I think that this book was a really great book for little kids, It tells how people can be scared of things that can happen. This book was a book that had a really nice lesson in it, and I think that it would most likley be a book that mothers, fathers, ect. can read together with their kids, and enjoy it at the same time. Madeline learned her lesson not to walk on the ledge of the bridge when she fell into the water and almost drowned. If it wasn't for the dog that saved her, she would of not lived! That is why I think that you should read this great book, and you will love it. This is an adventurous book, with lots of picture's and details. The dog who's name is Genevieve was a stray dog, and he was also the one who saved her. He soon after became her bestfriend. All the girls in the school all try to keep the dog from getting taken away from Madeline, even the nun that watched Madeline and the other girls sticked up for the dog. The inspectors came in and tried to take the dog away from the girls, and they were so upset. At the end, they got to keep the dog, and it was a very happy ending. When the author wrote this book, I think that he was thinking about the friendship that someone can have for an animal of any kind, or a person. This book shows alot of that. The kids will also love the surprise ending to the story, because I knoqw that I did. When I read the story, I could not put down the book, not even for one second. This was a great book, and I know that you will love it, and that is why you should get it.

This is probably my favorite of the "Madeline" series for kids. Artistically it is beautiful, mixing expressive and energetic line drawings with the occasional full-color painting quite effectively. The story mixes very comic elements (like the girls all fighting over who will have the dog sleep on their bed, while their harried nurse keeps getting up in the night as always) and elements of true poignancy, like when the dog is lost. We see Madeline in her window looking at the empty streets, sighing "Oh Genevieve, where can you be? Genevieve, please come back to me." The direct, sad, but unsentimental tone of this moment is really moving. Overall, a most satisfying tale indeed, both in story and in art, with a happy ending that is sure to please.

The Madeline series has fascinated children, especially little girls, for decades. Having watched my own children enjoy the books, Madeline's Rescue became my favorite to read to children and to enjoy myself. The book has a marvelous balance of story and outstanding illustrations that make it more complete than almost any other illustrated children's book.

My wife and daughters love to quote the beginning of the Madeline books:

"In an old house in Paris

That was covered with vines

Lived twelve little girls

In two straight lines.

. . .

the smallest one was Madeline."

What an engrossing beginning! Why an old house? Why two straight lines? What are the little girls doing there? Why are we focusing on the smallest? Your mind is filled with questions that cause you to want to race forward and learn more.

This is a boarding school where the parents do not make an appearance in the story. So you are looking at the independent life of young girls.

Madeline's Rescue is the second book in the series. You will probably enjoy the book more if you read Madeline first.

One day while walking with the school, Madeline falls into the fast-moving Seine. If you have ever seen the river, you know it would be hard to rescue anyone from it without a boat. In this case, a brave dog saves Madeline. The girls take the dog home and name her Genevieve. They fight over who will sleep with her.

All's well until the school's trustees come for their annual inspection. The trustees point out the rule, "DOGS AREN'T ALLOWED IN SCHOOL." So Genevieve is put out. After the trustees leave, the girls are naturally upset and search all over Paris for her.

But Genevieve returns on her own. Miss Clavel awakens in the middle of the night to find her outside. Then Miss Clavel is awakened again when the girls fight over Genevieve. Then, she is awakened a third time for a very nice surprise! You'll have to read the book to find out what it is.

Most illustrated books don't hold up well in small paperback form. Madeline's Rescue is the exception. I recommend that you buy a large, library binding edition for home, and the paperback for travel.

The illustrations won this book the 1954 Caldecott award for best illustrated children's book in that year. I am sure you will enjoy the bright splashes of color and inked outlines for the happy scenes, and the somber, cold tones for the sad times. If you've ever been in Paris during the wintry weather, the dull looking pages will remind you of those overcast, dull days.

After you finish reading this book with your child, I suggest that you think about where else our connection with animals brings rewards in both directions. Obviously, this is true with other pets. But what about humble animals like the earthworm that make our gardens grow and look more beautiful? When we loosen the soil for the plants, we help prepare it for the earthworms too.

Discover our natural heritage and obligations!

Have you ever taken a frog home that you found in the woods? I bet your mom told you to put it outside immediately. Well, if you went to the Georges' household, the setting of my story, that is all you would find! Tarantulas, crows, owls, fish, frogs, you name it and you will probably find it roaming freely in the house. Jean Craighead George, the mother and protagonist, was raised to love animals and keep them as her pets, so she brought up her three children the same way. You probably can't believe that someone would keep a skunk as a lovable pet, but they did!

