I really enjoyed this book. The Cahuilla Indians led a fascinating existence living in the mountains and deserts of Southern California (near Palm Springs). The book describes the way that they adapted to their environment and live in the mountains in the summer and the desert in the winter. This is a very good educational book.

A "must have" for any true Cole Porter fan or music researcher. This collection has the all the lyrics for Cole Porter's almost-1000 songs! Of particular note is an awesome "phrase index" for looking up common phrases and quotes in order to find what song a phrase is from. It also includes copyright information for every song for those who want to quote Cole for whatever reason.

Verdi's two Comedies philosophically, and emotionally, frame his long career. While writing Il Giorno di Regno, his first comedy, and only his second opera, the rather naive young Verdi lost his first wife and their children in a fire. Needless to say, the opera wasn't very funny, and the audience booed it off the stage. Verdi quit Opera...he thought for good. However, his self-imposed exile didn't last long, and Verdi eventually wrote several of Opera's greatest masterpieces. He also loved Giuseppina, first as his paramour, eventually as his second wife, became one of Europe's most generous philanthropists, and admired his great rival Richard Wagner, who referred to Verdi simply as "pig." Arrigo Boito, a genius in his own right (if you don't believe it, get a good recording of Mefistofele), testified in Italian newspapers that Verdi's "old ways" of writing Opera were permanently invalidated by Wagner. Yet one day, eight years after Verdi had retired for the second time, Boito, the great Verdi hater, came to Sant' Agata, hat in hand, to ask Verdi to compose music for two Shakespearean music dramas he had written. The second of those music dramas, Falstaff, was to be Verdi's second comedy, and his last opera. Falstaff is a towering monument to artistic collaboration. In it, Verdi, Boito, and Shakespeare tell us that life is a great cosmic joke, and, since we cannot escape being its brunt, we might as well laugh along. Dover republished an early Ricordi edition of Falstaff. Ricordi is, simply put, the most useful publisher of late romantic Italian opera, especially of Verdi and Puccini. The scholarship is top notch, making this Dover edition quite a useful volume. The book itself is, as always, well crafted and easy to read. The score may be too large, and the book too small, to make this volume useful for the podium, but at home, in front of the stereo, it's invaluable. Falstaff is one of the west's great example's of existentialism expressed in artistic form. If you are not familiar with this opera, I strongly recommend you buy this score, and a good recording to go with it, and knock yourself out.

This is not a conventional narrative of Coltrane's life, or even his recordings. Rather, it is a detailed discography both of released albums and of the many many unreleased recordings that circulate among collectors, and of a large number of recordings that sit in vaults around the world, largely inaccessible to anyone outside the recording industry.

Much of the information corrects the liner notes on releases from various labels, and, in fact, many record companies use the information in this volume when trying to figure out what they have in their vaults. The results are not always perfect: The new Coltrane 7CD box set from Fantasy of live recordings contains several errors in the liner notes. Without this book, you wouldn't know they were there.

The author is part of the Coltrane Syndicate, a group of Coltrane scholars including Wolf Schmaler and Michael Delorme, as well as David Wild (who has also published work on Coltrane's recordings). They are in fact authorized by the Coltrane Family to acquire and document recordings that cannot be released for various legal reasons, so this book is just about the only way to learn about recordings and recording dates (especially live dates) that help patch together Coltrane's works and times.

In addition to all the objective information, there is also a hefty selection of photos, and, even more so, album covers and posters for events, that really serve as a kind of giant scrap-book for the late master.

There is -- and there is unlikely to be -- a better book published on the subject.

Being a former student of Dr. Porter's and a graduate of Muskingum College (1989), I was very impressed with the history of New Concord. There were lots of places (stores, businesses, etc.) that had existed long before I arrived. The old pictures made this "history study" quite interesting. Thank You, Doctor Porter for reminding how special a place New Concord, Ohio really is.

The best book out of print about the what really happens between the balnace sheets!

I loved this book! It was a hilarious approach to a sensitive problem. The perfect book for the upcoming holidays. I bought one for all of my grandchildren and my children! Carl is a character to die for. I recommend for you to try this book out, you'll love it! My new favorite book. This new author, John Paulits ,is truly amazing. I wonder if this will be a new series becuase I'll be the first to place my order!

Best translation of this work. Useful notes and essays. Highest recommendation.

i never would have gotten an 'A' on my Sea Star report in Advanced Biology if it weren't for this book. Easy acces to what you need, the info you need, and great pictures!

This is a very well written and structured book. It first offers an overview of what The Tao is and how it breaks down for those unfamiliar with the concepts. The following chapters explore the different parts of the Tao while relating them to events in the Star Wars Saga. Works for me!!
I found the book to be very accessable to those who are not in the know as far as The Tao. Relating the ideas to events and characters of the S.Wars films does help the Tao novice to retain the lessons..... and for those who are already in the know it is simply a good read.
A great book to use to introduce younger people to the world of self awareness.....
my only problem with the book would be the HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE cover which can be misleading. The cover looks like it was designed to be on a book in the bargin bin or the cover of those cheap little books found at the supermarket check out.

This book is a delightful read. Effectively uses quotes from the Tao Te Ching and blends them with quotes from the Star Wars trilogy, plus the Phantom Menace. Very readable book. I'm surprised the auther didn't use a bigger distributor. The book cover is ridiculus looking, but the content excellent.

This book is without a doubt, the most useful and helpful translation of The Tao I ever read. Dr. Porter's wisdom and knowledge transform this book into a Taoist workbook, something a reader will find themselves continually going back to for guidance on their path through life. This is a must read!