this piece of history is cleary written , with factual items as well as tales handed down from generations. it is an entertaining read with an important theme

As a black female living in Orange County I was very touched and inspired by this true masterpiece.I would have rated it TEN STARS if I could. I urge all Americans,Black,White,Hispanic,Asain etc to buy and read how great things are accomplished when the races work together.The heroes are the black runaway slaves and their white friends who helped them at risk to themselves. God Bless Roger King who wrote what could have been lost to history.Those of us who live in Orange County know Mr.King and are lucky to attend his lectures.Keep up the good work Rog. Stacey McKeon.

As a resident of Orange County I was lucky to attend one of Prof.Kings lectures. I was awstruck by this great mans wit and powerful intellect.This thoughtful and informative book is a MUST read for the young people because it tells the story of of Orange Counties past,Americas past and the struggle of the African Americans in the 1850 era.If you get your child one book this year,make this one it.Where can I attend another Roger King lecture?

This is a premier text for the fields of astromony and comsmology. Thorough, deep, professional, concise, technically and scientifically accurate, but also, imaginative, filled with the wonder of discovery and learning. Beginning with the ancient origins of astronomical pursuits, the reader is taken through the unfolding world of space and time. The electromagnetic spectrum, light and optics, telescopes, planet and solar system formations, stars-their nature, galaxies, quasars, black holes, all of these wonders are explored. Do yourself a flavor-get it!

This book is beautiful. Well written, easy to read, with
nice and informative illustrations all over, full of
interesting details. The CD is also very interesting,
not only for Starry Night, but also because of very
illustrative simulations.
The level is between popular and introductory professional.
There is not much hard theory inside, but that was
probably not the aim of the authors.
Apart from a great thing to read for oneself, the niceness
of the edition makes it also a nice gift in my opinion.

Excellent, informative, interesting book. Also, the CD-ROM contains some very interesting things. Especially informative is the Starry Night software that allows you to view and travel to the cosmos in person. It is both educational and also quite fun!

Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

FINALLY WE ARE TOLD! From the Man in the know! From the Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz; the truth about the Japanese "blunder" at Pearl Harbor, the truth about the Battle of Coral Sea, the truth about the internal Navy battle over the impending Battle of Midway and the march across the Pacific with never before released Naval Intellegence details.

In this spellbinder Layton breaks his sacred oath as a Navy Officer to reveal how incompetency, infighting and persuit of personal gain at high ranks allowed the Pearl Harbor "surprise" to occur, greatly prolonged the Pacific War and brought the Allied Forces to the brink of defeat in the Pacific.

Layton reveals in chilling detail how Pearl Harbor Commanders Admiral Kimmel and General Short were made scapegoats and cashiered in disgrace, how the Fleet's Carrier task force sortied days after the bombing but was recalled out of fear, how Admiral Nimitz was forced to commit conspiracy and treason to get the 5th Fleet to Midway in time for battle. Layton exposes a secret vandetta by Washington Commanders against Pearl Harbor Intellegence personnel that caused a Japanese cipher change and the terrible effects of the lengthy intellegence "blackout" it caused at the most critical point in the War.

Layton shatters recorded history with a cronological portrayance of documented events as he lived them, by the side of the Navy Admirals who despite incredible odds, heavy losses and fierce opposition led Allied Forces to victory in the Pacific.

This Book is a "must read" for all! This Author's story must not be forgotten! At some risk with personal sacrifice, with violation of Oath, at the end of his life with no possible personal gain his last and greatest service to this great Country was a grave warning to us all;

World War Two showed us the stratigic advantage of airpower and of the Naval Aircraft Carrier. This "portable" airbase brought enormous destructive power to our enemies shore and allowed us to attack his facilities and installations with relative ease. With the modern atom bomb and ICBM the Continents become the bases from which total distruction unparalleled and swift can be wroght upon any Continant with relative ease.

Beware, this is what did happen, this is what can happen, this is what will happen again if we forget!

A Thermoneucular Pearl Harbor, surprise we're gone!

This book is also recommended reading for people interested in Islam and its effect on Arabs, namely that of freedom.

So give it a try.

I've been recommending this book for years. I keep several extras on my shelf to give away.

And, by the way...I'm a professional author, and I'm 'frugal'.

Enough said.

