R.H. Benson wrote two mystical visions of the future. _The Dawn of All_ is an extremely romantic and improbable 1911 parable of a 1971 world mostly Catholic and at peace, ready for the Second Coming. _The Lord of the World_ came first, in 1907, and was a darker vision. A world of flying craft, major scientific advances, and comfort has become a place of materialist despair. Euthanasia is routine, for the desperately ill and the terminally bored. Oliver and Mabel Brand, a rising young couple, are the golden ones -- Oliver becomes a major political figure, but Mabel chooses the cool despairing end of legal euthanasia. Father Percy Franklin is one of the last Catholic priests in a world hostile to freedom, church, university, and history. Eventually elected the last Pope, he is restricted to the dusty forgotten village of Nazareth. Julian Felsenburgh is a charismatic American adventurer who means to and does become Lord of the World, anti-Christ. Details are less important than the very modern mood. Believing in progress as the only good, people are swept into any movement that promises it. The past is ruthlessly exterminated. The quest for one world government that begins with Esperanto ends with one world dictatorship.

This is an excellent edition of Benson's classic work. Unlike many other recent editions of Benson's books (Come Rack Come Rope, Oddsfish, etc.), this edition has not been abridged.
It is the story of the future world from a turn of the century vantage point. Protestantism has fizzled, the Mason's have triumphed, and Catholicism is on the defensive. The world has divided into three parties, and a silver tongued savior comes to save the day. Benson believed that armageddon would more likely result from smooth talking and twisted ideologies than from naked evil.
Although Benson may have over estimated the Masons and underestimated Protestants, he makes many surprisingly accurate predictions. The rhetoric used by the Bolshevists in Russia, the Nazi's in Germany, and the parties of the Spanish civil war was foreseen by Benson. The great white line Hitler painted around the Vatican and the Atomic bomb were also not beyond Benson's imagination.
Unfortunately, only a small audience will appreciate this book, but that audience should include all Catholics who take ideas and the modern threat seriously. This book helps explain the beauty of pre-Vatican II ceremonies without siding against the changes of Vatican II.

As an evangelical with strong Catholic sympathies, I was excited to discover "Lord of the World" for another twist on the "Left Behind" scenario. The author writes at the dawn of the twentieth century and hits a few predictions about our world dead-on. But better yet is the sense of gravity Benson conveys in the novel. You really feel the earth coming to a conclusion, the ultimate clash of faith in God versus faith in Man.

To all those who are looking for a photographic atlas of anatomy, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN McMINN's. This atlas has dissections and photos that are the epitomy of anatomical science. The book itself is beautifully organized into logical sections that integrate osteology, myology, and anatomy into a comprehensive package. After I read this book, I was ready for anything my professors could dish out on practicals. However, for written (theoretical) anatomy, you will need a descriptive atlas (I recommend Grant's). All in all, this book is extremely useful, and I recommend it to any allied health student who has to take anatomy.

The photos in this atlas could be exhibited in an art gallery: the dissections are pure class and the photography is breathtaking. I had no problems whatsoever identifying what was what because (1) there aren't arrows all over the place (the features are labelled with numbers) and (2) the size and resolution of the images are life-size or close (not those tiny pictures in other atlases and previous editions of this atlas). For the head and neck, no atlas can come close: the photos are exceptionally good (even for an atlas of this class) and show different perspectives of the same aspect in good quantity. Quantity however is the downside for the rest of the atlas. Although the photographs are great, there aren't really enough pictures for you to have a satisfying review session. It's probably this fact, and the high price of this book, that has caused Rohen & Yokochi's colour atlas to head the market in its stead. Rohen & Yokochi is a great atlas, but McMinn's is a GREAT atlas. If there were only more photos in McMinn's, all other atlases would be out of print.

This CD is just fantastic ! Being a medical student... I was in total awe when Professor Peter Abrahams presented this to our class. Never was my attention so focused on one thing. I highly recommend this CD to any person in the medical field and who is interested in having an excellent grasp on the Anatomy of the Human Body. This CD gives a 3D aspect on every aspect of the human body - bones, muscles, joints etc and that's just the beginning. This is definitely one you should have as part of your medical resources.

