Telemann was a man of great talent in his day. I once heard a tale that JS Bach traveled many miles by foot just to hear him improvise on the keyboard. -- Well, in these Fantasias lies the very creativity that may have been in those improvised durges. For the most part, these Fantasias consist of a Soprono voice, and Thoughrobass; every keyboard player should have something by Telemann, and this is a fantastic piece of the Telemann legacy for a keyboardist to own.

Telemann was both a prolific and gifted composer. These fantasias show his ability to contrast musical ideas in a miniature form. They are of a moderate technical level, mainly consisting of two voices; however, they have much artistic merit and serve admirably for salon style recitals or for introducing students to baroque keyboard works along the same lines as the J.S. Bach keyboard fantasies. Many of these are even accessible to students of a grade IV (RCM) level.

While Telemann is little performed or played today, he was the leading composer of his time, and was highly regarded by both Bach and Händel. His output was more prolific than any of his contemporaries, and is of a consitantly high quality. These fantasias can hold their ground artistically and technically against the Bach fantasias and preludes & fugues. Telemann lived to be 86, and his music reflects the Baroque aesthetic and complexity interspersed by the Classical ideas of homophony. Even if you have never played or heard Telemann before, if you enjoy Baroque keyboard music, this book will be a great addition

This is a charming book and beautifully illustrated. I bought it for my 2-year-old son to prepare for our trip to Venice(and because the colorful illustration of Gaspard and Piazza San Marco caught my eye). It has quickly become one of his favorites. Yesterday he pointed to a painting of the Mendocino Coast that hangs in our dining room and said "Venice?"

Gaspard is a little black dog who loves to travel and can't wait to tell us all about his family vacation in Venice. What did he do all day, every day...visit museums and more museums. Just as the family was about to enter another museum, Gaspard sees a small red kayak and while his family's not looking, takes off in it. He paddles all over Venice, having a great time and taking in the sights until he has a little boating accident. The people is that big black gondola were sure wet and angry, so Gaspard quickly paddles on until it begins to get dark and he starts to get a little scared. But never fear...the police find him in no time, his family is so relieved they aren't even mad and they all celebrate with the very best spaghetti in the world..... Ann Gutman has written a delightful story that really captures the essence of a small childs thoughts and actions and youngsters will easily identify with Gaspard has he takes off on his little adventure. Her simple gentle text has just the right combination of humor and suspense, complete with happily ever after ending. Georg Hallensleben's beautiful and lush artwork adds just the right touch and takes readers on a wonderfully scenic tour of Venice, as they read. Like its companion book, Lisa's Airplane Trip, Gaspard on Vacation is perfect for preschoolers and beginning readers.

I'm a big fan of children's picture books. Yes, I'm nearly 40! But the best picture books transcend age and can be as much a delight for adults as for kids. "Gaspard on Vacation" and "Lisa's Airplane Trip," the first two in the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series, are among the best of the year so far-- colorful and delightful stories of two travelling dogs, with whimsical and hilarious painted illustrations.

Fluffy black dog Gaspard is on holiday in Venice with his entire family, and museum after museum is getting a bit too boring for adventurous Gaspard. He runs off to explore Venice's canals in a little red kayak, leading to a mishap that shows him maybe boring museums aren't so bad after all. All's well that ends well as the entire family is re-united for dinner of "the best spaghetti in the world." George Hallensleben's painted illustrations are brilliant, vibrant, and detailed, and Ann Gutman's simple but effective story is a brisk and fun read. Afficionados of Venice will even spot local landmarks in the background as Gaspard paddles along!

I highly recommend both this and "Lisa's Airplane Trip," and I'm eagerly awaiting the other Lisa and Gaspard books. Do yourself a favor as much has your kids and pick these up--they'll quickly become favorites for both young and old.

