At critical junctures of my life I have found Montaigne to be the best source of understanding of what it is to be a civilized human being. The essays illuminate the self and our relationship to society. This book more than any other I know enables the reader to trace our relationship to issues that concern us today: freedom, appropriate behavior, individuals vs institutions, health, nature. You name it, MM deals with it. Buy this book.

It is innappropriate and embarrassing to reduce Montaigne to a "rating," but I must naturally give him the highest possible. Harold Bloom has said that what Dante left unexplored about human nature, Shakespeare plumbed. I would dare to include Montaigne in that select group also. If stranded on an island with only the Comedy, Shakespeare's plays, and Montaigne's essays, one would still have the entire world available. But this book does not need my praises anymore than the sun does to go on shining.

I will say a word about the translation. M. A. Screech gives the best available English translation of all the essays in a single volume, a blessing for we unfortunate ones who cannot meet this genius in his own tongue. Screech is engaging and humorous, qualities that the French doubtless posesses, and one gets the sense that a good portion of Montaigne survives the journey into English. Penguin Classics delivers again.

Montaigne wrote what he called "essays", in the sense of "attempts" - he was trying to find out what he thought about stuff. It helped that he'd read a great deal, led a pretty full life and had known some interesting people, although one of his great virtues is that he seems to have found them more interesting than they themselves probably thought they were.

Pascal struggled all his life with the example of Montaigne. The problem for Pascal was that he was only really concerned with one thing - God's grace - and he was scandalised that Montaigne didn't seem to find it that big a deal. MM will write as readily about theological disputes and poetry as he will about sex, forgetfulness and his own stupidity. Apart from anything else, he was perhaps the first person to observe that nobody can pretend that his s*** doesn't stink (I can't remember the exact page, but then there _are_ over a thousand.)

There's a lifetime's reading in here. For such a big fat classic of a book it reads like it was written yesterday, although if it _had_ been written yesterday, he'd've been all over Hello! magazine by now.

Wisdom is maybe underrated these days, but Montaigne isn't just spouting off. This is not a 16th century evening with Morrie. You can see him thinking. He _encourages_ you. (What a great word "encourage" is.) It's not that bad for about fourteen quid.

Like many people, I was given the ration of bull about how the Mexican War (1846-1848) was just an example of the US picking on a poor, defenseless nation. This book, though, sets the record straight. Even though it is a small tome, it packs a wallop in both information and logic. It lays out the case that Texas was as independent from Mexico as Mexico was from Spain and that Texas was as free to do with its freedom whatever it wanted to including joining the US. It lays out the case that the Texas border was at the Rio Grande, not the Neuces. It lays out a particularly devestating case that shows Mexican saber-rattling. I urge everyone who has the slightest bit of interest in that time period to read this book.

A wonderful book to have for life. I already have the full version with detailed Essays of Montaigne, but this small paperback version is one which goes with me everywhere. It is my handbook to life and thoughts. I've had this book for long, handed to me by my father. I find all daily life substance and teachings with me when I read these wonderful notes, which are not only the thoughts reflecting a person but almost everyone of us. The chapters 'On the power of the imagination' and 'On the uncertainty of our judgement' relates so much to our own daily thoughts and actions- when I feel I have the power to do everything and then bringing it down to reality ... but the words written here in these chapters again fills me with power and optimism but also with a touch of pragmatism. I find this book thoroughly engrossing and often get back to it. These Essays are what all-time classics are made of.

Yo recomendaría este libro a las personas interesadas en las profecías de Nostradamus y los eventos que están por acontecer. El autor presenta su punto de vista en una forma clara y concisa, además el tiene los pies muy bien puestos en la tierra, especialmente por el hecho de ser un historiador. Por supuesto, el no tiene la respuesta a todas las preguntas. Si la lectura de este libro despierta el interés e inquietudes en los lectores, yo les recomendaría la lectura del libro "Catholic Prophecy: The coming Chastisement" escrito por Yves DuPont (TAN), a todas aquellas personas que puedan leer libros en inglés. La razón por la cual yo recomiendo este libro es porque se complementa con el título en mención y responde casi todas las preguntas o puntos que Montaigne no puede responder. En este momento es posible encontrar muchos libros dedicados a interpretar las profecías de Nostradamus, pero algunos autores se van por la tangente, o bien, son incapaces de introducir elementos novedosos, tal como el libro "Nostradamus prophecies for America" de David Ovason. No asi el libro de Montaigne, el cual hace un intento de predecir la secuencia de hechos que están por venir y no solo se limita a dar ejemplos de cosas que sucedieron hace muchos años.

