This book is a powerful reflection upon the circumstances & events surrounding Christ's birth. Within each of the (6) author's section, there are a multitude of heart provoking directions for the Holy Spirit to take you. It has touched me deeply, and also touched the life of a friend I gave a copy to for Christmas. I highly recommend this for personal reading and gift-giving.

The collection of sermons in this book provided a springboard of ideas for themes to preach this Christmas season. Max Lacado's sermon provided the background for our Christmas program this year.

"The Heart of Christmas" employs the writing talents of six inspirational authors, with the message they would most like people to learn and see at Christmastime. John Maxwell relates the wise men following the star and finding a lowly stable, to our search for greatness and finding instead disappointment, in our lives. He allows us to understand that we can find God even in our lowest moments. Bill Hybels challenges us to really look at the nativity, and God's purpose for choosing the location of the Christ-child, this season. Hybels parallels the nativity to our relationship with God. Max Lucado ponders what Joseph's thoughts were on that wonderful night and how we oft-times questions God ourselves. David Jeremiah writes about the name and significance of Jesus, the reasons God may have chosen to give his only son that common, yet most revered name. Rick Warren encourages us to seek that which we want to find this year. He gives us special insight and tells us what we should really be seeking for. Jack Hayford examines the Mary Miracle, as he calls it. He shows us how God is still "birthing" his holy word in us, today. If you are like me, growing weary with all the hype and stress of Christmas as society defines it, year after un-inspirational year, this is a book that will offer you a new vision and understanding of this wonderful holiday. It will put Christmas back into your heart so that it may shine forth, just like the star that marked Jesus' birth.

This history lesson picks up where "A Constitutional Journal" leaves off. The Constitution has been written and agreed to by the members of the Convention of 1787, but it is not the legal foundation of the new Federal government until it has been ratified by 9 of the 13 newly-independent States. Mr. St. John's presentation and writing style -- as a newspaper reporter writing the news of the day -- captures the drama, including more than a few political shenanigans, and sense of urgency to ratify the proposed Constitution to maintain a cohesive union of the new United States of America. A great way to learn the most essential part of American history -- essential because we live it today. I urge you and your high school-aged children to read it.

A brilliant presentation to complete the series on the history of the U.S. Constitution. First, in the style of day-to-day newspaper reporting, "A Constitutional Journal" described the writing of this wonderful document; then, "A Child of Fortune" presented the drama of the ratification by the States (again in a "present-tense" style, from the perspective of not quite knowing how things might turn out). Now, the Bill of Rights and first elections are covered in "Forge of Union, Anvil of Liberty". All three books are well-written, historically-accurate, and entertaining. Do a bit of "home-schooling" with your high school-aged children with this most essential part of U.S. history. Short of visiting Liberty Hall and Washington, D.C., these books make history come to life better than any I've read (and I've read quite a few).

As a kid, I remember walking with my brother down to the Saturday matinee to see King Kong getting whupped by Godzilla, Rodan buzzing over the streets of Tokyo and the tiny twin fairy ladies singing their praise of Mothra. I didn't know it then but these kinds of movies were part of the "Daikaiju eiga" genre (Japanese giant monster movies) that Mr. Stuart Galbraith writes about so eloquently in his marvelous reference book "Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films".

Absolutely ANY Daikaiju eiga film released in the U.S. that you can remember (...and some that you no doubt have forgotten about! ) are described in this book. From the studios of Toho and Daiei, you will find ALL of the 20+ Godzilla and 7+ Gamera films as well as EVERY other sci-fi movie made by the incredible team of Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya (producer, director and SFX master of the original Godzilla films). Some of the lesser known but still wonderful films discussed include The Mysterians; Attack of the Mushroom People; Kwaidan; Onibaba; The Magic Serpent; Majin Trilogy; Atragon; The H-Man; War of the Gargantuas and Frankenstein Conquers the World.

