This review refers to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge....

Get swept away to a world of dreams in this beautiful collection of Coleridge's best poetry.Open this book to any poem and you will immediatly be transported to fantastick worlds and mysterious voyages.You will find no need to get caught up in trying to anaylze, you'll just be caught up in his words.The reader can identify their own experiences within his works, and make their own interpertations.

Coleridge will stir your imagination with such great works as the adventurous and ghostly voyage of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"(in the entire 7 parts),the dream land of "Kubla Khan", and my personal favorite,the sadly unfinished other worldly fairy tale of "Christabel".

You'll find many others of his classic poetry that emcompasses both worlds of dreams and reality. "The Pain of Sleep", ""The Fruit Plucker" and "Time, Real and Imaginary" are examples of these.Other works included are "If I Had But Two Little Wings","Songs from 'Zapolya'", "Youth and Age", and the beautiful "Frost at Midnight", all stories of love and life.

There are many more wonderful writings to be found here and they are both ageless and to be enjoyed by any age. There are poems to be read aloud almost as songs.There are poems to read to yourself as well.

"He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all."...
From"The Ancient Marnier"

A great gift for yourself or the poetry lover in your life...enjoy..Laurie

Coleridge is the only English Romantic poet I like, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the main reason. However, this collection also contains another long poem that is often overlooked--Christabel. This a very haunting poem which was unfortunately unfinished when Coleridge died. As for the rest of the selections, Kubla Khan is really the only short poem of the same quality as Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

This compilation of David Jackson Logan's writings detailing his experiences during the Civil War is second to none! You won't be able to put this outstanding book down until you've finished it. The authors have melded all sources into an unforgettable book.

This book does an outstanding job of following David Jackson Logan's life during the Civil War, through letters to his wife and family, letters to the newspaper, and his diary. I am fortunate to have already known what an outstanding man David Jackson Logan was, as well as, his father, John Randolph Logan, and his siblings. Especially David's brother Ben F. Logan, my great-great grandfather. I hope everyone enjoys reading this incredible book.

Although this is #3 in a set of 15, this is my first book read out of the group. Mr Morrison does a wonderful job piecing together accurate accounts of the early stages of the Pacific theater, along with the well written chapters regarding the prelude to war with Japan. How he achieved this was by actually writing about the war during the conflict. So much more is gained by writing in contact with events, while the participants are still alive. This book is much more detailed with events than other similar books, and the writing gives a feeling of almost being there.

This is the third volume in a fifteen volume series. Volume III is a very thorough history of the rise of Japan militarily between World War I and World War II. The book ends with the Halsey-Doolittle raid over Tokyo launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet on April 18, 1942.

Morison's writing style is highly entertaining and his attention to detail unsurpassed. It is important to note that the author wrote this history right after the war's conclusion and from the perspective of one who had served on eleven different U.S. ships during the conflict.

I have read several of Quincy's other books and have had the pleasure of being one of his students for my undergraduate degree, This book is a brilliant mixture of Quincy's abstract mind and beautiful fluidity as a fiction writer. A must read for all fans of unlikely heroes

This is really fun. I received it as a gift, and read the first five chapters out loud to my family and friends last Christmas. Then they took the book away from me and hogged it to themselves. It is very funny, but sad as well, becasue the hero is the retarded younger brother of a rich guy who dies and leaves his care to the dumb blonde wife. Some of it is very rude: as one of my friends said: "there is an active twelve year old alive in that guy Quincy". She is correct, I think, but more importantly, here is a protagonist that is not smart, or clever or pretty, and we all loved him. The dog too. Good fun and good for us.

Although this is a children's book, it is "must reading" for any adult who wants to re-energize their enthusiasm for the origin of America. I got this book for my grandchildren, but after reading it myself, decided that it's an adult book as well.

The author has succeeded in making the reader understand the genius of Samuel Adams of Boston. The type of grassroots politics practiced by Adams and other patriots, clearly is as valid today as in theirs.

Always focused upon the ultimate goal, "the last Puritan" was given the title by his peers of "the father of American independence". Author Fradin has been successful in pointing out why Adams deserves the title.

