.... ...to tell the truth - when I picked it up, that's what I thoughtit was [just another book on him.] The pictures in this book make it much more than that. After reading it, I can say that the pictures are wonderful, and the text compliments them well. It is not a heavy-reading book - more of a coffee-table book, but wonderful none the less. Anyone who has visited an Aikido dojo has probably seen pictures of a serious O'Sensei staring out at them from the shrine. This book has wonderful pictures of O'Sensei late in his life, "at the summit of his career as a spiritual seeker." as the book describes him. The pictures showed me a side of O'Sensei's spirit that I hadn't experienced before in other books. In these pictures, O'Sensei seems to glow, looking at time like a Taoist sage, and at other times like a playful imp (this written with the utmost respect for O'Sensei). The pictures of him smiling are a delight to see. I would encourage anyone interested in Aikido to look at this book.

As a new student to Aikido I espically enjoyed the many pictures of the master. Since I cannot meet the master, this is a beautiful collection of photos of which to know him by. One can't help but love his warm and genuine smile. There are many inspirational sayings at the end of this book, which lead the reader to aspire to leading a peaceful and constructive life.

Straight from the master. It doesn't get better than this. An outstanding book that gives you the background for learning Aikido. This book can save you many hours of dojo time in your advancement through Aikido.

Bluebear travels around a world not unlike our own and shares 13 1\2 lives. He is initially innocent but we see him learn from his adventures and develop into a genius. At times smug but usually endearing, Bluebear creates enough empathy for us to enjoy his engaging account of his life so far. The writer creates an inventive mix of fantasy, humour and science - putting familiar ideas together in such a way they become new... a book well worth reading and at 702 pages good value per page!!

while browsing through my local bookshop i came across somthing which seemed out of place! a large yellow couvered book with a picture on the front of what seemed to be a blue bear in a boat! When i read the title i was fascinated by what this bizzare book was about! i opened it and studied the lovely map of zomania full of bizzare place names, and wacky landscapes! Intrigued by this i decided to buy it out of shere novelty appeal! when i read it i was sucked into the completely loony land of blue bear! i was taken in by his completely hillariously odd friends, and the weirdest places your likely to here of away from a mental assylum! i read the english version of the book and loved it to pieces to anybody who enjoys terrypratchett, tolkein, or hitch hikers guide to the galaxy this is the book for you!

I thought this book was simply wonderful: the adventures of a Blue Bear travelling through a strange land were everything can happen: a long story that yet doesn't confuse the reader because it has such a unique and unbeliavable line of events. The author has an enourmous imagination and it seems he never tires of inventing new and fantastic creatures, places and situations to keep the book going smoothly and exquisitely. It is written in a funny, ironic and easy to read fashion. I would recommend it to just about anyone who loves reading and to all people who enjoy fantasy... because it won't be easy find anything else so original and funny. I recommend it 100% to everybody.

When I started to read this book the only thing I knew about slavery was that it was appalling to the society, but towards the middle of this book I began to realize the hardships that the slaves had to go through back then. I couldn't imagine if I was split apart from my family in a slave trade. Harriet Beecher Stowe helps everyone reading this book understand what life would be like if we were slaves. During the time that I was reading this novel I couldn't believe all the hardships that Tom had to go through, going from master to master and having to leave all of his friends. Stowe does a superb job describing the charters and their personalities in this book. At the end of this read it helped me think of what life was like then, and to be glad that we live in the time period that we do. In conclusion, if you want a book that makes a difference in peoples' lives then Uncle Tom's Cabin is the right book for you.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly was a profound fictional, yet real account of slavery in the deep South. I thought I knew the horrors of slavery, but I was sorely mistaken in that regard. After reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I felt I had a new knowledge of the Pre-Civil War South.
Not only was the story both uplifting and heart-wrenching all at once, it was extremely well-written. I thought I would have an immensely hard time reading and comprehending this nineteenth-century best-seller. Much to my surprise, however, I got into the writing without much difficulty. Because of this, I was able to fully understand (without totally believing) what pains were inflicted upon those of African American blood in the days of slavery.
Stowe's characters are almost implausibly good or evil. This extremity helps to make her point more clear to the reader, and helps them to relate to Tom, Eliza, Harry, George, and all the others all the more. I also thought interesting the way that Stowe speaks to the reader directly, asking them what they would do in such a situation. The fact that the author would express her passions in such a time of national turmoil makes me respet her tremendously. It is one thing for one to write a book on the tragedy of slavery today, when all is said and done, but quite another for one to tell such a tale when friends are fighting friends, families even dividing over the very same issue.
Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly is a novel that is most definitely not novel. I would highly reccomend it to anyone with the capacity to feel for the poor people, who, had their lives not been chronicled, may still be enslaved and part of such a terrible system. I don't think anyone's collection of knowledge of slavery or that era in general would be complete without knowing of the triumph of Eliza, George, and Harry and the story of Tom's physical defeat, and spiritual prevail.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a powerful antislavery novel written in the late 1800's. The novel helps the reader understand what it was like being a typical slave in the pre-Civil War south. Slaves were treated like they were less than human; had cruel "masters;" and were often beaten and whipped, sometimes to death, for the slightest mistake. They had absolutely no rights, and many slaves wished that they were dead, rather than be the "property" of a cruel monster who called himself better than them. It also conveys how unconstitutional the slave system was, since the Constitution clearly states that "All men are created equal." Family members were often split up and never saw each other again. The main character in Uncle Tom's Cabin, a slave named Tom, is separated from his family and friends but he is able to somehow maintain his religious faith even after witnessing and experiencing the brutalities of slavery. The novel had a huge impact on many people's lives when it was first published, and it stills does today. I believe the book is well-written and has great character descriptions. It is very thought-provoking and I enjoyed reading it.

