If you want to read a boook which is, at once, intelligent, lyrical and scientific, this collection of the writings of J. Henri Fabre should not be missed. He not only walks you through his many thought-provoking studies of the insect world, but also challenges you to consider from whence came the many wonders described therein. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, Fabre's education was not a hindrance to his observations. Indeed, true science (which means, after all "knowledge") is concerned with objective reality, not theoretical flights of fancy. We in the modern world have been lulled into believing that the world is composed of random collections of atoms, that all life is derived - has evolved - from some lower form of life, that all is in flux, and, ultimately, that there is no God. Read Fabre's writings - read them carefully - and dare to think otherwise. He shows, in experiment after experiment, that the insect world is not random and that "Nature acts for an end". More to the point, the results of Fabre's experiments show us that while insects act REASONABLY, they do so without the use of REASON itself (in particular, read chapter six, "The Ignorance of Instinct"). In other words, they act upon the impulse of instinct, which, is itself entirely logical and rational. Such rational ends, it becomes manifestly clear, cannot be the result of a random process of evolution, but must arise from the unseen hand of an intelligent creator. So much for Darwin. But don't believe me - read the book, and then try taking a look at DARWIN ON TRIAL and DARWIN'S BLACK BOX as well (both are excellent books which make the larger case, beyond the insect world, that Darwin was wrong).

This book tells the secrets of insect behavior. The author observes very closely the lives of the many species he studied. This is nature at her smartest and her blindest; beauty, horror and science. Highly recommended by me.

Exquisitely written, my imagination was immediately captured by Fabre's patient observations and his poetic retelling of each adventure. Once called an "incomparable observer" by Charles Darwin, Fabre's unsurpassed enthusiasm springs to life on every page. Since reading it a few short years ago I have ever since felt inspired to sit longer in the fields and to spend more time just observing. Admittedly, Fabre was self taught and isolated. He stubbornly disagreed with the theory of evolution. Looking back on his work it is easy to see the mistakes he made, blind spots in his approach to the larger aspects of biological research. Still, if you decide to read this book I'm sure you will be inspired to be with insects. What better thing to do?

This volume is beautifully presented. Lartigue viewed the world.. not only through the camera lens.. but through the lens of happiness. I feel inspired to pick up my camera more often and have a positive and happy attitude. What a gift to the world Jacques-Henri Lartigue has given in the body of his photographic work!

This book is amazing. This is, by far, my favorite collection of photos. Lartigue's concentration on motion is especially featured here. He has inspired my work more than any other still photographer. Buy it here and save the dough for your own photography.

This photographer mastered photography at such a young age, it made his photographs amazingly unique and absolutely beautiful. a priceless book.

"I, the creator of Crepes Suzette for the man who would become Edward VII, will now give you the recipe for Henri Charpentier."

And so he begins his sweetly swaggering and sentimental autobiography spanning his humble beginnings in 19th century France, to his auspicious apprenticeships in the world's top hotels and restaurants, his poverty while working in London, and his struggles to create a career as a restauranteur in America, only to be shut down by Prohibition. The story is told with a littering of the favorite recipes of the famous people he served. I could not put this book down! Full of anecdotal stories of princes and empresses, and his own enterprising yet generous heart comes through. Wish I weren't born too late to taste these meals ... At the end is a short cookbook of simple but elegant recipes, and excellent advice for choosing market produce. ... Merci, Henri!

Before there was Emeril or Wolfgang Puck, there was Henri. Out of print for nearly six decades, LIFE A LA HENRI recounts the culinary adventures of Henri Charpentier, the very first celebrity chef and inventor of Crepes Suzettes. Introduction by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame.

Hello . My name is Robert Charpentier . I am please that may of you have taken the time to not only search , but purchase the " Henri Charpentier Cookbook " . At first printing , there were only 100 in circulation , most of them to close personal friends and family . Later , the world began to catch on , and additional books were printed .

I am proud to be a close relative of Henri . I met him when I was a child growing up in Westport , Connecticut where I lived with my parents until we moved to the south in 1968 where I still reside . My parents are also living . My dad is a proud man , and holds close to his heart the fact that Henri was his fathers brother , and I , am the nephew .

Perhaps i'll write additional words later , but for now , I will continue to honor Henri's work , as it is part of who I am and my heritage .

Thank you for reveiwing this letter . Please feel free to E-mail me at home anytime , I will return the honor .

