I, too, found this book to be a plodding bore. I did finally manage to get all the way through, but it took months of effort (got to get back to it--after all, I paid good money for it!). Way too scholarly for any except the most masochistic. Re-read "Mutiny on the Bounty" -- maybe not the historical accuracy wanted, but a wonderful read none-the-less!

Social theorists have tried many definitions of human nature: human beings are the animals that make tools, that laugh, that play. I have another: Human-beings are history-makers. We eternally make our present by looking backwards. We present ourselves by expressing a significant past. To know us in our history is to know who we are. -Greg Dening (Performances)

At 4:30 A.M. on April 28, 1789 a series of events began which has ever since held a grip on Western imagination. Fletcher Christian lead a mutiny against Captain William Bligh aboard HMS Bounty. The aftermath of this rebellion included: Bligh's remarkable 4,000 mile journey with 18 loyal crewmen in an open launch; the sinking of HMS Pandora, which had been sent out to arrest the mutineers, with a loss of 34 men, including 4 of the Bounty crew; and the establishment of a weird sort of tropical commune on Pitcairn's Island by Christian and eight other men along with the Tahitian women (and a few friends and progeny) who may or may not have been the precipitating cause of the whole fiasco. Eventually Bligh would return to sea, three of the mutineers would be returned to England and hanged and all but one of the men on Pitcairn's Island would be murdered or die of disease.

Now there's obviously enough material there to justify the boatload of Bounty books, plays and movies that have poured forth in a steady stream over the past two centuries, but what Professor Dening has uniquely done is to consider the uses to which the story has been put over those years. He makes the convincing argument that Captain Bligh, contrary to popular imagery, was not particularly abusive of his men. Indeed, the title of the book is reflective of Dening's position that Bligh was mostly despised for the harsh language he used in upbraiding men, not for any physical measures nor for the quality of his command in general. Having made his case, Dening moves on to a consideration of why our historical understanding of Bligh requires that he be seen as an ogre. If the "reality" is that he was a fairly mild captain for his time, why do we, looking backward, see him as the very embodiment of tyrannical authority? Why are Christian and his cohorts seen as heroes, virtual freedom fighters?

The book is wide ranging, learned, entertaining and thought provoking, but its best feature is the balance that Dening strikes between the effort to present the story of the Bounty as ethnographic history ("an attempt to represent the past as it was actually experienced") and the realization that:

a historical fact is not what happened but that small part of what has happened that has been used by historians to talk about, History is not the past: it is a consciousness of the past used for present purposes.

Everyone who has ever been subjected to a history course in the modern university is familiar with the obsession with primary sources, the Left dictatorship which controls academia insists that the "truth" is to be found in the pamphlets and diaries and letters of the unimportant and the obscure, rather than in the texts and speeches of the great who shaped our understanding of events. Dening, on the other hand, understands that there is a fundamental dichotomy between the way participants experienced historical events and their importance to the society as a whole. In a very real sense, it is simply not important whether Christ was the son of God, whether England ruled the colonies harshly, whether Southerners fought for slavery, whether FDR ended the Depression, whether Nixon subverted the Constitution and Clinton merely lied about sex--what matters is that this is how we perceive these events. In Denings' felicitous phrase: Illusions make things true; truth does not dispel illusion.

GRADE: A-

Dening provides an interesting history of the Bounty story - what makes it different is his focus on the disparity between fact and the fiction that developed surrounding the characters of Christian and Bligh.

I liked the book (I read in twice, in fact), and I was a little put-off by the other online reviews. Maybe the book is, as another reader put it, "scholarly" but I didn't view that as a negative. All books need not be written for the average Joe (and, incidentally, cliometrics can be found in any decent dictionary) - so what's the problem?

I am a gang and youth violence expert working with the San Diego County Office of Education, Safe Schools Unit. I have alerted many of our schools about the series of books by Stanley "Tookie" Williams. I do not recommend the purchase of this book. The content of the books are not appropriate for young people. The images of gangs are not accurate (Too much negative sterotyping). The book is written in a simplistic style that will quickly bore young students. Youth need to critically examine information not be talked down to. You may email me for alternate suggestions for gang prevention books for youth.