The only animal you wouldn't hear about in their house was a bear! The Georges even had a pond, as real as one outside, in their house built by their neighbor who worked with cement. Read this book and find out why all the fish in their pond start dying. Find out why they had to get rid of a crow as viscous as a hunting dog, or how they found a baby bird as small as a cotton ball that could fit in a teacup. It is all in the amazing and funny book The Tarantula in My Purse. I learned a lot of interesting facts from this book, and other times I couldn't stop laughing. This book was absolutely terrific and fun to read!

I thought this book was amazing! The people in my story instinctively kept wild animals as pets! Even when you had to get a special permit, they got one. I think it is hard enough having just a dog as a pet. I could hardly imagine acquiring so many wild pets and having to research exactly what they need. What amazes me is that it wasn't just their mother that did all the work and research, it was the kids too! They helped out, and researched and cleaned up after their animals. The children would never, not do something because it was too messy or they were afraid. Twig, one of those children, had an owl, Yammer, which was soft, gray, and loved television. One day Yammer was watching television stiff as a board, he fell off his perch. Immediately, Twig picked him up and cuddled with him just like he was her baby brother!

This book taught me to be a little more responsible when caring for my dog. They never complained when caring for their many wild pets. I really thought this was a good book to see how you should be responsible when caring for your pet if you want more and more!

The protagonists, a family of four, loved wild animals. One of them was a hard working mother. She was divorced when her children were young, so she had to work extremely hard to keep her children and animals happy. Before Jean Craighead George had kids she would go places and research animals. This family of Jean and her three children, Twig, Craig and Luke all researched animals over the years and knew a lot about them, just by taking them as pets. From the beginning of this story, until the end when her kids left and were now adults, the Georges had over one hundred seventy-two pets! Whether they stayed for a day or a year, whether they were a bird or a snake, Jean Craighead and her family took good care of them.

I thought the characters in my book were very different from most people I know. It would take me a lot of time to get used to living in their household. I am not used to having wild animals saunter around my house. The whole George family seemed jaunty. Although they had lots of difficulties with their wild pets, they never seemed to be very solemn or act gravely. Many times, though, I thought it would be fun to play with all the baby chicks, turtles and birds. I liked how the characters got the animals to love them and do all these funny things every time they wanted to play or eat. Finally, I enjoyed how passionate they were about their pets. You never had to tell them twice to play with their animals, because that was all they did!

So, do you think you love animals? Well, you should read this book to see how much you could really love animals and find out interesting facts. This book was terrific, it taught good morals and made you laugh, it even taught you some cool facts. I encourage you to read this book.

All of Jean Craighead George's great nature books come from experience (she spoke with wolves, had a falcon, has seen the most magnificent places in our country) but this is the one that is entirely autobiographical (she did write an autobiography but it is out of print). Stories charming, hilarious, gross, and heartwarming grace the pages of this unputdownable book. Readers can truly enjoy this book if they read related stories like THE SUMMER OF THE FALCON, THE CRY OF THE CROW, and THERE'S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER. All will smile at the true-life details that contribute to those tales. While most of the nature takes place indoors, nature lovers will still learn further about birds, mammals, and insects. This is a truly enjoyable book for any animal lover and Jean Craighead George fan.

This book is amazing! It is a true story about Jean Craighead George's life with wild pets. If you like wild animals, you'll love this book! Jean is the narrator of the book as well as the author. I think she would make a great animal caretaker. I really liked this book and I think you would, too, if you tried it!

Originally published in French in 1951, translated and published in English in 1957, it was re-published by Willmann-Bell in 1984, with extensive appendices giving sources of even more information. This book certainly shows its age in its inclusion of topics such as silvering a mirror at home (don't do it - lots of nasty chemicals), and its omission of Dobsonian ideas in its section on alt-az mounts - it pre-dates that innovation. However, for a discussion of designing an optical system, to grinding and polishing a mirror, and especially for details of how to rigorously test its figure, Texereau is unparalleled.

