The title may sound like an oxymoron; in fact the authors themselves give an explanation of their title in several places: in the bottom of the front cover of the book, in the Introduction and the second page in Chapter 1; the last one is the esoteric amplification of the first two, and it is that a practical psychic is one who works with one's deep/higher self ( not an exact quote ). A practical psychic tries to achieve harmony and balance with oneself and the deep self ( Chapter 2 ). Now the question is what is this deep / higher self (Chapter 3). Essentially, it is a spark of All That Is which in the human context is exploring life and its experiences on the Earth through a physical body. The deep self is not dictatorial but rather collaborative in cocreating realities. However, these realities - all heroic indeed - whether palatable for one or not are formed in accordance with one's belief systems and thought patterns. This was the great mind bending message of Seth, speaking through Jane Roberts in the early seventies. One will find details of this idea in the book "Seth Speaks" and others by Jane Roberts. What this tells is that one is always in charge, whether one is aware of this or forgets.

The first author, John was a lucky member of the classes that Jane conducted in those heady days and one may even see a caricature of John in the second volume of the book, "Conversations with Seth" by Sue Watkins, another member of the above mentioned class of Jane. (See also the appendices of the book under review.)

The authors present two levels of understanding, changing one's life: one a high level view and another more detailed view; the former method is the "feeling tones" method in Chapter 5 and the detailed view is obtained by looking at beliefs.

So an important part of the book consists of Chapters 6,7 and 8 wherein the authors present various fun ways of understanding, unearthing the beliefs that a person has, through various exercises. The authors also discuss the cosmology of beliefs as to how they are multidimensional and how they are interconnected. They also offer ways to change one's beliefs consistent with the universal laws under which life on Earth operates. They do all these with great honesty, clarity and humor. The presentation has several real life anecdotes culled from the experiences of John as a teacher, mystic and Harvard trained lawyer.

An important question in the context of changing and choosing beliefs is how to work with contradictory beliefs and this is addressed in Chapter 9 on impulses where one works with choice in a playful attitude. The authors present an exhaustive account of how to practice the art of manifestation using the Chakra Technology in Chapter 12. Also one of the useful techniques for a practical physic is the art of visualization and this is exhaustively explored and used in Chapters 4 and 13. According to me, the most important chapter in the book is Chapter 10 called "Aphorisms for the Practical Psychic"; that chapter alone is worth the price of the book wherein are offered several suggestions and explanations of seemingly contradictory ideas - all done with great humor and charm.

The underlying theme of the book is "Do Be Do Be Do", which is part of the title of Chapter 14; that is to be a truly good psychic one has to live ones life with authenticity and integrity. Life with its structure imparts a certain dimension, a certain understanding to one's psychic explorations if only because it (life and living) teaches one, among other things, compassion ( = neutrality = nonjudgementalness ) not only to others but also to oneself ( this is the Do, according to me). This is very important for it is said that compassion is All That Is. So by cultivating compassion, it is said that one experiences All That Is ( and this is the Be, according to me).

The book also provides an excellent bibliography.

Gentle Reader, be warned that you are going to be challenged to look at your own inner process, to explore your own self, when you read this deceptively slim book full of ideas flowing with effortless grace. To know your own Self is the greatest challenge - in the true sense of the word - in the whole universe. This does not mean one cannot have a life!

This extensive read is a broad brush stroke for the reader who is looking for a landscape portrait about the man as if it were written by him personally. The book begins coverage tracing his pre-history origin shedding light on the beginnings of his psycological make up then on thru his living influences leaving the reader with a good understanding of Winston and his personality as Winston lived it. Suffering thee, as he puts it "The Black Dog" for most of his life it becomes clear to the reader that he did live his role in life beyond just satisfying his personal ego (unlike most politicians), though his ego was not anything small it did gain it's personal satisfactions and it's blows.

Much like his life the book is long and never boring.

Dear interested readers, although I live in the US I ordered from Amazon UK to get a hold of the paperback version of this book. I just received it this weekend. The 6 chapters which were available for "snake oil" are quite medical and speaks mostly about the fact that most alternative medicine is never been proven to work. I haven't read it all yet, so I can't not yet get specific
the most part of the book are articles written by John from 1989 till a few days before his untimely death. The topics are as varied as they come: Geneva, Yiddish, cancer, book reviews etc. Those are mostly more upbeat written then the first 6 chapters.

To conclude: I love his writing style. I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to see or hear any of his shows like in the UK. He leaves behind a great legacy.

