Baldwin is a master of eccentric characters and description. Reading this book is like a rollercoaster ride through foreign worlds, peopled with valiant, humorous, and evil characters. A great read.

A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift.
I must say, even though I've never heard
of Mr. Baldwin, I found this novel quite an
enjoyable read. It's packed with action in
addition to being peppered with interesting
humor. This author is definitely quirky, but most
definitely talented.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The twists and suspense left me breathless. This writer draws you so deeply into your characters that you know them like your own family. You are so in the mind of the villian--a truly evil, but complex character--that you almost understand why he is creating such havoc on the City of Los Angeles. His hatred for our hero is only parallel to the cop's hatred for him. It is a true war.

The circumstances surrounding the ultimate explosion and fires blow your mind. They are real and feasible--that is the frightening part.

Can't wait for Tom Baldwin's next book.

Knowing Professor Dalzell and Mrs. Dalzell personally, I was incredibly curious to see how they blended the two seemingly connected but perhaps contrasting topics of George Washington and his home. Essentially, they were connected very successfully. The entire history of the home itself is told vividly with photographs, anecdotes, and objective descriptions of its development. Following, Washington's own personal, military, and political history is told in light of the times, and in the book's shining ability, in relation to the home itself. The Dalzell's cleverly-melded arguments and discussions leads the reader to a full knowledge of Mt. Vernon and its inspiring owner.

I openned this book expecting to read a story about a house and how it was built. I was surprised, and impressed, to discover that what went on as Mt. Vernon took form was far more interesting than I had expected. This is not so much a book about a house as it is the story of how George Washington related to the slaves on whom he relied to execute his architecture. In other words, the story here reverberates far beyond the boundaries of the plantation. It went to the heart of the republic, and it goes to the heart of this nation. Slavery is encoded in our national DNA (sorry, Jefferson). The Dalzells make it clear that it is also mortared in the wood and plaster (cut and painted to look like stone) of our national edifice. Are you tormented, or at least intrigued, that a slaveowner could style himself father of a republic dedicated to freedom? Maybe Washington was, too. Find out. Visit Mt. Vernon, and do it by reading this book.

Mount Vernon was both architecturally innovative and a true mirror of Washington's feelings and mind. He never wrote an autobiography and his diaries consist largely of farm accounts, but in Mount Vernon, the authors write, "he produced a text from which it is possible to coax a remarkably full sense of his political convictions and of how, over time, they changed." The book, George Washington's Mount Vernon, combines the public and the private sides of his life and uses the combination to enrich our understanding of both.

This is a collection of nonfiction from James Baldwin's illustrious career: essays, book excerpts and movie/book reviews. I have read it many times and never get tired of it. What more can I say?

Baldwin was a great writer, not only because he told a compelling story, but because he wanted his work to change the world he lived in and, on some levels, it did. No other example of this intention is more apprant than Baldwin's non-fiction work. His essays are timely (even now), filled with biting intelect, and brimming with his trademark ability to wind around an issue.

This book is all the more relevant because it saves you time: it collects his 3 book-length essays ("Fire Next Time", "No name In The Street" and "The Devil Finds Work"), as well as a ton of other pieces. It's almost totally comprehensive in this respect. Revealing and a more than trustworthy look at the man from his own mouth, and over the years.

With the possible exception of Tom Paine and Gore Vidal, Baldwin is the finest essayist. Most of his non-fiction is here, including his groundbreaking essay "Fifth Avenue, Uptown," the best single essay I have ever read. Of special interest, as one who enjoys movie criticism, is the entire book "The Devil Finds Work," in which Baldwin happily takes apart a number of American classic films. I was never wild about Baldwin's fiction, but no one could top him as an essayist. If you are buying one American non-fiction book, this should be the one.

This book has been a real find. My son, who has just turned two,absolutely loves the pictures and the rhyming text. He holds the book and gleefully waits for the next page. I love this book because I feel it is aimed at quite a wide age group. For the toddlers it has amazing pictures and the musical rhyming text; the four to six year olds, a book they can read themselves with the help of an adult; and the older reader will enjoy the scientific explanations. To sum it up, this book is beautifully written and extremely lyrical, and the artwork is delightful. Well done Robert F Baldwin, and his artist Don Dyen.