Several other books include six or a dozen telescopes you can build, with some pictures of the final product, and the builder's musings on what problems he faced in building it; Texereau takes you through all the messy details you need to know before making a lot of time-consuming mistakes. Again, much of it can be skipped; he spends four chapters on classical Cassegrains, which I gather is his favorite telescope design. But this book is highly recommended for anyone considering pushing glass.

HeLLO, WHO CAN HELP ME TO FIND THIS BOOK FRM JEAN TEXEREAU? ILL BE VERY GREATFULL! THANK U MADHU

My first experience with Texereau's book was back in the early 1960's when I built my first 4" Newtownian. Since then, I've build about 20 scopes, including several catadioptric designs and competed several times at Stellafane. At present, I'm building my 14 year old son an 8" f/d=5.2 Newtownian and find myself once again refering to Texereau's book.

To date, I have not seen an equal to Texereau's book, particularly in his detailed description of Foucault testing.

Dr. Brian T. Davis

The Misanthrope is a play about the principled Alceste, a regular Don Quixote of honesty and speaking one's mind. Despite the advice of his "friend" Philinte (apparently the playwright's voice), he never pulls any punches in revealing the vanity and superficiality of the court and the nobles (the Misanthrope was written during the reign of Louis XIV). While exposing the shallow flatterers for what they are, the play also points out the vain-glorious and quite ridiculous aspects of pursuing an ideal at any cost. As is known, Moliere is considered one of the greatest playwrights and a master of comedy. Partly because of this elevated status, I was a little disappointed by the Misanthrope. It does not reach the comic heights of the Greek comedies or Shakespeare, and as a comment on principled people it is certainly inferior to Ibsen's Brand. It is quite possible that it is more engaging when performed on stage, but as a read it is less than I expected.

Moliere's "The Misanthrope" is the most humorous play written in any language. It centers around the character Alceste, who has a firm beleif in being brutally honest all the time. The habit of others to speak harshly behind other's backs and hypocritically praise them to their faces drives him to the brink of insanity. It irks him so much that his only wish would be to become a hermit in the mountains. If it weren't for his love of the beautiful Celimene. However, to make things more complicated, she happens to be the queen of duplicitous thought. Alceste hates himself for loving a woman who behaves in the manner that irritates him the most, but cannot bring himself to confront what troubles him. That, paired with the remarkably written exchanges between Alceste, his friend Philinte, the pompous Oronte, and the many social courtiers and French aristocracy make this the ideal story to bring you to tears with laughter. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of theater, humor, and excellent writing. It truly deserves all 5 stars.

France in politically powerful and economically wealthy. King Louis XIV saw himself as ruling over an enlightened society. He was passionate about the arts and obsessive about theatre. Moliere wrote comedy. He contrasts what people are to what they think of themselves. Moliere's audience was spoiled, well educated, bourgeois, aristocratic and royal. The audience wanted to be entertained, to laugh and to be cheerful. The Misanthrope was controversial but a box office success. The play takes place in Celimene's house where she entertains a variety of visitors. Her visitors are relatives, friends and suitors who spend their time much as the upper society of the day. They dressed, penned and received letters wrote poems and libelous prose. They visited each other, hoped to be noticed by royalty and the litigious pursed lawsuits to uphold their reputations. Several suitors vie for Celimene's favour. Her malicious wit and her reluctance to pick one partner over the others cause her to end up alone. The play begins with Alceste and Philinte arguing about one of the social conventions of the day. Alceste declares that it is morally wrong to falsely flatter and Philinte says we must be tolerant of peoples behaviour. These two alternatives a-re frequently presented to the audience. There are two ways to approach the world and one is as good as the other. Throughout the play the characters axe thrown up against this dilemma with a variety of responses and outcomes. Each player presents as a contradiction with a hidden core. So that, depending on how one chooses to read the play, the characters can be interpreted in a variety of ways. This is were the fun begins, Alceste has been interpreted by many audiences as a noble, heroic idealist, a champion of honesty. He also can be seen as a rigid extremist, an absolutist whose maniacal criticism is quickly tiresome. He criticizes societies corruptions and acts like a conceited prig. Celimen is a chilly shrew or bewitchingly shrewd. She employs the conventions of the times in that she is a gossip, she has a malicious wit etc. but she is an admirable character. Philinte and Eliante are studiously tolerant of everyone and are consummate bores. Alceste's passionate assertion on the ideal of truth and honesty verses falsity comes across as absurdity. His absolutist stance is difficult to examine. He is a rigid extremist obsessed with his vision of right. He is in love with a person who embodies everything he abhors i.e. a coquette who falsely flatters, who is a witty gossip and although he professes tohe wants to change her and at the end of the play Celimene is abandoned to society and Alceste leaves her stranded even though he first wished she was helpless so that he could rescue her. His passion is out of proportion to events. i.e. Alceste advises Philante that hanging would be an appropriate response to falsely flattering. He is unable to apply anything he says to himself so that he thinks that he is reasonable and he is mostly unreasonable, bad tempered and brusque i.e. instead of an apology regarding his lawsuit he hopes he is guilty so that he can show the stupidity of society. The play is derisive of bourgeois behaviour but with Alceste as the messenger one wonders if Moliere is serious. Philinte and Eliante who are perhaps the Epicureans in the play stand for reasonable tolerance but they seem iust tedious i.e. Eliante's prescription for how love works. Celimene is the character who generates the most empathy. Even so, she ruthlessly rips everyone apart. She is quick and intelligent with the small talk. She is beautiful, rich, independent and her salon is the gathering place of the moment. She is the one who displays the most false behavior but perhaps she is the most honest. Truth and honesty, usually traits to strive for, in Alceste's character, seem somehow less than desirable. His passion and contradictory behaviour smack of insincerity, the very trait he claims to despise. This culture is obsessed with wealth and power and societal recognition. The currency is wit, youth, beauty. Celimene is aware that she has a very short time to establish herself before she will have the status of Arsinone, an older prude who is relegated to the ranks of visitor rather than someone who people want to visit. Even though Celimene plays by the rules she fails. Alceste and Celimene are totally unsuited to each other but perhaps they share obsession: he to distaste, she to taste. Alceste claims the more one loves the less one should forgive. Alceste courts isolation but at the end of the play Philinte and Eliante stick with him. Such a small book with such a rich context.

