I was disappointed in this book.Perhaps I was wrong in expecting something more akin to a biography of Adamsky rather thenan overly long social essay.The author carries his coy andbemused portrayal of Adamsky onfar too long--what at most shouldhave been a brief essay grew tobook length. After a while theone-dimensional semi-joke he attempts to make Adamsky out to be--something akin to how onewho is a little fond of a pet with an entertaining foible mightportray the animal--chasing itstail, for example, grows very, very thin.

Plainly stated, "Looking for Orthon" is one of the most compelling treatments of the UFO phenomenon I've read in years. Superficially, "Looking for Orthon" can be read as a biography of the late flying saucer contactee George Adamski, but it's much more; Bennett probes the innards of 20th century society with an intellectual and literary dexterity seldom encountered in popular works on UFOs. Bennett treats Adamski's bizarre story as the multilayered mythological enigma that it is, recreating the circumstances in which Adamski, good-natured opportunist and hobbyist astronomer, supposedly met a man from Venus. Bennett argues that Adamdki's claimed contact rattled Western society's ontological bedrock, regardless if it actually happened. There aren't very many books that address reality-challenging issues as ably or as wittily as Bennett's. "Looking for Orthon" is a must for anyone seeking the roots of the postmodern condition, and destined to be a classic.

Colin Bennett summarises this book when he says that "the problem here is that in the 20th century we have lost the relationship between imagination and fact".
Bennet will be viewed as either an apologist for [George Adamski], or as having the insight to see beyond the superficial straw that Adamski worked with to perceive the small but priceless quantity of gold produced. In fact both views are correct and at the same time. In other words we are in contradictory territory here and Bennett is a wise guide.
In discussing the power of metaphor (central to his thesis) Bennett says attempts to alter meaning will cause "forces beyond all belief to be summoned". This is truly stated and can be easily inverted to produce an equal truth. Such is the nature of this perplexing book - all is ambiguity.
The old showman that was George Adamski deserves this book. It offers a wonderful, rich, rewarding and finally fabulous journey to the dream/reality factory. Go visit.

"Audubon: American Birds" is a not only a wonderful introduction to Audubon's works but a portrait of the birds as seen through the eyes of a great American naturalist. The volume also serves as a good reference source though tempered with an romantic view giving the astute reader an additional insight into the times in which Audubon worked. I would definately recomment this book to both the birder and art lover.

The problem with the "Journey to Freedom" biography of Colin Powell is that the story ends with the Powell's decision in 1996 not to run for President. However, this deficiency can easily be turned into an asset since many young students will now that Powell is not the Secretary of State. This would allow for class discussion on how the story of Powell's career of public service is not over and I can see students being asked to write the next chapter of his story to bring this book up to date.

I was surprised at how little I knew about Powell's life before his military career and was fascinated to find out he is the son of immigrants from Jamaica, which means that his story is somewhat different from that of most African Americans who are the descendants of slaves. However, this book makes it clear that despite this difference Powell was still subjected to racism, especially when he was sent to Georgia for basic training in the army. This is a large photograph of two men drinking from different water fountains because of segregationist practices in the South. This juvenile biography focuses mostly on his career in the military, but also tells about his family life and what Powell has done since retiring from active duty. John Passaro's book clearly achieves its basic goal, which is to show that whatever decision Powell made in 1996, his military career is comparable to others generals who ended up becoming President. Certainly there is a sense in which being qualified to be President is a greater victory than actually achieving the office, which has been done by several men of dubious qualification.

The African American Library's "Journey to Freedom" series educates and informs children about the achievements and contributions of America's noted African Americans in all aspects of endeavors. If this particular volume suffers in comparison to some of the others in this series it is simply because Powell has continued to be of great service to his country since 1996. Hopefully this series will be reprinted, providing an opportunity for Passaro to update Powell's biography. However, in the meanwhile, I would think that young students reading about Collin Powell would be willing to do that now.

My boyfriend bought an earlier copy of this book when I was going to visit him in Germany. He looked through many different guidebooks, and, as a native, found this one to be the most accurate and visually interesting. I selected places to visit before going and was very pleased and well informed by reading this guide. It is an excellent sourcebook for any traveler to Germany. I've bought one for my parents who will visit this summer!

