Thomas was given access to the church archives when researching this book, but then he was denied permission to quote from anything he read there. (At least according to a letter the author published later in response to an unfavorable review--Thomas ought to have clarified this issue in his preface to the book.)

The result is a book full of broad claims resting precariously on slender evidence. Thomas' overly vague descriptions of archival material cannot support his conclusions.

If you're interested in learning more about Eddy (as opposed to learning more about what Thomas *thinks* about Eddy based on secret information), don't waste your money on this book.

This book is supposed to be a psychoanalytic study of Mary Baker Eddy. It is anything but that.

The authors appear to be non-Christian Scientists have looked into Christian Science and decided that it is the correct explanation of Jesus's works and teachings. Although this book offers some wonderful intellectual insights into Mrs. Eddy's life and career, it is far more praiseworthy than antagonistic.

Strongly recommended, whether or not you're a Christian Scientist.

I am one of relatively few people who have had the enormous privelige of being taught by Robert Thomas - "Doc Thomas", as he was universally known. He is a man with an extraordinary and profound intellect, and an unparalleled ability to illuminate complex and intricate issues. If you desire an intellectual thrill, buy the book. Better still would be to take a class from him, an experience which in the course of nine months taught me how to think and write. He could sell tickets to his dissection of Dr. Strangelove. It was truly that fascinating.

Doc, if you read this, I want to say now that you are unequivocally the most brilliant, effective and entertaining teacher I have ever had the privelige of learning from. You have taught me more than any person ever has, and given to me the art of analysis. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My only regret is that you didn't stay one more year. I know dozens of us would have been lining up for Am Cult, myself included.

-David (no, not Big Hands who forgot his notes for the final)

I feel impelled to add to these thoughtful reviews. After the sincere efforts of doctors who could not find a cure for me I was healed in Christian Science as taught in full in this book. This non-denominational, essentially universal truth is fully explained in this book and when read with a critical but sincere effort will help the reader on many levels. As the author has explained, the religions of our age have dropped the effectiveness of God to heal sickness, retaining the traditional view of God's power to reduce only sin. Do we wish to worship and adore a God that is powerful in one instance yet powerless in the other? Healing in Christian Science is not based on blind faith, but rather on a new, enlightened way of seeing the world. Though many come to this book seeking physical healing, this book's primary purpose is to enable the reader to open up to a higher ideal of God and man's relationship to his Heavenly Father-Mother God. I realize that if one desires one can pick out isolated cases where an individual under the care of Christian Science died and therefore judge it unsafe. But in all fairness how many people die annually under the care of the medical facilities? How many illnesses and diseases are termed incurable by the medical institution? Things valuable come with a great price. The author, Mary Baker Eddy, in other writings, speaks of the price she paid to give this book to the world. If the reader needs comfort in what others have thought of this teaching/book one should seek out what Einstein, Bronson Alcott, Walt Whitman, and later in his life, Mark Twain, said about Mrs. Eddy, her discovery and her book.

This book is not a light read but a whole course meal-a reference book for life. It's non-denominational and can appeal to anyone, no matter what background or religious belief. It explains a practical spiritual approach to healing. The term Christian Science is coined to mean the universal laws of God or Truth that can be applied to any situation needing help. You can read it front to back, by chapter, or one line here or there. The index in the back is very helpful if you are working on a particular issue, ie. drinking, drugs, etc. The last 100 pages are written by people who have been healed simply by reading the book. I, myself, have been healed of all kinds of problems using the ideas here.

This book can change your life. It did mine. The opening words from the preface - "To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, today is big with blessings. The time for thinkers has come." say it all. If you are not afraid to think, this book is for you. Christian Science claims to be the ultimate statement of the Science of Being or God itself. It claims to explain all reality and causation. Unlike most religions, it declares that God can be known and understood and that the problem of evil can be explained. It claims to find nothing mysterious about the Creator or his creation. This book contains the complete statement of Christian Science theology. A reading of this book and application of the principles it expounds has resulted in the healing of physical disease and other conditions considered incurable. The reviewer has experienced the results of the application of the Principle set forth in this book. By application of the Principle explained in this book, you will find that God can be known and not just believed and ignorantly worshipped. Pondering on the truths revealed in this marvelous and totally original work, you will learn the nature of your relationship to God. From your study of the Christian Science Textbook, you can immediately apply, with complete certainty, the Science of Christianity to your life and prove for yourself that the Comforter promised by Christ Jesus has indeed come into the world

More recent scolarship has shown this biography to be a polemic not a biography. See more scholarly work by Gillian Gill especially her comments on page 563 about Milmine's work.