This is one of Nouwen's shorter books and can be read in a couple of hours. It is written in three primary sections as many of his books are structured: "All These Other Things", "His Kingdom First", and "Set Your Hearts". I found the first section to be the best. He successfully illustrates numerous things in our lives that leave us "filled, yet unfulfilled". He touches on worry, depression and resentment. He gives wonderful guidance in centering our busy lives with a focus on the Kingdom. Nouwen successfully illustrates that even the busy and worry filled life can be the spiritual life if it is lived in the "active presence of God's Spirit".

Henri Nouwen is a spiritual father. His book, Making All Things New, is simply another reminder of his signifigant contribution to the Christian community and the larger community. This short book brings together Nouwen's keen insight into the human condition and the depth and maturity of his faith, resulting in a spiritual masterpiece. With clarity and understanding, he diagnoses the problem and offers the cure. The message is straightforward, but far from trite. He takes historic-actually, eternal-truths and presents them,like all gifted writers, in new and fresh ways. For me this book is actually a crystallization of the wisdom found in such books as Willard's The Divine Conspiracy and Foster's The Celebration of Discipline. It cuts to the core of a life with God and the path to get there.

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) writes in a comforting style. When I read this book, I feel drawn to a peaceful, spiritual centre. I, too, had found it difficult to "find" GOD in my meditations. Henri Nouwen explains, "The beginning of the spiritual life is often difficult not only because the powers which cause us to worry are so strong but also because the presence of God's Spirit seems barely noticeable. If, however, we are willing to live a life of prayer and practice the disciplines of solitude and community, a new hunger will make itself known. This new hunger is the first sign of God's presence. When we remain attentive to this divine presence, we will be led always deeper into the kingdom. There, to our joyful surprise, we will discover that the power of our worries is waking and all things are being made new." Since reading this book, I have become away of being drawn to develop my own spiritual relationship. Without knowing exactly the source of this power, I nonetheless can feel my spiritual life growing. I feel I now understand a bit more clearly what a spiritual life is, and I certainly have found a desire to live it. If you are interested in developing a spiritual relationship, this book will be interesting to you.

Mr. Houseknecht has the wonderful ability to put words to feelings that each of us has had at one time or another regarding many different aspects of our lives. His poetry causes the reader to pause, reflect and in essence relive many of the moments that he/she has tucked away in the recesses of the mind. His words ring true to life and will have you shaking your head in agreement as your eyes flow gently over the words. No one who reads it will come away empty.

A lot more than just a wonderful collection of great poems. It has something for everyone. From the unborn child to a golden wedding anniversary, from being alone to being involved. There's an experience that anyone can reflect on, and enjoy. A book that's great to own, and great as a gift to others.

"Wow! Such an awe-inspiring book of poetry. I have just finished reading this collection of poems and it has left me feeling much warmth and understanding.... "Reflections" can be read randomly wherever the book falls open. How wonderful."

I found this book very moving. It changed how I think about the story of the Prodigal Son, and how I think about my own spiritual journey. Highly recommended. If you read the Genessee Diary and related to Nouwen's personal reflections there, you will get even more out of The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Having "The Genesee Diary" many years ago, and upon learning of Nouwen's untimely death, I was surprised to learn that he had written over 30 books. I was, and continue to be, overwhelmed by hearing his talk on "The Prodidgal Son." This represents a magnificent synthesis of his lifetime of searching. The fact that his cascade of insights is triggered by the painting of a fellow Dutchman, Rembrandt, and a searching soul as well, is remarkable. Because Nouwen is both priest and psychologist, I found his insights to be even more pointed and thought-provoking. When listening to this tape while driving, I have often pulled off the road because I was stunned by his cutting right to the core of so many issues. This could only come from a lifetime of struggling.

Native Americans believe in the healing power of stories. Jesus was, among other things, a story teller. Nouwen tells his own story of going out and returning, using the prodigal son parable as a framework, in these talks. This is truly a warm, wonderful, and deeply human volume. I highly recommend it.

The lives of Rembrandt and the author take vivid shape before the mind's eye of the reader as Henri Nouwen tells the history of Rembrandt's painting. Rembrandt's famous canvas is inextricably intertwined with the story of the painter's own life and, as the author movingly shares, Rembrandt's experience was so powerfully human that it transcends generations and centuries and resonates clearly with contemporary women and men. The Return of the Prodigal Son may be said to be much more than the story of a painting; it is a beautiful story of love conveyed by Rembrandt through his painting.

In as much as love may be considered both human and spiritual, the reader is invited in to the intimacy of two men's deeply human and profoundly spiritual journeys though life. Despite life's suffering and bitterness, the author and the painter share their reasons for maintaining a firm grip on hope and inner peace. This is wonderful jewel of a book that has yet to be discovered and appreciated for it full worth - at least judging by its sales rank.

