Fine resource. Much more practical than most how-to books, and filled with really valuable advice. Best parts are the "tips sheets" that pass along useful how-to information without a lot of chit-chat. Book is very well-written throughout.

A cut above most other business books...hard information and lots of it, and it is BEAUTIFULLY written. Very clear, direct, and engaging.

The Complete Small Business Sourcebook is the state-of-the-art guidebook for small business owners and managers. More than five years in the making, it was the brainchild of three book publishers working jointly to devise its format, select personnel to work on it, and chart its course of completion. The Sourcebook was compiled by three authors, four researchers, and other publishing experts. For small businesses, it is a gateway to information and counsel, and as reliable a source of information as can be found anywhere in a single volume.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. Cue Lazarus marks the debut of a vital new poet, one who has already hit his stride. Marcum mines the richness of his mixed identity (he is the son of a Mexican woman and an Anglo man), often weaving Spanish together with English to create the basic material of his art. His poetry plunges through a network of blurred boundaries to explore fundamental human predicaments. But while Marcum explicitly roots his art in an imaginative construction of the Mexican-American experience, he slyly lays claim to a wider cultural tradition. He moves through the souls of Ezra Pound, Jay Gatsby, and Marc Antony with the same command as those of Pancho Villa, his friends, his relatives, and his many selves. William Carlos Williams famously insists that the universal exists in the particular. Carl Marcum shines intense light on particular moments of particular lives and, in the process, achieves more than a thousand volumes of presumptuous generalizations. He straddles the fault line of self-knowledge, a vantage point that offers precious insight. Cue Lazarus is a pure pleasure.

I was so impressed by the way Marcum is able to keep his poems accessible and conversational, intimate and complicated, formal and engaged. This is one of the best books I've had the pleasure to read in months.

Marcum uses magic realism, gritty lies, prayer and confession to propel this book of poems. And make no mistake, this is a book--a narrative thread moves througout the work--and not just a random collection of poems.

The voice of this poet is always true, even and musical. He moves in and through Spanish and English, between borders and bodies, along highways and pool halls. I especially appreciate his constant engagement with the political acts of self and language--it is evident that Marcum knows the responsibility of the poet, he stares it down, bears witness and finds himself singing. His "I am Joaquin," "Dreaming Pancho Villa," is both vital and fresh in the American Chicano tradition of the identity poem.

A truly remarkable debut. I'm keeping my eye out for his reading tour.

"Cue Lazarus" is a book of poetry for people who hate poetry; "Cue Lazarus" is a book of poetry for people who love poetry. It is a book filled both with stories and sensations, celebration and criticism, hope and despair. Carl Marcum tells the story of a self becoming aware of the world around him and his own power and responsibility to interpret that world.

Beginning in "a seventy-seven Pinto / [on] an eastbound freeway" in the southwest and ending in a Philadelphia train station, this book is truly a journey. In between is death, love, cigarettes, bourbon, pool, road signs, fairy tales, coffee and pie, breakfast, and angels. And yet, from this amalgam emerges a voice, strong and true, sometimes wryly amused, always passionately engaged.

These poems are subtly wrought, the often politically-charged content cleverly concealed beneath the lyricism of the language. But make no mistake, everything in this book is an act of both personal and political identity. The most obvious instance, "Cuando El Presidente visito a mi pueblo," claims this blatantly propagandist moment as an intensely personal experience. Other poems achieve the same goal by positioning the speaker on a very literal border between selves, between languages, between cultures.

"Cue Lazarus" is not just an astonishing first book of poems, it is an astonishing book. These are poems not just for the sake of poetry, but present things that can only be said as poems.

I read about this book on salon.com and then was convinced by the enthusiastic reviews here. They're all right: it's great.

I agree with the reviewer from Michigan. This is an amazing book -- very thoughtful, and thought-provoking with first-rate writing. I lost my own father a few years ago, so I found much to relate to here -- how the loss of a parent affects one, but also the evaluation of one's own life and character such an event sparks. After reading this book, one gains an entirely new perspective of the role of money in our lives -- how it indeed define us and our relationship to and with just about everything. An interesting and useful book for anyone facing the loss of a parent, and for all Baby Boomers finally accepting the need to grow up. (BTW -- This book is not as somber as it may sound -- the stories about coin collectors and their foibles are hysterical!)

