What's great here, in addition to stellar photos and high production values (what kind of paper is this?) is the surprising quality of the selection of the people. I like seeing boxers and map makers, basketball players and glass blowers set next to each other.

Wayne Gretzky's retirement from hockey seems a fitting occasion to remark on the phenomenal collection of virtuosos Ken Carbone has gathered together in his new book. The gift of a Virtuoso like Gretzky, and of this book, is the realization that absolute focus and dedication to a passion can lead one beyond oneself. That message resounds like a gong through the handsomely designed pages and expressive photographs of The Virtuoso. The thrill of sharing a Virtuoso's talent is the transcendence it offers, the visceral feeling that one is witnessing, in the Eastern sense, life lived fully in the moment. Inspiration, indeed.

Joseph Campbell's sadly over-used expression "Follow your bliss" is personified in the 40 profiles that fill the pages of The Virtuoso. What a revelation to find that the world possesses such remarkable individuals in places we might least expect to find them. The Virtuoso says much about taking risks, about going as far as you can to arrive at a place that is larger than yourself. Love, and a dash of madness, are at the core of every choice a Virtuoso makes, shaping the lives of these extraordinary talents in the most unimagined ways, and those who come into contact with them. It takes a vision to see the vision in others. Clearly this author has that. Bravo!

I love Goethe's creative works and his scientific theories, but most of all I love this book. I travel with it, look in it for advice and conversation. As an artist Goethe was incomparable; as a scientist he was curious, alive, observant, questioning -- but as a man who lived a life with a conscious intention to make his life a work of his own mind and heart he is the master and that master is found in the pages of this book. When I need a wise friend, I turn here and find, beside the wisdom, a silly person who thought spectacles were an affectation, an attempt on the part of someone to be something he was not. . .

While in graduate school in Australia I happened in a pub (which is not extraordinary in itself) and got to talking with the bar-tender. It turns out that he was a student at the Univ. of Queensland too and was getting his MA in German. I told him how much I enjoyed Nietzche, who was the focus of his thesis, and eventually we got around to Eckermann's Coversations. I told him it was one of the best books that I had ever read: so quaint and yet probing. The reader sits in the drawing room and hears the most extrodinary discussions. In this way it reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. It is so civilized that it is almost nostalgic--but far too potent for that due to the genuis involved (Eckermann's mind ain't to shabby either). The newly made friend expressed amazement that an English major happened on this book; he said that I had been the only person outside the German dept that he had met that had ever read the book, or even heard of it (and this in a much more literate country than here). This is truely a shame we agreed. Ease-drop on a better time when scholars were gentleman, and in search of the truth not some PC BS, and were enamored with ideas. Goethe's Maxims is also highly recommended--as Faust and his other better known works. A Western classic, like the subject.

For those who do not know anything about Goethe at all, 'Conversations' may not be a good place to start - but for those who are a little familiar with Goethe, 'Conversations of Goethe' makes for fascinating reading.

Very rarely do we have the life of a genius so well and closely documented. This book is not a record of formal interviews; it is a record by Eckermann, Goethe's good friend, who took the trouble to write down the great man's words almost every day, it seems. The book reads like a diary of Eckermann's, filled with Goethe - there is one entry for almost every day for a few weeks, then a break, and so on.

Eckermann seems to have written down almost everything he remembered from his conversations - and some of what Goethe said here may be edifyong, some not so much; but all of it is significant for one trying to get an insight into Goethe's mind - how it worked, how he thought, how he did things - right from the grand projects down to the simple pleasures.

One comes away from this book with an "insiders glimpse" of the Goethe's mind and world - and that really helps when reading his works.

The idea of Goethe as the complete, the perfect man, the universal genius - sticks with the reader years after reading this book. We live in an age when the really good things do not matter; Goethe reminds us of all the things that can, and do matter - and those things that can refresh, change, and enliven.

Nietzsche called this "the greatest book in German there is".

This is a comprehensive introduction to all sorts of telecommunications (mainly telephone regulation) issues. It's probably a bit much for the novice; something like Stuart Benjamin's Telecommunications Law and Policy is probably a better match there. But, if you want all the details, this is definitely the place to go.

