I own multiple copies and give them away to worthy friends. Visually, artistically, and intellectually stunning, this masterpiece is unique in the world of art/literature. The author/artist Tom Phillips began this work in the 1960s, and first published it in book form in the 1980s. He called the result of his decades of effort The Humument and it is a completely illustrated version of W. H. Mallock's 19th Century novel A Human Document. Each page is a well conceived and compelling work of art. On each page the author leaves only a few of the original words revealed. These surviving phrases tell, in prose and poetry, the pathetic love story of Bill Toge. Symbiotically linked to the art itself, the preserved text, and its tale of Toge, reveal a story Phillips found submerged within the original text, a story which Mallock neither wrote nor intended. Phillips calls his work 'mining for meaning'. Everyone who has received this book from me has had great difficulty putting it down until they had read/absorbed/experienced/lived/studied it from cover to cover. If there is such a thing as a priceless book, The Humument would be a good candidate for the category.

I received this book as a gift about 10 years ago and have yet to tire of it. It is beautiful and funny, surreal, creepy and profound.

I love this book. I first learnt of Tom Phillips when he recently did the cover of an album by a band called Dark Star, and then was introduced to his work whilst on work experience last summer. I hunted down a copy of this book, and then devoured it completely. at times moving, at times funny, and all the time completely incredible to just look and marvel at. the art work is great. ingenuitive, original and inspired. this book seems to be getting harder and harder to find... buy one while you can.

This is not just a story about a First Amendment battle to keep the klan in check. This is a story about who we are. In so many of the characters, I saw a little piece of myself - sometimes liking what I saw, sometimes not, but always reading on, to see which part of me pulled for which character. It's a great American story.

It took me a few weeks to read the book, because I've had such a very hectic schedule lately. But, Sign of the Cross is a sensational True-to-Life Drama that kept me anxiously turning each and every page. The book was extremely well-written and I think we need more books like this one, so that people in our society can be aware of what's going on in society (both historically and currently).

I would love to see the book adapted as a screen-play. I think it would make for a sensational film.

If you want true legal drama at its best, with insights into the inner workings of the Klan and the prosecutor who challenged it, this book will fascinate and captivate. First Amendment issues are eloquently presented by both sides. In this case, the Klan's freedom of speech is contrasted with a community's right to be free from fear. But can any one man perservere against an unwilling legal system and the most notorious terrorist groups in America?

A highly useful book that includes in its contents: unreported or underreported stories from the mainstream media; a guide to names, addresses and websites of the alternative press; essays and commentaries discussing aspects of the media; and a nifty little chart that traces interlocking corporate rtelationships between the media combines and their fat cat corporate pardners.

The stories themselves vary widely as could be expected. There is however, as Michael Parenti points out, a thread connecting the diversity. That common thread reveals a corporate drive to dominate the civic culture and suppress those stories that might otherwise hinder big money domination. Question - Does this subtext reflect the book's editorial bias as one out to get corporate capitalism, or does it reflect the power of these combines to get their media way on a national scale. You decide. The following are a brief sample of the suppressed stories of 1998.

Big outfits such as Weyerhauser, Coors, et. al., are combining to pressure individual states into passing laws preventing public disclosure or civil suits following upon violation of environmental laws. It works like this. The firm reports its violation to the state and in return receives immunity from prosecution and a sealing of official records from public view. No harm, no foul, and no Erin Brockoviches.

White-collar crime is hardly ever prosecuted by the Justice Dep't - the statistics are in. Of 52,000 criminal indictments in 1996, only 250 involved violations of OSHA laws protecting environment and worker health and safety. This in the face of about 60,000 estimated worker deaths yearly from exposure to toxins. And still business lobbies like NAM and US Chamber of Commerce discourage even this pitiful percentage.

As to that earlier question, I know how I would respond.

Project Censored once again demonstrates how corporate media fails to report such important news stories to the general public. One only needs to compare the top ten junk food news stories to project censored's top ten news stories to see how the media has become an entertainment industry, concerned with ratings and buyers. It is shocking to see how the public can let such events happen without demanding reform. As always, I loved the cartoons by Tom Tomorrow. Great index of alternative news publications.

