Tahir Shah devises a get rich quick scheme which brings him to India to seek his fortune. He also has other interests namely the mysterious Gond people who may have walked the earth when the earth was one joined land mass. However this book is so much more than that. India \ Africa \ South America are all experienced and observed from a most interesting angle. The author roughs it al the way. There are many side-splitting moments in this book. There is youth and vivacity in the words that flow. Tahir Shah is clearly in love with life. Incidentally while this book is truly excellent, his latest effort "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is I believe a masterpiece. You will not be disappointed in either book.

TAHIR SHAH is without doubt the most original travel writer of his generation... never before have I been so touched by, and become so involved in, a book. I am struck dumb by Shah's genius.

Read this book.

A fast gallop through the Indian sub-continent, Africa and South America, with a cast of eccentric characters perhaps unprecidented in modern travel writing. It put me in mind of Peter Flemming for the sheer pace and sense of adventure. Yet it was a hundred times funnier. Gives Redmond O'Hanlon a run for his money as the Number 1 funny travel writer at work today. Also, I notice it is easy to find in the UK, available in an Orion paperback, not out of print at all!

This is one of my kids' favorite books; they love all of Idries Shah's books, and this is no exception. It even spurs discussions between my 4 year old and my 7 year old; what did they think of the dreams? what did they think of the names? This is not passive storytelling! It's in the best tradition of poetry; evocative, though-provoking, enjoyable in itself, beautifully illustrated. I agree with one of the other reviewers when s/he says this book is not preachy but sends good messages. Treat yourself!

My 4-year-old got this book for her birthday and it's now her absolute favorite. This is the book she asks for it every night - which makes her dad and me happy because we love reading it. Who knows why, but I do know that the books and stories I loved most as a kid were just like this one - they invoked a sense of magic and fulfillment just beyond my everyday world that I knew in my heart of hearts I could aspire to. What more could we ask for in a book for our kids?

Tragedies like Columbine are a wake-up call. It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

Last month I saw an amazing documentary ("Boys Will Be Men") about an intervention program for at-risk boys. The kids were told a adult version of this same story about a half-boy who is ostracized and searches for his other half. They were asked to interpret the story in the context of their own lives using poetry. The kids came together to perform the poems, astounding their parents. Clearly, the notion of being incomplete, of having to overcome great difficulties to find oneself, is very meaningful for kids today. And this wonderful book is a great way to bring the experience to even very young children. As a psychologist and a parent, I highly recommend it.

Fun to read again and again. An uplifting story with beautiful illustrations...and who can resist a dragon tale?

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

This book is absolute required reading, SUFI 101, for anyone seriously interested in learning in the Sufi way. It contains important information on the potential student's requirements for approaching the Sufi enterprise and finding one's way through the groups of phonies and sensation mongers. It is also a strong introduction to the Sufi style of scatter: 71 pages of continuous text with no breaks or separations. The book is so dense with content that it requires a high degree of attention to maintain contact. That attention is definitely rewarded in the reading.

Despite having been published across a broad span of time, Shah's books work best taken as a whole -- and this book arms the self-styled student with a critical tool for measuring his or her development and can help to make the leap from "here" to "there". Those unfamiliar with Idries Shah are unlikely to begin with this book, but would be well-advised to study it carefully.

The title of this unassuming little book is not nearly as attention-grabbing as some of author Idries Shah's other works - such as WISDOM OF THE IDIOTS, LEARNING HOW TO LEARN and A PERFUMED SCORPION. But I found it to be every bit as worthwhile. Based on lectures Shah gave at the New School for Social Research in New York and the University of California in San Francisco, NEGLECTED ASPECTS OF SUFI STUDY covers many of the problems facing those interested in the kind of learning the Sufis have specialized in for centuries, which aims at greater perception and a higher form of understanding. Prominent among these problems are "the unrecognized assumptions which we make about ourselves and about learning and its processes." Among other things, Shah shows how such assumptions, which conventional education seems to have largely overlooked, constitute barriers to learning that are every bit as hindering as are high walls and locked doors - and perhaps even more so, since they are far less obvious to those whom they hold back. If a book's true value was reflected in its weight, this one would weigh a ton.

My copy of this book is worn from reading and re-reading. It not only explains the words, postures and other requirements for the Muslim prayer, but it directs the student beyond the senses to the heart where the true prayer is performed. This book contains information that is to be found no place else, explained by the foremost holy Sufi master of our time.

In a traditional Islamic upbringing, we are shown how to repeat gestures and given very broad, surface explanations of our actions. Yet, we know from the rich tradition that there is more to all that we do. Finally, a book has been written to show Muslims and non-Muslims the true meaning behind the actions of prayers ... both spiritual and physical.

The book details the motions and sayings of prayer and includes commentary on their outward and inward meaning. The author is clearly an individual with immense spiritual knowledge, beyond that of ordinary people. This stengthens the insights in the book.

Now, I honestly understand what it means to be a Muslim and begin to understand the profound implications of simple acts of prayer. Truly has changed my perspective on how I go about everything in life.

This book is one of the most amazing resources to read, review, and read again. It's depth is amazing and yet it simply and clearly shows the reader how to pray and the meaning behind prayer in Islam. There is information in this book that cannot be found in any other book on Islam or prayer. Highest recommendation.

I was a potential victimof one of the serial killers in the book. I live with survivors guilt everyday. I fit the profile of his victims. I lived in the motel, and my friends and myself hung out at his room! I was mortified to hear what he did!