A wonderful book for discovering the true meaning of Christian love in our often difficult and painful world. I have used this book more than once in putting together mini retreats for adults. One cannot help soul searching after the experience. Viewing the film Romero with Raul Julia helps bring it all home. Don't let the title put you off - the book is all about love without violence.

Archbishop Romero, the asassinated bishop of El Salvador (1980) is considered by me and many to be a prophet to the church and world of our time. Faced with a situation in his country that saw 5 percent of his nation with 95 percent of the wealth and total power over the government and military which they used to oppress the 95 percent in poverty, Archbishop Romero was transformed from a conservative bookworm to the greatest orator for justice in the clergy since Martin Luther King, Jr. This book contains excerpts from his sermons arragned in chronological order during the three years of his episcopacy in San Salvador (1977-1980). These sermons were more than just spiritual messages, but rather nation-wide calls for social justice, for nonviolence, and for an end to poverty and pain. Drawing on readings from the bible, Romero the scholar and orator shine through, but so does the Romero of compassion and solidarity with the people who suffered so much. And in many ways what he said then is still applicable today, not only in El Salvador, but all over the world, wherever there is injustice and oppression. A must read for any person concerned for social justice for all grounded in a Christian perspective!

Romero's moving quotations, spoken from the altar, are presented in chronological order. Each day Romero spoke increasingly explicit "truth to power". As his message becomes more threatening to the powers that be, the reader can almost watch the gun sites come into focus on the heart of this martyr!

Henri Nouwen was one of the most trusted and respected spiritual writers and counselors when he was alive. His words have blessed many thousands of people in many traditions. I especially recommend this one.

Although Nouwen was a Roman Catholic priest, in this book he explores Eastern Orthodox spirituality, teaching us how to pray with icons. His teaching, from an Orthodox perspective, is doctrinally sound and very insightful. The book has four secions, one for each of the icons: The Holy Trinity (a famous icon by St. Andrei Rublev--see the movie), the Virgin of Vladimir (a beautiful icon painted by St. Luke the Evangelist, according to legend), the Savior of Zvenigorod (also by Rublev), and Pentecost. The icons are reproduced beautifully on fold-out portions at each end of the book, so that you can read and ponder the icons simultaneously.

If icons are to you just pictures or religious decorations, this book will teach how to look more deeply, to see the spiritual significance of their details, to see the Gospel in their art. You will, if you are willing, naturally be led to pray and to receive them as revelations of spiritual reality. But if you are skeptical, perhaps from an iconoclast tradition, at least you will begin to understand why icons are so precious in Orthodox tradition.

As a Protestant minister, I learned how to be a "wordsmith" and pray nice things. But in this book the author opened up a new--though ancient--dimension of prayer. This is prayer without words, prayer that focuses on being in God's presence rather than performing in God's presence. I found myself using the right side of my brain to touch and feel what was holy--a divine mystery. In the meditation on the icon of the Holy Trinity, we are invited to spend time "living in the house of love". This involves putting one's self into the picture, that is, sitting with the trinity and experiencing God as loving presence. Nouwen leads us through his experience, like a trusted guide showing the way, while encouraging us to walk the trail ourselves. With four beautiful colored illustrations, it's a gift you need to give yourself--but one that's hard to resist giving to others!

This book is very important for anyone who is being introduced to icons. Several important themes emerge. Icons are not just art; icons are a way into contemplative prayer, and are therefore one way to let God speak to you. This book is very practical as well as very spiritual. The author provides a series of meditations on four different icons. Through those meditations we discover new things about our own relationship with God while we get a glimpse into the author's relationship. He also shows us how we must become accustomed to using icons for prayer, a process that is not natural for many of us who grew up in the western Church. The book takes us away from the shallow view of icons as mere art, even primitive art, and shows us why icons are said to be written, not painted. The book shows how icons speak to us of the relationship we each have with God, and how that can be expressed through our use of icons for contemplative prayer. I highly recommend this book. James H. Dobbins, Ph.D. jdobbins@nishanet.com

Bergson's _Laughter_ has been out of print for too long. It's the best theoretical study of comedy available. A meditation by the great philosopher of "elan vital" about our natural response to humans acting mechanically, _Laughter_ is also about the nuts and bolts of comedy. Moliere is the main model, but it works for Shakespeare, Chaplin and Preston Sturges just as well.

