Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds has been a favorite of mine for years, so while I'm happy to see it popularized, there's so much I miss! This is the first book of Urban Legends. There's so much to the book, and so much is so funny, and the financial stuff is the driest part of the book.

That said, I understand Fridson has a theme, and by using these two old works, one Victorian, and one Louis XIV, he shows that nothing much changes: people will do very stupid things if that's what everyone else is doing. More to the point, people will do very risky things with their money, if everyone else is doing so. Examples abound in these two great books, and Fridson doesn't miss a chance to make a point, and usually gets a good laugh in as well.

Tulipomania (when the price of tulip bulbs in Holland inflated beyond the ridiculous) is especially revealing, and though Fridson is using it to make a point about price inflation, I couldn't help thinking also about the marketing technique by which the public is convinced it needs something, then that something is doled out like Oreos to a diabetic. I'm thinking specifically of diamonds, but there are lots of examples.

Fridson pulls this altogether, and as big a fan as I am of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, the original work he has created by mating a part of it with the other work, and with his own explanatory text is a great book.

I am not an investor, and generally find economics petrifyingly boring, but this book was a fun romp. Even if you have no interest in finance, read this book just to have a good laugh at our species.

The stories in this book will have appeal as long as human beings exhibit great greed and fear in their investing. Those traits will encourage people to manipulate those emotions to their advantage, and these tales will recur with new investments every few years or so. Some few winners will garner long-term wealth while most will lose their seats in this game of financial musical chairs . . . known as speculating in endless opportunity. Fast success draws attention, which draws new investors, which creates more fast success. The price takes off like a rocket ship to eventually crash to earth when it runs out of the fuel of optimism and greed.

No one can hope to be a successful investor without absorbing the stories of these timeless follies.

You will find in this book three sections from Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay in 1841, and Confusion de Confusion by Joseph de la Vega from 1680. The Mackay material describes the almost simultaneous Mississippi Scheme in France and the South Sea Bubble in England, as well as the earlier speculation in tulips in the Netherlands. Confusion de Confusion is a translation from the Spanish about speculation in Amersterdam in the securities of the Dutch East and West India Companies.

The Mississippi scheme involved the use of private bank notes to improve the French debt and currency that were eventually tied into investments in a colony in Mississippi. John Law, a Scotsman, was the originator of the scheme, which grew out of control when the French printed too much money and the Mississippi colony foundered. You can read more about this in the recent book, The Millionaire. The basic facts are more easily absorbed, however, in this volume. Following along shortly thereafter, the English began to speculate in stock in a monopoly to develop trade with the Spanish, also tied to reducing public debt. That became the South Sea bubble and the speculation was encouraged by the early success of stock investors in the Mississippi scheme in France. Tulipomania is considered the best of the financial parts of this book, and recounts the amazing heights that a single tulip bulb could bring (with a famous table of the buying power of a florin at thta time) and the problems encountered, such as when a sailor mistook a rare bulb for an onion and had it for his lunch! These three essays are about psychology, and do not go into the market details too much. The descriptions about how the government dealt with these disasters provide relevant information for regulators.

In Confusion de Confusion, there are four dialogues about how bull and bear markets can be manipulated and the consequences, in the context of speculation in hopes of gain for the new colonies and trade. These dialogues are superb examinations of how markets actually work, and will be an illumination to the new investor of who she or he may be up against. The lesson: Be sure you know the rules and think about how they could be used against you.

This book is greatly improved by a series of essays. One is by Peter L. Bernstein in which he makes comparisons of the current markets to these early essays. Herman Kellenberg's introduction explains many of the details of the Amsterdam markets very well to make the de la Vega material more accessible. I especially liked the introduction by Martin S. Fridson in which he points out some of the errors and hyperbole in the Mackay material, and puts that work into a current context. Without these essays, I would simply encourage you to seek out the originals instead of this book. But these modern essays will add a great deal to your understanding.

Mackay's book was reportedly a favorite of Bernard Baruch's, which has helped its popularity enormously over the last 70 years. After you read this book, I do recommend that you read the entire book. Although it is a tough slog in places, you will come away with a much better understanding of crowd psychology than these three sections alone will give you.

The fundamental mechanism for each of these mania is that a new investment opportunity arises that seems to offer great potential. No one is quite sure what the future will hold, and optimism takes over. The price starts to rise, and that attracts attention. As more people invest, the market rises more. That draws more attention and investors. This continues until either pessimism starts to balance excess optimism, or the market simply runs out of new investors. It takes ever more money to create the same growth, so the market eventually has to fall. Along the way, a few are smart and take out their money. The rest lose.

This mechanism occurs about once a decade. Some of the recent examples are Internet stocks in the 90s, biotechnology stocks in the 80s, the Nifty Fifty in the 70s, the conglomerates in the 60s, electronics companies in the 50s, radio companies in the 20s, utility trusts around 1900, railroads in the 1880s, and so forth back in time. The key lesson: If you think a mania will form, do your buying and selling very early in the game or ignore the game altogether and go into safe securities. Either one will work. If you want to split your money in half with half for speculation and half for safety, that would give you the best and safest route. Most people do not have the emotional discipline to sell in time, so it is dangerous to play. The markets will fall many times faster than they rose, so the time to escape is on the way up.

