I loved this book, I felt as if I was there writing the book as it happened,rather than reading the book years after it happened.

but just as good. This book is an update on Diana since her separation from Charles in 1992 and what the future could hold for Diana as a single woman.

Unfortunately, only a year after her divorce, we got the answer, and it wasn't good.

Without question, this is a book sympathetic to Diana's side, and justifiably so. The grey-suited eunuchs of Buckingham Palace have never done the monarchy a favor by meddling in the marriages of the royal family. Morton tells the tale of Diana, her remarkable courage and resourcefulness, and her feelings of alienation, in the face of a smear campaign that would have shriveled us lesser mortals. Diana is a flawed, but nevertheless feeling, human being who did not deserve the ill treatment she received at the hands of her prince and his minions. This is an interesting book to read in light of what's happened since the book's publication in 1994. One can believe that Diana's death may not have been an accident.

I almost gave it 2 stars but decided in all fairness it did deserve 3. After all the reason I didn't like the book is that it was very dry, a lot of facts, and Anne isn't mentioned in ways that allow you to get a lot of info on her, as herself.
However, it DOES say it's a cultural biography so my disappointment is my own fault.
I wouldn't reccomend it for anyone looking for a biography or for light reading. However if your looking for info on Anne, you'll have to make do since there are very few other resources on her.

A biography of Anne of Denmark, wife of King James VI of Scotland and I of England, is hard to come by. Those who read this book expecting a conventional biography might well be disappointed.

The author points out, however, that this is not intended to be a biography, but a "cultural biography." What this amounts to is an extended essay arguing that Anne, far from being the shallow and flighty woman described by most historians, was actually an intelligent, ambitious woman determined to make her mark on the politics and the culture of her day. It is an interesting argument, if not an entirely convincing one.

Some of the arguments fall flat, such as the author's insistence that the hysterical temper tantrum that triggered a life-threatening miscarriage was an example of the queen's resolve and power. Despite the occasional jarring note, an interesting pattern does emerge, revealing Anne as something more than the frivolous queen who glorified herself with extravagent masques (allegorical plays with elaborate costumes, scenery, music and dancing.) Despite the stated focus on the "cultural biography," what I found most interesting was the political turmoil Anne managed to create during her years in Scotland.

The author makes extensive use of primary sources in the 170 page essay. The notes are interesting, but for some reason, the author declined to include a bibliography. Some might find the frequent intrusion of the author's voice to be irritating. Observations such as these abound: "I have saved for this final chapter..."; "I will be arguing..."; "It is apparent to me that..." But since this is consistent with the author's style and stated purpose, this pattern is easier to overlook than it would have been in a conventional biography.

Recommended for serious students of Jacobean history and culture.

While the author did present good sound background and structure to understanding the angel financing market, I wish I had known beforehand that much of the information was based on experiences in Britain, not the U.S. I would not have purchased this book -- especially at its price. Many of the tables and references were in pounds, not dollars, and entities British, which required translation. I just couldn't relate beyond the basics. Sorry. Not my cup of tea!

F.Lee

This book illuminates the vital role played by Business Angels in today's venture capital markets. I think writing style is as important as content when you are addressing a professional audience. This book gets A+ on both counts. The Informal Venture Capital Market by Moore and Coveney should be required reading for entrepreneurs and private investors. William E. Wetzel, Jr. Director Emeritus Center for Venture Research University of New Hampshire

If you want to know every detail about diplomatic efforts and negotiations surrounding Las Malvinas (Falkland Islands) conflict, this is the right book. But if you are a hard core military history reader, this is not the book for you. The narrative doesn't have the magic to make you feel like you were there. It doesn't trigger the movie in your mind. There are no personal accounts of the soldiers who took part in the action. How they felt, what they saw and what they did. It doesn't have the details of the offensive and defensive actions for the battles. If you have read the books of Stephen E. Ambrose, you will understand what I'm talking about.