This book is wonderful. It describes in detail the most important, yet censored stories of the year. I learned more from this than i learn in a years worth of news. The coverups and secrecy scares me, showing vividly how manipulative media, politics and industry really are. Truly a great buy. It is your duty to read this amazing book

This book can change your life around like it did mine. Inside are the keys which can trnsform your way of thinking, your way of acting and your way of wanting. Your personal revival is only just around the corner......

This is an awesome book! This non-charasmatic books bridges the gap between charamatic and non-charasmatic believers showing how we all need Biblical, true revival not some church event. Coming off the heels of reading Fresh Wind, Fres Fire by Jim Cymbala, this book helped me understand more about revival and truly have a personal revival. A must!

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read the Windows 2000 Security Handbook (W2KSH) to learn how to advise clients on improving the survivability of their Windows 2000 platforms. Like its predecessor, Tom Sheldon's excellent "Windows NT Security Handbook," W2KSH delivers practical content in a digestable format. I recommend Windows 2000 system administrators read and heed this book.

Good operating system security books are thorough, educational, and honest; W2KSH is all three. The authors are not mindless Microsoft prophets -- consider this sample from page 501: "It seems that Microsoft just does not get it when it comes to the need for robust auditing/logging of services... the logging configurations are totally inadequate." To deal with these and other deficiencies, W2KSH provides installation, configuration, and deployment recommendations. This advice, on topics like Active Directory, user and group management, and file systems, equips system administrators to survive hostile network environments.

As an intrusion detector, I was most happy to read how the Microsoft security model operates, and what components present the greatest vulnerabilities. I appreciated explanations of system and discretionary access control lists, and how to effectively employ them. I learned Microsoft includes Web, FTP, SMTP, and NNTP features in Internet Information Service (IIS). I also became aware of best practices for secure deployment of a Microsoft infrastructure.

W2KSH has a few problems. Like Microsoft products, its "backwards compatibility" revealed weaknesses. For example, some text was lifted directly from Shelton's earlier book, but necessary background material was omitted (see pages 86, 88-90, 148). This issue was awkward but minor. I also did not leave the book with a strong understanding of the different types of groups in Windows 2000. Such complexity is not the authors' fault. They show that the OS' dozens of options leaves plenty of room for misconfiguration, leading to compromise.

If you're familiar with general security practices, skip Part I (TCP/IP, threats, countermeasures, and policies). I recommend the authors mention these topics briefly in the introduction and move the bulk to appendices. Start with Part II, and keep your highlighter handy. W2KSH gives balanced insight into the workings of Windows 2000, and helps system administrators and security personnel better understand the opportunities and liabilities of running this operating system.

Can you imagine a book on Operating System Security actually being a good read? This one is just that!
As a SQL Database guy finishing up my MCSE 2000 with the "Win2K Security Design - 70-220" exam, I sought, and found, a resource to solidify and integrate all of the Win2K security concepts covered in earlier exams. I sought a book that was very readable, and I was willing to allow that, by itself, it need not be completely exhaustive as a MCSE exam #70-220 study guide.
Bottom Line: This book was a home run for me. My comfort level with concepts of IPSec, PKI, EFS, threat types, auditing and firewalls has risen remarkably. On the down side, the book is relatively basic and the fairly lengthy coverage of Active Directory, group policies, etc., may be overly ambitious for this book, and is probably better learned elsewhere in a dedicated AD book. In a larger sense, however, this book really delivered the goods, as specified above.

Now I need to identify another resource with which to complete my Security Design studies.
As a sidebar, I have found the first 75 pages of Coriolis' "Exam Cram: Win2K Security Design" to be so full of wordy fluff-speak as to abandon it.