My children and grandchildren are getting copies of this book for Christmas! It shows how all food is ultimately derived from sunlight and the tiny creatures that live in the seas and oceans, but it also shows how we are all connected to the sea and to each other. It is a joyful experience to read this book and enjoy the incredible illustrations.

It isn't often you come across a book that you could sit down and read to a four year old and an eight year old and still manage to capture the attention of both. "This Is the Sea That Feeds Us" has that ability. It's beautiful illustrations and the author's wondrous ability of explanation combine in that magical way that allows learning to be fun. Every child deserves to own this book.

I really have enjoyed this book. It gives you an insight into African cooking and the beautiful scenery. I had the pleasure of meeting Josie Stow at Tswalu and sampled some of the recipes in the book. They are incredible. Most of the items are easy to prepare and the photos will make you want to go there!

The book is simply stunning, I was most impressed with the food and images. I reccomend the termite mound pizza, although with all the termites it isn't really a veggie dish, you can always pick them off....(he he ha ha)

Really enjoyed it. inpsired me to go to Africa

As a South African and having spent time in the USA, I tried to think of ingredients etc that one would need if you were living outside of Africa, most seem easy to obtain. It's a beautiful book both in recipes and photos.Being a professional photographer it's a fun book to look at for the photos as well as different style of cooking. Most recipe books are static and don't motivate me into purchasing it, but this one caught me. It has a great African feel. Worth buying.

Fantastic collection of short stories about Sikh women throughout the century and living around the world. Some of the best stories I've read about women and their need to follow honour,but also the anger and confusion this causes in a rapidly changing world. Very moving fiction. All the stories are told with excellent subtlety. A very strong recommendation for a relatively new writer of short fiction.

Probably one of the best pieces of fiction I have ever read. In fact, I asked my friends not to give me another book until it matched Singh Baldwin's quality.

The narrative and characters remain with me two years later. What more can a reader ask for?

This book is a wonderful account of the Indian (predominatly Punjabi) immigrant experience in America and Canada. The author's lyrical prose brings the reader into each character's life on an intimate level, rather than making the reader feel like a casual observer. Although most of the short stories are told from a female's point of view, readers across the board will be drawn in by the author's in depth afinity for character evolvment. The short story, Montreal, 1962, is the highlight of the collection, with it's tearful account of a Punjabi housewife's ability to see beyond the symbolism of her Sikh husband's turban.

How fortunate that Peerless Theodosia has been published again for those of us who missed it twenty years ago. It is a marvelous, funny story with an enchanting cast of characters. Included are the Americans, Theodosia and her brother Jefferson, nervously living in England while the two countries are at war; Lady Southcote, their gracious hostess; her son, Lord Stockwood, suspicious of his mother's guests, and the Marquess of Torville, leader of the ton. Theodosia manages to delight, annoy, and worry these and other characters before at last finding true happiness.

Rebecca Baldwin is one of the best -- and least known -- writers of Regency fiction. Peerless Theodesia is my favorite book of hers. The hero and the heroine are Americans who turn the ton upside down. This is a marvelous book -- many thanks to Regency Press for bringing it back in this reprise edition.

Rebecca Baldwin is one of the best and least known Regency authors, and Peerless Theodosia is one of her most enjoyable romps. Theodosia is completely believable as an unsual Regency heroine -- an American miss with ideas of her own. Of course, Theodosia does find love at the end of this novel

All the characters are individuals who survive their visitors and discover they are better off because they knew the peerless Theodosia.

This reprise novel by Regency Press will delight all Regency readers and should draw many new fans.

Jane Myers Perrine

This powerful book thrusts you into the mental conflict of integrity versus duty. The love that seems so vulnerable carries Captain David Barfield through the entanglments of dealing with his own vulnerability.

