As a casual history reader, I found this book way too dry. Although it delivers on its premise, namely sketching out a history of Japan, it was a relief to finally put the book down after having read it.

This book I bought for the dual purpose of being entertained and learn something in the process, but it could only fulfill the latter requirement. It may be unfair to ask of a book to be engaging and still tell a whole country's history in under 300 pages, so I'm probably unfair - the book just reads too much like a textbook, and that wasn't really what I had hoped for.

Not knowing too much about Japanese history from other sources, I can't comment on the accuracy of the text, but there's an annoyingly high frequency of simple spelling errors, etc.

Lastly, there's only one map of Japan in the Southeast Asian setting, and it's buried deep inside of the book. I really missed a map of Japan in the book!

Besides the rather blatant reviews, I for one really liked the concise history that Mr Meyer has written. In my opinion, this book really is great; it gives a rather detailed explanation of Japan from its prehistory, to the Mongol invasions, to the Tokugawa isolation, to the Meiji era, to the American invasion of Japan in 1945, and to its current military and economic world power position today. The book could have had some more illustratons, except for a map of Japan, but then again, it's all right. I suggest that beginners in Japanese history start with something a bit more generalized, but it's a great book. In my opinion, every history buff should own this book.

This is an excellent, concise history of Japan. The emphasis is on the major historical events. I was glad to see the inclusion of cultural, artistic and religious milestones as well. There are summaries and datelines at the ends of each chapter as well as a glossary, all of which are quite useful features, especially if this book is to be used as an adjunct to formal study; I found it extremely handy in helping me organize the facts mentally. This is a history clearly written by a Nipponophile. There is an emphasis on the post-Meiji history, which is probably not inappropriate. Any insights into the Japanese psyche and philosophy can be inferred generally from historical events, but the treatment is not exhaustive. This book delivers what it says: a concise history of Japan. For those who want to know the essentials of Japanese history start here. For those who want to know what makes Japan as a people tick psychologically, you'll need more detail, however.

This was not the book I expected from the cover and the reviews. I thought it would be a history of intra-Jewish discord; instead, the first 2/3 of the book is just a general history of Judaism (useful for the beginner, but no more so than many other books), and the rest is a discussion of Rabin's assassination and the ideological disputes within Israel that led to it.

I was disappointed in some other ways:

1. The book's discussion of Israeli politics is out of date. It ends with Rabin's assassination in 1995. But at the time I am writing this (early 2003) the Oslo peace process looks to many former doves like a sham, Israel seems more far more united (behind Ariel Sharon) than it has been in decades, and the dispute between Rabin and his enemies is about as relevant to modern events as the 18th-century disputes between Hasidim and their enemies.

2. The book is sometimes a bit sloppy; the most common distortion seems to be Viorst's belief that most Orthodox Jews (or most ultra-Orthodox, or most Hasidim) share the views of a few ideologues. For example, he cites Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum's attacks on Zionism, and asserts that "To this day, Hasidim conventionally maintain that Israel is a heresy which exposes Jews to a vengeful God." (p. 173). This view would be news to Chabad Hasidim, who conventionally are so pro-Israel they make Milton Viorst look like Joel Teitelbaum.

Viorst is deeply troubled by two segments of the Jewish population which have little use for the goals and thinking of the Western enlightenment: the religious - expansionist Zionists, and the ultra-orthodox Haredim. He tries to put these movements into a historical and Biblical context as well as describing them in some detail. It is a stretch to relate the Biblical Jewish tendency to revert to idolatry to the themes of this book, but the historical context is enlightening. Unfortunately, I don't quite trust Viorst's scholarship when it comes to ancient history, which is treated in a rather cursory way even given the objectives of the book. When it comes to modern Israel, Virost's writing is enriched by the many interviews he has conducted, often with people he totally disagrees with and even abhors, and he makes a definite effort to provide a fair account of their views and characters. Not withstanding this objectivity, Viorst seems unable to truly credit genuine piety and faith, or the marvelous aspects of the Talmudic way. Certainly, not all the traditional orthodox rabbi's were acting out of pride and self-interest. I found this annoying, even though I totally agree with Viorst's basic points. This is an enlightening and scary book.