With 424 pages laid out chronologically, Mr. Galbraith provides in-depth detail on more than 103 films including storyline, actors and their roles, production background, release notes and comments from contemporary reviews. Also included is a filmography of the genre from all Japanese studios including cast, crew and Japan/U.S. release information. A rather large bibliography and index complete this masterful work. This book was obviously written with great love and affection for the films at hand - I am quite sure that Daikaiju eiga fans will not be disappointed with their purchase of this book!

March 14, 1999 Review of Hoetzlein Rose, Warren's Living Tibet: The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala

I was fortunate enough to read Living Tibet recently while doing research work on Tibetan refugee schools in northern India. Happily I can say that the Warren, Hoetzlein Rose book is beautiful to look at, thanks to the excellent photographs of Bill Warren, and easily read. Warren's photos give the reader a true feeling for the Dharamsala landscape, while the prose of Hoetzlein Rose are as good as I've ever read - not overly personal, but rather intelligent and engaging. I particularly enjoyed their chapters on Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala, and their chapter on Tibetan nuns.

I have visited Dharamsala and was brought back to the Himalayan hills that I've come to love by this book. I strongly recommend Living Tibet to anyone who has interest in Tibetan refugees and refugee culture/communities generally, or desires to expand their awareness of Dharamsala.

My research interests include Tibetan refugee schools in India and refugee education as a worldwide phenomenon. If you have any information, including web-sites, that may be useful please contact me. I'll enjoy hearing from you. Thanks.

Unquestionably researched, undeniably well-thought out, unsurpassed in scope, and intelligently written.

Yet I think Mr. Warren is a little too harsh with many of the movies and people he speaks of, especially those in Volume 2. It's like kicking a diseased puppy to heap criticism on a movie like Invisible Invaders or The Astounding She-Monster. I mean, come on! He sees the camp appeal of Cat-Women of the Moon, but not of The Hideous Sun Demon? It seems like an apples to apples comparison to me.

Aw, well, to each his own. No two people will agree on everything.

Although Mr. Warren does come off as downright curmudgeonly quite often, I forgive him. He must be cut considerable slack for being man enough to admit in print to the rare charms of Yvette Vickers.

When I first obtained the two thick yellow hardbound volumes of this book more than a decade ago, I could hardly express my delight at the serious and detailed attention given to those films I loved so much as a child and teenager in the golden 1950s. I still enjoy dipping into it. A relevant story... About a decade ago, my brother was visiting me for a week. My movie- and TV-related books were in what was then the guest bedroom. After his first night with me, I asked if he had had any trouble sleeping, since my neighborhood is sometimes noisy and he was in those days troubled with insomnia. He replied, "I never got to sleep." When I asked what the trouble was, he said, "No trouble, I just saw KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES on the shelf, got it down, and couldn't stop reading!" There is one problem with the first volume of the book, a problem the author himself points out--- it was written before the age of videotape, so that the author was unable to watch any of the films he discussed while writing the discussions, and was unable to see some of the films, such as DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS, at all. This is one reason the second volume is so much fatter than the first, because when it was written video tapes were becoming available for all the films being analyzed. One can only dream of what the first volume would have been like, had it been written in 1990, say. But we should be thankful for what we have. A detailed treatment of some of the best-loved films ever made, and a literate, thoughtful, informed and accurate treatment too. Highly recommended.

Bill Warren's massive 1300+ page two volume set, "Keep Watching The Skies!: American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties", is by far the most comprehensive work of its kind, however, it is not completely exhaustive. Incredibly detailed - where else could one find a lengthy discussion of four different scripts by four different authors, each vying for the honors in "Conquest Of Space"? - the volumes include penetrating reviews of the "Big Five": "The Day The Earth Stood Still"; "The War of the Worlds"; "The Thing From Another Planet"; "Forbidden Planet" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", as well as a host of lesser heralded lights. Warren grew up during this era and his (self admitted) nostalgia creeps in periodically in an entertaining way, but not to the point of interfering with his objectivity. In fact, it's nostalgic passion that provided him the "rocket fuel" to tackle and complete such a formidable task. As well as the "Big Five", I derived considerable pleasure from reading Warren's favorable reviews of such spicy delectables as "The Man From Planet X"; "Kronos"; "The Creeping Unknown" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" - films that made lasting graphic impressions upon me as a child in the 1950s. I have two quibbles - both relatively minor - with "Keep Watching The Skies!" - the first is Warren's inclusion of a small number of films such as "The Bowery Boys" and "Jungle Jim", where the sci-fi elements are so scant and peripheral as to hardly qualify them for the genre. The second is his choice of the subtitle, "American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties", which I feel is potentially confusing. Both volumes cover the period from 1950 to 1962, Warren says that "trends don't follow calendars", and while I don't have a big problem with inclusion of early 60's films, I think it would have been more appropriate and straightforward for the subtitle to have been something like "The Golden Age of American Science Fiction Films -1950-62". Quibbles aside, "Keep Watching The Skies!" is THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE GUIDE for the 1950's sci-fi film connoisseur/afficionado, and will remain so for many years to come.

