This is a theology students dream. It must have taken one many years of serious study and labor to compile scripture references in this way. Passages from the holy books of every major and most minor religions are represented here and grouped side by side by topic for quick comparison. On almost every subject the harmony of thought is staggering! It makes one wonder why religious leaders ever quarrel with one another. It's a great book for study and even better to browse. I started reading it in my doctor's waiting room and got hooked. I found myself actualy looking forward to going to the doctor! If you'd like to sample divine wisdom from many cultures and ages. Buy this book and you'll refer to and enjoy it for a lifetime!

I received this book as a graduation present from my Unitarian Universalist church and I immediately starting flipping through it. The length is intimidating, but it's all quotes or short text, so there is no pressure to read it all. The beauty of the book is that it contains texts from so many religions that cover every area of life in such philosophical detail. It has answers, but leaves you with questions that you must answer yourself. I found this book especially useful for a Theory of Knowledge class I had last year. This book was constantly at hand and continually provided me with support for my arguments. This book is fascinating and thorough, and I encourage everyone to buy it regardless of your religious background.

This book takes different topics such as faith, dealing with adversity etc. and quotes various sacred text that discuss that topic. This book is a wonderful testament to the fact that we all believe in the same God even though we may call him by a different name and that we are all brothers and sisters. This book opened my eyes and introduced me to some sacred texts that I had never heard of and would like to learn more about.

The issue of individualism in the philosophy of psychology is related to the larger question of the place of individualism as a viable construct in any scientific account of beliefs, desires and other curiosities of folk psychology. While Wilson's focus on this book is part of an attempt to come to grips with the status of folk psychology and a scientific account of mind as a whole, the book has earned its place as a valuable text for anyone interested in a clear rendering of the issues involved.

I have read large sections of this book when I had Rob Wilson as a professor. The text is clear and concise and I recommend it to anyone interested in Individualism.

Even as a non-computational linguist, I found this book very readable. It covers a nice range of the relevant topics, and is very careful about defining terminology---a practice that other writers in computational linguistics would do well to follow. The book is unusually well-organized. Though there's not much depth of coverage of many topics, the references for further reading are very well selected, and do a lot to make up for this. The final chapter gives a very nice example of the application of empirical data to a theoretical question, and is worth the price of the book itself.

BOOK REVIEW

Andrew Evans and Glenn D. Wilson. Fame: The Psychology of Stardom. London: Vision (1999). Paperback: pp. x+178. ISBN 1-901250-24-5. £9.99.

Stardom is a fascinating psychological phenomenon, providing a window through which we witness basic emotional processes; as such, it is a topic worthy of serious scientific attention. Although history is punctuated with the famous, the 20th century saw the full-scale manufacture of stars and celebrities; and the fantasy world of the movie idol and soap character is now interwoven into the fabric of popular culture and today represents an important element of our social environment.

Popular culture - often disparaged as lacking in theoretical substance - is central to psychology: its contents may be transient, but the underlying realities that it reflects are not. As Evans and Wilson point out, in the Selfish Gene (1976), Richard Dawkins states: "The evolution of the capacity to simulate seems to have culminated in subjective consciousness. Why this should have happened is, to me, the most profound mystery facing modern biology. Perhaps consciousness arises when the brain's simulation of the world becomes so complete that it must include a model of itself". One technological expression of this fundamental biological drive is the creation of the artificial psychological realms that the cinema and television brings to us daily; earlier, Shakespeare served a similar function, providing us with characters and events through which we could vicariously model perennial psychological dilemmas. Evans and Wilson's highly readable book tackles this difficult topic in a way that is sure to inform and delight in equal measure.

The book covers a number of themes. Chapter 1 (Whence Fame) discusses the historical development of fame, from the Kings of the Old Testament to the soap stars of today; and chapter 2 (Fame and the Media), the nature of the communication of fame via music, photographs, product names (e.g., Mercedes, the daughter of Benz) and awards (e.g., Nobel/Pulitzer), as well as the manipulation of the media by celebrities. Chapter 3 (Stars and their Audiences) covers the commercial creation of audiences by the building of theatres and cinemas and the creation of stars. Evans and Wilson survey the psychological ties to stars that involve emotional affinity (usually same sex; e.g., for a man having the confidence and raw energy of Brando; for a women the feminine allure of Munroe); self-identification (to be in the star's role); imitation (role modelling), and projection (the assignment of unconscious emotions to others who act out our desires on the screen). Chapter 4 (Factors in Fame) traces the sources of fame (i.e., born, made, serendipity/notoriety), including the factors that promote fame in the aspirant, e.g., name changes (Frances Gumm became Judy Garland; Archie Leach, Cary Grant; Marion Morrison, John Wayne), motivation and high psychoticism (tough mindedness), reflecting the pursuit of pleasure (high dopamine levels) and the absence of behavioural restraint (low serotonin; associated with this neurotransmitter, depression is not uncommon among stars, and alcohol/drug abuse seems almost a requirement of the job).