Having just returned from another working visit to Israel, I thoroughly appreciated this book and think I understand the state better after reading the book. Although I am not Jewish, I consider Israel a basically positive country at the forefront of liberal civilization's battle with terror and French-style collaborationism. This work discussed one of Israel's less appealing sides -- the intolerance and occasional fanaticism that Jews have often displayed toward other Jews. If peace ever arrives in the region, these internal forces may cripple Israel even more than they do today.

In my opinion, the author begins with the best introductory narration of Jewish post-Exile history I have ever read. If you have been confused by the amazingly abstruse twists and turns of Judaism's schools of thought, you might do well to read the first part of the book. The author explains how Judaism's diversity has contributed to its strength, and how the Exile contributed to Jewish survival rather than guaranteeing its extinction.

Then the author explores a most unpleasant side of modern Israeli domestic politics. He explores the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin as a case study of the divisive forces within modern Israel. Rabin did as much to advance the security of Israel as anyone has ever done, but he was eventually betrayed and effectively murdered by intolerant fanaticism and "political extremism dressed up as religion." Viorst's description of Rabin's assassin was most uncomfortable, not because the assassin was evil, but because he was such a sane, unemotional, ordinary man. I was reminded of Hannah Arendt's and Thomas Merton's description of Adolf Eichmann, who was so frightening because he was so sane and "normal."

its long and boring. i would never reccomend this book. it has no eloquence or anything, just words. anyone could've written that book. its impossible to understand. what type of book would make it self so hard to understand, so slow to read. thats not a good book, in my opinion. i digress.

To be honest, I have never a big fan of poetry, but John Milton's epic changed that. I only decided to read this book after religion(and anti-religion) discussions started to heat up in my school. When I read Paradise Lost, I quickly stopped thinking of it as a poem, but as an epic of astronomical proportions that identifies many truths about humanity. The reading can be rather difficult at times, but with Alastair Fowler's wonderful annotations, it is possible for readers of any level to comprehend and enjoy Paradise Lost.

Milton's sympathetic view of Lucifer in his rebellion against heaven is very insightful and compelling. I loved this poem, but I would only recommend it to readers of a slightly older age, as you have to be able to understand his blank verse writing to fully enjoy this epic.

_Paradise Lost_ will of course continue to be reproduced, but the content will essentially stay the same. The question is which of the countless number of editions to purchase. Fowler's editing and copious yet useful annotations are first rate for any single edition of PL. Though most publishers treat epic poetry as though it were pulp-fiction, Longman has dignified this volume with paper that is acid-free and binding that is better than most hardcovers as it is stiched in signatures. It is simply beautiful, and it is simply the best edition if one wants to study Milton's epic carefully.

I'm not a musician. I bought this just out of interest & wanting to know more about how Laura thought and background. I would think a musician would want sheet music to play the songs as they were written by Laura, not as arranged by someone else. Where is the original opening of "To A Child"?

Her hand written notes are interesting but presenting them as a collage doesn't allow the reader to really see them. Very interesting how some verses or lines of a song she released had at one time been part of another song either released or unreleased. Did she really have to write down her on-stage banter?

The accompanying cd is a disappointment. Three songs is fine but why are two of them covers of someone else's songs?? Doesn't make sense when it's part of a songbook of her music. The cover of Stevie Wonder's "Creepin'" is great though--better realized than his own version cause she expresses that word in both the music and her singing.

"Time And Love" is the second songbook of seminal singer/songwriter Laura Nyro (1947-1997). However, the first one has been long out of print so for those (like me) who are curious about a theoretical study of her songs, this songbook is a useful purchase. However, on receiving it from amazon.com surprisingly early, I was initially impressed, but ultimately there are many faults to be found.

Glancing through "Time and Love: The Art and Soul of Laura Nyro" does clearly give some clues to the extraordinary complexity of chords and tempo changes that made "New York Tendaberry" and the more difficult "Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat" extraordinary, ahead-of-their-time masterpieces. Laura Nyro, in contrast to the expectations of rock critics of this and subsequent eras, would never resort to loud three-chord rock. Yet, the notation used in the book is unclear - no exact tempos and very little understanding of the structures that her songs, on close examination, do actually have.