The story is breathtaking. If I had one wish regarding this wonderful book, it would be that every American child hears or reads the story. They would be better Americans for it.

Thanks to Dennis Fradin for writing it. I was so impressed with it, that after reading it I called the author to personally thank him.

An exciting experience awaits young and old when they pick up this book.

My wife and I like to read books on American history to our sons (ages 7 and 8) and were absolutely delighted with this book. Samuel Adams was one of the most important of the patriot leaders, but one about whom little is said these days. That is too bad because no one was a truer, more consistent believer in freedom than he was. Samuel Adams opposed England's taxes and mercantilist trade restrictions; he was just as vociferous an opponent of slavery. Fraidin's writing is clear and easily understood by children, but this is not a childish book. The parents enjoyed and got as much out of it as did the children did. If you think it is important for young Americans to know the history and philosophy of our independence, this book is one give them.

This is undeniably the best anthology of Johnson currently available. It outshines Penguin's much too abbreviated version and contains all the major items: a fine selection of the essays, several biographical pieces, including the essential Soame Jenyns and Life of Savage, the prefaces to the Dictionary and to Shakespeare, a selection of prayers, some wonderful letters, etc.

For the journey to Scotland (only excertpted here), I much prefer Penguin's complete edition of the Journey, which includes Boswell's Journal. Reading the two interlaced is an utter delight--moving from the formality, grace and power of Johnson to the smaller, more intimate pleasures of Boswell gives one the feeling of having captured, in the adventurous peregrinations of these two inimitable characters, the very breadth and depth of eighteenth century English writing.

I must say, with all respect to Frank Lynch whose standing as the leading Johnsonian of the web is beyond dispute, that to love and admire Johnson, but not appreciate the brilliant, even if much different, stylistic inventions of Boswell seems to me somewhat perverse. Certainly Boswell had his shortcomings, but half the joy of reading and 'knowing' Johnson and his circle comes from appreciating the little peccadilloes and foibles that each displayed in his turn--not the least the Great Cham, Johnson, himself. I cannot think of either of these two men that I don't see Thomas Rowlandson's wonderful caricature of the two walking arm in arm--the older man a head taller, wagging his finger and pontificating casually and brilliantly on some weighty matter, and the other rolling along beside him smiling with sweet admiration and pride of association. To read Johnson and bypass Boswell, is to find one great treasure and forsake another.

I asked Frank Lynch, who runs the "Samuel Johnson Sound Bite" site, to suggest a good starting point for someone who's never read Samuel Johnson. (I've never been able to get into Boswell's Life of Johnson, which Frank Lynch doesn't like either). Frank is of course a great Johnson enthusiast and regularly contributes Johnsonian wit and wisdom to alt.quotations. I've ordered this book on the strength of his recommendation. (Warning: this 884-page paperback appears to be a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BOOK with the from the 200-page hardbound published by Twayne, even though Amazon has them crosslinked as being the same).

Frank posted the following in alt.quotations:

"Without hesitation, I recommend the anthology published by Oxford & edited by Donald Greene. It has NO Boswell. It has about 40 periodical essays, all of Rasselas, the preface to Shakespeare, the preface to the Dictionary, a sermon, some of his Journey to the Hebrides, extracts from the Lives of the Poets, some letters, The Vanity Of Human Wishes, London, his review of Soame Jenyn's "A Free Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil", The Patriot, the Drury Lane Prologue etc etc Hands down the best anthology going, and a great survey of the scope of his work."

This is undeniably the best anthology of Johnson currently available -- or for that matter that has ever been available under one cover. It outshines Penguin's much too abbreviated version and contains all the major items: a fine selection of the essays, several biographical pieces including the essential Soame Jenyns and Life of Savage, the prefaces to the Dictionary and to Shakespeare, a selection of prayers, some wonderful letters, etc.

Penguin had promised a selection of the Lives of the Poets (or Prefaces Biographical and Critical to be more accurate), but has yet to formally announce publication. There is but a small sampling of these wonderful and important essays in the Oxford edition here.

