I bought this because it looked like a comprehensive resource for a H.O. that could be stuffed in my pocket, but I found myself in a bind with this book. I think it might be useful in England, but if you are not ready to work with British units and medication names it is pretty tough to use in an American hospital. I found myself scrambling for other resources when I tried to use this book. I wish I would have bought something else.

This book is one of many pocket sized texts aimed at junior doctors, but it is distinguished by its realisation of Descarte's "Ghost in the Machine". The Ghost is the collected medical knowledge of scientists and clinicians, and it is "growing and changing shape" every single day.

The Oxford Handbook helps you keep up with the Ghost in three ways: stimulation of memory, interactivity and insertions. It is a large resource of over 700 pages, including tables, diagrams and summaries of thousands of medical problems, tests and treatments, so useful brain power can be freed up from regurgitation of facts for more problem solving. It has hundreds of blank pages facing the text for notes on memorable patients, lectures, and texts. And the content is regularly reviewed and rewritten by a large team of practising doctors who are now publishing updates on a website, so you can print off new pages from the web and stick 'em in.

Round our way it's known as! the "Cheese and Onion" because it's wrapped in Yellow and Green plastic like a bag of flavoured potato crisps. It's tasty, uses British terminology and it fills a gap, too. Good for enough for anyone who needs a flavour of medicine that doesn't go stale.

"Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine" is an excellent Medicine handbook for medical students. It provides a comprehensive, essential and easily accessible information of Clinical Medicine. It is extremely useful when using on the wards. It also has blank pages for writing your personal notes in each items.

I was most interested in what the Pope had to say about other religions, especially Buddhism (being a Buddhist, I suppose this is natural). Since I am not Catholic I will leave aside any evaluation of the rest of the material--Catholics, and many Christians, will no doubt be inspired and educated by what the Pope says, and that is all well and fine. But I think it is interesting that people (in this case Catholics/Christians) turn to a member of their own religion to get information and explanation of some other religion. Would you, after all, go to a biologist to get an explanation of physics, or to a chess player for an explanation of black jack? As irrational (and, indeed, absurd) as it seems, this is rather a popular past time among Christian writers, and now the Pope has joined the fray. Since I would contend that I know and understand Buddhism considerably better than the Pope (I have been a student of the subject for almost 20 years) I can only say this: a criticism or critique of something, a subject or whatever, is only meaningful if the person doing the critiquing has both knowledge and understanding of his/her subject. Yet the Pope's knowledge is obviously second hand. Has he, for example, ever gone on a vipassana retreat, or read--with proper guidance--any Buddhist scriptures? I would guess not. Consequently, his understanding is at best, misguided, and at worst quite distorted. If it were not, I should--as someone knowledgeable of the subject of Buddhism--be able to concur with his statements as both factual and meaningful descriptions of the Buddha's Teaching. But I cannot, and therefore must dismiss the Pope's writing on Buddhism as inane babble. In fact, so obviously prejudiced is the Pope on the subject, that (and here I am going to step out on a limb) he reveals himself as not only a deeply prejudiced individual lacking in sound judgement, but as also a rather shallow intellect. The Pope, far from being infallible as some of his followers like to claim, is quite human and quite fallible and--dare I say it--has more than just a bit of hatred for things he does not even understand. I would expect better from someone who is the spiritual leader of more than a billion people, but then, truth (fortunately) is not a democracy.

This is the best little book on theology one could ever hope to read- Catholic or Protestant. Vittorio Messori (think of him as the Larry King of Italian television) poses the questions and the Pope responds in his own script! It was supposed to be a television interview. The theme is pure and simple and so right-BE NOT AFRAID. From Christmas mystery to Good Friday tragedy to Easter joy, be not afraid- God is there- with us. The first chapter is almost humorous. Vittorio says to the Pope, 'Some people are nervous about you calling yourself the 'Vicar of Christ''. Says the Pope,in so many words, 'Don't worry about it-be not afraid- look at the big picture- trust God- He will see you through'. The whole thing is done with humility and compassion.

