yes the DBI as it is called in the Wilhoit house is the bestest book ever (after the Bible of coarse!). i have been meandering arround his office and old students have come in and told him what a great book this was!!! Buy it!! I come in like a billion languages (Korean, Chinese, and English)
~Juliana Wilhoit

This is a very extensive, yet concise topical dictionary that explores the countless metaphors and images so prevelant in the Bible. It is amazing how much God used symbolism to represent Himself or His promises, and most people (including the OT Jews) never caught it.

One point of interest to me was the meaning behind the lampstand God had Moses contruct. Most people overlook the details God gave concerning it's construction and what it referred to, but not this book...

If you are a fan of the IVP series that includes such volumes as "Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels," "Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments," "Dictionary of Paul and His Letters," you will thoroughly enjoy this reference book.

I really had no clue as to how important biblical imagery was before i read many parts of this dictionary. Biblical imagery isn't just for Catholics anymore! Biblical imagery is so important to the bible because the bible is wrapped up in imagery.

Why does God refer to His followers as sheep? What was the significance of the prodigal son getting a robe, ring and sandals when he returned home? How are various metaphors used in scriptures? How does Old Testament imagery relate to New Testament writings? All these are questions that many of us have entertained and are answered in great depth in this dictionary. I don't remember what course this book was necessary for in bible school, but I am sure glad that I got my hands on it.

If you are a preacher, pastor or a leader in the church you need to get your hands on this book too. Biblical imagery is too important for us to be ignorant of. God uses imagery to emphasize points or principles and we need to know what He is saying instead of being confused at why such a figure would be used to tell a parable or story.

For all of us who know a little about American Christianity, pretend to know a lot, but wish to know much more, this book is a wise addition to any personal library and an invaluable resource in general. The articles are rich and informative, the cross-references helpful (and addicting!), and the topics comprehensive. As was once said, we are not a people without a history, nor should we become so. Historical books such as this ensure that our history as American Christians will not be forgotton, for although America was created for the purpose of liberty (including religion), I am afraid we have forgotten God in the process of growing up--to our shame. I recommend this book to Christians everywhere, from laypersons to scholars--all will find it useful.

delving into the successes brought on by the most eminent enterpreneurial minorities, daniel chirot and anthony reid compile interesting accounts of the hardships faced by the chinese and jews settling in foreign communities. consequently, the editors offer a book which is more than a tedious and detailed narrative; rather, chirot and reid give a rich, sensitive and sympathetic blend of history and personal stories, portraying these "outsiders" with the respect they richly deserve.

Don't let the small size of this book (328 pages in a paperback format) fool you; this book is absolutely packed with information on the healing herbs used in TCM --traditional Chinese medicine.

Author Reid has written a number of books on TCM. This herbal reference is well-written because it includes: the common Western name of the herb, the Latin name, the romanized Chinese name and the name in Chinese characters.

Packages of Chinese herbs may be labeled with any of the above, so this is really helpful. There is also a wonderful section on the principles of Chinese medicine and how the traditional herbal preparations are made. Some of the common combinations of Chinese herbs are included along with how to prepare them. There is a resource reference in the back. Highly recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine.

After combing the major bookstores in the Metro Detroit area, there are no travel guides to be found on Taiwan, until I found this one, and it is fantastic!

Why not, it is from the Discovery Channel people!

I did find only one other guide on Taiwan, but nowhere near the quality of this one.

I had bought a guide on St. Petersburg, Russia from the DK company, and I loved it. But most of the well known companies like DK, Fodor, Knoff, I don't believe publish one on Taiwan.

I am glad that the Insight people did, I am thourougly impressed. I will check them out from now on, when looking for travel guides for other countries!

YA!

I wrote a review on this 2 months ago, but I hope this one go's in. I went there, saw it and done it. The book is very accurate and a great guide to the islands, I recommend it to all first time visitors- don't forget to visit the ragga club on the east side, the owner also has great living accomadations on the ocean for the tourist.

if, like me, you're a bit plugged up from reading irvine welsh, noam chomsky, dave eggers, etc. van reid's "daniel plainway" might just do the trick.

i picked this up on a whim and afterward was scared i had gotten myself into something that was going to be a bit "precious and old-people-y", though i held on to a glimmer of hope due to the fact that "the onion" had read and liked the book.

in the end i couldn't put the thing down -- partly due to the author's way of jumping from storyline to storyline on a chapter by chapter basis, but mainly due to the fact that it was a delightful read. it reminded me more than a little bit of a rural american sherlock holmes adventure (the story is set in 1890s maine), but with tongue planted firmly in cheek (never irritatingly so though).

i won't divulge any details of the storyline, but i will say that i thought the book peaked about 2/3 in (when all the various threads finally came together) and after that it slowed down a bit. not bad, but perhaps mildly disappointing after such a fantastic build-up. one other point of note: if like me, you find yourself wanting to read the first two books in the series after finishing this one, you'll realise you've been given too many spoilers about book 2. will this affect your enjoyment of book 2? dunno. i haven't started that one yet... but i know how it ends.

i don't think you can go wrong with this one. regardless of your age or interests, a bit of good clean old-time book reading fun is coming your way.