As someone that works in the field of spiritual formation I have found it exhausting to find a large variety of diagnostic tools in the spiritual realm. This book solves that problem and has proven to be an invaluable resource in my work. It is well worth the price and will serve as a timeless reference piece.

Perhaps only a graduate student in psychology can appreciate the frustration garnered by searches for survey instruments. As one of the younger empirical sciences, psychology is replete with new questionnaires, tests, surveys, etc. every year. Often it is easier to design an original instrument than it is to find and evaluate an existing one. Obviously, the multiplication of new psychological instruments makes replication and comparison of experimental data more difficult.

This volume seeks to solve this problem for the psychology of religion. Over 120 instruments are listed. Each is introduced in detail covering all of the essential bases. Variables are identified. The history of the instrument's development and use is discussed, including limitations for current usage. Norms and standards are provided. Evidence for both reliability and validity are provided, as is the location in press and in subsequent research. Finally, the actual test instrument is appended.

The only possible improvement would be an index of contacts for obtaining approval to use each instrument.

If you have any influence over your librarian, use it to get a copy of this volume on file. When needed, it is absolutely indispensable.

We've needed a reference like this for many years. Every research and seminary library should have this and as well as any professionals doing research in the areas of Christian education, psychology of religion, etc. Kudos to Religious Education Press for supporting this project, but I hope this book can migrate to a major publisher which can support it through further editions. It could benefit from the inclusion of some more of the "spirituality styles" inventories such as those based on Jungian Psychological Type.

Kephart's engaging, entertaining style does a terrific job of bringing realism to a heavily stereotyped people; his approach is balanced, illustrating the people's good and not-so-good characteristics with anecdotes (some hilarious) and facts. He provides historical and topological frameworks for the character of mountain people. He lived a bare-bones existence among them for several years and so his narrative is richer--and truer--than that of a drop-in-ask-get-out historian's. The book provides a realistic basis for understanding people of today's mountains, where personal background is often still important.

Kephart delivers the facts as they really were while avoiding any hints of "documentary reading". The story gives many real life events and the reader feels almost as if he's having a conversation with Kephart. A very vivid look into Appalachian life as it really was in the early 1900s.

I love Appalachia history and would rate this as my favorite book on the subject. I hated to see the book end!

When I read Cotton's first Jeston Nash novel, I thought it was the best non-Louis Lamour western I'd ever read. Powder River's content is less graphic than his first, and even more entertaining. One almost begins to feel sorry for Jeston; but luckily the misanthrope manages to let his true greedy nature show through. The two anti-heroes (Jeston Nash and Quiet Jack) are the biggest thing to stagger out of the west since US Grant!

This is the kind of western I always look for but hardly ever find. Ralph Cotton tells it like it is when it comes to the government and what they did to the sioux indians. Once I started reading it and seeing the war from both sides, I realized this was no ordinary western. Sometimes the language is a little strong but that's easy to overlook for a person who enjoys real life like stories

I didn't think another western could top While Angels Dance, but Powder River does. It is more like watching a Sam Peckinpaw movie than reading a book. Cotton is one heck of a writer with a lot to say. These are the kind of westerns that I've been looking for

This book takes us to places that we felt only we knew existed and thankfully helps us find our way back again better for having gone there. It has been said that clinicians are born not made read this book and you will know why.

"Relationship Pain" is an enjoyable book about romantic, family and workplace relationships, illustrated with case histories from the author's twenty-five years as a psychotherapist. It helps you understand the difference between "constructive" and "destructive" relationship pain, why early romantic and family relationships are so formative in our lives, why some relationship experiences create indelible relationship memories and how to put it all together to nurture relationship health and even joy. It is the meaty book after the light weights.

This book was really illuminating about my relationships at work and my relationship with my wife. Dr. Schillace really helped me to clarify my own needs and expectations of my coworkers and my wife. I discovered that my unconscious expectations often create problems in my relationships. Just following the book's guidance for changing these expectations has helped me make my relationships much more satisfying. The book is worth it just for the self-awareness that you get from the Relationship Theory Checklist. This book is called Relationship Pain. But really it's about how to find more closeness and gratification in relationships. I highly recommend it.

What a read! I so enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner. The research was extensive and thorough. I am an avid reader of biblical novels and this is one of the best I've read. I can't wait for the next one.

