A great asset for public speaking course - either as a main text for simple, straight-forward non-technical (communication science) approach to speaking in public, or as an adjunct to a more formal, traditional text (covering outlines, types, etc.). It addresses attitude as well as content, and gives mnemonics for creating speeches which are not pedestrian, humdrum boring but full of life, interest and distinguished enough to be noticed. All summed up in the basic tenet of Sir Winston Churchill, the greatest speaker of this century (such as remains): care more about the message than yourself as the messenger. It can be read in a couple of hours, and absorbed over seveal months. Each time I use it, I find something which had not particularly struck me previously.

From someone who conducts 75+ public speaking presentations per year and teaches public speaking for a major university, let me say that this is the single best, most concise book ever written about public speaking "do's and don'ts". It's simply shameful that such a helpful book is out of print. If you can find a copy, snag it up as quickly as you can.

An interesting view of the changing world of the early 20TH century's transition from sail to steam power in commercial shipping. Presented through the eyes of a young,junior ship's officer. An invaluable perspective of life on tramp steamers and liners.The book finishes with an accurate first-hand account of the saving of the Titanic's surviviors.

Sir James Bisset started his career as a cabin boy at an early age; His most-interesting early years on sailing vessels is well-documented in his first book "Sail Ho!". Bisset continues with "TRAMPS and LADIES, My Early Years in Steamers", a very informative description of his work and the vessels he served on. One chapter, for example, is written from his detailed notes made at the scene of the sinking of the Titanic at first-light the morning after the tragedy; it answers once and for all the reason that the closest known ship (stopped in the ice for the night) did not come to the Titanic's aid. This book is a "must" for mariners, explorers, and history buffs. ( Sir James Bisset started writing a third book titled "Commodore" covering his merchant seaman experience in World War 11, which includes his service on the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.)

One reviewer said that this will take "most college students with religious backgrounds that study the sciences to the very same place," that place being a disbelief in evolution. Well, I was raised very strictly religious and I'm majoring in zoology and this book certainly didn't shake my knowledge (notice that that word is not "faith" as the creationists would like me to say) of the truth of evolution one little bit.

Another reviewer said that this book made him laugh out loud. Well, it made me laugh out loud too, in consternation and disbelief that anyone this uneducated about the facts would purport to write a book about it. At least the book "Darwin's Black Box" is intelligently written and makes you think. This book just panders to the religious right with total disregard for the facts.

I do admit that it was amusing in some places, such as the passage that reads, "I told Effie if the little guy and the fat lady showed up, to usher them right in. Usher she did, at exactly 9:00 A.M." That's a nice little creationist joke for ya.

I picked it up, seeing the word "Darwin" in the title and being intrigued by a fiction novel dealing with Darwin. I was sorely disappointed to find that it was basically a religious tract about the dangers of evolution and the evilness of atheism, with some remarks about the horrors of abortion and birth control and women not accepting their proper place in society thrown in to boot. The biggest surprise of the book was that there were no anti-homosexuality passages, though the fact that one of the evil atheists was a man who wore perfume may be a underhanded allusion to that.

No, this book is not well-written, life-changing, or accurate in the least. It's only value lies in illustrating the impressive amounts of silliness fundamentalists can create despite having their heads so far down in the sand that they're in danger of striking oil.

On the back cover of the book is a quote from Phillip Johnson, the man who almost single handedly has caused Darwinists serious head burn--they are clearly on the run now. He says of this book, "Darwinists will be outraged," and he's right about that. That's because the book is so doggone smart and funny. Darwinists, in my experience, can't stand being made sport of.

This novel is a mix of history and fancy (though the line is sometimes obscured), but the really important point is that it is about what really is the heart of hard core evolutionary thinking, and that's a fear of being wrong. Because that might mean God really does exist!

I recommend this novel to all who are interested in the creation-evolution controversy, at the very least because it's different from the normal, dry, academic tones. I think high school students would especially like it.

I have not given much thought about the Theory of Evolution. I have always thought that it takes more faith to believe everything was created randomly rather than by a Creator.