Van Reid is just a great story teller. This is the best (so far) in his Moosepath trilogy.

Hurray for the Moosepath League!! Maine novelist Van Reid now has published a series of his comic, sweet novels, each more pleasurable than the last, featuring Tobias Walton and his companions Ephram, Eagleton and Thump. His most recent offering, Daniel Plainway: Or the Holiday Haunting of the Moosepath League, is the perfect Christmastime or winter fireside book. Woven with so many pleasurable amiable asides and subplots, the main story about a kidnaped boy and ancient Norse writings seems almost an afterthought. To take one example, Walton, whom Reid describes as "himself a pearl, and good things did seem to surround him", starts the novel losing his hat in a sudden wind; the peregrinations of that topper itself, and the goodwill it seems to bear from its owner, flow delightfully through the story. In another delightful scene, Reid waxes rhapsodically on the perfect qualities of snow for snowballs, leading to a delightful snowfall fight involving the novel's heros, villains, and local youngsters. A particularly pleasurable turn for me, a former classicist, is that the interpretation of the writings depends on hearing the Greek spoken in a seemingly nonsensical English phrase, "she'll bust her feeding." Although always lighthearted, Reid's novel is not without serious purpose, as expressed in the dialogue as to whether "there are so many people in the world willing to drive tragedy" or whether "there are as many, more, really, who are willing to put things right." In Reid's world, those who good-heartedly "put things right" - most especially the comical Moosepath League - predominate. I finished his book with a fair certainty that the same prevailed in my own place and time.

This was the first volume in the whole IVP series I purchased, and because of it, I bought the "Dictionary of the Later New Testament." This whole series is a wonderful and insightful compilation of Biblical studies. This work is a concise, and yet thorough work on Paul's theology and termonology, and the novice student doesn't need to worry about a ton of theological jargon or a degree in Greek in order to read it, either.

I tend to prefer the more extensive "The Theology of Paul" by James Dunn, although this book may have a more logical orginization to it as a dictionary format. I usually sit down with both when I study, as they both have their strenghts and weaknesses as a resource.

I dont 100% agree with everything in this book, but I agree with a lot of it, and consider it a necessity in my library.

The best one volume book you can find on the complete writings of Paul. The book covers everything dealing with Paul and his writings, and not one stone is left unturned. Every article is brilliantly written, and informative. I found the articles on Textual Criticism and the various ones on Jesus Christ very helpful to my study. Along with the other three volumes (Jesus and the Gospels, Later New Testament and its development and New Testament background) it makes a good collection to the complete understanding of the New Testament. Go out and buy it, and you will not regret it.

Another extremely helpful dictionary from IVP and Dr. Daniel Reid. A tremendous work that provides a vast array of scholarly articles on issues related to the Pauline corpus. The sweep of this project has been enormous. This particular volume has been of great help to me as I continue to move through the Pauline epistles. The many articles relating to the law have been especially helpful. The editors have been careful to give the traditional as well as the new perspective on Paul and the law a balanced hearing. Some of the articles are thin, but the bibliographies (at the end of each article), provide primary sources. This is truly one of the best resources on my shelf!

Bold, interesting, exciting, surprising, elucidating, sharp... and maybe a little bit too sharp at the edges. Daniel Reid is a wonderfully eloquent spokesman for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in general, and particularly of Chi-gung, which he has studied for many years. His opinion about the subject, stated elsewhere, is that "...Chinese chi-gung is by far the most profound and effective sytem for self-cultivation of health and longevity ever developed", and he is probably right, and he goes to great lengths to prove it. This book is Reid's latest, and it is thoroughly researched; his argument presented beautifully, artfully, intelligently, showing true love for and conviction to the philosophy and practice of Chi-gung. There is not a single statement in the book which is not documented by scientific evidence, accompanied by quotes from experts in the fields of biomedicine, TCM, martial arts, meditation, physics, and so on. However, and eventhough Daniel Reid is perhaps one of the best qualified persons in the Western world today to present such a thorough and lucid dissertation on the subject, (in my very humble opinion) I find some of his conclusions a bit too forward, and this, I think, could mislead newcomes to Chi-gung into expecting a bit too much. Now, do not get me wrong, I loved this book. I practice Chi-gung and T'ai chi ch'uan myself, and am deeply interested and involved in the study of Chinese philosophy and the Tao of Cultivating life. And Mr. Reid also states clearly, several times throughout the book, that chi-gung requires serious commitment, but anyway, an ounce of prevention and a good dose of pragmatism is my recommendation for those who read this book as a first introduction to Chi-gung (which is one of the author's main intentions). It's worth what you'll pay for it, as long as you remember that reading about something like chi-gung is only the half of it, and that experiencing it is as thorough and complete a thing as the contents of this great book!