Wilbur faithfully reproduces some of Moliere's more experimental versification in this update of Plautus' Amphitruo, the story of Greek general who is impersonated by the god Jupiter-- so that Jupiter can share a bed with his wife! Moliere, a master of farce, plays this mistaken identity to its comic hilt.

Wilbur's translation here is peerless and his Afterword is wonderfully informative. This is not my favorite of his Moliere translations (I like The School for Wives and The Misanthrope) but I'd be hard-pressed to name a fault. Voltaire said of this play, "I laughed so hard that I fell over backwards." I didn't fall over backwards, but I got a good chuckle or two out if it.

This is an extremely funny, well written (& translated) play; Wilbur does a terrific job with the English verse, which makes the play read like an original--rather than a translation. Finding a well translated version of non-english written plays can often be difficult (especially with so many translations available), but this one is truly terrific.

This was the first play I had read by Moliere, and it wasn't at all what I was expected. It is a very light, easy and hilarious read. I laugh out loud each time I read it.

This book is a great place to start to understand the role Calvin played in the development of Reformed covenant theology. Contrary to popular opinion, Calvin's covenant thought was borrowed not only from Bullinger and Zwingli, but the Medieval Scholastics! This may be surprising since many think of Calvin (along with Luther) as one of the great reformers who opposed the works-oriented soteriology of the Medieval Church. In fact, Calvin and Luther did not see eye-to-eye on many things in regards to the law, covenant, and justification! Luther emphasized an unconditional monolateral covenant of grace; Calvin advocated a conditional bilateral covenant of grace. According to Lillback, Calvin "occupies a middle ground between the Schoolmen and Luther on the issue of the acceptance of good works in relationship to justification" (p. 308). This is an alarming conclusion to say the least. Many may think of Calvin and his soteriology quite differently after reading this book. There are two sections in the book. The first deals with the development of covenant thought during the Reformation period; the second deals with Calvin's development and understanding of covenant theology. Lillback does a good job presenting Calvin's viewpoint of good works, conditionality, justification, sanctification, perseverance, and the sacraments in relation to the covenant of grace. Also, Lillback does a good job showing how Calvin "resolved" the tensions between the Old Covenant and New Covenant. In fact, the author states that the New Covenant, according to Calvin, can be broken and is conditional (p. 264)! One may think that the Calvinistic doctrine of "eternal security" or "perseverance of the saints" may be incompatible with such notions. Also, Lillback discusses how Calvin did not see the pre-fall covenant with Adam as strictly legal and meritorious, but also gracious and merciful. This may raise alarm bells for many traditional Reformed theologians since it tends to undermine the Federalists notion of two "Adams" and the full imputation of Christ's righteousness to the elect. Many can see that Lillback is trying to tie Calvin with the likes of Daniel Fuller, Thomas Schreiner, Scott Hafemann, Don Garlington, and Norman Shepherd. In a way, one can detect that Lillback is trying to picture Calvin as a mediator between Romanism and Protestantism. I believe that Calvin was more "grace-oriented" than Lillback allows. Calvin in one of his famous commentaries teaches that weak and immature faith is just as much "saveable" as is strong faith (XVII, p. 311). Thus, Calvin recognized that some true believers do not live or possess the degree of faith as they should. Regardless of some of these disagreeable points, this book is a good introduction to Calvin's development and contribution to Reformed covenant thought.

