This is one of the best books in economic development ever published. Written in plain english, so it's easy to understand, even for non-economics students. Highly recommended for graduate students, professors, and professionals interested in economic issues of developing countries.

This is an excellent academic book ,but it needs updating in light of the recent global developments. Basically it is missing a detailed analysis of The spread and effects of Globalization. Maybe there is a new edition in print now ???

THe apochrypha is the great missing text of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. AN important document that is part of our history and culture and yet is often not read and is overlooked. How can scripture do without the liked of Judah Maccabbee? read this translation it is wonderful.

For those of us who are absolutely appalled at the way the canon of Christian Scripture has been ripped up by the Protestant churches (in particular) over the last 500 years, we now have this handy volume containing all the books of the Old Testament that have fallen into dispute since the Protestant Reformation.

Although most of these books are found in Roman Catholic Bibles, there are a few - notably 1 and 2 Esdras and Psalm 151 - that are contained only within Eastern Orthodox Bibles. Although many would say "well, we aren't missing much by not having these works," I heartily disagree. 2 Esdras, in particular, is a very moving work written somewhere around 100 c.e. that contains a dialogue between Ezra (or, more likely, someone writing in Ezra's name) and the angel Uriel. The book deals with theodicy in a truly human way - the frailty and the hope both shine through. The books of the Maccabees also contain things not found in Protestant Bibles, notably the encouragement that praying for the dead is a righteous deed and the story of Hannukah (which was, by the way, celebrated by Jesus in the Gospel of John).

There is an introduction to each book, as well as notes at the bottom of each page to help the reader understand the original context, as well as cross reference the ideas found within a specific text with those ideas found in other Biblical texts.

This book is an invaluable edition to every person's library - whether professional or layman.

She sure wasn't like this in high school

This was a very readable book, that I have just completed. I read about eighty percent of it, only skipping or skimmimg a few sections. Admittedly, this would not make a good introductory book, and probably not even a good second book, on the period, but if you are interested in the period and have a working knowledge of it, I am sure you will find much of interest. The book begins with an evocative 150 pages or so of narrative historical overview, with the latest interpretations of chronology. Some of this material is then covered in a more thematic way, and also in an area-by-area manner, later in the book. There are also many sections on various social aspects. One such that I gained much from was the one on education. Interestingly, there was no separate section on women. The bibliography is 100 pages long, so the reading matter itself is about 1000 pages. The book was worth the money to me.

Pierre Klossowski is one of the greatest modern french writers along with Georges Bataille. He's responsible for the rediscovery of figures such as Sade and Nietzche. He is the brother of the recently late painter Balthus. This book has two works, both of them part of a trilogy entitled Les lois de l'hospitalité (the rules or laws of hospitality) and they're concerned with sexuality and philosophy, libertine literature at its best. Roberte is the wife of Octave, a writer whose works are banned due to pornographic reasons by a group of the goverment of which Roberte is a member. The keeper of morals and the anti-moralist live in the same house, that's a good theme, a perverse one. This book may be a little hard to follow since not everybody is familiar with abstract thought (like me) but then again, art has its ways of getting through. I recomend it highly.

A Cool Billion by Michael Perkins ( co-author of Internet Bubble and a founder of The Red Herring) with Celia Nunez have conspired to write a Silicon Valley based thriller with fast cars, fire power and fine dining (I'm thinking about the scene in the book at Buck's) If you are tired of reading all the dry tell all business books, take a vacation for a little while with an inside out view of the up down world of startup mania featuring real maniacs.

There is so much going on in The Valley that it's unrealistic to try to capture it all but the authors have taken the most important element (that being the fact that one can come up with a billion dollar idea and bring it at blistering speed to the market) and shown what can happen when competitors grab for it and start to rip it off in several directions at once.

As a local, it was fun to travel through the culture and the real streets of the Valley and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the really cool undiscovered Chinese restaurant which sounded so perfect turned out to be one of the few fictional locations which I discovered when I when to look for it.

The authors have the insider dope of a Puzo, the rapid fire scene shifting of Crichton and the money making potential of a King (even though in the Valley we aren't supposed to mention the money, but in this case....)

When I picked up A Cool Billion I only had time to read the first couple of chapters...or so I thought. I couldn't put it down! In the first pages as the story unfolds it pulls the reader in immediately. It's fast-paced and well written and contains interesting details about life in Silicon Valley. Having worked and lived in Silicon Valley for years, I really enjoyed stepping into the high tech world the authors have created. For those unfamiliar to the valley, one would still find it an intriguing and edifying book. So grab a latte, turn off your cell phone, hunker down and enjoy this fantastic story. It's a thrilling ride!