What a great book. The history of freedom around the world explained simply. The book explains why freedom works. This book is very entertaining.

If you agree with the views in the book, give it away to your elected officals. It is obvious they don't know or agree with it.

You can let them know about the book. Whether they agree with it is up to them.

Of the two reprint volumes (Greek and German Philosophers) that Oxford has published of its Past Masters series, I think all of the individual essays (except the one on Plato) are reprinted currently in its 'Very Short Introduction to...' series. So these volumes are a good deal because i think the 'Very Short Introduction' series are 10 bucks each. As well as being very clear and concise introductions by world renowned scholars.

I was already familiar with Nietzsche but I enjoyed the skilled manner in which these authors condensed the profound ideas of these philosophers into explanations feasibly understandable to beginnners in philosophy. There were certain concepts I could not agree with in the works of these great men; however, I admire the systems and ideas they developed in their works.

These are highly admirable overviews by some of the best of the current set of the philsophers examining past greats.

This must have been a difficult book to put together. The editors would have to have found not one, but four great authors from which to put together introductions for the hardest authors in all philosophy.

He succeeded. This book makes immediately explaicable two of the hardest authors in all history- Kant and Hegel. I was amazed at the level of commentary in this short a work. It is almost impossible to pull this easy an introduction off. My hat is off to both Scruton and Singer.

The other commentaries and introcductions were as good as they come. Because of the ease of Schoepenhaur and Nietzsche, the authors had more room to give reasonably complete explanations and ruminations on their lives. Janner and Tannaway both make superb additions to these traditions, both commentaries worthy of being works in themselves.

This is four times a good book. My respect to all the authors, and my full throated call for people to read these books.

My daughter is 2 now, and she knows every single word in this book. It was an early favorite, and really helped her learn words when we read it together. She still enjoys looking at the pictures in the car, and giggles at the numerous pictures of babies in the book. It's a small sturdy book with thick chunky pages so it really has stood the battering of my toddler and chewing when she was a baby. Great book!!

My 11 week old daughter is already captivated by the pictures in this book. I lay her down and hold the book over her head and she is totally focused on the pictures, even smiles and laughs at the babies in the book. It's hard to find things to keep such a young baby entertained and this book does the trick! I plan to buy more in the series ASAP!

This little gem features brightly-colored pages and vivid photographs. Each page salutes a different color, with photos of kids dressed in the featured color, appropriate fruits, etc. The lively colors, combined with baby faces, captures a little one's interest. Appropriate to start reading with your little one right away!

This is a wonderful book. I constantly use it as a reference and keep meaning to bring it with me when I go to the nursery. (Otherwise I come home with plants like Larkspur, which look beautiful now, but might not make it through the winter.) It is divided into three sections. The first, Portfolios of Designs is full of plans for every location, sun or shade. The Guide to Installaton shows you how to do everything from making wooden planters, building a retaining wall, creating paths and walkways, to installing a pond. The third section, Plant Profiles, gives descriptions and care information for all of the plants in the designs.

I have only one criticism. Cost doesn't appear to be a factor in any of these designs, most call for dozens of plants. It would be nice if they had a few designs for those on a smaller budget.

I have purchased a great many books on this subject and this is far and away the best. Helpful tips on what plants to put in different conditions, settings and combinations, as well as plans to help get you started. I've used it over and over and have given copies to numerous friends.

This book offers everything a gardener in the northeast needs to easily plan, design, plant, and maintain wonderful landscaping.

The bulk of the book offers design plans--photos & drawings of landscaped areas, together with a description of each of the plants shown and a mapped-out grid to assist you in recreating the design in your own garden. Substitute plantings are suggested, and in most places the design is shown as it appears in different seasons. And the designs are DEFINITELY not difficult to follow! So many gardening books offer plans that I couldn't hope to recreate--this book stands out for its ease of use.

Examples of the twenty-three different designs: 1) Enclosing a patio with foliage & flowers; 2) creating a welcoming walkway to your front door; 3) enhancing your curbside strip; 4) using a two-tier garden to replace a short slope; 5) creating a no-mow slope; 6) creating a shady hideaway; and 7) fitting a formal garden into your backyard.