This book tells the history of the Malvinas Battle of 1982 between Argentina and Great Britain. The tale of what happened in Buenos Aires, London, Washington and New York as the conflict unfolded is very interesting. Must be read by anyone who wants to have a clear understanding of the Battle and of the political motives behind the actors (Argentina's military junta, Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government and the Reagan Administration).

Amber Wolfe is ignorant of medieval history. As an historian whose focus is the middle ages, I can state unequivocally that Amber Wolfe is completely ignorant of medieval history. She is so obsessed with discrediting the medieval church that one wonders whether her historical blunders are intentional or not. The book is a complete waste of money.

As a student of mysticism and the occult myself I am consistantly astounded by the western mind's inability to integrate the use of the creative, mythic and dynamic imagination with the intellectual capacity to reason.

Those who have given this book a poor review, in my opinion, haven't one whit of experience in magick or pathworking. Pathworking requires trust in subjective expeirence while at the same time taking cues from history and "myth". It isn't one or the other. To make it only imaginal is akin to a daydream while to make one's journeys purely historic is to lose the symbolism and meaning of the "essense" of the material.

The Arthurian Quest by Amber Wolfe is quite good and is a pathworking and magickal system, NOT A HISTORICAL, ACADEMIC WORK! It contains valuable and insightful uses for the myth cycle in a shamanic and magickal manner and merely provides tools, doorways in a manner or speaking, to contacting the currents or powers behind the symbols and stories.

The power of the Arthurian tales (pre-christian celtic) is in the messages and power between the words and what is gained from the pathworking or ritual experience. Without the validation of experience and commitment to the work, the tales are just tales and useful for nothing more than a good story on a cold evening.

There are plenty of speculative "historical" works on the Legends of Arthur and Camelot, but the fact is that they are all speculative. Keep this in mind. Enjoy the tales, do the pathworkings, rituals and visualizations with the mind of a mage or even an Archmage and they won't only make sense, they will get profound results.

In Light and Love.

This is a very useful book. Where Campbell and others have described the factual details and mythical implications of the Celtic Arthurian traditions, "Arthurian Quest" is an organized and descriptive war chest of related tactical tools. The uses for these tools for enhancing one's traditions and psyche, as well as their derivation and historical background, are included and well written.

The book makes no pretence that it contains ancient, secret, mystical information. The historical and mythological data within is well established. The ideas put forth are based on common sense folk wisdom crafted with modern psychology and sociology. It is clearly up to the readers to apply these tools strategically and intelligently to achieve their personal or group goals.

Others have said this book would be for any audience, but beware! Her description of Selkirk's amorous relations with goats is quite distasteful (and the author phrases this fact in the most vulgar way possible, with the f word). You will never look at goats in the same way again.
The story in the book is quite interesting, but the writing could use some work. Maybe it's the use of commas after the subjects that bothered me (such as The author of this book, is named Diana).
Anyway, I'd choose to read the Defoe book again rather than this one.

My, my! I don't think this book deserves the previous scathing attacks ... Ms.Souhami has done us all a favour in this charming book, both Selkirk and the island are the subjects of inquiry. Through diligent research and hands-on experience of the actual island, she conjures up a vision of Crusoe's home which is not too different from the almost idyllic place that Defoe described.

With beautiful, almost poetic prose, the island, its topography, streams, flora, fauna and appearance are described with graphic imagery, taking one THERE in one's mind.

The explorers (mostly privateers) who used the island as a base are also described in great detail, particularly Dampier, with whom Selkirk sailed. Salutary tales of others marooned, barely surviving, precede a description of Selkirk's own marooning, requested in a fit of pique and immediately regretted.
We see how he lived, not too uncomfortably, thanks to his family trade and experience as a seaman, but there are some lurid tales of bestiality - be warned.

We then read, in a protracted sequence, how he is rescued and arrives back in England in glory, then descends into obcurity. His story is taken up and embellished by Daniel Defoe ... The rest is history.