A Cool Billion by Michael Perkins (co-author of Internet Bubble and a founder of The Red Herring) with Celia Nunez have conspired to write a Silicon Valley based thriller with fast cars, fire power and fine dining (I'm thinking about the scene in the book at Buck's) If you are tired of reading all the dry tell all business books, take a vacation for a little while with an inside out view of the up down world of startup mania featuring real maniacs.

There is so much going on in The Valley that it's unrealistic to try to capture it all but the authors have taken the most important element (that being the fact that one can come up with a billion dollar idea and bring it at blistering speed to the market) and shown what can happen when competitors grab for it and start to rip it off in several directions at once.

As a local, it was fun to travel through the culture and the real streets of the Valley and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the really cool undiscovered Chinese restaurant which sounded so perfect turned out to be one of the few fictional locations which I discovered when I when to look for it.

The authors have the insider dope of a Puzo, the rapid fire scene shifting of Crichton and the money making potential of a King (even though in the Valley we aren't supposed to mention the money, but in this case....)

Buck's of Woodside

In this book the Perkins tell us that the party is about over. They state flatly that, "If you own any of these companies (133 publicly traded Internet firms) it's time to sell". The book is a comprehensive analysis of how we got to the present state of affairs by looking at the history and the financial structure of the Internet marketplace. I read the book in two sittings over the weekend because after the first few pages I didn't want to miss the markets opening bell on Monday. The book is simply, scary. When business models, like Amazon's fail to demonstrate a way to ever be profitable it is time to worry.

They don't deny the glory of Silicon Valley, but they lay out a compelling case that the pumped up valuations are not sustainable and are about to go south big time. The book reads like a movie but feels like a slap up side the head. As the companies tank we at Buck's will be accepting stock certificates to repaper the rest rooms, so drop them by if you would.

Jamis MacNiven Buck's of Woodside

The Internet Bubble provides a lucid exposition and analysis of the high flying internet stocks which the authors warn are about to crash. Surpisingly blunt and revealing, particularly about the high stock prices and values, are the many quotations from industry leaders and venture capitalists. This expose' provides insights into the financing and control of startup companies before a public offering and the maneuvering by key players as well as the pressures and timing to harvest the wealth.

The authors back up their instructive and provocative narrative with a calculation of the magnitude of the "price bubble" - the improbable earnings growth that would be necessary to justify internet stock prices.

The candor of the book is refreshing. The economic data are not ponderous; they are brief and to the point. The book kept my interest throughout even when it touched upon familiar matters. If you own internet stocks or are tempted to buy, you should read this lively and well written book.

This is an excellent book full with valuable information, worth-reading because it clearly explains what many don't want or don't dare to explain.

It should be read by investors and insiders from other countries, particularly Europe, where there are so many companies and individuals who are salivating over getting suddenly ultra-rich, no matter what happens to the 'regular guy'. After roaring IPOs like FreeServe, Terra Networks. Jazztel, etc., there's a long queue waiting for this kind of 'gold rush'. In my opinion, we Europeans should take a deep vision of what's happening in the USA, so we can try to avoid the damaging consequences of a market shakeout.

I'm a firm believer of technology and the Internet, as the Perkinses are, but I am against people using technology as an excuse for taking advantage of outsiders. It's like selling snake oil, and people has to be warned. I think the Perkins brothers are doing that very well, and especially being experts in the subject.

Besides, the book is very interesting to read, it's very catchy; it seems that you can't leave it after you start it - it grabs you like a Stephen King novel!

The New Oxford Annotated Bible has changed since the 1994 edition. Bruce Metzger has been replaced as editor by Michael Coogan. The OT annotations now spout out a Jewish viewpoint. I have no problems with that in most passages. In the passages that are Messianic, it's not helpful. Because of this, it's a good idea to have another NRSV based study bible on hand to compare notes.

Ther book itself is better looking than the 1994 edition. The print is bigger, which is very helpful. The annotations are keyed directly to the text. There are some changes I am still getting used to though. Previous editions of the New Oxford Annotated Bible had an index to every annotation with it's bible verse. I used this index more than I did the concordance. Now the index indexes everything in the book! With all the new essays and other reference materal, the New Oxford Annotated Bible has gotten heavier. The price is still the same one I paid in 1996. The text used is the New Revised Standard Version, a revsion of the 1952 Revised Standard Version.

If you are looking for a "let's hold hands" approach to bible study, the New Oxford Annotated Bible is not for you. If you are looking to dive into God's Word, the New Oxford Annotated Bible is for you!