In early 1998, Don Nichols began returning to Iowa from his life and job in Washington, DC, to be with his dying father and to oversee his parents' investments. A veteran investor who'd written eight personal finance books, Nichols found that managing the portfolio entrusted to him brought a larger understanding of money and mortality, family, love, his job at the U.S. Mint, and life choices he'd made.

Sad, funny, searching, and also financially savvy, "Currency of the Heart" is about the dimensions of investing, rediscovering family, honoring promises, the parting of a father and son, and a middle-aged son's new bond with an aging mother.

The review at Salon.com says it all: "The result is brilliant -- a book that is poetic in its prose, profound and yet effortlessly readable, a book that is full of humor and sorrow, confusion and loss and pride and joy. Time spent in Donald Nichols' head will simultaneously make you want to call your father, count your pennies, investigate whether you should be putting money in Treasury bonds, and wonder what kind of person, really, you are ... "Currency of the Heart" transcends a pathetic genre and delivers a masterpiece."

When my sister was diagnosed with cancer I sent her just about every book I could find on cancer survival, inspiration and the like. But when I stumbled onto this set, 2 tapes and a book, without listening or reading it, I sent it on. One week later she called me and told me that this set had helped her more than any other single book or tape out there. Most importantly it helped her deal with her fear, set her priorities for healing strategies in order, gave her a concrete meditation for invisioning the actual immune system, and discussed indentifing her passions and dreams, as they would help her survive, and much more. She followed the advice absolutly, started horse back riding again (her passion) and lived another 8 years, when she had been told only 6 months. Thankyou Dr. Simmington, for the quality time you gave my family, and the peace you gave my sister.

I read this book some years ago and it was very profitable, my father was ill not a cancer but the doctors feared it and the approach of the ill person in the book help me and my sister to understand the disease and our father behaviour a lot. We accepted that our father told us that his body was painful and that he was going to death. It was one his fear. It is one of the first time i saw him crying before us without hidden it to my sister and I. He is well now, despite of a prostate cancer some year ago but after. Thanks very much. I would appreciate that you inform me about your next meetings in France and in Europe. I met M. Carl Simonton some years ago in a meeting, and it was for me a great great moment. Thanks a lot for all the work you are doing, for the hope you give to everybody in pain, for your way of thinking, your honesty and your sense of humour

I purchased the cassette tape of the book "Getting Well"...I've done MUCH research on cancer and alternative medicine, as it has been quite clear that the typical medical therapies alone are not usually enough to combat this monster. I found this book/cassette to be excellent and, further, the ideas expressed by Dr. Simmonton are what I consider one of the neccessary steps towards healing from cancer. I had previously seen the video called "Getting Well Again", which was very good, and this tape "Getting Well", is absolutely great. I'm grateful to Dr. Simmonton for seeing and sharing with us the importance of treating cancer in a more complete way. As an Oncologist and a human, his knowledge and dedication are admirable. Thank you!

I think to have known Francis Poulenc was to love him, and this book makes it clear what a compelling and kind man Poulenc was. In addition to that, it makes clear the ambiance of the company he kept and the period of musical history in which he kept it. When I finished the book, I sat down at the piano and learned two new (new to me) piano works of his. The book was good enough to spur me in that direction. Very well done!

While the exhaustive approach of Carl B. Schmidt will not be for everyone, I believe Bonnie Jo Dopp's assesment unfairly shortchanges this book, stating that "This scholarly work is recommended only for research libraries or those that own Schmidt's other Poulenc title and wish to supplement it." Rather, I believe this work is for anyone inclined to read more than one work on Poulenc, for those who on first reading want to see the trees as well as the forest, and for those wishing to get to the bottom of errors and inconsistencies in the other publications.

Dr. Schmidt does not provide any of his own musical analysis, descriptions, or even musical examples, but traces the events of Poulenc's life in comprehensive detail via Poulenc's own voice in writings, interviews and letters. The reporting is factual and with voluminous footnotes, making it possible to retrace his steps. His editorial neutrality and the sheer mass of material makes for a less sophisticated approach than Mellers' or Ivry's books. Some people may prefer this, and in any case I have found it completely absorbing, because the ever-fascinating Poulenc, the "Entrancing Muse" [said Stravinsky], is presented here in unprecedented, vivid detail -- and accurately so.

The quality of this volume strengthens the case for a new English translation of Poulenc's correspondence!