Ms.Souhami visits the island and sees for herself where and how Selkirk might have lived and, as a tail-piece, recounts how conservation authorities are trying to restore the island to its pre-Selkirk condition. ****.

There seems to be the impression that the rush to publish multiple books after a well publicized disaster/achievement/incident is something unique to our time. This desire to cash in has in fact always been with us! This is one of the things that struck me the most as I read this very interesting book. In Selkirk's time when he returned from his 4 year 4 month marooning on an island in the South Pacific off of Chile this is exactly what happened. 3 different people, with varying connections (some rather remote) to Selkirk, raced to publish an account of his extraordinary experience. The veracity of the books varied, and I was amused to read how the authors responded to the pressure of their publishers to emphasize the information about Selkirk on the book's title page, which I get the impression was in those days the blurbs or jacket description to tempt readers into buying. After these 3 books were published Daniel Defoe was inspired to write _Robinson Crusoe_.

I enjoyed _Selkirk's Island_ and think Souhami did a great job piecing together a story based on scant bits and pieces from a variety of sources. She really helps you get a sense of the intense rivalry among England, France, and Spain to dominate the high seas and the ongoing efforts of pirates and privateers to plunder rich galleons. The sailors endured awful hardship and disease. I was also fascinated to find that after the success of _Robinson Crusoe_ Defoe wrote 2 sequels (yes, they even had sequels in those days!) that have been completely forgotten.

I was disappointed, though, with some of the things missing from this book. First, while she emphasized how these authors wrote their accounts of Selkirk's adventure expressly for the money, aside from Defoe's book she never discussed how well the books sold, and whether in fact the authors became wealthy from them. Selkirk is portrayed as being very money-oriented, yet I am surprised why he did not seek to make money from his tale when he saw others doing so. The book is silent on this question. Detailed maps would have helped a great deal in following the action more closely.

I also agree with some of the other reviewers' feelings that Souhami's prose is often pretentious and the book could've used tighter editing. There's also the grievous error of indicating a ship near the Baja peninsular sailing *east* to Guam.

All in all, though, a very enjoyable and recommended read! I am also looking forward to a book being released on May 28, 2002, _In Search of Robinson Crusoe_ by Tim Severin. Severin argues that Selkirk was only a small part of Defoe's inspiration for _Robinson Crusoe_.

Dear editor, I wish to withdraw a review mistakenly sent for this book an hour ago. Regards, L. A.

Not once in the review is New Zealand mentioned. Has someone forgotten what the NZ in ANZAC stands for? Or is this part of the Australian illusion?