Even on her most "rock" material, such as "Beads Of Sweat", guitar players (there Duane Allman) were never allowed to indulge in heavy solos. Instead, they moved remarkably fluently with the groove of the song and its rises and falls. Most of her material was complex, many-chord and piano-based, with the added difficulty of a complex, multipersonal narrative style that can easily baffle critics. However, it was this combination of soft textures, spiritually themed lyrics and multipersonal narratives that paved the way for such works as "Hounds Of Love", "Little Earthquakes", "Victorialand" and "Days Of Open Hand".

Yet, there is a flawed focus here (as on "Stoned Soul Picnic - The Best Of Laura Nyro" and "Time And Love - The Essential Masters") on songs that other artists had hits with. Notwithstanding that without the publicity thus generated, Laura Nyro's own recordings, being so innovative and idiosyncratic, would almost certainly have sold so poorly that Columbia would probably have dropped her before her first comeback in the late 1970s ("Tendaberry" and "Miracle" actually sold enough copies to be profitable), this alone could never make Nyro significant six years after her death.

Today newcomers really need to understand Nyro's role as an influence on such artists as Kate Bush, Jane Siberry, Tori Amos and Suzanne Vega, not the fact that she wrote hits for the Fifth Dimension and Barbara Streisand (how strange would that appear for someone who inspired "Running Up That Hill")??? For a reasonably-priced songbook, this would necessarily mean deleting some of the songs the Fifth Dimension and Streisand covered.

Except for two tracks from her last Columbia album ("Walk The Dog And Light The Light"), nothing not found on "Stoned Soul Picnic" or "Time And Love - The Essential Masters" is here, not even "Captain For Dark Mornings", "Tom Cat Goodbye", "Brown Earth" or "Map To The Treasure". Also missing is a taste of Nyro's jazzy late 70s period, which produced the brilliant but accessible "Money" and "I Am The Blues".

There is also little discussion of the character and structure of Nyro's songs that would allow a reader to appreciate why they have became so significant - instead there are copies of handwritten pages from her journal that do little but scratch the surface of what Laura Nyro was doing in writing and recording, and how she did it.

On the whole, just a useful reference - not comprehensive.

"Time and Love" is a useful guide to playing many of Laura Nyro's better-known songs. It is edited by Milt Okun, who produced her first album. Although Nyro's songs were piano-based, the book also provides arrangements for guitar, which are surprisingly effective, considering Nyro's use of complex chords, often with notes added or ommited.

The book doesn't convey the full complexity of Nyro's own piano-playing, or her use of unpredictible tempo changes. However, it gives a good insight into the structure of the songs, and familiarity with her music should overcome such problems.

The songs are arranged as well as can be expected in a book of this type, and better than many I have owned. The choice of songs is good, although there are very few songs from her later albums (nothing at all from "Smile", "Nested", or "Live at the bottom line"). Still, we get "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Blackpatch", and "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp", and those three alone make this book worth buying, in my opinion.

The book is beautifully presented, unlike any songbook I have ever seen. It contains many photos, paintings by Laura, and some interesting extracts from her journals. These reveal an artist who took her work very seriously, but also had a sense of humour (her comments about fans who objected to her performing "Wedding bell blues" made me laugh). There is also an interview with Laura about her songwriting, which is an interesting addition.

As if the book wasn't already a must for any fan, it comes with a Cd containing three unreleased tracks, including an excellent Stevie Wonder cover (Creepin').

Overall, this book is excellent. Although not comprehensive (let's hope for more books like this), it is a great introduction for anyone who wants to play Laura Nyro's songs. And it even goes some way towards showing the artist behind this incredible music.

The text by Spencer and Amos is a readable source of the misconceptions that are taught to students and believed by too many economists. This text is noteworthy in presenting a chapter on 'General Equilibrium Theory' (or 'Welfare Economics'), which explicitly exhibits misconceptions about the notion of stability of equilibrium. The book seems to have been written with a supply-side rather than Keynsian prejudice..