I hope you will buy and read this book, and share it with your children when they start to invest.

When you are done with the book, I also hope you will also consider where else mania take over. These occur in consumption patterns (not unlike tulip bulbs), activities (remember disco?), businesses (franchised door-to-door selling), and entertainment (quiz shows will come and go many times). Be sure you watch out for your exposure to these mania as well. Avoiding wastes of time and resources are an important part of achieving true growth.

This is a must read if you work in any kind of market-related profession. The historical perspectives offered in both books are well-written and provide ample documentation into the history of panics, manias and crashes.

The book, despite its age, holds up well against many modern books on the same topic and should definitely be considered a finance classic!

I really can't add anything to the reviews that have been written. This is an informative work that reinforces what many of us have learned about the early Christian church by reading the New Testament. However, the biblical account/history is placed against the backdrop of the Roman empire and enhanced by citing secular historians from the era who commented on the earliest Christians. Mr. Snyder intermixes some commentary throughout the book. This seems necessary since many questions about this era remain unanswered. The commentary gives the book an essay quality that in no way detracts from the history provided. Thank you, Mr. Snyder, for an enjoyable, scholarly read.

Researched and written by writer, journalist, and Presbyterian elder James D. Snyder, The Faith And The Power is an informed and informative history of the early Christians who struggled to survive a series of bitter and lethal persecutions in Rome during the first century A.D. Highly recommended reading for both scholars and non-specialist general readers, The Faith And The Power integrates Biblical text with historical accounts by early Jewish, Roman, and Christian writers forming the basis of a scholarly, chronological documentary that accessibly explores the fascinating era of nascent Christianity.

The reader is given a chronological time table of events (somthing I appreciated) that puts the world of the early Christians in perspective as they deal with the turbulent politics of the first century. I came away from this very readable account with a more personal understanding of, and a deeper appreciation of the men and women who survived and kept the faith. It will have a permanent place in my bookshelf.

Nichols' translation of Gorgias is indeed impressive. I have heard and read other translations of Gorgias- but the word choice of those other translation is too unadmirable(like "knack"-a word that is not fitted with Platonic dialogues). Nichols keeps consistent and easily understandable words. He doesn't go about saying "smart" words- unlike others who seem to try and exhaust their vocab. before they finish the work.

This is one of my favorite Socratic dialogues. The evidence suggests that Plato wrote it soon after the execution of Socrates, and while I would not say there is a bitter edge to this Gorgias dialogue, I can definitely say that the exchanges do get a little lively at times. At one point, I could almost hear the voices of Socrates and Polus being raised as they argued. Another positive aspect of this dialogue is the fact that it is comparatively easy to understand. Socrates does not start spouting ideas about true Forms or using geometry to prove his points; the more esoteric, more advanced Platonic ideas are to be found in Plato's later writings. In many ways, this dialogue also serves as an introduction to Plato's masterpiece The Republic. Socrates' ideas on some things seem nascent at this point, and he actually contradicts some points he would later make, but the heart of Socratic thought lies within easy grasp in the pages of this dialogue.

The dialogue begins as a discussion about the true nature of oratory. The famed orator Gorgias is in town, and Socrates is most anxious to have a discussion with him. At first, Gorgias' younger friend Polus desires to speak for Gorgias, but he proves little match for Socrates. When Gorgias enters the discussion, Socrates treats him very well, as a respectable man with whom he disagrees, and Gorgias for his part is never flustered by Socrates' description of his art as a knack and as a form of pandering. Later, Callicles bravely jumps into the mix, and things really get interesting. Socrates seemingly admires Callicles' courage to state what he means without shame, yet he winds up getting Callicles to agree with his points in the end. What is it all about? The main points that Socrates makes are that it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong, and that it is better for a man to be punished for his wrongs than to escape punishment. Implicit in his argument is the belief that all wrongdoing is the result of ignorance; following up on this idea, he declares that dictators and politicians who hold vast powers are the most miserable men of all. He goes so far as to describe Athenian heroes such as Pericles as bad men because the state was less healthy when they left office than when they took office, the proof being that such men eventually lost power and were even ostracized.

For Socrates, happiness comes from being virtuous and self-disciplined. The orator can make a great speech and convince his peers that he is right, but he does this by inculcating belief rather than knowledge in the minds of his audience; he requires no knowledge to win such a debate, and as a result he tells the people what he knows they want to hear rather than what is truly best for them. Right and wrong are immaterial to the orator, Socrates charges. Callicles urges Socrates to give up his immature fixation on philosophy and become a public speaker; were he to be brought to court and charged with a wrong, Callicles tells him that he would be unable to defend himself. Much of the concluding pages consist of a wonderful defense by Socrates of his way of life. He agrees that a court could rather easily try and execute him, but if that were to happen, only his accusers would suffer for it. His thoughts are for the next world, and he has no fear of death because he believes a man with a clean, healthy soul such as his will be given immediate access to the isles of the blessed. The execution of Socrates was clearly on Plato's mind as he wrote this particular discourse.