this book is good for the introduction to ASP.NET. needless to say its arrangement is clear and direct. the examples are short but adequate to highlight the essential coding for the features.
well, i don't want to digest any example with large codings except in case study.

although the book comes with no cd-rom, and the diagram on P. 273 is incorrect (maybe more), i still recommend this book. i'm on the way to build a content management website based on the knowledge learnt from this book.

if you want to learn more features, pickup ASP.net Unleashed by the same author.

Without a doubt one of the best books on asp .net for quick learning and clear examples.

I've gone through three "Professional" top selling ASP.NET books and everyone seems to ignore Visual Studio.Net but really who programs without VS.NET???? This is the first one that explains differences when using VS and it's ASP.NET coverage is on par or better than other books by Wrox, Sams, and especially better than O'Reilly. I highly recommend it if you're doing an ASP.NET web application.

This play seems to be true to Oscar Wilde's real biographical story in terms of its dialogues, but I did not enjoy reading it much. At first, I thought to myself: "Well, it is a PLAY, after all, may be it will seem better on a theater stage, where it belongs". So, I went to see three different versions in three different theaters. I am sorry to say, but I did not feel much better about this play after doing that. Well...if you are REALLY INTERESTED IN OSCAR WILDE, you might as well read it, but if you are only mildly interested, then this play is not for you.

I have been lucky enough to share the initiation of Mr. Kaufman career in theater in Venezuela, have seen Gross Indecency both in New York and London several times, and have read the play, which is masterfully built. This is a unique experience, both read and seen, and believe me, Mr. Kaufman will be remembered in the future as one of the great names of theater of our time. This may sound as an exaggeration, but if you are someone who is looking for trends in theater, great acting, the influence of Brecht in new generations, never forget this author and director.

i decided to read gross indecency after seeing something about it on tv. being a big fan of oscar wilde's work, i thought that it would be informative. but it went so far beyond that... the play is a little hard to get into at first, and if you're not a fan of oscar wilde, i really wouldn't recommend reading it. you can really see the oscar's transformation during the course of the three trials, from an independent artist with his own views on morality who refuses to be ashamed about his sexuality, to someone who has seen the people he was friends with testify against him over and over....i don't know how anyone could survive in such a situation..... anyway, this play gave me a whole new knowledge of the life of oscar wilde and a new respect for him, the choices that he made, and the courage that he had. if you are really interested in the life of oscar wilde, read this.

This book reads too much like a history textbook for me. Too many dates, facts, and personage, and not enough development of what the man was actually trying to do. Too many trees and not enough forest. Still, as practically the only book that deals with this fascinating man, I'm very grateful to Professor Bramwell for the excellent research and objectivity she has brought to bear.

While it's certainly tricky business getting within a country mile of "rehabilitating" a Nazi, she puts a very human face on a very complex situation. The insanity of Nazi Germany is not moralized as much as it is displayed as an idealogical and political free-for-all where Darre finally was all but totally marginalized for his idealistic vision.

Again, I'm left wondering about Darre. Bramwell doesn't seem to be all that familiar with Green philosophy or environmental history, which cripples her presentation of what she asserts are the roots of modern Green politics. Obviously, Darre was Green, but why? How did his personal vision of a pastoral, de-urbanized Germany develop? Was he the idealogical posterboy of the Nazis? Or simply a political tool used and discarded? Would a victorious Third Reich have eventually gotten back to his Blut und Boden message? I believe monumental, centuries-in-the-making forces flashed momentarily to life under a swastika, but in such a twisted form that we'll forever be wondering how and why.