The text starts by defining 'capital' in such a loose way that trees, e.g., are defined as capital, which presumes a common 'value-judgement' that is accepted in the US but not always in various parts of W. Europe where there are remain some strong restrictions on the economic 'development' of farm and forest land. The 'curves' in the book, as in Samuelson, represent no dynamcs and are generally not derived from real data. Instead they are drawn representing expectations based on the typical incomplete misunderstanding of neo-classical theory that is pervasive in economics and finance, where the dynamics of that theory have not been worked out except under the most unrealistic assumptions. An example is the so-called 'Laffer curve' on page 347. From the beginning, e.g., equilibrium is presummed to be the normal state of affairs and it is assumed to be stable, in disagreement with real liquid market data. The quotes from the text and my commentary follow next.

"Is Perfect Competition a Fantasy?" (pg 536): " ..no, ... like the assumption of a frictionless state in physics..this assumption creates an idealized situation that permits simplification of a problem so that it may be analyzed." This assertion represents a deep misconception. In physics we have real data, namely local motion in a gravitational field, where the assumption of force-free motion can be tested and verified as a good approximation (on the moon even better than on earth). Force-free motion is not merely a good approximation but lies at the foundation of physics. Economists and finance theorists have not understood this. The other side of the coin is that perfect competition, as defined in the text (requiring stable equilibria) does not exist in the world as a decent approximation to anything that occurs socio-economically.

From chapter 30 (pp 632-3) on General Equilibrium Theory: "Equilibrium was defined in earlier chapters as a state of balance between opposing forces. An object is in equilibrium when it is at rest. ... In economics "objects" may be prices, quantities, incomes, or other variables. You cannot consider a problem solved if, at the point you terminate your analysis, the variables are still changing. Only when the variables settle down to steady levels, or only when the future equilibrium positions can be predicted, can you consider the solution complete." Unfortunately, no real economic data behave even approximately in this way. A data analysis can be 'forced' to approach equilibrium only by abandoning real data and replacing it by a wrong model with stable equilibria. Continuing, "The study of equilibrium is not an end in itself. Economics is concerned with understanding the forces that can disturb an equilibrium and the policy measures that may have to be undertaken to restore it." Given that there are no stable equilibria in real economic systems, the assertion is meaningless in practice. Continuing with the text, on page 633 Exhibit 1 shows three figures, (a) a cone sitting upright on it's flat base, (b) the cone balanced perfectly on it's point, and (c) the cone lying on it's side. Figure (a) is compared with the authors' cartoon of a price vs quantity 'graph' showing the intersection of supply and demand curves as equilibrium. That is, the existence of the equilibrium point in the cartoon is advertised by the authors as 'stable', which of course is wrong. There is no implication of stability in the existence of any equilibrium point, a mistake that is sometimes made by freshman students in physics. The authors go on, " Figure (a) illustrates a case of stable equilibrium. this represents the normal situation. In physical terms, it may be depicted by a cone resting on it's base. In economic terms, it can be represented by the intersection of ordinary supply and demand curves. If the system is subjected to an external "shock" or disturbance sufficient to dislodge it from equilibrium, self-corrective forces will cause it to return to it's initial position." Real markets never behave even approximately in this way. Whenever anything likeAdam Smith's hand can be found in the data, which is seldom, it is destabilized by noise. There are no equilibria, much less any stability in finance data, which are so far the best economic data available, for the most liquid markets. I define a liquid market is one where you can approximately reverse the trade over a short enough time scale, as in the stock market when it's not crashing.

Real data are shown in exhibit 5 on page 397, where meaningless 'Phillips curves' are illegitemately drawn through a terrible scatter of points that in reality cannot be represented by a curve at all (see also Ormerod's 'The Death of Economics').

The text repeats the usual misconception that utility maximization is an equilibrium condition. enough said. What's a good text on economics? It hasn't been written yet.

I used this book for a Micro course and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The quality of scholarship is unsurpassed. My only real beef is that it only has one paragraph about environmental concerns, and with the impending ecological crisis, such cursory treatment is insufficient. Also, the 1993 publication date means that there is little-to-no coverage of such recent developments as NAFTA and the WTO. Maybe the author will come out with a Ninth Edition?

This book showed promise, but falls into a writing style that will put the most avid history reader to sleep in a big hurry. It is ponderous and totally unentertaining. It could be a textbook for a college level history course on New York State, only more boring. The only reason I can see to pick up this book is for the cover art. You're better off coming to Cooperstown and seeing the artwork first hand.