There isn't anything else like this on the market. It contains all the FCC and court and DOJ lore on telecom from the beginning of the century through the 1996 Act up to the present. The spicy bits apparently were written by pundit Peter Huber (who isn't identified in the listing above).

This book gives the novice a very accessible route to the world of telecommunications and gives the expert a very comprehensive reference book. Very highly recommended. The FCC wants universal service? This book is universal in and of itself.

Peters brilliantly examines the problem of communication and explores many of the major themes in the history of communication theory. This is a beautifully written and insightful work, more philosophy than history, that will have you thinking about what really is essential about human expression. Peters adroitly critiques the romantic new age veneration of dialogue and traces its origins from Socrates to the present day. "In certain quarters," he observes, "dialogue has attained something of a holy status. It is held up as the summit of human encounter." The author argues convincingly that dialogue is highly overrated, for not only are we incapable of accurately conveying our thoughts to others, but it is usually insufficient or even dangerous to do so. Further, objective "truth" is neither an attainable, nor sufficient goal for communicators, "The authentic representation of self or world not only is impossible, it is also never enough."

At times Peters seems to wander unnecessarily into discussions of such topics as spiritualism, extrasensory perception and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, but these tangents ultimately provide significant insights into the human yearning for meaningful contact.

Peters calls much of modern communications "Unmitigated bleat mixed with the rare voice of truth crying in the wilderness," a criticism not only of broadcast media, but of intimate personal conversation as well. We may chastise the media for perpetuating social inequalities and spotlighting vulgarity but, per Peters, "such criticism ought not to overlook the inequalities that exist outside media or the tawdriness that fills our hearts unbidden." Media may more reflect than shape the contents of the human heart: a scary conclusion, perhaps, but one worth thinking about.

Communication is often received as a universal category by which the nature of human species is expressed. For Habermas, in particular, communicative competence (i.e., language) distinguishes human beings from other animals; he defines communication as a more substantial feature in human association than labor that takes the most privileged position in historical materialism. Then, is it possible to analyze the whole array of social, historical and political relationships among human beings in terms of the modes of communication, as historical materialism tried to do so? It may be possible with high degree of abstractions and some degree of reductionism.

But let us insert us onto the scene and look ourselves against the backdrop of the scene. Why do we want to understand ourselves in terms of communication, and from when? If the questions are like these, John Peters' Speaking into the Air may be a good and, perhaps, the first introduction. By taking self-reflective and historical perspective, John Peters seems to relativize the philosophical proposition that humans are "speaking animal"(Aristotle). That is, the author aims to redefine the idea of communication as the essence of human species as a historical phenomenon. His question is: from when have "we defined ourselves in terms of our ability to communicate with one another"(p.1)? And his answer is that the idea of communication as spiritual interpenetration is a modern invention. Then, the question to be sought hereafter may be why communication was problematized or how the concept of communication was invented in a particular period in history, although we always communicate. He implies that the feeling of "breakdown" or "impasses" of communication (due to the beginning of mass communication), and the search for "mutual communion of souls" gave birth to the modern concept of communication which, at the same time, he wants to criticize. His primary method may well be to search historical "traces". Historical method implies already a communication between the alive and the dead. The dead say their stories to us by borrowing or utilizing the mouth and the hand of the alive as a medium. The dead do not also say their stories to historians for themselves. They only left traces or externalized "texts" in Ricoeur's term. As an archeologist restores the lives and exploits of dead men from the fragments of defaced epitaph, historian should find and reconstruct the history of the ideas of communication from the traces of dispersed writings, which constitute another medium. When the dead say something to us audience, they do so through their traces or writings, and by the mouth and the hand of historians. Thus, there is an unbridgeable chasm and "breakdown" of communication between the dead and the alive. Even though unintended, historical method functions as a strategy in Speaking into the Air; it expresses the idea of communication "fixed in a direction of thought which comes from afar and stretches beyond you"(Gadamer), as Peters cites in the first page.

I almost gave up on Speaking into the Air. It's a densely packed volume requiring total concentration for absorption. I often read passages two or three times before I comprehended them. Six weeks elapsed from start to finish, and I feel I now need to go back and read some of it again. It was worth the effort.

