This is a reader that covers the various theories of nationalism as well as varieties of nationalism itself. This makes it a largely indispensable supplement, handbook and reference work for anyone interested in nationalism. This is particularly true today as the scholarship on this social phenomenon continues to grow unabated, and since it is patently obvious that nationalism hardly seems about to disappear. The reader contains important extracts from the major works on nationalism by some of the most important early theorists such as Renan, Max Weber and Stalin (although the views of Marx and Engels themselves or Lord Acton and Friedrich Meinecke would have been welcome additions) and almost all of the most important contemporary scholars (Gellner, Anderson, Connor, A. Smith, etc.). The texts are well-selected and organized, and it really contributes to making a very complex subject and a daunting field of scholarship seem a little easier to grasp.

Professors John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith, both at the London School of Economics, have put together here a great collection of texts from the major writers on nationalism over the last 100 years. Starting with Ernest Renan, Joseph Stalin and Max Weber, the book also includes extracts from Benedict Anderson, Walker Connor, Partha Chatterjee, Karl Deutsch, Ernest Gellner, Liah Greenfeld, EJ Hobsbawm, Donald Horowitz, Elie Kedourie, Hans Kohn, James Mayall, Tom Nairn, and Anthony Smith himself, in addition to many others. As in Smith's _Nationalism and Modernism_, all perspectives of the field are represented here. There are 49 essays organized into seven chapters, complete with an introduction to each plus notes, a bibliography, information about each author and an index.

This book is a definite must for anyone interested in nationalism.

On Creating Extraordinary Relationships is a 3 hour tape series on how to make relationships work better through better communication, understanding and listening. The tapes talk about some basic differences between men and women and what to do about it. I had a lot of fun listening to it with my then girlfriend (now my wife!). We were laughing so hard because it was so funny yet so true! After listening to the tape we learned so much more about ourselves and each other. What makes it very valuable is Tony Robbins and John Gray cite so many examples and situations in our everyday life where conflicts arise and give practical insightful tips on how to improve the situation. Some of the words used also act as positive trigger devices that just by mention of the words during more challenging situations it makes the moment lighter. I love this so much I have to date bought 22 sets of this to give to friends! This is something I recommend highly!

Robbins has done it again. The Power Talk series is well known for providing interesting insights by top authorities. Dr. Gray is well known for his unique perspectives on relationships. The combination is electric. This is three hours of pure insight into how men and women relate, and how to make the relationships you have into the relationships you want. As if that wasn't enough, these guys are hilarious. You will enjoy this tape, and you will learn from it. Buy it!

I decided to use this book as a companion reader in a course in American history this year. This series of essays, which consist primarily of topics in social history, are an excellent complement to our very traditional textbook, which stresses political and diplomatic history. The authors of the essays are top names in the field, and the student response to the essays has been fantastic. I highly recommend this book as a teaching aide!

The Social Fabric presents a detailed array of readings insocial history for any United States History course. The readingsspecifically encourage two main revelations: U.S. History has many more interesting stories than the textbooks reveal and the historian's craft is much more complex than many students admit. The anthology is entirely engaging with details about daily life and customs. This book makes great general reading and should be required for all U.S. History courses.

This book covers not just the concepts of reliability modeling but also how to do it in the practical real-world.

As with any book that shows the real-world approach, this one has sadly become dated, but the principles are the same. For instance, they recommend SMERFS ...what you really want is SMERFS^3, which does more only better. However, the models and math are equally applicable today as they were when the book was first written.

While you can read any of the raving reviews for the contents, I'd like to provide some special kudos for the Appendix. This is bar far one of the best introductions to practical statistics. It skips a lot of the how-we-got-the-formula and instead demonstrates what the formulas are doing and why using pictures and text.

There're list of formulas and conversions, a well-written glossary of terms, and my personal favorite: the glossary of notation.

See, a big part of the problem in reading texts that deal with mathematics is that you see some strange symbol in the page and your brain has no idea what it is. You have no name for that symbol, you don't know whether it's an operation, a function, or a value. This explains all that, making it easier to digest other books of similar kind.

The book is presented much like a college text book, so there are excercises (with explainatory answers in the back) so you can validate you're on the right track as you go.

This book is classified as a seminal work in that it was the first mainstream book to address software reliability. The author is considered to be one of the founders of the discipline. Although the body of knowledge has grown significantly since this book was first published it remains a valid text because unlike technology, the underlying math and modeling are nearly timeless. The book serves as an introduction to software reliability as a discipline, and gives a solid foundation of the basics. Be aware that this is a math-intensive text and requires both statistics and probability skills. You also need a background in software development to fully benefit from this book (although the author provides appendices to fill in knowledge and experience gaps if your background isn't strong or recent).

Software and hardware reliability concepts, common reliability models and how the concepts and models apply to systems engineering and project management are provided to set context. The next part of the book goes into the practical application of reliability models and techniques. This part of the book is complete and covers all of the key elements of software reliability from design, development and implementation perspectives.

This book is more suited to college-level courses on software reliability. The author's later work, "Software Reliability Engineered Testing", is better suited for real world application because it approaches reliability from process and methodology perspectives and is more focused on practice than theory. However, this is still useful as a primer for practicing professionals.

I'd love to read a weblog about Neil writing American Gods. How did he forge all those sources into a new story that feels true? But this is a weblog about an author going on tour. Honestly, who cares? Neil's a genius, but this is not what he's a genius for. Stick with the stories. Skip the blog.

I've read several books by Trollope and enjoyed this one very much. It includes most of the standard Trollope elements: two people who are in love with each other, but too shy to say so; a fortune-hunting woman and the men she's after; members of the clergy; a bit of Parliament; family life in England in the 1870s; fox hunting; and satire of life in both England and the United States. The characters are extremely well drawn. Although the writing is "old fashioned," the emotions and situations are up-to-date. There is humor, pathos and excellent description.

Kenny's text on Aquinas is informative and to the point. If you want more than a shallow introduction to Aquinas' life and thought, this is an excellent place to begin. Like other contributions in the Past Masters series, the text offers a brief biography, articulates the main philosophical concerns, offers some criticism, then reflects on the consequences or influences of the subject under study.

Good information about IT presented in a unique and lighthearted manner

John Hutchinson was a Radioman First Class during the Pacific Campaign of World War II and in Bluejacket: In Harm's Way From Guadalcanal To Tokyo recounts his experiences and observations of those dramatic times. He tells of his own personal participation in the battles for the Solomons, the Marianas, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. A revealing story of unrelenting war at sea and a sailor's contribution toward the defeat of Japan, this totally engaging military biography reads as smoothly as any novel and as dramatically as any Hollywood film. Bluejacket is a welcome and much appreciated memoir and a very highly recommended contribution to the growing body of descriptive literature on the Pacific engagements of World War II.

Ably translated and with an informative introduction by Orthodox Christian Priest John Anthony McGuckin (Professor of Early Church History, Union Theological Seminary, New York City), The Book Of Mystical Chapters: Meditations On The Soul's Ascent From The Desert Fathers And Other Early Christian Contemplatives is a hallowed collection of more than three hundred short meditations written by Christians from the second through the fourteenth centuries. Many of these meditations were written by the Desert Fathers, monks who deliberately left behind the corruption of city life for the isolated deserts of Egypt and Palestine. These brief yet moving and heartfelt meditations focus upon practice, theory, gnosis, embracing spiritual enlightenment, and the expansion of one's mind and soul. The Book Of Mystical Chapters is very highly recommended reading for all serious students of Christian Theology, History, and Spirituality, regardless of denominational background or affiliation.