"Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry" by Denzin and Lincoln is one of the top references for those starting research using a qualitative methodology.

The book starts of giving a brief overview of all the methodsthat are classes as qualitative in the introduction.

Chapter one continues by talking about what methodologies of research can be used with these methods, as well as dealing with some of the issues of qualitative research, like resistance, it history and a comparison between qualitative and quantative methods.

Chapter two mainly deals with research design. It talks about initial design, pilot studies and the writeup.

Chapter three deals with designing and conducting funded research. It helps with strategies and writing research proposals.

Chapter four details case studies and what you need to do to use this technique for your research,

The remaining chapter study the various qualitative methods in detail, giving a good understanding of each.

Finally the reference section for this book is excellent, give a good guide to further direction for study in the area of qualitative methods.

The the student or begining qualitative researcher it is a must. For the experienced researcher it a n excellent reference to have on hand

Currently, I am student teaching in a middle school. After one especially trying day, my coordinating teacher handed me this book. The book contains hundreds of inspiring quotes, divided into sections such as "behavior," "discipline," as well as, specific subject areas. After browsing through the book, I realized that everyone is entitled to a frustrating day of teaching. Since that day, I have used the quotes around my room, in lessons, in papers, and as introductory pages in my portfolio. The quotes come from many different people and all apply to the wonderful world of teaching. It has become a lifelong resource for me- you should include it in your library today!

"True Stories About Abraham Lincoln" features woodcut illustrations by Charles Turzak, with accompanying stories from Lincoln's life by Ruth Belov Gross. The text is printed in red ink opposite the black woodcut prints. The stories deal with both the triumphs and tragedies of Lincoln's life. However, the woodcuts dictate what parts of Lincoln's life are included or omitted. Consequently, there is no reference to the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Civil War is dealt with in rather general terms. Still, with each two-page spread a separate unit, this book is easily accessible by young readers, who will find the artwork as fascinating as the stories and might be interested in doing something similar as an art project.

For a non-fiction, it was good reading. This was the first book to show me why "overpopulation " is not a problem.

I am a big admirer of The Drama of American History series by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier, but "The United States in World War II, 1941-1945" strikes me as one of the lesser volumes. I suspect this is in large part because this was a rare volume in which I did not feel I was learning anything new, although I realize this is mainly because of how much I already know about World War II. But there also seems to be a decidedly different tone to this volume. The "core concept" approach is still the focus but there are a lot of anecdotes about the heroics of individual soldiers like Audie Murphy and comments about not being able to go into detail about certain subjects.

The volume is divided into six chapters: (1) The Legacy of World War I looks at the root causes of World War II, such as the rise of fascism in Europe and American isolationism; (2) The World Goes to War looks at the war up to the attack on Pearl Harbor; (3) Americans Begin to Fight covers U.S. involvement in the war in Europe; (4) The Home Front is the most worthwhile chapter in the book, looking at home the mobilization for war not only effectively ended the Great Depression but how it set the stage for gender and race issues in the last half of the 20th century; (5) The War in the Pacific details the U.S. war effort against Japan; and (6) Summing Up briefly covers the impacts of World War II as one of the great events in human history, although it also talks about the personal level of returning soldiers trying to deal with what they had lived through overseas.

One of the impressive things about this particular volume is that it includes rare photographs and illustrations, many by actual soldiers, not only from the United States but also those from Germany and Japan. Consequently, most of the illustrations in this book are going to be ones you have never seen before. In many regards I think this volume is similar to what you will find in a standard America History textbook, which, again, is probably a result of the fact that it has just a limited time span, only four years (most of the volumes cover decades and a few over a century of American History). However, at the very least, the chapter on how World War II changed the lives of Americans at home is well worth including in an American History class.

This was the climb that put Australian mountaineers on the map as far as the world was concerned. A new route, without oxygen and without sherpa support on the route itself. Well written and holding your attention to the last. If you can get a copy do so. If you see the accompanying documentary around grab it. Also worth looking for is another book by Lincoln, the Lonliest Mountain about a climb in Antarctica, another good read.

Well I needed to read this book for a history book report. The book was interesting but also boring for a 14 year old to read. All of the political stuff but it was still a great book about Lincoln. I learned a lot about him and and how much he must have been stressing while he was President. If you like to read then u might as well read this book.