This book is a survey of New York history from its prehistorical roots through twentieth century. It may not be terribly exciting compared to a novel, but it is well written and highly informative. One is quick to reccomend it to any one who is interested in American history, and New York state in particular. By far, it is the best, up to date history of the state available. All the better, it is in print. I work for a museum organization and we use it as the basis of our interpretation. It is outstanding for its intended use, which is as a general survey and reference book. Highly recommended, though for a select audience.

I purchased this book(let) expecting to learn of common "pitfalls." Instead, I believe I was subjected to a rant by the author on how genealogists create the pedigree that they wish they had by ignoring obvious disconnects in their research. I wouldn't consider this a pitfall. I consider this fraud. Great detail was provided for case after case of suspect researchers. (Of the 74 pages, many were devoted to citations.) There were some bits of worthwhile information wedged in between the tales of horror. I found the information on the calendar change and heraldry of interest. Otherwise, Mr. Rubincam's message was clear. Don't trust any source by itself. Always verify and reverify. I agree completely with this point. I just don't think it in itself justifies a book - even one as short as this one.

Its short little chapters take on common errors in genealogical research. Focusing mostly on American research, it does provide a few examples from Britain and Germany. Problems like when is a nephew not a nephew, how can an infant be baptized before it is born, and the problems of fraudulent pedigrees are all addressed.

What I like the most about this fun read is the way in which it hammers on the common error of "the sanctity of the printed word". Taking what is printed in book form as truth has been a typical problem in genealogical research for decades. Funny how things never change much. Rubincam's admonitions about not believing what you find in books sound just like today's pundits' warnings about not believing everything you find on the Internet. Very true.

i felt very sorry for the priest and the grils the way societyshuned all of themm because they acted in a uncoth method.

I found this book very interesting. This book is realistic because it follows the lives of a few people. I found the characters very moving because they are stubborn but they seem so vulnerable. I though the ending was a bit sad because the priest failed at getting them out of their prostituting jobs. For anyone who likes books that focus primarily on the characters everyday lives then I would recommend it to you.

Olmert's choppy writing style and tangents make this book completely undesirable. The text always seems to stray away from what the reader would expect and WANT. For instance, being a major baseball fan, I went straight to that section upon opening the book. However, all that is there is an explanation of the term "texas leaguer" (not something even die-hard baseball fans really care about - I mean c'mon, don't be TOO specific).

If you are interested in one particular subject, then this book is a good starting place for scholars that can use the bibliographical references. Olmert's style of writing is easy to understand and he offers the reader a wealth of interesting tidbits. For those who love trivia, this book is for you.

Michael Olmert provides an entertaining and educational glimpse into the history of everyday events and items. As a student of his I found his writing unique and inspiring, this book is a must have.

I have the first printing of this book (the one with Bourne and Kraatz on the cover) and I was less than impressed with it. It had a horrendously enormous Canadian bias in it -- if reviewers who complained about Beverly Smith's Figure Skating: A Celebration having too much of a Canadian bias picked up this book, they would be beside themselves. There are certainly many great skaters from Canada, but the lengths this book went to in including low level Canadian skaters while excluding high profile skaters from other countries was absurd. For example, on one page there were several young ladies skaters pictured in color from Canada who might be well known there, however they are all but anonymous to the casual skating public at large. Prominent skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi, an Olympic gold medalist, on the other hand, were all but ignored in this book. Some of the pictures were also erroneously labeled as well.

Some of the book was nice -- it had some interesting pictures I've not seen in other books. Hopefully in this next printing of the book (the one shown above) these many problems were fixed -- I only have the first edition so that's the only one I can review. Unless huge changes were made to eliminate the bias in the edition I own, however, I cannot recommend this book to any knowledgeable skating fan.

This book is a beauty! The photography is beautiful, the writing is thoughtful, and the authors took the time to touch on a variety of topics, some of which are seldom if ever written about elsewhere at any great length(ie: precision skating). A great book for fans, athletes, and casual observers alike!

This book talks about many things not written about in other books. It has a chapter on precision skating and skating in movies. It has lists of world, Olympic and national champions as well as members of the Canadain, American and World figure skating hall of fame. The book also looks at the four disaplines of skating and show skating. I reccomend this book to skating fans.