I planted one of their designs myself--"A Neighborly Corner." I was worried about how to define the corner lot line of my odd-shaped lot, especially since I live in a neighborhood with few fences and no obvious divisions between properties. My next-door neighbors love what I did, and several others have stopped to ask what the various plants are so they can try them in their own gardens.

Even if you don't have large areas to plant, but merely want to fill in holes in your garden or improve the overall look of your property, this book is wonderful. The last 25 pages of the book consist of plant profiles, all of which work wonderfully in the chilly northeast. And there are several sections on designing walkways, building trellises, planting basics, etc.

I found this book to be well worth the price, and several of my neighbors have gone out to buy their own copies after borrowing mine. I've used it over and over and recommend it without hesitation.

Very funny and entertaining book...Once I started reading it, I
could not lay it down..Several friends that I told stories to from this book,really had several laughs and each related similar
experiences...This is VERY enjoyable reading...Yes, I do think
all of us are in this book in a LITTLE way...The author did a very NICE job putting this one together.....This is my FIRST review but NOT my last....I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK...THANKS !!

Very Funny...Great MEMORY reading...I can relate to this book...
A lot of DOWN to EARTH humor...Reminds me of my CHILDHOOD...
I highly recommend to all 30 to 90 year olds...There are towns
in Texas that are very similar to Bainbridge...I am sure that
EVERYONE who reads this book will LOVE it...Seems so REAL...
Anyway, my family and friends LOVE it...
Edley Martin...Harlengin, Texas

A TRUE small town AMERICAN book...Big city residents will ENVY
all small town people..A MUST READ for ALL travelers of AMERICA..Wish we had this book years ago...WE take the side roads and LOVE to explore small towns...EVERY RESIDENT of EVERY SMALL TOWN CAN "RELATE" TO THIS BOOK..A true tell it like it is
book..SERIOUS,FUNNY,TRUTHFUL and SAD...We "HIGHLY" recommend this book for ALL of America...Wish the book had been LONGER..
Really hope EVERYONE has the opportunity to read it...Yes, we believe it is a FIVE STAR book...GREAT GREAT JOB..Many thanks to the author for TELLING it like is WAS and probably still is..

This is a well-written narrative history of the Christian Church from its early years. This book documents the church's struggles against the various heresies from anti-trinitarianism to gnosticism. It gives a good background on the various church fathers from the saintly ones who stood steadfast to the Word to the heretical apostates like the proto-Arminian Pelagius. It captures the development of the Reformation and the rediscovery of Biblically sound Augstinian-Pauline Theology by Calvin and Zwingli. All other Protestant sects are discussed in detailed such as the Lutherans and Methodists. Olson closes with an overview of the attack mounted against orthodox Christian theology by liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. Overall, this is a fascinating narrative history, which captures the theological and liturgical developments developments of the Christian Church.

'The history of Christian theology can and should be told as a story. It is full of complex plots, exciting events, interesting people and fascinating ideas. This book is an attempt to tell that story well, doing justice to each of its subplots.'

By and large, the story of Christian theology is the story of Christian reflection on the nature of salvation and the meaning that is given by Jesus. This, in story terms, could be called the central plot line -- other related and tangential issues, such as liturgy, the nature of God, sin, grace, authority, the place of the church in the world -- all of these have meaning insofar as they have and give meaning to the central plot.

Most people (and for good reason) think of theology as dry, dull, not really relevant to reality. Christian theology is often seen as a scholars-only pursuit that is only peripherally connected to 'real' Christianity. However, this volume tackles that assumption head-on, by showing the interconnectedness over time of Christian belief and practice with the theological developments and controversies of the times.

Just as theology impacts the church and society, so to do church and society impact theology. There is a dialectical relationship between the two which cause continuing development.

This book, 'The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform', strives to be non-technical and 'non-threatening' in approach. Roger Olson, professor of theology at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, also serves as editor for 'Christian Scholar's Review', and has written other books, including 'Who needs Theology'?. Olson therefore has experience in making the often-rarified field of theology accessible, and this experience shows through in this volume.

This volume is not written from a completely impartial standpoint -- Olson holds firmly that beliefs matter. 'Throughout much of the history of Christianity beliefs mattered much more than they do to many contemporary Christians. Reading and understanding the story of Christian theology requires a prior awareness that the Christians of past ages who wrestled with doctrinal issues really cared about believing the right things about God. That was true not only of bishops and professional theologians but also of ordinary laypeople in the church.'

