Text book is written in user friendly wording. You are able to select sections of the book as they pertain to your individual teaching style. The student workbooks,teacher guides, suggested activities not only made my class fun but easier to maintain. I have been using this book for 8 years and was hoping for a new edition. Highly recommened!!

I'm a parish pastor, and spending over a hundred dollars for one reference book better be worth it. It is. Volume One contains 465 articles (alphabetically from A-D). Topics of current interest include "Abortion" and "Abortion Counseling" and "Black Churches." Information on most of the world's countries and the latest statistics are at my fingertips. Although the encyclopedia is based upon a massive German publication, this edition is written in American English. In my opinion, many of the articles would be useful for high school students and Sunday School teachers. I'm going to put Vol. 2 on my next Christmas "wish" list.

Rommel and Carporetto is one of the best books on World War One I have read. Why? First It gives an good description of the battle of Carporetto, the retreat and pursuit and the defense that finally brought the offensive to a halt from both the Italian and Austro-German perspective. Books on Carporetto in English is hard to find. Second The books also gives an account of Rommel's experiences during the battle. This gives an understanding of the tactical aspects of the battle and also provides an understanding how the battle was fought on a personal level. Third, The maps are excellent. The authors makes the Mountinous terrain with its ridges and passes easily understandable. Combined with photographs you really get a feel for the terrain and its limitations. A minor detail, all names referred to are easily found on the maps, which is not always the case with military books.
The combination of these aspects makes "Rommel and Carporetto" i my opinion one of the better WW1 accounts. I would recommend it to all with an interest in WW1 or Military history.

When discussing "revival" the diversity in definitions and emotional reactions is seemingly limitless. Dr. Armstrong is not shy about the controversy, however, his kind approach is thoroughly Biblical.

Given that the word "revival" is not used in the New Testament to reference an evangelistic campaign or even to describe a church-wide event, Dr. Armstrong does a praiseworthy job of explaining how the examples of revival events are presented in Scripture. In other words, the concept is Biblical even if the word is not.

Dr. Armstong's most important analysis is contained in chapters 12 and 13. Here he evaluates the theology of Charles Finney and the practical impacts Finney has had on modern evangelism. While the look at Finney is unflattering, it is very informative and helpful. In fact, these two chapters should be a mandatory read for all pastors, evangelists, and seminary students.

This is an extraordinarily Biblical book. It will be of help to most anyone who is interested in, or involved in evangelism, or who is concerned about bringing true revival to America. Far from being a how-to book, this in-depth discourse on the theology of revival is immensely practical and useful in establishing the doctrines and the directions the churches need to take to accomplish meaningful reformation and effective evangelism.

Dippel explores a lesser known aspect of the struggle to bring the Nazi regime to its knees in his account of wartime espionage. He provides keen insight into a realm of World War II history which is rarely touched upon. Follow these two brave and elusive men as they search for Nazi secrets that may gain the allies an advantage!

The first read through this book is an emotional experience; the atrocities perpetrated against the Chinese are recorded humanly and vividly. Re-reading leaves you with a deep and abiding respect for John Rabe and his honesty and abiding respect for people.

Don't overlook the second part of the book, when Mr. Rabe describes the fall of the Reich, and all the difficulties an ordinary citizen encountered.

With this book, John Rabe finally has his brightest moment in history he deserves. I wonder how Japanese can continue to discredit / dispute / deny this horrible truth. What makes this book priceless is the truth Rabe is telling, not his writing style. I put this book next to "Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl" on my book shelf.

This Book is well worth reading, the most absorbing book that I have read about the chinese holocaust in world war two. I think that this book is the ultimite resource to finding info on world war 2. This book is absolutely absorbing and well worth reading and eazily A+ book

John Gribbin obviously has a real enthusiasm for the subject matter, and it makes this book very readable in spite of the often bewildering complexity of the subject matter (which he explains admirably without use of mathematics). The coverage of the history of quantum theory in the first half of the 20th century is excellent, and made me want to read more about it.

Where Gribbin goes wrong, in my view, is in railroading his point "Nothing is real" (a thesis which seems to bookend the whole thing). I know I'll get "not helpful" points for pointing this out, but the quite obvious fact that Gribbin chooses to ignore is that subatomic particles, when collected as aggregates into everyday objects like a wallet or a pen, end up statistically combining to behave in predictable ways; if I leave it in a room and come back several hours later, it's still there unless somebody disturbs it, and I can be absolutely assured it was there in the intervening period--what could be plainer? In other words, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, yes, of course it makes a sound. But an electron or photon? Who's to say? The fact that such intractable weirdness in the quantum realm as Gribbin describes ends up getting together to form what we know as matter, is indeed a mystery worth contemplating. It makes me think of the realm of matter as if it were inside some kind of holodeck like in Star Trek, and when we look deep into matter itself we find that it's put together in some way inconceivable to us, and yet seemingly expressly for the purpose of creating the "macro" world in which we live. This idea is consistent with the Anthropic Principle, that has nudged so many scientists in the direction of theism. But 'nothing is real'? Then how can one make any meaningful statements, including the statement of universal unreality?! Come, now...