This work is seminal. Every philosophy after Hegel is either a reaction to him or a footnote. His method has achieved scientific verification in the past century in the areas of developmental psychology (Margaret Mahler), in historicism, in embryological development, and theology (Tillich). It shows that wisdom is timeless and although written 200 years ago, Hegel's truth is valid and not subject to fashions as they so often are in philosophy.

This said, I have to say it is not rewarding to read this book unless you have familiarity with German idealism through Kant. Also, a thorough reading of Hegel's Logic is a prerequiste. Few people will understand this book without reading it in the original German as Hegel himself reframes the German language into a new way of thinking. I think all great philosophies shape the language they speak in profound ways. That is why it is so difficult to understand Hegel in English translation. You would have to create a whole new philosophy along Hegelian lines made for the English thinker. This is the daunting task of all translators. There obviously are concepts in Western thought that are portable across "platforms" and this is why translating Hegel happens at all in English. However the way concepts are used, the "process" of the concepts -- the "syntagms" -- is not entirely the same in both languages.

I wrote my master's thesis in philosophy on this work. At that time I could think Hegelian with the best of them but have lost the skill. Now I can't even understand what I wrote 20 years after the fact without going back to school. I have not been speaking Hegelian since then. A pity.

So, to get the most out of it, read this book in a structured environment where one has easy access to help. It will change your life as it has mine.

An advanced course in Hegel is probably the course which shuttled me forward toward a career in philosophy (and, eventually, theology). It is partly the responsibility of Hegel's thought and part my teacher (look up books by DG Leahy if you are interested in the first real new philosophy of the 21st century). Anyway, back to Hegel's "Mind." In this work, Hegel has created a tour-de-force in systematic philosophy following Kant.

though Kant has adopted the dualism of Plato, Hegel's synthesizing of Kant's ideas has resulted in an amazingly complex but understandable and brilliant work. Hegel proposes that the Mind is the second moment in a three-fold syllogism, following Nature but preceeding Logic (Reason). Here, Hegel explores the nuances of the Mind. Though the other two volumes of the three volume set are important, it seems Mind contains all the ideas of the other two.

If you enjoy hard German philosophy and have a penchant for the absolute idea, read Hegel as soon as possible!

G.W.F. Hegel is surely one of the most notable figures in German Philosophy. His 'Philosophy of Mind' (also known as 'The Philosophy of Spirit') is the third part of an encyclopaedia work showing, in essence, the dialectical 'nature' of the world as a Notion. In his earlier works in this triad (The 'Logic' and 'The Philosophy of Nature') Hegel dealt with, first, the logically necessary principle of explanation for the world and then, secondly, the essence of nature as prior to the development of the Mind. This work deals with the nature of Mind as it goes from subjectivity to objectivity through the stages Anthropological, Phenomenological and Psychological, producing Absolute Spirit, a notion that is then used by Hegel to explain the moral and legal. This is not an easier book to read; the language is convoluted and it may take several readings to gleam anything useful from it. This is partially due to the difficulty of translating German terms to the English and also partially due to the writing style of Hegel himself. However I do recommend that the reader persevere, as it is a very rewarding book to read. You need not agree entirely with what Hegel says to appreciate his philosophy and see the import of what he is trying to do; explain everything from a position of logical necessity. The accompanying Zusatz is also of great use, as it gives more concrete examples used in the actual lectures Hegel based this work upon. All in all, a momentuous book in the history of Philosophy itself and worth reading for the depth and breadth of ideas contained within it.