I've read many books on Windows NT and Windows 2000 security. Most did not live up to my expectations. They were difficult to read and you needed a Computer Science/Engineering degree to understand them. In my opinion, this book is THE best book on Windows 2000 Security. Mr Cox and Mr Sheldon wrote a very easy to read, easy to understand, and most importantly, an easy to follow recipe for securing your Win2K systems. This book should be in every adminstrator's library. If you don't have this book, you deserve to be hacked! I teach system security, and this book is a valuable tool and resource, not just for me, but for my students. This is money well spent!...

I am not a literary expert, nor am I well read in all of the great literature of the past, but I have read enough to say this is the best piece of literature I've read.

First, the Divine Comedy Itself. I first read the Inferno as an Undergrad in general ed. I just loved this story as challenging as it was to read. Curiosity got to me, and I bought this edition (the same as I had read for the Inferno). The book got much more challenging to read as it progresses, perhaps because the imagery is much more abstract, but it also gets more fantastic all the way through. The Paradiso definitely fits its purpose as a climax. The whole of The Divine Comedy is a good story of the spiritual journey of one man through "the afterlife" so to speak. I love the interaction the book takes of Dante's interaction with history and religion, biblical and mythical. It is an interesting perspective that shows the genious of Dante the author.

As for this particular edition. I could not tell you it is the best as I have never read others. I've heard this is one of the few that has tried to make the translation stay true to the original Latin poetic form Dante used. I also think it is wonderful, and from my point essential, that this edition comes with extensive notes that help explain in layman's terms what is going on in the story Canto by Canto as well as line by line explanations of the different references made to historical people, places, and events as well as literary references.

In sum, all I can say is that "The Divine Comedy" is worth a read especially if you are up to the challenge. I am not a literary expert; I work in engineering, but I find this the most fascinating literature I've ever read. Most of all, it is inpirational, the quest of one man to find his true love, facing Hell and more...

Those of us not fortunate enough to be able to read Italian and thus savor Dante's masterpiece in its original language have the next best thing--the comprehensively noted translation by another great poet, the late John Ciardi. This superb and handsome hardbound edition of Ciardi's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is not simply the collected, earlier translations of The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso, which in past years appeared in separate paperback editions: This edition is the final Ciardi translation from earlier forms which were "a work in progress." In this magnificent final translation, the non-Italian-speaking reader can savor Dante's extrodinary fusion of morality with the metaphorical architecture of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, explored with pathos and sympathy for the human condition which, in the mind of Dante, constantly yearns for The All in All. A volume that should be required reading for anyone who aspires to understand man's place in the universe.

Dante, with the Divine Comedy, has produced a work that has endured for centuries and influenced many of the greatest Renaissance thinkers. This is quite a testament to his abilities. The Divine Comedy is divided into three basic sections: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante begins his travels in hell. Guided by the Latin poet Virgil, he sees kings, monks, popes, and an assortment of other people, all of whom are tormented in ways fitting the level and type of their sins. After leaving hell, he continues to the mountain of Purgatory. Here he encounters those souls who must be purged of their sinfulness in order to reach heaven. Finally, he enters into Paradise, where the lovely Beatrice now guides him. He travels through the seven planetary heavens (an interesting note on the science of Dante's time) where he dialogues with the Saints, beholds the radiance and glory of the Triune God and is told the mysteries of Heaven. Dante presents his poem with vividness and great detail allowing the reader to comprehend the horrors of Hell and the otherworldly beauty of Paradise.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the many colorful people he encounters on his journey. It is interesting to see the people he puts in hell, purgatory, and paradise and to hear their stories. Many are famous historical figures. His comedy has many examples of allegory, prophecy and even theology. He tackles issues such as the Atonement, divine justice, and free will. The story includes many references to both classical pagan stories (e.g. Greek mythology) and Christian writings (e.g. Thomas Aquinas). The only downside (in my opinion anyway) is that Dante devotes too much time to philosophical discussions relating to Aristotle, who was popular with nearly every prominent medieval thinker. These discussions slow the pace of the poem at times.