This book is another in the long line of books to come out of the former USSR after the clod war came to an "end". The author is relating his experiences in the arm of the KGB that was responsible for information gathering, primarily against the U.S. and NATO. If you have read a number of these books in the past there is not a great deal of new information in the book. There are some interesting bits and you get a good look that this authors insight to "the game". If you are an armchair expert on the topic then this is another of the titles you will undoubtedly already have or will need to pick up. If you are the general reader then this is a broad description of the subject, but not the definitive one volume work.

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In my profession I attended a number of C.I.A. classified briefings during the cold war years and became a close friend of at least one high profile Soviet defector. Kalugin's book rings absolutely true to what I and many others already knew with respect to the bumbling and decay of the entire Soviet socialist system. We could have given them all of our classified secrets and they would have found a way to screw it up.

Kalugin's book fleshed out the KGB skeleton as we understood it. He filled in the details. Written in an easy to read style, layman and professional alike will find it fascinating. It is not filled with the statistics, tables, graphs, and charts that many technical researchers are so fond of. Instead, The First Directorate reads like both a fascinating novel and a biography. It takes the reader through the gradual disillusionment of an avid believer in the Communist system to one who gradually began seeing it for what it really was.

Oleg Kalugin is a genuine hero of both the Soviet Union and its succeeding Russian Republic. He never defected and served both governments with distinction because he was a patriot first and a KGB officer and politician second. He wanted what was best for his country and his people and was for reform, not revolution.

This book shows the KGB for what it once was and how it degenerated into a bumbling state sponsored Mafia that in the end attempted to devour the state itself. At their worst the CIA and FBI could never have been as incompetent as the KGB. Kalugin shows how the KGB had a mixture of competent men with a sense of justice and others who were stupid cold hearted psychopaths. He relates how attempts at reform by the good agents were squashed by others in the system who were both corrupt and incompetent, and how they protected each other from prosecution.

"The First Directorate" presents specific cold war events as they were seen from the other side of the looking glass. Kalugin handled spies and defectors like Burgess and Walker. He noted that he had more respect for someone who turned against their country for idealistic reasons than one who betrayed their country for money.

Much, much, more could be said in praise of "The First Directorate." It isn't about Kalugin as much as it is an expose of the inherent weaknesses of Socialism and especially the KGB whose job it was to protect the Socialist form of government from internal corruption and external infiltration.

Kalugin clarifies many events that changed the world during the 70 years of the USSR's experiment with Communism. He could speak with authority because he was on a first name basis with the top players in both the KGB and the Soviet government.

This book should send chills up the spine of any American wanting to socialize the government and put big government in control of all aspects of our lives, from taxes that redistribute wealth, to control of our schools and businesses.

Buy "The First Directorate" and read it, and you won't be so hard on our guys.

Oleg, now a green-card resident of the U.S. is our most personable and enjoyable former opponent on the intelligence speaking circuit, and both Bill Colby and I supported him in his efforts to move permanently to America. His book is a marvelous account on the general details of his formidable career that culminated in his being elected to the Russian Parliament. Page 222, "Kill the dog!", has a special meaning for professionals the world over.

This book is scarier than other Nostradamus books I have read because the author clearly and persuasively explains the meaning of prophecies about the world war that will start this year. He begins his book by addressing the famous misinterpretations of his prophecies as well as those about world events that already happened. The book then focuses on World War III starting in 2002. He highlights areas of the world he believes will be most significantly changed by the war and names political figures he believes will be at the forefront of the war. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the prophecies of Nostradamus and current events. Montaigne leads the reader through a logical sequences of events from about the 1990s to about 2007, interpreting the quatrains to allow the reader to understand the evolution of World War III in 2002.

This book is scarier than other Nostradamus books I've read because the author clearly and persuasively explains the meaning of prophecies about the world war that will start this year. He begins by addressing famous hoaxes and misinterpretations of Nostradamus' prophecies as well as amazing predictions of events that have accurately come to pass. The book then focuses on World War III starting in 2002. Montaigne leads the reader through a logical sequence of events from the 1990s to about 2007, interpreting the prophecies to allow the reader to understand the evolution of World War III. Montaigne describes Nostradamus' predictions of events in the 1990s, in 2000, and in 2001. It looks like America will soon attack Iraq as he expects in early 2002, and then if he continues to remain on target, WWIII will soon be fully under way. The book describes the entire course of the war, the nuclear destruction of several cities including Rome, the relocation of the Vatican, and the rest really scares me because the book is well researched and the author has been right so far.

