I Thou is truly one of the books that changed the way people think. I Thou is a book that has changed the world, and that is not an exaggeration. Buber's influence on counseling and psycho therapy is undenieable. Carl Rogers revised his thinking after his encounter with Buber and I Thou. I Thou teaches fundamental truths about interaction, interpersonal relationships, and true dialog. Martin Buber will long stand as the seminal work for dialog and interpersonal interactions. But, don't take my word for it, read the book.

This small book is obscure at times and difficult to grasp, yet it completely changed my life. I honestly think Buber wrote it poetically to encourage the reader to slow down and potentially I have a true encounter with the ideas. Most of Buber's later books seem to be developing the ideas expounded in I and Thou, so it might be helpful to read another Buber text, like Between Man and Man, alongside I and Thou. He becomes his own commentary. If you have the patience, I think you'll find this book opens a whole new perspective on relationships, our perspective on the world, and the potential for truly divine encounters.

In 1988 my life was completely transformed by this tiny book, and those effects continue today. Buber's powerful stance on human (and divine) relations is even more relevant and poignant today as we spend more and more time in enclosed rooms trying to communicate with strangers through machines. Buber understood human isolation so well and so eloquently mourned its harmful effects, proposing a far better way to live and relate to others.

I hope that readers will take the time to digest what Buber has to say. As for which transation to read, I began with the Kaufmann, but soon found the older one by Ronald Gregor Smith to be more direct, less wordy, and much more beautifullly written. However, regardless of which translation you read, this book is truly a gem.

Most books that speak about the beginning of World War I parcel out the blame among several different countries, on both sides of the conflict. The author of this book is pretty unambiguous: the fault is entirely that of the German Empire. Once he gets down to the peace treaty, he does tend to apportion blame for its ultimate failure in several directions, not the least among them the United States, for its indifference to Europe and its insistence upon being paid back every penny lent during the conflict. The book covers a lot of territory, and its broad scope tends to limit its coverage to any one particular region, which leaves the average reader wishing for more information, particularly about the fighting in Poland and the eastern portions of Europe. Also, this book is badly in need of a good proofreader, for there were many sentences which contained too many words, and then there were some that were missing words. This tended to distract the reader, and I found it extremely annoying. All in all, the work is well done, and gives some different insight into a conference that changed the course of history, unfortunately for the worst, rahter than for the better.

Five stars to Gregor Dallas! He has written one of the best history books on WW1 that I have read at any time and with a particular interest in WW1 this mean I have read many. It is eminently comparable to Massie's "Dreadnought" in depth and readability. Come to think of it, the one complements the other since there can be no better introduction to the origins of WW1 and no better narrative of the transition from war to peace.
I read Dallas' "The Final Act" which relates the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the transition to peace through the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Thus, his latest book treats the same process after the "War to End all Wars" and where appropriate he draws useful parallels. The difference between the two transitions is striking: after 1815, Europe remained peaceful for almost exactly 100 years, except for the altercation between France and the newly formed Germany of Bismarck in 1870, but after 1918 the peace lasted just over 20 years before another world war.
The seeds of WW2 were sown during the peace process which began with the armistice of November 11, 1918. The entry of the United States into WW1 came at a late hour and by the time US military intervention began to have any effect the war was virtually over. Indeed, we learn that the refusal of Pershing to integrate the US Expeditionary force into the allied command had two consequences. One was Pershing's naïve belief he could do what the allies could not by making mass frontal attacks. Both the British and French had taken years to learn this was not the way to win a war, but in the typical NIH syndrome that we seem to suffer from, Pershing refused to listen. Thus he made three attempts to break through the German lines and failed miserably each time, incurring horrendous losses quite on a par with anything the allied command had inflicted on their own forces. Meantime, both the British and French were forging ahead: Clemenceau expressed his frustration on two occasions at the slowness of Pershing to effect a contribution in accordance with the plan. Finally, on the 4th attempt, Pershing broke through, but by then the German flanks were in great danger from the allies on each side. Only in the last week of the war did the US army make a significant contribution, but Wilson took little time to announce it was America that won the war!
The book relates the formulation of Wilson's 14 points, written with his friend Colonel House (who was not a colonel at all!) without consulting either his cabinet or the Congress. He then sent the 14 points to the German government without informing the allies. This contrasts with Lloyd George, the British premier, who was careful not only to keep his cabinet informed, but also parliament, so that when he did make his policy speech, it was with the support of the elected representatives. A lesson of democracy, indeed, when compared to Wilson's method! Clemenceau equally was careful to keep all those that mattered informed of his thoughts and intentions.
Wilson's misplaced and naïve idealism in the end cost the allies a good deal as Dallas demonstrates. Wilson was never able to comprehend the French concern about the future and its imperative to prevent Germany from making war again. The British understood this very well, but placed themselves in the middle. The question of German reparations for the extensive damage they caused was a common aim of the allies, but Wilson did not really want to see Germany stuck with reparations, though in the end he accepted the principle he did not foresee enforcing any payments. In short, the intervention of Wilson directly lead to WW2 far more than any so-called 'appeasement' by Chamberlain or the French. While all parties concentrated on Germany's western borders, no one bothered too much about what was going on in Poland, nor for that matter in Germany itself. Thus the myth of the non-defeat of the German Army was allowed to fester and to lay the blame, later, on the Versailles Treaty not to mention 'appeasement'.
Reading other critiques on this site, I find the claim of errors by one critic nonsensical and, moreover, the allegation is unsupported by evidence. I also note the typos are not as frequent as alleged, but even more important, I wonder what typos have to do with the substance of the work? I accept the truth is hard for many of us to swallow, brought up on the usual myths of US hubris, but the critics should say so and not use subterfuge to denigrate a serious, excellent book.
This is an important book, because it overturns accepted ideas, places a perspective on the aftermath of WW1 not found, to my knowledge, elsewhere. It is thus not only a rattling well told story, but also a work of scholarship.