This particular edition contains all three parts of the comedy and is unabridged. The low price is a plus too. It is in prose, although the language is pretty stilted. It uses "thees" an "thous," for example. This is not necessarily bad because it makes the story quite dignified, but some of the sentences can be very difficult to understand. Here is an example: "Thy kindliness not only succoreth whoso requesteth, but doth oftentimes freely forerun request." Fortunately, there are long introductions that summarize each chapter (canto) and numerous endnotes, which explain in detail the people, places, things, and ideas of Dante's work. Overall, I highly recommend the Divine Comedy to every reader, especially for those interested in medieval literature. Still, you may want to find another edition.

Censored 1999 is a great resource for learning about the atrocities that corporate media overlooks. However, none of the articles present enough information; articles involving the death of millions of people, big money corporate scandals, and other major issues are usually given 2-3 pages. While Censored 1999 provides resources where the reader can get more information on these topics, the book itself has too much breadth and too little depth. This can hardly be blamed on Censored 1999, though; if the media itself did a better job of covering the real issues, then all of 1999's news wouldn't have to be crammed into a single book. Censored 1999 is a necessary index to the real issues, but if you want the full story you'll still have to do most of the research yourself.

The mainstream press controls what you see on the evening news and for most people that may be find, for the rest you need to read this book. What you haven't been told just might surprise you.

From how the United States has undermine the nuclear test ban treaty to tax money use to support death squads and 23 other "missing" stories, you may find yourself outraged and infuriated and maybe a little scared.

Project Censored has certainly done their homework with book; they bring out what we really need to know, not at all like the mainstream media reporting about sex in the oval office.

It would behoove every person to buy this book and begin to read reality for a change. It would also behoove everyone to take a closer look at what is being reported versus what they really need to know.

The top-censored stories of 1998 are more nightmarish than usual. The corporate gods whose interests are best served by the underreporting or ignoring of these stories are becoming stronger and stronger. Corporations may soon be able to sue and defeat governments whose citizens are protected by current laws; Monsanto may bankrupt farmers with its one-shot sterile seeds; fluoride may make you sick or kill you; the same company responsible for your breast cancer may sell you drugs to cure it; etc.

Every American citizen should read each year's edition of the Project Censored neglected news. If collectively we do not act, we are doomed.

This book is more important now than ever. As we sit with our eyes glued to the coverage of the "War" in Afghanistan, it is crucial that we observe the mainstream media with the awareness of how many years they have manipulated, lied, and deceived the American people. We cannot have a true democracy, we cannot make informed choices, we cannot live authentic lives when so much crucial information is kept from us because we don't, for whatever reason, "deserve" to know. Now, more than ever, it's important to realize the importance of alternative news outlets, and the most important part of this book is that it lists them -- all of them -- so you can find them all. Don't limit yourself to the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, The Enquirer, and ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. There's a whole world out there that so far has not entirely been kept from us -- but you have to work to access it. It's well worth the effort, and the rest of us out here digging stuff up could really use your help! Welcome aboard!

Project Censored is an institution dedicated to advocating & protecting First Amendment rights & the freedom of information in the United States. Their annual lists not only news stories ignored or rebuffed by the mainstream media, but also "News Abuse," an annual survey of the most overcovered & least newsworthy stories that took up valuable press time at the expense of real, substantive news * "Censored Deja Vu," previous Censored stories that have since received mainstream media coverage * "Censored Resource Guide," a directory of alternative media & organizations * "Censored Reprints," the top ten stories reprinted in their entirety. Special guest writers for Censored 2001 include Ed Herman on liberals betraying their values in U.S. foreign policy, Michel Chossudovsky on propaganda, & Robin Andersen on the independent media movement.

I have been picking up these books for the last eight years. It is amazing what the mainstream media considers news and what they miss and ignore as news, thus they are missing the mainstream of interests of the American public or what should be the interests of the public. Instead, the mainstream goes after fluff and disasters news that is inoffensive to the corporate/business interest of this nation and does not reflect reality of public interest. If CENSORED ever published a nation-wide newspaper, along the lines of USA Today, I would subcribe to it, for relevant, news without spin and news with meaning to the mainstream public.