Much more than an analysis of Calvin on Covenant, this is a really helpful discussion of the historical development of Covenant Theology in general. Exposing various past misconceptions of Covenant Theology's roots, and carefully documenting its distinct progression through various reformers, Lillback in this work skillfully paints his picture with primary source material.

He details how the concept of covenant in the Reformed tradition is much more than a section in a confession or a chapter in a systematic theology, but is an integrating principle or presupposition which functions as a paradigm, regulating and informing not only every area of theology, but our entire relation to God in history and eternity.

This work will be very useful also for the careful gathering and exposition of numerous quotes from Calvin and others, detailing what distinguishes Reformed theology from Lutheranism, on such things as the relation between law and gospel, the relation between Justification and Sanctification, and the role of the Law in the life of the believer.

There is so much more here of value which could be mentioned, I'll just mention one other: the relation of the covenant to the sacraments, namely how one's view of either the mutuality or one-sidedness of the covenant impacts whether the covenant meal (Eucharist) is seen as mutual or merely testamentary.

The bibliography here is extensive; the index quite adequate; there are several helpful summary tables and charts; footnotes are (thankfully) at the bottom of the page.

This work is Peter Lillback's Dissertation at Westminster Theological Seminary (PA), completed in 1985. After he turned it in, they set a page limit of 400 pages on dissertations, his being almost twice that (double spaced).

If you are interested in Covenant Theology, the development of Reformation and Post-Reformation thought, Calvin, or simply how you are to understand the relation between faith and obedience, you must purchase this book.