'1918' is a grand book about the end of the most significant war of our times, It aiso illustrates how making peace can do more harm for future generations than the war itself.

The peace was negotiated until 1926; the Treaty of Versailles- June, 1919- was first on the agenda so Europe could contain Germany as soon as possible- at least on the Western Front. The war in the East was germany's problem for a while. However, the treaty was just the beginning of how the Paris Conference played a role in changing the whole world.

Nearly every country on Earth was held in the balance after the war that was to end all wars; four empires died their timely deaths, leaving behind the debris of centuries. All wanted what they believed was rightfully theirs: self determination.

The Great War did what Napoleon failed to do: it ended the Age of Empire. Prior to the war, European Empires ruled the world through their colonies, money and weapons.
But the 1918 armistice and the peace worked out in Paris ended that age of domination. The men meting out peace created countries, changed borders, gave promises of independence. They shaped the world- and its problems- we live in today.

Although the USA was not in the trenches for long, it had the biggest hand to play- because the United States was the only major player left with any money.
Therefore, Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations theory and Fourteen Points (he really had nothing but a theory to offer) had to be accepted first so Europe could get funding to
contain Germany.
France insisted any peace plan had to keep Germany far from its borders. France's self interest was a demilitarized Germany. France, the victim of Germany, did not win here.

Soon enough, Germany wanted to punish France- For the Germans believed it did not lose the war. They thought France, backed by the USA, decided to blame its losses on them.
It is a fallacy France let Germany roll over them during WWII. It was a mere 20 years earlier French soil was soaked with the blood of millions of Europeans, most of them Frenchmen.
When Hitler invaded, France wanted to keep the orphans of the Great War from the fate of their fathers.

Chamberlain, blamed for Hitler's land grab, was in the same position. England was not ready to fight again. By letting Hitler take the Sudetenland, hopes were high that was as far as he would go. The area was mostly German anyway (and intensely anti-semetic). A more perceptive negotiator would have seen Hitler was determined to even the score over WWI. But so many turned a blind eye, since no one wanted another war.

Signs of The Great War can be found all over Europe; very few were untouched by its impact. No country anticipated a brutal war that would go into a stalemate within months. Not one country believed the battle could last four years.

Dallas spells all this out in a book that I could not stop reading. He takes on each country, its current status as of 1918, and its war and peace interests. Dallas is honest; he uses the leaders' personalities as part of the process- because that's how the peace was finally made.

'1918' is a must read for many reasons, especially anyone interested in how Europe was forced to cut the roots to its empires.
The book shows how a war that could have been fought longer finally ended, with France finally achieving victory over its invader. it also shows the perils of peace. Haste fomented resentment; haste laid the ground work for the next brutal war- only 20 years later.

'1918' is also a fascinating read for those curious how we got to where we are today. One example: Iraq became a country created by the Paris Conference.
History haunts us all.

I am an experienced reader of history. Mr. Dallas' work is indeed meticulously documented, but that very meticulosity renders his story line exceedingly difficult to follow. Most of the book attempts to help the reader understand the antecedents of Waterloo through the Congress of Vienna. The account of the Congress was disjointed. Characters were introduced with little context.

