There was a point at which some critics contended that "Prometheus Bound" was not actually written by Aeschylus, arguing that someone else, perhaps his son Euphorion, who was also a dramatist, was the actual author. The argument hinged on the portrait of Zeus in the play, which is highly critical of the king of the Gods and at odds with the wise and just Zeus Aeschylus presents in the "Orestia." Since we have only a half-dozen complete plays of the ninety Aeschylus is believed to have written, it is difficult to make a judgment regarding his entire body of work. However, we do have fragments from the other plays in the trilogy, "Prometheus Unbound" and "Prometheus the Fire-Carrier," which suggest that what happens in this first play sets the stage for an evolving Zeus, who eventually finds his better nature when he achieves a reconciliation with the rebel Titan. Given the dramatic scope of the "Orestia," with its evolving notion of justice, it seems to me reasonable enough that Aeschylus was attempting something similar with this trilogy.

"Prometheus Bound" finds the titan, who defied Zeus and gave humanity the saving gift of fire (among other sins), bound on a remote mountain peak with iron spikes driven through his flesh by the unwilling Hephaestus and his assistants Might and Violence, allegorical figures who define the source of Zeus's power. The scenes of the play consist of a series of dialogues between Prometheus and the ancient god Oceanus (the chorus consists of the daughters of Oceanus), Io, a woman turned into a cow because of Zeus's attentions, and Hermes, who wants to know the secret held by Prometheus that threatens the power of Zeus. Prometheus (whose name means "foresight") refuses and is then cast into the underworld to be punished further. At the heart of the play is the conflict between the immovable will of Prometheus and the irresistible force of the power of Zeus.

Clearly this tragedy speaks to an archetypal human condition, wherein physical power seeks to break the mind of an individual to its will. The audience is caught in a dilemma, for on one side is the king of the gods and on the other is the savior of humanity, for without the gift of fire early man was doomed. Indeed, that was clearly the intent of Zeus. Consequently, like Prometheus, the audience is caught between their own rock and a hard place. Fortunately, by the end of the trilogy Aeschylus gives his audience an out, for the Zeus who is represented in this play is transformed into a more acceptable deity in the end. Even without those plays and knowing the innovative brilliance of Aeschylus as a tragic dramatist, we can certainly appreciate the overall story arc that begins with this play. For teachers who do not want to contend with the entire "Orestia" or have to contend with editing it down for students, "Prometheus Bound" represents a single work by Aeschylus that is equally as pivotal to our understanding of classical mythology.

The Titan Prometheus has stolen fire from heaven and given it to Earth's mortal inhabitants. He is punished for his presumption by being bound to a rock on Mount Caucasus and tortured. Prometheus, who can foretell the future, refuses to tell Zeus the secret of Zeus' downfall. This is a play of the conflict between force and injustice on one side and intelligence, justice, and altruism on the other. The play greatly influenced a wide spectrum of later writers. It should be required reading in all universities.

Normally on the 26th of October, I view the 1957 movie
"Gunfight at the O. K. Corral" with Burt Lancaster and
Kirt Douglas. I know exactly what I am getting which is
entertainment.

This year I flipped through the Thom Ross book by the
same title and again I was entertained. The Preface said
History but my gut reaction said entertainment. The
history here is fast and loose. Like the movie this book
is FICTION and should be accepted as such.

Enjoy the exquisite paintings. but ignore the connection
between the paintings and the text. And between the text
and History because it isn't here. In fact ignore the text
altogether. Buy this book for the paintings.
and you have a bargain

I do not wish to list the many historical errors of the Ross
and Hutton book here. That might ruin your enjoyment of the
paintings. On this the 120th anniversary of the gunfight
between good and evil, stay focused on the main event.
Don't worry about desecration. Think consecration. History
can wait. this is the age of art and entertainment. If you
have to blame anyone, blame the proofreader. What does he
know?

Thom Ross knows his O.K. Corral history -- there's no doubt about that -- but it is the O.K. Corral myth that he really seeks to translate into the painting contained in this book. Whereas most Western American art is firmly realistic, often almost photographic in intent, Ross's art dares to venture into the realm of the abstract to better capture those elements of myth. In nearly fifty paintings, accompanied by his own text, Thom Ross tells the story of this most famous gunfight in history. I cannot think of another book which has ever sought to achieve such an end, so I believe that Ross deserves double praise for his creativity. If you don't know much about this event, then "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" is not at all a bad place to begin learning. But even if you have read a dozen books about that day in Tombstone, Ross's book will still have a powerful impact. And after you close the covers of this slender volume, those images remain in your vision, haunting and somehow very alive.

Together with "The Smart Family Kit", this book is sure to change the life of all those who read it. What is really of value when we add a sense of urgency to it? Try to answer that question and your perspective of life can be categorically changed. This book, which I highly reccomend to be used in conjunction with the kit, would become an invaluable tool in helping you maintain your family life and its values in first place, no matter how little time you may think you have for it. I have read it twice, discussed it with my family, done the exercises and, for the first time since, we started feeling we were all pulling together in the same direction. You may also want to visit their web site {online].

