This work is an excellent resource to conservative theological thought. Dr. Miller's style is very conversational. He looks at all angles of the issues brought up in 1 Peter and then elegantly argues for his position. He is never disrespectful of those that disagree with him. Dr. Miller's easy going style allows the reader to ponder the deep theological issues presented without feeling bogged down by technical terminology. This is a book for any Christian intent on further their understanding of this often overlooked book of the New Testament. One does not need a seminary degree to understand the arguments presented in this book. The best commentary on 1 Peter of the many I have read.

An especially well written,comprehensive book on Native American petroglyphs, pictographs and geoglyphs. Detailed sections in clear, uncluttered language explain what Rock-art is and how and by whom it was created. A fine collection of illustrations show the variety of subject matter and the skill of Rock-art artists. Included are helpful listings of special resources and Wed sites. This slim volume is loaded with information. The authors admire Native American Rock-art and express their concern that it be respected and protected. Sensitivity to this art form will be heightened with the reading of this book.

Great talk from the classic era, with great interviews with Led Zep, Dylan, Neil Young, Stones, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel by writers Ralph Gleason, Jonathan Cott, Timothy White, Cameron Crowe, Bob Greenfield and more rock scribes. Neat time capsule.

Much of the mystery and splendor of the martial arts is presented beautifully and eloquently in this story of one man's journey along the path towards self-discovery. Using personal anecdotes, as well as interviews with some of the leading proponents of the martial arts, Liebergott takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the practice of the martial arts from the perspective of a middle aged student. From Liebergott's experiences, one is able to understand that the martial arts are available to everyone, and anyone can benefit from their study. A true reference guide for practioners of all styles.

The Small Faces & Other Stories Uli Twelker & Roland Schmitt

This is an updated version of the essential biography of all things Small and Facial. From Small Faces Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane to their respective Humble Pie/Faces bandmates Peter Frampton and Rod Stewart, everything fans want is here - discographies, extensive quotes and detailed analysis of each album, whether group or solo.

Twelker and Schmitt are journalists who are informed enough to be absolutely trustworthy, but also fans passionate enough to re-energize their beloved music with new insights. The stories of many backing musicians and other supporting characters are also told, giving the book a "family" charm that is especially poignant in light of the tragic deaths of Marriott and Lane. (One detail that cannot go unmentioned: the inclusion of Mary Frampton's recipe for Marriott's favorite pasta!)

The result is not only the definitive Small Faces book, it's the standard for rock biographers to follow in terms of completeness and accuracy. But not as far as visual attractiveness, now that the publisher unwisely decided to cut costs by removing all of the original book's photos. Still, since the various Faces crossed the paths of so many other stars of the 60's and 70's, and each encounter is discussed here, "The Small Faces and Other Stories" is a must for all rock fans. The only problem: if there's any group you love more than these original Mods, you'll be sad that Twelker and Schmitt haven't written a book about your favorites as well.

"U2 : Rattle and Hum : The Official Book of the U2 Movie : A Journey into the Heartland of Two Americas" is something that every U2 collector should have on the shelf and a book that U2 fans and music aficionados in general will enjoy. The book chronicles the making of "Rattle and Hum" from the whys of making the film to the live finale at Sun Devil Stadium.

The book takes you behind the scenes of shooting the film, telling of the challenges of making a film unlike any other previous release. It also introduces you to the principle players, both in front of and behind the camera. It discusses the band's influences and gives the stories behind various scenes.

For people who could care less about the making of "Rattle and Hum" and just want to ogle the band, this book will give you plenty to drool over. There are quite a few photos from the shoots with Anton Corbijn, as well as live shots of U2, some which have been distributed widely on the internet, some which you will see for the first time in the book. All of the photos are very beautiful and make this book a great candidate for the coffee table (which is where one of my two copies is)...It's a musical journey." Indeed!

Hey man, this is a good book, and I don't even like to read books. This is basically the history of Rock. (No not the Kid Rock CD.) It tells how it was started and what happened until the book was made. It talks about the major bands too. It even has pictures of the bands. This book was made in the 70's so that's as far as it goes. This would be a great book to read if you had to do a report about Rock.

Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor is an entertaining book. It tells why and how rocks can be useful. This book tells you what to do with and how to use rocks. The illustrations are also as excellent as the writing.

After reading this book to my fifth grade students they all find their our favorite rock and value it among their most prized possesions. The reverence and care that they shower upon their rock is unbelievable. Only Byrd Baylor could inspire that kind of compassion through such simple prose.

I am a senior who volunteers in a local elementary school helping the science teacher one morning a week with whatever she needs. (I also volunteer in the main branch of our county library.) In anticipation of a unit on rocks, she handed me a book list and asked me to check out as many as I could find. "Everybody Needs a Rock" touched me so much, I told her I was going to buy one for each of my 2 grandchildren. She said, if I was ordering, she wanted a copy also to permanently keep in her classroom. Today I ordered 3 copies and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she ended up ordering ANOTHER one for HER grandchild! It's just a beautiful, simple, charming book with lovely illustrations. There's nothing more to say. See it for yourself.

This is one of those rare biographies that transcend its subject. The rise of Elvis is fascinating and true Elvis fans will find a wealth of information in the book, but there is also much more to take from this well researched tome. The discussion of the music of Memphis, the sources that influenced Elvis and the rise of rock and roll make this book a terrific addition to anyone's library who is interested in music or the south.

