This book is great pictorial history of the Leibstandarte with some pictures I have never seen before in any publication. Do not go looking for a great narrative on this division because there is very little,but if you want to just relax and enjoy the wonderful photos then this is a book to buy for your collection.

For those interested in the sheer beauty of medieval illumination, this book is a wonder. Color repro values among the best I've seen, and the range of both period and style is superb. The huge size and great weight are the only reasons this did not get 5 stars - it is so big that I clamp it in my portable easel when I'm using it as an exemplar.

For those, like me, who also do illumination as a hobby this book offers a good range of exemplars of very high caliber. Just remember that this represents the best of many times and places, and don't be intimidated by the quality of the work displayed here. Codices Illustres is big enough to be a coffee table book, but is serves much better as a reference in the scriptorium.

YIS,
THL Ragnar Ketilsson

Well, I won't waste your time. The bottom line-- is this book is worth buying. Its got great insight on many of Gauguin's paintings, and even discusses his background and influences. A must for any art student, or art buff. Your money will not be wasted! For ten bucks, you'll be buying a book you'll use time and time again. Good luck, and happy book buying!

The book is slim and light and is therefore ideal to take with you on holiday to use whilst walking or hiking. The information is concise and helpful in identifying facts about the different Hawaiian species of birds and plants and also in identifying the species that have been imported to the islands. There are large colour photographs for each species shown, although the quality of the photographs is a bit disappointing as they are often slightly out of focus and at times over-exposed. However, this is a handy book to have with you on site or even after your holiday in Hawaii, if you want to identiyy any plant or animals you may have photographed.

Persian Poetry has come onto the popular scene recently with interest in Rumi and his mystical/love poems. However, those interested might also be interested in the tradition of such poetry that Rumi comes out of. Actually Rumi is considered as only one of the four great mystical poets in Persia (and not necessarily the best of them).

Washington's selection is an intelligent one, and the poems are on the whole good translations. Often such collections are a mixed bag, but in this case a good job was done. Since there are really no alternatives to a collection of Persian poetry in translation in print at the moment, this volume is recommended!

I'm sorry to see this book is out of print -- it is worth reading, especially for those who are looking for help raising the preadolescent child, as guidebooks are difficult to find on the preteen.

Chapters are grouped by ages (5 and 6; 7 to 8; 9, 10, 11) and contain information about how each age group tends to develop physically and behaviorally, what parenting consists of in that age group, kids concerns, interests, learning curve, social skills and more.

Maybe not the best, but certainly one well worth having whether used or borrowed.

Designed as a college review book, this book nonetheless was useful to learn about specific details of Russia's Soviet past. It includes helpful sections on the arts, culture, and political landscape without being too broadly written to blow past these important issues of the times. Very useful, but not as in-depth as a serious scholar will need.

This book is sandwiched by two excellent beginning chapters that focus on the social and historical context of Jesus ("the world before") and by two very finely done final chapters on the impact of Christ's message up to our own time ("the world after"). I didn't find the material in between, in particular the chapters on Paul and Luke, to be as satisfying. This material seemed more theologically-oriented, and I came away with the impression that Mr. Cahill is not quite at home with theology. An established scholar could very easily pick apart his arguments and points of reference. I didn't feel that Mr. Cahill had much of credible substance to add about Paul, the most controversial and fascinating of the apostles. For that reason I gave the book 3 stars (whereas I'd give How the Irish Saved Civilization 5 stars in a heartbeat) although I hasten to add that Desire... is definitely worth reading. Mr. Cahill's writing is always eloquent and insightful.

. . . although it doesn't miss by much. As part of his Hinges of History series, Cahill places the Jesus story in its historical setting. Whatever your view of Jesus' divinity, there's no gainsaying the importance of his followers in the stream of history. Not only the history of Europe, but given the migrations of his adherents, throughout the world. Although the book is filled with the message of love and peace, Cahill's opening statement about hills lists all battle sites. Not an auspicious beginning for a study of a "new word" supplanting the turmoil of the age. Like nearly all Christian historical writers, Cahill's description of the pagan world is bleak. Only by making the social environment of the era as desolate as possible does the arrival of the "good news" concept work. Cahill would have us believe the pre-Christian civilization offered no solace, had no love, no joy, people suffering empty lives with no hope. It's difficult to believe that the Mediterranean world was that much different from any other.

This being an historical treatise, Cahill must rely on his sources. These are naturally scant, since Jesus went unnoticed by contemporary commentators. Another agitator in a backwater Roman colony was of little import. Cahill must, perforce, turn to the Gospels for his relation of this vital historical character. He omits reference to the long history of critiques of these documents. Instead, he grants them high validity. This is surprising in light of the long duration between the events and their written recording. The time lapse is decades, not just weeks or a few years. He uncritically credits the accounts as being retrieved from the memories of those who supposedly witnessed the events. This is startling. Anyone who's ever played Gossip, passing a whispered message from person to person, knows how garbled the original statement becomes in but minutes. What quirks of memory can occur over decades? Of course, as Cahill stresses, it's the message in the Gospel that's important. True enough, but we're supposed to be dealing in history here, not evangelism.