To me Nazism was just one possible mushroom popping up over a broad field of underground mycelia, and a very poisonous mushroom at that. This field is not gone, it's growing, and the mycelia will produce many more mushrooms, hopefully not as poisonous. Darre represented an outcropping that might have been, and probably will be again. Perhaps these issues need to be covered in another book.

Anna Bramwell's Blood and Soil is a strange, rare little book.I might never have heard of it, had I not seen it cited in abibliography of a book on the S.S.

Richard Walther Darre (1895-1953) was Hitler's Agriculture Minister until 1941. He was also a major figure in the Nordic racialist movement, and was one of those people who was responsible for the "pagan" wing of the Nazi Party.

I got hold of this book expecting it to be just another book on the "evils" of the Nordic Renaissance. I was surprised, however, to read a book that shed light on the fact that the Nordic movement was far more complicated than the "blond hair-blue-eye-let's-breed-superpeople syndrome" so often found in the American press.

Ms. Bramwell writes about many figures in the movement, such as Paul Schultze-Naumberg a nd his wife, Hans F.K. Gunther, Bernhard Kummer, Johann van Leers and L.F. Clauss. I learned a lot about how the Nordic ideal was just that, an ideal, and that not all Nordics were supposed to be blond, for instance. Nordicism encompassed more than just a "racial" stereotype. It was a temperament, a way of life, a philosophy. It was a back-to nature movement, that stressed temperance and healthy living.

It is interesting that many of the Nordicists regarded the Nazis as "un-Nordic", i.e. loud, showy, aggressive, and a few even went so far as to suggest that the Nazis were "mediterranean", "middle-Eastern" or "oriental" in their outlook and actions.

In short, this book is valuable to me because it got me on a new path of reading, and I have come a long way since I first laid hands on this book back in 1992. There is an interesting bibliography at the end. Some people will not agree with this book, probably because they, for some reason or another, do not think they are "Nordic", and they may say that this book is seriously flawed, or even repugnant. But, Hans Jurgen Lutzhoft, in his monograph Der Nordische Gedanke in Deutschland 1920-1945, wrote that the Nordic movement was more international and liberal in scope, and the Nazi Party could never completely contain it.

I strongly recommend reading this book, for the education about a misunderstood movement, and about a possible new way of living.

Mark Twain, the most globally recognised of the greatest American writers, comes closest to autobiography in this odd and fascinating book. This is the story of part of his life at least, and lays out much of his unique moral and political philosophy.

As a book, Life on the Mississippi lacks a truly coherent story line after the half-way point; it tells the story of Twain's training as a Mississippi steamboat pilot, then, when he returns to the river years later as a successful writer, it drops off into anecdotes as Twain travels down the great river, and can be a deadly bore for some readers.

But, oh, what a picture of Twain it draws! There are great tales of characters he meets along the river, told in his inimitably funny style, wonderful bits of his childhood - like the tale of his insomniac guilt and terror when the match he loans a drunk ends up causing the jail to burn down, killing the drunk - and insightful portraits of the towns and villages along the river.

This is a characteristically American book, about progress and independence as well as the greatest American river, written by this most characteristically American writer. It is a true classic (a thing Twain despised! He said, "Classics are books that everybody praises, but nobody reads."), a book that will remain a delight for the foreseeable future.

Was Twain the greatest writer America ever produced? Certainly no other author has written so many genres so well. Life on the Mississippi is one of my favorites by Twain. What a storyteller! From his own personal experiences to explorers, psychics, the Civil War, slavery, geography, steamboat history etc. Twain gives us a glimpse into himself and his country.

Twain is of course humorous in this book, but his lesser known quality--insight--is very keen in this book. Twain's style is at once sophisticated and simple. It is pure mastery.

While this may not be up there with some of other Twain's writings, it is certainly worth the time and money. Definitely recommended.

Life on the Mississippi is by far one of the most wonderful books ever written about the post Civil War era in America. Mark Twain takes the reader on a melancholy look at this period of time in history as you journey into the Mississippi of his youth, adulthood, and the people and the communities he knew so well. He conveys a miraculous picture of this lively river giving it the grandeur and prominence it deserves. He defines the river very much like a living organism with a power and personality all its own. As the book unfolds, he begins in his days when he grew up along the river and became a steam boat pilot, ending that career with the advent of the Civil War. Later he returns to the river after some twenty years and takes a journey as a writer from around St. Louis to New Orleans and back up the river into what is present day Minnesota. You learn about the different cultures along the river, its tributaries, as well as the remarkable people who become part of the forgotten history of our nation. Twain's anecdotes are sheer brilliance, and he has an incredible way of choosing just the right story to illustrate a particular point transporting the reader back into time as if it was the present day and you are standing beside Twain observing what he is seeing. His reflections of his times along the river and his descriptions of the people and places make this a true masterpiece of literature and I highly recommend it. I found myself only able to read short portions at a time, as I personally found the sheer beauty of the entire book was a work to be savored and digested rather than rapidly consumed as you would with any other book. As I poured through the book, I felt often as if I was traveling with Mark Twain as a companion along his charming and magnificent journey during a wonderful period of history.