The Anzac Illusion represents another addition by E.M. Andrewsto his body of work on Australian foreign relations in the twentiethcentury. This book joins Isolation and Appeasement in Australia: Reactions to the European Crisis 1935-1939, Australia and China: The Ambiguous Relationship, and The Writing on the Wall: British Commonwealth and Aggression in the Far East 1931-1935 as examples of his contributions on the subject. He teaches history at the University of Newcastle in Australia and received grants by the Australian War Memorial and the Australian Research Council to work on this book. Andrews consulted over 700 books, articles, and other words in preparation for The Anzac Illusion. The secondary materials mostly covered either the British or the Australians; the few that did, as Andrews, examine the relationship between the two countries were either journal articles or unpublished theses or dissertations. One also sees that he consulted the papers belonging to most of the key figures mentioned in the book as well as a considerable number of minor players. He has written the book to try to correct what he perceives as biases that occur not only in most histories of World War I but especially in Australian versions of the war. Andrews believes that errors have occured in many of the books written on the period and feels these mistakes stem from several sources. He claims that many times authors base their conclusions on second hand stories or propaganda that do not hold up under scrutiny. Also many works suffer in that they focus too narrowly on one event and also study certain parts of the war without looking at other aspects. In The Anzac Illusion, Andrews studies a narrow issue, the British-Australian relationship, in a broad context that allows him to develop his main idea. The Anzac participation in the Great War benefitted from a great deal of propaganda which resulted in an almost mythological exaggeration of Australian fighting ability. In the book, Andrews debunks those myths and attempts to place Australia's efforts in its proper social, economic, political, and military perspectives. The book begins by describing the relationship between Britain and Australia before the war. Some already posed questions about the nature of the Imperial relationship. Andrews presents the local politicians who have begun to develop concerns separate from Britain, especially on security issues, as a contrast to the new governor-general Munro Ferguson who sought a return to the old style relationship between London and the colony. The first decade of the century showed the widening gulf of opinion as Britain concluded an alliance with Australia's main perceived threat, Japan, then proceeded to pull back the Royal Navy to protect the home islands from the German Empire. However, when war broke out, Australians did volunteer in force to fight an enemy several thousand miles away. The mythmaking begins at Gallipoli when reports filter in about Australian fighting prowess. Andrews goes into detail about the Anzec myth throughout the book, illustrating how it started and spread as well as the reasons why. At the same time, he also tries to give credit where credit is due when the Australians do well, but also put the contributions of the other BEF armies in their proper perspectives as well. He cites the need to bolster relations with Australia and also such words as The Anzac Book that portrayed Australian soldiers as happy and brave, rarely scared or dead. Andrews wrote how the mythmaking irritated others and also gave Australians an inflated sense of their accomplishment, which they sometimes used against their English comrades-in-arms. The author envelops the story of the myth in the context of the British-Australian dichotomy. Each had certain needs that needed met that often went wanting in this period. The war disrupted the prewar economic relations between the two countries. It also awakened the Australians to the question of just how British they really were. It highlighted the differences between the militaries which led to tension. In general the Australians enjoyed more lax discipline, higher pay, and the lack of capital punishment. The war also gave Prime Minister W.M. "Billy" Hughes a chance to forge more freedom of action and develop a voice in imperial affairs although he did not always avail himself of every opportunity. Andrews packs as much information into 274 pages as many historians could not compress into 400. The anecdotes and information come with force, rapidity, apparent accuracy, and excellent readability. The book also paints good pictures of every subject it covers. It portrays the Australian soldiers without trying to burrow inside their heads with too much psychology, giving one an accurate idea about the Anzacs without going too far past what the facts can support. Andrews' conclusions that the Australian soldiers did not match their lofty reputation agrees with historical accounts of other soldiers as well as common sense. The myth that Australians faced the ordeals of the Western Front with a great deal more courage, skill, and fortitude than others served to bolster Australian pride when necessary, but in the long run does not treat fairly the other Allies or the Australian soldiers themselves. That Australians developed a national sense when comparing militaries, societies, and security concerns during this time of overwhelming crisis also seems reasonable. Andrews may be on his most tenuous ground when speculating that the deafness of Hughes played a key role in his sometimes acrimonious relations with others. The Anzac Illusion covers a different patch of ground than most World War I histories. One generally gets the impression of the British Empire as a single voice and a homogenous unit but this book shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that was not so. This concept of strain between Britain and the Dominions does not receive nearly enough mention and can educate the scholar while appealing to the general reader because of the quality and liveliness of the writing. English who liked to believe in the uniformity of Empire may feel distaste, but it actually is a tribute to a government when can keep several nations on separate continents more or less aligned on the same policy through periods of extreme stress and strain. (...) END

I picked this book up in the bookstore one day. The title sounded great. I turned to a section were he discussed using a bodhran (a celtic drum) in a spell and I realized that he must never have tried it himself since a bodhran has at least one or two cross pieces which would make it impossible to use as he described. Maybe I'm picky but I won't buy or recommend a cookbook where I knew the receipes hadn't been kitchen tested. I decided to save my money.

