self-Correcting Mechanism' was one of the better stories I have ever read. This story alone makes the book worth the price.

Stanley Sargent is by far one of the best horror writers of our time. His stories are thick with atmosphere, tone and setting. His descriptions are so well achieved that you will run to lock your doors for fear his villains will find you huddled in fear. His characters are real and that's what makes them hook you right into their tale. And his style of telling the tale really brings the reader along. When the main character is stuck in some pit, guess what--so are you! It's wonderful. Anything this author writes should not be missed. And his drawings are amazing. If you haven't seen this book, well get it into your cart. You will absolutely be amazed!!

I was proud to be one of the illustrators for this book, and I'm proud of author Stanley C. Sargent for what he's achieved in ANCIENT EXHUMATIONS. The easiest (laziest) way to describe the book would be to call it a collection of stories influenced by the master, H. P. Lovecraft. But really, that does Sargent a diservice. So many fans who work with HPL's mythos merely retread the same well-worn paths, writing in a style too patterned after Lovecraft's own, and so on. Sargent has gone beyond the lore and trappings of the Cthulhu Mythos to write new stories that are much more original, more personal, than most of the mythos fiction one will ordinarily see. There is quickly becoming evident a "Sargent" style, which mixes humor with the horror, and a Sargent approach, which involves a great deal of impressive and fascinating historical research. These are not just rewrites of the stories written by that old gent from Providence. Even August Derleth, Lovecraft's friend and champion, couldn't escape that approach. Sargent has his own tales to tell, and that's the best -- the only -- way to work in this subgenre of horror fiction. Let's continue our worship of the Old Ones, but hail to the New Ones...like Stanley Sargent!

D.A. Hamilton Burger is out for blood this time. While investigating the return of a man missing for ten years, Mason sends Della Street out to interview the man before the police get there. What happens? When the man can't be found by the police, Della is charged with spiriting away a material witness. Burger plans to convict her, then try Mason as an accessory, convict him, then institute disbarrment proceedings against him. This will end Mason's career of legal dramatics and "outwitting the police".

Mason doesn't care anything about a murdered man, a wounded man, or the missing man who is the prime suspect - all he cares about is aquitting Della Street. And since Burger made it personal, Mason refuses to give the true solution to him during or after the trial. After all, if he did so, he'd be "outwitting the police" once again...

It is an interesting case, where Perry Mason defends his secretary, charged with hiding a material witness. As usual, the plot is well developed and the court room drama is highly interesting. A very good novel.

Perry mason is in the middle of a plot that is so skillfully planned that even he is baffled. The only clue that helps him solve is a careless kitten. What did the kitten do to help mason solve a case where every suspect seems to have an air tight alibi! The desire to find out what happens next kept me turning pages. So, watch out for the answers & learn a little bit of cat psychology!

A wonderful reference book for anyone who wants to make Wicca and its rituals a part their life.

I loved it.It was inlighting , moving , everything I thought it would be. All witches need this book.

This book takes the time to explain the basics and does so in a complete, honest, accurate and genuine manner. It is a must for any Wiccan library.

I heartily recommend this book of poems, and I especially recommend it to the reader who never or rarely ever reads poetry. What a treat is in store for you.

This is a great collection of poems. I recommend the book

A lifetime magnum opus and a must-have volume of mastercrafted verse that stirs heart, mind and soul. Here is what former publisher Henry Holt had to say in 1945: "In recent years, Stanley Kunitz has become recognized as one of the most original and thoughtful of our newer poets. His work is not simple, but mature, directly spoken and vigorous." The same could be said now 55 years later. Here is a morsel to whet the appetite:

An agitation of the air, A perturbation of the light

Admonished me the unloved year Would turn on its hinge that night.

I stood in the disenchanted field Amid the stubble and the stones Amazed, while a small worm lisped to me The song of my marrow-bones.

Blue poured into summer blue, A hawk broke from his cloudless tower, The roof of the silo blazed, and I knew That part of my life was over.

Already the iron door of the north Clangs open: birds, leaves, snows Order their populations forth, And a cruel wind blows.

Older than Thomas Hardy (87) or Robert Frost (88) when still writing and publishing quality poetry (now 95 and counting), this is over half a century of incredible textures, tones, colors,imagery, metaphor, soulful expression in stirring lines making what Yeats called "words set to life's music". If this doesn't light your fire, go find your wood!

I found it(the millenium edition) online as a pdf or ps file. I think this book is good because I see it in many bibliography of the books of related subjects. Try any search engine under the book title.

The book is excellent introduction to Universal Algebra. In fact, I cannot imagine a person studying the subject who is not familiar with this (already) classic book. The only bad part is that it is impossible to find. Please, print it again. I'll by 10, two for me (one for the office and one for home) and the rest for my friends.

This is one of the more recent basic texts on Universal Algebra. It is very well written, and is an absolute MUST for students of the subject, as well as a great resource for researchers. Unfortunately, it is out of print and extremely difficult to find. I have been looking for a copy in English for seven years with no success. Fortunately, there is a Hungarian edition (with a special appendix on Clones) available to those willing to break the language barrier (no small feat...) When will this classic text be reprinted?

I recommend all of the Dictionary of ... books by IVP. They have done a great job on the articles. The price is reasonable for what you get.