The description of Waterloo itself seemed to me to be a very short leap preceeded by far too long a run.

I just didn't like the book. It did not capture my interest and drag me to the end . . . it was a tough slog.

Congress of Vienna is always obscured by the Battle of Waterloo, probably the most overrated of all events in world's history. The diplomatic conference held in Austrian capital few months earlier, although less spectacular than Napoleon's last battle, had more lasting impact on the future of Europe. While political and diplomatic intrigues might not arouse readers' imagination with same intensity as the drama that unfolded in Belgian battlefields, book by Gregor Dallas actually turns out to be not only very informative but also a very exciting and entertaining read. Mr. Dallas approaches this subject by putting the Congress in the broader context of early 19th Century Europe and treating the conference as nothing more than a chapter in the story that began with Napoleon's abdication in Spring of 1814. Diplomatic drama that occurred in Vienna is accompanied with short biographies of all major participants, as well as numerous vignettes, anecdotes and accounts of economic, social and political conditions in major European capitals. The well-known protagonists of these events - Alexander, Metternich, Castlereagh, Talleyrand and Napoleon - are portrayed with great deal of detail, but even the minor or less known characters receive the same treatment. Love life of European elite is given the same attention as the diplomatic intrigues, and in many ways reader, as well as the characters, can't make a clear distinction between the two. In segments that deal with British internal politics reader might even find some interesting parallels with most recent events in Britain, thus making this book much closer to the modern audience than its subject might indicate. Because of all that, this book is not only very informative, but also very entertaining and exciting. However, at times a reader might get impression that British politics and British personalities receive too much attention at the expense of rest of Europe. I was also somewhat disappointed when I didn't find the actual text of the treaty. However, despite those minor flaws this book is a must-read for anyone interested in early 19th Century Europe or foundations of modern diplomacy.

Though the abdication, exile, return and ultimate fall of Napoleon is well covered by a vast range of both popular and scholarly histories, less is available to the general reader on the political and diplomatic manoeuvrings of 1814-15, usually under the generic title of "The Congress of Vienna." This colourful historical narrative, which is enlivened with countless vignettes and anecdotes, brings the whole period to life. While Napoleon, for once, is a mainly background figure, albeit a menacing one, three larger than life characters dominate the story - Metternich, Tallyrand and Alexander I - but it is to Mr.Dallas's credit that he breathes life and interest into the fourth main player, Castlereagh, a much less charismatic personality. The secondary cast includes Britain's Prince Regent, France's Louis XVIII, the monarchs of Prussia and Austria, Wellington and Blucher, Austria's spy-network (with the ace spy still today identified only as "**"" ),a host of mistresses and courtesans (often closely related, despite differing political affiliations) and a plethora of diplomats, while the walk-ons range from Ludwig van Beethoven to minor Austrian civil servants. A surprise is the extent to which the gouty and corpulent Louis XVIII, briefly returned from his travels, only to be sent packing again within months, emerges as curiously attractive and sympathetic. As in his splendid biography of Clemanceau, Mr.Dallas excels in breathing life and interest into bygone crises - notably, in this case, the near collision between Austria, Priussia and Russia over the fate of Saxon. A particular triumph of the book is the extent to which the climax of Waterloo is not allowed to dominate the narrative to the detriment of less well-known events. For the general reader interested in the Napoleon period this book is indeed a treat - highly recommended.

I got this book to go along with a Tibetan Astrology computer program sold by Matrix Astrology Software. The software doesn't have a manual but from what I can tell produces accurate computations. The book has some bugs in computation. Put the two of them together for the best of both worlds

As the only source for Tibetan Astrology so far in print, this book is a must have. It almost makes sense out of a system that even the Tibetans find confusing!

There is also a lot of very good material on Tibetan Buddhism included; material that you don't often see.

However, beware Table 22 (the main table you use to convert Western Dates to Tibetan Dates---the very first step in working with Tibetan Astrology for westerners). It is *riddled* with errors.

That said, there is information here that you'll find nowhere else. Definately a "must have".

This is an excellent book on tibetan astrology. It even gives an example for casting a horoscope on your own. The only weakness is its lack of an index.

