I highly recommend this summary of Iranian history. One volume for two and a half millennia of history! It is readable and interesting. It gives the reader a little peek into what makes the heart of an Iranian beat. Should be of interest to anyone interested in Iran, the Middle East, Sufi, Rumi, etc.

I reckon the book gives a very good measure of Sir Isaac Newton's interests in philosophy. One shoulk ask why philosophy? Well we have to say that this writings contain some of the best arguments ever used in defense of God's existence. Moreover, the "Four letters to Mr. Richard Bentley" contain what should be considered the argument of "imperfection" for the existence of a Voluntary Agent in the Universe. Nobody before Newton dared to say that from the imperfection of this world it follows that God neccessarily exists. This argument will be, of course, a great subject for the criticism of Leibniz and Descartes' disciples. Then again, the book contains a very good paper on the natural and un-natural motion of celestial bodies, a very good treatise in itself on inertia and gravity, which makes us wonder whether our modern view on the universe is a Newtonian or a Cartesian one. After all the theme is very actual and it has not lost it's strenght.

This non-fiction book is interestingly written with details from Newton's childhood and adult life. He said, "If I have seen further than most men, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." The author spends much of the first chapter discussing how the writings of these giants, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Descartes, influenced Newton.

Boys who are into building models will delight in the model of a windmill that young was powered by a treadmill run by a mouse. He used his model-building experience later in life when he built a reflecting telescope.

The final chapter contains a few experiments for the budding young scientist. Upper elementary aged students will be inspired by Newton's dedication to science and mathematics.

Professor Newton has written a readable account of the generalship of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston for the period from February 1862 until General Johnson's wounding at the battle of Seven Pines on May 31,1862. The book begins with a brief discussion of (1) the deteriorating trust between Johnson and Jefferson Davis; (2) the Department of Northern Virginia; and (3) the process, including both political and military factors, used in making the decision to move Johnston's army from Centerville, Virginia to be closer to Richmond. The decision and the details of withdrawal are well documented after which the author covers the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Seven Pines and ends with an interesting assessment of Johnston's campaign.

Some scholars and Civil War buffs have questioned the expenditure of resources to defend Richmond and speculate that a capitol located in the interior of the Confederacy would have been preferred as being easier to defend. Professor Newton outlines the strategic importance of Richmond stating that it was a critical manufacturing, transportation and financial center. The Tredegar Iron Works alone justified the defense of Richmond. In addition, the city had four major banks, had five railroads lines and was a flour-milling center . Having established the strategic necessity of defending Richmond, the writer proceeds to document General Johnston's defense of the city.

The writer objectively narrates the involvement of Lee in the decisions during this period noting areas of agreement and differences between Johnston, Lee and Davis. While Professor Newton openly states ". . the tenor of this work is pro-Johnston in terms of my assessment of the general's handling of his army" he favorably reviews Joseph Johnston's performance without engaging in "Lee bashing" the approach often used by revisionist historians to support their thesis. He gives credit and/or blame where it is due in his

opinion. This makes for interesting and provocative reading.

Professor Newton gives a balanced evaluation of General Longstreet's performance. Longstreet is depicted as neither a hero nor a villain. The writer may well have summed up Longstreet's Civil War career in one sentence when he wrote ". . that Longstreet, though undeniably talented, was incredibly willful, and his cooperation in operations of which he did not approve was notoriously poor."

The narration of the Peninsula Campaign and Seven Pines is well worth the price of the book. Especially interesting is his description of Johnston's reaction to Federal transports reaching the mouth of the Pamunkey River and the Union gunboats ascending the York River following the Confederate evacuation of Yorktown; a situation Johnson both anticipated and feared. The author observes that at Seven Pines Johnston ". . totally abdicated his responsibility for the overall conduct of the battle when he led Whiting's division down the Nine Mile Road . ." and then makes the interestingly observation that this was a similar failing of almost all Civil War commanding generals, Confederate or Union, in their first offensive battle.

The last chapter is an assessment of Johnston's campaign. Here the author states that Johnston's retreat from Williamsburg was a skillful maneuver with strategic insight. Professor Newton correctly states that Joseph Johnston did in fact successfully defend Richmond. In view of the strategic importance of Richmond in 1862 this was a significant accomplishment. The last chapter is insightful and well worth reading.

The lack of a sufficient number of maps is the book's major shortcoming.

This academic work is not only palatable, it's delicious. I devoured it! Goldish has gone to great lengths to make his work accessible to those of us mortals who are not quite as well read in 17th century Hebraism. Goldish finally gives us a good strong look at Newton's lost work, Of the Church. The same mind that unlocked the riddles of our physical universe made great pains to unlock the riddles of the spiritual kind. All told, an exciting addition to an excellent series.