Cahill examines each of the Gospels in turn, relating them with an easy wit. The chapter on Saul/Paul as a Jewish/Greek intellectual is the high point of the book. Cahill presents in modern language the various stilted texts Christians are subjected to. The effect is charming. Readers unfamiliar with Cahill's style may be jolted, but he's trying to convey a complex story without sinking into a prolix academic style. He deserves credit for his courage in doing this. He's clearly trying to widen his audience with the message. The message from the Gospels lacks unity, of course. Given the diversity of times and authors, with texts further modified by attentions from later contributors, his task is daunting but not insurmountable. Accepting these problems in pinpointing sources, Cahill is able to impart the theme of each Gospel clearly. He doesn't get bogged down in academic trivia. For Cahill, the value of the message far outweighs other considerations.

Cahill believes in the message. He stresses that Jesus sought justice, suggesting this was a novelty in the era. It's a novelty in any era, and others have pursued the same goal. Even that Roman Empire so maligned by Christians [and Cahill] tried various means to achieve it. In Rome, Consuls were given authority for but one year to prevent accumulation of power leading to injustice. It eluded them, it eluded Jesus, and it's eluded Christians as Cahill points out in his discussion of anti-Semetism through the ages. He spends some time on this particular form of Christian injustice. It's disappointing that he can move out of his declared time span in addressing this issue while ignoring many others equally significant. Christians have displaced or eradicated peoples throughout their history. The Incas are gone. The Maya likewise, their vast story of holy books torched by priests. Hearts and minds can be won at swords' point - the history of Christianity confirms it.

The question arises - who should buy and read this book? If you want a concise history of Jesus' era, this is a good start. If you don't want to wade through the King James, New English or Vulgate bibles but wish to understand what the fuss is about, this is a good review of the Gospels and their writers. If you wish to assess whether Jesus has a message for you, perhaps you'll gain some insight from Cahill's presentation. If you're not a Christian, Cahill, although he's firmly convinced, isn't likely to make you one. If you're already a Christian, Cahill may give you a fresh insight into the people who got Jesus' message out to the world. You decide. This copy was bought to complete the set.

So much intellectual discourse has been written in these reviews about this book. Allow me to give you a layman's review! Thomas Cahill's book is a smart, collegiate look at the times that surrounded Jesus, and it doesn't disappoint.

He examines the different Gospels and their approach to the story of the Jesus, and how each author tailor made the stories to suit a different audience (hence, the sometimes contradictions within the Gospels themselves), which I found delightfully enlightening.

His section on Paul was riveting, painting a picture of how a simple man could be so transformed by an event to change his life entirely. He also works to dispel some myths about Paul, particularly his sexist bias in his letters. He also bravely takes on some church doctrines that are apparently "Bible based", more power to him!

I did find the first chapter difficult to get through at times. I felt that Cahill was using terms and historical names that I wasn't too famililar with, and therefore, left the reader in the dark by failing to explain these people/events/terms. The muddy water soon clears, so just steer a course through the words and trust that your comprehension will come back!

Overall, Cahill's book summed up and affirmed much about what is known about Jesus and his times, and provides an inspiring look at Biblical events in the contexts of world history, leading to a deeper understanding of the Son that has transformed much of our own world.

A frustrating demonstration of poor publication practices, this book demeans the artist it pretends to celebrate with some of the worst color reproductions in print. Van Gogh might as well have let Taschen paint his work. Inexpensive, like forgery, with the same exploitive result.

I would say it is a good book... entire collection of Van Gogh, quite informative and good image quality. Yes, the color is not accurate, but it is almost impossible to print the paintings having exactly the same color as the original. I have the Van Gogh Highlights Screensaver produced by Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and I don't think the coloring in the book is that terrible as some ppl say(assuming that the color of the electronic copies from the Museum in Amsterdam is close to the original). What I really don't like about this book is.. some paintings were printed across 2 pages. I perfer images are printed in a redused size rather than spanning across pages.
All in all, would I recommand this book? YES i would.

This is an excellent book. I scoured the net for the perfect book on my favourite artist and settled on this one. Definitely the best buy.

The book is beautifully printed and the paintings are clear and vibrant (very important). The writing style is intelligent, compelling and easy to read. Very well researched, offering an incredible insight into the life of Van Gogh.

Taschen have published a masterpiece - buy it now!

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The book begins by explaining how to set up IIS and NT. That's nice, but, if I wanted to know that I would have bought IIS Unleashed and NT Server Unleashed.

This book also contains JScript (not JavaScript) and HTML references, in addition to its VBScript references. This is good if you're just getting into web authoring. But, for those of us who are already familiar with these and are looking for a definitive language, DOM, and ASP Component reference, this is not the book.

It gives some pretty good examples of some intermediate ASP techniques. However, this book's focus is NOT on ASP, but general page setup and development using ASP to spice it up a bit. This is an excellent book for beginners, just delving into ASP.

This book has become an invaluable asset in my programming library. As a long time HTML developer who has worked with pretty much every aspect of Internet development I find this book a welcome reference piece on a weekly (or at least monthly) basis. It starts you off with some fairly basic examples of how to install and configure NT, IIS and SQL Server...then moves into a remedial HTML reference section that might seem a bit newbie-esque to the advanced developer. But don't worry, the book more than delivers in later sections discussing such things as Active X objects, recordsets, even getting into how to use MS Visual Interdev, an ASP development tool.

Overall, this is a must read book for anyone who would like to get into Active Server Pages development. It appears that the content is geared more toward the Internet development newbie, but the book is very well organized, so grabbing exactly the information you need is quick and easy (if you're a net pro already).

This book is among 5-6 absolute must read books on Internet development in my library. Grab a copy today, you won't be disappointed.