Maybe not for educators, most likely not for students, but for up and coming Lil Gs this book tells it like it is ... straight forward with excellent phonetic spellings in the back. This book steers you away from the bad and toward the good. Stay Clean and Say NO to glue. Dig the art, too, man. Pick this book up, G. Eighth Street Cadillac High Rollers in the House.

Why is this person (wsakamot@sdcoe.k12.ca.us) so negative towards Stanley's message getting out there to the young people.I dont see a book by him...

I picked up this book as a preparation for the CLEP marketing exam. While it is easy to read, the layout is cluttered and distracting. The authors give a rah-rah treatment to e-commerce, presenting multiple .com case studies throughout the book (each chapter begins with an internet site and description).

It is clear that the authors were infatuated with the so-called "new economy," and the book suffers a lot as a result. Using it as a primer is tiring, as you have to separate the essentials of marketing from the e-commerce cheerleading.

The publisher's website does have quizzes to test on the material, which I like, but overall, I was still somewhat disappointed.

I purchased this book as a primer on Marketing, as a preparatory resource for the CLEP Principles of Marketing exam (3 semester hours). The book effectively presents the basic terms and ideas in an airy, easy to read manner. Also, the book's website contains quizzes that help reinforce the information, which is greatly appreciated.

However, I was somewhat disenchanted with the content which reaches for a "futuristic" flavor and misses something in the process. In my opinion, the book concentrates too heavily on .com companies (some of which are now bankrupt and defunct) and gives an overall rah-rah treatment towards e-commerce. Anecdotes abound and are used as filler in the main text, instead of informational sidebars. Every chapter is introduced with another website URL emblazoned across the top of the page in a putrid yellow color.

Thankfully, the authors did include a paragraph or two dissuading the reader from using SPAM (unsolicited email marketing), but it was a footnote in an otherwise verbose volume. I was somewhat offended that from the context of those paragraphs, and an anecdote about one company's 12% response rate (versus 1% for direct mail) which is misleading and would probably leave marketing students thinking that spam was effective.

For what I purchased the book for, it accomplishes the goals, albeit in a verbose manner.

I used this book as an introduction to marketing at the School of Management at Syracuse University. I found the to be thought out well, layed out in a logical format and it was current with all information. It was more interesting than most text books.

I would give this 0 stars if there is a choice. The book doesn't even tell you what to do. Its a small booklet with information on psychometry. The ability to see beyond the physical plane. I can add more that this book doesn't tell. Seeing through walls is nothing more than training your psychic abilities to see energy pattern on object. Some people develop this to a point where they see only energetical vibrations, thus being able to see through walls. The book doesn't teach you anything at all!! Dragonstar just added his introduction on the first few pages, and the rest is just nothing but ..... *sigh* I'll make it short. Its boring, and you wouldn't learn anything from this. Its not a lesson. Its like some tabloid binded into a booklet.

"Develop Your Latent Paranormal Powers" is a joint effort by modern day magician "Dragonstar" and early 20th Century author Sir William Walker Atkinson. Dragonstar sort of functions as a warm-up act, setting the stage and mood for Atkinson's much longer treatise on the basic techniques involved in crystal gazing, telepathy, seeing into the past and future and various other bits of paranormal phenomena.

It is the purpose of both authors to demonstrate to the reader that most of what is called "paranormal" and thought possible only for certain gifted people is instead something that anyone can learn to develop on their own and without the help of an instructor skilled in the occult sciences. The most basic ingredient is like the old joke where a man asks for directions on a crowded New York street:

"How do you get to Carnegie Hall," he questions a passerby.

"Practice, practice, practice," comes the reply.

Which is indeed what Dragonstar and Atkinson continually urge the reader to do. While the initial exercises may seem deceptively simple, even naive, results can only come with a great deal of repetitive and faithful practice. You must also believe the methods will actually work, because skepticism only creates negative clouds of energy that make the tasks at hand much less likely to be successful.

Atkinson's section of the book, the eleven lessons, offers a crash course in navigating the world of what he calls "Psychomancy," and consists of a delightfully complete survey of numerous potential paranormal abilities, including learning to read people's auras, influencing their minds, seeing through brick walls, locating persons with a lock of their hair, traveling with your astral body and even materializing at a desired location and showing yourself to a friend like a visiting ghost.

