as fine a writer as england has produced since the second world war. these plays represent bond simply and completely, as a man of passion and vision and a writer that any reader or writer MUST reckon with if they wish to have an understanding of modern drama. genius, and handed out when the word is knowingly overused. here it is earned.

If you are considering the plays of Bond there is no better place to start than here, at the beginning of his career. This volume contains his first three plays. Whether you have seen thse works performed or not is irrelevant. Just reading them is an interesting experience. This is essential modern literature! Bond's introductions (to all the volumes of his collected plays) are also essential. They have a socialist leaning but are not too preachy. Bond's self-educated working-class position gives his articulate essays a powerful punch. (A punch modern society needs.) I would buy these volumes just for these introductions, they are that good!

After this, go on to PLAYS:TWO for the brilliant LEAR.

If you are married, planning on becoming married, or know someone who is, this book is a must-have. Beyond Expectations is written with raw honesty, from the heart of a woman who knows what she is talking about. This book is as real as it gets, from the anguish we share with the author to her triumphs. If you can read this book and feel nothing, you're made of stone. I myself am not easily moved when I read, but this book touched me, reached my heart like few books have. I learned volumes about myself, as a woman and a wife. I felt guided through the pages, never pushed; the author wasn't sharing her knowledge from a pulpit, but as a friend sitting beside me. And though I've read the book cover to cover, time and time again I find myself flipping back through the pages when I need inspiration again. I urge you to not only read Beyond Expectations: Finding Joy In Your Marriage, but to give it as THE gift to every new or up-and-coming bride. They will thank you. Trust me, they will.

I have read several books for wives and how they can help save their marriages and bring more joy to their marriage. This book has it all! You get so many tools out of the book to actually use. Nancy Meyer helps you to look at yourself and to start there. My husband already can see a difference in me and how I relate to him. I understand him SO MUCH more now! WOW!!! I needed this book 14 years ago. It is POWERFUL!

This Subject is rarelyseen and, unfortunately , too rarely understood

This Subject is rarelyseen and, unfortunately , too rarely understood

I found this collection of guitar pieces for Bach quite eloquent. Mr. Harris presents a well-organized collection that I found easy to follow. His textual analysis preceeding the sheets offers expert guidelines for playing Bach on guitar--something many classical musicians may never have considered. In reality, I'm just putting in a good word for my brother. This book genuinely expands the cannonical concept of the classical guitar.

bach and the guitaar are made for eachother. even though he didn't write anything for guitar, it just fits

My five year-old is not a big reader. So, I was very excited when I saw this book at the school Book Fair. He sat with me the whole time, asking questions about the pictures. The storyline is very simple. The Lego people are building a bridge. The Brickster robs a nearby bank and hides in the crane bucket, where he gets trapped when the crane breaks down. Brickster has to be rescued by the fire department. The Lego people finish their bridge and everybody lives happily ever after, except for Brickster.

If your 4-year-old is into Legos, be prepared to read this four or five times a day. The pictures are excellent and illustrate all the action of the City Center set. Our one complaint is that Lego does not make the Brickster character from the book which is essential in playing out the action in the book. We made do with an extra construction worker standing in for the Brickster. We love this book. It is a perfect companion for the City Center Lego set.

Joshua Rifkin's revolutionary thesis about one voice per part performances of Baroque choral works actually began from his studies of 17th century German music, notably Henrich (sic) Schütz. But it was only when he began to argue that the principle may also apply to the immortal JSB, that he provoked the ire of musicians and musicologists. Essays on the subject by Rifkin and his opponents, including Robert Marshall and Christoph Wolff, have been tossed backwards and forwards in various scholarly journals for over twenty years now. Thus Andrew Parrott does Bach lovers a great service by mustering all the relevant evidence into one handsome and well-written book.

That Bach's normal practice was to employ solo voices in his cantatas, passions and oratorios should now be considered beyond serious scholarly dispute. Of course, it is perfectly legitimate for conductors to say, as does Philippe Herreweghe, that they simply like the sound of a full choir in Bach, without pretending that this conforms to Bach's own practice. What is less attractive is the efforts of others, such as Ton Koopman, to defend what is merely a personal preference by belittling the Rifkin/Parrott discoveries.