This book is well written, and the author knows what he's talking about. However, I found he repeats things and often complicates simple things. After reading the chapter about PocketPC Flash technology I found it offered no more information than the Macromedia SDK (free on their website). He does offer some additional advice on PPC game development such as color and art optimization; common sense to most Flash developers. The book attemps to explain how to program a complete game in ActionScript, but does not elaborate on the details of ActionScript (ie: mentions the use of arrays, but doesn't explain their complex charictaristics). If your looking to learn ActionScript, this is not the book. Overall, this book has the advantage of being one of the first in it's catagory.

I just finished reading "Flash the Future" from the folks over at Flash the Future. It's great, as in really good and you should go out and get it now. Some may ask "I already have Flash Enabled the book, do I need this?" The answer is (and what you'll hear from me from now on since I've read this) you really need both books if you're interested in creating rich content for multiple devices. With both books, there's not much overlap and everything gets covered in deeper and broader ways. Amazon has a special, so go for it.

After reading this book, I was VERY happy to have spent the money to pick this one up!

What struck me most, just from reading the table of contents, was the breadth of the content that is found in Flash: the Future. Not only is there information on creating Flash content for PocketPC 2002, but the book also covers Flash for Broadcast (DVD, iTV, and consoles), as well as the Nokia 9200 series. This book covers all of these topics extremely well. Just over half of the book devoted to developing content for the Pocket PC.

There are several different authors who contribute chapters in this section, and each authors' respective expertise in each different topic is evident throughout the section. For example, in each chapter you will find valuable tips and tricks that only come from such experience.

Flash: the Future is a well written and well edited title, and I strongly recommend picking it up if you are serious about Flash development.

A very well written and well documented account of a period in the life of a jazz legend, Bud Powell. Francis Paudras' sincere and humane relationship with Bud Powell is evident throughout the book. Great quotes from other musicians and friends in Bud Powell's life. Although I knew the ultimate fate of Bud Powell, the ending is very disturbing. I have many questions that I would like to ask Mr. Paudras. It is shame that he is no longer with us. An excellent book.

As my review below will show, I think Paudras' biography is essential reading for any fan of Bud Powell. Until recently it was the only book available on the subject. However a new book about Bud Powell has arrived on the scene and is available from Amazon. I have ordered my copy: The Glass Enclosure : The Life of Bud Powell -- by Alan Groves, Alyn Shipton.
"Dance of the Infidels" is absolutely first rate. It is for good reason that the back cover contains endorsements both by Marian McPartland and Herbie Hancock. I heartily agree with Marian McParland: "...Francis Paudras has captured the genuius who was Bud Powell in this fascinating book..." I agree with Herbie Hancock too: "Francis Paudras is a hero who has dedicated his life to preserving the history of the great cultural figures of jazz...This book is a wonderful living document of his personal relationship with the genius of Bud Powell..." As for the importance of Bud Powell, here is a quote from Bill Evans: "Of all the musicians I ever loved--Bird and Stan Getz and Miles and lots of others that no one even knows I listened to--it was Bud who influenced me the most..." (By the way, be sure to read "Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings" by Peter Pettinger.) I personally feel that "Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell" should be required reading in all jazz programs at every college, university, and school in the country if not the world. It is a profound book. I feel sorry for anyone who is unable to appreciate this book. You will never listen the same way to Art Tatum or Dizzie Gilespie or Monk or, of course, Bud, after you read this book. The inside cover mentions that Francis Paudras committed suicide on November 27, 1997.