Crossing the Threshold is a very interesting treatise from the Holy See written in the form of an interview, where the Pope explains his views of various Christian beliefs - including his belief in God, his views of non-Christian and non-Catholic faiths, and Mariology. His views appear to negate the claims put forth by anti-Catholics and tend to look to the new millennium with hope instead of fear.

An important message in this book is reiterated strongly by JPII's pontificate: Be not afraid. Great advice from probably the greatest Pope we've had in a long time.

I am not a particularly religious or spiritual person but in the last few years the persona of the pope has long impressed me,but he too has fallen under harsh judgements from the media, fellow catholics and at times it would seem just about everyone. for a long time I wondered if he too was just another religious celebrity and that his gestures and words meant nothing. however after reading this book I felt a change of heart, there are some truly good people in this world , and their actions need not be extraordinary or special. It would seem that his entire life has been an example of how the little things we do for one another can mean so much. As one previous reader mentioned it will change your life, and i think it has,at least for me.

hope that other readers out there feel the same way yahoo from Canada

I found this book very informative on the Pope, who has always been a hero of mine. It was very indepth and historical. Although it was not negative about the Pope it did seem to contain some incorrect statments on the views of catholics and the teachings of the Church. I felt it was assumed that catholics are, in general, negative towards Jews. I have always been a believing catholic and have never thought of Jews as "Christ Killers" or anything like that. I have never found anything in Catholic teaching that would support those views, most of these from writings from before John Paul II. Usually I read that we are all personally guilty of the crucifiction by our own sins. Over all it was a good and worthwhile reading.

This is a fabulous book. I am neither Catholic nor Jewish, but I was fascinated by the depth of the man we all call Pope. I had no idea of his personal journey, and the breadth of his goodness. Too many times, we don't look beyond the title and the robes. This is truly a saintly man.

This is a page-turner. I couldn't put it down. In a way,it resembles the Cardinal, a pre-Vatican II look at an Irish American priest who rises to the highest levels of the American Church. Timothy Mulrennan, however, lives in a different era and experiences some of the pivotal issues of the second half of 20th century America and the post-Vatican II Church. He is a totally sympathetic character and his humanity and compassion shine through. It is not a far-fetched account. The present pope experienced the traumas of Europe during an earlier period and reacted with similar courage. This book has two moving encounters involving Karol Wojtyla and Tim Mulrennan. If you follow Church affairs, this is a must read. As a Catholic, I would want the next pope to be someone like Tim Mulrennan. He is a moderate liberal who has a great affection for the present pontiff. Not an intellectual, but a man of action, he grapples with difficult issues and follows his conscience. Yet he is Catholic to the core and loyal to his vows. There are characters in the Church who pale in comparison with him and who he ultimately confronts. The book presents a series of flashbacks while Cardinal Mulrennan is in the conclave to elect a successor to the late pontiff. Mulrennan has enemies; people who lack his love and faith. But he also has friends, who are well-positioned and who share his vision of the church. This book is inspiring and beautiful and one terrific read.

I only take the time to write about a book if I hate it or love it. I loved this one. Conclave is one of those 'It's way past time to go to sleep but I can't put this down' books. I loved getting to peek behind the doors of the Vatican to see the inner workings of the church. I also cared about these characters, even the villians. It was a bit like the television series 'West Wing' only with priests rather than politicians. The main character, an American Cardinal, was especially engaging. Intensely spiritual but with feet of clay, a leader but reticent to lead, possessed of both great pride and great humility, he was a complex and surprising character. I was sorry to part company with him at the end of the book, but if any story deserves a sequel, it's this one. When the next real-life conclave occurs (in the not so distant future I expect) I'm going to feel like I have an insider's track. And perhaps life will end up imitating art. Treat yourself to this book - it's excellent.