Writing: A College Handbook is designed to teach students to write effectively for a variety of purposes and contexts. As a reference tool, a rhetoric, and a research guide, this handbook presents a detailed composite on the nature, form, and style of writing available to students. The emphasis here is on what the writer can do rather than what they cannot do. The scope of the book is "to show that good writing is not simply the absence of grammatical error but the presence of rhetorical power" (xxvii). The handbook is organized in a logical fashion that mirrors the writing process. Thus, instructors using the handbook and accompanying workbook can easily adapt it to their course. Part 1, "The Process of Writing," includes information on planning strategies, purpose, audience, modes of writing, word choice, editing and revising, and document design. The next section is "Crafting Sentences," where the emphasis is the rhetorical power of the English language and making sentence structure work for the writer. Part 3 deals with "Punctuation and Mechanics." Part 4, "Research and Writing," provides an in-depth guide to the process and development of the research paper. It includes an up-to-date MLA style guide and new approaches to the use of technology used in research. "Writing in Academic Contexts" covers writing about literature as well as research for other disciplines. The final section, "Writing in Nonacademic Contexts," is new to this edition. As students move outside the classroom, they need to be prepared to write in the workplace, which is often overlooked as a separate form of writing. The logical layout of the handbook and the instructive features make this a comprehensive writing tool. The approach to writing presented in this handbook and the sequence of topics make it accessible to both student and teacher. The examples, student writing samples, and instruction is detailed, informative, and concise. As a textbook to accompany writing instruction in the classroom, I think this book is extremely valuable. However, through personal experience, I find the lack of section tabs a slight drawback. To find information, you have to look at the road map (inside front cover), the table of contents, or the index. I searched for "organization," under which it said "see planning and organizing your text." There I found 16 pages devoted to everything from tree diagrams to composing a title. While the information is clearly outlined and detailed, there is more here than I needed for an overview and brief lesson. Use of this handbook in your classroom depends on your main purpose for having students purchase a handbook. If your purpose is to provide material for students to find answers to individual questions about writing, this may be more than you need. The comprehensive nature of the book gives it more of an instructive quality, rather than simple answers to often asked questions. There are many positive features of the handbook to be applauded. The layout and design, with full-page color, is visually attractive. The accompanying workbook and online reference provide an ample supply of exercises and reinforcement with sentence structure, punctuation, mechanics, revising and editing. The samples of writing are well-chosen and marked with appropriate directions and details. In the chapter "Revising Your Text," I particularly like the marginal comments as a model for responding to writing. The variety of writing selections and topics included shows an awareness of cultural assumptions and gender equality. Writing: A College Handbook is an extensive guide to writing processes, contexts, styles, and skills. It achieves its goal of presenting the power of writing both in and out of the classroom. It succeeds in demonstrating a concise, innovative approach to writing and creates a positive atmosphere in which to learn and practice the necessary skills for effective communication. While I find this book to be a wealth of information on just about any writing topic, I think your purpose for choosing a handbook will determine whether this is the right one for your course. Writing: A College Handbook is a comprehensive instruction guide to writing and more than just a reference book.

Hidden for nineteen centuries, the Dead Sea Scrolls-the earliest biblical manuscripts-were found in caves near Jerusalem more than forty years ago. Yet the content of a large part of the eight hundred ancient
Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts remains concealed from the general public.

In this remarkable book Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of the best-seller Holy Blood, Holy Grail, reveal new material that places the Scrolls in the time of Jesus and offers nothing less than a new
account of Christianity and an alternative and highly significant version of much of the New Testament.

Working closely with Professor Robert Eisenman-one of the foremost experts in biblical archaeology and scholarship-and with other scholars in both America and Britain, Baigent and Leigh set out to discover
why the content of the Scrolls was kept secret for so long. Their investigation began in Israel, led to the corridors of the Vatican, and into the offices of the Inquisition. They encountered a rigidly held
"consensus" on interpretation and dating, and discovered just how fiercely orthodox biblical scholarship was prepared to fight to retain its monopoly on the materials and their interpretation.

