Having read everything ever written on Lawrence, and even written a book myself, I can unconditionally state that this is the best book in the field. I unconditionally reccomend it to all readers, whether neophytes wanting to learn about the "myth behind the man," or seasonsed Lawrence experts. Although each essay shines in its own way, Stang's stands out as a major new contribution to Lawrence scholarship.

Having read everything ever written on Lawrence, and even written a book on him myself, I can state without qualification that this book contains the best work ever produced on Lawrence "of Arabia." I reccomend it both to the first-time reader wanting to go beyond the Lawrence of legend, and to the long-time academic devotee of the military and intellectual career of this icon of the 20th century. Although each essay is excellent in its own way, Stang's stands out as a pillar of Lawrence scholarship.

T. C. Lethbridge is the author of numerous books, ranging from pre-history and archaeology to witchcraft and I suppose what we could call the paranormal. I first came across his work in the writings of Colin Wilson (an English author who introduced me to many obscure writings such as these), in connection with the paranormal, and I managed to find a copy of "The Essential T. C. Lethbridge" over time. I think this book, which was released posthumously as a sort of tribute to the writer, is an interesting indication of the man's depth, which was considerable, yet the original works are far more interesting still.

Two of my favourites are "Herdsmen and Hermits" and "The Painted Men" and for anyone interested in the pre-history of the British Isles, up until the Viking age in about 1000 AD, they are wonderful reading. Lethbridge was recognised as an archaeologist but he always had the most difficult time getting on with the establishment, since he refused to tow the line on accepted history. Therefore he was always working somewhat on his own, without the support of a major institution and its a wonder he managed to make his way as he did, and publish so much.

The other Lethbridge connection which has been of interest to me, is with the Canadian writer Farley Mowat. Although they never met, they were contemporaries and one wonders what the result might have been had they worked on projects jointly. In any case, Mowat eventually discovered Lethbridge's writing and found support for some of his own rather contentious theories about the maritime movements of peoples in northern Britain toward the Americas, before the Viking age. Mowat's book on the subject, "The Farfarers," in which he draws on Lethbridge's "Herdsmen and Hermits," is one of the most interesting books about early North American exploration I've come across. However, there is no doubt that the scientific community views both writers as being outside the pale.

All that is to say that Lethbridge is well worth finding. He reads very well today, although his subject matter is naturally specialised and it is not, I suppose for the general reader. One hopes one day that the important works of writers like T. C. Lethbridge will be brought back into print. In the meantime, good hunting.

What Beatrice was to Dante Thomas Howard is to readers of Charles Williams, whose novels are not exactly hell to read, but some may yet find them somewhat tough going. It's a pity, because as with the Latin Mass, if we only knew what we were missing we would clamor for more. Thankfully Ignatius Press has reprinted this book by Thomas Howard so that we do have a guide through this marvelous world. In this book, originally published by Oxford Press, Thomas Howard starts with the party line that Williams is a bad writer, and then shows us why he's a very good one (Thomas Howard can be very sneaky). He explains why CW can't be considered a "major" writer, and maybe not even a good candidate for a minor one, but by the end of the book one is convinced that the label "major" is too small to fit Charles Williams.

Howard is similarly dismissive of his own writing in this book, even though it stands as one of his best (his best to date, in my opinion, is On Being Catholic). He suggests the reader not even read the whole book, but just jump around to the relevant parts for the Williams novel he/she is interested in. Here again, I must take exception and express a minority viewpoint. The book that does seem pieced together this way is Howard's The Achievement of C.S.Lewis, whereas The Novels of Charles Williams reads seamlessly and grippingly start to finish. Not that Howard's Lewis book is bad--the bit on Till We Have Faces is very good, as well as parts on the Silent Planet Trilogy. But it seems to me that the prefaces for these two books got switched.

Anyone venturing into a Williams novel for the first time might find the water, as it were, initially cold and uninviting, regardless how heartily the swimmers urge him or her to dive in. Howard is like a personal trainer, both preparing the reader and helping them stay in shape when, gripped with the strange madness that afflicts readers of Williams novels, they recklessly swim further and further from shore. Howard is obviously among the initiates, and the more dismissive he is of Willaims' standing as a writer, the more you want to read him. 'Nuff said. Dive in. The water's fine.

Aptly edited by the collective efforts of T.M. Charles-Edwards, Morfydd M. Owen, and Paul Russell, The Welsh King And His Court is a massive compendium of essays filled with meticulous discourse of the Welsh royal household and the governmental roles of those officers charged with upkeep of horses, sleeping quarters, meals, etc. Primary source texts are presented in English translation, and the essays are written at a college reading level. The Welsh King And His Court is a scholarly text that combines deep thought with multi-level analysis of historical politics. An intriguing and recommended historical study, with a very helpful glossary, abbreviation list and index.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

This book is required by my English Composition class. It has served no purpose other than the emptying of my wallet for one of the most useless textbooks I've been required to buy.

Our class is currently using this "reference book" for our MLA format research papers. One part of our grade will consist of correct citations. We were to use this handbook to guide us in this process. However, on pg. 94 there is an error in proper citing which caused great confusion for my fellow students and I.

Along with these small but frequent mistakes is the fact that the entire book is lacking underlines! Most people realize that books should be underlined, but during citing, with pressure and time limits on our backs, little reminders and hints toward what you should underline and corrections over what you should not, are always helpful.

This book is causing more confusion than is needed by any college student. Simple things like this should be corrected before a book is published, assuming that those who wrote and edited the handbook even realize these problems exist.

Do not buy this book. Instead, purchase a previous version. Those, at least, make sense.