When I was young, I was taught that I should appreciate J. S. Bach and other musical geniuses about like Walter Kaufmann grew up thinking that Hegel was really something. Kaufmann and I have both noticed how reluctant Hegel was to admit who he was talking about, so he considers it an anomaly on page 490 of the J. B. Baille translation of THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF MIND that the name Oedipus has been inserted into the sentence "In the story of *OEdipus* the son does not see his own father in the person of the man who has insulted him . . ." Walter Kaufmann lists the persons whom Hegel actually mentioned in his manuscript ("only thirteen men and women are named." p. 125). I would say Kaufmann left out Julius Caesar, since the preface happens to discuss historical facts like the year in which Caesar was born. Reading the translation of the preface by Walter Kaufmann in HEGEL TEXT AND COMMENTARY, a separate paperback volume with the same index as HEGEL A REINTERPRETATION, is the best approach for understanding Kaufmann's method of explaining Hegel. His commentary in that book is mostly in the form of notes at particular places in the text, and they do not always refer to persons that might have been meant by Hegel, as a lot of philosophy has happened since Hegel, and Walter Kaufmann was aware of various interpretations and more modern philosophers like Kierkegaard and Heidegger (who, "unlike Hegel, seeks to move philosophy closer to poetry rather than science." note 10 on Commentary page 93). Having HEGEL A REINTERPRETATION as a separate book allows Kaufmann to try to demonstrate the scope of philosophy in a way that Hegel attempted to do, encompassing it all as no one had tried to do since Aristotle.

I learned a lot reading this book years ago, allowing myself to feel a lot like Fichte in the comparison, "Nobody today would rank Fichte with Kant;" (p.110). Self-consciousness in German is not quite what it is in America today, but a large part of how modern the intrusive nature of our media has allowed us to become is the constant measure of our own sorry self-consciousnesses becoming aware of each other, a very Hegelian philosophical theme. The appreciation of particular geniuses in our own day might be troubled by knowledge such as Kaufmann's, that "There are not many non-German composers in a class with Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven; and during their era German poetry was coming into its own, too. The great achievements of the period were triumphs of the artistic imagination." (p. 114). Our own composers always seem to be thinking about something else instead of what it would take to make their music better.

Did anybody notice how long the song "Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" was on Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" album? If "the drilling in the wall kept up, but no one seemed to pay it any mind" could be applied to philosophy, it might be as a form of consciousness which seeks to avoid an overwhelming awareness of anything which is actually going on. Hegel ought to be considered good for philosophy in the way that Bob Dylan would be good for people whose interest in music involves owning the rights to the songs. The big legal questions in our society are about who has to pay for people to keep singing or swapping this stuff. Most people who buy this book will read it as consumers. Hegel was usually not a philosopher to be considered dangerous, but somehow, people like Marx, who read Hegel as an introduction to how unsettled things of their own day were, were dangerous in a lot of intellectual fields. I learned a lot about Fichte the first time I read this book. His attempt to identify God with a moral world order is clearly stated, and it only takes a little knowledge of human nature to see how his career suffered the consequences, with the result, "Accused of atheism, he published a couple of vigorous defenses in 1799 and threatened to resign if reprimanded, which was construed as a resignation--and he was let go." (p. 102). Hegel managed to avoid getting clobbered in that kind of argument, and modern philosophy has a lot of appreciation for everything he managed to say without causing a lot of trouble. This book pulls it all together.

....do start here, for Kaufmann is an able Hegel commentator, clarifier, and critic.

Departing from his area of specialty, Nietzsche and the existentialists, Kaufmann is no less able to authoritatively present a balanced, masterful, thorough, yet concise analysis of the life and work of perhaps the least understood philosopher. As those who have assayed the Phenomenology or the Logic surely realize, exploring Hegel without a guide can be perilous. Kaufmann neutralizes many of the language barriers and ambiguities in Hegel's great works, clearly presents their core themes, and, much to the delight of this reader, locates them within the intellectual currents of the time and Hegel's own intellectual struggles and victories. As all soon find out, parsing a single work of Hegel's is less a challenge than understanding it in the broader context of Hegel's "system," let alone the movement begun by Kant and Fichte and carried onward by Schelling, Marx and others. Kaufmann brilliantly brings the reader from a tight focus on the many subtleties of Hegel's method to a broad view of the intellectual landscape of Hegel's Germany. An added bonus is a diligent if sometimes ascerbic analysis of key players in Hegelian scholarship.