There is precious little out there between two covers about John Carpenter. This edition (from the pocket essentials series) is a concise and enthusiastic overall reference for the Carpenter fan or the would-be fan. My one caveat would be that perhaps the authors are a little blind when it comes to some of the movies where Carpenter had less than absolute control (the big studio productions). It really isn't enough to say that Memoirs of an Invisible Man was better than most Hollywood fare (because it wasn't), or to forgive Prince of Darkness by calling it a noble attempt at cerebral horror (because it isn't). But these are informed opinions and they provide food for thought. And that is really the best thing about this book -- it's smart and enthusiastic and it talks about my favorite director. And it made me think.

This book is an excellent effort to compile several and relevant cases where the New Institutional Economics theory is explained through practical cases. The way in which each one of these cases is exposed, permits to see clearly the elements of this new economic thoery in the real world. Three characteristcs are prominent in this book. One, the cases show very diverse situations, which facilitates the understanding of this new theory in varied contexts. Two, in spite of that chapers are are short, which permits a easy and quick reading, they are supported in deep jobs of investigacion carried out by the authors. Three, the authors of this edition have different specific interpetaciones of this New Institutional Economics theory, which does a very valuable reading.

Related to this book, there is "Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance by Douglas North, or Colonialism and Underdevelopment in East Africa : The Politics of Economic Change, 1919-1939 by E.A. Brett

The question of the how business should be regulated has recently become a much more important one in the wake of the Enron collapse. It seems that the reactionary response to the loss of the investments of thousands of Enron employees is to look to the government for action. Perhaps it is understandable given the human tragedy involved to look to the state as the administrative and judicial wheels grind slowly and the prospect of recovery of losses and questionable transactions looks especially dim.

Regulation has gradually assumed a greater role over the last twenty years given the rolling back of the state throughout the world since the economic crises of the 1970s. In Britain, the privatisation, liberalisation and competition policies followed by the Thatcher governments and others, prompted a growth in regulatory bodies mainly, but not always concerned with the newly private utilities. Corporate governance also spawned regulators and these too have spread across the world.

I refer to Britain here, although this book has a wider audience in mind, because this is where this important book originated. The authors are the General Director and Editorial Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, a highly respected free market think tank based in London. The basic premise of the book is that markets can only flourish within a legal framework of rules. This is a simple concept but one which is at the heart of a raging controversy over who should make the rules.

This may sound like an esoteric argument but it is crucial one in trying to define the limits to government.

Most people assume that the role of the state is to establish the rules that society must abide by. The assumption is considered "natural" these days but if one thinks of this critically, it is only because government has grown so much that it impinges in more aspects of our lives than ever before. In fact the way in which people act and behave is more the result of our interaction with other people.

Robinson and Blundell argue that the economic case for regulation generates an ideal standard as it's solution which is unattainable in the real world and therefore requires greater state intervention than is necessary. State regulation, indeed any regulation, is not free and imposes costs on society. As those costs are often hidden, public choice theory tells us that regulatory bodies tend to expand more than it ought and that they have a tendency to be 'captured' by sectional interest groups.

The answer, in Blundell and Robinson's view, is the establishment of voluntary rules, with legal remedies, which would be more flexible and would adapt to changing conditions. Furthermore, voluntary rules lead to the creation of voluntary forms of protection and they are often a much cheaper to the state based form. Ultimately, the argument is distilled to an essential essence, the best form of regulation is competition and as much of it as possible.

One thing has become clear in recent years and that is that if there must be regulation then society must choose between detailed regulation which is very specific and covers almost every eventuality, or general rule regulation which is flexible. Detail regulation is a lawyers paradise and leaves open the prospect of breach by the smart through ingenious solutions whereas general rule regulation allows discretion. It seems that the latter is the better option but not the one that government necessarily chooses.

I would highly recommend this book to any practitioner of the evil arts of government.

