Karl XI is one of my favourites in the Swedish history, Upton's biography gives a fair view of his too short lives. That without leaving his shortcomings as person and ruler. Karl XI may be less well known as his father Karl X Gustav and son Karl XII but far more interesting to study for a modern reader than the warriors. He stands in the history toghether with Gustav Vasa and Axel Oxenstierna as the builders of the early modern Swedish state.
I will recommend this book to everyone interested in Swedish or 17th century European history.

Swedes tend to jump from Charles X Gustav to his grandson Charles XII, forgetting Charles XI. But this was one of Sweden's greatest kings. He broke the aristocratic oligarchy, shored up Crown finances and reorganised the civil service, the army and the navy. Most of all, he kept the peace for 25 years when Sweden was large but poor and all its neighbours were anxious to lay their hands on choice parts of it. Many of his reforms lasted until well into the 20th century and some are still relevant today. Charles XII may have been glamorouos, but he foolishly lost an empire. Charles XI may have been a bore, but he preserved it all his life!

This is a very good book - if you are lucky enough to find a copy and wish to read and think about real questions this book may be for you. I feel very grateful to the author for this work.

Charles Upton challenges Robert Bly's interpretation of the Grimm's fairly tale Iron John, an interpretation which had a strong impact on a generation of confused men looking for answers about what it means to be a man. Upton's critique draws from the perspective of the traditionalist school of writers - notably the French metaphysician Rene Guenon - and presents a profound alternative reading of the fairy tale in which the question of what it means to be a man is eclipsed by the greater question of what it means to be truly human.

Upton writes: '...Bly states that his intention is to talk about male initiation alone. My intention is to try and situate this initiation in its greater context, that of the attainment of the fully human state.'

