I have searched for months for a good commentary on the Gospel of John and it looks like the search continues. I got it based on the reviews I have seen on the book from readers. I guess its different strokes for different folks. I am more of a greek and indepth detials on new testament words. My type of commentary is the classic on Jude&Peter by Bauckham. I didn't get that type of exegesis from Brown.

Raymond Brown is an incredible scholar and has presented one of the finest commentaries written on the gospel according to John. Both introductory notes and main commentary are fluid and reveal significant insight. The book is an absolute pleasure to read regardless of theological persuation and one does not get worn out with overly technical information found in other commentaries of this caliber.

Raymond E. Brown was regarded as one of the finest New Testament scholars of his generation. His commentary on John, in two volumes, is unmatched in the English language. The only other commentary to rival its depth and scope is that of Bultmann which is available in translation. Brown, a Roman Catholic brings massive erudition, with sober judgment and extraordinary clarity of mind. In a world where commentaries on John are as common as translations of the Bible, it is good to know that there is one that is "The Best". This is it.

I have searched for months for a good commentary on the Gospel of John and it looks like the search continues. I got it based on the reviews I have seen on the book from readers. I guess its different strokes for different folks. I am more of a greek and indepth detials on new testament words. My type of commentary is the classic on Jude&Peter by Bauckham. I didn't get that type of exegesis from Brown.

We used R.A. Brown's Introduction to the New Testament in our seminary intro class and I've never found him the easiest to read, but I really like his commentary on John's gospel... and on the epistles. For "ugo" who says he's looking for more of an exegetical approach, I would suggest C.K. Barrett's commentary.

Why don't you offer both volumes? I notice that your competition offers the other volume. Another more recent study of John's Gospel is "The Good Wine" by Bernard Barnhart. I highly recommend it also.

This is my first experience with this author/book and I am not impressed. I have used other physics books in the past that were far better than this one. There are not too many worked out example problems and the level of understanding in the book is set pretty high.

I am currently taking the first of a 2-semester course in cal.-based physics, and this book, by all means, is just great. It is concisely written, provides plenty of detailed examples covering all different types of problems, and has many nice illustrations. You really just have to see it for yourself to see just how complete it is. By far, this is the best academic cal-based physics book out there today.

To be honest, I didn't even need to buy this book, but I did it anyway. Having worked with Serway's Texts before, I new this was going to be an exellent book. This text contains hundreds of illustrations to help a student of physics grasp the underlying concepts. The book also has many diversified problems to help the student obtain the tools needed to be successful in physics. I would recommend this book to anybody, even those not interested in physics, because by the time your through with this book, you'll be interested alright.

In the Preface Beasley-Murray (B-M) asks why yet another commentary on John's Gospel and answers, "It seemed that there was room for an attempt to pass on some of the treasures of modern study of this Gospel and with them to combine one's own findings and convictions." To this end he remains faithful throughout the Introduction and commentary proper. We are treated to some of the best insights into John's Gospel, both B-M's and many an eminent scholar's. His enthusiasm for the project shows up again when in the Introduction he describes some of the commentaries on the Gospel in the past fifty years as "among the greatest expositions of the Word of God that have ever appeared" (liii).

The 61-page Introduction is important. It covers the literary sources, development of the traditions, religious relations, authorship, date and place, selected aspects of theology, purpose, and structure of the Gospel. It is rich in theological ideas. It was "as if scales falling from the eyes" as B-M listened to his mentor, C. H. Dodd, explain the structure of the episodes of the Book of Signs (chapters 2-12), each episode consisting of sign plus discourse, and each encapsulating the whole Gospel. He realized that that was probably due to the Evangelist's preaching, as the Evangelist expounded the significance of the traditions in the light of Christ's death and resurrection. Now a familiar observation in Johannine studies, the concept that much of the Fourth Gospel was the product of preaching must have been a creative thought then. New insights have continued to flow unabated as scholars delved into the depths of this Gospel. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the discussion of the Gospel's dual nature, simultaneously depicting the historical ministry of Jesus and the situation and faith of the Johannine community some 50(?) years later. "The Evangelist sets the historical ministry of Jesus in Palestine in indissoluble relation to the ministry of the risen Lord in the world" (xlvii). If Luke traces the origins of the Church in two volumes, one [his Gospel] of Jesus and the other [Acts] of the risen Christ acting through his disciples, John presents the historical Jesus and Jesus the risen Lord together in one book and a single perspective. B-M masterfully sketches in succession how each of several scholars has treated this theme, in the process displaying a fascinating interplay of ideas.

