If ever there was a book that deserves accolades, this is it. And yet no amount of superlatives could express just how wonderful this book is and what it does to you. It is not so much a book about pain as a book about life. It evokes a sense of gratitude for life that will stay with you for life. How fortunate it makes you feel when you read about both the misfortune and the courage of others. And how the true meaning of life becomes apparent. Without ever telling you what to think, Dr Brand makes you think. He makes you realise that life, with all its challenges, is the great gift. There were times when reading this book that I found myself so moved emotionally that I had to stop reading, almost as if I had to take a deep breath and contemplate what I had just read. And then, slowly, I'd pick the book up again and re-read that moving passage before continuing on. This book is a journey more than a read. It is a journey you will never forget. Please buy it.

As a physical therapy educator in a Masters program I use this book as a central theme in my class. As a PT in neurological rehabilitation I apply this perspective daily in communicating with the people I serve. The "philosphy" that Dr. Brand, through Philip Yancey's always excellent writing, explains and demonstrates is incredibly applicable to each one who reads the book. Any health professional who deals with patients in pain NEEDS to read this book. It provides a perspective of encouragement, of connection to the "gift of pain", and of understanding that although "pain is unavoidable, misery is optional" (Tim Hansel). Most importantly, this book is written with a deep compassion for a person's "holistic" suffering in mind, spirt, and body. It is an inspirational book that will touch your soul. A #1 necessary read!

I learned about Paul Brand's work through "Soul Survivor" by Philip Yancey. I have always loved Yancey's work, and he described how Brand had greatly influenced Yancey as a young man, showing him a true picture of servanthood and love in the mold of Jesus. I ordered "The Gift of Pain" to learn more about Brand and I was not disappointed. Brand describes his childhood as a missionary kid in India, and as a young medical student in WWII England. The book is autobiographical, but more than that, because it weaves in some of Brand's spiritual revelations as well. As the title suggests, much of this book is devoted to the issue of pain. Although we try and avoid pain as much as possible, Brand came to welcome pain as a gift from God. It warns us when we are endangering ourselves, putting the members of our bodies in situations that could be harmful. Leprosy, Brand discovered, is not a disease that rots flesh, but instead dulls nerves. The damaged bodies of lepers are a result of self-inflicted injuries (i.e., stepping on nails, touching something too hot) not from leprosy itself. There are so many lessons to be learned about how we view pain in this book. Also... there is an interesting afterword that compares AIDS as the modern day leprosy.... very interesting.

This book deserves much more attention. I intend to recommend it to my career coaching clients. The author emphasizes that we don't always figure out what we need by "mouth aerobics." Getting out and experiencing nature will help us find where we are.

I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor, spiritual seeker and avid outdoors person and I have been looking for a way to bring these aspects together. Phillip Sutton Chard's book "The Healing Earth" has shown me the way. Chard not only applies psychological insight to the practice of psychotherapy but actually uses nature as the "therapist." His case studies illustrate how nature has the power to heal and change our lives, validates our own experiences and empowers us to use the natural world in the practice of psychotherapy. Chard's book redefines "sanity" as if the whole world mattered.

I am a existential psychotherapist and have been seeking the way for myself and others to lead a being vs. having lifestyle.Thank you Mr. Chard for showing me the way.This book is so well written and has such a powerful message it should be the prerequisite reader for anyone interested in the newly formed ecotherapy movement.It is also written so that both the professional and lay person can benefit.His preface alone was great!

This book has superb information for the novice and experienced hypnotherapist as well as the lay person interested in the topic. There are topics not usually covered, such as gender differences and how to deal with them in clients. This is such an insightful and practical book. I use it as a desk reference in my office and it helps me get through any situation I may encounter in my hypnotherapy practice. All the fundamentals you need to knnow are in here to help you become a successful hypnosis practicioner.

Simple to follow with lots of practical information that I can put to day-to-day use. This book is concise and to the point. It covers a lot of things overlooked in other books I have read. A great resource book for hypnotherapists and those learning.

This is a very interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone!
It delves into the mystery that is the mind.