Gene Baldwin's Lt. Col. Douglas Patrick Norwood and Herman Melville's Captain Ahab are indistinguishable: evil. Baldwin lets the Great White Whale aka David Barfield narrate. Barfield with supporting cast do so in a superb manner, especially through ingenious dialog which carries this poignant story of the War in Vietnam. Leslie Herrinton Barfield is surely descended from James Joyce's Mrs. Bloom. This is a compelling account of a time when honesty, intergrity, and other qualities of leadership were viewed and advocated by the media as subordinate to political correctitude and denial of life's realities, of a turning point in America's existence as a world power---well written, awesome, spellbinding.

GENE BALDWIN HAS DONE IT AGAIN. WHILE "A MATTER OF DESTINY" WAS GREAT, THIS NEW BOOK IS EVEN BETTER. WITH THE FOCUS BEING ON THE WAR IN VIET-NAM, THE READER IS CAUGHT UP IN THE INTRIGUE AND POLITICS FOUND IN THE ARMED SERVICES. EXPERIENCE IN THE AIR IS MEANINGLESS WHEN FACED WITH A COMMANDING OFFICER WHOSE EGO IS ALL CONSUMING. PILOTS ARE FORCED TO EMBARK ON MISSIONS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THEY ARE ALMOST CERTAIN TO FAIL. THE UNDERCURRENT THEME OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS LEFT AT HOME CONTINUES TO PLAGUE THE MAIN CHARACTER. HE STRUGGLES TO WALK THE LINE BETWEEN EXPECTED MILITARY ADHERENCE TO COMMAND AND THE INCREASING REALIZATION THAT THOSE IN CHARGE ARE INCOMPETENT AND EVEN DANGEROUS. WELL WRITTEN WITH A MATURE THEME OF INTEREST TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVER SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES OR HAS A LOVED ONE WHO HAS ANSWERED THE CALL TO ARMS.

William Baldwin writes for the novice as well as for experts in the field of hypnosis. His technique for releasing blocks and "dark" energy is greatly enhanced with actual accounts from clients in his spiritual work. As a hypnotherapist, I recommend this book to anyone in the field of hypnosis and related modalities. Thank you Dr. Baldwin for your research and thoughtful writing.

I am not going to try to add more details about what's in the book because the previous review covered it all. I can honestly say that I have learned more from this one book than any other book I have ever read. I have read so very many books on hypnosis, past life regressions, spirituality... you name it, I've read it. What makes this such a must-read is not it's significant background information (which it has), nor is it the specific examples of exactly what to say given different situations (these are invaluable - I wish I had read this book the first time I was suddenly confronted with an "attachment" because my skeptic self very much freaked!), but it's the many, many examples provided. So many! Not only did I discover a whole new world of knowledge but I didn't want to stop reading as there were so many stories. Every therapist needs to read this book. It is a masterpiece.

Reviewed by Roger Woolger, Ph.D.

William Baldwin's eagerly awaited book, Spirit Releasement Therapy, A Technique Manual is a brilliant, daring tour de force whose appearance I am delighted to celebrate. Dr. Baldwin has integrated an enormous range of techniques and much accumulated wisdom gleaned from past life therapy, spirit possession syndrome, soul retrieval, inner child work, multiple personality disorder (MPD), or dissociative identity disorder (DID), and traditional psychotherapy.

In the Introduction he offers a very useful and concise overview of spirit possession and its treatment throughout history. In section two, Regression Therapy, he presents an up-to-date survey of the principles and techniques currently used in present life and past life regression therapy by clinicians working in the field. Dr. Baldwin outlines induction techniques, ways of working though the life, remembered traumatic events, the death transition and many other techniques, and includes useful examples of how to apply them.

Section three, Recovery of Soul-mind Fragmentation, though relatively short, is in many ways the pivotal section of the book, theoretically speaking. Dr. Baldwin outlines and integrates the shamanic concept of "soul loss" in reaction to trauma with psychiatric views of personality splitting and the kind of dissociation to be found in extremis in MPD (DID). The key concept here is the idea of subpersonalities or fragmentary souls. This notion figured quite prominently in the early psychiatric work of Jung, Janet and Assagioli, and later came to form the basis of those techniques for the psychotherapeutic integration of the personality developed by Psychosynthesis, Jungian analytic psychology, psychodrama, Gestalt therapy, Voice Dialogue and, most recently, Inner Child work.