Several other important themes that recur in the commentary proper make their first appearance in the Introduction. While the Kingdom of God is scarcely mentioned [only in vv. 3:3,5], "every line of the Fourth Gospel is informed by it" (xxxiv). The Paraclete actualizes the words and deeds of Jesus in the life of the Church -- the Fourth Gospel itself "is a supreme example of the truth and application of the Paraclete doctrine which it contains" (liii). The concept of Son of God (closely associated with Son of Man) is the prevailing characteristic of Johannine Christology. The glorification of Jesus coincides with his crucifixion (unlike Isaiah's Servant who is exalted because and after he had suffered). The realized eschatology of John is not to be divested of its future aspect (contrary to Bultmann). All these, and more, are elements that B-M uses in the commentary discussions of John's theology, which turns out to be largely Christology. In the end you have to agree with him, "The theme of the Fourth Gospel is Christ" (lxxxi).

In common with other scholars, B-M accepts a four-part structure of the Gospel: (A) The Prologue; (B) The Public Ministry of Jesus, otherwise referred to as the Book of Signs (Dodd, Brown); (C) The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, also known as as the Book of the Passion (Dodd) or the Book of Glory (Brown); and (D) Epilogue. He expresses a reservation, though, concerning the nomenclatures "Book of Signs" and "Book of Passion/Glory", since he considers that the WHOLE Gospel may be viewed as a book of signs and as a book of the passion and glory of Jesus. As he interacts with the established figures of Johannine scholarship, B-M does not hesitate to disagree as well as to cite approvingly, for he is a Johannine expert in his own right. He argues his case very well indeed, but to get the benefit of it you have to read thoughtfully. B-M is never shallow and merits careful study. Knowledge of some Greek will help, but you can still gain a great deal without. Running to about 600 pages, as compared for example with Brown's two-volume, 1200-page work (Anchor 29, 29A), this commentary is necessarily less detailed. But as a presentation of modern Johannine study coupled with the author's independent understanding, it is certainly a noteworthy effort.

The second edition (1999) is identical with the first (1987), with the addition of supplementary bibliographies and reviews of a number of significant books on John that had appeared since the first edition (for example, John Ashton's important "Understanding the Fourth Gospel"). The commentary follows WBC's usual format. Some find the format "unfriendly", but it is not so. The usual gripe that references are given in line with the text (not in footnotes) hardly deserves notice. If you are ready to go beyond introductory expositions of the Fourth Gospel, give this book serious consideration.

I have both the original 1987 edition and the "revised" 1999 edition. To the publishers credit, the 1999 edition does state flat out that the only thing new is 50 pages of updated bibliography and reviews of major book on the Gospel since the original publication. This is all located in one new section in the introductory material. Otherwise, the two editions are identical page for page (even the numbering). If you have the 1987 edition, don't get the 1999 edition unless you need/want an updated bibliography.

If you are looking for a secondary commentary on John's gospel, then Beasley-Murray's is the one for you. Not as detailed as the others like Morris, Schnackenburg and Brown; but detailed enough for Bible study and message preparation. The Do not purchase it as your main commentary for you will soon need to go out and buy one of the others mentioned above. I have not seen the second edition as yet.

