Let me say up front that my 3 star rating may not be indicative of how good this book is. As I will explain below, I think the book is between 3 and 4 stars, and whether one should give the book a 3 or 4 star rating depends on the type of reader who reads the book.

White and Neill have rightly felt called to put pen to paper and attempt a formal response to what they feel is the increasing decibal level of those within the church who are urging a legitimization of homosexuality within Christianity. I agree with the authors that this is a challenge that deserves an answer, and I applaud the authors for stepping into the middle of what is becoming a warzone where this issue is ground zero.

In this book, the authors attempt to accomplish two basic things. They seek, through their own exegesis, to maintain the traditional Christian view regarding homosexuality - this it is incompatible with the Bible's teachings. Second, they attempt to critique many of the arguments that have recently been made by more liberal Christians advocating compatibility between Christianity and 'modern day monogamous homosexual intimacy'. In both of these areas, the authors hit on some good points and produce some sustained strengths. But in the end, I felt that the authors came up short too often, thus the less than flattering review I'm giving it.

Among the sustained strengths of the book are the identification of Biblical hermeneutics and authority as being the core issue of debate. White and Neill rightly emphasize that Biblical authority is really what's on trial in this debate, and do a good job of demonstrating that apologists for homosexual legitimacy within Christianity are forced to adopt an inconsistent and very weak Bibliology that necessarily discounts entire sections of the Bible. In this vein, the authors do a good job of dealing with the Old Testament law and effectively outlining a Biblical basis for applicability of Leviticus 18 and 20. In addition, the authors mostly succeed in dismantling the exegetical rationales offered by the other side and showing them to be amateurish and logically flawed in many cases.

Having said all that, the book itself is flawed in a number of ways. First, the book does not answer every argument given by the other side and in particular, the book does not deal with two central arguments of the pro-homosexual side - the relationship of David and Jonathan in the Old Testament, and the argument that Jesus Himself never condemned homosexuality. The lack of treatment of the first of these arguments in particular is a glaring oversight that leaves the book decidedly deficient in the very area that is supposed to be its strength. Secondly, while White's exegesis of Romans 1 and other pertinent passages is quite good most of the time, the exegetical responses to the other side's exegetical arguments are often too surface level. The point to be made here is that while the authors do a good job in showing that the arguments coming from the other side tend to be from the low rent district of scholarship, it appeared to me that the authors fall prey to this by sinking to the level of the arguments and offering less than thorough responses. It's as if the authors concluded that many of the arguments were so bad they didn't deserve much of a response, but if that's so, they shouldn't have written a book with the express intent of refuting such arguments.

Lastly, the main reason I'm giving the book 3 stars is because I expected better from White. White is one of the more outstanding exegetes around, and it was clear from his fairly recent debate with Barry Lynn on the homosexual issue that he has firm command of the pertinent issues and can devastate the other side in a debate, as he did with Lynn. Yet in this book, I did not find a high level of rigor in the critiques, certainly not the level that we're used to seeing from White. In the end, I had expectations for something more scholarly and more rigorous, and this book doesn't really produce it in sufficient quantity.

However, I think that because this book is purely a popular level of treatment, someone looking for an introductory work on this issue will likely find many things of great value in this work. I think if that's the kind of reader who is contemplating looking at this book, a 4 star rating is appropriate. But for someone who wants a more comprehensive analysis, the book is a decidedly qualified success. On the back cover of this book, Fred Zaspel claims that he knows of no other book that so thoroughly deals with this issue. If this opinion is right, that's bad news for those who hold to the traditional view, because the book is not thorough and not very in-depth, in my opinion.

White and Niell give a good biblical response to those who want to promote a "homosexual Christian" lifestyle. For those in this camp who believe in the authority of the Bible, they ought to consider the cogent arguments offered by these gentlemen.

At this point I wish to disagree with the several reviewers before me (from Virginia and Canada) who criticized the book. As far as not answering all homosexual arguments, the writer from Virginia lists two:

1) Jesus did not mention homosexuality (well, they basically answered this when they said that not everything is listed in the Bible, i.e. pediaphilia, Trinity, etc. Just because something is not specifically named does not make it wrong if the principle is there. The gospels don't specifically have Jesus naming many things as wrong, though he certainly would have thought they were);

2) The issue of the "love" shared between Jonathan and David. (There is absolutely nothing in the context of the relationship between these men to hint at anything erotic between them; it seems to be such a ludicrous argument that it hardly needs a response.)