But The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception is much more than an expose of a bitter struggle among scholars. Extensive interviews, historical analysis, and a close study of both published and unpublished materials led
Baigent and Leigh to startling new views about the early Christians-for the Scrolls identify the group known as Christians as a band of fervent theocratic revolutionaries intent on breaking- Roman control of the
Holy Land and restoring the kingdom of Israel to its rightful Judaic dynasty, of which Jesus himself was a member.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have been news since their discovery, and with the release of the Scrolls themselves by the Huntington Library, they are on front pages and in prime time all over America. This remarkable
book tells the story of a great archaeological find and the mysteries surrounding it.

Whether or not there was an actual conspiracy to cover up the content of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the fact is that there were no Jews on the Scroll committee for decades, and Jewish scholars were repeatedly denied access. That in itself is inexcusable, given that the Scrolls are, after all, ancient Jewish documents. It would be as if original manuscripts of the Gospels were discovered, but no Christian scholars were allowed to see them. Absolutely inexcusable! Baigent and Leigh cover this story very well in this book. Those who doubt that there was blatant antisemitism on the original Scroll committee can also read Strugnell's infamous interview with Ha-Aretz in the Hershel Shank's anthology, "Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls." As a Jew, I find it supremely offensive that people with such anti-Jewish attitudes were the ones to have control of the Scrolls.

Now that the texts of the Scrolls have finally been published for all to read, "The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception" may seem a bit dated and its conclusions anticlimatic. Still, it does raise a lot of good questions about some of the basic assumptions that the general public holds concerning the nature of the ancient Jewish community that lived at Qumran -- a debate which, I'm sure, will continue for generations to come.

The authors have produced a very good book. The writing is clear and crisp, and covers all aspects of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and how much of the research concerning them has been mismanaged in the past. The detail is rich, and the authors clearly and efficiently provide evidence for their arguments. It was an excellent read, and definitely opened my eyes to the Dead Scrolls and their significance.

Thomas DiLorenzo lays out a prosecutor's case for the evils of President Abraham Lincoln. The author's perspective is that of an economist and so it's not a surprise that he sees Lincoln through the lens of the appallingly bad economic policies (high tariffs, corporate welfare, and a strong national bank) that "The Great Emancipator" championed his entire political career. Lincoln's defenders, like Harry V. Jaffa, look through a different lens and see a champion of natural rights, the Declaration of Independence and opposition to slavery. But no balance is to be found here, no nuanced examination of possible explanations, just a straightforward diatribe against America's first "dictator." DiLorenzo boldly concludes that Lincoln was "The Great Centralizer" and thus was responsible for many of the ills of the twentieth century.

The author does not deny that the Civil War was about slavery. He makes it quite clear that the Southern states were deeply motivated to preserve this "peculiar institution" as it was called. Fortunately, little effort is made to defend the Confederacy in this book. Indeed, it would be quite hard to do so, since the governments of the Southern states were in the grip of slave owners bent on preserving slavery at all costs. What is asserted is that for Lincoln and the Republicans, the war was about preserving the Union so that the Republican agenda could be implemented and that Lincoln clearly articulated this repeatedly. Although the author does not talk much about the (Southern) Democrats, he does admit that they were just as corrupt as the Republicans.

Many aspects of Lincoln are examined in regards to the Civil War. Starting off with Lincoln's racial beliefs, the possibility of peaceful emancipation, Lincoln's real (economic) agenda, Lincoln's actions during the war, and the war's legacy are all examined with an eye for the worst. Note that this book is not a history of the Civil War (or "War between the States" as the author likes to call it). It is an indictment of one man and his legacy. This book is certainly not a good introduction to this era. It would be a good idea to read a general history of the Civil War prior to diving into this. Also, one should be sure to read some opposing views after reading this to get a balanced view. Harry V. Jaffa's recent "A New Birth of Freedom: Abraham Lincoln and the Coming of the Civil War" is probably a good defense of Lincoln (although I haven't read it).