After reading this book, I now have a better picture about how the false doctrine of evolution has negatively effected every facet of our society.

This is a very entertaining way to get a lot of background on the creation and perpetuation of a lie that many have believed.

Excellent read [5 stars] I also highly recommend "The Nephilim Seed" (also by Mr. Bell)

James Monti's work, "The Kings Good Servant But God's First," provides an excellent overview St Thomas More's life and writings; but a much greater focus is based upon his writings. Monti's treatment of More's oeuvre is skillfully researched, comprehensive, informative, and pleasing to read. St Thomas More's defense of Church unity and the Sacraments against Tyndale and the rising tide of the Reformation, is finely commented upon in a clear and concise fashion. His devotional writings and correspondence with family in the waning days of his life on earth, are given an exceptional touch of intimacy, which will no doubt compel readers to seek out works such as the "Treatise upon the Passion" and the "Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation" (as one of our fellow reviews has pointed out as well). As for More's life, Monti pays particular attention to his early years and his final days, with brief expositions in between on his rise in the King's court and his later relations with Henry VIII as tensions began to swell between the English monarch and the Papacy. Overall, Monti presents a noble sketch of the Christian scholar and family man, graced with charm and good humor, conscientiousness and candor, who was devoted to his friends and family, and to the salvation of souls and Christ's Church. This book offers much material for in-depth study and further reading, and it is a definite recommendation.

The author has presented a very well balanced survey of the life of St. Thomas More. In this work of history, one can find an excellent survey of the literary work of St. Thomas More. Additionally, you will find an excellent synopsis of St. Thomas More's relationship with his friend and humanist, Erasmus.

The author writes in a style which captures the reader. This will not be one of those histories that you may only read piecemeal. Rather, St. Thomas More takes life and captivates the reader because of his holiness and goodness.

This work looks into the saint's devotional practices, his great faith, his love of God and man, and his relationship with his family. To state that this is an excellent starting point for any person wishing to learn more about this man is an understatement.

The characters of the reformation (i.e., Luther, Henry VIII) are given a balanced treatment in that their beliefs or writings are not misconstrued or embellished. St. Thomas More was a defender of the Father, and to that extent, his writing of the defense of the faith are given equal treatment.

This book is most highly recommended.

I am about halfway through this book, despite purchasing it only a few days ago. It is such a terrific read, I can't put it down. I even bring it to work with me to read whenever I have a few spare minutes!
For those of you who might find history boring, this is still the text for you. Monti's style of writing is outstanding and easy to follow. This book is one of my all-time favorites.

Most importantly, it provides a fair and objective portrayal of Saint Thomas More. Many books have a bias, one way or the other, when writing about More or 16th century England - it's tough to find one in this book. The book also doesn't center simply on More, but gives the reader a fair portrayal of the Reformation during this crucial period in European history.

More's life is simply fascinating - it reads like a novel. More's genuis and profound morality is clear. Upon reading this book, More is the type of man one would want to know, and the kind we wish (!) there were more of in modern-day society. It is an extremely inspirational book.

If you are the type of person whose spirit gravitates to the simple (not simplistic, but simple)answers to some of the most complex and seemingly unrelated questions, and those answers desired consist of the type philosphers, poets and artists/scientists have been looking for (with varied success) for millenia, then you just might enjoy this book. Camile Paglia's SEXUAL PERSONAE, heavily indebted to this and the major works of Freud by her own proud admission, is what led me to this pretty staggering work for its time. It is relatively easy to make someone's brain hurt with a lot of scholar talk, where one is saying nothing; this book is great because it is *sensational*, in the truest sense of the word. This is one of the first of the many books about religion and the history of man that put my stomach up in knots, as it simultaneously gave me the power to look beyond the fabrication of ancient Greek philosophical society and Judeo-Christian heritage as the summit of man's knowledge. (Not that that was ever a problem for me consciously, but unconsciously I doubt anyone without reading a book like this has moved beyond it.) This is one of the books that made a new approach to the understanding of man and a paradigm shift as to how we have mentally, emotionally and spiritually developed not only possible, but inevitable.

