The approach the authors used is refreshing, easy to read. I believe E&M serves up the importance that trust is one of the core ingredients to success in both personal and professional lives. It is refreshing to read because the message of trust comes through as told in a parable. After having read the book, I ordered 5 to be sent to my customers that I consider "key customers." Highly recommend this book to "anyone" as the message the book delivers is for "everyone."

This book focuses on two issues that are crucial to relationships, working and personal, in today's society. The principles of worth and trust are key in any relationship, and as I read the book and reflected over previous experiences, I realized that, more often than not, the problems began because I was missing these two aspects. The Eagle & the Monk presents these and other principles in a simple, yet not childish manner. I found the questions at the back of the book especially helpful in focusing on the areas in which I personally need improvement. I think that everyone can find at least one of these principles in which they are deficient. The book helps readers recognize and address these problems.

As a rabbi, I seldom read books about business. The fable format of E & M, however, was so compelling that I could not put it down. Change is a part of all of our lives. The authors make a convincing case for the need to embrace rather than resist it. They then show us how to do so effectively. The teachings of this book apply not only to business but to all aspects of life and relationships. The EAGLE & THE MONK could become a classic! I plan to use it for staff and Board retreats at my synagogue. Stephen Fuchs, Congregation Beth Israel West Hartford, CT

The greatest thing to come out since the Musical itself, Wonderful, educational, fantastic reproductions of the 19th century musicals!

Richard Fawkes' The History Of The Musical is a flawlessly recorded, 4 cassette, unabridged audiobook showcasing the development of the musical, from its origins in European light opera and operetta to its it's golden age in the American theater. The great song composers and lyricists are presented including Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Lloyd Webber, and Sondheim. The wonderfully narrated text by the award-winning Broadway singer Kim Criswell is enhanced with almost one hundred famous musical extracts. The History Of The Musical is a "must" for personal, academic, and community library music history and audiobook collections.

Surely there must be a medal somewhere out there for Naxos records and for author Richard Fawkes. After two superb sets of tapes and CDs titled "The History of Classical Music" and "The History of Opera," there is now available Mr. Fawkes' "The History of the Musical" (NA422712). Here we have singer/actress Kim Criswell narrating on 4 CDs or tapes just under 320 minutes of exactly what the title promises.

Starting with "The Beggar's Opera" of 1728, the history of the genre is traced up to the time of writing, meaning "Les Miserables." Along the way, we consider operetta, the English Music Hall, American vaudeville, the review, the book show, the familiar, the off-beat, the dead ends, the highly influential. And the London stage gets a good deal of attention also, thereby introducing a lot of material not very well known to those better versed in the American musical.

As with any good effort of this sort, a strong connection is drawn between the changing times and the changing concepts of what a musical should be. The importance of "Show Boat" is not glossed over, for example, nor is the other shock caused by "Pal Joey." The reliance of Lloyd Webber on staging is mentioned but not his lack of more than one fairly memorable melody per show. In general, the tone is upbeat and positive.

But this is a recording. While it could never include all the information found in a book, its dozens of recorded examples are what makes this set priceless. Where possible, the oldest "original cast" recordings are used. On the other hand, there are some strange exceptions such as "Hey there" from "Pajama Game" being sung not by John Raitt but by Ron Raines on the Jay recording. I suspect this is because Criswell is in the cast of that set.

Again, this set is in tape and CD formats. For educational purposes, the CDs offer direct access to any show under discussion--and the CDs are very generously divided into nearly 200 tracks! Very considerate of the producers. The booklet offers a nice little personal essay by Criswell. So if I have any complaint about this set, it is that I wish it were twice as long.

If you're thinking about getting it, get it. You'll be very glad you did.

Posner, who is arguably today's most influential legal thinker, has put together an invaluable collection of Justice Holmes' most memorable writings. The combo of Posner selecting Holmes is powerful: the selections invariably present the brilliant Holmes on timeless legal topics. So much brain power is frightening, and we are lucky to be able to get it all in one fairly short book. All the more remarkable is how Holmes' ideas have not aged a bit; the similarities between Holmes and Posner are obvious.

This book is a must for academically-inclined lawyers, judges and professors.

A great book for those who want to spend a few months covering the entire region. Though a few geographical and historical errors are there, the good tips and listings give a great start for the intrepid traveler.

I am stationed in Germany and therefore have the opportunity to travel frequently throughout E. Europe. For several years now I have been looking for a travel guide that offers detailed travel info as well as historical and regional information. I finally found it all in Lonely Planet's E. Europe. Although it was an older version (1995) with often outdated prices, it provided an excellent source of maps, key sights, as well as a good, country-by-country historical brief. This book was so good, in fact, that someone in Ljubljana, Slovenia, decided they needed it more than I did, forcing me to buy the latest edition. I'm looking forward to seeing this updated edition.

This is an eight-volume history of Africa that I can't recommend highly enough. Patiently working my way through it over the course of several months did more to reduce my ignorance of human history than anything else I have ever done. I found several discussions particularly helpful:

- the physical evidence for human origins in Africa south of the Sahara

- The colonization of Madagascar by voyagers from Malaysia, which introduced the banana and several other valuable food crops into Africa in classical times

- How the conquest of valley-dwelling, agricultural Hutu by hilltop-dwelling, cattle-herding Tutsi serendipitously benefited both cultures, since manure from Tutsi cattle enabled greater Hutu cultivation of the banana

- How the Iron Age came to Africa south of the Sahara (this was what led me to this work in the first place)

- The breadth and depth of Arab learning and philosophy at the height of the Muslim empires during Europe's Middle Ages

I did find the discussions of late-Christian Egypt and Arab civilization more difficult to follow than the rest, because these discussions make heavy use of italicized Egyptian and Arabic words without bothering to explain them to the non-expert reader. This forced me to keep going back and re-reading earlier passages as I figured out these terms' likely meanings from their context in later passages.

Overall, however, this is a work I would love to have on my own bookshelf, if it weren't so very costly to purchase. The copy I read belongs to the King County Library system. (Seattle and Redmond, Washington, are the best-known cities in King County.)

This book is composed of series of still shots from some of Stan and Ollie's greatest routines. The verbal comments are also listed. What's really interesting is studying their facial expressions in many of these which we tend to overlook when watching their fast paced routines on film. They were great clowns, great mimes, and even greater comedians. This book is a most welcome additional for anyone who loves classic comedy.

One of the real champs -- read it

This book covered children's health from birth to teenagers. It was able to easily clarify whether or not to bring a child to a doctor. There were good descriptions and illustrations of ailments, as well as an easy-to-use index. I would recommend it to any new parent as a reference manual.

Subsidaries is an excellent sourcebook for WTA. It contains much background data on PENTEX's different divisions, henceforth more data for games. Heh. Lots of funny stuff on the "Black Dog Game Factory" subsidary. I highly recommend it.

I heard about the reissue of this songbook on a Christian music newsgroup. What a wonderful book! It contains so many hymns, a few that have been sadly forgotten over the years. I reacquainted myself with them like old friends. My church choir was as excited to read over the book and we hope to perform these lost hymns next Sunday.