For the journey to Scotland (only excerpted here), I much prefer Penguin's complete edition of the Journey, which includes Boswell's Journal (but has the most eccentric annotation one might imagine -- more the product of a dyspeptic travel writer than a Johnsonian scholar). Reading Boswell and Johnson together is an utter delight -- moving from the formality, grace and power of Johnson to the smaller, more intimate pleasures of Boswell gives one the feeling of having captured, in the adventurous peregrinations of these two inimitable characters, the very breadth and depth of eighteenth century English writing.

To love and admire Johnson, but not appreciate the brilliant, even if much different, stylistic inventions of Boswell seems to me somewhat perverse. Certainly Boswell had his shortcomings, but half the joy of reading and 'knowing' Johnson and his circle comes from appreciating the little peccadilloes and foibles that each displayed in his turn--not the least the Great Cham, Johnson, himself. I cannot think of either of these two men that I don't see Thomas Rowlandson's wonderful caricature of the two walking arm in arm--the older man a head taller, wagging his finger and pontificating casually and brilliantly on some weighty matter, and the other rolling along beside him smiling with sweet admiration and pride of association. To read Johnson and bypass Boswell, is to find one great treasure and forsake another.

As Frank Lynch points out in the review below this edition is identical to the blue cover edition offered elsewhere on this site. (Although the lovely new Hogarth cover is a delightful addition, I bought a second copy thinking this was a new book with new content... I suppose I should also add that as the book is not new, neither is this review which you may find in its earlier incarnation under the listing for the blue cover edition.)

Oxford's anthology of Samuel Johnson's writings is superior to Penguin's because it is more comprehensive, and displays more of his variety, as well as more of what he is known for. In comparison to the Penguin anthology, this collection includes all of Johnson's short fiction "Rasselas" (an excellent book -- read my review of it in the Penguin edition of Rasselas): Penguin will ask you to buy a separate copy of Rasselas on top of their anthology. In addition, Oxford's anthology offers extracts of "Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland" (Penguin has a separate volume of that, although there it is complete and coupled with Boswell's companion piece).

The Oxford anthology offers 40 periodic essays (Ramblers, Adventurers, & Idlers), a form for which he is well known; plus his prefaces to Shakespeare and the Dictionary; the major poems (chief among them "London" and "The Vanity of Human Wishes"); a sermon; an extract of a Parliamentarian debate; his Life of Boerhaave; his review of Soame Jenyn's "A Free Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil," his political pamphlet "The Patriot," an extract from a law lecture, extracts from "The Lives of The Poets", some letters... At over 800 pages, this is very comprehensive.

The late Donald Greene provided an excellent introduction and set of notes.

Note, however, that this is essentially the same anthology Oxford has had in print for years (my first copy is 15 years old, and this is the third cover under which it's been published). The copyright indicates there have been some revisions to this 2000 edition, but they are not apparent. Very great wine in a brand new bottle.

I picked up this book, intrigued by the picture on the front of an Amish buggy on a lonely road in Amish Country. I was just amazed at the heart in this book. You turn the pages and your heart just fills with the plight of Samuel and his parents as they try to get help for Samuel and his long hospitalization. Robert J. Hastings is just so tender in his dealings with Samuel's parents; who take turns in the book, through Bob Hastings interviews, talking about the trials and troubles they go through. I was struck at the innocence and humility of Oba and Lorene. They were just like small children having to deal with all the ugly things of this world; hospital bills, pettiness, uncaring people. Through their ordeal however we are uplifted as the doors swing open for them! The strangers that open their homes and hearts to them. The miraculous survival of Samuel. The charity of Precious Moments artist and creator Sam Butcher who creates a commemorative Amish button that is sold at Hallmark stores and nets the family $20,000. I found their whole story so touching, more so because it was true. This family had to completely trust in the kindness of strangers and this they found in abundance! Read it, you will love it. I immediately bought six more copies and gave them away to people who had a special place in my heart. I now have a special place in my heart for Samuel. It is a beautiful book!