It's a truism that, even among genealogists, few of us are truly interested in the details of other people's family histories. But now and then, a story comes along that is not only instructive in research methodology and interpretation of evidence, but is also an absorbing tale in its own right. And anyone who has heard Dr. Colletta lecture at a conference or speak at a banquet knows he's a born storyteller, a natural entertainer. Though he's based in Washington, the author is often identified with his hometown of Buffalo, New York, and with the subject of immigration research, but he also has Southern connections. When he first became interested in his family's history at the age of fourteen, he interviewed his grandmother and heard from her a sketchy and rather garbled account of the violent death of her own grandfather, Joseph Ring, in the fiery destruction of his store in Rolling Fork, Issaquena County, Mississippi, in 1873. (Though even most of those few facts were not known to her.) And when Joe's widow was returning to her family in the North, she was beset by another tragedy: The death of her infant son in a steamboat wreck. That was the beginning of a thirty-year quest to uncover the facts, a process Colletta describes here, step by step. Was Joe Ring killed by marauding ex-slaves? By local planters who opposed the arrival of recent immigrants? Was it bandits? Disgruntled customers? Or was it an Act of God? Reading newspaper accounts and the scant courthouse documents, tracking recollections of events in other branches of his family, walking the site of the store itself, he considered many hypotheses, eventually discarding all but one. (I won't tell you which one!) But while it sometimes reads almost like a novel, this volume is also an extended research report and every attributed personality trait or speculation on motive is accompanied by a footnote. And his conclusions are carefully bolstered by the available evidence. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I really enjoyed reading Only a Few Bones by John Philip Colletta. It's good family history, it's good local history, but--most importantly--it's a ripping good yarn which combines entertainment and enlightenment.

There are so many levels to John Colletta's "Only a Few Bones."
It can be read solely as a "Whodunit," and will keep the reader guessing with each new theory put forth. It's a fascinating detective story -- and it's all true.
It can be read on a historical level with its wealth of mid-19th century history in the South.
It is an excellent example of documentation. It must be a given that few books have ever been so well researched and documented.
"Only a Few Bones" can be read as the story told by a professor with a PhD in an entirely different field who could no longer ignore the calling of genealogy.
It's a quality example of using social history to flesh out the "bones" of all our ancestors.
But, most of all, "Only a Few Bones" is a fascinating read.

This book really did change my life by forcing me to look at the world around me and how I react to it as a Christian. Since reading this book, I have felt personally challenged to convey God's grace to others, particularly those that are "different" from myself. I think this is the best Christian book out right now and I have already given it as a gift to several friends and family members. If you are a Christian and have become discouraged by the negative reaction to Christians by non-Christians, read this book and help me start to change those stereotypes.

How can I add anything to all the rave reviews of this book? Why does everyone love it so much? Two reasons: the fact of God's grace and the fact that Yancey conveys that grace in a well-written book that is moving and touching. Yancey -- praise the Lord! -- is one conservative Christian who understands that Christianity is about God's love and forgiveness and not about a wrathful, rule-enforcing God who forgives grudgingly. And Yancey has a way of conveying this message with art and feeling. I have already bought multiple copies of this book to give to friends. I consider it a must-read for anyone looking for God's love.

Stunning, beautiful. All I hunger for. From Bear Grylls, author of 'Facing Up', published March 2000 Macmillans

After devouring this book, I immediately passed it to a client who is developing a speaking business. Lenny's book is full of real-life examples and practical tips for communicating clearly and powerfully. Whether you want to speak professionally or just communicate better in your day-to-day life, this is the book for you!

This book is a gold mine! It provides a ton of practice, easy to understand and easy to implement ideas. Lenny's style of writing is so conversation. Reading the book is like having Lenny speak to you one-on-one. The information is easy to understand and simple to use and the entire book is an easy read.

Great job!

Throat dry and raspy? Hands damp and clammy, perhaps even a little shaky? Don't worry, chances are you're not coming down with the flu but simply about to speak in public. Why the majority of us are rendered incapable when standing before a group of faces, even loving ones, is a mystery.

However, there is no mystery about the help for our podium petrification found in "10 Days To More Confident Public Speaking" by The Princeton Language Institute. After listening and practicing the useful tips found in this audio many will be almost as eloquent as reader Peter McHugh!

Listeners are shown how to be laid back, be comfortable with their own unique selves, and, of great importance, given insider tips on establishing an instant rapport with an audience. Suggestions as to how to integrate humor abound, as well as memorization techniques. Once a speaker knows the words he or she wants are firmly in mind, there is an added comfort and confidence.

Whether you going to be up before a local historical society or a judge, 10 DAYS TO MORE CONFIDENT PUBLIC SPEAKING is an invaluable aid.

- Gail Cooke

Philip Farkas's book is still the best. May it long be published! (Perhaps I speak prematurely. I have not yet seen Verne Reynolds's new book on horn playing, published by the Amadeus Press.)

There are a few areas where I would like to see it brought more up to date, though. In the chapter devoted to maintenance, Farkas advocates using valve oil for lubricating the valves. That is out of date advice that I religiously followed and quickly wore out my valves' bearings, which made them clack within a couple of months of purchase of the horn. Nowadays, the better advice is to lubricate the upper and lower bearings with key oil, which has much more lubricity than valve oil, and to use valve oil strictly between the rotor and the casing as a space filler, administering the oil through the valve slides. Ever since I started searching for it in 1959, I never did find Linen Cuttyhunk string, but I think technology has moved ahead and what's now available will outlast that string manyfold. Slide greases have also improved greatly, and I don't think anyone seeks out gun grease for slides anymore. (I still use Marvin Howe's old favorite: wheel bearing grease.)