I strongly recommend this book. I like it for two reasons. First, it is very easy to read and follow, the author has a solid argument and some novel theories on the way people interpret Nostradamus. The author is an historian and he has his feet on solid ground. Unlike other books, like "Nostradamus prophecies for America" by David Ovason, Montaigne's book is not limited to reinterpret old quatrains related to events that happened a long time ago. In fact, he is trying to interpret the quatrains before the events described happen. This is very difficult to accomplish and he deserves some credit for trying very hard to get it right. Second, Montaigne describes a sequence of events almost identical to that described by the prophecies treasured by the Holy Catholic Church for hundreds of years, and the few points that he is not very certain about are those very nicely explained in the catholic prophecies (specially those related to the identity and roll of the Great Monarch or Great King and the change in location of the residence of the Pope). I would recommend people to read Catholic Prophecy by Yves Dupont, after reading this book. They both seem to complement each other. It all seems to make sense. Finally, the prophecies do not say that all of the events will happen in the year 2002. They say that the pieces of the puzzle will begin to align themselves in the direction place at that time. If you watch the news today, they all talk about Bush sending troops to the Middle East and Muslim people protesting against the USA. We are getting close to the point when all the things described in the book could happen. Therefore, I would recommend everybody to read the book, pray and prepare yourselves, regardless of your faith. May God bless you all.

Montaigne's writings are eloquent, rich in allusions and anecdotes, and above all they sparkle with philosophical insights. Immortal names like Cicero, Homer, Virgil, and Horace are cited on every page, and reveal that the classical world of the past and the humanistic world of the present were very real to him. These essays also display Montaigne's mistrust of systematic philosophy, and show his support of faith and divine revelation over human reason. Montaigne's writings played a considerable role in setting the stage for later philosophers, like Descartes, to establish a new system of knowledge independent of the sense perception. This edition is a faithful translation from the original, and preserves beyond others the pristine clarity of Montaigne's ideas.

Some authorities consider Montaigne the first essayist. His writing style is clear and his thought has common sense. Yet he is still encumbered by the classics. The ancients weigh on him like a stone. The celbrated erudition he displays in nearly every essay by quoting classical authors and envoking their names frequently is impressive but also distracting. I know that in expressing this opinion I differ from the majority of Montaigne's readers. But I believe that he had to much reverence for the classics.

Those who discover Montaigne should count themselves very lucky. There are so many authors competing for our attention today, so many brilliant and less than brillliant men and women both contemporary and of the past, so many poets, novelists, philosophers, thinkers of every stripe, that Montaigne's voice can easily get lost in the general racket, like the voice of a single cricket on a noisy summer's night.

But Montaigne's voice is well worth singling out for special attention, like that one cricket whose song is especially musical, because there has never been anyone quite like him, nor anyone who has produced such a wealth of sensible observations on life and everything that goes to make it up.

We love Montaigne for his humanity, his wisdom, his clear insight into human nature, his tolerance of our weaknesses and failings, his love and compassion for all creatures whether man, animal, or plant, his calm, gentle and amiable voice, his stately and dignified progress as he conducts us through the vast repository of his mind. But above all we love him for his plain good sense.

Despite his distance in time, we can open these essays almost anywhere and immediately become engrossed. Some of what he says, particularly about our weaknesses and failings, may not be particularly welcome to some, though the open-minded will acknowledge its self-evident truth. Montaigne was not afraid to speak his mind, and as a man who was interested in almost everything, his observations range from the curious through to the truly profound.

At one time we find him, for example, discussing the best sexual position for conception, at others such deep notions as that in fact we are nothing; there is a disease in man, the opinion that he knows something; thought as the chief source of our woes; in man curiosity is an innate evil; only a fool is bound to his body by fear of death; nature needs little to be satisfied; there is only change; our absolute need for converse with others; how man should lay aside his imagined superiority; how reason is not a special unique gift of human beings, separating us off from the rest of Nature; of how we owe justice to men, and gentleness and kindness to animals, which like us have life and feelings, and even to trees and plants.

And so on through manifold topics, both weighty and light, his observations illustrated by stories contemporary and ancient, drawn not only from his incredibly wide learning, but also from his experience as man of the world.

The examples I've cited seem to me pitifully inadequate as describing or even suggesting the breadth of his thought - just a few examples selected at random that happen to appeal to me. Montaigne is too big to capture in a few words. His mind was as capacious as his enormous book, and he had something to say about almost everything. His is not so much a book as a companion for life.

Montaigne as that single special cricket singing away in the forest of learning along with thousands of others, is not only worth singling out because of his vast repertoire of songs, but even more because of the special way he sang them. What makes him so important and so valuable, especially to us today, is that he was characterized above all, not merely by reason, which is common enough, but by a REASONABLE, AND NOT EXCESSIVE, USE OF REASON. In other words, he knew that reason had its limits, that it was a tool limited in its applicability and useful only for certain purposes, and he had the good sense to know when we should stop.