When is the sequel coming out! Although this is not Ralph's first novel or non-fiction writing, it is by far his best! Compared to the Left Behind Series, a series more designed for readers who are familiar with Eschatology, Ancient Lights takes the reader from a place of perhaps knowing very little about the Bible, Eschatology and the study of end times to a place of searching the Bible to learn more. Ancient Lights held my interest from beginning to end...in fact, I did not want it to end, and can't wait for the sequel! A MUST READ!

I was given this book as a gift as it is written by a local pastor. I was pleasantly surprised at the compelling story written with extensive knowledge of eschatology, biblical archaeology as well as current day Israel. This book reads like a Tom Clancy novel as I was left wondering how the author could possibly have such detailed knowledge. I highly recommend this book!

I first encountered this book at the Detroit Public Library. I quickly determined to have my own copy, and obtained one through Amazon.com. Mr. Smith and his dulcimer friends have come through with the goods! Many historical photos round out the fascinating text and interesting anecdotes from those who brought us the mountain dulcimer as we know it today. Read how the dulcimer shapes came to be, and who the early builders were. I highly recommend this book to any true mountain dulcimer enthusiast. Congratulations, Mr. Smith!

A great book! It is a good reference work on the mountain dulcimer. Mr. Smith has performed a great service to everyone interested in it. It is a trememdous history lesson on the development of the mountain dulcimer and is loaded with photographs documenting how it has changed from its roots to what it is today. It also identifies those people who were important in its development. A real historical learning experience for the novice player and, I would assume, the experienced, too. If you're interested in the dulcimer or just an Appalacian history buff, you will like this book.

Ralph Lee Smith teaches a course in dulcimer history at the annual Dulcimer Playing Workshop at Appalachian State University, of which I am the director. His presentations are invariably among the high points of the Workshop. Through him, we all keep in touch with the dulcimer's beautiful heritage in the mountains, and the people of the mountains who have handed the dulcimer down to us. This charming book contains much of the exciting information and many of the tales that he brings to us each year. For people who love the dulcimer, and people who love the mountain world even if they aren't familiar with the dulcimer, this book is a treasure. Don't miss it!

This is one of my favorite books I've read in recent years. It opens your eyes to the horrible tactics used by corporate lawyers to deny victims their full day in court. Also, Nader and Smith present bulletproof arguments against tort reform. You will learn a TON by reading this.

As a law student, I have to say that this should be on every law students "must-read" list! Nader and Smith clearly describe the hardball ruthless tactics used by today's corporate lawyers. This is not the kind of stuff they teach you in law school!

It took real guts and courage to expose the unethical tactics used by too many lawyers today, and I'm grateful that they did so. Highly recommended.

Beware of the multinational corporations. Not only do they stick it to the taxpayers in forms of bailouts, tax "incentives", and other similar accounts recievable, they are quite willing to stick it to citizens in court and screw up the meaning of the word "due process" in America and the world. A sad commentary on our justice system but a MUST READ.

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How to Build Better Boards

"The Family Circus", Bil Keane's winsome cartoon strip, focuses on the daily ups and downs of life in the often chaotic home of a young family.

Regular readers of the strip have learned that in addition to mother, father, four young children, and three pets, there are two other residents in the household who make regular, if furtive, appearances. Whenever the mother finds a broken dish, a piece missing from a birthday cake, or muddy footprints tracked through the house, we know that the ghostly characters "Ida Know" and "Not Me" are lurking nearby. All the mother has to do whenever she finds something broken, missing, or in disarray is confront her youngsters with the question, "Who is responsible for this?" to elicit the collective response, "Ida Know!" or "Not Me!"

These two troublemakers have apparently expanded their families and sent their children off to inhabit the most senior executive offices of many of the world's best known corporations. Their names are on the tongues of virtually every executive who has had to explain why his or her corporation has collapsed. Listen to the CEOs of Enron, Polaroid, Global Crossing, Warnaco, or Arthur Andersen, for example. The top executives of each of these companies have assured us that they themselves had nothing to do with the collapse of their companies, putting the blame squarely on "Ida Know" and "Not Me" in virtually every case.

Exasperated shareholders wonder whom ultimately to hold responsible for the collapse of these companies and their investments. Ever so slowly, the glare of the lights is shifting to the boards of directors, as questions are raised about board accountability and responsibility. The boards of these companies all seemed to have been napping as they waited for their options to vest.