Atkinson also presents several fascinating anecdotes and case histories that give the reader examples of the abovementioned powers in actual use. The book is worth reading just for the sake of those stories alone, though of course it is made even more interesting by the ideae that the reader has the potential to become part of the astral landscape and participate directly himself.

Both Dragonstar and Atkinson caution the reader never to use any powers or skills they develop to do any evil or intentional harm to another person. The powers that be, they say, have a way of repaying the evil done with these abilities many times over.

"Develop Your Latent Paranormal Powers" bridges the gap between the last and our current century, showing that the things said of the world of the paranormal are constant and unchanging, ancient truths that are still an essential part of reality today. While Dragonstar and Atkinson have never met one another in this world, their partnership in the Astral Plane is surely a solid one. Or make that an etheric one.

A job search used to be a dreary process of mailing resumes, making calls, scheduling interviews, and suffering rejection until you took the first thing that came along. Well, the employment quest has changed along with everything else. Here's how to take advantage of being a skilled, available professional in a hot job market. J. Thomas Buck, William R. Matthews and Robert N. Leech pool their considerable experience as career development consultants to cover the entire landscape of job hunting in this detailed workbook of 101 exercises. Though written clearly and conversationally, the book is not simplistic. The authors ask thought-provoking questions as they take you through the job search process. Even if you've been in the business world for years, you will find this guide valuable since it harnesses the whirlwind of today's ever-changing corporate climate. We at getAbstract.com recommend this book to anyone embarking on a job search and to human resources professionals.

Grey has a difficult style typical of his time period and texts of the early 20th century. It makes this book very hard to wade through, esp. when added to his repitious style. Still, this gives an alternative understanding of the rite of Abrimalin, and thus of the work of this ritual on the human condition. This also gives insights into the purpose of evocation in a theurgical tradition. Not a book for dabblers or brousers, but for a serious student may be worth the work

Michael A. R. Graves is one of the leading authorities on Elizabethan parliaments, so one might expect his book on the leading Elizabethan statesman to be good. And in many ways it is. Wide-ranging and erudite, in easily-digested short segments concerning various modules of William Cecil's career, 'Burghley' offers an excellent if condensed overview of the achievements of Elizabeth I's chief adviser. Unlike earlier books on the subject, 'Burghley' does not pursue every minute (and often unnecessary) aspect of his career. However, during some sections of the book, Graves' love for the minutiae of politics and economics becomes apparent, although regrettably is not likewise communicated to the reader. The final chapter is therefore extremely welcome and useful, containing a subjective but learned analysis of Burghley the man. The sheer vastness of Burghley's surviving documentation makes the task of his biographer an incredibly daunting one, and in my opinion, Graves has done a commendable job. Although not recommended for the casual reader with a passing interest in Burghley's life, the book is excellently suited to students of Elizabethan politics, for whom it was clearly written. For the purpose of last-minute cramming or essay research, this slim volume is a welcome and detailed alternative to the considerably thicker, more in-depth tomes of Hume, Read, Beckingsale, et al.

A very well written book with good visual aids to know what is going on. the new items added to the book really enhance the over-all reading experience

When the standard reference sources are consulted regarding Frederick William there are usually two things mentioned. He is credited with an innovative taxing system, and laying the foundation for the famed standing Prussian army. Derek McKays meticulous research includes details including the household expenditures of the Elector. In ten chapters the book gives a detail filled account of the life of Frederick William. The book provides a vast quatity of information that is not easily obtained in English elsewhere. In the first chapter there is discussion of his parents and grandparents, and other impressive family connections. The first chapters also establish the ruinous condition of the Hohenzollern family holdings at the time of Frederick William's accession. In chapters three and four his early years as Elector are covered. Chapters six through nine give a detailed account of his mature years, and a small final chapter wraps things up. Typical of this book's "stick to the facts" report style there are no reflective excursions into praise or criticism of the Elector's life. Still, Derek McKay must concede "... he was undoubtedly the greatest of the electors of Brandenburg." (pg. 223), and "... his reign set his dynasty and state on the road to their future greatness in Germany and Europe." (pg. 262)

The strengths of the book come with the hypothesisses and source references. The goals of each section and chapter are clear. Researchers will appreciate the many references to previous works and assumptions by other author's work. A pitfall is the large amount of statistical data presented. A reader must have some background in this style of research to better understand the concepts presented. Tends to be a tough read.