Once I picked up the book, I could not put it down. I cannot wait for the sequel. I have been trying to come up with the just the right things to say about this book, but it has been hard to put into words all the emotions I experienced while reading it. By page 33 I had cried twice. I guess that growing up in the same enviornment as characters of the book and experiencing many of the same things in life, I identified so much with their joys, pain and sorrows. Mr. Tobin has given us a wonderful and soulfull trip into both the past and the present life within the higherarchy of the Catholic Church. The timeing of the release of this book is right on the money. I am one who questions many things and prays that the future of our church will respond to all people of the world. The selection of our next Pope will be the single most important decission of the new millenium. Having read this book I feel that I will have a greater knowledge and feeling of participation in the process. I will pray for those in the Conclave.

My son and I found this book to be sensible without being pedantic, and written in a pleasant, readible style. It was the key resource in his college search. Pope clearly favors small colleges and makes his case well. Because of Pope's recommendations, my son is now loving his experience in a small liberal arts school. We can only thank our lucky stars when we hear his friends tell stories of huge lecture hall classes and almost slum-like high rise dormitories at their big schools. Choose the trendy, big-name schools if you want, but please, not until you've read Pope's insights about small liberal arts schools. (And don't miss the reprinted news article he closes with.)

The two books by Loren Pope changed the way we looked at college for our daughter and led to successful admission with generous financial aide with a school we would have overlooked. As caring parents who spent too many years connected to higher education, (mostly at large schools), these two books redirected the college search towards smaller, nurturing liberal arts colleges that also provide merit based financial aide; no longer did we consider college factories or schools with unjustified high reputations without commensurate attention to teaching. Of the 12(!)College guides we read, the two from Loren Pope were the best and directly changed our daughter's life for the better. These are a must read.

This book, and Loren Pope's other book "40 Colleges That Change Lives," were key factors in college selection for the seventh of our childen to attend college. Without Pope's wisdon she would probably be at a top-name university which is best suited for graduate students, and not the community of learning of a small liberal arts school. What's more, she was offered merit scholarships (not need-based) from 7 of the 8 schools on Pope's list of 40 to which she applied. (The so-called "top" universities give very few merit-based scholarships). She is in her second year at the College of Wooster, and I believe that she is happier and receiving a better college experience than she would have at Duke, where she was also accepted. The only drawbacks are that very few have heard of these excellent small liberal arts schools, and the nearly-universal "conventional wisdom" fails to recognize the important truths that Loren Pope's books explain. When our sixth child was ready to attend college, I suggested one of these schools for her to consider. Neither she nor her friends nor siblings had heard of it. Therefore she would not even consider it. Neither of the two of Pope's books mentioned above had yet been published. This book will give you new insights!

I read this book in a last minute panic for my term paper on John Paul II. It was extremely helpful. Most of the authors got at the reasons behind the pope's positions on moral and political issues. They did a fine job showing how the Pope's view of Christ or of the law or the person influences his positions on abortion or on economics. My complaint though is that the book seems very tilted toward the right. These Jesuit authors don't seem very typical of the Jesuits I know in my college and in my parish. The authors don't seem open to any real changes in the church. Although the intro talks about theoilogical pluralism, I think that most of the authors probably find Ratzinger too liberal.

This is an impressive book on the moral thought of John Paul II. The Jesuits write with verve about the moral views of the pope. The viewpoints go from liberal to conservative. The most interesting chapters talk about how the Pope's moral theory affects the political activism of the church.

There's a lot of uninformed controversy over the moral teaching of John Paul II. Finally, a group of Jesuits (who else?) have clearly explained the teaching of the pope. This is a very fine study of the Pope's teachings on controversial issues: family planning, economics, religion and politics. There is a wide range of opinions, but most authors clearly support the Pope.

I read Twister on Tuesday

I thought it was good
The history is two kids (Jack and Henna) going a school. In the school have four students the house is a twister class.
The tornado is going to the school so Jack and Henna run for they house.

I think kids of eleven years old like this book because it's nice.
I recommend this book because it's nice.