In 1932 Agnes Newton was an ambitious and by all accounts rather fetching reporter on the payroll of the San Francisco Examiner. "And then, just as I felt the world at my fingertips, I became involved in a violent scene which nearly destroyed me." That is to say she was fronted by crazed drug addict wielding a two-foot length of iron pipe as she stepped from the Examiner Building one spring day to collect her lunch. Newton was beaten about the head repeatedly. "He didn't kill me, but during the ensuing years I almost wished that he had." Newton sustained partial memory loss, as well: "Owing to the severity of the skull fractures I had lost all power to concentrate and my thoughts shifted about like a kaleidoscope, and trying to grasp an idea was like trying to pick up a piece of wet soap." Recovery was haphazard, a patchwork of part-time employment, casual travel, and a fluctuating physical and mental state. In 1934 she became reacquainted with Harold Keith, an Englishman friend of her brother who she'd had sporadic yet evidently significant contact with since the age of eight. "Several times in the past we had almost married each other, but each time events which I thought at the time were more important had occurred to prevent us. But as soon as we met again in 1934 we both knew that nothing more important than marrying each other could occur to us." They were married the day before Harold was to return to British Civil Service duty.

"My husband has been in Government service here in North Borneo for fourteen years. As well as being Conservator of Forests and Director of Agriculture he is Honorary Curator of the State Museum, Game Warden, collector of strange beasts for distant scientists, patron of pauperized natives, and the repository for unwanted animals. He collects old Chinese porcelain, writes papers on scientific subjects, is recording a Murut vocabulary, speaks Malay well enough to be distressed by mine, and cites Oxford English Dictionary to the confusion of my American." And thus began the new life of Agnes Newton Keith.

LAND BELOW THE WIND is a vigorous retelling of Newton Keith's four years in North Borneo, led off with a detailed introduction of the day-to-day living terms that confronted her in this outpost of a retreating Empire. The house staff (two Chinese amahs, Arusap, the Murut houseboy, a Dyak-Murut small-boy, and a Javanese gardener), the social faux pas that dotted the road to interaction with others in the North Borneo Civil Service (at that time about seventy men, and, if they had them, their wives and families), the coterie of pets (a particularly endearing account of various gibbon and orangutan, a tarsier, and the heart-breaking - literally - demise of the otters Niffles and Sniffles), the oppressive climate, all are granted lovingly applied ink in Newton Keith's portrayal of life as something akin to a fish out of water.

Newton Keith on occasion breaks with first-person narrative to pass along the stories of others, mostly natives for whom she always has an attentive ear. Among these is the story of the prisoner Abanawas, and the 'other side' of the tale that till then had been heard only from the mouth of white men, that of the mystery of Walter Flint, a white man who had married the daughter of a tribal leader, only to be found beheaded sometime thereafter. In an especially absorbing tract the journey of Saudin, a tribesman of an isolated Murut village of the interior, is relayed. Saudin had been employed by a party of American film-makers traveling through Borneo, and because of his work ethic and trustworthiness was retained by and accompanied them, in the capacity of animal caretaker, back to New York where he was to assist with the care of such animals after their presentation to Central Park Zoo. Saudin, who was to stay in New York three months, is at first escorted to and from the Zoo by the head of the film-making party, but after some time is allowed to make his way alone, insured somewhat by a letter stating who he is and where he lives that has been deposited in his coat pocket (a letter he later loses). At the height of Saudin's induction to New World living is his experience of Times Square on New Year's Eve, that being the point at which I imagine Saudin believes he can be no further away from his prior understanding of a man's life. It's but one of the circumstances from which he makes observations no less acute than that of the most learned modern social commentators. On his return to North Borneo he visits his one-time employers, the Newton Keiths, at their bungalow: "His manner retained its old native courtesy, and his attitude in presenting his tale of America was that of a Marco Polo who scarcely expects his words to be believed." His words are believed however, and translated by Newton Keith in a fashion so that none of Saudin's evident mixture of awe and bemusement is lost. Although only seven or so pages in length, it was for me the book's most enjoyable read.

My interest waned during one chapter only, that titled 'We Eat The Wind', in which Newton Keith joins one of her husband's expeditions, in interest agricultural, to the interior. It begins tantalisingly enough, with plans afoot to traverse the last stronghold of head-hunters, but it soon becomes apparent that the savages have more pressing concerns and shan't be souveniring heads this time around. From there the trip assumes only as much value that largely incident-free jungle travel can.

LAND BELOW THE WIND was first published in 1939. The title is employed to this day as the unofficial motto for the state of Sabah, Malaysia, the successor of North Borneo.

***1/2 stars.

Not a sterotypical, picture-postcard view of Las Vegas, this book captures sights and elements of the Entertainment Capital of the World through a photgrapher's eye. At some types surreal, at all times captivating, it is a pleasant visit to Vegas focusing on on streamlined, beatiful photography. Mr. Newton's introduction properly sets up the visuals, with his insight into this One-Of-A-Kind city. Definitely worthwhile, especially for those NOT looking for a typical tourbook!

This book is very interesting if you have any interest at all in the history and the making of Briggs and Stratton. The book has a lot of coverage of the pre-war engines as well as new.

Before I read this book, I had no idea that a corporate history could be so interesting. But Goodyear has done everything, it seems, including help build NASCAR racing (go Mark Martin!) through its sponsorship and participate in the space program. Surprisingly, the text was engaging and read more like a novel than I expected. The pictures, too, were fantastic, especially the section on racing.

Little Soup's Hayride is a quick, easy read for an established reader or a fun, friendly read for a struggling reader. The illlustrations numerous and are strongly related to the content of the page. The text has short sentences yet good vocabulary. Much of the language is decodable. The ending is surprisingly funny.