As far as the argument that the authors already had their minds up and did not take the scripture to heart--as the critique from Canada says--this is an unbelievable statement! Everything about The Same Sex Controversy deals with scripture. It is up to the pro-homosexual advocate to show where in scripture the Bible endorses or promotes homosexual behavior. Besides inuendo and far stretches, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the biblical commands were not meant for all time, such as for today.

For those who want answers in response to the homosexual agenda, I would recommend The Same Sex Controversy. The only thing the book lacks is a scripture index in the back. However, the authors probably felt this was not needed because the main passages referring to homosexuality (i.e. Leviticus 18, Romans 1, etc.) are listed in the "Contents" section. Besides this, I will keep the book on my shelf as a reference tool for this issue.

Dr. White has done a superb job with his book "The Same-Sex controversy". I would definitely recommend this book. As a comment to the person from Canada, I don't believe he read Dr. White's book at all because the book wasn't intended to give scientific research on the issue of homosexuality. So the accusation that Dr. White is allowing the ideas of scientific research to influence his ideas and evidentally committing the falacy of eisegesis (putting one's ideas into the text of scripture) is completely refuted. 99% of the book is based on solid biblical interpretation of the text especially what the greek and hebrew words mean. This book was written to show what God's inspired-infallible-inerrant-plenary word has to say about homosexuality. After coming to faith in Christ finding a book that would teach me what the Bible has to say about my homosexual sin wasn't easy but thank God I found this book. Dr. White's book has made all the difference in my life. Another thing that is wonderful about the book is that he gives a list of recommended books to read that include the scientific and social issues pertaining to the Homosexual Agenda. I read all the books that he suggested and what a mountain of knowledge that was! I will say this again to ALL Bible Believing Christians who truly love the word of God READ Dr. White's book. If you are a parent who has a son or daughter caught in homosexuality may I suggest you read this book with them. This will tell them honestly what God's word says. If you are a person who is struggling with homosexuality read this book! God's word changes a person and to read it with understanding is very important. Don't pass this book up.

I was very disappointed with this book. I found the writing style dry and the photographs/layout just not up to par. It almost seemed like somebody's thesis with som photos thrown in. Somebody needs to do a large format picture book on this subject with more about Jackie!

The writing is dry. The pictures are not the best and it fails to show whnat the White House looked like before the restoration. Everyone says that it looked horrible so why not give the reader a taste of what was so wrong with it? If you can find the White House guidebook that was produced to pay for the restoration read that instead. It has much betters photos.

A superb survey of the White House decor of President & Mrs. Kennedy. The book documents the ideas, process, decisions and choices behind the stunning interiors of the Kennedy White House-both the public and private rooms. What comes through the text is Mrs. Kennedy's leadership and vision - combining taste, history, beauty and great cunning - just to create and then manage this melange of egos, talent and intelligence was an accomplishment, and the results live on today (albeit not as beautifully or artistically). We all gained a greater knowledge and appreciation of our nation's historic and artistic past because of Mrs. Kennedy's work.

I've corresponded with Mr. Abbott and he's been most kind and interesting. He assisted in the current show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years," and there's a number of items on display relating to the White House decorations.

Read the book, catch the exhibit (it moves to the JFK Library in Boston in the fall).

If the axiom ‘Write what you know’ is at all true, then James Lee Burke must have some truly frightening skeletons in his closet. It isn’t so much the subject matter, as it is the passion and intensity with which he pours the narrative onto the page. Burke’s characters live and breathe corruption, and ignorance, and violence, in a manner most of us would scarcely think possible. But he draws us in, into a world so vividly sketched that part of our being yearns to visit it again and again.

A SHINING WHITE RADIANCE is vintage Burke, another steamy and scintillating exploration of crime and corruption in New Orleans. His familiar hero, world-weary police detective Dave Robicheaux, is unwillingly enveloped in the twisted lives of the Sonniers, a local family with a history so unnerving that it’s a wonder any of them got out alive. Following the brutal slaying of a police officer in Weldon Sonnier’s home, Robicheaux is swiftly sped along a road of clues and red herrings, stopping at various points to involve late-night tele-evangelists, local crime bosses, past loves, Air America, drugs, and the AB (Aryan Brotherhood).