Raymond Roussel was an eccentric French writer who was born in 1877 and apparently committed suicide in 1933. His best known works of those translated into English are his novels Locus Solus and Impressions of Africa. Roussel wrote novels, tried to adapt them to the stage, and then tried to write a play for the stage. The audience responded to the play by throwing things and yelling at each other. Roussel, who never experienced anything like widespread acclaim, has nonetheless influenced French literature. Eventually, he was to gain the support of the surrealists. Decades after his death, he is remembered fondly by the OuLiPo - a group of Paris-based writers devoted to exploring new experimental literary forms. Two American poets - John Ashbery and Harry Mathews (also a member of the OuLiPo) - hold him in high esteem and here the two of them offer new translations of some of Roussel's works. How I Wrote Certain of my Books is the title of this collection and also the title of an essay by Roussel to explain how he wrote the two novels I mentioned. The rest of the collection includes an excellent introduction and biography of Roussel by John Ashbery, the first chapter of each of the two novels, the fifth act of one of Roussel's plays, the third canto of his poem "New Impressions of Africa," and the notes to serve as an outline for another novel Roussel apparently never wrote. Roussel's novels are among what I consider the great untranslatable works of the twentieth century. Much of the imagery and plot detail are bizarre flowerings of imaginative detail rooted in French puns. When this is translated, one gets only the strange details, but none of the phonetic basis underlying them. Like a joke that isn't funny, or a sonnet which has been paraphrased so that it no longer rhymes. The canto of the poem "New Impressions of Africa" was my favorite part of the collection. I've never read a poem with nested parentheses and lengthy footnotes before. The translation preserves aspects of the rhyme and meter, even throughout the footnotes. Although this volume doesn't contain the entire poem, it does contain all of the 59 drawings that originally accompanied it. But these drawings are not only not by Roussel, they aren't even interesting. In an introduction, which explains how Roussel had sent 59 captions to a hack artist to make mundane sketches to compliment his bizarre poem, Salvador Dali is quoted as saying that, seen in the context of the poem, the drawings "shed their banality and become metaphysical." Fine, but here the drawings are not only not shown in the context of the poem, the entire poem isn't even presented. I can save you some time by telling you right now that the drawings numbered 40-48 accompany the poem on pages 97-103. Read How I Wrote Certain of my Books as an introduction to one of France's literary madmen, and for an exceedingly clear description of how Raymond Roussel wrote certain of his books. To anyone who is curious for a taste, but not a full course, of Roussel's writing, this volume will serve well. Should you be utterly taken by the writing, however, you may be dismayed that few of the works are represented in their entirety. You will never get to find out how the novels end or how the play begins. At its best, How I Wrote Certain of My Books will send to your library looking for more.

It's a tragedy of Rousselian proportions that this is the only easily-acquired text of the Master in print... Roussel was, after all, the subject of Michel Foucault's very first (& to me his only readable!) book DEATH & THE LABYRINTH (a perfect companion to this collection/introduction). The present volume is essential to complete one's appreciation of the 'novels' LOCUS SOLUS & IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA, should they drop into your lucky lap...you see, I too find myself thoroughly intrigued/mesmerized/in awe of the strange achievement of this genius-nut, inspirer as well of Breton, Cocteau, Dali, Leiris, Duchamp especially, Robbe-Grillet coitainly, Perec indubitably; but these dudes don't hold a candle to the lucid lunacy, fertile-beyond-belief imagination, and quaint language perfectly suited to express the convoluted twisted-mythic enigmatic obsessions of RR... who felt the Star on his forehead while but a teen, which Star had begun to glow on high when he was found...

Based on the new James Bond film, Raymond Benson takes up on Bond once again. This time, the story really stays pretty straight with the movie, only providing a bit more than the film. It contains some background information of Elektra/Renard, and what happens in the past, etc., but it isn't too much. Unlike Tomorrow Never Dies:A Novel, TWINE is not adding much to the film. Basically, if you saw the film and you are a little wishy-washy on reading a Bond book or having to read the what you saw on film, you probably don't need to buy this. However, if you're an avid Bond fan or would still want to take up on a Bond book, it's still a good read. If you see the movie first, it becomes easier to imagine the scenes. Raymond Benson has written better Bond novels than this, however, so make your choice more warily.

I am on record as trashing High Time to Kill (see reviews for that book) along with vowing to wait for the Benson novels in paperback (if not used papaerback). Well, I bought this paperback new and would have paid for a hard cover of this story's quality. Benson is terrific on this novelization. I'm sure there is a lot of extra info that will clarify parts of the movie when I see it. The rumored "airhead" personality of Christmas Jones does not come through in the book and I was afraid that the return to "sexpot" Bond girls would send the modernized Bond into a tailspin. One especially bright point is the meatier role for M. I think Benson likes writing her and it shows. For fans who haven't followed every plot point posted on the web, I'm sure there will be more than a few surprises. The plot-Bond is assigned to bodyguard Elektra King, the daughter of a recently-assassinated oil magnate. Elektra has already been the target of kidnappers led by the villainous Renard, a terrorist who has no pain center. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a "painless" killer was written into the Tomorrow Never Dies plot, but was scrapped after the novelizatioon had already been written) Great gadgets, great plot, great girls,a surprise development with M, and an atomic bomb stolen from a foremer Soviet Republic make for an exciting and riveting thriller.