The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NOAB), Third Edition is a major publishing event. It contains all the features of previous editions but now adds significant improvements. This review will concentrate on those revisions. Most important is the thoroughgoing revision of biblical annotations, which in previous editions were sparse, particularly in comparison to other study bibles. Previous annotations offered cross-references and single line commentary on difficult or obscure texts. The third edition changes that. We now have truly helpful and detailed commentary. As one would expect from scholars of such high calibre, the annotations are generally brilliant offering new and deeper insights into the text.

The format of the Bible has also changed in the layout of the annotations. These now appear in SINGLE COLUMN format beneath the biblical text which itself is rendered in a clear double column format. The text size of this edition is practically the same as in previous editions, although font boldness is slightly accentuated. Introductions to biblical books have been expanded, as have the essays on various biblical subjects that have usually graced the end of the NOAB.

As the subtitle suggests, the approach is ecumenical, modern and critical. The editors have produced an edition of the Bible that makes modern biblical scholarship available in a condensed and accessible form to the average reader of the Bible. Scholars, students of the Bible, ministers, pastors and informed laity will find this an excellent first choice study Bible.

Criticism of the Oxford Annotated is not an easy or even desirable task. For the most part, it is the perfect Bible for those wanting to read the Bible as literature. If however, one is looking for a Bible that is interpreted within a theological, ecclesiastical or devotional context, one should look elsewhere. In addition, if a person has reservations about the assumptions of much modern biblical scholarship these reservations will in turn extend to the NOAB.

A few examples will illustrate my point. The NOAB no longer refers to the Old Testament as "The Old Testament" but as the "Hebrew Bible". This is consistent with a trend in biblical scholarship that seeks to heal the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. As necessary and laudable as this trend is, it flies in the face of Christian history, which consistently refers to the "Hebrew Bible" as the Old Testament. Another example is the interpretation of Psalms that are regarded as "Messianic" by writers of the New Testament. Reading the comments on many of these Psalms in the NOAB, one would never make any connection to Jesus Christ. Similarly in the notes of biblical passages such as Isaiah 7.14 and Isaiah 53 the Christological connection is ignored or underplayed. In these two instances, mention is made of the fact that early Christians interpreted these passages as referring to Jesus. The implication though is that they do NOT primarily refer to Jesus and that the Christian application is unlikely and secondary.

These modern trends are perplexing to people like myself who live and work within an ecclesiastical context and for whom the Bible is primarily the word of God meant to serve the Christian faith. Not only do they cut off the Bible from the Christian tradition, but also they suggest that the "Old Testament" can and should now be read BY CHRISTIANS in such a way that ignores Jesus Christ. I am not sure the writers of the New Testament would have felt completely at ease with these assumptions. In fact, I know they would have been disturbed by them.

These criticisms should not detract from a major publishing event. No scholar of the Bible can afford to go without a copy of the NOAB. For years it has been the standard critical Bible and I have no doubt it will continue as such. It is a splendid achievement of biblical scholarship at its best. Alongside the HarperCollins Study Bible (HarperCollins), I recommend it as a first choice edition of the NRSV.

By Sister Faith Magdalena OSF FODC
I have many translations of the Bible but this is by far my favorite. The Revised Standard Version is closer to the original language than the more recent New Revised Standard Version. Footnotes point you to other references on similar teachings. The major difference between the Revised Standard Version and the NEW Revised Standard Version is that NRSV, in attempting to be inclusive and gender neutral, deviated from some of the original meanings of scripture. In attempting to "improve," they succeeded in "confusing" and "modifying". The goal of clarifying the authors' original gender specific meanings is still a hallmark for some future Bible Translator. In the meantime, the Revised Standard Version remains, in my opinion, the most solid translation for beginners and serious Bible Scholars alike. It's language is modern, style and syntyx flow smoothly, and it retains the spirit of poetry and inspirational prose.

This books is for administrators looking to secure an NT Server. It covers a broad base of topics with step by step explaining how to implement the topic. The book details what each setting does and explains it better than the NT resource kit. It is not as detailed as Windows NT 4.0 Security, Audit, and Control by Jumes, Cooper, et al; however, it does cover more topics.

Perkins is the author of other non-fiction books on erotica and as always this one well researched. Each chapter is an essay looking at a particular time period(s) or type of erotic literature and discusses the cultural and historical background against which it was composed. However, it is very very focused on Western Europe and American literature. Pre-modern times are condensed into two chapters and non-European or non-American cultures are only included in these chapters. While I have designed a course which will use this book, it will only use certain chapters because it is too limited in terms of the variety of erotic literature examined.