What could keep this monument from receiving five stars will be fairly obvious to any reader: the prejudices of his time. It is actually hard to look at what he says objectively in that context; before him I doubt anyone put two and two together to come up with what he did during a time when his racism and trivialization of non-Euopean peoples, and for more than the past fifty plus years after him, anyone who has read his work has had that tempered by the embarrasing revalations of Nietsche and Freud. That, along with the egocentrism of Victorian Europe that he projects onto ancient and prehistoric man, serves to keep the book from being perfect (and are sometimes annoying), but do not serve to really take away its importance and incredible effect.

If you are a Joseph Cambell fan, you will be powerfully challenged by this book. Frazer was not attempting to come up with the same conclusions for myth and ritual that Campbell, though influenced by him, was. But you will love it, and respect it highly because of it. In a way, where Campbell seems to say "this is what it all means," Frazer says "this is what it all IS," letting the wonder of unexpected knowledge allow you to come to your own conclusions. This book will start you on a great spiritual journey if you never read anything of its kind before, and this edition is a very good one to have.

Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941) was a Scottish anthropologist; and this book, originally published in 1890, as the two volume, "The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religions", his best known work.

A short example of his writing style follows:

"On Midsummer Eve people in Sweden
"make divining-rods of mistletoe or of four different
"kinds of wood, one of which must be mistletoe. The
"treasure-seeker places the rod on the ground after sundown,
"and when it rests directly over treasure, the rod
"begins to move as if it were alive...."
(pp 367, with reference notes at the bottom of the page.)

This particular edition is the only unabridged, and illustrated re-printing of the classic, and while some modern scholars refute some of his conclusions, it is a Must Have for any student of folk-lore and magick.

This book, however criticized and unaccepted for its main conclusions, is still the major contribution to the understanding of our evolution of thought. I find it essential reading for anyone who has read or is reading either the newer revelations of freud and jung, or the works of plato and other ancient philosophers.
I notice that many readers are immediately offended by Frazer's apparent disdain for the 'uncivilzed savagery' of non-European cultures. However, this is a superficial conclusion to bring from this masterpiece. A little mulling over of The Golden Bough will show us that the savage's culture that Frazer so often refers to is none other than our own western culture. Frazer reveals to us our own social, cultural, and religious blindfold, which is none other than a pretty rendering of the ancient magics and superstitions explored in The Golden Bough.

While this book is certainly amusing and interesting to read, it is a prime example of what we now call "Orientalist" literature. This is literature produced by western writers--in this case Morier--about the East. What is wrong with it? Morier's work are far removed from any knowledge of Persians. Yes, it is true he did learn Persian at some time--but he was primarily trained in Turkish. (But, then, from his perspective all Orientals are the same, are they not?) He presents Hajji Baba as a coniving, corrupt, and greedy. Morier's creation has become so prevalent that it still informs our view of the Middle East to this day, since many government officials and journalists look at Morier's work (and other like him) as if they are authentic. From the perspective of a Middle Eastern, however, writers like him have contributed to nothing but confusion, streotypes, and even racism. I suggest instead that you read "Season of Migration to the North" by Tayeb Saleh, the perfect anti-dote to Orientalist writing.

I found this book to be an excellent read! It's got subtle humor, adventure, romance, rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back-again...if Sinbad had a distant cousin on the wrong side of the tracks, it would be Hajji Baba of Ispahan. This book, according to the intro, has a SEQUEL which covers Hajji's trip to England, but I haven't seen sign of it anywhere. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

Hajji Baba may be the best book out of print. It's one of those unique, authentic, hilarious books like My Family and Other Animals.

The author's attempts to draw parallels between the career of Admiral Gordon and the fictional Horatio Hornblower generally are stretches. I thought he needed to reread the Hornblower books before making some of the comments he did. His list of similarities in their careers in the forward would be more effective if they were accurate for Hornblower. However, the dates for different ranks are wrong. He also equates Gordon's enlistment at 11 with Hornblower's joining at 17 as both being "mere boys in 1793." Hornblower was actually old for a new midshipman.