The Magic Tree House is a very imaginative series of books. Jack and Annie are seven and eight year olds who find a magical tree house in the forest. The tree house allows them to travel to travel to different places and time periods by reading book s found in the tree house. In this particular story #23, they travel to the prairies in the 1870's. They are on a quest that began in book #21 to find the third of four kinds of writing to help save Camelot. On the paries they, learn first hand, how wagon trains were used, how one room school houses were used, how grasshoppers cause problems on the praires and the most important lesson they learn in the story is how important storm cellars and dugouts were! This is a great book to read while learning about the 1870's, prairie lands and weather. The back of each book also includes facts about twisters, pioneer life on the prairie and poineer school books. The illustrations used in this book are essential for understanding vocabulary if you haven't discussed wagon trains, dugouts and one room schools with your class. This is a very infomative book and keeps 6- 9 year olds avidly reaading and listening.

This story was about a boy named Jack who is eight years old and his sister Annie who is seven years old. In the first book thay find a magic tree house in the woods. They find out that if they point to a book cover, that is where they will go. Mary Pope has written more books in this series. In Twister on Tuesday, Jack and Annie land in front of a schoolhouse and soon a giant twister appears. Read to find out what happens. My favorite part is when they ate frozen potatoes.

After reading the speculative and often fanciful calumnies of "Hitler's Pope" it is natural for a reader to hope that this work will provide a sweeping response. It does not.

This book is factual -- but not analytical, historical, or contextual. As a result, a reader bogs down in detail. The book does a good job of showing the tiny details that made up the Vatican's work against Hitler and for peace. The book lacks a critical overview.

Given that it is clear and demonstrable that the Vatican was for peace in World War II, the next question is one of effectiveness. Pius was a diplomat. This book does not explore whether a diplomat was the proper and best Church leader during this troubled time.

It is sad that there is any need for this debate, over whether the Vatican helped Jews "to the best of it's ability". The answer is of course, yes and no! No human organization is perfect.

A better question is, did Pius do his best as a man -- and the answer is yes, as this book proves -- and did he do his best as a Pope -- and the answer is no, because his skills and talents were not those of a moral leader, or a symbolically attuned leader. When the Church needed a John Paul II, they instead had a quiet force for good. Sometimes that is enough; here it might have been, barely, for many hundreds of thousands saved by the Church. But it was not enough for millions of others, who were not saved, and probably could not have been short of American armored divisions. That is an unsatisfying answer, but a true one.

This book builds details, in layers, like a bird building a nest. It is a frustrating book to read. The facts accrete, and in the end one is left seeing the disgusting and weak job of character assassination done in "Hitler's Pope". But the reader also wishes for a better story telling style. The reader also wishes for more cogently stated ammunition against the Pope haters, such as they are.

The real word on the Pope, World War II, and the moral obligations of the Papacy -- that story has yet to be told, as a story. This book will be a good resource to some future writer who wants honesty, facts, and can use them to tell the story.

What the Vatican Archives Really Say About Pope Pius XII

This is adapted from my review published in the New Oxford Review (February 2000).