In 1906 Georgine Milmine, a newspaperwoman who had spent years assembling an enormous collection of material about Mary Baker Eddy but doubted her own ability to write on the subject, sold it to McClures Magazine. Interest in Christian Science was at its height at the time, and McClure's turned the project over to Willa Cather, who was 32 years old and had 32 published short stories to her credit, but whose days as a great novelist still lay in the future.

Although Ms. Cather publicly disclaimed credit for the resulting series of articles which form the basis of this book, the editors provide convincing proof that she wrote it.

In addition to being a highly entertaining account of the rise of one of the more fascinating characters in American religious history and the church she founded, the book provides extensive factual detail to anyone seriously interested in the history of either. While it is critical of Mrs. Eddy, it is also complimentary. Factually accurate and extensively documented., it is perhaps the most objective account available of a truly remarkable woman and her church.

Although the book was the subject of favorable reviews when it was published in 1910, the response of the church was, predictably, less enthusiastic. According to the afterword, even before it was published, "three spokesmen for the Christian Science church visited the McClure's office and tried to suppress the series of articles. Christian Scientists were said to have later bought and destroyed most copies of the book, and library copies were said to be kept out of general circulation through constant borrowings by church members... The copyright for the Milmine book was purchased by a friend of Christian Science, the plates from which the book was printed were destroyed, and the manuscript also acquired. That this happened is supported by the fact that the manuscripts for the 'Milmine' book are held in the Archives and Library of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston." (pp. 497-498)

Perhaps the most important contribution that this book makes is to present Mrs. Eddy and her church in the context of their time. There is a tendency today to present her as an early oppressed feminist. That interpretation should be compared with Ms. Cather's hard-nosed assessment:: "The result of Mrs. Eddy's planning and training and pruning is that she has built up the largest and most powerful organization ever founded by any woman in America. Probably no other woman so handicapped-so limited in intellect, so uncertain in conduct, so tortured by hatred and hampered by petty animosities-has ever risen from a state of helplessness and dependence to a position of such power and authority... The growth of her power has been extensive as well as intensive." (p. 480)

In fact, the only complaint in an otherwise favorable review by a student of nervous disorders in the American Historical Review (Vol 15, July 1910), was that the author did "not do enough to explain the abnormal psychology of the founder of Christian Science-the record of hysteria, hypochondria, and the delusion of persecution." (p.498)

Well worth reading

Take the gaseous denunciation by the true believer as an endorsement of this timeless debunking biography. (CS complaints about this book are always based on "new information" kept under lock and key by the church so it can't be checked by any unbiased researcher.) Christian Science malarkey sentenced my sister to a needless early death.

The chapters on object -> RDBMS mapping and implementation using non-OO languages are worth the whole book!

It's outdated because it uses the OMT, I would really thanks Rambaugh if he could write a new edition!

Lets face it, this is the best book to get started on Object Oriented Programming. An object is still an object, whether you show it in a cloud or in a box. Plus this book has some valuable tips on programming the right way, and puts reusability in perspective. Its written in extremely readable fashion, quite unlike some of the UML documents out there. The only thing that bothers me is the price tag, which seems to be a bit high.