The relationship between Presley and his many women is discussed here and so is the complex interaction between him and his family. Perhaps his most interesting relationship is with his manager, Colonel Parker. How that relationship shaped his career certainly makes for an interesting read. The author does as fine a job as I have ever seen of documenting his sources and treating his subject with respect, but not awe. This is one of the best bio's I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to students of Elvis, pop music, the south or to anyone looking to be exposed to a world that no longer exists.

I don't own a single note Elvis Presley ever sang. I've never been particularly interested in his life or his music. The only other popular music books I've ever read are largely about punk rock, my true musical obsession.

Yet my interest was piqued by the rave reviews this book received. Perhaps because of my interest in punk, and to a lesser extent 60's protest music, I've always been fascinated by the way in which popular culture both reflects and constructs its contemporary historical context. And what Guralnick does so brilliantly in this book is distill precisely that relationship.

This book is simply a beautiful portrait of 1950s America, of a strange decade when outward moral propriety just began to hint at the possibilty of subversive rebellion. Who better to embody that contradiction than a shy, polite religious boy from Tupelo who somehow transformed his love of gospel into seminal - the MOST seminal - rock and roll?

Guralnick eloquently portrays both the humanity and poignancy of his subject, and through it, the humanity and poignancy of a historical era on the verge of massive disruption. It still seems quiet and respectful and homely - like Elvis himself - and yet somehow you just know that lurking beneath the surface is genuine social rebellion.

A great book, a page-turner. So good I might even pick up an Elvis record.

"Last Train to Memphis" and its sequel, "Careless Love", make a deeply engrossing, carefully researched, finely written biography of Elvis Presley.

Author Peter Guralnick took eleven years to exhaustively research sources and interview people who knew Elvis personally and would tell their firsthand experiences. Guralnick's scholarly approach automatically eschews any hint of the fan adoration that can taint celebrity biographies. Guralnick might even have erred on the dry side rather than the juicy or dishy side of the story. This is all to the good, because Elvis' life story, a fantastic, zany, epic arc through American pop culture, is one that needs no embellishment and is served well by a measure of journalistic restraint.

Guralnick made a wise choice with the two-book format, because in Elvis' life there was a distinct "Rise and Fall." "Last Train to Memphis" is the rise: "Careless Love" is the fall. In each volume, Guralnick reveals much not just about Elvis, but about the people who were his family and closest friends and how their actions and relationships to him and to each other shaped Elvis into the man he became.

Accounts of his school days, his early days as a musician, his early girlfriends, and his family life all flesh him out as a human being and penetrate the shell of celebrity to offer a three-dimesional glimpse of the individual and his own ideas and aspirations and insecurities. The first volume ends with the death of Elvis' mother, a loss that sent him into the first tailspin of many, from which he never seemed to recover.

After reading this volume, you will be hooked on the story and will want to immediately begin the second volume, which is much darker and sadder as the King's world starts to unwind, chronicling his spiraling drug habit and his battles both public and personal. The second volume is catalogued and reported as dispassionately as the first, so that the same unblinking honesty that gave "Last Train" such sparkle and joy reveals the true depth of Elvis' isolation without having to resort to hyperbole.

Guralnick said it himself; that the rise to fame and the person were larger than life, and so too was the decline larger than life. It's an ending that leaves you feeling sad that what began so brightly should end so awfully.

I read these books because I knew very little about Elvis and wanted to know his life story, and they are a deeply satisfying and very credible account of the King's life. I can't imagine that there is a better bio out there for anyone who wants to study Elvis 101.

This book provides a huge amount of evidence primarily using Scripture and the Church fathers to show the Catholic position on the papacy. There is much detail, but the book was very readable. The author has well documented this account with extensive footnotes. Very useful. I actually preferred his previous book, Crossing the Tiber, because it told of his personal conversion, as well as had detailed Scripture and patristic quotes on the Eucharist and Baptism. (Three books in one.)

I highly recommend this book because it's full of histirical proof for what the Catholic Church teaches about Saint Peter and about the Papacy. I have checked some of Mr. Ray's sources, too, and the checked quotations were accurate.

Ray often quotes Protestant scholars, who agree with some Catholic teachings, and others who disagree with them. That helps a lot, too, because some Catholic books about apologetics seem not to quote Protestant sources that confirm Catholic beliefs.

"Upon This Rock" includes an extensive bibliography, too.

But for me, the book has an annoying feature. Often, a footnote will fill most of a page. So after you read a paragraph or two of bigger print, you need to get most of the page's detail from the small print in the footnote. The book would have been much longer without the footnotes, but I would prefer much normal size print to much tiny print.

Buy this book. It will prove that the Catholic Church is right about Peter and about the papacy.

Matthew 16:18 has long been one of the most disputed verses in Scripture between Catholics and Protestants. From the Catholic perspective, this verse points to the office of the Pope where Jesus grants divine authority to Peter and his successors. Obviously, this interpretation does not sit well for Protestants who deny this authority. But do Protestants correctly interpret this verse as well as other verses regarding the Papacy? The answer is no and this book will explain why. The office of the Pope will come alive for you as the author takes you through the Old and New Testaments as well as the writings of the earliest Christians outside of biblical times. The author left no STONE unturned (pardon the pun) as he methodically destroys any attempt to disprove the Papacy in Scripture. An insightful book and a must read for both Protestants and Catholics. Reviewed by Gospel Truth.