I read the novelization of "Tomorrow Never Dies" before reading this. The thing I noticed with Benson is that in his novelizations he writes in third-person omniscent, allowing the reader to not only visualize everything, but know what the characters are thinking, which can obviously not be done in the movies. I had some of the movie before reading the book. After I read the book, however, I saw the movie and it made a lot more sense.

This book didn't meet my expectations. To start, the UI of the webtop in spectra 1.5 has been considerably modified from 1.0 in a number of areas. The book examples often don't match up with the new UI. Second, the book seems to be cobbled together without much cohesion. Trying to create the sample app has become a contest to see if you can figure out what they want you to do. Since there aren't a whole lot of books out there on spectra, this may be your only recourse but don't expect too much.

Even though my company decided not to use Spectra we found this book to be fairly helpful in allowing us to determine the softwares good and bad sides.

This book was definately needed in the world of Spectra. I think that it was very helpful to the majority of Developers that have read and used the examples.

But, there are quite a few mistakes throughout, and seemed somewhat rushed. I can't wait until the next book comes out!

It was with great anticipation that i awaited the arrival of this book, being a great fan of Cassavettes, a man who in my mind is truly a saint. But whilst reading its opening chapter one fine spring evening, and quite content with the sentiments expressed thus far, i couldn't help but feel somewhat cheated, that Carney's ideas weren't surprising or particularly revealing in any way. A rather shocking sentiment given the brutal, challenging, and often heartbreaking nature of the work this man was writing about.

Upon further reading though i realized it was not so much what Carney was trying to say (or what he was neglecting) that bothered me, but rather the way it was written, the way he had chosen to outline his information. The book is about three-hundred pages long, but would only make fifty pages or so of good tight writing. Its prose is extremely repetitive. The problem being he decided to review each movie individually, drawing pretty much the same conclusions for each film (for honestly it could be argued that Cassavettes made the same movie over and over again), when he should have divided his chapters according to theme, and applied the films themselves to his conclusions. As it stands now if you read the chapter on Faces there is no point in reading the one on Love Streams because Carney makes the exact same points in virtually identical language. Extend this through the six films collected in this book and you are in for one exhaustingly boring read.

I would however recommend the new Cassavetes on Cassavetes, also compiled by Carney, but written primarily in John's own voice, as expressed in numerous interviews.

It was with great anticipation that i awaited the arrival of this book, being a loving fan of Cassavettes, a man who in my mind is something of a saint. But whilst reading its opening chapter one fine spring evening, and quite content with the sentiments expressed thus far, i couldn't help but feel somewhat cheated, that Carney's ideas weren't surprising or particularly revealing of the films in any way. A rather shocking sentiment given the brutal, challenging, and often heartbreaking nature of the work this man was writing about.

Upon further reading though i realized it was not so much what Carney was trying to say (or what he was neglecting) that bothered me, but rather the way it was written, the way he had chosen to outline his information. The book is about three-hundred pages long, but would only make fifty pages or so of good tight writing. Its prose is extremely repetitive. The problem being he decided to review each movie individually, drawing pretty much the same conclusions for each film (for honestly it could be argued that Cassavettes made the same movie over and over again), when he should have divided his chapters according to theme, and applying the films themselves to his conclusions. As it stands now if you read the chapter on Faces there is no point in reading the one on Love Streams because Carney makes the exact same points in virtually identical language. Extend this through six films total and you are in for one exhaustingly boring book.

I would however recommend the new Cassavetes on Cassavetes, also by Carney, but written primarily in John's own voice, as expressed in numerous interviews.

I'm not sure what book the reviewer below this read, but I don't know how many times I'd have to read about films that completely re-imagine the way I (and our popular culture) see the world and my own experience before I'd feel "bored" or anything less than inspired and envigorated. In fact, I read this book very often - not just to gain information, like a dictionary or an encyclopedia, giving me facts and figure data I didn't have before, but as mental calethenics, or something like spiritual openess training. This is a much more meaningful and important activity than thematic comparison and contrsating, no matter how technically interesting that is. As the concepts and points of view on the world process thru my brain as I read them off the page, I gain new abilities to understand and see - and this takes work, and often repetition. So I reccomend anyone who reads this book and hopes to gain insight, not just into Cassavetes and his films, but into their own personal attitudes, to keep themselves OPEN, as Cassavetes explicitly did in every frame of film he exposed, and to always give the artist (or author) the benefit of the doubt before passing judgement based on arbitrary ulterior motives (which, naturally, we all have). This isn't easy (especially to the greatly film cultured), but I dare say you'll enjoy this book, and your life, a lot more.