This book is not an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one. Gribbins is a good writer and does an excellent job getting the reader up to speed on modern physics by taking a whirlwind tour of 20th century discoveries. Every once in a while, he'd lose me, but then I'd catch up. If you're in the mood for an excellent scientific lesson, you won't be disappointed. For the record I found Hawking a more lucid science writer, but Gribbin is still quite good.

This is a wonderful book that deals with a rather fascinating subject: quantum mecahnics. For those who may not be familiar w/QM, it is the physics of the microcosmic world of electrons, photons, protons & neutrons. It is where Newtonian causality breaks down, where there appears a "totally new ballgame." Gribbin does an excellent job of writing for the layman, especially considering the recondite nature of the topic. However, I would recommend anyone interested in QM to read Alice In Quantumland by Robert Gilmore first as it is slightly more accessible & also has the advantage of being "fun" to read (it is told as an allegorized story). Note that I still recommend Gribbin's book, but AFTER one has read Gilmore's. It may help to make Gribbin's book make a bit more sense. All in all, though, this is an enlightening work.

Irving, as usual, did an excellent job in researching this book; however, his conclusions are about as flawed as those he drew in HITLER'S WAR, when he concluded that Adolf Hitler did not know about the Holocaust until 1943 at the earliest. I do not recommend this book who is not throughly familiar with World War II and does not understand that Irving's conclusions must be taken with a grain of salt.

Irving wrote a wonderful, easy to read masterpiece. The research done by Irving is in depth. He not only describes Rommel as a general but what he was like in his personnel like also. This book should be recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Desert Fox.

Hands down, one of the best WW2 biographies out there. Backed with solid extensive research, and a gripping narrative, this book is a must read for those who are curious about this massive historical figure.

Excellent and moving. I include it with Antony Beevor'sStalingrad and John Toland's biography of Hitler as one of the bestworks I have ever read about World War II. As to its ultimate completeness and accuracy, I can't say, but I was surprised by just how good this book was, considering the organized attempts to trash Irving's reputation. Irving does not take a "pop approach" (whatever that means) here, nor does he at any point deny the Holocaust... I have to repeat this: Irving DOES NOT deny the Holocaust in this book! This fact alone makes me suspicious of the other claims being made against him. This is the first of Irving's books I've read - so many nasty things were being said about him that I got curious. ...Maybe there's something here after all? ...I will find Irving's other books (if they haven't been burned yet), read them, and make up my own mind about what he has to say. Meanwhile, I highly recommend Rommel to anyone interested in WWII, particularly the Africa campaign and Normandy. END

I've read this book twice, the last time in the mid-'80's, but I constantly find myself re-opening parts of it for sheer reading plaeasure. Irving employs a lively theatrical writing style that nicely enhances the real drama of Rommel's career. As a result, this is a livelier and more enjoyable bio than the more recent "Knight's Cross."

Irving clearly admires Rommel, calling him one of history's great commanders. That said, Irving doesn't hesitate to point out Rommel's flaws and mistakes, including galling stubborness and unwillingness to heed subordinates' advise at Torbruk in 1941. Irving even presents the argument that Rommel himself, through lack of the same hard resolve and boldness he had prveviously displayed, shares blame for the failure of his critical offensive against the British at Alam el Halfa in August 1942, thus setting the stage for epic defeat at El Alamein a couple of months later.

Rommel clearly comes across as a genuinely decent sort incapable of the types of atrocities carried out by the Nazis on a grand scale elsewhere. All the more touching is his devotion to his wife and son, whom he obviously cherished, so much so that he unhesitatingly accepts suicide to protect them from Hitler's wrath. (Thus on another level, this book is also a touching love story.) This is all the more tragic considering that Rommel, as Irving demonstrates, was not even part of the assassination plot against Hitler, although he possessed enough courage to openly question his leader's conduct of the war.

Finally, some readers may ignore this book because of Irving's indefensible position on the Holocaust. That is certainly understandable, but I think Irving was clearly in his element with this bio. It's a must read for World War II buffs or for anyone who enjoys well-written bios of historic figures on the world stage.

Irving cut right to the bone with his book on Rommel. While some people would have you think that Rommel was the best military genius/strategist in history, Irving paints the man for who he really was. Being in no way disrespectful to Rommel's memory, Irving show's the mans strengths and weaknesses in a way that most military leaders of today would do well to learn about from reading this book.