I had read various stories about Bud Powell in jazz books and album sleves, but it was amazing to read such an in-depth account of what Bud was like during the last decade of his life. Francis Paudras covered a lot of ground and kept it intriguing the whole way. To learn how he met the man he idolized for so long and how their friendship developed is moving in itself. Then you get to understand the details of Bud's habit's and mental instabilities and how he could apply his pain to his performances. This book is sad, occsionally funny, but mostly a triumph of human spirit, kindness and friendship. I loved it.

Like other reviewers for this book, I too am a huge fan of the Evil Dead series. That is why I found 'The Evil Dead Companion' somewhat disappointing, and not worthy of 5 stars at all. Out of all the movies in the trilogy, the author decides to focus mostly on the first film. Granted this is an interesting period in the film-makers lives, I would have preferred just as much in depth coverage into the other two films, 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness'. Unfortunately, they play a small part in the book. The stories of Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell before the films came out are very funny and interesting, and do make up for the lack of other info. Also, the sparse photo's in the book (I really wish there was more) are all black and white, and with a film like this full colour ones would have done far more justice to the films.

I am a big fan of the Evil Dead series, and it in fact mad me take note of horror movies for the first time. This book talks about the lives of the creators leading up to the films, the times during the filming,and the difficulties they faced when putting the movies together. it is a well done account of Sam Raimi's early career, his relationship with Bruce Campbell, and his drive to do the movies. It is really just intersting if you are looking to discover what went on behind the making of these 3 great movies, and the effect it had on the major players behind it. I found it difficult to put down, and I really am picky about what I read, as it bores me. this book, though, I found myself reading during class, and had it done in a few days. A really good product for Evil Dead fans, or aspiring filmmakers that happen to be fans of the Evil Dead.

From Hulka.com

Man this book is GREAT! It's a book I wanted to write, and when I heard Bill Warren was writing it, I gave up the idea hoping he wouldn't let me down, and he didn't. He surpassed my expectations! There's so much inside info in this book that you can't find on the net, straight from the horses mouths! Those horses being Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Photos from the films Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness that have never been seen outside the small circle that took them. Great book, I've enjoyed what I've read so far, and I would recommend this sucker be on every aspiring film makers table!

This book has limited distribution, so order from Amazon like I did to ensure you get a copy now!

I was shocked to see that this book has received such marvelous reviews!

I am a big fan of anybody that has deserved success on the same level as Bill Bradley. However, this simple fact does not mean that the product of his interesting life will be a good book.

Simply, this book was very plain and details Bradley's life at Princeton, inside and outside the classroom and on the basketball court. The stories are not interesting and there is too much worship given to Senator Bill. I found many of the "facts" divulged by the author to be incredibly hard to believe.

If you like the modern-day NBA at all you will absolutely hate this book.

If you like the modern-day NBA, politics and the Golden Age of sports you will give this book two stars on a five-star scale!

This book is about how he was great at Princeton and was on the olympic basketball team.He also had so many reports.John McPhee tells about Bill's running hook shot,layup,set shot Etc.The book really inspired me to want to be a basketball player.

I'm writing this review because the fact that it didn't have a 5-star rating irritated me. I first saw the McPhee/Bill Bradley piece in the New Yorker Magazine about 30 years ago. After reading it I xeroxed the entire article and sent copies of it to every member of the University of South Carolina basketball team (which for those of you who are as old as I am was coached by the legendary Frank McGuire (the assistant coach was Donnie Walsh, now President and General Manager of the Indiana Pacers) and featured a cast of great college players like John Roche, Tommy Owens, Billy Walsh, Bobby Cremins, etc. All of the players (an unusually intelligent group) loved the article. We had many conversations about Bradley's approach to the game in the months to come. This is definitely a 5-star book for any lover of the true game of basketball. It's great and can't possibly be outdated. Highest recommendation.