Burke has so far (as far as my readings of the Robicheaux novels are concerned) avoided the pitfalls that can trap the author of an ongoing series. The temptation must be great to simply graft a plot around the characters, and let it all just slide by. Burke takes the effort needed to not insult his readership, never content to let the characters simply act as they have in the past. Burke comes up with new ways to reintroduce us to the characters, allowing for new developments that expand what we thought we new about his universe. Robicheaux’s past experiences in Vietnam are brought in as integral elements of the story, not simply ‘character filler’. His deep self-loathing for past mistakes, his never-ceasing battle with personal demons (both internal and external), and his ceaselessly evolving relationship with his wife Bootsie, adopted child Alafair, close friend Batist, and even closer friend Clete Purcel, keep the tale rooted in reality.

Burke can also compose one fine episode of menace after another. Just watch Robicheaux’s prison-cell conversation with Joey Gouza. Burke teases the reader, never showing his hand too early, and climaxes the scene with a harrowing interlude of incipient violence. The vignette is all the more striking for its lack of outward activity. The suspense is completely internalized, and mesmerizing. Only afterwards to you realize that you’ve been holding your breath.

Burke can also pen descriptive and atmospheric language with the best of them. His characters all speak with the accent of local patois, adding to the laid-back (but not lazy) environment of Burke’s New Orleans. His finesse with the undercurrent of racism permeates every moment, and his depictions of the backwoods swamps and seedy taverns are vivid. Maybe this New Orleans doesn’t exist in real life, but it feels like it does.

Does it all wrap up satisfyingly? No. After all the set-up, the promising situations, and the pacing that is both leisurely and break-neck, the ultimate denouement is somewhat lacking. But in context, perhaps it’s the only ending that would fit. As Robicheaux himself comes to understand, not everything in life is fair, and not everyone gets what they deserve. Evil will continue, but so will good. How we react to it, deal with it, is what defines us. If we’re still standing at the end of the day, then we’ve won.

Burke's descriptions are so vivid and well written. And some excerpts really are like poetry. His characters are real. You care about them. This is the fourth I've read in the Dave Robicheaux series. I think they are all very good. This one is great.

This is the fifth Robicheaux book I have read. I think this one was the best so far. It had lots of action, a good mystery going on. Dave is great as usual. I really like Cletus and his loyalty to Dave. I like the language that Burke weaves into the book. Batist is also a very good character. Burke lets you feel the pain and hurt Robicheaux has for himself and his love for Bootsie and Alafair. You can nearly feel the heat lighting and the dust from the roads. Many good characters, much suspense, a good ending. If you like Burke you will like this book, if you have not read him before I think you he will become one of you favoite authors.

This book is loads of fun, But is a little sketchy on charter creation.

Even if you don't play a Nuwisha, I recomend this book for pure entertainment value.

These are the ultimate Ragabash of the Changing Breeds. Everything you possibly need to know about them is in this book, including ideas on how to sneak them into a werewolf pack.

It's a little skinny, and could use an update.

If nothing else, ask your GM to borrow Nuwisha gifts and traits for use with your Ragabash werewolf; they should mesh well.

White-Wolf really did justice to every ones most loved and hated shape-shifters, the nuwisha. I really loved the art and information presented in whole! This book is a must for any white-Wolf RPer who enjoys to play a wild character!

We're on shaky ground here! The author doesn't write enough about SAFETY! No translucent soap recipes, encourages cheating by buying pre-made bars and melting it down,etc.Troubleshooting index was okay.Did learn things from this book that I didn't from other soap books.Appendix K was very insightful. The vegteable based soap chapter was nice, but it's too expensive to be buying palm oil and the like! Basicly the book is boring. Author wasn't very creative on the whole preperation of the book. I recommend The Complete Soapmaker by Norma Coney instead.

This book contains excellent soapmaking instructions, more recipes than any other book published, and it's all done in an entertaining and amusing style. The only thing wrong here is the price: for a small paperback done in black and white, the price seems a bit much. Even so, I bought it and would do so again. It's a wonderful book on cold process soapmaking. If I could only have two books on soapmaking, I'd get this one and one by Susan Miller Cavitch. Both are highly respected soapmakers, and each presents a very different view of the soapmaking process.

This was my first soapmaking book and after reading about a dozen books on the subject, I still think it is a great place to start. Small recipes mean that a beginner's mistakes won't cost a large volume of expensive oils and won't take a lot of special equipment. Recipes are included for any type of oils imaginable and instructions are kept to the basics. I don't worry about matching the recommended temperatures--that gets pretty exacting. The soaps turn out fine even if you ignore the exact temperature readings and just use a general range for temps.The recipes are well calculated and the instructions are clear. After trying literally dozens of soap recipes my favorites still come from this book. When you are ready to get into more technical info. and larger volume recipes get the books by Susan M. Cavitch.