The Monk and the Philosopher Gautama Buddha like Socrates used dialogue as his favorite method of teaching. This book also follows the Buddhas footsteps in being a dialogue between two highly intelligent individuals who happen to be father and son. The father is Jean-Francois Revel a leading French philosopher and Mathieu Ricard, a scientist turned Buddhist monk. Their conversation lasted for 10 days and covered a very wide range of Buddhist issues. Initially, the discussion focused on the controversial subject of whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. The monk explained that it is more a philosophy than a religion, because it is not a dogma and allows flexibility of ideas. Moreover, it is a product of human mind who never made any claims to divinity. In fact the Buddha emphasized that his teachings be not accepted if wanting in logic and rationality. The acceptance of ideas should be like purchasing gold, the Buddha said. Before purchasing gold, "we rub it on a flat stone pound it with hammer and melt it in fire", so also every doctrine must be thoroughly examined for its validity and truthfulness. The collected sayings of Buddha (known as Sutras) cover one hundred and three volumes of the Tibetan canon, the Kangur. This is accompanied by another two hundred and thirteen volumes of commentaries written by eminent teachers and scholars. The reason for such a huge collection is the length of the time the Buddha taught without break from the age of thirty until his death at eighty. Although vast in its totality the core teachings are quiet concise. They analyze the most important problem faced by mankind - that of suffering. By suffering the Buddha meant mental anguish or agony, which is a translation of the word Dukha in Pali. According to the Buddha suffering arises when the self or the 'me' that we cherish is threatened and denied its wishes. The usual goals in life of power, wealth, fame and sensual pleasure, give only temporary satisfaction. One day or another they turn into sources of unhappiness. Pursuing purely earthly goals we have no more chance of attaining true happiness, "than a fisherman has of catching fish, by throwing his net into a dry riverbed." The Buddha warns that, "if you keep your hand in fire, it is no use hoping that you won't get burnt." The only way to save your hand is to take it out of the fire. The book briefly covers the remedy, which the Buddha advocates to overcome suffering. As suffering is born out of greed, ignorance, attachment, hatred, pride and jealousy they should be discarded and replaced by thoughts of virtue, loving kindness and compassion. The book does not describe the techniques of meditation in any detail, as this was not very appropriate for the purpose of discussion, but the basic principle is explained, which is to maintain awareness of the present moment, free of any discursive thoughts. Gradually, the meditator becomes better and better in the process and the negative thoughts become weaker and weaker and loose their confining solidity. Eventually, the process of 'liberation' occurs, when even if the negative thoughts arise, they pass through the mind without effect, "like drawing made on the surface of water". The mastery of the mind gives patience, and patience gives strength to act correctly, without being blinded by anger, revenge and aggression. A spiritually developed mind is also able to see reality as it exists, whether good or bad, without getting overwhelmed by emotion. To illustrate this a Zen poem is quoted which reads, "To her lover, a beautiful women is a source of delight; to an ascetic a distraction; to a wolf a good meal." A brief section concerns the most esoteric of Buddhist doctrines, which in Sunyata or emptiness. In it, it is claimed that visible world does not have any concrete existence or form. The concerned sutra states, "Emptiness is form and form is emptiness", implying that in final analysis the world does not have any intrinsic reality. If atoms are not "things", as Heisenberg states, then how can their accumulation in form of visible objects, become things? The closest modern physics comes to Sunyata is that, "Matter is energy and energy is matter". If all matter turns into energy then that would be emptiness in the physical sense. Buddha did not try to 'convert' anyone, as in reality there is nothing to convert to! The contemplative aspects of Buddhism are common to all religious. Its analytical approach leads to the understanding of the mind - useful for person of any denomination. The philosopher sums up his impressions by stating the west has trimphed in science, but wisdom is not based on scientific certitude, and scientific certitude does not lead to wisdom. Both are separate but indispensable for the welfare and well being of mankind. The monk sums up by stating that such a dialogue is useful, but can never be a substitute for the silence of personal experience, as Goethe had aptly stated, "silence allows nature to whisper to us". Through those whispers we learn the purpose of life. DR. VIQAR ZAMAN

It's hard to find a good intellectual book on Buddhism. Many of the books out there are either written in the lighter "self help" style, are tartgeted at more serious practitioners or are a little too Zen for me to grasp without building some context first. For someone like myself, exploring Buddhism as an alternative or supplement to my traditonal protestant upbringing, I've been looking for a book that both (i) presents Buddhist philosophy in a Western context that I can relate to and (ii) keeps the discussion on a more intellectual/philosophical level. This book delievers. Make no mistake, the subject matter is pretty dense. However, the book delighfully readable due largely to it's "dialogue" format. Both father and son and eloquent, thoughtful and respectful communicators and tend to get right into the issues of interest to me just as I begin to wonder if they are going to touch on them. As a result, I felt a definite affinity with the authors. After reading several other books on Buddhism, I finally feel as though I have a foundation for understanding it. I have built my context and now I want to learn more. For that I am grateful and highly recommend this book.

This is a dialogue between father and son, father a prominent journalist and philosopher and son a scientist, who renounced his promising career and became a Buddhist monk,it is East and West getting together. They are two brilliant minds discussing a wide range of topics with an honest and unbiased approach, in a very accessible and elucidating style. Since the book has been written from a Western perspective and maily for Western readers, Buddhism is highly questioned and as a result the reader is presented with an excellent introduction to Buddhism as a religion and philosophy as well. The main point here is not a confrontation between East and West, between Reason and Faith; it is an excellent exchange of ideas with the purpose of finding what is best from both approaches and what would best serve future generations. Excellent, fascinating, enlightening, highly recommended!

I found this book to be a fine introduction to sushi and sushi making. Not only are the basic techniques of sushi making described, but the authors also include a wealth of information about sushi in general. Topics covered include the history of sushi, the process of obtaining fish for sushi, the etiquette of sushi eating, and much more. For those interested in simliar books, I must recommend Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art. Together these works will give a novice everything they need to know about sushi and the cooking of Japan.

This book is true fun to read. Pictures are spare, elegant, and profuse; for a good ways in the middle of the book, every other page is a full-color photo designed to remind you how various forms of sushi relate to the passing of the seasons.

