Excellent book on Clinical Suicidology. It reflects the latest research findings in Clinical Suicidology, and reviews some of the research studies available.

For non professionals this book could be interesting but boring as the authors of the different chapters make a complete and systematic review of some of the research studies, with lots of statistical data and their analyzes, and their perspective and findings on different scientific approaches to suicidal behavior.

For all medical staff, it should be very useful to read and demystify some of the concepts that are generally associated with the use of medical terminology regarded to suicidal behavior and many other subjects that pertain to this behavior.

For the mental health professional, probably it will be a very useful resource for further clinical research and practice. The articles are scientifically very well presented and approached giving the reader a new vision on the evolution that has come under Clinical Suicidology and the much more that has to be done.

For those who haven't read the Review of Suicidology 1997, I would strongly advise to do it, because of its great usefulness and complements the 2000 edition.

This book is an essential compendium of the writings which have most affected 20th century thought, social structures, and politics. Despite our technilogical advances in the 1990's, these issues have persisted over the past 2,500 years. Mark Twain said, "Thinking is some of the hardest work that you can do, which explains why so few people engage in it." This book will elicit a great deal of thinking; and, rightfully, will raise more questions than it answers. It is an essential compilation for those who wish to become familiar with these issues and for those who whish to have a reference close at hand. It belongs in every home library.

The textbook of pain is everything someone needs to start the study of the complex and fascinating phenomenon that is pain. Of course after reading it you will have to read many more scientific papers, to be able to work in pain research, but the book provides the guidelines for your study and helps you select the topic(s) you would like to work on. The book has a very high scientific level given by the authors and editors wich are all respected members of the scientific community. I can only recommend the Textbook of Pain to anyone interested in this field.

This is the 1981 2nd edition of Richard West's excellent descriptive bibliography of Tolkien criticism. While it's not as comprehensive as Judith Johnson's 1986 bibliography of the same, and while it lacks the useful year-by-year organization of the same, it is much more descriptive. The major works of criticized are summaried in substantial detail and the cross-references are particularly good. I'd consider both this and the Johnson bibliography to be essential for any Tolkien scholar-- it's only a shame that neither's been updated for over 15 years!

Randel Helms looks at Tolkien's major works, "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", both separately and in relation to each other, and traces the development of Tolkien's world through early essays and lectures, to "The Hobbit", to its culmination in "Lord of the Rings". The theme of power, the origins of orcs, the meaning of being a 'hero', as viewed and developed by Tolkien through these works, are all discussed. Helms also makes a (largely mocking) psycho-analytic analysis of "The Hobbit" as a child's tale of growing up, and, more importantly, compares the structures of "The Hobbit" to the structure of "Lord of the Rings" to show how the later work was influenced by the earlier, yet was also a maturation of Tolkien's vision. Finally, Helms looks at some of Tolkien's later short works as allegories about his own relation to his art. An entertaining and recommended critical study of Tolkien, which is always insightful and never heavy-handed.

This very well written account of Tolkiens life as a boy, a husband, writer and professor takes you away from where you are into the heart of Tolkien's being. It covers his writtings in depth, the making of languages, of peoples, of maps. But also his academic life, Beowulf, the Islandic Saga, the inklings, his relationship with C.S. Lewis, his day-to-day habits, his children, his religion. It breathes a wonderful inspiring atmosphere. I've read is several times now, and it still moves me.

This biography is a gem in its own right. You won't regret buying it.

Brian Rosebury's Tolkien: A Critical Assessment is quite simply the finest extended critical work dealing with J. R. R. Tolkien. Rosebury sidesteps the twin hazards of Tolkien reviewing: cultish adulation and dismissive belittling. Instead he examines where Tolkien suceeds and where he fails. He pays attention to specific language and descriptive strategies that Tolkien employs while also addressing questions of theme and meaning. He concludes by placing Tolkien in relation to other authors of fiction and not separating him from critical dialogue.

Rosebury writes with a clear yet scholarly style. The book is relatively brief (150 some pages) but is quite comprehensive. It focuses mainly on The Lord of the Rings.

