In sharp contrast to standard US math education, which
is generally a death march from algebra to calculus, this
book suggests a wonderful new way to organize the ideas
of elementary mathematics. The organizational principle
here is around fundamental ideas that underlie
every mathematical proof ever conceived: parity, the
pigeonhole principle, induction, counting (combinatorics),
etc. Each section starts off with easy problems that anyone
can get, and leads you through to more and more challenging
illustrations of that section's principle; the last problems
of each section are often quite sophisticated and rewarding.
Do the problems in this book, and you can't help but just
be smarter for it.

When I was a kid, I was mystified by puzzle problems that I
had no idea how to tackle, and intimidated by kids who could
solve those types of problems. Had this book been available
back then, it would have de-mystified those problems for me,
and I would have acquired the kinds of skills and insights
that make a real mathematician. Whatever your age, if you
are interested in developing your core competencies in math,
I can't think of a better endeavor than to do all the problems
in this book. If I were the US Secretary of Education, I would
make solving all the problems in this book a mandatory
requirement for all math teachers, and all graduating high
school students. Even a partial implementation of such a
policy would make this country mathematically literate in a
way that we can't even conceive of today. It would de-mistify
mathematical "genius" on a global scale.

Ilia Delio's book offers an incredible journey into the major themes of Saint Bonaventure's theology. Delio is able to take his often complex and mystical medieval theology and present it to the reader in a way that is not only digestible, but enjoyable.

I found that this Thirteenth century Franciscan friar has much to offer us in the dawning of the Twenty-First century. In a world that is struggling to find God, Bonaventure lays out the inter-relatedness between God, creation and humanity. And all of this inter-connectedness is good!

More importantly, Delio's book is not just for the student. I found myself being led to a prayerful reflection throughout her book. It stirs the soul to respond because what Bonaventure offers resonates deep within the reader.

This book provides a wonderful opportunity to meditate on the mystery of God's love for us as found in Christ on the cross.

If you are interested in understanding Franciscanism, this is a "must have" book.

Because Russia has for so long been disconnected from the flow of people, ideas and information that has over the last century so enriched the consciousness of the rest of the world, most of us know little about the spiritual insides of this deep and mysterious land. As many of us have suspected from the scant but intriguing stories of extrasensory discoveries behind the iron curtain, from what we know of the legacy of original teachers such as Gurdieff and Ouspensky, and even from the novels of Dostoevsky, there is a deep and unique vein of other-worldly connection in the Russian tradition. Some dimensions of it are profoundly spiritual, producing an effulgence of light and wisdom, while other aspects have been developed in the service of darkness, for sinister use by the KGB (the secret police) and for psychic warfare.

The interplay between the forces of light and darkness is a part of this story as well, as Beliaev seeks initially to make sense of some terrifying encounters with "the Prince of the World" (aka the Prince of Darkness) and other dark beings who came to him from time to time during the earlier part of his spiritual journey. His inner world ignited when he met a strange and powerful spiritual master, Tausha, who was essentially a living channel of light and healing, and who imparted the techniques of being a vehicle of this light to his disciples.

The conflict between light and dark in the author's inner universe culminates during a sojourn with Tausha and his band of followers in the Armenian mountains when, to Beliaev's utter horror, the Prince appears on the crest of the hill beyond their campfire - and he sees the features of the Dark One suddenly reflected through his teacher's face. He made the traumatic decision to abandon Tausha on the spot, precipitating a long period of confusion, as the student, bereft of his teacher and the living flow, struggles to make sense of it all on his own. Eventually, they are reunited for a brief time before Tausha's untimely death.

The master's purpose for himself and his disciples was, as he put it,"to establish the site of another reality in this gloomy world - a reality where the natural course of evolution can be restored.....The plan is to create a Shambala-like place, a place hospitable to the flow, right here in the midst of the Soviet madness, in the city, not in a faraway retreat. ...When I say 'a place', I don't mean a concrete location, I mean an energy structure, a sacred bowl filled up with energy and acting as an energy preserve."

Living beneath this continual and ever-increasing downpour of energy was a transformative and blissful experience for the group, infusing not just their minds and bodies with light, vibrancy and supreme aliveness, but filling them up as well with the imperative to channel this awareness into the world. It was life in a state of Grace.

Tausha teaches them that they are not working alone. Initiating the process requires a blessing from a higher source. The Sufi masters call this light of blessing baraka, which means grace, or the power given for the Work. What is required of those who receive this blessing is service - a dedication to becoming a channel, a link that connects the realm of the higher energies to this world. Of necessity, a healer who seeks to serve in this way must do the difficult inner spiritual work of dissolving the ego in order to become a pure, empty channel.