A hard to find book but one well worth reading to anyone interested in law enforcement or, in particular, the LAPD. I couldn't put it down. Gates does an excellent job in providing the reader with a good picture of the Los Angeles police force and the trials and tribulations it's endured for the last 40 years. Gates comes across as a chief who genuinely cares for his department and it's officers as well as the community in which they serve. Plagued by a seeming knack to say the wrong thing or be endlessly misinterpreted by the media, one can not help but like the man and sincerely hope he will pen another one in the future

There is a good reason this book is so hard to find: it is onehell of a good read from the early start of the superchief's careerall the way to his unfortunate retirement this book takes the reader to the inside of the LAPD's world. The Chief did a great job for his first attempt. This reviewer only hopes he will produce more! The viewer gets an insiders look at the nations best police department the Los Angeles Police Department.

The children in our preschool love books with big bold images, lots of strong colors, and a big surprise in the middle. This one is a perfect example. The children especially seem to delight in the idea of a little boy taking what the big people see as brave action in the face of their silly fear that only the little boy can see through. I highly recommend this one.

Tragedies like Columbine are a wake-up call. It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

This beautifully illustrated book, part of a children's series by Idries Shah, is sure to delight kids and parents alike. Based on a tale told for centuries in Central Asia and the Middle East, it is about a boy who happens upon a village where the people are terrified of melons simply because they've never seen one before. In showing the villagers that their fears are unfounded, the boy teaches children some valuable lessons about fear. Yet unlike so many other children's books, THE CLEVER BOY AND THE TERRIBLE, DANGEROUS ANIMAL doesn't impose its lessons on the young reader, but instead gently offers them up to be digested and understood at the child's own pace. I wish there were more children's books like this one and the others in Shah's delightful series.

One of the many gems in this book is "The Legend of The Cattleman". The cattle expert arrived in a country where the local specialists in cows and oxens reported "such animals become sick and die very frequently, in spite of all our science". He asked them how did they feed and treat the animals. In the end he had to feed the cattle what the local people considered right but secretly he also fed the cattle what they really needed. Could some of these old stories anticipate contemporary science?

Those not already familiar with the works of Idries Shah have a real treat in store, a treat that includes an entirely new way to understand the sources and uses of stories. This collection is certainly entertaining--by turns hilarious and thought provoking. In addition, it provides readers with the chance to determine for themselves if carefully crafted material like this can also develop new capacities for non-linear thinking. Enjoy!

The Dermis Probe offers its readers a chance to look at the way they look at things. In so doing, restrictions that hamper thought and vision become readily apparent, and an opportunity to use the mind in a way that bypasses these restrictions becomes available. So The Dermis Probe is more than just another book one dips into to derive entertainment and enjoyment. Although the stories, extracts and commentaries are certainly enjoyable and interesting, they carry within them a kind of 'magic' that works on the mind to expose itself to itself so that it can work better and more efficiently. The Dermis Probe therefore recommends itself to any reader who wishes to explore the terrain of himself or herself to arrive at a greater understanding.

I think this book accomplishes exactly what the title mentions, "A Beginner's Guide". I guess I thought myself as in the "beginner" category, but after reading this book, I realized that I was not and needed something with a bit more depth to help me. But in any case, it was a good read.

New users to Linux (Power Users or Windows Admins) will find this book a solid read. I'm not sure how it would be as a beginner's book with no previous experience. I suppose even a beginner could use it, since it covers all the important parts of administration, Linux or whatever. It contains lots of skill building exercises and projects, as well as reusable blueprints. It emphasizes basic areas small business system's administrators would use It covers topics like file systems, backups, printers, user management, security (SSH), various GUIs, task automation, etc. It covers stuff like Apache, sendmail and nameservers, talking to Windows with Samba, exceptionally well.

I've messed around with a bit of UNIX at work as a shell account user, but with this economy, it never hurts to know more tech and be a little less dispensable, so I wanted to set up my own system at home and get my hands dirty.

This book has been a miracle, helping me get through everything from setting up the basics on an old computer I had sitting in the garage (nice to get more use out of it) to implementing a GUI, setting up server daemons, even doing some troubleshooting.

I think I'd have had a slower start if I hadn't already had some basic UNIX experience (navigating, copying files, using a non-GUI text editor) but beyond that, I thought this book was really useful and quite helpful. It's going to be on my reference shelf for a while.

If we are to believe what Idries Shah writes about Sufis, they arrogate themselves the right not only to judge other people's actions, but their very thoughts as well. By my understanding of what Shah has written, he is saying that if people behave in such-and-such a manner, or if the result of such behavior is so-and-so, then people must necessarily be internally making this-or-that mistake, usually because they are so awful. There seems no room in Sufi assessments for honest mistakes, for well-intentioned ignorance, for actions gone off course, or even for haphazard responses from the environment itself. Apparently, to the Sufi, everything is deeply meaningful and can be clearly interpreted from their superior perspective. Thank goodness there are other ways in this world to be honest seekers after truth.

An excellent introduction to and overview of Sufi literature: this Handbook contains anecdotes, question-and-answer interchanges, mini-lectures, and many outstanding tales including some of my favorites (The Skill that Nobody Has, Fahima and the Prince, Elephant-Meat, Intelligence and Obedience). But don't take my word for it; you really should check it out for yourself.

A fascinating collection of question and answers and narratives of various lengths. Most of the material appears straight forward, but a rereading (especially after some time has passed) will often reveal new insights and levels which can be surprising. The breadth and depth of the material will make this a rewarding book for anyone with an interest in reality.