The feel of the violent world of the Kray's in 50's and 60's London is terrifying. Definitely a pair that would scrae me from the Pub in an instant. A must for true crime/mobster fiction reader (get it on Amazon UK).

I read a later re-print and my only quibble was the author's repeated slagging of 'The Kray's' movie. Guess he was upset his book was not used as a basis.

Very surprised that this is out of print. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read. There could only be one pair of Kray twins and for my money only one decent book on them! My only gripe: there could've been more pics. If you're able to get a copy of this highly detailed book - do so.

This book attempts to cover the whole gamut of wildlife for the Amazon basin and Pananal. It can't do it; no book can. It did make an admirable attempt and as such is a great book for the tourist traveling to the area. On a recent trip north of Manaus, it covered 98% of the bird life. It is concise enough that the occaisional bird wathcer will be able to identify most birds. It is not quite as adequate for other species- fish are very superficial, as are reptiles. I would like to see these expanded. This is a terrific guide for the tourist- concise, adequately complete, and easy to use.

I used this book for a recent trip to Brazil's Pantanal. The book is specific to only two geographic areas: The Pantanal and the Amazon, admittedly, Brazil's biggest natural draws. However, since the Pantanal and the Atlantic rainforest were my destinations, the book's usefulness was only partially utilized. Also, it is a heavy volume, and when considered with the other guidebooks I packed and used for cross-referencing, this book was by far the heftiest.

The book does fill a unique niche, that of ecology and natural history guide to these two unique wild places. No other book that is easily carried provides as much enjoyable natural history reading on the Amazon and Pantanal. The illustration plates are uniformly excellent, but it is not noted whether species occur outside of the Pantanal and Amazon. Many species do occur outside, as I quickly found out. Eliminating the rest of Brazil all together just seems a bit restricting. An average traveller to Brazil is most likely to make a stop in Rio de Janeiro, perhaps visit the easily accessible Parque National de Tijuca, and wonder if what they're seeing is that similar looking bird in their book.

Brazil is a big country, and no guidebook has yet to cover all its flora and fauna in one volume, in English, and travel-sized. This guidebook attempts to cover at least the animals and birds of Brazil's largest natural treasures, and succeeds for the most part. Given its quality of illustrations and plates, written descriptions of behavior, ecology and geography, this book is a good when used in conjunction with other bird and mammal guides.

Biggles The Authorised Biography

12 chapters and 311 pages, covering the period from about 1910 to 1970.

In this book some of the questions you were afraid to ask are finally answered. Whether those answers are correct though is another matter.

Readers familiar with all of Johns' Biggles books may be aggravated by this work. Speaking for myself, I quite enjoyed reading this, particularly the first half, but at the time I first read it (1979 ?) I had only read about 60 out of the 85 odd Biggles. If you are willing to accept a tongue-in-cheek approach to Biggles, this is it. You will learn something of the Honourable Algernon Lacey's multifarious amorous interludes herein. Of most interest is his liaison with the teutonic (German) Countess Irmgard von Sternberg, aviatrix and heroine of the Third Reich.

Unfortunately, the wings come off the narrative by the time one gets to the last 100 pages, when the anecdotes move into the post-war Air Police period.

This book appears to be written more with the adult reader in mind than juvenile readers, if you can tell the difference. If you are not sure about that distinction, you might like this book.

If this is the authorised biography, then who authorised it ? Certainly not WE Johns himself.

Not so good. This is the second book in Pearson's Lou Boldt series and definately not the best. I found the plot (a rogue veterinarian harvesting human organs) to be a tad unbelievable and uninteresting, and the coincidence of one of the victims being the best friend of one of the main characters (a detective) bordering on the ridiculous. That being said, the book is a quick read, with plenty of action and very well researched details (Pearson is always good at that). Overall, I would say that this book is for Pearson junkies only.

I generally enjoy Ridley Pearson's books but I have to say that I found The Angel Maker more than a little unpleasant. There is, in truth, a grim fascination with the story, but "grim" is the opperative word. I was never able to escape, while reading this, the oppressive feeling that Pearson was playing an ugly joke on the reader. To use murdering street kids for their organs as a premise for a plot, to make clear who the villain is, and to make the tension of the story revolve around saving one particular potential victim in time, results in an unsatisfactory blend of classic melodrama and contemporary urban myth. I read it, but I didn't like it. Part of the problem, for me, is that I think using kids as victims in crime drama is a cheap appeal for emotion. While kids frequently are the victim of vicious crimes, they are more likely to be victimized by their own family than anonymous psychos and evil doctors.