If you want to see colorful manuscipts that show a varity of medieval insects, plants, flowers, fruit, sea shells, initials, designs, and even a few animals, then this is the book for you. There are 41 full color manuscripts to choose from. At the end of the book, are discriptions of each manuscript, listing the medieval name for each. Example: The identifications of specimens proceed from top to bottom and from left to right. Common names have been provided whenever possible. In the case of the insect identifications, British English common names have been used, since most of the specimens represented do not exist in the United States. Where a different American common name is known, it has been included following the British Name, seperated by a slash. The names of higher taxonomic groups (families and orders) have been printed in roman type, while genus and spicies names appear in italics.Folio 1 Rotunda script in "trace letters"Vinca minor L,: Common periwinkleMalus domestica Borkh,:Common appleLacerta(?):LizardFolio 5 Antiqua scriptMatthiola incana (L.) R. Br.: GillyflowerEphemeroptera: MayflyDiptera Cyclorrhapha Heleomyzidae (?):FlyPulmonata Helicidae Cepaea sp.: Garde SnailEnd Example.A great sorce of Medieval Nature.

"Nature Illuminated" is wonderful collection of illuminated manuscripts from the Getty's extensive holdings. Perusing these pages shows that the chasm between (representative) art and science is really not so great.

For such a small book, this is crammed with new ideas for both calligraphy and drawing from Nature. You have to look close, and have an idea of how techniques can be applied, but this book will serve as an inspiration for my work for years to come!

Most of my several thousand volume library consists of serious books, works of literature, literary criticism, philosophy, history, theology, political science, and so on. But I also have a shelf or two devoted to "fun" books, books that I pick up and just lose myself in having fun. This is one of my favorite fun books. Not a masterpiece. Probably won't be in print twenty years from now. But the photographs are spectacular! And in just under 300 pages, almost every major city and structure of Europe has been photographed from the air. It is not merely the famous sights and buildings that makes this such a fun book, but some striking photographs of relatively unknown features. For instance, one of the most stunning photographs for me is what would appear to be a gigantic green field in Denmark that has been punctuated by a series of large housing circles, each cut off from one another, and each surrounded by the same green field.

The text has been provided by noted travel writer Jan Morris. The book is largely structured by starting with Italy and proceeding clockwise through the entire European continent, ending with Greece, Romania, and Turkey.

I really can whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone except those who don't like to look at anything. But if you have any interest in the world, in traveling, in Europe, in history, in photography, or in just having fun looking at awesome photos, this book will prove to be an utter delight.

I stumbled upon this title in a competitor's bookstore and was astonished that I hadn't read a review anywhere. With a 1998 imprint and Jan Morris as the author of the text, it doesn't seem like it should be an obscure tome, yet even here on Amazon.com, only one other person has reviewed it!

The photos are designed to provoke a sense of wonder and awe in the reader/viewer, and they succeed aesthetically, emotionally, and psychologically. From the rock of Gilbralter to a dense set of "potato row" houses in Copenhagen; from snowfields near the Arctic circle to Turkey--it's all here, images snapped from blimps, airplanes, helicopters, almost any method by which one might be "over" Europe.

One will not be able to glimpse most of these sites from comparable vantage points on a typical trek across the continent unless one plans to do so in a biplane. The images here are unusual in their breadth and majesty. ... The text is literate and fun. Buy it and marvel.

If you regard this book as just another coffee table book you aren't even half right. This is one of the best photo books I have ever seen. The pictures are outstanding. Nearly every photo takes you to the alter of the church, the edge of the cliff, or the gate to the castle. Not only is it a photo book, but a great travel book. These aren't just descriptions of what to see, but beautiful pictures showing you what you will want to see when you get there. You won't even need to take a camera or change for postcards-- the best pictures are right here. Get this book before you plan your vacation to Europe.