The text is clear - very readable - and the author's love for the history, tradition and eating of sushi shines through. Tips on what to order don't feel like prescriptions so much as suggestions; I especially appreciated the explanation of which types of fish are good during different parts of the year. The book is crammed with practical information like this - Omae points out that maki rolls should be eaten first, not because of some obscure protocol, but because the seaweed-paper wrapper may not hold up as moisture soaks into it. And it may sound obvious in retrospect, but I'd never actually realized that you're not supposed to dip the rice part of nigiri-zushi into the soy sauce; rather, you hold it 'upside down' and just wet the fish.

This book will make you want to go out and eat more sushi, and if you're a thoughtful person like me, all that good information will probably enhance the experience. 5 stars!

This is absolutely the best of the 6 Sushi books I have. In fact the simple form of this book contains the whole idea of sushi - keep it simple and yet delicious. There are not many colour illustrations but the plain line drawings tell you exactly what you need to know about preparing fish or making maki rolls. In addition to actual recipes the book has stories about fish markets and sushi bars in Japan. If you want to have a book which you can leave casually on a coffee table do not buy this book but if you want to know about sushi or even want to make sushi yourself this is the only book you'll ever need.

This is the kind of book which would have some appeal to devotees of the typical 'feminist spirituality'. Unfortunately, her appeals to the 'ancient matriarchy' are ahistorical, and her analysis of the Ring itself simple. A book does not need to be intensely musical, but the opera itself is rather neglected. The story can be made to fit into the Jungian paradigm, but only by a very selective reading of the poetry, which neglects the richness of the Ring. If you have to go Jungian, go with Donington. Better yet, go with Deryck Cooke for an introduction.

I won't launch into an academic review or a precise of the story. Suffice to say that this is a wonderful book. For 30 - something women, particularly who identify with a patriarchal 'Wotan' figure and his defiant daughter (Brunnhilde) who forsakes wealth and power for love, this is a journey with which you will be familiar. And a wonderfully warm insight into what can be acheived by such women should they take some risks and act from their hearts! Many books have been written on the suppression of the feminine in society but this multi faceted gem allows a glimpse of so many layers of understanding in such an accessible way that it is irresistible. A peek at Carl Jung, an introduction to the genius of Wagner, the insights of the mythologies and the interpretation and storytelling genius of Jean Shinoda Bolen. If nothing else, this book is good value! So much in one package - a rare find these days indeed!

Certainly one of Bolen's most essential works. Ring Of Power provides a valuable guide to Wagner's classic Ring Cycle, yet it is Bolen's grasp of the archetypal basis for the mythology that gives the book its power.

All creation comes from an archetypal base, and in The Ring, it is the symbolic sacrificing of the Sacred Feminine that drives the entire story. This principle is fundamental to many pieces, including Faust, the Grail legends and even Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

In each case, only the restoration of that which has been sacrificed in a Faustian pact can make healing occur. Bolen's genius is never clearer than in this book, and it was pivotal to the concluding sections of my own book, Sirius Moonlight: The Origins Of The Suppression Of The Feminine.

I would strongly recommend Ring Of Power, and indeed all of Bolen's works - especially her autobiographical Crossing To Avalon. People who doubt the importance of Thinking Person's Feminism might consider this... 84 years ago Jean Shinoda Bolen would not have been able to vote, own her own house or inherit property from her father. Like every other woman in the highly civilized English-speaking world.

My own book is dedicated to the nine million women who were murdered by the Church during the Inquisition, for such heinous crimes as being midwives and healers. Lest we forget. If the patriarchal Valhalla is now burning, all I can say is pass the gasoline. Good job, Jean.

This is a modern advanced text on econometrics emphasizing dynamic models including the ARCH/GARCH models that have practical application in finance. What makes it a little different than most texts is the Bayesian approach. The authors include coverage of MCMC methods which make the Bayesian approach more realistic. This book provides a very modern treatment of econometrics

This is an outstanding introduction to the application of Bayesian statistics to the problems encountered in macroeconomics and finance. Bayesian inference it's becoming a critical tool for researchers and practitioners with an interest in empirical ecnomics and to date this is the first book on Bayesian time series econometrics. The sections on nonlinearities and on numerical integration are especially valuable. Having the book it is a must for researchers and professionals interested in modeling and forecasting the state of economy and financial markets.