Having been a fan of Edwin Hubble since I first learned of him in high school in the early Fifties and read his classic work, The Realm of the Nebulae, while in college, I have collected everything about him I could find. He died suddenly during my senior year in high school and I was shocked and saddened to learn of it in the January, 1954 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. I had long hoped a biography would be forthcoming but , except for a few brief ones in a few journals, no full length treatment was produced. I talked to Dr. Charles A. Whitney once about one he was to write which he told me was on hold but it never was completed. The first book with much biographical material was in a novel entitled Hubble Time published in 1987 which was about a fictional granddaughter. There is much biographical material in it about Hubble, however. One of its highlights is the publication of an essay about Hubble by Aldous Huxley which, according to the novel, had never been published. I well recall having read this very essay in the early Fifties! I had tried to find it several times since but could find no reference to it and it has been a great mystery where I read it. So, great was my surprise to find it in Hubble Time.

Finally, in 1989, a biography was published in Russia by two Russian scientists followed by Gale Christiansons excellent biography in 1995, both books long overdue. I also have copies of journals containing many of Hubble's scientific papers, all his books and a copy of his doctoral thesis. Now several volumes for young people have been written of which Mary Virginia Fox' is one. It is an excellent overview of his life and work for young people which can easily be read in one sitting and contains some photographs which I had not previously seen. It is good that such an important American astronomer, whose discoveries have been called "the most significant contributions to cosmology since Copernicus" and of whom Stephen Hawking has said "changed the concept of the universe more profoundly than anyone else", should be made known to a young generation. And Hubble's legacy continues in the profound new findings being produced with the great space telescope that appropriatly bears his name.

I would have loved to have had this excellent little book during my own early years.

I could not locate a copy of this book at local stores. Amazon.com was able to locate a copy of this book in reasonable time. The book is in excellent condition for a pre-owned, out of publication book. It is excellent with to the point information with regards to motors and related electrical. It can be used for both electrical and mechanical design references.

The Encyclopaedia of Animals: Mammals, Birds, Reptile, and Amphibians is a milestone in concise scientific, and current description of animal species. Any amature(or professional), could only benefit by having this book in there collection. It is a shame it is no longer in print after only been in circulation for only three years.

What a wonderful book! This well detailed, well researched work includes every mammal, classified by family making individual animals easy to find. Each section includes maps, a size chart,and beautiful full color pictures as well as an extensive fact section. I strongly recommend this for any school age child, as well as adults. Even my 15 month old loves it.

Is the Bible simply another ancient Middle Eastern test, or is it somehow unique? And if it is unique in some way, is it ever intellectually honest to simply disregard that uniqueness in studying it? How can Christians study documents they believe to be God's revelation, or to contain it in some real sense, as if it were otherwise, and without compromising the very uniqueness which presumably prompts them to study it? This book is essential for any student of the Bible who considers himself or herself in any sense a believer. It challenges such people to invoke their intellects and, above all, their capacity for intellectual integrity in asking a question most non-Fundamentalists simply refuse to think about: is it ever intellectually honest for Christians to study the Bible as if they were agnostic or athiestic students in a secular university? Is there a place specifically in the Church for Bible study filtered through the presuppositions of unbelief? And even in the secular acadamy, to what extent are "modern methods of Bible study" in fact intellectually honest?

I was initially skeptical when I picked up this book by Edwin MacArthur. After all, Flagstad practically made his career, and they were lifelong friends. How objective could he be? Would this be a treacly hagiography?
These doubts were quickly dispelled. MacArthur has a great sense of humor, and a refreshing candor. While his affection and gratitude towards Kirsten is obvious, this is no hagiography. MacArthur touches on many unpleasant aspects of Kirsten's personality -- her tendency to thoughtlessly feud for little reason, her difficult, strained relationship with her daughter, her penchant for offending people. MacArthur hints that the reason Kirsten found herself practically friendless and attacked after the War was her inability to play the social game. MacArthur also notes Flagstad's unfortunate habit of cutting friends and wellwishers off.
This is a fun, funny book -- at times it reminded me of Mapleson's memoirs, as a hapless impresario/manager struggles to get the show on the road with a haughty capricious prima donna. The tour of Australia is retold hilariously, with Kirsten 'acting up' and her entourage unsuccessfully attempting to placate her.
There are of course limits to this memoir. MacArthur is notably tight-lipped about Kirsten's husband's Quisling activities. No doubt he felt that Kirsten was innocent of any involvement, but one gets the sneaky feeling that MacArthur was not so certain of Johansen's innocence. Johansen returns to Norway, and is rarely mentioned again. I've read other books that go into more depth about the mysterious, murky war years. The common consensus seems to be that Flagstad, while personally innocent, may have been used first as propoganda and then as a scapegoat. MacArthur also makes a somewhat obvious attempt to explain away the rumors that Kirsten was an alcoholic. But ironically his descriptions of Kirsten's drinking come across to modern readers as a definite drinking problem.
But these are small quibbles. Overall this is a wonderful biography. It's done with a rare mixture of affection and candor. For those who love Kirsten's later recordings, it might be interesting to read what MacArthur thought of them. There are nice pictures and a healthy dose of funny diva anecdotes to please gossipy sentimentalists like me also.

My first introduction to Dr Orr was a Campus Crusade for Christ film entitled "The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakenings". Though encouraged by the prospects of simply "praying" in a revival, I honestly felt the author's simplistic enthusiasm was unrealistic. After reading The Flaming Tongue's exhaustive report on the Welsh Revival, there has never been any doubt in my mind that Dr Orr was a first rate historian, and, his assertion that EVERY great awakening was preceeded by a world wide movement of prayer must be correct. Though the reading was excruciatingly dry history, the personal rewards were phenomenal. The Flaming Tongue convinced me that there must be a scriptural basis for this thesis, and I have since established a thorough scriptural basis for it. Without the sheer statistical force of Dr Orr's exhaustive works, however, I've found that most of my brethren simply refuse to believe that prayer brings revival.

Monroe Price and Mark Thompson have assembled a fantastic array of scholars, thinkers, and lawyers who each bring to bear a unique perspective on the intractable relationship between media and conflict. From Alison DesForges's discussion about the impact of hate speech in Rwanda to former U.S. State Department official Jamie Metzl's discussion about United States actions in Somalia, Kosovo, and Serbia the book answers many interesting questions but raises many more. Of particular interest were Eric Blinderman's chapter which discussed the legal rules surrounding, what he terms "information intervention," and Stephanie Farrior's discussion about the legal principles related to hate speech.

Brice's Crossroads was the most classic battle of the Civil War. It demonstrated the innate military genius of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest, who out-manuevered a Union force twice the size of his. The battle duplicated Hannibal's tactics at Cannae and was considered by Rommel as a classic. Edwin Bearss is the retired chief historian of the National Park Service and cannot be equalled in Civil War battlefield knowledge. This treatment of the battle follows the ill-fated Union forces from Memphis to their defeat in Mississippi and their disorganized retreat back. Having had a great-great grandfather who fought the rear-guard action in the battle with the 9th Minnesota Volunteers, I had a particular interest in the book. Mr. Bearrss' explanation is thorough and compelling. He explains why, even though the battle was lost, the greater strategy i.e. preventing Forrest from interupting Sherman's March To the Sea, was accomplished. Mr. Bearrss has been designated as a "National Treasure" b