If you want to extend the boundaries of ordinary perception, in order to produce unique, distinctive visions read "Matisse on Art." It is a critical piece of literature written by a masterfully innovative painter. I recommend it as a professional artist for nearly 20 years and as an art professor.

Painters are often their own worst enemies when speaking about their work, obscuring rather than enlightening. But not Matisse. The intelligent and painter knew the trap that speaking of his art could be, yet his own comments on it are intelligent and illuminating. This book is fine reading that's a help to the working painter, as well as the viewer. You'll look at Matisse's great paintings with a fresh eye after reading it. And that's what matters.

Here are compiled the writings of and interviews with Matísse. It is not only about his estethic concerns but also about his feeling for life. The latter was his underlying motif in his paintings. This book is very interesting also for people without artistic concerns since Matísse here conveys his fine-tuned philosophy of life. A highly rewarding book that one can return to many times.

Mats Winther

As an instructor, this is an excellent CD. It shows many pieces of art and gives information, in audio. Highly recommended for any one interested in art.

This CD is the very best in its class. It is organized in such a way as to make available images, history, anecdotes, and gallery placement with just a click. The variety of choices and the ease of use is breath-taking. You can go into any gallery, look around at all the walls, select a particular painting to learn more about and then jump into a list of all the paintings by that artist or a time line that places that artist into historic context. All CDs from museums or art collections should be this comprehensive and easy to use!

This CD-ROM includes a tour of the Barnes collection as well as an index, archives, history, and fabulous color pictures. The CD is interactive. You can sit back and listen to the tour guide, or you can click your own way through the collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century paintings. The index to the collection shows a thumb-nail size color shot of the art work listed, which you can click on to see as large as your screen allows. Renoir, Matisse, Modiglianni, and dozens of Cezanne paintings in living color! At your fingertips! Great.

I was initially reserved in my approach to the book 'cos I thought it would be boring and would contain too much theology.
I was proven wrong. I could see the interplay of man and God in shaping our history and now fully understand that indeed "He works all things after the counsel of his own will". I was taken with the literary style that I could not put it down desiring to find out what would happen next to Luther. It is awesome to know that Omniscience wields Omnipotence to achieve the counsel of the Omnipresent God.

I have read this book under separate title, and D'Aubigne presents in it a wonderful picture of Luther the man, from the perspective of an author who knows Luther's Lord. Much more readable than Bainton's work, and with a touch of the older style of writing that has now been lost.

This is a very good book about Martin Luther. Before I read this book, I did not know what he wrote his theses about, but now I know he wrote it to condemn the evil sale of indulgences.

I fell in love with these books in the early 70's when I was fortunate to find them in my public library. I was enchanted with the warmth and humanity and passion which M. Troyat was able to capture and portray in this five volume series of Amelie, Pierre and Elizabeth. Fortunately, Amazon was able to locate all five of the books in various forms and now I can enjoy them at my leisure and pass them on to my friends. This is a charming and beautifully written account of life in France during World Wars I and II.

I have ten of Troyat's novels and they are all superb! The Amelie and Pierre series are written with such feeling. You "live" the characters and can hardly wait for the next book. I wish that he had continued to write about Amelie's daughter, Elizabeth. Like all great writers I guess he knew when to stop. We can only imagine what events changed their lives

Hard to believe this was originally published in 1886!! This 206 page book is pure delight from beginning to end, with very clear illustrated explanations on Palming,Card and Coin Tricks,Ring,Hat,Ball,and Handkerchief tricks, and a lot besides.Perhaps you will not be totally convinced that they all work, and you may feel some of these acts are not completely described, but you have to admit it's a nicely done work. As far as the THOUGHT READING described in last pages, I am not convinced that by feeling a person's pulse you'll be able to pick a previously disclosed object on a table, but it may be possible! Worth trying at your next little get together,along with an Ouija Board! The book and it's contents are so well done/designed you can be sure it will be browsed thru and admired probably into the 22nd century!!

How do they do that? That's the question this book answers. In so doing, it will extend your imagination to help you decipher illusions for yourself in the future.

I had more fun reading this book than any other "how to" book I have seen this year. As a result, I feel this book deserves more than five stars. What captured my attention was the careful demonstration of how the assumptions of viewers cause them to be misled by the practiced illusionist. I learned more from seeing the details of how the hand is quicker than the eye in this book than I have from all the scientific books I have read about perception and how the brain works. The book's examples will spill over into making readers more usefully observant in all areas of life.

The Art of Modern Conjuring was originally published in 1886. The publisher has done a nice job of keeping the feel of the original (especially with the cover) while providing an easy-to-use volume. Although I have read many books about simple magic tricks and illusions, this one was more revealing and more interesting than any other. I strongly recommend it for those who want to learn how to do simple illusions and for those who want to understand what appealed to families and audiences in the late 19th century. The book is greatly enhanced by the many illustrations that carefully demonstrate how to make the illusions work.