Among Bach conductors, Rifkin and Parrott themselves were the first to put the theory into practice in concerts and recordings. Lately they have been joined by Jeffrey Thomas (Koch), Sigiswald Kuijken (DHM), Konrad Junghänel (Harmonia Mundi), Daniel Taylor (Atma) and, most recently, Paul McCreesh, whose single voice recording of the St Matthew Passsion (DGG Archiv) is a revelation. Parrott's book is intellectually convincing; these recordings are aesthetically and emotionally compelling.

Andrew Parrott's wonderful volume is the culmination of many years study and practical application of J. S. Bach performance practice. Many of the conclusions are not new, but follow from the work of Josua Rifkin, made more compelling with easily grasped, definitive scholarship. It is past time for the modern choirmaster and music director to seriously reconsider those grand scale performances, and hear Bach anew, intimate, expressive, and no less powerful.

I usually buy Lonely Planet guides but have been getting bored with their formulaic structure so I thought I'd give Footprint a try. On the whole, I thought the guide was quite well-written. I also liked the organization of the book (better than Lonely Planet) -- beginning with a brief overview of the regions, highlights and possible itineraries, following with essential information and regional listings and ending with the background info (history, culture, wildlife) that you can read after the rush to organize a trip or while you're on the road.

The information is ample, there are many maps throughout with impressive amounts of detail, and it's a reasonable size and is durable and well-bound. The only drawback is the limited number of photos... but Namibia is so gorgeous, you'll have plenty of your own!

The Namibia handbook is a very useful, up-to-date travelguide, giving you all the necessary information. The size is ideal for backpackers and the hardback prevents the book from damaging. All hotels, restaurants, camp-sites, safari-companies etc. are mentioned, together with their telephone-numbers and if available, a short description based on travel experiences by earlier readers of the book.

The recipes are wonderful and easy to prepare and ladled with delicious humor. These women certainly know how to make you laugh and also prepare a mean meal. I am buying some as gifts for some of my girlfriends in need of happier yet less healthy and durable husbands. This book shows you that cooking can be fun, even if your husband is not...

You'll die laughing and kill him with kindness if you actually prepare these ethnically excellent recipies. The perfect gift for a newlywed planning ahead or for adding spice to an old relationship. Delicious humor makes cooking fun!

I would begin with a word of caution - this is extremely deep, intense reading, not a devotional book (as "Easter eyes" might be taken to imply.) It is a work where one must read each paragraph carefully, often more than once, to receive the full impact. In doing so, one may see its clear brilliance.

Allison's exploration of original sin is especially striking because he re-interprets this doctrine as taking its meaning from the resurrection. He lays his groundwork by explaining concepts set forth by Rene Girard, then applies this to Christology and soteriology, moving on to explore much of human nature and how theologians of past eras have dealt with similar approaches. I do not wish to expound, not wanting to spoil the material for new readers, but his treatment of the topic had me nearly shouting "Eureka!" every ten pages or so. It is a highly useful work, not only for those specifically interested in theological anthropology, but to anyone wishing a clearer picture of the human condition and relation to God.

This is not a book for a brief meditation or weekend retreat, but, for those interested in an enlightening, original, in depth study, it is quite amazing. The blend of scholarship and insight is a rare treat.

René Girard has been called the Copernicus of the human sciences, but up till now his popularity among social scientists is limited. In order to experience how well Girard's mimetology works in different scientific areas, we are in need of theorists who attempt to apply Girard's ideas to theology, psychology, literary sciences and so on. James Alison is some one who does so in the area of biblical exegesis. Alison's is a very thorough work, eloquent in its argument and truthful to the spirit of Girard's main ideas.

While some students use review books or online resources for the medicine clerkship, I've found this text to be a great resource. Information is clearly presented in small easy to digest chapters. The CD-ROM is a great bonus for board review. This is the type of book that I'll keep as a reference regardless of the specialty I go into.

This paperback book covers the entire knowledge of Internal Medicine in just 1000 pages. It is up to date and extremely readable. It is full of illustrations and tables which make comprehension and retension easy. It is a great buy.