I found this book difficult to stay with. Haddam starts out with a 48 page prologue that describes nine of the characters that are supposed to come into play in the plot. She jumps around in the story, going back and forth to the oversized Evelyn Bracken and her eating habits and a husband who detests her oversized body. Then she jumps into a land deal where Sara Lockwood and her husband are trying to swindle people on a land deal. All the while, still trying to make this book a murder mystery and mixed with a wedding to boot. I will have to say that the plot could have been a good one and had potential, had she not ruined it with all the other characters. I was surprised in the end and I liked that. Haddam has talent and imagination, she just needs to stick to her story and not use so many characters that shouldn't be part of it. This is the first book I've read by Jane Haddam, but this book wouldn't stop me from reading another one by her.

Deadly Beloved is a delightful mix of Haddam's family of characters, familiar setting and nifty plot twists. What makes this book great is the new depth of characterization she has achieved. In this adventure, Gregor does some soul searching of his own and becomes a fuller character with whom the reader can relate. Haddam still lets us laugh at our own silliness over hallmarks in life, this time wedding fervor, and she gives us a great mystery to spice it up.

Embarking on a new Gregor Demarkian story by Jane Haddam is like going back home to the neighborhood you left all those years ago. Cavanaugh Street in Philadelphia is still an Armenian-American enclave, but more Armenian now than it was all those years ago when Gregor was a small boy living there with his parents. Even though it's been gentrified, many of the same people are still there, or if not, their children and/or grandchildren. Oh, there's a few new faces, such as Gregor's friend, Bennis Hannaford, the best-selling author of fantasy novels, and Father Tibor, who escaped the Soviet menace -- finally -- but it's still a family.

Of course, in any family setting, there are always unpleasant aspects, but Gregor --a widower of 60 -- has lost the impatience of youth, and is content to think his way through the puzzles he is so frequently presented with.

DEADLY BELOVED is the story of marriage; Donna Moradanyan is about to marry Russ Donahue, finally, while in another suburb of Philadelphia, another marriage unwinds, surrounded by several others in precarious condition. In the gated community of Fox Run Hill, a husband is discovered shot to death in his bed. The most puzzling thing, however, is that the huge house has been stripped of everything that belonged to his wife, Patsy MacLaren Willis. A pipe bomb destroys her car, but she was not in it. Another bomb destroys the punchbowl at a political gathering, injuring Bennis and a woman who went to college with Patsy. The politician is yet another classmate. There are too many women, here.

Like a well-maintained and classic Rolls-Royce, Gregor moves in stately fashion through the labyrinth of deaths and injuries, sorting out the clues and non-clues with the help of Homicide detective John Jackman. Just in the nick of time, too, so Donna's wedding can proceed without a hitch. An invitation by Jane Haddam is one you shouldn't turn down - you'll miss a marvelous adventure. Characters, plot, and the writing are all first-class!

As a student of religon I found this book a useful. The translater keeps personal opinions to a minimum. With all the junk out there, it is nice to find a book that focuses on the actual texts. It contains the first three books of the Zohar but at times makes reference to the texts that aren't in the volume itself. The introduction is informative. Mathers does succeed in presenting the material in a clear and academic way. I recommend this book. All and all, its a handy tool for understanding the Kabbalah and how it can be used.

This translation is incomplete and contested by modern latin authorities. Their protests, however, are minor compared to the requisite nature of this text. It provides countless perspectives on the nature of the Kabbalah, and presents it in clear (if dry) language.

"At the Heart of a Tiger: Clemenceau and His World 1841-1929" by Gregor Dallas is a passionate epic of the life of one of the most enigmatic statements of the 3rd Republic. Georges Clemenceau, a medical doctor, a journalist, radical member of the assembly, passionate defender of France's honor during the Dreyfus affair, turned as a Prime Minister in power extremely tough and conservative, a supreme war leader who suppressed freedom of speech and whose iron will helped France to endure the Spring offensive of 1918 and finally win the WWI. Clemenceau is a friend of Monet, lover of fine things in life, passionate believer in truth but foremost a French patriot. Clemenceau uncompromising position during the negotiation of the treaty of Versallies, as an elderly statesman having nothing to loose but the honor of his country, helped protect French security, but ultimately failed to produce a workable solution based on any balance of power.

Gregor Dallas style and the translation preserves the flowery nature of French language and feeling. Dallas is at his best when he describes the emotions behind the human decision making, not necessarily when at rational interpretation of history. From little we can know about the private life of the extremely secretive man who burned most of his private correspondence, Dallas manages to extrapolate from in truly incontradictory way. Although 600 pages, a book is an easy and enjoyable read. Not entirely a scholarly treatise, but not a subjective biography either.