The book was designed as a "guide for amateurs and young beginners."

The subjects covered include basic skills, various illusions, how to assemble an act, and how to handle an audience. Among illusions, you will find out about essential skills like palming and passes, and how to do tricks with cards, coins, wedding rings, handerchiefs, balls, hats, candles, animals, string, flying, and inexhaustible sources. You will also find out how spiritualist illusions, seances, and thought reading are conducted. Over 200 illusions are covered in detail. Some are described in as many as four ways to conduct them!

To me, the best parts included how to create the clothing and equipment that you need to make the illusions work. You will learn where special pockets and trays are needed, and how to change the perspective to cause viewers to assume the wrong thing.

Some of the basic principles were interesting too. "Never tell your audience beforehand what you are going to do." Whatever you say, understate what you are about to perform (a few simple tricks before you make the Eiffel Tower disappear!). "Never perform the same trick twice before the same audience." You must not look at your hands. You need a wand to offer "a plausible pretext for many necessary movements."

After you become more savvy about illusions from this book, think about where else illusions are constructed for your benefit that rely on your false assumptions. For example, used car lots often spray "new car smell" into the interiors of newer cars they are selling. Many people misdescribe themselves when looking for a job or a date. Some people pretend to be other people on the Internet. What is the reality of those situations? How should your reaction to them be changed?

Check all the angles to see what's really going on!

In this book, Gilles Deleuze analyzes and supplements the work of philosopher Henri Bergson. The importance of this book lies in its ability to give insights not only into the work of Bergson but also into the later work of Deleuze.

For example, the first chapter of this book deals with Bergson's method of intuition. Interestingly enough, Deleuze applies this method to Bergson's own philosophy. In very basic terms, this method involves distinguishing "differences in kind" between elements (this is important, since Bergson believes that we usually go by false generalizations) and then bring together these elements once again but such that we understand them as they truly are and not as what Deleuze calls a "badly analyzed composite". In analyzing Bergson's philosophy, Deleuze distinguishes elan vital, duration, and memomory as the basic concepts. Furthermore, each of these concepts can only be understood in terms of intuition for various reasons; for example, that only intuition can grasp pure movement (duration). Throughout this book, Deleuze usually (although not always) gives an account of Bergson's concepts without assuming complete knowledge on the part of the reader, which is helpful. However, on the other hand, Deleuze doesn't always tell us what is "his" philosophy and what is Bergson's. Because of this, "Bergsonism" should not be utilized as a summary of Bergson's work. That is, even though Deleuze is clear enough for someone with little background in Bergson to understand much of this book, this does not mean that this person would then "know Bergson" but rather a Bergson-Deleuzian hybrid. This isn't a flaw to the book; rather, it merely suggests how it ought to be read. This short book is complex, but very well written by Deleuze, allowing for a maximum amount of information to be intelligibly conveyed in relatively few pages (although this isn't necessarily true of his later work); it moves at a brisk pace without losing the reader and is reccomended for both readers of Bergson and Deleuze.

This book is about Bergsonfs notions (especially matter and memory), but constitutes Deleuzefs view of the world because of his own interpretation of Bergson. At first, Deleuze mentions to this bookfs aim which is to determine the relationship between the three notions, duration, memory, and elan vital in Bergsonfs philosophy. Then, he considers intuition in Bergson which would be a method to achieve the aim. He sets five rules on intuition and probes the relationship between the three notions. Finally, he relates them in the process of differentiation. This notion of gdifferentiationh is very important in Deleuzefs philosophy, which is clear in his other books. Moreover, this book contains some interesting discussions such as criticism to Einsteinfs theory and to evolutionism. I think that this book is important to understand Deleuzefs philosophy and that it must be a very helpful guide to read his gCinema 1: The Movement-Imageh and gCinema 2: The Time-Imageh.

The Coming of the Book is essential reading for anyone interested in book history, the development of modern literary languages, or the growth of capitalism in early modern Europe. It's an excellent example of the social history that the Annales school of sociologists and historians worked to produce: coherent narrative drawn not from specific important events but from the interpretation of massive amounts of data on the 'everyday' professional lives of early type founders, journeyman printers, shippers and booksellers. Most importantly, Febvre and Martin analyze the affect that the unique pressures of print as a capitalist enterprise (the capital investment in type, the costs of paper and of labor, problems in transport and marketing) had on the development of standardized print-languages, the development of 'mass' culture, and the spread and evolving functions of literacy.

Lucien Febvre and Jean-Henri Martin have integrated careful archival research with a lively recounting of history which transcends individual rulers in this account of early printing. The book is particularly interesting since we also live in a time when the economics and sociology of information dissemination is changing quickly.