For all the time, energy, and resources organizations put into training executives, it appears that they put considerably less into training directors and helping them to understand their responsibilities. Type the words "board of directors" or "corporate governance" into the search engine at Amazon.com and you will see a fraction of the number of books that you would find had you typed the word "leadership."

Among the books that stand out are two by Ralph D. Ward: The 21st Century Corporate Board and its follow-up, Improving Corporate Boards. Ward, the editor of Corporate Board magazine, has filled the pair with well-written and insightful case studies, along with specific recommendations for changes in practices and procedures. Together they make an excellent handbook both for companies and for individual directors. In fact, "required reading" is the term that best describes them.

The 21st Century Corporate Board focuses on the turbulent era of the early 1990s, which saw a series of sackings of CEOs at corporate giants GM, Kodak, IBM, and American Express, among others. The frenzied era of hostile takeovers and leverage buyouts in the 1980s was still fresh in the minds of corporate boards. If a CEO failed to keep his company's stock price high enough to ward off potential raiders, boards were not hesitant to send CEOs packing.

Ward divides the book into two sections - an examination of how things got so bad as boards grew increasingly somnolent, and then a prescriptive section, with specific recommendations for changes. Among his most powerful suggestions is that the board have its own office and staff within the organization. Typically most boards rely on assistance from the CEO's or corporate counsel's office. The board needs more independence and autonomy, especially as the prospect of increased government oversight grows.

His more recent book, Improving Corporate Boards, provides more detailed and specific recommendations for improving each branch of a board's function. The audit committee of Enron's board might have spared themselves and the rest of the company more than a little trouble had they read Ward's pithy chapter entitled, "Smarter Audit Committees." Two suggestions seem especially on point: "Make sure the company is looking at the real numbers" and "Learn where right and wrong really are for the company's financials."

Polaroid CEO Gary DiCamillo managed to work the stock price of his company consistently down over his six-year tenure: from a high of ... per share to its recent value of pennies following the company's bankruptcy. Amazingly, near the end of DiCamillo's initial three-year contract, with the stock price at half of what it had been when he first took over as CEO, Polaroid's board paid him a ... cash bonus, extended his contract, and affirmed their support for him. DiCamillo banked the bonus and bankrupted the company. He is still CEO. We can only surmise what might have happened had Polaroid's board members read through Ward's two books and then acted on even a small number of Ward's sound suggestions. As it is, the board has no doubt provided Ward with an unfortunate but instructive case study for a future edition of either of these two solid handbooks. ...

Now that the capitalist/communist divide in eastern Europe has fallen, perhaps the greatest remaining human barrier is between those who have served as directors of public corporations and those who have not. From the inside, boards look like groups of honest, smart, hard-working earnest people trying to do a very difficult job with inadequate tools. From the outside, people automatically use words like "entrenched," "greedy," "co-opted" and "lazy." When the stock is going up, no one thinks of the board. When it goes down, everyone is disgruntled and everyone blames the board. Ralph Ward has bridged that gap with a book that brings the outsider into the boardroom, to see real day-to-day board operations. At the same time the book will show the insider the view from the stands. The author is neither a cheerleader for nor an enemy of boards. He shows how a board can add real value to a public company, but he does not hesitate to criticize bad practice. Any board member can use this book to improve their board. Any investor can use it to understand boards, and to encourage improvement. On top of that, it's actually fun to read.

So you've been a director for 20 years and you think you've read it all. Think again. As he opens "21st Century Board," Ralph Ward sets the stage for adventure. "In editing a national magazine for the past six years, I've had a ringside seat for the wildest era of corporate governance change since the New Deal," Ward begins...and proceeds to bring the era to life in 350+ comprehensive pages. It's all here--the issues, the players, the research, the war stories, the trends--from Archer Daniels Midland to Westinghouse--in a tome so comprehensive that any reader is guaranteed to find something new (even this reviewer, who has spent nearly two decades covering the governance scene). But beyond information, this book offers unbiased, well-reasoned, and fair-minded opinions on the most important governance controversies of our day. Readers joining Ward will soon find that their companion is no mere ticket-holder, but a narrative ringmaster who can put even the "wildest" things in their proper place.