Peters has organized the literature about communication into categories. Among them, he discusses spiritualism, talking with the dead, and communicating with machines, animals and aliens. His sources are varied, including classic literature, the Bible, Plato, and numerous others. It isn't about communication technique or tools; this is an exploration of the question: what is communication and how do we know it's been accomplished?

It's far more than a literature review however. The concluding chapter wraps up with a touching summary, combining spirituality with love. I read the last two paragraphs to a friend. She cried.

This is a an exceptionally well written book that will teach you all you need to know about taking your health to the next level. Clearly written, and easy to understand, this book will change you life for the better. I cannot recommend it enough.

This is the best book I have read for anyone who is truly concerned about their overall health. This book is all about understanding health. A wide variety of topics are covered including; how the body works ,the food your body needs to work best, causes of disease, how to exercise, and the morality of what we eat. This is a clearly written book which will change your life for the better.

Peter Burwash has delivered a book which busts all the myths of the vegetarian diet. This book is written in small bites which are easily digestible for anyone who is interested in taking charge of their health and wants to help the planet in the 21st century. If you are considering making changes in your life then Total Health is the ideal starting place - read this book!

An excellent book for learning about sailboats and sailing in short order. The book is well laid-out and has lots of excellent high quality photos from various perspectives to illustrate equipment, setup and techniques. This is the best book I have found for getting informed about sailing basics in a hurry. Well worth the price even if you just want to learn about sailboats and not even sail.

It would be hard to imagine a more complete, user-friendly, and enjoyable text on beginner sailing will exist for many years to come. This book is one of those lush photo-illustrated productions that Dorling Kindersley and other British publishers are famous for: the future of the book in the age of computer and television will be assured if this type of publishing becomes widespread.
That said, there are a couple of caveats for the self-learner and beginner. The first is that the author does not clearly point out the distinction between sailing dinghies, that is, small racers or day-sailors without weighted keels or cabins, and keelboats, which are not covered. Many of the techniques and warnings found in the text do not apply to keelboats, such as pulling up your centerboard on different points of sail. Also, capsize on a keelboat is uncommon and the techniques for righting dinghies will simply not work if the boat hasn't already righted itself. And there is the usual problem of a British book using British terminology: in America the "kicking strap" is the "boom vang". The book is written from the point of view of a British instructor teaching "by the book" to a British audience preparing for formal dinghy racing, which means there is some emphasis on issues such as specialized clothing, but it's good to see the whole technique laid out this way--few other books have done it.

The book is an easy read with the most appropriate of illustrations. This is the best manual for beginners I have ever seen. Though designed as a self-teach manual for beginners the book is best used as a manual by both instructor and student as training boats vary everywhere and not all readers may have access to the same dinghy design as the Laser 2 used in the book. The instructor would benefit from the well laid out schedule of activities that a trainee interested in basic sailing skills should undergo. An interested student on the other hand would be more comfortable with the daunting sailing terms they usually encounter in training classes as the book explains them well and the manual organizes training activities such that they are easy to follow.

There is a lot of excellent information in this book for anyone who has been in a cult, certainly. I bought it for a slightly different reason: I wanted to hear how Peter McWilliams explained to himself the incredible stupidity of being sucked into such a bag of lies. I am satisfied with his descriptions, and the book is cheerful, and upbeat! Well worth the purchase price, and I am lucky to have stumbled upon it.

Like Peter, I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent, etc., and yet had been married to a person for 20 years (and tied up in court battles with him for the next 7) who was recently diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He was punitive, abusive, and selfish. I wondered if reading Peter's account of having made a similar series of terrible choices would help me in my recovery.

It did, and I highly recommend this book, and would love to thank Peter in person, if I could find an address for him. Also, like Peter, I was depressed in this negative relationship, so in 1992 I bought his book You can't afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought. Again, paralleling the author, as soon as my depression lifted, I was able to "get out" of the problem relationship. How interesting, then, that as the saga of disengaging reaches it's completion, Peter has again left me some "bread crumbs" to find my way home again.

This book is extremely valuable for anyone finding themselves in the unpleasant situation of feeling ridiculous for having succumbed to a bad relationship.

