I had the pleasure of seeing a preview copy of this book. It isa must read as we move toward understanding what it might mean for thefuture in making China richer and more powerful through trade.

This book puts a gentle face on a very brave people who have suffered not only the largest land grab of the 20th century through the bloody invasion by China (Tibet is the size of Europe) but have suffered a genocide by the Chinese that is the most widely ignored in history.

This is a beautiful book and worth the price. Add to your reading list "Tears Of Blood" by Mary Craig and "In Exile From the Land Of Snows" by John Avedon.

China will be one of the 3 big stories of the next century if we make it richer and more powerful. This book is as important as it is a beautiful undertaking. Congratulations to Mr. Harrison END

This book is a must see and read. Stephen Harrison truly captures the personal side of Tibetans in Exile. As you read the stories behind the Tibetans portrayed in the photographs, it's as if you are in the background while Stephen Harrison interviews these most courageous Tibetan people. The portrait photography is wonderfully presented in a landscape format providing for a personal backdrop behind the emotion and suffering of each Tibetan portrayed. This is a one of a kind presentation providing a first-time moving experience each and everytime you open the book.

In Whispered Prayers: Portraits And Prose Of Tibetans In Exile, Stephen Harrison showcases the inner experiences of being a Tibetan refugee through a moving narration combined with exquisite photography. This wonderful exhibition is a worthy and valued contribution is further enhanced with a foreword by His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Whispered Prayers will be read with deep engagement by students of Buddhism, of Tibetan history, and all who seek an enlightenment path through perilous and stressful times.

I can't imagine why this book is out of print. The author challenges the notion that those plagued by mental illness or glitches of the mind must be "fixed." Instead, these struggles can be used for good.

Stor has done a wonderful thing in presenting Jung's voluminous works in a single volume. Although the content may at times be intimidating, the sections flow easily enough. If you are going to read any book this year, then this should be the one. Jung makes it absolutely clear the challenge that faces the modern mind, caught between reason and faith. In the last section he gives due emphasis to the struggle between the individual and the state. In short, this book is true wisdom for all to meditate upon.

I've been reading at Mesmerism and Hypnosis for years and this is the best single volume yet. This one gives a very clear lineal history of the transition from Mesmerism to Hypnotism, listing WHO added/deleted/discovered WHAT to the process.

I think it would be most interesting to go back to the early practices and re-examine them for further use..the various practices did different things and had different uses!

At any rate, you needn't hesitate to buy this one if the historical subject is on interest to you. Very highly recommended. Nicely done.

Re-reading this book, after a 10-year study of Jungian Psychology, made it clear to me that C.G. Jung is a Philosopher's Philosopher. At the back of this book is Jung's public view of GOD and Religion, and he informs us of the psychic error and impertinence of making a "Hypostasis" (as in Plato's 'Ideal'), and he defers to the sacredness of the "Individual Psyche" versus the "Collective Psyche". Jung is clearly "Aristotlean" here. This is opposite many peoples' conception/use of Jung (e.g., my edition of Random House Encyclopedia discounted Jung's ideas as examples of "Idealist" Philosophy with Archetypes, et al)!

Jung believed there is genuine value and meaning in neuroses and even madness; but, now, the credibility of all Philosphers must now be viewed in terms of their respective healthy or unhealthy Psyches! Most importantly, many Western Philosophers [mostly since Descartes] show a severe mind-body thinking-feeling split; and, this is different in Eastern Philosophy and Western Religions. Jung's words have great significance for Eastern and Western Philosopy and World Religions in the coming Millennium! Bennet's contribution serves to protect us from distortions of Jung so commonly found in name-dropping derivative works.

Psycho-history using pschoanalysis as a historical tool often apears on shaky ground. Yet Storr's work is a first rate piece of writing based on scholarly analysis and adds immeasurably to our understanding of churchill and the forces thar drove him on and on. The first essay is the finest but all the others have a solid quality to them. Yet the Churchill essay is the finest. By realising the immense personal challenges he faced, it adds to his reputation. The internal obstacles were often more than the external ones. A fine book that rewards continual rereading.

The late Anthony Storr was British. As you read this insightful book, it is good to keep this in mind. He had a neighbor's perspective of Winston Churchill and (although centuries separate their lives) of Isaac Newton. These essays were the most valuable of the entire book. These men were two of the most influential men that the world has ever produced. With the knowledge of their exquisite gifts, emotionally both of these men had to conduct their lives. Churchill's 'black dog' makes us wonder if today he would have been able to hold a powerful public office, with society's fear of mental illness. Storr documents much of Churchill's emotional life and discusses Newton's also, which is very valuable to the reader. This book was written by one of the most prominent psychiatrists of the 20th Century, who in the same vein as the neurologist Oliver Sacks, fortunately decided to expand his career by publishing books.

I was hoping for a book that looked into the psychological aspects of solitude for people in general.

This book gives a selected account of how differnt artists have been inspired by being alone.

While this may be interesting to some, i got no real insight into why ordinary people choose solitude or its different aspects.

The subtitle of "Solitude", by noted British Psychiatrist, Anthony Strorr is "A Return To The Self." It is about knowing the self - you. There are many great books about solitude - Merton, Thoreau, Emerson and Grumbach, but this well written book is not about just solitude; it is about the value of solitude. The most interesting thing is that Storr first sets the stage by discussing the importance of relationships.

He starts with: "Love and friendship are of course, an important part of what makes life worthwhile." And then: "If we did not look to marriage as the principle source of happiness, fewer marriages would end in tears." and "If it is accepted that no relationship is ever ideal, it makes it easier to understand why men need other sources of fulfillment."