One of the Pendragon Press "Lives In Music" series, Carl Schmidt's Entrancing Muse: A Documented Biography Of Francis Poulenc surveys the life and work of a most notable composer who lived from 1899 to 1963. Packed cover to cover with a wealth of detailed lore about the man, his life, and his work, Entrancing Muse is a fascinating read especially recommended for anyone interested in the personality and life experiences of a man responsible for great and critically acclaimed music.

This book succeeds where others have failed in describing the origins of human suffering. It is not merely an exlanation of physical violence, but a well-written account detailing numerous forms of psychological problems, including addiction, alienation, loneliness, depression, despair, shame and abuse. It offers credible methods to understand today's most frightening concerns, such as school shootings and workplace violence. It also offers a way out. Exceedingly well-argued, Dr. Goldgerg's writing displays a convincing depth and breadth of knowledge. It is really quite masterful. Truly, this is one of those few books that one hopes becomes widely read , for the truths it contains.

One of the best written and most important psychology books written in the past half-century.

The reasons for violent behavior elude modern psychological theorists: psychoanalyst Goldberg's ideas laid out in The Evil We Do are based on four decades of clinical experience and present case studies of irredeemable and dangerous people to show how even the worst can be rehabilitated. An intriguing study.

Mr. Traina's book about his incomparable collection is a masterwork of photography, reproduction and scholarship. The crystal clear and remarkably close up pictures of the three hundred or more cases in Mr.Trania own passionately gathered Faberge masterworks gallery make the objects themselves almost palpable. This book is also welcome for the subsidiary essays, with the sole exception of a rather sour personal note by Mr.Traina's ex- wife, Danielle Steele. As a work of art about a long lost era of grace and elan and terrible contrasting poverty and violence, The Faberge Case makes many of the forever lost emotions and dramas come to life in a most vivid fashion.

This is a BEAUTIFUL book. The cases are works of art. It's amazing they didn't go blind making them!

This sumptuous volume of amazing color photographs showcases the largest collection of Faberge cigarette cases in the world. Objects ranging in style from fokeloric or rococo to modernistic and even sexy are included in this book, pointing out that the most utilitarian object( although hardly of vital importance to the average Tsarist Russian) done by the most decadent of jewelers would be a masterpiece in miniature Mr. Faberge would be astounded at Mr.Traina's obsession with these politically incorrect objects. He would also hope that the owner of so many casas would at least be a smoker and use the casas once in a while.

I used this book for my graduate seminar paper on the Fur Trade. I loved all the information it gave about the tools of the Mountain Men. Don't let the fact that I'm in grad school scare off the read though. My father-in-law wants a copy now and he only has an Associates and is a down home kind of guy. It's definitely not just for students. This is an absolutely wonderful book.

This book is chucked full of great fur trade information. It has many, many line drawings and could only be better with a collection of photos of actual artifacts.

If you are a fan of the Rocky Mountain fur trade era of the early 19th century like I am, you will find this book to be a valuable resource.

Discussion of manufacture, use and history of the tools of the mountain man's trade. Many line drawing illustrations supported by solid text. Reasonably complete and accurate source of information.

Set in the year 2376, Carl R. Merrit's Fleet Of Angels is an epic science fiction war story about Earthmen and their technologically superior alien ally called zTurms as they are locked in a lethal conflict with the hideous Satanians. zTurm technology and Earth ingenuity combine in the creation of a great fleet of gigantic warships to turn away the Satanian invasion. The second fleet of this production line is called the Fleet of Angels, and this is their pulse-pounding intergalactic story. Fleet Of Angels is strongly recommended to science fiction enthusiasts as a world-spanning futuristic adventure that combines elements of the fantastic and the supernatural.

Fleet of Angels (Carl R. Merritt)
A review

Carl Merritt's debut novel is a military SF story. Set in the year 2376, Earth is at war with the Satanians, an alien species broadly similar to humans except for their devil-like horns. It's not surprising they are similar; the premise of the story is that both the humans and their allies, the Zturm, are descended from the original species, the Umox, and were
created by the original Andromeda master-race as an experiment, before the Umox civilisation collapsed into chaos.

Fleet of Angels will appeal to readers who like authors such as David Weber, Steve White, Bill Baldwin, David Drake, W. Michael Gear, and Richard Fawkes.
It reminded me of Henlein's "Starship Troopers" and, indeed, there is some ground-attack action, although most of the story deals with the space war.