The 'Dictionary of New Testament Background' is actually the fourth volume in a series that includes:

'Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels'
'Dictionary of Paul and His Letters'
'Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments'

While part of a series, each volume (including this one) is largely adequate as a stand-alone reference. This volume has taken a much different approach to the subject matter than previous volumes. 'It attempts to situation the New Testament and early Christianity in its literary, historical, social and religious context. This volume is concerned with archaeology, geography, numismatics, related writings, various historical figures, political institutions, historical events, peoples and culture. It is not tied to specific writings of the New Testament, as is the case with the three previous dictionaries.'

Taking full advantage of major strides in research, particularly in the areas of archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and linguistic and cultural studies, this work incorporates essays every major topic, and most minor topics, that have to do with formulating a greater understanding of the cultural, societal, economic, religious, linguistic, and historical background of New Testament times. This is a pivotal time in the history of the world, regardless of one's religious interest or orientation, and this dictionary covers topics that will be of interest to the scholar without theological interest as well as those who are looking to increase their background knowledge for purposes of reading the New Testament.

The editors are Craig Evans, professor of religious studies and director of the graduate programme in biblical studies at Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, and Stanley Porter, research professor in New Testament at the University of Surrey Roehampton, London. Together these editors bring a background of scholars from Jewish and early Christian studies , as well as classical history and scriptural/textual studies. These editors led the team of over 200 scholars from around the world to put together this 1300+ page collection of essays and articles.

The articles range in length -- some no longer than 500 words to others of 10,000 words or more. The length is determined based upon the complexity of the subject and/or the relevance for New Testament research. Each article includes bibliographic information for further research, and most are cross-referenced for further reading within this volume.

Perhaps the best use of this text is in addition to bible study or education planning -- this is not a narrative, sit-down-and-read-it kind of text, although I have found myself many times picking it up for a quick reference, only to find myself an hour later still reading through the links to other topics.

Because this is part of a multi-volume set, the reader may be disappointed occasionally if one looks for certain topics (for instance, 'Gospel') and finds there is no such listing. This would be because the topic is covered in other volumes.

I would have argued for a bit different organisation -- inclusion of non-canonical writings under their titles, for instance, just as Dead Sea Scolls are included (for instance, there is an article of general introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls, but also some 36 other articles on specific Dead Sea Scrolls included under their title names, whereas the article on 'Apocryphal Gospels' includes reference to many of these gospels, but none merits its own article later).

This is a very minor criticism, however, of a generally excellent book.

The importance of a work such as this one cannot be stressed enough. In order to truly understand the New Testament, one must understand the world into which it was born. The Dictionary of New Testament Background gives the reader a comprehensive survey of the historical, social, religious, and literary context of the New Testament documents in a single volume.

Like the three previous dictionaries in the IVP series (Jesus, Paul, Later NT), this one is arranged alphabetically by topic, with plenty of cross-references. Most articles are 1,000 to 7,500 words in length, although a few contain 10,000+ words. In addition, each article is supplemented with a bibliography to guide the reader into a fuller treatment of a given topic.

The scholars who worked on this project are first-rate, most of them having published extensively in their field. Students of the New Testament will undoubtedly recognize the names of many of the contributors. The editors, to their credit, also drew from scholars in other disciplines such as archaeology, history, and classics, therefore ensuring the high quality of scholarship that the reader finds in this work.

The amount of information contained in this one is tremendous, but not overwhelming, and always relevant. It is also clearly written and up-to-date. All students, from the beginner to the scholar, will find this dictionary to be a useful resource in New Testament study. There is nothing negative that I can say about it. Sell your shirt and buy it.

I had to virtually memorize this book in grad school, and it has stood me in good stead. It is one of the most important works in the field.

The most important book on research designs to have, I use it weekly. It's brief, to the point, and 100% sound. I used it while in academics; now I find it particularly good for real-world (versus only laboratory) studies that need to be done quickly and on a budget. Though I've read it front to back, and have dog-earred lots of pages, it's value is that of a quick refresher and quick reference. A brief, inexpensive paperback.

Covers numerous true experimental designs along with inadequate designs. Based mostly in educational and social sciences research. A must have for the social sciences graduate student

Vera Stanley Alder is a true teacher of esoteric knowledge, and she reveals ancient wisdom that has long been suppressed. Her sequel to this book is "The Initiation of the World", and is mandatory reading also. Further recommended reading are the books- "ZELATOR" ; "KYBALLION" ; "The Transcendental Universe" ; and all of Rudolph Steiner's books (especially "An Outline of Esoteric Science"). Then, if you wish to advance further you can become a member of the Rosicrucian Society (AMORC).

Typically, my obsession with all variant forms of literature do not allow me to read one at a time. This provided my exception. What Alder writes is similar to Deja Vu-you know you've been there before. Obvious and to the point...

Vera Stanley Alder speaks about the conitued evolution of man's consciousness in a manner any one can appreciate and understand. This book was first printed in 1938 and for that time period her knowledge and depth of spiritual awareness can easily match and even outrank many of todays "new age" authors including Chopra and Heller . Vera's information is so well researched and unbiased it cannot help but allow you to free your mind to explore the vastness of the Spirit undefined by man's religons but by looking into the wisdom of the ancients . I would have loved to have met her in person. She is definitly one of the "Great Teachers" to roam the earth . I recommend this book without reservations for all brothers and sisters seeking knowledge of Life and Spirit but more importantly ...TRUTH .

To the great people at Amazon.com find all her books if you can ...they won't stay with you for long . Guaranteed .