That MSIA now owns the copyright to "Life 102" is a telling admission that John-Roger wanted this embarrassing book killed and sent to hell. The book is an astonishing expose from Peter Mc Williams, a MSIA insider. While the book dishes the dirt on
J-R, the real untold story is still out there: How did MSIA get the copyright? Did Peter McWilliams sell the copyright because he is sick with cancer and needed the money? Did MSIA prevail in court in a legal fight? I have not been able to find out on the internet. Search engines are all linked to MSIA. This reeks of a MSIA tactic to control search engines -- something easy to do if you have enough of the faithful's tithes to spend on endarkenment.

J-R is rotten to the core if we are to believe Mc Williams' story. Yet Mc Williams comes across as being no better than J-R when all is said and done. Mc Williams plays the victim and J-R the bully. The two deserved each as we read of their sick and twisted karmic drama being played out in the pages of Life 102.
I would like to see J-R write "Life 103: What To Do When Your Devotee Writes a Sensationalized Expose On You."

The book is well worth reading and should belong in the library of anyone interested in the history of the New Age movement in America. Personally, the book did its job insofar as it convinced me to stay away from John-Roger and MSIA. I am of the opinion that MSIA has survived David McLane, the L.A. Times, and Mc WIlliams not because of its spirituality, but rather because of the power of its lawyers, a war chest full of money, a PR firm, and the ability to maintain a legal war against to grind its enemies to powder and outlast the interest of the critics.

Peter McWilliams has done the world a great service by writing this book. If only one person avoids the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness because of his efforts, his time and trouble (and he's had a lot!) will not have been in vain. His skewering of Arianna Huffington is particularly delicious.

McDowell and Spitz give an incredibly thorough, yet succinct overview of the field of substance abuse. The book is informative, well written, and an interesting read. It will be of great interest to all clinicians who work with substance abuse patients. I personally recommend it to anyone who encounters the problem of addiction, whether it be in a personal or professional realm.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to the field of substance abuse. It is informative without getting bogged down in too much detail, and makes for interesting reading. The volume is also peppered with fascinating historical tidbits.

Doctors Mc Dowell and Spitz aught to be applauded for their innovative presentation. It should be a permanent fixture in the offices of every therapist as a research guide, and on the bookshelves of patients. It is a wellspring of information for both the layman and the pro. Thank you both.

If you want to explore the present state of knowledge about tigers in the wild and their real prospects for survival, this is the best publication available. It's attractively illustrated with photos of wild tigers, current range maps, and useful treatments of their history, habitat, populations, prey relations, conflicts with people, and conservation status in various parts of their range. The book's chapters are well organized and written by well informed scientists.

I couldn't put the book down and have only been surprised that it has received so little publicity beyond the professional ranks of conservation biologists. It's useful also for those considering a visit to areas where tigers still occur.

An excellent and thorough composition of research of the tiger and its conservation. A must have for ecologists or wildlife biologists interested in studying or working with the big cats. Very informative, written with a lot of data, statistics, maps and references - most informative for those with a scientific mind. Highly recommended.

Riding the Tiger is a fine conservation book. It gets into the technical part of conservation which few see. If you are interested in becoming a zoologist this book is a must.

Throughout Mexico, one can hear of the legend of the SanPatricios, a battalion of soldiers in the U.S.-Mexico War that wasmade up almost entirely of deserters from the U.S. Army. Predominately Irish and/or Catholic, the San Patricios fought well for the Mexicans -- and they suffered for it significantly when the U.S. finally won the war.

Stevens does an excellent job of telling the story of the battalion, the history behind its foundation, and the punishment its members faced after the war. Adding to the interest of the story is the role that many of those in the U.S. Army during the U.S.-Mexico War went on to play pivotal roles in the U.S. and CSA armies during the Civil War.

A must read for the student of Irish-American and Vietnam history. Goes into detail of the anti-Catholic/anti-emmigrant climate of America in the the 1840's. A story of America's first war of agresssion against another independent nation, shows the beggings of Americas imperialistic wars.A good companion text for istorians of America's involvement in South East Asia,"if we do not learn from history we are cursed to repeat it."

Truly awesome story. Well written and researched. Really made me think. Brings up a lot of repressed issues that are difficult to deal with as an American.