The author working with three other Jesuit scholars conducted research in the Vatican archives and helped produce 11 volumes of documents with the French title, Actes et documents du Saint Siege relatifs a la Seconde Guerre Mondiale (Actes). In the introduction to his book, Father Blet observes that these 11 volumes have often "escaped the attention of many who speak and write about the Holy See during the war." Indeed, of 677 citations in John Cornwell's Hitler's Pope, only 21 cite the Actes. Blet's near-exclusive use of primary sources is very impressive, and it gives his arguments substantial credibility. The Actes along with published collections of diplomatic documents from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy provide a clear and balanced portrait of Pope Pius XII during World War II. Blet shows that the Vatican consistently opposed the persecutions and deportations of Jews in many Nazi-occupied and Axis countries. In Slovakia, which was headed by an anti-Semitic Catholic priest, the Vatican officially protested the anti-Jewish laws and deportations. Vatican Secretary of State Luigi Cardinal Maglione frequently instructed the Vatican's diplomatic representatives in Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Italy, and even Germany to intervene on behalf of endangered Jews. On October 30, 1941, Cardinal Maglione encouraged the papal nuncio in France to intervene with the Vichy regime in order to soften the application of the anti-Semitic laws. The nuncio's protest against the deportations of French Jews in August 1942 received international attention. Blet also refutes the myth that the Vatican did nothing to stop the arrests of Roman Jews in October 1943. As soon as Pius XII heard of the arrests, he had Cardinal Maglione make a strong protest with the German Ambassador. The Pope also ordered Bishop Alois Hudal, the rector of the German Catholic Church in Rome, to protest the arrests with the German Military Governor of Rome. Along with these protests, thousands of Jews found shelter in Catholic convents, monasteries, and the Vatican itself. In response to the deportations of Hungarian Jews in June 1944, the Pope personally addressed an open telegram to Hungarian Regent Nicholas Horthy, and urged him to spare "so many unfortunate people" from "further afflictions and sorrows." The Holy Father's intervention along with those of the Red Cross, the King of Sweden, and President Franklin Roosevelt brought a temporary halt to the deportations. When the deportations resumed in October, the papal nuncio in Hungary, acting on orders from Rome, continued to make protests.(Unfortunately, Blet omits other Vatican interventions on behalf of Jews in Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Poland, Lithuania, and even Japan.) Important Jewish leaders and organizations such as Chief Rabbi Miroslav Freiberger of Zagreb, Croatia, Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog of Jerusalem, Chief Rabbi Alexander Shafran of Bucharest Romania, Chaim Barlas of the Jewish Agency, the World Jewish Congress, and the American Jewish Committee often expressed their gratitude to Pius XII. If the Pope did little or nothing to help the Jews and sympathized with the Nazis, then why did so many Jews in nearly every part of the world praise him on so many occasions? Along with helping Jews, the Vatican assisted prisoners of war and other civilians. In 1941 and 1942, the Vatican helped alleviate the famine in Greece during the Nazi occupation. As Father Blet writes, "The very mass of documents by itself stands as an eloquent testimony of the intensity of the care that the pope showed on behalf of the human problems that the war brought throughout the world." As for which side the Pope favored, Blet notes that in the early months of 1940, the Pope acted as an intermediary between a group of German generals who wanted to overthrow Adolf Hitler and the British government. Unfortunately, the conspiracy never went forward. Vatican critics such as Saul Friedlander and Guenther Lewy often explain the Pope's "silence" by suggesting that he saw the Nazis as a "bulwark" against the Soviet Union. In fact, Pius XII indirectly assisted the Soviet Union during the war. In response to diplomatic appeals made by President Franklin Roosevelt in the fall of 1941, Pius XII agreed that American Catholics could support the extension of the Lend-Lease program to the Soviets. While the Vatican always condemned Communism, the Pope had nothing but paternal sentiments for the Russian people. Along these lines, the extension of Lend-Lease to the Soviets could be morally justified because it helped the Russian people, who were the innocent victims of Nazi aggression. The Pope also rebuffed Fascist demands to publicly bless the invasion of the Soviet Union. Instead of embracing the Nazis, Pius XII strongly opposed their persecution of his Church in Germany and the occupied countries. In January 1940, he ordered Vatican Radio to broadcast Polish Cardinal August Hlond's reports on the persecution of the Catholic Church in Poland. These reports gave independent confirmation to media reports about Nazi atrocities, which were previously dismissed as Allied propaganda. Blet neglects to mention that these broadcasts also described atrocities against Jews. Unlike many historians and journalists, Blet discusses what Pius XII actually said in public, and how his statements were greeted by both sides. Throughout the war, the Pope insisted that an important condition for a "just and honorable peace " was the protection of all "ethnic minorities." In speech after speech, he also warned the occupying powers that they would face God's wrath if they failed to treat all civilians with justice, charity, and humanity. In his 1942 Christmas message, Pope Pius XII spoke of the "hundreds of thousands of people who, without any fault of their own and sometimes because of their nationality or race alone, have been doomed to death or to progressive extermination." Unlike most critics, who dismiss these words as vague, the Reich Central Security Office (R.H.S.A.) concluded that the Pope "virtually accuses the German people of injustice toward the Jews. . ." On June 2, 1943, Pius XII once again spoke of persons "because of their nationality or their race . . . destined, even without fault on their part, to the threat of extermination." Blet successfully demolishes the allegations against Pope Pius XII, showing that he did a lot to help the Jews, did speak out and opposed the Nazis in every possible way. At a time when attempts to derail Pope's forthcoming beatification are intensifying, both Catholics and non-Catholics can finally educate themselves about this controversy by consulting Father Blet's extraordinary book. When asked about his predecessor in 1998, Pope John Paul II referred reporters to Father Blet's work.