And finally, "Two opposite drives operate throughout life: the drive for companionship, love, and everything else which brings us closer to our fellow men; and the drive toward being independent, separate, and autonomous."

He implies that isolation is a psychological prison out side of society. Cults that isolate people are outside of the accepted mythology of humanity. If you cannot share your insights with your relationship or your community then you have experienced something other than solitude.

Storr reminds us that solitude is at it's best when it is an individual excursion from a fulfilling relationship. Storr explains the need for the paradox of the comfort of companionship versus the solace of solitude.

Solitude is not about an escape from life, but a re-entry into life with new insights from your time of solitude.

Please be patient with his summary of psychological history, because it is the explanation for the need of solitude in our lives.

This is the perfect book to read if you are starting your journey for the meaning of life. Your personal enlightenment, wherever it comes from, only has value when you share it with the place you came from. To embark upon Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" start with this book.
Bon Voyage.

Frankly, I've always wondered why most humans choose to run around in herds when they could have much more fun (and learn more) listening to their own thoughts. This book, written with great intelligence and insight, proves just how powerful (and un-neurotic) solitude can be. You can't create in the midst of the madding crowd, and a creative, original life is what we all should strive for, whether we're socially inclined or solitudinous.

It's easy, and safe, to jump on the social bandwagon. Storr talks convincingly about the value of the other side of the coin, about those who get away and listen to their own music, and are not afraid to play it out loud.

Storr never fails to amaze me with the depth of his perceptions. He dicusses 'head-on' the kind of ideas that one has thought of before, but never persued. He manages to cover every view-point without obvious bias...I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the reasons one is drawn to create, and the links between mental illness and creativity/madness and genius......

I wish this had been the first book I read for a semester of independent research on the relationship between creativity and mental illness- this is an extremely clear, comprehensive look at a variety of questions within the field. The only failure in this is Storr's habit of raising interesting questions and never answering them. Overall, an excellent read, borrowing much from Jung's idea of integration.

Storr not only clears up much of the misinformation surrounding creativity and madness, but once again proves himself to be a remarkably clear interpreter of both Freud and Jung.

An interesting and informative reader on the works of Sigmund Freud which should assist the lay reader who does not require too much detail. For the professional reader it is a quick and handy guide/refresher on the important things that Freud wrote. Storr's approach is lively and succinct. He helps us to understand Freud and his thinking by example, illustration and critique. He also shows us the progression of Freud's work and the development of psychoanalysis as we know it today. This short introduction is an excellent achievement in condensation of the Standard Editions.

This book is a very good general view of freud's ideas, theories, and views. I would recommend it if you are just stating out. It has clear language too. However it is not terribly indepth so be forewarned that it may not meet all needs. It is a good general resource though.

The jacket and reviews of this book claim that it is written by a psychologist. This is wrong, it is written by a psychiatrist, with all the difference once expects between the two professions.

I bought this book hoping for a scientific discussion of how music influences us, for example things like: the influence of music of different types on animals, the reactions of children to different types of music, what MRI and PET scans tells us about the effect of music on the brain,

differences in music across cultures; stuff like that.

What I got was a text in the worst traditions of Freud and Jung, a rambling collection of fragments and observations from the writings of Western Civ over the last two thousand years and presumed to be true simply because their language is resonant and evocative. This is doubtless of interest to some people, but is of very little interest to me.

To people like myself, interested in what is actually known about music and the mind, rather than interested in simply reading a hundred different ways in which people have essentially said the same thing "Music has a profound and mysterious effect on the mind", this book is a complete waste of time and money. I cannot warn you strongly enough that it will do nothing but disappoint you.

The author is an acclaimed psychiatrist whose personal life was very sad and lonely; he attributed his passion for music as the element which preserved his sanity and emotional equilibrium. Out of the many books he wrote, this was his favorite. He attempts to discover what it is about music that so profoundly affects us, and why it is such an important part of our culture. In doing so, he quotes a vast array of opinions; actually he draws more from what other peole have had to say about music than his own personal opinion.
Storr sees music as subjective, emotional need for communication with other human beings; it structures time and brings order out of chaos, and it has a positive effect upon patients with neurological diseases. Physiologically, the emotional response is centered in the right hemisphere whilst the ability to appreciate structure and make critical judgments is located on the left side of the brain. He is of the opinion that music originates from the human brain rather than from the natural world and its universality depends on the urge to impose order upon our experience. He criticizes the dispute between formalists and expressionists since for him it is obvious that appreciation of both form and emotional significance enter into the experience of every listener and cannot be separated. Contrary to Freud's opinion, Storr holds that music is not an escape from reality but a means to structure our auditory perceptions and can also serve as a precursor to creative discovery.
The last few chapters are dedicated to a philosophical analysis of the views held mainly by Schopenhauer, Jung, Nietszche with respect to music. Storr does not fully accept Schopenhauer's "unus mundus" or Jung's "pleroma," and is more inclined to accept Nietszche's concepts: music reconciles an individual to life and enhances it, it is physically and emotionally based, and it links the two principles of Apollo and Dionysus.
Storr gives a historical, psychological, philosophical, and above all a passionate account of importance of music in the life of an individual. Quoting his own words, music is "something for the sake of which it is worthwhile to live on earth... it is an irreplaceable, transcendental blessing."

Storr synthesizes his knowledge of biology, psychology, history and evolution and fuses it into a mindful musical journey. This is a thought provoking and comprehensive integration of music and the human psyche, and like many of Storr's books, it enhances your self awareness with each chapter.

Whether, stimulating & arousing or relaxing & calming, music has enormous emotional power. Storr has written an eloquent treatise on how music serves as one of the bridges connecting mind and body.