Some wonderful and successful writers gather their thoughts in this book to bear light on the magic of Tolkien's writing. Being a fan myself, I enjoyed the individual tales of discovering "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time. I related to the same sense of awe and dread, of wonder and inspiration. Surely, Tolkien has inspired many.

Unfortunately, the praise gets to be redundant and--may I say it?--almost hollow, without the balance of some thoughtful criticism. Personally, I wouldn't have much negative to say regarding Tolkien's work, but I found very little that was genuinely fresh or enlightening in this collection of "meditations." I did discover an interest in some of the authors included (not a bad reason for their involvement in the project) and in earlier 20th century writers that I have never familiarized myself with. Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison, Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake are only a few of the old standbys mentioned repeatedly.

Although interesting, a quick read, and well-written, this collection might best serve those curious in unearthing the inspiration beneath some of their favorite authors. I was hoping for something with more vitality, but overall I'd recommend the book.

MEDITATIONS ON MIDDLE EARTH is a collection of essays focusing on J.R.R. Tolkien's works, especially the Middle Earth saga. Some of the more renowned fantasy authors of today evaluate the series that made fantasy a household name. Surprisingly, though everyone agrees that Professor Tolkien opened up the genre to the middle class, not all of the contributors are fans of the actual novels. Insightful and entertaining, each essay is well written with the writer's particular spin. However, this anthology will be loved by those readers analyzing the various cultures in a way that cultural anthropologists would envy or by those fans who cherish Beowulf, which Tolkien felt is the forefather of the genre.

Harriet Klausner

I borrowed this book from the library and enjoyed it so much I asked for it for Christmas (and got it). The different authors writing about the influence LOTR had on their lives reminded me of the first time I read the story and the effect it had on me. The drawings that illustrated the book were very well done. I think this should be in every fan's collection and is a must for anyone contemplating following in Tolkien's footsteps and writing a fantasy novel.

For undergraduates in the physical sciences (Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, Computer Science, Math, and Chemistry), this book is great. If someone has a good math background in Trig and Calculus they should be able to understand almost everything. Where I think it may fail is in its application for undergraduates in the Life Sciences (Biology, possibly Psychology if they are hard-core enough to take a physics class). Half of all science majors are Biology majors, and it's not fair that they have to read the same text that physical science undergraduates read. Most biology programs do not require trigonometry to be taken, so a biology major will quickly be lost reading this book.

Also, life scientists like me can easily figure out things like optics, but are very confused by the terminology of Physics. For example, in Biology a "cell membrane" is a very understandable term. It's the protein-lipid bilayer that surrounds a cell and is semi-permeable to small molecules. It's common sense---anyone can understand it. But in physics, the terminology in this text is anything but common-sense. I will give you two examples. First they define torque as "the moment-arm of rotation about an axis". I understand rotation about an axis, but what the heck is a "moment arm"? Define that please! Second, they define magnetism as the flux force through a charged area. I understand charges, areas, but flux force? This is why lay people and life scientists hate physics, because the terminology is deliberately arcane. Don't just define the terms, explain them!

Being familiar with other texts by Hecht, Halliday-Resnick-Walker, and Giancoli, Serway gives a far superior explanation of physics and its applications. I used this book in highschool for AP Physics and greatly miss it while stuck with Halliday-Resnick-Walker(A book supposedly good enough to be used at Harvard). Serway's Physics for Scientists and Engineers is a definite must for any Engineering, Math, or Physical Science major.

Most of us engineering students started physics in high school, which is algebra based. Then we go onto college and the physics classes there use calculus. Now unless you are a math and physics super student, then you should probably buy this book. To me, it seems to just give enough calculus. Some other books - the one used in my school for example, gives too much calculus and confuse the heck out of me. But this book puts concepts as the number one priority, and caculus as the secondary priority. Once the concepts are conveyed to the reader, the calculus seems to fit onto the concepts kind of naturally almost. I like that approach, plus the fact that the author can really explain things really well makes this a great book for all students struggling in college level calculus based physics classes.