A landmark in OO literature: always was and always will be. Taking things from step zero to discussing very advanced issues. The notation used is the one where UML has borrowed most of its elements (especially the class diagrams). The process it describes has become the typical process for OO development (especially 2nd generation OMT as described through a series of articles in JOOP by Rumbaugh). In all, a book that leaves nothing uncovered from notation to process and more importantly in depth discussions on OO concepts and techniques that will always be true. Finally, this is one of the few books that discuss how to implement an OO design into a non-OO language such as C, Pascal, Fortran etc. END

I was so impressed by this book. In a way, it changed my life. I've read many, many biographies of Eddy, from Tomlinson to Peel to the newest one authorized by her church (Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer), and this was the first I could relate to directly. Others have been less than completely frank about Eddy's early life-they either idolize her or mock her. I was also fascinated to learn more details about Eddy's parents and siblings-with all their foibles and weaknesses. Gill's biography comes up to my standard of straightforward honesty, without either the apologetics of a follower or the sarcasm of a detractor. Gill weaves contextual information about life in the 1800s throughout her work, yet as a woman of the late 20th century, I found myself relating to Eddy and her struggle in so many ways. She was a single mom. She wrote romantic fiction and poetry. She lived through both widowhood and divorce. She had financial struggles, and, for a long time, no place to call home. She would get angry on occasion, yet she was also sublimely loving. She retained a girlish pleasure in clothes and fashion-she loved ice cream! Her life was not perfect, nor was she a perfect human being, yet she still rose to the heights of spiritual healer and religious leader-all in the face of intense opposition that would be difficult for anyone today, let alone a woman of her time period. Each challenge she faced was turned into an opportunity; each relationship that ended was grist for the mill of her own spiritual growth. As someone who is learning to practice spiritual healing, I found it inspiring to know that, if Eddy is any example, I don't have to be a perfect human being in order to get started. This shouldn't be the only biography one reads to get a complete composite of Mary Baker Eddy, but it's certainly an excellent foundation against which other information can be juxtaposed and evaluated. Of course, reading her seminal work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, gets to the heart of her mission the fastest way of all.

Ms Gill is not a Christian Scientist but you would suppose she has lived with her subject for a very long time. Her considerable forensic skills are just what her subject needs. In the sections dealing with P.P Quimby, the Misses Ware and Eddy's second husband Daniel Patterson, she contributes solid new material. Frequently she demolishes myths promulgated by the Mimine/Dakin/Braden biographies (and in a devastating appendix, analyses the motivations of these biographers). A new Mary Baker Eddy emerges, something of diamond in the rough but a diamond to be reckoned with, nonetheless. But if Ms Gill's objectivity is the result of not being a Christian Scientist, it also gives her book a problem. Her grasp of Christian Science theology is not...well, not complete. This leads, for example, to a very good joke about what Christian Science calls 'animal magnetism' but a joke based on a misconception nonetheless. Without a more complete understanding of Mrs Eddy's thinking, it is impossible for Ms Gill to provide a balanced view of her later years. The frenetic outward activity of Mrs Eddy's life in her eighties and even nineties is described minus the ballast of the spiritual mediation that made this activity possible. But this is still a very good book and a fun read. Ms Gill says Mrs Eddy would have enjoyed meeting Mark Twain. It's certain Mrs Eddy would have relished meeting Ms Gill.

This is not a light book--in tone or weight! However, it gave me a rich, deep, understanding of Mary Baker Eddy as a person and as a figure in history--plus many hours of reading pleasure.

Most well-researched biographies are dry and factual. Ms. Gill has managed to organize an unusual life into chapters that are more than chronological slices. Step by step, she takes the reader through the development of Ms. Eddy's thought and philosophy. At the same time, we learn a huge amount of Ms. Eddy as a literary, spiritual, and political leader.

If you buy this book, please don't neglect to read the footnotes. Ms. Gill has packed them with tons of interesting trivia that otherwise would have cluttered up her well-turned prose. This is a rare and valuable work--one that should become the standard starting place for any serious student of either the Christian Science movement or of women's role in the late 19th century. I hope that Ms. Gill will receive the time and resources to complete other projects, such as this one.