While there is a story here that many will find sufficiently interesting, I cannot recommend it.

Dr. Tegg and his cohorts want to save lives as they do organ trasnplants, the problem is Dr. Tegg is a Vet and not a physician qualified to do the work. Dr. Tegg also takes organs from donors that remain alive. Three street walkers are found dead, this creates a Police investigation.

The Police Psycholigist has a friend who has disappeared. The whole story surrounds locating this friend before she too dies. My question through out the book is...do they get there in time?

This is a very good thriller and a must read for mystery fans, even the ending leaves us hanging does Sharon live?

Pearson Ridley is a good author and I look forward to reading some of his other Novels.

For Ian Fleming, writing was an escape from the restraints of real life. One spring in 1952 he sat down at his typewriter and began 'Casino Royale', first of the James Bond thrillers. He drew upon his six years of wartime service as personal assistant to the director of naval intelligence in Whitehall. Research followed the initial burst of writing; he was not shy about consulting experts. Over the next eleven years he wrote a book a year. Gradually the lifestyle he prescribed for himself and his hero -- 60 cigarettes a day, whiskey or gin -- took its toll, and he saw the beginning of real success just about the time he succumbed to "the iron crab" -- heart disease. The books took real incidents, real places, and real parts of his own personality and turned them into enduring fantasies -- popular not just with people familiar with these settings but with those for whom they seemed realistic in detail but far removed from personal experience.

This book is the best account of the author of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming's, life yet. Written in 1965-1966, it is the one and only biography of Fleming that was written with true research by the author. Pearson's biography is also drawn on personel expiriences (he worked with Fleming on the Sunday Times for many years). Many excerpts of interviews with people who knew Fleming, or stayed at his house Goldeneye, have been included, and statements by close friends are plentifull. This book is to be read for pleasure, other biographies of Fleming (e.g. Andre Lycett's Ian Fleming: the man behind James Bond) are to be navigated through using an index. An excellent book.

This book was written while Fleming's wife Anne was still alive, so out of respect for her, many details of his affairs during their marriage were left out. Otherwise, this is a fantastic account of the life of this amazing man, the details of his career in Naval Intelligence during WWII are fascinating. The little points you see here and there that are later reflecting in one of his Bond novels are always neat to pick up on.

Not a quickie biography of the late Princess, this is a story spanning centuries and generations.

It covers the rise of the Spencers from prosperous sheep farmers in the 16th century through the years and the monarchs they served or betrayed. A light - gossipy style helps to make the generations fly by. The foibles of the modern aristocracy pale in comparison with the lifestyles of their predecessors.

If all that you want is to read about the young girl who was 'hired' to prop up a tottering throne - then I suggest that you look elsewhere. If however you want an interesting light history of the rise of one of England's great noble families, this is a fine place to start.

Ok for all you royalty junkies out there, I know, I know, toothy Camilla and her breeches just don't do it for you, or Fergie now that she've given up toes and taken up Weight watchers. But here is a book for you all! If you are into ancestor worship, it covers the earliest Spencers from a penny pinching arriviste, to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough (formerly Ms Jenkins, a frisky lady in waiting to King Charles II, my all time favorite royal, the current ones gene pool is so sullied, those ears!). In fact the premise of the book is that Sarah's turbulent blood heritage has washed on down to the current Spencers, the late lamented Diana, her sons, and that Champagne Charlie of a brother of hers. The middle Spencers are not too interesting, mainly obsessed with acquiring goodies for Althorp (the stately home), but as I said it warms up really nicely by Diana's regime.I enjoyed it greatly, particularly the parts of how pained Queen Elizabeth II was by the gossip and infighting. Poor dear. Barbara Cartland's tacky daughter Raine deserves 2 chapters just for how she redecorated a beautiful estate, I'm surprised she didn't roll out the black velvet Elvis paintings. Thumbs up all the way!

My wife is addicted to all things Royal with a special sweet tooth for Diana books. Therefore, she went out and picked this up as soon as she heard it was out. She read it, loved it and then suggested I read it because it would give me a good history of the Spencer family. I didn't think I needed this education, but I gave it a go. I must say the book surprised me. Fist off it gave me a lot of history of the family but in doing so I learned a lot of the history of the UK, at least the last 400 years. The book was full of details and read well. It has an easy to read style that always comes through with a good bit of gossip here and there - like how did they spend all that money? Overall it is an interesting book and if you are into the Royals then my wife says it is a must read.