The reaction of the early copyright system in place at medieval universities to new realities, of the technical innovation necessary to make good type founts, and of early print censorship were particularly interesting. I also enjoyed the discussion of the documentary evidence about Gutenburg and his unhappy relations with his financial backers.

This book is an excellent compilation of both the theory and pseudo-code for number theoretic algorithms. The author also takes the time to prove some of the major results as background to the algorithms, in addition to sets of exercises at the end of the book. The book is too large to do a chapter by chapter review, so instead I will list the algorithms in the book that I thought were particularly useful:

1. Most of the algorithms on elliptic curves. The author reminds the reader that number-theoretical experiments resulted in the famous Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture and the Birch Conjecture. (a) the reduction algorithm, which for a given point in the upper half plane, gives the unique point in the half plane equivalent to this point under the action of the special linear group along with the matrix that maps these two points to each other. (b) The computation of the coefficient g2 and g3 of the Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve. (c) The computation of the Weierstrass function and its derivative. (d) Determination of the periods of an elliptic curve over the real numbers. (e) The determination of the elliptic logarithm. (f) The reduction of a general cubic (f) The Shanks-Mestre algorithm for computing the order of an elliptic curve over a finite field F(p), where p is prime and greater than 457. (g) The reduction of an elliptic curve modulo p for p > 3. (h) The reduction of an elliptic curve modulo 2 or 3. (i) Reduction of an elliptic curve over the rational numbers. (j) Determination of the rational torsion points of an elliptic curve. (k) Computation of the Hilbert class polynomials and thus a determination of the j-function of an elliptic curve.

2. A few of the algorithms on factoring. (a) The Pollard algorithm for finding non-trivial factors of composites. (The author does not give the improved algorithm due to P. Montgomery, but does give references) (b) Shanks Square Form Factorization algorithm for finding a non-trivial factor of an odd integer. (c) Lenstra's Elliptic Curve test for compositeness.

3. Primality tests (a) The Jacobi Sum Primality Test for a positive integer. (b) Goldwasser-Killian elliptic curve test for a positive integer not equal to 1 and coprime to 6.

The author gives an overview of the computer packages used for number theory, including Pari, which was written by him and his collaborators. I have not used this package, but instead use Lydia and Mathematica for most of the number theoretic computations I need to do.

Cohen (the world renowned expert) starts with the most basic of algorithms (i.e. Euclid & Shanks). He moves seamlessly into Linear Algebra & Polynomials (bedrocks of most CAS). Although meant to be concise, he proves, or sketches a proof of the important results. Finally, the meat of the book, C.A.N.T. One important problem is finding the "class number" (has to do with unique factorization, which we are all accustomed to in Z). A detailed description of the continued fraction algorithm (for finding the fundamental unit), and others made it very enlightening. He then deals with primality testing and factoring, two very important problems, the latter because of RSA. First, a description of the algorithm, then the theory behind it. He covered everything, from Trial Division (Dark Ages) to Pollard Rho to NFS (cutting-edge). Also included are some useful tables.

Of course, CAS information from 1993, won't be that helpful (look in his newest, Advanced Topics in C.A.N.T.).

Excellent. Also try Knuth's "Semi-numerical Algorithms" for a more computer oriented approach.

This book was required reading in Bible College. I still regularly read this (excellent cross references) for re-familiarizing myself with Bible Culture from New Testament times. The real Jesus cannot be understood without the context of what life was like, and what his stories meant to people in his day. This book is a rich reference of this type of information.

9i;

Henri Nouwen authored thirty five very inspirational books on the challenges of living life. Nouwen, a man often unsettled in his own life, offered a Jesus-centered perspective of his journey. This small book is a wonderful daily reader that draws on many of Nouwen's books. A great start to the day... or just the thing for a quick reflection along the way. Well worth the few dollars. Highly recommended

Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota

As I look at my copy, the pages all have highlighting, half are dog eared and all are folded in two after the third reading. Even some of the folded ones are also dog eared for still future reference. Charges Ringma, with the help of Nenri Nouwen's writings presents a captivating series of 180 "reflections" on the meaning of Christian spirituality. Nouwens's belief was when any human reveals his most vulnerable areas, he reaches all other persons at a very deep level. This book is an outstanding and moving example. Another belief was solitude, when used to increase our spirituality, is much more than just the current fad of seeking self development, but is the primary source of knowing how and where God desires us to apply Christ's teachings in our daily life. Then in each "reflection", he deals with all the personal conflicts one experiences in seeking solitude, experiencing solitude, hearing God's desires and when we then confront the realities of our personal lives. But mostly this book is looking on the personal spirituality side. See also Ringma's "Resist The Powers" which extends and expands in a remarkable and personal way our responsibility as a Christian in today's world (I'm only half way thru this already dog eared book)