Grace Flint is a detective inspector for the London Metropolitan Police. She is most often used as a decoy or undercover operative. When one of her assignments goes bad, her partner is killed and she is terribly wounded - both physically and mentally. From that point, the book takes off on a wild ride spanning three continents.
There is something that doesn't ring true with Eddy's Flint. Is it because he's tried to make her both SuperWoman and vulnerable, sane and slightly not, reckless and conservative? Whatever it is, Flint is flawed. There is very little character development in the book - the book is not about character development - but the plot is outstanding - the book's strong point. I agree that the book is hard to put down, you may want to read it one sitting. But don't. This book needs to be read slowly lest you miss one of the subtleties the author throws randomly throws in.

both physically and psychologically. The brittle, cold heroine of Paul Eddy's first fiction thriller is worth more than a glance. It is hard to know what makes Flint tick, even though the book explores her life from the viewpoint of an outsider, in
retrospect. Flint's a British operative, gone awol after she is caught in the crossfire of an international plot.

Harry Cohen, trying to find her, gives us the retrospective. Unlike Flint, Harry's almost too real, too wounded, to be given the task. His character, the best developed in the book, sees every issue from both sides; he's devoted to finding Flint, helping her, and righting the wrong that's been done her.

Meanwhile, Flint uses her powers of deception and persuasion to seek her revenge on an international criminal. The reader is absorbed in her risk-taking, all the while learning what makes her tick. Think Marg Helgenberger for the film or the TV movie.

Not a big fan of spy thrillers, I found Flint engaging, well-written, with a few forgiveable flaws. Looking forward to more from Paul Eddy, he has a new and crisp voice.

When a friend recommends a book you politely listen as they talk about it. When they continue to rave about it you get the book.

One might think, "Oh No, another cop story." However, in this case I and my friends haven't seen or heard (audio books) such realistic excitement since Joseph Wambaugh hit the scene. That's because we're cops and we don't get excited unless it's good, it's real, it can happen, it has happened, been there, done that, seen it and it tells it like it is.

While reading this book you become Grace Flint's partner, the one that can only listen and watch. The one wondering how she'll react, how the rest of the team will react. The action, the plot, all of it invokes feelings that can cause you to leave sweaty prints on the pages.

The book moves fast when it should. It has been said to be slow in certain areas, but in those areas you obtain the information you will need to prepare for the action, just like you would on the job.

Paul Eddy has done a splendid job on the book and Grace Flint. I wonder, have the names and places been changed like Jack Webb would say, is it really fiction?

Treat yourself to what will be one of the best books that your likely to ever read. Prepare yourself to read a book that is hard to put down and will leave you wanting more Flint when you've finshed.

This book paints Mary Baker Eddy much larger than life. It bombards the reader with her healing work and love while glossing over problems that I have seen more fairly treated in other Eddy biographies. It also perpetuates the traditions and myths taught to Christian Science children, such as the myth that Eddy experienced an immediate and lasting healing three days after her famous fall on the ice. (Several MONTHS after the accident she tried to extract monetary damages for her injuries, on the grounds that she was STILL SUFFERING.)

Von Fettweis and Warneck had access to over 21,000 of Eddy's unpublished letters and writings; what a shame they chose to perpetuate myths rather than using the documents to present a realistic and fair view of their spiritual leader.

Some books bring inspiration by the very import of their subject. The warmly historical, first-hand accounts of witnessing the restoration of wells, the calming of storms, and the raising of people from the dead, to list but a few examples of the remarkable healing ministry of this profoundly Christian woman, Mary Baker Eddy, do just that. One's inner child or soul-sense rejoices in the sweet sense of the loving Deity's ever-presence, as demonstrated through this woman, and marvels that such works are indeed available to the pure in heart who give such fervent, effectual prayer. Her great reflection of "this Mind which was also in Christ Jesus," namely "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is an open door of loving, principled teaching to this goal-fittedness, and a logical progressive choice for those desiring to go and do likewise, i.e. to walk in the way shown by the Messiah. "Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer" presents a warmly victorious example of what man, reflecting his Creator and doing His Will, may reasonably expect to demonstrate.

An understanding of the Leader and Founder of Christian Science in her capacity to heal is an uplifting experience so inspiring that the reader can hardly put this book down.

An appreciation of Mary Baker Eddy's contribution to us, enable the reader to obtain deeper understanding of the spiritual meaning of her well-known masterwork: Science and Health.