In his chapter on embouchure, Farkas included nearly everything. But he omitted mention of the levator and depressor muscles, the ones that bare the teeth, without whose participation it is impossible to form an aperture, so essential to tone and response. He was obviously using them-- I am sure I see that in the photograph of him playing-- but he might have been unaware of it. The mouthpiece also forms part of the horn player's embouchure. The angle between the mouthpiece and the face isn't quite perpendicular with the horn (or with any brass instrument) because there would otherwise be no way for the upper arch of the lip aperture to form, since the levator muscles are at the side of the nose and do not act on the center of the upper lip.

Nobody seems to take his advice about fingerings. Practically everyone is sure Farkas has ordered everyone to switch from the F horn to the Bb horn at G#/Ab. He did no such thing. He designated the region between G#/Ab to C as an optional area. Many need to reread that section. There is one place, though, where he was a little too arbitrary, and I wish he hadn't influenced people. He advises against ever using the third finger alone to play A on the grounds that trilling to the Bb above it would cause a cross fingering. That's true, but a third finger A is the only one that would make a trill from G# to A possible. He could have gone more into how fingerings need to be selected by what will facilitate playing, beyond what he discussed about the section about the switch from the F horn to the Bb horn and vice versa. Maybe Farkas didn't want to complicate things too much.

His chapter on tonguing emphasizes the need for accuracy. But as for gaining speed, alas! it hasn't helped me much. What he is describing sounds perhaps like a controlled flutter tongue. My tongue just won't cooperate with his instructions, or anyone else's, so I use double and triple tonguing (neither one mentioned in this book but mentioned in his Art of Brass Playing) for successions of sixteenth notes after around 104 beats per minute. I've inquired around, and I've found I'm not alone in this.

His recommendations about breath control appear to collide with those of the school of Arnold Jacobs, the esteemed tuba player also of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and whose teachings about breath control are now sacred among most brass players. In no way would Mr. Jacobs agree to Farkas's proposition that the throat hold back air during soft playing or any other. I'm still trying to sort that one out. A veteran trombone player from that orchestra told me once that Farkas could not have been following his own advice in the matter.

Another area where others might disagree with Farkas is about how to phrase sixteenth notes. I saw a school of thought about that in Keith Stein's book, The Art of Clarinet Playing, in which that author advocated making a slight crescendo through the weak sixteenth notes, so as to make the note that falls on the beat a goal note.

The rest of the book is indeed strong. The use of double exposure to show hand position in the bell was a stroke of brilliance. His warmup routine is a real lip and accuracy builder. The recommended etudes are outstanding, as well. It's too bad, though, that Erwin Miersch's book of etudes wasn't out back in 1956. Farkas must have surely liked it when it appeared. His advice about intelligent practice is unique; I don't know why other method books, even ones for other instruments, don't lay it out so simply. His advice about stage fright is also wonderful, though I think a musician should also consult Barry Green and Timothy Gallwey's book The Inner Game of Music, which adds to what Farkas discusses.

The Art of French Horn Playing is a definite must-have for all aspiring horn players, young and old. As a professional for 10 years now, and a current horn teacher/tutor, I strongly recommend this book to all my students. The Art of French Horn Playing covers practically every aspect of playing the horn - from the very basics to the very technical - this book caters to every level of horn playing. Even today, I constantly refer to it every once in a while. Go, buy it.

This book made me! Farkas' book is the most complete guide to playing horn I have ever read. It offers everything from lip position to advice for stage fright, and the BEST warmups you can ever use. Play his warmups for about half an hour every day, and in a month I guarantee you'll see results. This book made me the performer I am, and I can't emphasize enough how valuable it is to a horn player on any level. Buy it; it's well worth it!

I've been using a previous edition for about 10 years now. This is the best C book I've encountered. It is also an excellent general programing (software engineering) book. It gets back to the basic principles of good programing, something that is often lost in the syntactical complexities that many books/courses concentrate on. Good programing is a mindset and collection of (good) practices which this book goes into. The fact that is focuses on C rather than C++ is nice because the additional baggage (syntax) of C++ would obscure the priciples they are getting at. I am a software engineer for a large computer company. My wife selected this book when she taught an introductory programing course at U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in the early 90's.

This is an excellent book for someone learning C. It is one of the most understandable that I have come across.