The story is set on a grand scale, involving a war between the galaxies of Andromeda and the Milky Way. Earth's allies in the war are the Zturm, descendants of the original colony expedition, sent from Andromeda millenia ago, to explore our Galaxy.

Carl Merritt wastes no time with 'world building', one of the bugbears of the SF genre, but plunges straight into the story. Chapter one opens with Richard Keller, the hero and Captain of the Titan, in battle against a Satanian fleet. Devotees of SF military action will find plenty here:

". . . a young ensign named Wanda Collins took over communications. She had to stand, as the chair had been ripped away by flying debris. Feeling her feet slipping on the slick floor, she looked down and almost gagged. It was
the decapitated head of First Lieutenant Sean Burke. It was oozing blood through the shredded neck . . . and staring straight up at her."

Fleet of Angels could be suitable for a young adult audience as well as adults, since there are no love scenes; this is fairly conventional for the military SF genre. Equal opportunity is given to both male and female combatants in the story. Richard Keller, the commander, has to tread a narrow edge. His wife, Paula, is an Admiral in the fleet, and is determined to show herself the equal of any of the men, by charging into the thick of battle. Keller must balance his natural urge to protect her against his need to show his men that he doesn't pick favourites.

Just when it seems that the human forces are getting the upper hand, the Satanians turn up with advanced technology, looted from a dead planet originally inhabited by their Umox ancestors. The humans are faced with their biggest battle as they try to take over the planet to secure the same technology and close the gap. During this, they capture a half-human, half-Satanian female, Faleen. This could have led to an interesting
sub-plot, but the author decided the space battles were the main interest, and we hear little more of Faleen.

Fleet of Angels is an easy and fast read, packed with action for fans of the genre. It will be interesting to see what Carl Merritt comes up with next!

- Clive Warner...

Time: 2376 A.D. - -

75 years of War and the terror in the heavens continues unabated. The Satanians, the horned creatures from Andromeda, learn the secrets of a passive race and use it against Earth's Armada defending the Milky Way. Explosions after explosions rip through the blackness of space as both friendly and enemy ships, fighters, and asteroids disintegrate in a series of blinding radioactive light. Maxima, Earth's super battlecarrier, damaged in the war, now in the hands of the crazed enemy is limping toward the Satanians' home system, Andromeda. With all of the Umox technology they had confiscated on board, if they succeed in reaching Andromeda, could mean the total destruction of all of Earth's forces, the Milky Way, and Earth. Commander Keller of Earth's Battlecarrier the Titan races after the Maxima, in speeds he didn't know his ship could exceed. With the help of Earth's ally the zTurns the Titan was outfitted with Umoxian advanced technology and the race is on. Still, in the midst of all of this terror, destruction, and madness, there is laughter, humor, romance and a hope for the future.

Carl Merritt's FLEET OF ANGELS will keep you turning the pages rooting for the good guys and dolls, who are also dedicated, courageous, and as determined to win as the men, in command of Earth's fleets including the 2nd Armada ... THE FLEET OF ANGELS.

(This would have made a great BattleStar Galactica or Babylon 5 episode.)

In a world of black helicopters flying overhead, cattle mutilations, and Y2K bugs, these cogent remarks by Jung are all the more relevant. The post-modern era is plagued by millenial hysteria, doomsday cults, and "alien visitations". What does this all mean for modern man? Psychical aberations manifest themselves in mass delusions. What else lurks in the depths of man's soul? And, what else is waiting to rise to the surface? We can only speculate.

Jung's interpretation of flying saucers as compensatory Self symbols of wholeness required by an era of psychological fragmentation is both brilliant and well-developed in this fine little book.

What Jung did with this book is, fundamentally, setting the honest basis for UFO intereptation from a psychological point of view. That's why the open postulates he gained from this inquiry have generated many controversies and strumentalization among the ufologists' field. UFOs - says Jung - may be psycho-sociological phenomena which come from both the inner symbolic human subconscious AND from our technological era's imaginism. However, those hardly conventionally explainable episode may even - in Jung's own opinion - be a HARD and MATERIAL phenomenon, which may be explained with extraterrestrial visits. From this point of view, the sociological redutionism slips towards a postume status, leaving the question as open as ever. Definitely, the book you should be starting with if you like the subject.