There is in Montaigne a sanity, a balance, an affability, and a modesty and tolerance that is found in no other European thinker, and that reminds one more of the Taoist sage. But instead of fastening on the truly civilized pattern exemplified by Montaigne, Europe instead chose Descartes, Apostle of the Excessive Use of Reason, and with what results we know.

The Cartesian ideology of Reason fueled and continues to fuel the relentless Juggernaut of Reason now underway that threatens to end up crushing everything beneath its wheels. Montaigne would have been appalled. He stood for something more human.

I've been researching spying in the Cold War for a couple of months and have read many books on the subject. First Directorate is one of the best. It describes the experiences of Oleg Kalugin who was the Soviet Chief of Counterintellignce in the 80s. He had a long career with many interesting experiences. Some of the things that he did are surprising. By reading this book you will gain a good understanding of how the KGB operated during the Cold War and a good persective of the Cold War from the point of view of a Russian.

This book is centered around the 1st Directorate of the KGB, Foreign Counter Intelligence. The KGB made a name for itself and the story is not better told than by Oleg Kalugin. Want the scoop from the horse's mouth....get this book. I have read a few books about the former eastern-bloc intelligence services to include the East German Secret Police (Stasi) but Oleg will capture your interest and keep you asking for more. It is as if you were there with him and his men at every moment. The story begins with an extremely enthusastic young man joining the Young Pioneers and ends with a very unhappy Chief of the 1st Directorate. This book is so good it is as if someone wrote this story, thought up a plot, a climax, when in fact it is the life of a man in the most secretive of all orginizations in the world, and he tells you everything. This book has its heroes, it's villians and its political leaders, who....just turn the other cheek.

Gerd Ludwig photography is first-class but I wish written text had been as creative as the photographer's eye. Nothing to discredit the author, Fen Montaigne. But Fen, must you be so boring and bland. A single image captured a thousand words and your text was a dreadful mono-tone grounded in a yawning choice of vocabulary.

If your looking for images and insight text read "The Home Planet" by Kevin W Kelley. Two different subject matters, but the written text illustrates where this book went astray.

Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.

Contrary to the cover image of the book, this work clearly takes the blindfolds off in delivering a superb body of photographic work.

I have been traveling to the former Soviet Union now for the past twenty-five years and have always been surprised by how ignorant the world was about this marvelous nation. Ludwig clearly has an intimate feel for the soul of this great world. The images breathe and display the majesty of this people and empire wonderfully, warts and all. This is not a tragic populace, but a noble collection of races and groups who share a common pride, humanism and patriotism with a unique perspective and outlook on life that is both refreshing and vital.

I thought that the Western world would never get it right about the great land and her people, but Ludwig's masterpiece clearly and artfully reveals the nuances of an emerging colossus whose rightful place in history, commerce, politics, art and culture is assured by its dogged determinism to continue, to live, to strive to express the essence that is "Mother Russia".

And to do all of this with photography...what an achievement!!

I admit I read this book because it was about fly-fishing and traveling through Russia, a country I have never been to but have always been intrigued by. What I found in this book was a heart-rendering journey through a land ravaged by corruption, hunger and politics, tempered with humor and the determination of a people determined to survive. This is not just a travelogue on fly--fishing, it is a book that takes you through a country that few outsiders will ever see . At times gripping or sad, then funny or heartwarming, sometimes all at the same time! Whether you fly-fish or not, you won't want to put this book down!

This is not a fishing book. It is a serious study of modern day Russia, warts and all. It is an introspective study through a 7000 mile fishing journey of the Russian people and their attitudes to their govenrment, to their lives and to their destiny. It is a journey through the frightening past as well the terrifying unknown future. One should not read the newspapers these days without fully understanding the Russian people found in this book and the political paralysis that is their government..

In 1996 Montaigne, with fly rod in hand, traveled 7,000 miles overland across Russia. Fly fishing is one of his passions, and through fly fishing Montaigne encountered a fascinating array of post-Communist Russians and was granted a unique look at the turmoil and complexity of that society. And believe me, this was no pre-packaged tour of the Kola or Kamchata Peninsula (although he does visit both places.) This is a trek into the most remote and unwesternized reaches of Russia. Being fluent in Russian and possessing a well developed affection for adventure, Montaigne takes the reader into the real world Russia of today, a unique and exotic place full of surprises. Along the way he fishes for everything from steelhead to salmon, from grayling to taimen. To top it off he accomplishes this with wit and a writing style as finely tuned as Theroux. The great travel writers humanize the exotic. Reeling in Russia puts a face on the disturbing and difficult lives of the vast majority of Russians. The characters here become as knowable as neighbors and their concerns as human as our own.

Obviously, I loved Reeling in Russia. It is real pleasure to recommend it.

Grant McClintock