John Russon's ambitious aim in this book is twofold: (1) to identify the conception of the body that is implied by the argument of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, and (2) to provide a systematic argument that shows this conception of the body to be both comprehensive and compelling. Not only does the book make a good case for having succeeded in these aims, it also provides material for a very careful and provocative reinterpretation of Hegel's Phenomenology that should prove readable and insightful for both general readers with interests in the history of philosophy as well as trained philosophers.

Russon shows that the body that animates the forms of experience that Hegel studies in his text cannot be adequately conceived as reducible to the merely physical organism. In an important early chapter, Russon gives an account of the systematic way in which Hegel's philosophy challenges and overcomes the dualism of immaterial mind and physical body that stands at the heart of early modern philosophy and science. He argues that the body as we experience it is not merely a natural entity (physis), but is a construct of habit and institutions; our experience of the body is not one merely of nature, but of second nature, as Aristotle described the habitual formation of social dispositions (hexis). The final chapters of the text aim to show, moreover, that this "habit-body" should be conceived ultimately as emerging through communicative activity (logos), and that the ongoing process whereby we (non-arbitrarily) constitute ourselves and our world along with others is precisely what is thematized in Hegel's dialectical phenomenology.

Considering the difficulty of the topic, and the vast resources that the argument draws upon, the text is remarkably clear (and concise, at just 137 pages). You need not have spent several years poring over the details of Hegel's challenging and dense text in order to gain much benefit from reading Russon's book. In addition, the book has the merit of demonstrating (against a number of prejudices from a number of sources) that Hegel's philosophy can be a rich resource for thinking through a number of topics of contemporary concern. Russon's conclusions in fact converge nicely with recent efforts in a number of disciplines to draw attention to the embodied character of experience, cognition, and culture.

Russson's book is nothing less than a re-organization of the *Phenomenology of Spirit*, one that makes explicit the conceptual commitment to embodiment that may have been concealed from many readers. This re-organization is accomplished with an all-too-rare philosophical sophistication, as Russon draws on a variety of sources and informs his reading with a strong command of 20th century phenomenology.

Among the book's strengths is a startlingly lucid and original reading of Hegel's text, a reading that illuminates many familiar passages and arguments in striking fashion. Russon's account of the master and slave, and his account of Sittlichkeit, re-animate texts often thought to have been exhaustively understood, revealing both the richness of Hegel's text and the power of a serious reader like Russon. But Russon is also adept at uncovering new insights in passages under-represented in the literature, and it is perhaps here that this book makes one of its strongest contributions. Russon on the reason chapter, and on the unhappy consciousness (the analysis of which is one of his central arguments), provides original and compelling arguments for the centrality of embodiment to the Hegelian understanding of self-consciousness.

But arguably the most significant contribution made by this book is that it reminds us that a Hegelian argument can and should be a philosophical argument. Rather than limiting himself to contributing to ongoing debates within Hegel circles, Russon has engaged philosophical inquiry itself, and shown how Hegel's text, at the hands of a keen reader, can speak, indeed argue successfully, to the broader philosophical community. This book is an argument for the complete understanding of phases of embodiment as conditions of self-consciousness, and thereby an argument that brings phenomenology and Hegel into the centre of important contemporary discussions.

I highly recommend John Russon's _The Self and its Body in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit_ to anyone with a philosophical interest in have to conceive body, and thus gives a new understanding of just what Hegel's phenomenology of spirit is concerned with, and what our bodies are. The latter is of central concern in much recent philosophy, and in everyday life in our political and technological culture. 2) It gives a lucid and convincing interpretation of Hegel's difficult book, one that proceeds through an engagement with historical positions in philosophy and science, and more important, through an engagement with the experience of trying to act responsibly in a situation, which experience haunts philosophy from the very beginning and is a most familiar element of life. Russon thus gets to the heart of Hegel's philosophy in a way that is illuminating for both the novice and the dedicated student of Hegel. And he thereby arrives at an important understanding of the body as that sphere of communicative and expressive existence which develops itself so as to enable responsible action in the first place. 3) The book's situation of Hegel in relation to ancient philosophy, transcendental argument and recent phenomenology invites a renewed engagement with Hegel, which is important given the role of Hegel in many current philosophical debates. In particular, Russon's discussion of the body and the unfolding of the Phenomenology of Spirit in terms of phusis (nature), hexis (habit) and logos (here meaning "expression") gives a very comprehensive and original way of grasping both the body and the Phenomenology. Likewise, his interpretation of Hegel's dialectic in terms of the relation of the empirical ego and transcendental ego and focus on recognition help clarify many crucial themes in Hegel. In general, Russon's elucidation of a concept of body in Hegel opens rich ways of thinking about our selves and our bodies.