If you are reading this you are probably interested in buying it. I really suggest you do. I knew the author personally, he was my pastor. He was a great man, writer and individual. Unfortunately he died several years ago, but part of him still lives on through his ability to touch others with his tremendous ability to write. Bob, as we called him, writes about an Amish boy who is caught in a threshing machine. A boy named Samuel. His father first thinks him dead, but after hearing a slight moan they rush him to the hospital. Samuel lives. His condition allows him to have a phone in his house (which usually isn't permitted in Amish homes) for medical emergencies. It isn't just a tale about a boy, but how we put our faith in Jesus to heal not only our broken body, but our broken spirit. It is an inspirational story, and if you like it, I suggest Bob's other books which are Tinyburg Tales, Tinyburg Revisited, Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk, Penny's Worth of Minced Ham (both about growing up in the Depression), and several others. His work is always uplifting, getting you to focus on God, not on yourself and your own problems. I highly recommend anything he has ever written, because I have read them all. They are all a gift, just as the man himself was to me. Bob, you're missed.

Two worlds. Two brothers. An ancient book of prophecies, a mystery-shrouded priesthood, and a time of cosmic reckoning bearing down on an unsuspecting populace. Samuel Dalton takes these ingredients, and uses them to weave a tale so original (despite its initially familiar sound) that I don't know when I've enjoyed one this much...Then I started reading, and discovered that this"Second Coming" doesn't take place in my own star system. I found myself pulled by my shirt-front into a Dalton-created universe, caught up in an age-old conspiracy, and not sure until the final chapter how the archaeologist protagonist could save his (presumably human?) species from extinction.

No, 500-plus pages is not too long for this one. "Second Coming" features strong, yet realistically flawed characters of both genders, completely believable world building on its author's part, and a satisfying yet surprising conclusion. My only criticisms are an occasional pacing problem (rather hard to avoid when writing at this length), and a cast so large that when I had to leave the story and come back to it I sometimes had trouble sorting them all out.

BUY THIS BOOK, if you're a hard SF fan who nevertheless demands a character-driven tale. The old masters, writers like Heinlein and Clarke and Anderson, never did it better.

Imagine if you will, two worlds at war; one advanced civilization, encroaching upon the other, a place of nomads, of underground cities now desolate, and in ruins. A dark secret lies within the artifacts found in this treacherous place, and reveals both the origins and fates of these two civilizations at war. In order to uncover the mystery and the truth, an archaeologist, in pursuit to justify his father's unfinished work, brings an unlikely group of experts together to help him recover the truth of their existence, and the cataclysmic event that may destroy them. On this quest wrought with peril, they discover from the military, and the dark, powerful lunar monastary, that in order to escape certain anihilation, they must unite these estranged worlds.

The characterization is impeccable, and Mr. Dalton's use of the religious history, the Vesanic verses, a triumph. I highly recommend this sci-fi thriller.

Karlin and Taylor wrote a classic text on stochastic processes in their "A First Course in Stochastic Processes". The second edition of that text was published in 1975. This sequel came out in 1981. It is not only a second course but it is also intended as a second volume on a larger course in stochastic processes. The authors show that they are continuing from teh first course by picking up with Chapter 10 after the first book ended with Chapter 9. Many of the topics in the first book are continued in this text including Markov chains and Diffusions. Heavy emphasis is placed on point processes and their applications including Poisson and compound Poisson processes, population growth models and queueing processes.

In financial derivatives, people are generally dealing with all kinds of stochastic processes. This second course focuses on diffusion processes and prepares one with adequate knowledge to go ahead and understand how options are priced. This book itself does not touch any financial theory and will be of great use to people in genetics, mathematics and physics alike (finance also, of course). The authors give a chart of logical dependence of all the chaptors so you do not need to read every single corner if you are only interested in a specific topic. Readers are assumed to know Calculus and some basic probability theory. Knowledge of Brownian motion is not required and the authors succeded in keeping the math accessible. Although a mature senior might undertake this book, math in this book is not sloppy at all. Another thing I liked this book very much is there are so many excersices at the end of each chapter and one can check if he understands the materials or not. It's quite fair to give this book five stars.