However, we should be grateful that this dubious premise sold the book, because Perrett has provided us with a very solid biography of a typical naval officer of this period. Gordon is not in the first rank of Napoleonic naval officers, but the variety of his experiences and actions shows the type of man who made the British navy great. With the skill of the true historian, Perrett has dug out details of long forgotten actions and campaigns. His style is readable, and he has an eye for the sort of detail that adds zest to a biography.

The life of Admiral Gordon is very interesting and the book is a pleasure to read. The comparisons between Gordon and Hornblower are not overdone, and even readers who are not Hornblower afficionados (like myself) will enjoy the book.

As a lifelong Hornblower/C.S.Forester fan, I read this book with some trepidation, but Perrett seems to be a fan as well. He proposes a new theory: that Forester created the character of Horatio Hornblower using the model of a real Royal Navy captain in the Napoleonic Wars : James Gordon (who eventually became an admiral). Perrett hangs most of the premise for his theory upon an apparent inconsistency in C.S. Forester's otherwise thorough nonfiction writing style. In Forester's NAVAL WAR OF 1812 (nonfiction),he barely mentions Captain Gordon's name, even though Gordon had had a brilliant and successful career. Perrett notes that Forester gives other brilliant naval officers full career write-ups, even including information on their families. This(in addition to a few other similarities in Hornblower's/Gordon's respective careers) has made Perrett feel that Forester was "hiding" Gordon, so to speak, so that future casual readers would not see the similarities between the real hero and the fictional one. This reader does not feel that there is quite enough evidence to support that theory, but the book is fascinating reading in its own right, and anyone who enjoys naval history will enjoy it. Gordon comes off as a brave, smart, and kind (but fair)captain, like Hornblower. But because we know so much about Hornblower's every thought,feeling, and motive (due to Forester's superb skills), Hornblower seems more real to me even than does Captain Gordon! Perrett, who has written at least 14 other books on military history, has however done a fine job himself, and Gordon's exploits are brought very much to life indeed. A very good read!

I did read with great interest John Wilson's novel. It beautifully summarises the findings of John Franklin historians among which the most recent and complete is probably David Woodman's "unravelling the Franklin Mystery".

Why only three stars? maybe because I had already read Woodman's books and Wilson adds little to that. Fiction it is, but sticks very closely to the conclusions to which previous authors arrive. The story puts together all the known clues but, at the end adds not much else.

My greed to learn more was frustrated for instance at how little is described of Peel-Lady Jane strait; this, after all, was the main discovery of the Franklin expedition. It seems difficult to believe that they would not be more excited about it!

Wilson desserves great credit for assembling into a consistent fiction the conclusions of others. I would have wished more colorful and dramatic extrapolations, as one can find for instance in Jules Vernes "les anglais au pole nord" from last century. I would have liked to live the north with Fitzjames.

The Franklin Expedition has fascinated me for years, especially since some of my students created an interactive computer game, "The Mystery of Franklin's Fate," for Science World in Vancouver. I've even thought about writing a novel about it, but now John Wilson has saved me the work--and done a far better job than I could have!

North With Franklin is the journal of James Fitzjames, one of Franklin's captains (some of the early passages are from his real letters). Wilson has the style and attitude just right, and blends his research very effectively into the story. We can see the ships, the men, the terrain. We see the first optimism fade as the ships are trapped in the ice and make no progress in the short summers. The first deaths, from TB, are painfully vivid to Fitzjames; by the end, each death gets only a cursory note, while the captain battles his own mysterious ailments and tries to keep the survivors alive. His journal is a series of letters to his sister-in-law, for whom he clearly feels more than he can admit.

As the years pass and the expedition dwindles to a handful of desperately sick men, Captain Fitzjames comes at least to a clearer understanding of what has gone wrong--not just lead poisoning and scurvy, but a complacently arrogant belief in superior technology.

John Wilson brings the expedition members to life again, each a distinct character (though of course the "people"--ordinary seamen--are seen through the eyes of an officer in a class-ridden society).

The narrative seems so plausible that I half-expected to find the expedition's place-names on the endpaper maps--but whatever names they gave the bays and points vanished with them and their records.