A lot of people hated this book, but I don't think it's that bad...It's a basic guide to the Oghams, Druid sticks & divination using these items. It covers a lot of subjects and is easy for the beginner to understand. I feel that the historical information was pretty sound, as far as I can tell from other books I've read on the subject.
Recommended for beginners.

An excellent book covering several sources of Celtic and Indo-European divination systems. The information on Oghams is quite satifactory to learn and get started. The information of geomancy is indispensible for those interested in the divination, and not the endless rhetoric and lore attributed to the classical ceremonial application. The sky stones are an excellent simple divination tool. (An interesting footer note, in the book the author claims to always carry his sky stones, but when asked in person, he didn't have them. The author is a scholar, not necessarily a widely practiced adept, though this takes nothing away from his work!)

I bought this book even after finding out that it was in modern spelling. I can see that modern spelling would help make the reading of the Wycliffe New Testament easier. But what I do not like is the tampering with the wording of the text. Some of the grammar has been changed into "modern" form and some of the vocabulary has even been changed. Where the original has "clepid" this one says simply "called". Yet many of the Middle English words are retained and then glossed in the margin. Surely anyone interested in the Wycliffe New Testament can understand the meaning of "thou shalt" which in this "modernization" is given as "thou shall" which sounds horrible!! This author, he "am" wrong!!

This edition of Wycliffe's New Testament is advertsed as having contemporary spelling. It seems to me that anyone interested enough in Bibles and Bible versions to consider owning and reading a Wycliffe translation would probably prefer the original spelling rather than the modernized version. Perhaps the editor thought that potential customers would be deterred from buying this Bible unless it presented easier-to-read, updated English spelling in place of the slightly more challenging 14th century renderings. I would disagree. A classic such as this is owned for its historic significance a good deal of which is lost by playing into the hands of indolent readers.

I for one will not buy a copy. There are a couple of places where the person with a passion for different bibles and translations can get a Wycliffe NT in his exact words: try greatsite.com for a facsimile copy or buy an English Hexapla.

The whole trend in modern Bible versions is simplification, effortlessness and catering to those who don't consider the Bible a book worthy of serious deliberation and effort to understand. This edition seems another case in point.

The other reviewers have nit picked this volume because of the word style changes, but make little if any comment on the scripture as to the "spirituals" (i.e., the spiritual aspects). Many of the verses in the King James must be translated "colorfully" or with a hint of obscurity because they generate confusion but are clarified here, PRAISE GOD! I have compared this book to the original Wyclif of the English Hexapla published by Samuel Bagster in England. I have not compared every word, but those which have been compared reveal this New Testament is accurate, and TRUTH (i.e., POWER). This book will help reveal the mysteries of the scriptures to you and HELP everyone come to know WHY Wycliff and his followers faced death for disseminating this material. This book puts the power of the word where it ought to be, in the hands of the believers and not the pastoral elite. BUY THIS BOOK! The "church" for years has created a dependency on them and not the word--just like Caiaphas, just like the Pharisees! The Phariseeic spirit in the church today is rampant and YES this text will throw down that spirit of evil and bring you closer to Jesus who is the word (John 1), and Jesus to you! I amazed at the self appointed editors who throw stones at this book for its "modernization". This "modernization" is NOT like a living bible or NIV feel good, this is the word. Compared to the King James which I highly revere this book unmasks the political creation of even the King James. Yes, even the King James has politically inspired softening of the truth of the word. There is GREAT power in the word and you WILL find it here if you read it. Again, BUY this book!

This is by far the worst book on the UFO craze I have ever read. I'm up to page 100 and have yet to learn anything about this phenomina that I don't already know. It is poorly written and I have fallen asleep twice while reading it. I'm not going to go any further with this one. I feel like I was cheated out of 5 bucks.