This book stands alone in English. There is simply nothing else like it. Feuerstein is the leading academic expert on yoga in the United States while Shambhala is the leading publisher of books on yoga, so it is not surprising that this is clearly a superior work that fills a void. As such it is a boon to scholars and practitioners alike.

It is also very well cross-referenced so that a reader may, by following the starred words, begin or expand his own study of yoga. There is a guide to pronunciation of the Sanskrit words, numerous bits of black and white artwork and photos, and an engaging and informative introduction by Feuerstein. This handsome book has all those words that you won't find in even an unabridged English dictionary, defined and given their expression in an historical and spiritual context. Anyone with more than a passing interest in yoga will find this book invaluable.

I should add that this is a revised and greatly expanded edition of Dr. Feuerstein's Encyclopedic Dictionary of Yoga (1990), and that it dwarfs both Ernest Wood's Yoga Wisdom (1970) and Harvey Day's Yoga Illustrated Dictionary (1971), which I have enjoyed, but which are also very much out of date.

For Dr. Feuerstein's revision (due circa 2010, I would imagine) perhaps some entries on Westerners (and contemporaries) who have contributed to the study and practice of yoga would be appropriate, including, e.g., Theos Bernard (I was pleased to see eleven photos herein of Bernard demonstrating asana), Richard Hittleman, B.K.S. Iyengar, Swami Vishnudevananda, and others.

Bottom line: this is an up to date, thorough, and lively work of reference without peer.

As a yoga writer, teacher and PhD, I still use this Dr. Feuerstein's Encyclopedia of Yoga daily as I study yoga. The precise explanations help me understand the subtle points of yoga. The references to other Sanskrit terms is invaluable. This book is worth it, especially to help when reading other texts. I write this as a thanks for this great book!

An invaluable resource book for all lovers of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and human potential. Dispels many common misconceptions about yoga and reveals its true message. A great buy!

When looking for books on Yoga, I had no idea where to start and I didn't want to read some...American trying to cash in book. I saw this book and it seemed real. Wow, I'm glad this is the first book I read on Yoga. Georg Feurstein fully knows and understands the essence of Yoga. The book touches on everything from the history of Yoga to a Yogi's diet. I like how Feurstein always refers back to the old Sanskrit texts of Yogi practices. However, if you are looking for a book where you actually do the postures then look for another book because this book doesn't satisfy that. You should read all you can about Yoga before attempting it, I know my presumptions on Yoga have been changed from reading this book.

This book gave me a clearer understanding of Yoga. My greatest compliment is that it sustained my interest enough to read the book to the end. I enjoyed the humanistic tone of the book, and the simple ordering and structure of topics which brought clarity to a potentially overwhelming subject. I look forward very much to reading more of Georg Feuerstein's books.

Another wonderful introductions to yoga. I recommend it very highly. This is a book that you will read and reread.

I ordered Silent Witness at the insistance of a friend and ended up enjoying it so thoroughly, that I purchased 5 others as gifts for others.

Readable... approachable... and real world. Highly recomended!