Meticulous presentation of the thousands of efforts undertaken by Pius XII to save the lives of Jews and Christians during World War II. Rather than engaging in armchair psychology (a la Cornwell), Blet overwhelms the reader with bald evidence of the Pope's exhastive efforts to help the persecuted. The work should lay to the rest the calumny concerning Pope Pius XII in World War II, but this calumny never had anything to do with the facts.

This book provides a huge amount of evidence primarily using Scripture and the Church fathers to show the Catholic position on the papacy. There is much detail, but the book was very readable. The author has well documented this account with extensive footnotes. Very useful. I actually preferred his previous book, Crossing the Tiber, because it told of his personal conversion, as well as had detailed Scripture and patristic quotes on the Eucharist and Baptism. (Three books in one.)

Matthew 16:18 has long been one of the most disputed verses in Scripture between Catholics and Protestants. From the Catholic perspective, this verse points to the office of the Pope where Jesus grants divine authority to Peter and his successors. Obviously, this interpretation does not sit well for Protestants who deny this authority. But do Protestants correctly interpret this verse as well as other verses regarding the Papacy? The answer is no and this book will explain why. The office of the Pope will come alive for you as the author takes you through the Old and New Testaments as well as the writings of the earliest Christians outside of biblical times. The author left no STONE unturned (pardon the pun) as he methodically destroys any attempt to disprove the Papacy in Scripture. An insightful book and a must read for both Protestants and Catholics. Reviewed by Gospel Truth.

Stephen K. Ray does an excellent job of presenting the scriptural and historical case for the papacy. He writes clearly and well. I would like to make a point about a book mentioned in the review by the Eastern Orthodox gentleman, namely Brian Tierney's "The Origins of Papal Infallibility". Moved by that review I read Tierney's book. Brian Tierney, though a good scholar, has an axe to grind, specifically a liberal Catholic axe. I am surprised that an Eastern Orthodox person would commend the arguments of Tierney, since Tierney obviously is against not just PAPAL infallibility, but ALL infallibility, including the infallibility of Ecumenical Councils and the infallibility of the Church herself, both of which doctrines are believed in by the Eastern Orthodox. Tierney, as a liberal, does not believe that the Church can definitively commit herself to truths. In other words, he rejects the possibility of dogma. Essentially his position is that of Hans Kung.

The mistake that this Eastern Orthodox reviewer makes illustrates a basic problem with attempts to interpret the historical evidence in an Eastern Orthodox or Anglican way: these via media are self-destructive, as Newman realized. The Orthodox accept the hierarchical authority of bishops and the infallibility of Ecumenical Councils. But the scriptural evidence and the evidence from the ante-Nicene Fathers is stronger for the papacy than for the authority of Ecumenical Councils. One can pick holes in the evidence for the papacy, but only by using arguments that ultimately can be used even more effectively against other doctrines that the Orthodox would wish to uphold. Protestants have the same problem: the same arguments that are used against the papacy can be turned even more effectively against the New Testament. To return to Ray's book, I recommend it very highly.

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that as a junior literature major, this is the first time I have ever read The Iliad all the way through. Though I can't compare the Rouse translation to others, I can say a few words based on my perception of it. First, you'll notice that it is a prose, not poetry. This did not hinder the experience for me, but individual readers may wish to experience this classic the other way. I found it to be much easier reading than I expected, with the central characters easy to remember and follow. The story clips along rapidly and is rarely boring. The introduction states that much of the repetition that would be necessary for oral storytelling has been removed for the benefit of the reader, which I found to be a positive. However, there is still plenty of repetition of certain phrases ("and darkness covered his eyes" or "rattling armor" come to mind) and there is no shortage long lineages or lists of previously anonymous characters killed in battle. Still, it is worthwhile to get to know Homer and this seems like a reasonable translation to begin with.