_The System of Antichrist_ by the Sufi scholar Charles Upton offers the reader a unique look into some of the pernicious philosophies and movements which are contributing to the moral degeneracy of our times. The modern world is besieged by a crass materialism which emphasizes scientism and denies the traditional outlook of the world's religions. Postmodernity has brought new philosophies which deny absolute truth and objective reality while at the same time offering New Age spiritualities which lead man away from God. Firmly grounded in the Traditionalist school of such writers as Rene Guenon, Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Frithjof Schuon and basing his critique on the perennial philosophy and the idea of the Transcendent Unity of Religions, Charles Upton attempts to show that both postmodernity and the New Age are likely to lead man astray and are a sign of nihilistic decadence which may be heralding in the coming of Antichrist. According to Charles Upton, both postmodernity and the New Age movement consist of spiritualities which are fitted for the coming globalism. Opposing globalism are various revolutionary and reactionary tribalist groups which attempt to assert their own identity against the conformity demanded by the New World Order. It is this crisis in the modern world that is likely to bring about the Age of Antichrist. Charles Upton contends that a return to the traditional outlook, perennialist metaphysics, and the world's great religious traditions is necessary if we hope to survive the coming tribulation and our own modern nihilistic culture. Much of this book is spent critiquing various systems of New Age thought. Thus, there are to be found critiques of the spiritual systems of Jane Roberts and her "Seth" material, the Native magician Carlos Castenada, the neo-Gnosticism of _A Course in Miracles_, the philosophy of _The Celestine Prophecy_, and the entrepreneurial Hinduism of Depak Chopra. In particular, Charles Upton shows how each of these systems conflicts with the traditional metaphysics and religious orthodoxy and thus falls into error. Upton proceeds to show how the New Age movement is actually a reflection of the shadow of God and how each individual must address the problem of evil. In addition, various aspects of the New Age movement are particularly disturbing because they seek to either deny or rebel against the idea of love - as traditionally understood. Charles Upton provides a unique interpretation of the modern phenomenon of UFOs. To Upton, UFO sightings and alien abductions constitute a particularly disturbing aspect of the postmodern world. Upton contends that perhaps we can understand these aliens as spiritual beings, the jinn of Islamic folklore or the demons of Christian tradition. Upton notes that not all of these entities may be evil or necessarily harmful; however, since without a traditional understanding it is impossible to determine this, they should be avoided. This is similar to the manner in which Upton understands the phenomenon of channeling and discarnate spirits (in which he references the work of Rene Guenon in particular on this subject). Next, Upton proceeds to refute the thesis put forward in the popular exposition of the Traditionalist school, _The Only Tradition_ by William Quinn. According to Upton, this book attempts to reconcile two disparate forms of thought, that of the Traditionalist school and that of the Theosophical Society founded by Madame H. P. Blavatsky. Rene Guenon himself had written a distinct book refuting the ideas of Blavatsky. The best and most fulfilling chapters in this book are the last two focusing on Comparative Eschatology and Facing Apocalypse, respectively. Upton offers a unique comparative eschatology in which he focuses on the eschatological traditions in the world's religions, including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the religions of the Hopi and Lakota American Indians, Tibetan Buddhism in particular, and Hinduism. Upton is particularly strong in focusing on the relationships between Christian eschatology (particularly that of the Eastern Orthodox Church)and Islam and their own unique understandings of the Antichrist (al-Dajjal to the Muslims), the Mahdi, and the person of Jesus Christ. Contrary to much of the nonsense that has been offered up in the eschatological fields in recent times particularly by fundamentalist Protestants, the eschatological theories of Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism entail a much higher level of understanding. Many individuals from different religious persuasions believe that the Antichrist will likely be a unique individual who appears during a time of crisis. Rene Guenon himself believed that the Antichrist would likely be a specific individual. While Upton remains noncommittal as to whether the Antichrist will be an incarnate individual or simply a powerful force, he does show that his reign is to come upon us and is signified by the crisis of the modern world. Particularly of interest is Upton's understanding of the person of Jesus Christ; he notes that Jesus may have sympathized with the revolutionary forces of his time, the equivalents of modern day tribalism and nationalism, but that his own philosophy did not entail revolution ("Render to Caesar what is Caesar's"). Interestingly, Upton contends that it is out of these two distinct forces that the tribulation and the reign of Antichrist will come. Also interesting is Upton's unique understanding of and warning about shamanism. While Upton contends that there may be many primordial traditions that have retained an intact form of shamanism, he argues that this late in the cosmic cycle any attempt to revive this religious form is likely to be potentially dangerous. It is prophesied that the Antichrist will be a great deceiver and that he will usher in a new era and will be a political and religious problem solver. However, his ultimate goals will appeal to our own spiritual pride. While the modern age remains in a time of crisis, the Traditionalist philosophy and the foundation of the world's religions offer mankind a sign of hope. By overcoming our own pride and turning towards God, man will be able to survive the vicissitudes of the modern world and the coming reign of Antichrist.

This book is not for lay people or even undergraduates. Not that it is all that technically demanding. Rather, it is unusual in its style and content. This text is a landmark in modern macroeconomics. It begins with a very simple model for the ideas of Thomas Malthus. It was the first to place the neoclassical growth model at center stage. It is the first place to discuss in print what later became known as Ricardian Equivalence. It was written at the very dawn of the rational expectations - market clearing revolution in macro, yet betrays a deeper understanding of those ideas than most contemporary texts.

It makes a radical break with IS-LM (regrettably entrenched for over 50 years) and proposes an alternative with the real interest rate (r) on one axis and the price level (P) on another. The M curve represents combinations of r and P consistent with equilibrium in the supply and demand for real balances. The Y curve represents combinations consistent of the same, consistent with market clearing for goods. The intersection of M and Y determine P and r. Real output does not appear on either axis because it is determined by the labor market. Sticky wages or prices can be (and are) incorporated into the model. I find the M-Y model much more natural than IS-LM with AD-AS.

Much of the discussion is built around a computer simulation model, probably long vanished, that reminds me of a deterministic version of a simple real business cycle model. Miller and Upton understood that a lot of macroeconomics can be explored within a spreadsheet, even though spreadsheets had yet to be invented!

Finally, the prose is rich and beautiful, reflecting the shining influence of the late Merton Miller, a wise and witty writer.