I was given a free copy of this book from a local bookstore. I was SHOCKED to see how highly the book was rated. The photos have amature composition and lighting techniques. If you're looking for artistic photos - keep looking becuase this book does not have them!

I have been a professional painter and photographer since 1970. The beautiful lighting and composition of the images in the book far outclass my abilities as an artist. Mr Spada's work will be an inspitation to people far beyond our own time period.

As the photographer whose work is compiled in this book, I'd like to share with you some of the critical praise the book as received, since Amazon only allows 20-word excerpts! Here is a sampling:

"Spada's work is a paean to male beauty, with the same appreciation seen in classical Greek art. But his compositions have an intimacy and sexuality that is lacking in most classical art. ...Spada has selected models with a great deal of charm... It is an admirable and attractive entry on his list of accomplishments, and a beautiful gift for the connoisseur of masculine beauty, from an author who is incredibly prolific."

Stephen Moser, Austin Texas Chronicle

"Black and White Men represents an unusually high level of artistic and technical quality. . . The book is unquestionably a
sensual one, but not overtly sexual. Spada handles his subjects here with the same care, diligence, respect and detail as if he were writing about them.Another aspect of Jim's photos that makes them unique among most photographers of the male image is the exquisite interplay of light and shadow. Computer scans do not do these photos justice in this regard. He uses soft, almost hazy, lighting to convey the tender and sensual side of masculinity while using bolder lighting and lines to show men's strength and power. He has been compared to a young Mapplethorpe, but I find that a more apt comparison is to George Platt Lynes, still one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century."

--Bill Brownell, max4men.com

"James Spada gives us a diverse and delectable feast of the male form in its intimate state. Make no mistake: what Spada does isn't standard beefcake -- it is instead sensitive, dramatic and strong. It is utterly male without bravado or trite machismo posturing; each portrait is candid in its view, but perfectly crafted in its art. Spada's work truly merges the intimate erotic with a classical art sensibility."

--Heather Corinna, ScarletLetters.com

"Black & White Men is a wonderful book, and an essential text for anyone who appreciates the male art form. It opens a new chapter in the professional life of one of our favorite and most enduring artists."

--Jesse Monteagudo, Bay Windows, Boston

"Spada captures the natural light as it casts shadows softly across naked bodies...which results in a nonchalant and intimate eroticism. One gets the feeling Spada is being truly honest with his portraits, which makes this collection a must-have for any photography connoisseur."

--Instinct Magazine

Thanks for reading. This book has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and an Independent Publishers Award as one of the best photography books of 2000. I hope you'll give it a try! ....

Beware! If you love James or desire to discover him, this new edition of OUP's anthology is not the way to go. A previous and superb OUP edition was edited and annotated by Michael Cox. His fascinating comments are cued by asterisks that are liberally sprinkled throughout the text. In the current version, all the annotations are gone--but the asterisks remain! One can imagine how many readers must be scratching their heads over them. In place of Cox's excellent work, there is an innane introduction by the fashionable novelist Michael Chabon, who tells nothing of James's publications and incredibly little of his life (not even his dates), and explores only one of the stories, persistently misidentifying the protagonist, Parkins, as Parkes. You can't make this stuff up. What was OUP thinking? Why fix something that not only wasn't broken, but was something to be admired? I bought this volume as a gift--it's a handsome hardback--but plan on asking for a refund.

First, about M.R. James:

He is excellent! He is one of the best, most underappreciated voices in horror. Lovecraft admired him. His stories, though old, are quite scary. Also, they are very well written. As Chabon points out in his intro, Poe and Lovecraft weren't the best literary stylists. Most people cite "Oh, Whistle..." as James's best story, but I think I'll vote for "Count Magnus." Certainly all of them are good. More than that, they are REQUIRED reading for anyone who wants to have a basic understanding of horror literature. It is also a hell of a good read.

Second, this edition:

I was greatful to a previous reviewer for explaining the asterisks. There are asterisks without footnotes all over this book, as well as other Oxford University Press books (The Monk). Now we know that these are residue from a previous edition that HAD footnotes. Perhaps you might want to get that version.

However, I take great issue with the disparaging of Michael Chabon's essay on M.R. James. If you don't get the edition with his introduction, I recommend going to the bookstore and reading through it anyway. His comments are very illuminating on James and ghost stories in general.