This is one of two versions of Elder B. H. Roberts' masterwork of theology. The other edition being published by Brigham Young University Studies. I have both, so I will be comparing and contrasting them later in the review.

The story behind TWL is a little complex. Elder Roberts (1857-1933) was a prolific writer, theologian, thinker and a scrapper. Near the end of his life he produced a manuscript called "The Truth, The Way, The Life," which was to be a compact summation and extension of his theological thought. The manuscript was reviewed by a blue-ribbon committee, but was never published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints primarily for his advocacy of "pre-Adamites," and also speculation about God's progression in knowledge among other things. In the late 1960's, President Hugh B. Brown photocopied the manuscript and gave it to one of his grandsons, Edwin B. Firmage, with the instruction to preserve the book. Mr. Firmage donated the manuscript copy to the University of Utah, and then curator stand Larson decided to publish the book.

The copyright of the book, along with the three manuscripts of the book were owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it was thought that they could publish a joint version, but the talks broke down, so Larson published with Smith Research Associates, and BYU Studies published their own version, with photo-static reprints of the three manuscripts.

The book itself follows the outline set by the title: Truth, Way, Life. Elder Roberts begins with a dissertation on the truth, and then goes into cosmology, with then-current (1925) science. He relied heavily on Spencer's "First Principles" for much of his metaphysics. He then discusses the nature of humanity, the Intelligences described in Latter-day Saint theology. He has a section that surveys ancient religions, with special emphasis on the Hebrew Religion. He concluded the first section with a discussion of creation.

The second section focuses on the Way. It covers the creation of Man, the fall, and then the history of the earth from Adam to Christ. The second half of the second section is a lengthy elaboration of Christ's atonement. This is probably the best part of the whole book; since the Atonement is the heart of Christian doctrine.

The Life is the third part of the book., and this section focuses on the "Sermon on the Mount," and the Christian's character. It concludes with a chapter on celestial, or eternal marriage, which is peculiar to the Church of Jesus Christ.

This book is really a condensed version of Elder Robert's "Seventies Course in Theology," and frankly I prefer the "Seventies Course in theology" to this one-volume version simply because TWL lacks the depth and detail that "Seventies Course in Theology" has. Roberts covered more ground and looked into the implication of things Mormon better than he did in the TWL. The only advantage TWL has is that it is more streamlined, focused, and refined in many areas.

Looking over the book, I really wish that Elder Roberts has acquiesced on the Pre-Adamites, and Progressing God issues. Except for these one or two things (in addition to the outdated science and metaphysics), it is a good book, and the chapters on the Atonement (which are word for word from the "Seventies Course in Theology") are superb. In fact, I think that the controversial chapters-and the controversy itself-- have eclipsed what was good with the manuscript.

One thing that Elder Roberts missed was elucidation upon "Eternalism." He devoted a chapter to Eternalism in his "Seventies Course in theology," be he overlooked this rater fascinating concept in this book. This striking doctrine is unique to the theology of the Saints and deserves a place in this book.

Regarding the two editions, the Larson edition is, bar far, the more readable version of the two, and follows closer to the pattern Elder Roberts used in his "Seventies Course in Theology." Moreover, it is in soft back, so the book is cheaper. This edition has commentary by Leonard Arrington and Sterling McMurrin, two staunch Mormon intellectuals, and fans of Elder Robert's work. I would recommend this edition to anyone with a passing curiosity of the book, the subject or the man B. H. Roberts.

However, the BYU Studies version has the better commentary, with articles written by Truman Madsen, David Paulsen, Andrew Skinner, and James Allen. Plus, this edition has the better index and helps at the end of the book, with a summery of Joseph Fielding Smith's arguments against evolution and pre-Adamites. Plus, this edition has an extension to chapter 31, which chapter was read to the Quorum of the Twelve, which rounds out Roberts arguments for pre-Adamites. This edition is less readable, with many strikeouts and spelling corrections. These are absolutely unnecessary for the layman and get in the way of getting Robert's ideas. For the very curious, I recommend the BYU Studies edition.

This is a good book in certain areas, but both editions suffer from having too much useless information. I would suggest a streamlined, layman version that combines the best of both editions. It would have the Larsen edition's format, which follows the "Seventies Course in Theology" with the chapter outlines and introductions, and I would not have any strikeouts in the text, and use the Larson diagrams. Just edit it as you would a normal book. I would use the BYU Edition's chapter summery in the table of contents, use its better index, scripture citations, and not worry about the minor variant readings. Follow the Larsen's edition of having "A Modification of the Orthodox View" back in controversial Chapter 31, and integrate the variant introduction the BYU Edition has in the appendix into one introduction. Also have the additional material in the BYU Edition that was appended to Chapter 31 (p. 318-322) put in as an appendix to that chapter. I would also silently update the astronomical information to bring it in line with the twenty-first century.