This introductory textbook of strategic studies covers four main themes: the enduring issues of strategy, the evolution of joint warfare, twentieth-century theories, and contemporary issues of grand strategy. The book is written from the perspective of 'Western security interests', but even so, studying strategy helps us to think clearly about the ways in which states and others use organised force for political ends.
The writers all refute technological determinism: new weapons - artillery in World War One, tanks in World War Two, guided missiles in the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, precision bombing and superior ground force technology in the Gulf War - were none of them unbeatable. They show that the basic principles of conducting land warfare have hardly changed in the last hundred years. Armies need to combine their arms, defend in depth, keep large reserves, use cover and concealment, and integrate movement and suppressive fire. In particular, Stephen Biddle shows that, contrary to many claims, the USAF air war in the Gulf did not destroy all the Iraqi armour. Possibly 4,100 armoured vehicles later fought the US ground forces, but they did not fight according to the basic principles, so they were beaten.
However, the editors err in dividing what they call '20th-century theories' - deterrence, arms control, terrorism and 'irregular warfare' (national liberation struggles) - from the 'contemporary issues' of technology, weapons of mass destruction, and humanitarian intervention. These are all still live issues. Further, the editors could have presented them in the livelier form of debates.
As with any collection of pieces by many hands, the quality is uneven, but generally the better essays are more grounded in the realities of 20th-century military history. The worse ones try to discuss, for instance, the causes of war in terms of biology or psychology. As a rule, strikingly individual expressions of one person's views, like Colin Gray's Modern Strategy, or Bernard Brodie's War and Politics, provoke more thought than compilation textbooks

This book is a must buy for tournament players who play the Pirc. Having gone through parts of this book I found the use to be typical for standard opening books. Although you have an obligitory introduction to each section that involves text, I found the conclusions to be fair, honest and reasonably thorough. What set the book apart from the rest is that it is from John Nunn. I feel that I can trust his opinions given his past work. It would have been nice and indeed enlightning, if John Nunn put in more text.

This book definitely tries to be too much: A bit of Thriller, some Psychologoy, Philosophy, Literature, etc. And this is unfortunate, as Harrison definitely is a good writer: Porter Wren, Hobbs and Cynthia are good characters and the description of New York is great.

The plot is a bit a mess, but sometimes the narrative is strong enough to cover it up and it has enough drive to keep you going.

If the editor had done a better job and shortened this book by 80 to 100 pages - very often Porter Wren is just rambling on about stuff, nothing to do with the story and not very insightful -, it could have been a slick yuppie thriller!

If it's sitting in your bookcase (as in my case), read it. If not, don't bother to hunt it down.

I have to agree with much of what Mr. Brenner said in his review of this novel. Yes, it does start out very well, and continues to hold interest, but the end sort of peters out, almost as if Mr. Harrison was either rushed or just got bored with what he was writing. The end of a mystery should be the most intense part, in my opinion, and the beginning and middle seemed to hold more intensity than the conclusion.

But, there are a great many things I enjoyed about this book. The "devil may care" attitude of narration was one of them. Porter seems to know he's not a "good" person in others eyes, but it doesn't seem to affect his storytelling. He doesn't apologize to the reader, but is trying to work things out for himself.

I also enjoyed the character of Caroline. Her personality wasn't immediately shown as the typical girl of noir novels who comes into the detective's (in this case journalist's) office with a hat pulled over one eye, wanting him to find out who killed her late husband. She subtley changes as the relationship between her and Porter becomes more familiar. Even in the end, although much is revealed, she remains not quite mysterious, just not understood.

This isn't a bad read, but it is disappointing. I'd like to see Harrison avoid the realm of mystery and perhaps try something more general. The writing is good, even though the story is somewhat lacking.

Beautiful prose-style writing! This is the only novel I have found so far that could be compared to "Gold Coast" by Nelson Demile. Wonderful narrative way of writing, a technique only could be created by a real talented writer. Every sentence is well written and worthy of being perused carefully and slowly. Once I've read about 1/3 part of it, I just couldn't wait to grap his other works to be ready in line to continue. Don't treat this book with anything of any genre, just appreciate it as a wonderfully constructed story. Fantastic characters, Porter Wren is especially an unique one, created by a most talented writer. If you failed to enjoy and/or appreciate this writer's "Dark Humor" as well as his wonderful and smooth writing skill, then you might have to admit that you are not a mature enough "thinking reader."