The art of Dr. James is by no means haphazard, and in the preface to one of his collections he has formulated three very sound rules for
macabre composition. A ghost story, he believes, should have a familiar setting in the modern period, in order to approach closely the
reader's sphere of experience. Its spectral phenomena, moreover, should be malevolent rather than beneficent; since fear is the emotion
primarily to be excited. And finally, the technical patois of 'occultism' or pseudo-science ought carefully to be avoided; lest the charm of
casual verisimilitude be smothered in unconvincing pedantry.
-H.P. Lovecraft

Though less well remembered today than some other authors of Gothic ghost stories--like J. S. [John Sheridan] LeFanu, whose work he
edited, Bram Stoker, and Henry James (no relation), or their successors H.P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, and the like--M. R. James is
one of the great early horror writers. This story, which concerns a mysterious and unpleasant Mr. Karswell, who takes creepy exception to a
negative review of his book, The Truth of Alchemy, shows off James's talents to good effect, combining genuine scares with a droll wit.
But what makes this edition particularly appealing are the 12 splendid black-and-white drawings by Jeff White--an artist with whom I am not
familiar and about whom I could find nearly nothing on the Web--that accompany the text. This slender volume seems certain to get any
reader looking for more stories by Mr. James and more books illustrated by the estimable Mr. White

GRADE : A

A little fantasy story by Thurber, not silly enough to be really funny, yet definitely not a serious story, either. If it had been written within this decade, it might have had that incredibly useless label post-modern thrown on it, as Thurber was one of those writers who delighted in wordplay that acknowledges the presence of the reader. A king and his three sons--two hearty hunters like their father and the youngest a musician and poet--corner a white deer who changes into a beautiful princess. The princess cannot remember her name or family, so she sets the three sons on quests. The question in the castle is whether the princess has been enchanted to forget her name, or is she a deer that has been enchanted to resemble a princess. Everything becomes clear in the end, like all good fairy tales, and Thurber gets to have a lot of fun getting there. Hopefully, you will too. I found this to be a little too similar to the humor of Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth for me to enjoy it wholeheartedly.

It's obvious Thurber lavished a lot of attention on this fantasy about a mythical king with a mythical name and a myth-like story. The craftsmanship in the writing is unusually good, poetry and all. It's ultimately the content that is the major problem -- a long story with lots of parallel events, the way a real Brothers Grimm story might proceed. Doesn't seem to have much of an ending. The character of the king is striking, if you want your king to look like Brian Blessed in the first Black Adder on TV. Nice touch giving the king his editor's expression at the New Yorker: "Done AND done." But I have to admit, I was glad when it was.

A real winner. This book is poetic and lovely. I couldn't ask for more.

This book is written by people ignorant of science and evolution for people with a blind bias against science. Science is a very specific process of hypothesis and testing. The Theory of Evoluion adheres to this process rigidly while the "theory" (really myth) of creationism does not in any way follow the scientific process. As a scientist myself I can tell you that Evolution is well understood even to some degree at the molecular level. Scientists have even observed some examples of evolution in action and the Theory of Evolution is as solidly tested a theory as almost any other in science. The same concepts that tell us Evolution is true are the same concepts that give us most of our biotechnology advancements. This book ignores the scientific process and revels in its own ignorance. Exposing a child to this pack of lies is irresponsible.

This is a really good book - it explains HOW evolution is not possible, and doesn't say it just isn't possible with no scientific backing. So many people blindly follow evolution, saying that it goes along with scientific studies, but haven't explored it as an impossibility. Isn't that how you should go about an "experiment"? You should find all the possible ways that it is untrue, and try to prove your hypothesis false, NOT TRUE! The lame excuse that it doesn't accurately follow science is just defending something you've never really explored. Other than that, the book is a little confusing; the author's move at a quick pace, but they do include study questions to review what you've learned. They attempt to use "cool" language, but it only makes the authors look like they're trying to fit in. It is just a small annoyance, though. This book cannot be passed up!

"What's with the Mutant in the Microscope?" by Kevin Johnson and James White is a small book with an obvious creationist stand point on evolution. The authors strive to give the reader that 'one reason' to think humans were created by God. While attempting to explain the DNA in a simplistic form, the use of humor keeps it light and not too scietific.
I would say that this book was written towards a teen audience. It seems that the style and layout is directed to the youth who can't stay scietific for too long and in one sitting.
I loved this book! Unlike some books, this one really felt complete at the end. There were no loose ends, and I felt like I truly knew and understood what they discussed. I would most certainly reccomend this book to a teen who feels unstable with the creationism beliefs. It is a great resource for strengtening your knowledge on this side of the evolution issue.