This is an approach often missing from surveys of theology. Why do people care about these things? What beliefs are truly important? This books can go a long way toward addressing the gap in knowledge of people who profess beliefs without a firm understanding of their origins -- 'even people who have never heard of Athanasius, for example , are greatly influenced by him.'

Examining the primary and many secondary plots, or strands, of Christian theology from the earliest days of the church in the second century through the multiple divisions of Christendom and the attempts to elevate (and, in some ways, remove) theology from everyday consideration, Olson shows the importance theology can and does have in everyday practice and belief at work in every Christian today.

In this 656 page book, Olson has definitely written a story that is accessible to everyone. He writes the history of theology as a story - the story of religious ancestors who have, whether we realize it or not, impacted modern day Christians greatly.

Olson covers the story of theology from the early apostolic fathers to modern neo-orthodoxy in 9 sections. He does not go into great detail concerning every point of church history, but limits himself to those aspects of the history of the church that have influenced Christian theology. He usually withholds his own critique of certain theologies, but when he does not, they are well placed and considerate. At the end of the book are both a name and subject index along with footnotes witnessing to the fact that the book is well documented. Theological jargon is not used except when it has been previously explained.

My only critique is that Olson tends to avoid admitting the extent to which theology has been influenced by philosophy, but I would heartily recommend this book to anyone.

Joseph Conrad was a master of language. In a brief but classic book, you will experience the incredible power of a typhoon while on a steamer as if you were there. Especially real is the scene in the chart room after the initial damage. It is very dark, and Captain MacWhirr lights matches to see his surroundings. Conrad's concise descriptions make you feel even the flame of the match as it burns down. If only this book were longer! I would have loved to know more about Captain MacWhirr's adventures. I HIGHLY recommend this book, as well as Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."

Well, my review title isn't very interesting but I suppose what I am trying to get at is that this story is a sort of metaphysical pornography, and squeezes in a great part of the thoughts Conrad was interested in conveying. Curtcow wrote that the audio tape is prone toward placing one in "dreamland" and this is true, and probably not at all good for the conveyance of a violent story. However, the accents give something to the personalities that I am sure I would have missed had I read this first, especially given the fact that I am an american and the story is 100 years old, written in english, and more importantly,of course, there is the sailors'slang. My own internal linguistic set-up would have had Mac Whirr speaking as I might speak, and that wouldn't have been good. Following this, I guess all americans reading Conrad might want to listen to some of his tales. It is also nice to hear Conrad's smooth sentences, which for the most part remain incredibly unaffected, given his use of metaphor and analogy and simile and the possible fact that he is using metaphor, analogy, and simile all at once. (Either that or I simply can't tell when a particular image described is one of the three.)

I don't agree with the idea that Conrad wrote this with the idea that his readers might ponder how they would react. To me it is more like a Quentin Tarentino thing - entertainment before anything. After all, this story, when compared to the very difficult, time-consuming, and at times simply burdensome Nostromo, is quite simple. (Not in any way to deny the extreme fear the story inspires) I guess at times I would have liked to hear more arguing between the sailors, but, come to think of it, the confusion of the typhoon necessarily renders that impossible.

Still, the cover to cover classics edition was quite expensive, and unlike other audio tapes I have (Middlemarch or the Odyssey especially)I doubt one year down the road I will want to listen, as opposed to read, this novella.

Taking maximum advantage from his long years at sea, and from his innate insight into the human soul, Conrad tells an outright and direct story about a huge typhoon in the midst of the Yellow Sea. But the book is not so much about the storm in itself, but about the human character and how it reacts to disaster.

Captain MacWhirr is famous for being an efficient, calm, dull and silent man, someone you would trust but not like. He seems to be rather unbrilliant, though, never understanding why people talk so much. The other characters are also interesting, especially Jukes, the "young Turk", vivid and dynamic; Solomon the head engineer, another wise man from the sea, and the disgusting and repugnant "second officer", the type of coward you don't want to be with in this kind of drama.

Human character, then, is revealed by limit-situations much more than at any other time, as war literature fans know, and this tale will leave you wondering how YOU would react if you had to make decisions in the midst of a horrible, and wonderfully depicted, typhoon.