Rommel was loved by his troops (but not his officers) and the German public, but ego-mania and micro-management were two of his most glaring flaws. Irving shows these flaws and how the affected Rommel's fighting force and his command climate though the observations of the DAK and Pz Armee Afrika staff officers and troop unit commanders, as well as Rommels own recorded actions from both military and personal accounts. Rommel's love of attention is shown clearly thoughout the book, but again, Irving uses it to show that Rommel was human and had downfalls like everyone else on the planet.

Particular attention is paid to Rommel's early military career, and most importantly to his WW1 exploits, and his rivalry with fellow Field Marshal, Ferdinand Schoerner, both of whom were infantry platoon leaders during Germany's campaign in Italy, and both of whom were awarded the Pour le Merite for two consecutive battles. This rivalry directly influenced his actions after WW1, and during WW2, and cannot be overlooked when looking at Rommel as a military leader.

This book needs to be read by all who desire to gain an insight on this charasmatic leader. I've read most of the books printed on Rommel (Desmond Young; "Rommel: In his Own Words"; Liddell Hart "The Rommel Papers"; Hans von Luck's book "Panzer Commander"; von Mellenthin's "Panzer Battles"; "Knight's Cross"; Ruge's "W/ Rommel in Normandy"; etc...) and have found this one to be the most informative and in-depth of them all. It also has provided me with enormous insight as to why the first battle of Tobruk failed and the real reasons behind the DAK's lack of supplies, which wasn't the Italian High Command failing to follow through, but Tripoli's inability to cope with large amounts of inbound shipping.

If you have a very narrow minded view of Rommel and the DAK, then DON'T READ THIS BOOK. It WILL disappoint you since it doesn't conform to the "Rommel is a God of War" theme that most authors have put forth, and attacks him mildly, from time to time, for his percieved inability to cope with situations that didn't follow his plans.

As a military officer myself, I've found wonderful tidbits of knowledge that transcend all levels of leadership. It's really made me think about the military and my career, as well has history on many differnet levels. If you can deal with someone else's view on a subject, even when it's different from your own, then by all means READ THIS BOOK! IT'S EXCELLENT!!!

This book does a great job of describing the principles of quantum mechanics and problems introduced by its notions. Gribbin does a great job of building a mystery of what may be possible (i.e. the unified field theory, a.k.a. the theory of everything). However, the book comes short of delivering upon its promise. Gribbin and the editor basically rifle through proposed theories and solutions of various physicists and ultimately say regarding these theories "I kind of like it" or "I don't like it." There is no in-depth probing of the theories, but glib judgments. The book, in those sections, has an unpleasant effect of reading like a transcript of a dilettante grad student running his mouth in a campus cafe. There are better written, and more elegantly explored books than this book. Kaku's books deserve a special mention, and for its simplicity, Hawkings' "Black Holes and Baby Universes".

I enjoyed "In search of schrodingers cat", so I had to read "In search of Schroedingers kittens" as well. Sure Gribbin has his pet theories, but all in all I think he just tells the story of what is actually mainstream physics. Or more precisely - problems facing mainstream physics. This brings you to the concept of "truth". Actually, the books conveys a picture where the only difference between physicists and novelists is that the physicist thinks that his

story might actually be true. Where a physicist spends his time seeking out physical models of already discovered mathematical structures hoping that they comply with experiment. Reality ? Who knows, seems to be the message. Perhaps thats the truth ? Along the road towards this "clarification" comes a lot of very exciting thought experiments. Where Gribbin twists the standard interpretations just a little to give you a new insight. I particular enjoyed one about special relativity, Where Gribbin twists it one step further than usual and comes up with a logical consequence of the standard Lorentz transformation: How does time flow for a photon? Answer: It doesn't ! According to the standard Lorentz contraction the space interval between two objects does not exist for a photon. And so, from the point of view of the photon, it takes no time to travel this distance. Gribbin remarks that most people are just so stunned by what the equations say that they have not fully thought out the implications. Some understatement !

-Simon

This is an amazing book that gets to the heart of modern physics in an easy (relatively speaking), fast paced manner. The book provides the historical and scientific context needed to build a "solid" understanding of the accomplishments and limitations inherent in modern Quantum Mechanics.

I really enjoyed the way Gribbin was able to weave together a complete story of the development of Quantum Mechanics by explaining the theoretical and experimental achievements of so many of the legendary figures in physics. His understanding of the topic is extraordinary and makes it possible for him to present page after page of complex ideas in a clear and exciting manner.

I have found myself re-reading many sections of "Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality" and each time I find more and more depth to explore. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Quantum Mechanics and the convergence of physics and philosophy.