Section four, Spirit Releasement Therapy, is the longest of the book. It contains the highly original battery of techniques developed by Dr. William Baldwin during years of research and therapeutic practice. Because of its extraordinary comprehensiveness and mass of critical detail, will surely stand as a major reference source for years to come. Dr. Baldwin describes and illustrates therapeutic strategies for working with a huge range of possessing entities or psycho-spiritual formations. Most importantly, he provides specific lines of inquiry that enable the therapist to make a differential diagnosis in difficult cases (e.g. sub and alter personalities vs. human spirits, dark force entities, and those from "far away" that might be designated aliens or extraterrestrials).

This highly important breakdown of these confusing phenomena into three orders or types of possession necessarily implies a different metaphysical and metapsychological status for different possessing entities. There are different strategies for releasing a human entity and a demonic entity, or working with a multiple personality alter, for example. It is precisely such crystal clear differentiation between the different orders and types of attachment, along with an abundance of clearly illustrated case examples that makes this section so valuable and quite unique.

The notion of attributing numerous varieties of psychopathology and physical conditions to the intrusion of non-resident spirits or entities is one that has been assiduously resisted and ridiculed by main stream psychologists and psychiatrists for most of the century. If the straight psychological world scoffs at past lives and reincarnation it is openly contemptuous about practices that go by the name of exorcism, depossession, or spirit releasement therapy (Baldwin's own user friendly coinage). After all, they would say, haven't the great advances in psychoanalysis and the grounding of psychological research in empiricism and scientific method come about precisely because the old superstitions about ghosts, witchcraft and magic have total discredited?

Apparently not. Much of the populace at large still continues to believe in "the presence of other worlds" (to borrow a phrase from Swedenborg) while the open antagonism of the split between religion, channeling, esoteric healing, etc. (the perspective of spirit) and psychology (the perspective of soul or psyche) refuses to go away. The very fact that Dr. Baldwin does not publish separate books on past life therapy and spirit releasement therapy is of crucial significance in and of itself. And secondly he implicitly recognized that regression therapy and spirit releasement therapy complement, in the sense of complete each other. They are part of a greater endeavor, as Dr. Baldwin himself puts it:

The purpose of regression therapy is to heal the scars of the soul. Nothing is left out, no human experience is denied; the aim is uncovering the truth. No amount of narrowly defined professional training, no restrictive religious training, no arbitrary limits of any kind can be allowed to interfere with the exploration of the spiritual reality (p.38).

This long overdue reintegration of the spiritualist/shamanic perspective back into psychotherapy and spiritual healing is, I believe, the next and essential stage in the development of psychology, a kind of return to the source. And right at the vanguard of this reunion we have William Baldwin's remarkable book. It is a milestone we will all look back to. I predict it will be referred to and argued about for years.

This book is a reference every manager should keep in his desk or by his bed to read from time to time. It is uplifting, encouraging and simple to read. I rate this little book very highly. There are plenty of topics and with 365 quotes more than enough material to bring you back again and again.

I am a 31 year old wife and mother with a B.S. and Masters degree and a state license in clinical social work. I am always on the look-out for motivating and introspective literature to help inspire my clients, and to teach my 2 year old daughter. What I found in reading this book were several quotes that were so profound I had to sit with my thoughts for a while. I had expected to find only chapters dealing with happiness and well being, but discovered from the first chapter that overcoming adversity is key to both. The words in this book have already inspired me to create change in my life, to value all of my strengths, and to think hard about what my definition of a successful life really is.

Lisa Wright, LPC

This is a wonderful compilation of thought provoking and inspiring quotes on many different and important topics! This book is applicable to many different ages of people with diverse occupations, gender and religions. I will love to have this book for all of my adolescent and adult clients so as to inspire them to reach higher and further than they already are reaching. I think it is important for all of us to try not to re-create the wheel, but to pull from the experience and words of those who have already "said it so well". I was impressed by the wide range of topics and the quotes to cover them. I challenge anyone to read this book and become inspired to grow. There isn't a person around who could read this book and NOT be inspired to change something in their lives!

Elissa Gifford, LPC NBCC