Almost everyone on Cavanaugh Street seems to be getting into the spirit of Valentine's Day. Bennis' brother Christopher drops in for a visit, and begins a relationship with Lida, and even Hannah Krekorian has a new boyfriend...a once- popular figure in the 'recovery' movement whose wife died under mysterious circumstances.

Should be read after _Not a Creature Was Stirring_, which introduces Christopher and his gambling problem. By this point in the series, Chris has been to "Camp Boredom" (which was run by Hannah's boyfriend) and has his life straightened out.

Haddam takes on the 'recovery' movement in this volume. As Chris and Bennis put it in _Not a Creature Was Stirring_: C: I don't think I'm crazy because I've got Daddy's genes, and I don't think I'm crazy because Daddy warped my mind, either. I think I'm crazy because I'm a jerk. B: I don't think that kind of attitude is going to get us anywhere. C: I think it's going to get us a hell of a lot farther than the attitude I've been taking, which is that I just can't help myself, no explanations necessary.

To get the most out of the series, you should first read, at a minimum, _Not a Creature Was Stirring_. One of the plot points in this book is that the murderer from that case is finally running out of appeals. Although the name is very carefully omitted, you'd be able to eliminate some of the suspects in the previous case if you read this book first.

When Father Tibor Kasparian emigrated to the United States from the old Soviet Union by way of Israel, Rabbi David Goldman sponsored him. Now the rabbi needs a couple of favors.

The more complicated favor is something that obviously must be done: helping a Hasidic temple in Philadelphia that's being harassed by some white supremecist group. Gregor gets in touch with an old friend at the FBI who tracks those groups for this one.

The simplest favor, unfortunately, is least to Gregor's taste, but all the ladies of Cavanaugh Street want him to do it: to appear as a guest on _The Lotte Goldman Show_ (hosted by the rabbi's elder sister) during their annual visit to Philadelphia. Worse, the other guest is a serial killer on loan from prison, one Herbert Shasta (fortunately, not somebody Gregor personally had to deal with, but bad enough). Mr. Shasta's presence immensely complicates things when one of the young men working for the show is found murdered backstage; Shasta didn't do it, but any defense attorney could use him for reasonable doubt.

As it happens, this is the 2nd murder the show has had in recent weeks: Maria Gonzalez, the former talent coordinator, was killed in New York. Is another serial killer present - this one on the staff of the show?

Festival of Deaths finds Gregor Demarkian thrust into the crazy world of a TV talk show. A young woman working for the show is killed in New York just before the show goes on the road to Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, the violence continues, and Demarkian and John Jackman of the Philadelphia police sort it out. As usual, Jane Haddam spins a web around the murders consisting of an unusually large cast of characters and their lives and activities. Even minor characters are well drawn, and though there are clues to the solution of the mystery, they're well hidden and the reader is led astray in any number of subtle and entertaining ways. The whodunit in a Haddam novel is almost always a surprise, but the best part is getting to the end, one page at a time.

Gregor Demarkian, the retired FBI agent, is a man of reason, logic, intelligence and good will. Jane Haddam recognizes that life as it is lived reflects few of these qualities. The play in her works, which allow for her subtle ironic commentary, comes from the contrast of Gregor and the situations in which he finds himself. This time he is agrees to appear on an outrageous talk show--as favor to a friend--completely unaware of that he's agreed to appear center ring in America's favorite new circus.Hannukah, the season of light, that celebrates the survival of the oppressed, is the theme of this book. Haddam contrasts the cult of celebrity and the outrageous with the lives of those who work on the show, many of whom are among the poor and the marginalized. Well-done, thought-provoking and engagingly funny and ironic.

I admit that I don't need a book to tell me that my ice should be fresh, or that mailing invitations is better than picking up the phone...however, this book is extremely entertaining and I actually learned a few things too. I love the way dummies books don't need to be read in a linear fashion. Pick any chapter and get ready to laugh. Any guy who throws parties for celebrities and isn't stuck up about it is cool in my books. The other review I read says this book isn't for dummies, it's for morons. Only a moron would say that. Frivolous? Yes! But it's a fun read and I plan on buying a few copies as birthday gifts for my swellegant friends. - A.P.

I was given this book as a gift and immediately went to the back section to look at the music and movie guide. It's very dated (so many great lounge and jazz records have been released since it came out) but the party tips and the writing style is fabulous! I hope a new version of this book is released soon.

I never knew there were so many reasons, and so many ways, to party. This book is great because like all Dummies books, the layout means whatever question you have, the answer is easy to find. You don't have to read this from start to finish. I only wish the list of recommended music and film was more up to date. I guess I'll have to wait for another printing.