I found it both extremely helpful and enjoyable.

The Hobbit is a fascinating adventure tale about wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, and many other fantasized creatures. Burrowed inside a hill, deep within Hobbiton, lives a particularly interestesting hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Being the jolly little hobbit that he is, Bilbo enjoys his peaceful life in the Shire until he is summoned by the old wizard, Gandalf, to go on an adventure across the lands. Bilbo accepts this adventure and sets out into the unknown on a quest for gold and riches. On his quest through the land, curious young Bilbo encounters many new things that are foreign to the Shire and life as he has known it. Traveling over the lands to strange towns, treacherous mountains, and dangerous forests the hobbit gains possession of a magic ring that he uses to his advantage on this journey for fortune.
This novel has been acclaimed a classic through generations for over the past 60 years. The Hobbit is an adventurous book about strange lands from long ago in a time when things were very different than they are today. The book is sometimes a little hard to follow with its elfish dialect and some tongue twisting sentences, but it is nothing a couple of read-through's can't fix. You may hit some boring drawn-out scenes, but stick with it. Once you are into the heart of the story, you will find it hard to put down. If you have a vivid imagination and an interest in fantasy, than this book will become a classic favorite of yours too.

This book is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who lived a quiet life except for a single, life-altering year. He is recruited by a wizard named Gandalf to accompany a band of dwarves on their quest to reclaim the land and fortune that is rightfully theirs by slaying the dragon who took it from them. Bilbo is a reluctant hero, but nevertheless a memorable one. And his tale is an extraordinary flight of fancy that will stay in your heart forever. I am extremely picky about which books I like to reread, but after reading this for the first time I am sure that there will be a second, as well as a third and fourth. Tolkien is a masterful storyteller, and the world he creates is so vivid and well-conceived that it is easy to lose yourself in the forests of Mirkwood, the Misty Mountains or the desolate Lonely Mountain. Bilbo's adventure is captivating from one leg of the journey to the next. "The Hobbit" touches on issues of greed, courage and friendship without ever losing focus or seeming preachy. The only fault I can find is with me, for not reading it sooner.

The Hobbit is JRR Tolkien's prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though it stood on its own legs for 30 years, it is now difficult to disentangle this tale of Bilbo Baggins' adventuring with dwarves and finding of the One Ring from the grandly-scaled tale that would follow. This is a charming story, less an epic than a good old-fashioned tale, as Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and the rest trek to the Lonely Mountain to wrest dwarvish gold from the dragon Smaug. Along the way they encounter Beorn the Bear-Man, elves, trolls and giant spiders.

This edition is quite beautiful, and would make a lovely gift for someone who has read the story and considers it something special. The binding is dark green and embossed with maroon and gold runes and an image. The paper is heavy and augmented by Tolkien's own illustrations.

What can be better than reading the three greatest books--"The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King"--ever written? Having a leather-bound volume with all three together is better. If you are a fan of the books or you have a loved one that is, this is the best edition to own. It has a big fold-out map in the back for reference, all the references you can think of, and a really neat red leather cover. I have had this edition for 20 years and it's still in excellent condition. Well worth the cost.

Outside of The Bible, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is simply the best book written in all of time. On a scale of 1 - 10 it is a 100. Nothing in any genre has ever been written better. Originally designed as a six-book, three-volume work, the wonderful people at Houghton Mifflin Company have published the books in an awesome one-volume, leather-bound collector's edition for easy reading (and many re-readings). I am only sixteen, but I am constantly reading, and let me tell you now that nobody beats Tolkien; and nothing beats The Lord of the Rings! Read this book and join the largest group of fans to ever walk the earth.

The story is just as beautiful as it was years ago when I read it for the first time. It needs no further review.

For those who are looking for an attractive, permanent edition, this is it. The fifty Alan Lee paintings are gorgeous, and the more you look at them the more you realize how carefully Lee put them together to remain faithful to the vision and the detail of the text. It's obvious he loved the books as much as the rest of us do. A keeper.