Christians' Homes Should Be 'Silent Witness' to Faith, Says Top Designer

International interior stylist shows how to let living environment 'speak' about beliefs

by Andy Butcher

An award-winning interior designer with high-society clients from New York to London has taken on a more modest but, he says, equally important project: transforming the average Christian home into a place of ministry. Georg Andersen believes that many Christians are missing out on an opportunity to impact others through the way they live, as much as what they say. So he has opened his own home to show them how. In "Silent Witness: The Language of Your Home" the man whose firm has helped style the White House and an international list of luxury homes, exclusive hotels and elite restaurants, details how simple touches can change the atmosphere and touch lives. "Our homes speak about our beliefs, priorities and purpose in life. These are the words of silent witness that influence others," he says. "I don't mean putting crosses and embroidered Bible verses all over the wall, although I have nothing against that...but there are better ways than slapping someone in the face." "Silent Witness" explains how Andersen and his wife turned a Connecticut farmhouse-style property in Arkansas into their new home, after years of living in New York. The book takes readers on a room-by-room guided tour, showing how layout and decoration can help create the right mood, and provide conversation points of faith. Even seemingly insignificant personal treasures can be used to make an impact, he says--like the stone engraved with the word "grace," which sits on a table in what he calls "the welcome room," rather than the foyer. It was a gift from the family's pastor, shortly before Andersen learned his young grandson was autistic. "God really spoke to me [through it] in those days, and showed me His grace in my darkest hour," he recalls. "On occasions when people come in they will remark on the stone, and I will retell the story. I always fall apart when I tell it, and someone else will say, 'We didn't know you had hurts. We thought you had it all together. We have hurts; can we share them with you?'" A frequent guest on television and radio, Andersen says that many Christians fail to make the most of their homes either because they feel guilty about what they do have, or they feel that they don't have enough to be able to make anything of it. "Some feel that they have to live in a clinical environment and are afraid to begin to fulfill what God has put in them with regard to creativity," he says. "[But] the home is exalted throughout Scripture, and beauty is of God. I'm not talking about gilded candles; whatever you perceive to be beautiful, it comes from Him. "I have had people tell me they couldn't entertain because their home was not up to snuff, and they wished it was perfect. But perfect will never come...Doors will open when we invite people in, not to take a tour but to share each others' hearts." Andersen's mission has been endorsed by Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who credits the designer with helping "make the mansion a home," when he took office. "He helped us make the family quarters uniquely ours," he says.

Reproduced by permission of Charisma News Service

Georg Andersen walks us through the home he shares with his wife and loving helpmeet, Annabelle. This visual and verbal tour through the Andersens' beautiful home in Arkansas shows the beauty and practical use of each room. Even the names of each room reveal much reflection on the purpose and function of that room and the very place that room holds in their lives.

Mr. Andersen offers this paragraph early in the book: "In offering this idea of silent witness, I don't envision 'praying hands' or Christian magazines on the coffee tables. How you use your home and what people sense when they are in it are far more revealing." Examples of the "words" the Andersens desire their home to "say" are faith, contentment, hospitality, meekness, gentleness, generosity, creativity, and gratefulness. Words that--with the right "accent" and "pronunciation"--reflect a Creator/Loving Heavenly Father for whom the Andersens obviously feel honored to be stewards.

Mr. Andersen has notable credentials for his work and is responsible for the beauty and design for many internationally known venues, but his concepts for planning and decorating a home are applicable to all. His suggestions and observations center a great deal on using this "language" in your decorating--where you are, using what you have.

A word of warning to the Andersens is that all who enjoy this book will desire a meal and overnight stay in their home--not to take advantage of this intimate glimpse into the beauty and warmth of their home, but to be loved, listened to, and nurtured as the Andersens use God's beauty and order and their heart for God to love and encourage others through them.

SILENT WITNESS: The Language of Your Home strikes a chord within me as I decorate a new home. I am looking at--and listening to--my home with new eyes and ears to hear what it says to those who come near. I'm planning to teach it some new words that come straight from our Father--a holy, loving God--for whom my husband Jack and I are blessed to be stewards.