Great idea with uneven results. Some superb art in places, but not always as an appropriate counterpoint to the accompanying Scriptures. The parts that do succeed are worth the cover price alone.

This collection is remarkable for the fact that so many artists in the comic book industry turn out to be Christians. Passages from Proverbs and the Parables of Christ have been taken directly from the Bible and illustrated in styles running the gamut from mediocre to brilliant. I've seen a number of these artists before. Some of the work in this compilation represents the best efforts of some; yet with others, it seems more like work that has been slapped-together-for-free. I recommend this book because it is refreshing to see so many artists working together to produce it. However, some of the interpretations of scripture are contrived and should be read in their original context, and not merely in this volume.

This book was well received by me and my teenagers. There needs to be more artistic interpretations like this that tackle scripture. Not every translation done in this book is accurate to the Word of God but every piece is brilliant in its own right. Bravo! Encore!

AND WHEN I FIRST STARTED READING THIS BOOK IT REMINDED ME OF LANGSTON HUGHES POEM "THE WEARY BLUES" BECAUSE IN THE WEARY BLUES HE TALKES ABOUT HARLEM(DOWN ON LENOX AVENUR THE OTHER NIGHT) AND WHAT HE HEARD AND FELT WHEN HE WALKED THE STREATS OF HARLEM(125TH STREET)

"Still Life in Harlem" was a very good written book that opened your eyes on the problems facing urban cities in America. It also brilliantly put in great detail what the author saw in the everyday life of people in Harlem,how he felt about what Harlem has become, and what connection he still has with the place he grew up in, for awhile. The only thing that I disliked was how the author seemed to give excuses on why the people, in Harlem, live in the bad condition they are in. I felt that these people (in Harlem), like many other people, who are in the same situation, can make a positive change for themselves and their community if they put in some effort to make that change. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and I truly feel that this is a book that everyone, who live in a Harlem, should read, so that maybe it can help them realize the destruction that is going on in their community and try to do something positive about it, instead of ignoring it.

Reminded me of the things about my heritage that is seen everytime a non-African American sees me on the street; the things about myself that society wants me to forget if I want to "make it". Illustrated the point that we could never assimilate into American society because our skin color will always remind folks of the history of exclusion, inequity, and distruction of the Black race. Finally, rekindled the desire to put something back into society - Black society.

I am a professional web application developer. Since I often forget the details of HTML attributes and format, this book comes in handy for me. I can easily find everything I need and can easily put the information to use. The book is logically divided into sections on general, table, form and frame elemnts. It also has sections on the Microsoft and Nescape extensions, plus cascading style sheets.

Since I got the book, other developers are coming to my desk and asking to use it. If you need to know every little detail about every HTML tag, this is the reference book for you.

Note that this is NOT a book for beginners to use to learn how to write HTML. That is evident if you look inside, but some may be fooled by the title.

This is an excellent book for your library. It describes you all the recent HTML (including 4.0) tags in plain english, with a brief explanation of when, where, why and how to use them. HTML tags are grouped in catagories (e.g, Frames or Tables etc.). If an attribute is only supported by Netscape or MSIE browser, it's description is preceded with as icon. The note section tells you the origin and history of the tag (HTML 2.0 or HTML 4.0 etc.). If you are planning to code HTML by hand, or you simply save source for an HTML to understand how it works, this is an excellent source. It is also for people who simply want the tags they need, when they need them. It is a one-stop HTML reference for headers to meta to java script to cascading style sheets and everything in between and beyond. Appendix - A contain a complete list of elements by HTML version and activity including Netscape and Microsoft extensions. This book is definitely a must for anyone working with Web Pages.

This book does exactly what it says. It gives you all the recent HTML (3.2) tags in plain english, with a brief explanation of how to use them, when, where and why. It's perfect for those who like coding their own pages, but don't want to learn off every HTML tag in existence. It's for people who simply want the tags they need, when they need them (with a small explanation to refresh the memory). This book is definitely a must for anyone coding a web page. It's a one-stop HTML 3.2 tag reference manual (from headers to meta tags to java applets to cascading style sheets and beyond), that will quickly and easily provide you with the information you want, without throwing in a headache for free