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of the debates surrounding the Civil War is whether or not States have a Constitutional right to secede. Critics assert that DiLorenzo willfully misunderstands the difference between a Constitutional right to secede (non-existent, according to the Lincoln defenders) and a natural right to revolution and that since the Confederacy was engaged in the former and not that latter, it was illegitimate and therefore all of Lincoln's actions were justified. The actions that Lincoln took during the war are some of the most atrocious things that one will read and may seem hard to believe to the modern reader. The notion that the President could shut down newspapers at will, imprison people without trial and send in Federal troops to Maryland to ensure that only loyal Unionists (i.e., Republicans) were elected to the state's legislature boggles the modern mind. It is absurd to assert that this was all constitutional, as Lincoln's defenders do. The author points out that some of the top thinkers of this era, like abolitionist Lysander Spooner and philosopher Lord Acton, both despised slavery, but believed that the South should have been allowed to secede.

Is the author able to prove his point? I hesitate to make a judgment since this is only the second book I have read on this era, the first being Neely's pro-Lincoln "The Fate of Liberty". While DiLorenzo makes a good case for what Lincoln's "real" agenda was, it's not clear that he succeeds in showing that the Civil War was unnecessary. Slavery was just such an abomination that even if its ending was not Lincoln's intention, it was such an overwhelmingly good result that any alternative policy that delayed its ending by even a day has to be viewed with healthy skepticism. The author seems to sense this and labors mightily to show that Lincoln's efforts lead to great evil as well, even going so far as to claim that Lincoln was ultimately responsible for the rise of the Nazis in Germany!

I think one must read a good defense of Lincoln in order to determine if he's truly as monstrous as the author claims. But I believe DiLorenzo has done a fair job presenting his side. The author does seem to overstate his case at times, leave out vital information on certain topics and appear disingenuous on others. In other words, he seems to suffer from the same flaws that he attributes to Lincoln scholars who worship at the feet of old "Honest Abe".

In all of my middle school and high school history classes, I was always taught that President Lincoln was a great and fair leader who sought to free the slaves through the Civil War. But after reading Professor DiLorenzo's analysis of Lincoln and his presidency, I have come to the conclusion that almost everything I was taught was false!! Professor DiLorenzo certainly unveils the true side of Lincoln amidst the myths so well-known in today's society. DiLorenzo depicts Lincoln as a man devoted to his own personal goals for a centralized America and accomplished those goals by "subverting the Constitution, trampling state's rights, and launching a devastating Civil War." The Civil War was certainly not a war fought to free the slaves, but a war fought to "sacrifice the independence of the states to the supremacy of the federal government."
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a new insight on Lincoln and his dark, haunting views of the way he thought government in America should be. Known as the Great Emancipator, he probably should have been known as the Devil in Disguise. I'm sure many people think that "Honest Abe" was noble and honest and above board, but DiLorenzo shatters this stereotype. DiLorenzo says that Lincoln didn't follow all the rules as he was supposed to. Lincoln did numerous things without consulting Congress such as declaring Martial Law, suspending the writ of habeas corpus, imprisoning thousands of Northern citizens without trial, and even deporting an Ohio Congressman for critizing the administration's income tax proposal at a Democratic rally!! It seems to me that Lincoln went to desperate measures to achieve all that he wanted to accomplish, which was a centralized government. In conclusion, DiLorenzo says that "Lincoln's war had let the genie of centralization out of the bottle, never to be returned." The centralization of American government is an open chapter in a closed book.

Only the incorrigibly politically correct will not want to read
Thomas J. DiLorenzo's just published new book, The Real Lincoln, A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda,, and an Unnecessary War.

The Real Lincon is not a book for those who cannot handle unfashionable truth. It is a book for those who prefer historical truth over ignoble fictions that have been propped up and entrenched by decade upon decade of propaganda to justify unconscionable war and incredible despotism. This is a short book and easy to read, but it packs a heavy punch of facts, logical analysis, and sound conclussions. Lincoln's agenda was American Empire in the form of a highly centralized and powerful federal government in support of and married to big business and big money. Lincoln the emancipator and savior of the union is a pious and manipulative myth to cover the bloody and shameful destruction of the constitutional Republic of America's founders.
Many reading this book will at first be uncomfortable with the light of truth, having been kept in darkness for so long. But true patriotism and genuine historical scholarship must always be based on true history. DiLorenzo has offered a bright candle to dispell the darkness of many decades...I suspect the book will soon come under severe attack by liberals and neocons, but truth crushed to the ground is still truth...