Chapter 5 (Becoming Famous) discusses the dubious pleasures of fame, often leading to the highlighting of psychological weaknesses (many stars seek psychiatric help). Chapter 6 (Fame in the Family) focuses on child stars and the influence of parents on their careers, including the pathological problems that frequently develop when the child star hits adulthood. Chapter 7 (Fans and Fan Behaviour) addresses the behaviour of fans, including how they imitate their idols and the psychological dynamics behind their devotion, including discussion of stalkers and actual murders of idols (e.g., Mark Chapman's killing of John Lennon). Chapter 8 (The Social Context of Fame) presents the phenomenon of the "star environment", i.e., the social realms of interrelations that are constructed by and for stars.

Chapter 9 (The Downside of Fame) looks into the frequently found slide into self-centredness, narcissism and grandiosity, as well as the phenomenon of stage fright that afflicts many famous actors (e.g., Lawrence Olivier and Richard Burton); and, more disturbing, the blurring of the line between actors and their fictional characters (the most extreme example involved a soap star in Brazil who actually murdered his female co-star following a soap scene in which she rejected him!). Finally, Chapter 10 (Coping with Fame) examines the pressures on the famous (e.g., dealing with inevitable failure in a world dominated by success); and the strategies and therapies for coping with such maladies as stage fright, burnout, fear of other famous people, career setbacks, etc. To be sure, all that glisters is not gold!

Evans and Wilson's book is an excellent introduction to fame and stardom; and it should prove an indispensable text for specialised courses in media and communication studies. Also, as it provides a rich source of everyday examples of human behaviour, in conjunction with standard psychology texts it may be utilised by undergraduate psychology students to explore psychological theories of behaviour. Why do people so closely identify with the personal lives of actors? Why are we attracted to horror films? Why are we so interested in the make-believe, fictional dilemmas of soap characters? Why are successful stars so often unhappy? Are personality traits important in success? What are the implications of this form of popular culture for scientific theories of consciousness? Is genius 99 percent perspiration, 1 percent inspiration? Are creativity and emotional instability cut from the same cloth? All human science libraries should purchase a copy of this inexpensive and fun book.

Philip J. Corr

Although admittedly pricey, this is an excellent source of recent information on Early Formative cultures of Mesoamerica and southern Central America. Contributors are: Michael Blake, Marilyn Beaudry, John Clark, Arthur Demarest, Bill Fowler, John Hoopes, Gloria Lara Pinto, Mike Love, Skip Messenger, Mary Pye, Ed Schortman, Pat Urban, David Whitley, and Tony Wonderley.

this book is the best , man! It's got everything in it youll need!

The book is particularly insightful on the issue of gunrunning to the IRA and the methods used by the FBI to prosecute these gunrunners. In places it is as gripping as a good detective novel!

With stories like "Ferryman" (Eric Brown), "The White Stuff" (Peter F. Hamilton & Graham Joyce), and "A Night on Bare Mountain" (Graham Charnock), anthologies don't get any better than this. My only quibble is with the experimental narrative "Thirteen Views of a Cardboard City"(William Gibson) which rounds out the volume with a whimper, not a bang. Otherwise, this is Hugo & Nebula territory.

I found this book to be very readable and a great reference on why and how the PC computer architecture is like it is today. Clearly a bit dated in the scope of technologies covered, but what is covered is done so with great historical reference and a true understanding for the underlying technologies.

You know a book is good if you come away with a lot of new perspective, and I certainly did. I won't part with my copy for any amount of money.

I believe this book was very well-written and fair in its evaluation of Ukrainian history. I based these comments in part on my Ukrainian descent; and my travels and discussions with Ukrainian citizens. The book does a better(and excellent) job of reviewing fairly recent events in Ukrainian politics and demographics; than it does in reviewing Ukrainian history - but that appears to be intentional. As an American, I noticed what appeared to be British colloquialisms in several places that I didn't understand.

I believe this book was very well-written and fair in its evaluation of Ukrainian history. I based these comments in part on my Ukrainian descent; and my travels and discussions with Ukrainian citizens. The book does a better(and excellent) job of reviewing fairly recent events in Ukrainian politics and demographics; than it does in reviewing Ukrainian history - but that appears to be intentional. As an American, I noticed what appeared to be British colloquialisms in several places that I didn't understand.

Wow what can I say, Mr.Wilson has written a book that will set the standard for all future works for Ukraine. As a previous reviewer said, this book tells you what it is to be a Ukrainian. At sometimes it is a bit too dry and academic but any serious student should not let that get in the way of this otherwise excellent book>