Still, North With Franklin is as close an account of the expedition's fate as we are likely to have, at least until Captain Fitzjames's real journals are found under some Arctic cairn.

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

Simon Winchester answers this question with a story of violence, passion, tragedy, and sympathy. What more could you want in a story about a dictionary? I love books that shine with the author's enthusiasm for the subject. _The Professor and the Madman_ is just that type of book. Winchester obviously loves language and word origin. He gives the reader a look at etymology that is detailed enough to make you feel like a scholar, but selective enough so that you aren't overwhelmed with the rather dry science of language. But this is only the secondary plot. The main story, that of the obsession of the scholarly but homicidally deranged Dr. W.C. Minor, the focused and driven brilliance of Dr. James Murray, and the Oxford English Dictionary that brought them together is thrilling and tragic. Winchester does a great job of sharing with the reader the sadness and regret of Dr. Minor's amazing intellect trapped inside his deranged mind. If you've ever had a relative or friend succumb to Alzheimer's or another mental disease, you can understand the tragedy of such an intruguing person losing a battle with sanity. The story is so unique that it could only be true, and Winchester seems to have researched it thoroughly and accurately. I highly recommend it.

The Professor and the Madman deals with the role of asylum inmate Dr. William Minor in the development of the Oxford English Dictionary, and with the relationship of Dr. Minor to James Murray, the OED's longtime editor. The book's main strength, and also its primary emphasis, is its treatment of Minor's downward psychological spiral, beginning with his traumatic experience as a surgeon in the US Civil War, continuing through the murder that landed him in the asylum, followed by his extremely productive years as a volunteer researcher for the OED, and finally through his severe sickness in his later years, when he no longer channeled his energies into the OED and slipped even further into insanity in the absence of the obsession that had linked him to the outside world. The book deals with many tangential matters as well, giving a brief but interesting history of the dictionaries predating the OED and going into some detail regarding the development of the OED itself and the lives of its primary editors, notably Murray.

Especially near the beginning of the book, I felt that Winchester was going off on a few too many tangents, as though he thought he needed filler to give the subject a book-length treatment; for example, he spends nearly four pages discussing the definition of the word "protagonist," and, after telling us that in Shakespeare's time there weren't any English dictionaries, proceeds to do nothing but restate that fact for the next two or three pages. His tangents are, admittedly, written in a charming style, but they can be frustrating for those of us who might like Winchester to simply get to the point. Another thing that disappointed me was that Winchester spent very little time speculating on why it was that Minor chose to obsess himself with the OED, and why his contributions tapered off around the turn of the century. Of course Minor was bored and had relatively few options because of his detainment in the asylum, but clearly most people in his position found other things with which to busy themselves. The fact that both Minor and one of the other greatest volunteer contributors to the OED, Fitzedward Hall, were Americans with psychological problems is an interesting fact. Considering that Winchester was audacious enough to speculate that Minor's autopeotomy near the end of his life may have been a result of his shame over romantic feelings or possibly even acts involving the widow of the man he murdered, it's disappointing that Winchester didn't spend much time considering the much more central question of why the OED attracted Minor so.

Despite these weaknesses, The Professor and the Madman is an interesting book and on the whole does a very good job dealing with Minor's schizophrenia. Short and written in an engaging style, it's a quick read and was well worth my time.

Part biography, part history, The Professor and the Madman is the tale of two of the pivotal individuals in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Although the title implies a balance between the two people, this is more a story of the "Madman", W.C. Minor, a doctor beset by mental illness, confined for life after murdering a man during one of his more paranoid episodes.

Minor gets a chance to find some personal redemption by his vast contributions to the OED. His unique approach to research, along with his involuntarily large amount of free time, made his the single largest contributor to the OED. Murray (the "Professor"), the editor of the OED during a large portion of its creation, corresponded with Minor and was a huge force in maintaining the OED's existence during its early years.

This is a book about genius. Winchester draws a lot of parallels between the lives of Murray and Minor and shows how the gift of genius can be both a blessing and a curse and can lead to triumph or tragedy. Well written and a delight to read (its only real weakness is the lack of an index), this book is definitely worth the time to read.