And because they are hidden, it takes the reader much more time and effort to find and correlate them than at first expected. On the other hand, the author is indeed thorough in his coverage and well-versed about the P-38 series. All in all, a very good reference book, although not in the same league as the Collector's Grade pubs or W.H.B. Smith's tomes (however dated these may be).

It goes into enough detail for the P38 or P1 owner with some info on the P4 and other models. I expect from this type of book a list of dates of manufacture per serial number if they were indeed serial (post war manufacture was) which is why it's shy a star. Otherwise, a book, should you own the gun, you'll want in your collection.

Gene has very specific details which enanble the P38 collector to understand what gun they have and how to tell its' value!

I truly enjoy Mr. Fletcher's writing - a man who can so profoundly write about "doing nothing". As he goes off on his various hikes, he offers a tremendous amount of food for thought - around issues of environment, harmony, relationship and connection - just to name a few.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the outdoors.

:-)

Mr. Fletcher's SECRET WORLDS is a revealing book centering on spirit of place without revealing the geo-specific location of place. Though we may not know the exact location of a coastal valley somewhere in northern California or southern Oregon, we can sense the joy and exaltation of the author for his secret little valley with spruce and fir and cool, dark cliffs. How does he keep the location secret? By altering ever so slightly descriptive details of a mountain pass or the direction of high, snow-capped peaks. While there might be a certain amount of frustration for the reader who intends to retrace the author's footsteps, there is no frustration whatsoever for the deconstructionist critic who is sensitive about literary mapping--a process which may lead to the destruction of the place so admired by the author. An extreme deconstructionist stance leads to the condemnation of John Muir's writings on the grounds that they ultimately inspired countless millions of people to come and unwittingly destroy that which Muir describes (like Yosemite Valley). SECRET WORLDS will certainly not duplicate such a result, but it will, nonetheless, inspire the reader to that which is true, good, and beautiful in nature

All of Colin Fletcher's works reflect the wonder of the world around us. This is simply a fantastic little collection of some of his "mucking about" stories. Anyone who knows how to stop and enjoy life's simple pleasures will relate to this amazing man and his great books. A great addition to any nature lover's library.

Another reader of this book has written: "Foote's primary weakness as a novelist is that he seems to be unable to find his own voice." This is a remarkable comment, since one of the intriguing aspects of the novel is precisely author Foote's use of voice! In the "Voices" chapters, he alternates points of view from each of the characters. He also uses time shifts with great effectiveness, as at the end of the novel, when we shift forward with a preview of what will befall two members of the kidnapping threesome. The kidnapping itself is suspenseful, yet perhaps more exciting is the character development, for the kidnapped boy's father undergoes a profound revelation. It isn't nearly so much the content of this novel as it is its style which makes it a good read, and a worthwhile one. It illuminates a difficult time in American history, yet it is intimate and finely drawn.

Although Shelby Foote is thought of as a historian, he has always considered himself, first and foremost, a novelist. "September, September" is the story of some rednecks up from Mississippi who have come to Memphis, Tenn. to kidnap the son of a prominent black family. As a background for this story, Foote has chosen the month of September, 1957 when the South was in turmoil over the forced integration of Little Rock Central High School. Foote has meticulously researched his novel with a historian's eye for detail: the weather in Memphis on specific days, who won the Miss America pageant in 1957 (Miss Colorado, Marylin Van Derbur), and the release of the Edsel by Ford Motor Company.

Foote's primary weakness as a novelist is that he seems to be unable to find his own voice. Although the book is skillfully structured and well written, the plot is somewhat tired and predictable. There are very few surprises. Foote has somewhat adopted the structure used skillfully by his mentor William Faulkner of telling a little bit of the story at a time from the point of view of different characters. Foote's steamy descriptions of sex and lovemaking and rivalry among two men for the affections of the same woman are reminscent of Erskine Caldwell.

For all it's failings, "September, September" is an excellent novel. Shelby Foote, the excellent American historian, is also an outstanding American novelist.

this southernistic view of greed and crime is a truly well written thriller!!foote has once again showed his talent as a novelist and and a true artist of the english language!