Tausha is a very creative teacher and instructs them in various disciplines. Some are original to him, and some are traditional, among them Kunta yoga, a yoga of mystical symbols and mantras. The author gives us a fascinating introduction to some of the basic glyphs, explaining that when meditating on these symbols, one comes into resonance with Shakti, the creative energy of the cosmos.

In the end, Tausha dies alone in the woods. But the end turns out to be but another astonishing beginning in this transcendental tale, for his death simply inaugurated another phase of the mission. He appears to the group again, months after his death, matter-of-factly walking in the door as they were meditating, looking very corporeal in his astral form. He offered them now an even greater opportunity to live in the Flow, since he could in his new embodiment in the Light even better guide, protect and supply the group with energy than before.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of the book was not so much the story of Tausha and his life and teachings, stellar as these were, but the existential distillation in the end of Beliaev's own life and experience as he evolves beyond the personal touch of his teacher. In the end he was blessed with an awareness of something higher than the flow..the Presence. And he now clearly deserves the honour of being called a master healer and teacher in his own right.

"Tausha - The Life and Teachings of a Russian Mystic" is an incredibly rich and illuminating book. It's an original vision of tremendous depth and power, capturing the sublime in an exquisite prism of elegant prose. It truly deserves a place on the spiritual seeker's bookshelf beside the volumes of Castaneda, the tales of the Sufis and all other such works of authentic spiritual vision that the new global dawning of higher consciousness has brought forth.

If you talk to ANY Russian in the world, and mention "The Twelve Chairs" from their cultural heritage, or the "Rogei e kapuuta" phony business in the book, ALL Russians will spontaneously and uncontrollably smile. Normally glum Russians are unable to resist a smile at remembering the hilarious antics and insights in "The Twelve Chairs." It is set in the 'crazy time' when Russian society was in upheaval and some men just wanted to make their fortune. What do the Russians know that you are MISSING out on? They get the joke. You should get it, too! This English translation is a MUST read.

10 stars on a five-stars scale! Perhaps, the best way to describe this masterpiece is to say that I have re-read so many times, that I even don't know how many. You can pick up this book and open it on random pages, you can read the chapters in the backward order (I have done both)- it is still the best of the best! Several generations of Russians have incorporated quatations from "12 Chairs" and "Golden Calf" in their everyday vocabulary - these novels are just that great and popular. If you want to understand "the mysterious Russian soul" of the socialist period - this is perhaps the best way to do so. Oh, and be prepared to constantly laugh so hard that your neighbors will attempt to commit you! It definitely is one of the funniest pieces ever written. Borrow "12 Chairs" and "Golden Calf" books, buy them, steal them - just READ THEM!

I've read the novel together with its sequel, The Golden Calf, in Russian about a dozen times. Now I simply have to get an English copy to share it with my non-Russian speaking friends! It is true: the speech of an average Russian contains quite a few quotations from the novel (also due to a number of film versions). Twelve Chairs is something definitely worth having in your home library: you can open it at any time and start reading on any page. In minutes, you're guaranteed, if not to laugh, then to smile.

I have found this dictionary/phrase book very helpful, as an English-speaker trying to learn the basics. The vocabulary is not extensive, but it contains many phrases organised according to category. It would be especially good for anyone working, especially with NGOs, in Albania and/or Kosovo/a, as it includes phrases regarding safety, emergencies, etc. An Albanian friend of mine has found it useful as a supplement to his English-Albanian, Albanian-English dictionary, again because it provides easily accessible phrases.

As a student of Classics with a minimum language knowledge and no experience whatsoever on inscriptions I found this book a great help. Mr. Arnaoutoglou assembled many helpful laws from all over the Greek World (!not only Athens!). The fact that the laws are in translation is especially important for students who do not have the required knowledge of greek. Additionally, the bibliography is very helpfull without being burdensome. However, it is important to note one issue: the fact that the commentaries although helpful do not provide many of the nuances surrounding any given set of laws. In any case, I found this book quite helpfull as a start in studying Greek Law in general

I was sent this book to read for the honors program at my college, and in my opinion, it is a far cry from the "masterpiece" that the Sunday Times hails it as. Parts have beautiful wording and imagery, but on the whole this book is a long, slow, and pitiful read. Alliteration is used far too often, and thus bogs down the already scattered story line. Unless it is required reading, I don't suggest this book unless you are most fascinated by the history of the upstarts of automobiles in the US and abroad.