Nick Pope's only claim to fame was that he was the civil servant at the MOD charged with the investigation of UFO reports there. A book that reviewed that time, with a look at the processes and in-depth coverage of one or two cases that happened during his time could have been quite entertaining and quaintly British. Unfortunately Pope believes he was not only the best person EVER in his job, but that it also gave him the authority to pronounce sagely on UFO cases through the ages, from Ezekiel to the Roswell film footage. Littered with inaccuracies of all kinds this book is badly written and a huge missed opportunity. In his desire to be sensational he ignores the lure of the mundane, a subject that, as a low ranking civil servant, he is surely most knowledgeable about.

This book should be required reading for anyone even mildly interested in UFOs. In this book, Pope tells us the story of what he himself calls his three year "voyage of discovery" during which he came to the conclusion that the "Extraterrestrial Hypothesis" was the best (and, possibly, the only) explanation for the twenty percent or so of cases that could not be explained otherwise.

To come to this conclusion, however, Pope had to start with an "open mind." Given the title, the reader should be instantly aware that this is not the way most of officialdom approaches this topic. But, Pope does something most Civil Servants would never do: he takes his new responsibility as the Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) UFO Desk Officer SERIOUSLY! He reads into the topic (which shows up clearly in his knowledge of the history of the phenomenon). To extend his capability to investigate sightings, He develops good relations with civilian UFO investigation groups like the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) and QUEST International, and actually shares data with them. Not only that, but Pope actually tries to help and comfort witnesses and abductees. When he says "I'm with the Ministry and I'm here to help you," he actually means it!

So, what we have thus far is an MoD Civil Servant who, after three years of dealing with civilian and military close encounters, has come to the conclusion that some significant percentage of these events involve extraterrestrial craft piloted by some form of extraterrestrial intelligence. I cannot stress how important this publically stated conclusion is. It has, insofar as I can tell, happened only once before and that was in the first edition of Edward Ruppelt's book "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects." In that case, though, so much pressure was placed on Ruppelt's employer that he was forced very quickly to write a second edition with a new chapter that contradicted the conclusion of the previous edition. So far, at least, no such pressure has been placed on Nick Pope. And, that, too, is also extraordinary.

Also like Ruppelt, Pope seems unaware that there may be a UFO cover-up going on in the UK. As we finally learned in America, the best cases never went to Blue Book. Instead, they went directly to Air Intelligence Service Squadrons. And, there is evidence that the best cases in the U.K. did not go to Mr. Pope's office at Whitehall but, instead, went to a secret group at RAF Rudloe Manor in Wiltshire. Yet, despite the evidence, Mr. Pope insists that there is no cover-up in Britain. I am certain that Mr. Pope is not party to one and is not knowingly telling a lie. But, I cannot bring myself to believe that there is none - especially given the close relationship between the U.S. (which seems to follow a strict code of secrecy) and the UK, which would have to agree to follow the same policy if it expected U.S. cooperation and support.

Finally, being objective, Pope broaches the issue no one seems willing to confront. Being a defense analyst, Pope cannot fall in with the "Space Brothers" view of extraterrestrials. He views their deeds objectively, and doesn't like what he sees. They violate our airspace (including restricted military airspace) without our permission. They can, at least at times, completely evade detection by our air defense radar systems. They land on our sovereign territory and proceed to kidnap our citizens and subject them to "medical examinations" that only Dr. Mengele could appreciate. And, last but not least, they kill and mutilate our farm animals and pets in an especially gruesome manner. If people from another nation on earth did all this, we would treat it as an act of war. And so, being logical (another extraordinary trait in a Civil Servant), Pope draws the appropriate conclusion: we are at war right now. According to Pope, it's currently a very secret and quite one-sided war. It's one-sided because we don't seem to know that we are at war. Pope advocates the development of appropriate military contingency plans for use if and when we can't make the Aliens stop these practices by any other means. What's extraordinary about this is that Pope is, again, the first high-ranking Civil Servant I have ever heard draw the logical conclusion regarding the objective implications of Alien activities on this planet, and do so publicly. This conclusion will come as a shock to those who have heard nothing but the apologists for the Aliens, but it's about time they woke up.