Bergson offers a taxonomy of laughter. The description is concise, realistic, and rife with examples. He begins with a broad definition of anything that is laughable and further narrows the definition where appropriate. Never have I encountered an example not explainable by this.

Henri Bergson describes why we laugh, and subdivides this description further into three characteristics. Each of these characteristics is then divided further occassionally. Example: >We laugh at mechanical rigidity. The three types are repetition, inversion, and reciprocal interference of series. An example of repetition is a frozen facial expression (repetition) and is comical only if it's imitatable.< Then he proceeds to give examples of word play, character, actions, etc which illustrate his points.

Ellenberger's "The Discovery of the Unconscious" was a textbook for a graduate course I took in the philosophy of psychoanalysis. I remember admiring it while I read through it at the time and then setting it aside until the moment came to work my way through it again. The time having come, I worked through this massive book again, and it has aged quite well.

Ellenberger surveys the entire history of the movement we know of as "dynamic psychiatry." The strength of the text, however, is Ellenberger's engaging and thoughtful portraits of the movement's key players: Janet, Freud, Adler, and Jung.

I find myself drawn repeatedly to the portrait of Mesmer and his life and times. Mesmer remains one of the most fascinating figures in history to me, half a wizard and half an entertainer. In reviewing his life, it is almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. I know of no author who treats Mesmer as well as Ellenberger.

Ellenberger's outstanding essay on Jung serves as a primary source for those interested in the interplay of Jung's personality and his ideas. Ellenberger reportedly had a close relationship with Jung and was able to have him personally review some of the material that served as early drafts of this chapter.

The best part of Ellenberger's treatment of Jung is his reminder that Jung was a practical person and that Jungian therapy is often focused exclusively on the practical aspects of the patient's life and circumstances. All too often, there is a view of Jung as a mystic, allied with attempts to place his work in some New Age container. This inappropriate approach is contradicted by Jung's writing, teaching, and practice. In fact, only for some patients, mostly those in the second half of life who faced questions of meaning, would Jung begin with his synthetic-hermeneutic method. For patients dealing with commonplace neurotic symptoms, Jung often used an approach that Ellenberger describes as Adlerian: find out what life task the patient is trying to avoid and remove the obstacle.

Ellenberger's reminder of Jung's essential groundedness is useful, as many of us either forget or ignore this aspect of Jung's theory and therapy. Another thread I found interesting is Ellenberger's treatment of the reasons that Jung rejected experimental psychology, in spite of having spent years working with the association test.

Ellenberger does an excellent job of exploring how the personalities and preferences of each psychologist affected his work and theories. In Ellenberger's treatment of Adler, I found myself fascinated by how much we do not know of his life and of how many holes remain to be filled in. Perhaps because of my own predilections, I did not find the discussions of Janet and Freud all that interesting.

This is a massive book. At first glance it seems intimidating. However, anyone with an interest in the exporers of the land known as the unconscious will find it an engaging read.

This book is the type of history that students rarely get to see. Textbooks tend to repeat the same old stories, many of which are only loosely based on the facts. This book goes into great depth, and even shows that many famous "cures" were nothing of the sort. This should be required reading for psychotherapists, and more importantly, for their clients.

Psychiatrist and historian Henri Ellenberger's monumental reconstruction of how depth psychology developed and flourished in our century is essential reading for psychotherapists and other psychoanalytically inclined readers. "Depth psychology" is that specialized branch of psychotherapy that concerns itself with the phenomenology of the "unconscious." Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler is, as Ellenberger explains, "commonly credited with having coined the [German term] Tiefenpsychologie (depth psychology)." The author points out, for instance, how the predominance during the nineteenth century of the organic or somatogenic model in psychopathology (which scientifically sought to replace medieval demonology with a more rational mythology) took a direct hit with the publication in 1895 of Studies on Hysteria by Freud and the Viennese physician Josef Breuer. Assimilating the findings of Franz Anton Mesmer, French physicians A.A. Liebault, Hippolyte Bernheim, Jean Charcot, and Pierre Janet--as well as psychological precursors like Kant, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, C.G.Carus and Eduard von Hartmann--Freud and Breuer put forth a powerful argument for a psychogenic (or primarily psychological) model of mental illness, based on the hypothesized existence of the "unconscious." There are also substantial chapters covering the immense contributions of C.G. Jung and Alfred Adler among many others. In this day of "fast food" therapy, in which the unconscious is typically completely ignored, Ellenberger's classic study is a much-needed reminder of what the pioneering founders of psychotherapy discovered, and what we, their twenty-first- century offspring, cannot afford to forget.