This is probably my favorite programming book of all time. This plus a copy of K&R and you're all set (if you're reasonably clever). It puts roughly equal emphasis on teaching the basics of the C language and conveying software engineering "best practices," so it should be supplemented with a concise language reference, and probably the API reference for the platform of your choice. It will not baby-step you through to utter wizardry, so if that's what you're looking for, get one of those 6" thick books that does more hand-holding. But if you want the important parts, very clearly explained, this is an ideal book.

Very comprehensive. A very valuable desk reference, highly recommended.

Philip Kiameh has done a remarkable job of providing in depth description of electrical equipment in pleasantly readable format. Professionals of electrical and non-electrical backgrounds will find this reference invaluable. This book is very well illustrated and descriptive with particular focus on maintenance. This is a truly valuable reference to the industrial professional with major electrical equipment to maintain and operate.

Mr Kiameh has done it again. He has captured his vast practical knowledge into this simple yet comprehensive handbook. The difference between this book and a typical text used in the academic world is that one can find solutions and descriptions to their plant problems; the academic texts are heavily biased to the theorectical while Mr. Kiameh's approach hinges strongly in the industrial aspects.

So how DO you hide seven billion dollars?? Not the way any of us might think! From the intriguing opening question to his first novel, Philip Procter catapults the reader down the alleyways of Munich and into the German countryside of the present time. But it doesn't stop there. Scott Chandler, a sometime private investigator specializing in corporate security, ends up far from where he begins as he researches the predatory reach of the shadowy Egon Von Rath.

Role reversals, disguised identities, and shifting loyalties underpin this gripping tale. Chandler's investigation leads him and his willing audience backwards, down into the darkness of the Nazi Germany High Command at the end of World War II, and then yet more deeply into the greater darkness of the neo-Nazi underground of our time. The stunningly complex plot defies anticipation. We are startled, shocked, and delighted with every turn of the page. For the wearied reader of intrigue, this will take you someplace you haven't been before.

Chandler is a colorful character. Sometimes hardboiled and sometimes tender, strong and yet not invincible, he takes the physical and emotional hits of this amazing story with a creative resilience that matches our favorite fictional heroes. We are amused with him, we are puzzled with him, we understand his outrage, we fear for him. Andrea (to whom we are introduced in a delightful and unusual episode), aiding Scott in his investigation, captures his and our affection, but is she on our side? Daniel Stein, the multifaceted intellectual, adds a depth to the characters not often seen in a novel of suspense. He first appears lecturing his worshipping university students on archeology as a study of the future, and his range only widens. Convincing recreations of historical characters, and of fictional characters, both good and profoundly evil, people this lively and uncertain world. For no one, it seems, is who he seems to be!

The shifting scene of The Munich Legacy is richly rendered. The aromatic Neumarkt Hotel, with its opera-loving and eccentric owner, Harald, and the winding alleyways of Munich, provide a warm secure haven for Chandler early in the novel. As Scott's world turns upside down (sometimes literally), we follow him through quaint German villages and into the woods. We are captive audience of Procter's descriptive skill as our hero traverses the heights and depths of the climactic setting of the novel: the baronial "fairy tale castle, Schloss Obersee", on a rocky promontory overlooking the Alpine Lake, Wandlesee.

Mr. Procter's writing style is perfectly suited to the mood of The Munich Legacy. The sculpted word-images render the need for lengthy descriptive prose unnecessary: "We shook hands like gladiators testing one another's strength." "...his nails were manicured and buffed to a high shine which gave him the look of a wrestler at high tea." Irony figures large: "My appointment was at eleven-fifteen. When you're going to interview a man who's ninety-four years old, you don't want to push your luck by being late." Humorous episodes relieve the building tension. In one of my favorites, deliciously inserted into the love story: "something had awakened me. I peered into the darkness of the small bedroom, listening intently. Before I knew it, I was drifting back into sleep and in half-conscious state I heard what had alarmed me: I was snoring."

Part Ludlum and part "Casablanca", this excellent thriller combines a pithy writing style, evocative and varied settings convincingly realized, colorful characterizations, and stunning plot turns to delight the lover of intrigue.

Wow, what a great book! A thriller that keeps you on your toes and on the edge of the seat. Could not put it down until I had finished reading the entire book. I have been to some of the places in Europe and can relate to the accuracy of the details. This book could be made into a good movie! I hope that Philip Procter has more books like this one in the works.

My batting average for selecting books off the shelf that I have truly enjoyed is about .250. When I read The Munich Legacy, I felt like I hit a Home Run. Mr. Procter has succeeded in crafting a story that holds you in suspense all the way through with clever plot twists and delivers a totally surprising climax. Mr. Procter's attention to detail made me feel like I got to know the characters personnally and that I could visualize myself on these European streets and in the hotels and castles. I blazed through the book and can't wait for the sequel. Bravo!!