This book is simply amazing. From the moment I started reading this book I was hooked. I just could not put it down. Once I started incorporating the simple breathing techniques discussed in the book,I noticed immediate improve ments in my circulation, energy level,flexibility,and mental clarity. Then after trying some of the moving exercises I felt totally charged as if I was being pumped with electricity, I have never felt better. This book is a must if you are interested in learning more about yourself, your inner strength, and your place in the universe.

This is a very compact book. It covers many things in CHinese Chi Gung, like Breathing exercises,self-massaging, acupressure, postures, meditation, health. It also covers the philosophy of Tao which Chi Gung itself is based on. Reid explains it in a clear way that's easy to read for Westerners. Personally, I've tried Chi Gung and it does really increase my energy and vitality and clarity. Especially the breathing exercises, god if there's one thing you should improve to make your vitality 'explode', it's by improving your BREATHING. Even Anthony Robbins teaches the 'power of breathing'! So it's not traditional mumbo jumbo. What chi gung is mainly about is, Chi (Air/Energy) Gong (Work/practice) that's what it means! Overall, this is a good guide for those who wants to know what chi gung is. You might also want to read another good book by the same author "The Tao Of Health, Sex and Longvity", it's a thicker book but it covers more subjects like diet, nutrition,fasting,breathing,exercises,correct sexual practice for vitality,meditation etc. Read it and most importantly, USE IT AND DO IT!

Daniel Reid seems more like an obsessive-compulsive than anything Daoist. He overwhelms the reader with an avalanche of drugs, enema potions (yes, *enema potions*), sex toys, and pseudo-scientific speculation. He'll have you believe that "being a daoist" requires observing dietary rules stricter than kosher, squatting with your feet on the toilet seat, and sticking a hose up your bum every morning while starving yourself. his sexual methods are ok, but go to N.K. Lin (or even Mantak Chia) for much better treatment. overall, reid seems to have a questionable grasp both of daoist philosophy and of modern science. overall his insistence on point-by-point observance of health rules (so you won't "!DIE!") is frustrating rather than liberating.

I do not know who to thank for curing me of a chronic digestive disorder that eluded allopathic physicians for the past 30 years: Daniel P. Reid or the ancient Taoist masters?

Mr. Reid's books are truly gifts to the modern Western world and to those who sense that there is something more to life than a mass-produced culture and lifestyle. Ancient wisdom does have a wealth of knowledge to impart today in order to live a better tomorrow. If you are a newcomer to Taoism, spirituality, and health, this is an ideal book to help you begin your journey towards enlightment. Those with a little more experience will also benefit from reading this book and adding its little gems of wisdom to their library of ever-expanding knowledge.

I also highly recommend Mr. Reid's "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity" as an excellent companion to "The Complete Book..." However, I caution you to exercise both responsibility and accountability as you read and practice. You should be fully aware that there is no way for the author to be familiar with your particular ailments or life-situation. In this regard, I recommend that you pursue your studies under the guidance of a qualified instructor and to seek health advice from a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner. If you heed the caution and advice you will gain tremendously. There is genuine gold in this ancient wisdom. You will find yourself asking the question: "Why doesn't the rest of the Western world know about this?"

Good luck to all of you as you travel the Tao of life-enrichment through ancient wisdom. I encourage you to pursue this seemingly miraculous path towards a better life. Learn from it and spread the word. You, and others, will never regret it.

I do not know who to thank for curing me of a chronic digestive disorder whose underlying cause had eluded allopathic physicians and Western nutritionists for the past 30 years: Daniel P. Reid or the ancient Taoist masters?

Mr. Reid's books are truly gifts to the modern Western world and to those who sense that there is something more to life than a mass-produced culture and lifestyle. Ancient wisdom does have a wealth of knowledge to impart today in order to live a better tomorrow. If you are a newcomer to Taoism, spirituality, and traditional health practices, this is an ideal book to help you begin your journey towards enlightment. Those with a little more experience will also benefit from reading this book and adding its little gems of wisdom to their library of ever-expanding Taoist knowledge. Somehow, years of higher education and exponetially expanding university tuition never taught me the beautiful, life-affirming, and liberating simplicities expounded by Taoism. Begin your journey with these books.

I also highly recommend Mr. Reid's "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity" as an excellent companion to "The Complete Book..." However, I caution you to exercise maturity, responsibility and personal accountability as you read and practice the ancient Taoist arts. You should be fully aware that there is no way for the author to be familiar with your particular ailments or life-situation. In this regard, I recommend that you pursue your studies under the guidance of a qualified instructor and to seek health advice from a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner. If you heed the caution and advice you will gain tremendously. There is genuine gold in this ancient wisdom. You will find yourself asking the question: "Why doesn't the rest of the Western world know about this?"

Good luck to all of you as you travel the Tao of life-enrichment through ancient wisdom. I encourage you to pursue this seemingly miraculous path towards a better life. Learn from it and spread the word. You, and others, will never regret it.