I am a retired high school and college instructor who taught the Iliad many times at both levels. The Rouse version was always my translation of choice, and it was enormously successful. The complaints (or halfhearted commendations here) miss the point. Most seem to think that Rouse's "plain English" version is a diminution of the original. All translations are! Rouse merely eliminated many epithets and repetitions (necessary in the meter of the poem and unnecessary in prose). But Rouse is extremely accurate within his chosen limits and the result is a brilliant achievement: a fast-moving text (as is the original) that is colloquial where appropriate, noble sithout being stuffy when nobility is called for; the result is an always ongoing, rapidly moving narrative told in vivid, sinewy prose that simply hurtles you along. It does not attempt to give the more complex reading experience that Fitzgerald and Lattimore and Fagles achieve in their superb verse translations; but these are best reserved for second . . .or 17th readings, once the complex story and relations between characters are mastered. And indeed, none of the more famous verse translations (Pope's is to be avoided: it's a beautiful Augustan poem, not Homer)--none come close to Rouse's focused and frightening rendering of Achilles' on the battlefield, once he goes into action. In short, Rouse is in spirit thoroughly "Homeric"--by turns racy and funny, savage, noble, ultimately tragic as, e.g., the dreadful Victorian versions of Butler and Lang, Leaf, & Myers are not and should be avoided). Even with the small point-size in which the text was set, Rouse's Homer is not just a bargain: it's a treasure bought at a small price.

I have been reading two translations of Homer's Iliad over the past several weeks: Robert Fagles' 1990 translation and Alexander Pope's 1743 translation. I have read the two translations in tandem, one "book" at a time. I first read Mr Fagle's translation, then the notes of Mr Pope, and finally his translation. I would call this one of the finest reading experiences of my life. I read both translations out-loud, or at least in a whisper. This winter-time reading experience has been, for me, a labor of love, a stimulating intellectual experience, a study in contrasts, and a return to the sources of Western Literature. I find Homer as fascinating as Alexander Pope claims him to be. Although his long narrative describes only a few days of the ten years war between Greece and Troy, he makes it interesting by his variety of metaphors, his close description of characters, and his attention to detail. Every man who dies is a person, with family, friends, history, and personality. Some are likeable, others are not; but in any case there are no ciphers in Homer's war. I am fascinated too by the developing theological issues of this six century BCE civilization. We might have to worship these meddlesome gods and their All-powerful Zeus, but do we always have to respect them? They seem to be all too human. In fact, the gods themselves seem to be trapped in an eternally frustrating struggle. Zeus is condemned to defend his sovereignty against a panoply of gods who must always resent his authority. Meanwhile, he is lonely, and he cannot stop himself from occasionally confiding in "that bitch" his sister and wife, Hera. She reminds me of a woman in a recent movie who said "Sometimes being a bitch is the only way a woman can save her self-respect." (Or something to that effect.) "Hera" represents that eternally angry woman who will not and cannot buckle under male domination. I find myself being grateful to this western tradition which has honored and preserved the memory of Homer and kept these ancient books in tact. I grieve at the thought of ancient celtic, african, and native american epics that have been lost or so badly mangled that they cannot be restored. I understand that there has been an enormous flurry of excitement over Mr Fagles' translation and I am certainly caught up in it as well. He tells these stories with excitement and conviction; they are as plausible and coherent today as they must have been to the privileged listeners who sat at the feet of Homer. But I am also grateful to Penguin Press who last year celebrated their 50th anniversary by republishing this magnificent translation by Alexander Pope. I only wish more of the reading public had heard about the celebration. I hate to admit that I was an indifferent student in college. I had other things on my mind. But now, in my middle years, I am glad to have the time and opportunity, to curl up with two great translations of Homer's Iliad on a winter's evening, to discover again the joy of reading superb English.