This book is a compendium of sorts, drawing from the combined knowledge of over 25 well-known Catholic authors/apologists (Sugensis, Stravinskas and Armstrong for instance). The book is 29 chapters of Catholic doctrine, devotionals, evangelization guides and stories. It is extremely well-written, easy to read and since each chapter is authored by a different contributor the book does not get monotonous. The apologetics work is easy to understand and is spread out so the reader does not get bombarded all at once. If one wants to buy a book to help them in their apologetics work that revolves around explaining Marian doctrine, this is the book I would point them to first.

I found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding where Jews and Catholics agree and where they agree to disagree. I especially liked the section on the respective liturgies of the Jewish and Catholic faith traditions. It was so interesting to see how Catholicism is firmly based on the foundation of Judaism... and how Catholicism has, in turn, influenced Judaism! The dialogue format between a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi was especially helpful. All in all, a valuable book on the dialogue between Jews and Catholics.

I had the writer of this book as a professor,and though a book could never capture the energy of his lectures, it came pretty close. This is a book written by a guy who really knows what he is talking about. I highly recommend it.

Great book. It covers 14 Catholic classics including St Francis, St Augustine, St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila, .......and gives about an 8 page summary of each. I can then go and read the full classic after knowing what I am in for so to speak. I find that some books that are good for some are not good for you and though I am positive that we all need to read these classics at some stage in our lives - spiritually we need to be ready for them, and by reading the summaries it has helped me to see which is speaking to my soul.

I must admit that John Cassian is one of my favourite spiritual writers so I wasn't surprised to find that I enjoyed this collection of his conversations as well. The main reason I rate it so high is that it is better value than any of the other editions which are available. I do recommend any of John Cassians writings that you can get hold of, and at the price this is probably the best edition at the moment of this particular work.

Here is a book written for a scholarly audience (read "college textbook"), which accounts for its price and writing style. Like most textbooks, it tells you what it's going to say, goes into it in great detail, and then sums it up. The book is vital for any student of Eisenhower, but also anyone who keeps an eye on current affairs. Details how the Eisenhower Administration dealt with a myth put forward by Congressional Democrats that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in terms of military might. (See how some things never change?) Explores how the White House came up with what remains our basic defense policy today, namely reducing the size of traditional forces and relying more on nuclear missiles, "The New Look." You'll see how the Administration drafted this policy at the expense of things like "clean nuclear bombs," and so on. The author did a very good job researching this subject matter and it shows.

This is a fabulous book--especially that Fr. Vicente Lopez!

_Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook_ by Humphrey, Oleson and Sherwood is a fascinating and yet accessible examination of ancient technology in all its aspects. The sourcebook format is particularly well suited to such a diverse topic, and brings the reader closer to the Greeks and Romans in letting us read their own writings about technology. The authors have amassed a spectacular collection of passages from ancient authors on all aspects of ancient technology: the rise of technology and civilization (including some mythical sources), sources of energy and basic mechanical devices, agriculture, food processing, mining, metallurgy, construction engineering, hydraulic engineering, household crafts and workshop production (metals, wood, ceramics, textiles, etc.), transport and trade, record-keeping, and military technology. The final chapter on "Attitudes towards labour, innovation, and technology" is particularly interesting in light of modern issues. The passages themselves are well translated into readable English and are prefaced by short yet very informative introductions on the subject at hand. There seem to be no missing categories I could think of. A short introduction explains the approach of the book, the sources, and contains an essay on "society and technology in antiquity." There are several thorough indices, which make it a handy reference book and source for further study. Anyone who is genuinely interested in the ancient world or the history of science and technology should enjoy this book. It is eminently dippable and can easily be read a few pages at a time. It would make a great present for a well read friend.

I should preface this by saying that I am not a person who usually reads histories for fun, but this book is quite impressive. Salway manages to present a massive amount of detail without overwhelming the reader. At no point is the narrative stuffy or dull, and it is frequently amusing and very interesting. I would have prefered at least some photos or drawings (there are none), but the facts and commentary are colorful enough to keep you interested. Based on other books I've read on this period, and a course on the topic, Salway's information seems quite accurate. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Roman history and culture, Celtic history (what there is of it), and the relationships between Britain and the rest of the ancient world. Most historians seem wed to the dry listing of dates and battles, but Salway presents enough cultural information to keep things interesting enough for laymen (or even anthropologists...). Its a bit long - several hundred pages, but I highly recommend this book.

This book is a translation of a monks latin work on the albigensian crusade (launched 1209). It was actually written during the crusade (1212-1218). It has been translated beautifully and the authors has included many interesting notes about the accuracy of the monks work. If you would like to learns something about the albigensian crusade this book is great as it contains a rather detailed first/second-hand description of the events that led to the crusade as well as the crusade itself. The monk is rather prejudiced (he's a chatholic and the target of the crusade are heretics) but that only add color to the text.

The book is rather hard to read as the monk style of writing is very compact - very much information in little space - not many superfluous words or sentences.