I would recommend this dialogue to individuals seeking an introduction to Plato's philosophy. The entire discussion is clear throughout and easily comprehensible, and it proves interesting to see how some of Plato's thoughts changed between the years separating this dialogue and The Republic.

The single most impressive aspect of this dialogue is Socrates defense of the "good" against subjectivist arguments by Sophists; arguments which remain with us today albeit in different forms. Thus it is a truly relevant dialogue.

On the one hand, Socrates denies that an individual's supposed superiority determines right and wrong. In modern terms we'd call this the Nietzchean will to power argument. He cleverly kills the might-makes-right argument, by extreme individualists, by showing how ultimately the mob is more powerful than any individual. Thus this reasoning falls through. Yet, at the same time, Socrates denies that truth is determined by mere numbers or by popular vote. After all, Socrates wasn't condemned to death by a dictator or an aristocracy but by a democracy. Food for thought!

This is a nice translation in modern idiom and can be easily read in just a few sittings.

In this book a professional scientist writes about religion, specifically, about Jesus. It is a spectacular accomplishment, totally honest in its outlook and impressively comprehensive in its scholarship.

I must admit that I am only halfway through its thousand pages. I am not reading it rapidly, but am annotating the margins of each page, in ink! It may take me the rest of my life to finish it (I am 77 and I read it only on Sundays for an hour or two), but already I know that I will never find a more scholarly and insightful work which honestly seeks to discern the true character of Jesus.

Perhaps because I share the same scientific temperament as the author, we have a common bond that unconsciously brings us together. Davidson has studied and written exactly as I would like to, provided I could commit myself to devoting the immense amount of time and energy to meticulous scholarship, as he had done.

In this book the character of Jesus is incomparably broadened and sharpened by bringing in many sources that were ignored by the political and administrative forces that finally determined the content of the New Testament. There are hundreds of lengthy quotations about Jesus from over three hundred sources that were written in the first five centuries after his death. Furthermore, each quotation is rephrased by the author for further clarification.

Here is an example: "Jesus said, 'If the flesh came into being because of the spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.'" This is quoted by Davidson from the Gospel of Thomas which is rejected by fathers of the Christian Church, for it suggests that the soul may have derived and evolved from its life in the body, rather than vice versa. I find that "twist" fascinating!

Frankly, I find it difficult to believe that the historical Jesus actually spoke this thought, but somehow it does not matter. The Bible is a collection of many noble, and some not so noble, thoughts of human beings, but it has been edited for "proper" content by many biased editors with tunnel vision.

In this book many insights are given that point toward the existence and the character of the divine in human life. And I find them inspiring! Nowhere else have I found any writing on religion that approaches the dedication and illumination of this book. Page after page I am enthralled by my introduction to many obscure and unknown writers who, in their admiration for Jesus, have put their inspired words into his mouth in much the same way as the New Testament writers have done.

It is clear that I cannot praise this book enough. However, it is written for the seeker, not for the believer.

John Davidson has written a masterpiece on the esoteric meanings and mystical teachings of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament. Only a fellow soul on the spiritual path could reveal and convey the real meaning of the Gospel of Jesus as it was truly intended. Mr. Davidson illuminates not only the New Testament but other important spiritual and mystical writings and mystic teachers throughout the ages (Mandatory reading for everyone, not just Christians, scholars/historians of the Bible, and mystics). ...
When the inner esoteric meaning of the Gospel of Jesus is revealed to the reader by Mr Davidson (a mystic), profound revelation will be the result. Most books on the Gospels/Jesus are written by scholars with little spiritual awakening and acumen, and hence scholarly and sectarian dogma results with little understanding of true spirituality.
The only two caveats of Mr. Davidson when reading this book are, that he is an avid vegetarian and proponent of Gurus/teachers to help guide us (no doubt from eastern teachers influences on him). Further study of true mysticism without sectarianism for readers on the spiritual path is the Rosicrucian organisation AMORC, which is whole-heartedly recommended.

I found this book to be an amazing collection of the words of Jesus. It helped me to hear these words again. It validates my own mystical experiences. Ever since I was a small child, I had this feeling that something was missing in my religious teaching. When I read books like this, I have this feeling that I've known this before. The only problem I had with this book was the second to the last chapter in which the author tried to make a case for vegetarianism by insisting that Jesus was a vegetarian. I had a hard time swallowing the "evidence" for this. My question is, what difference does it make? John Davidson spends 900 pages showing us how the "kingdom is not of this world," and reveals a mystical and spiritual message. Then in the last hundred pages, he tells us that mystics shouldn't eat meat. Well, how spiritual is that? If reality is spiritual, then it shouldn't make a whole lot of difference whether we eat meat or not. If this book is ever revised for re-publication, I would strongly suggest that the chapter on vegetarianism be removed. It is not only out of place, but it detracts from the whole spiritual message. There might be a place for a discussion about vegetarianism in the Old and New Testaments. I know I wouldn't buy it, because I'm interested in the mystical and spiritual, not people's diet preferences. I think that readers of this book would also find *A Course in Miracles* inspiring and mind-changing.

This book should be on the recommended reading list for all doula training programs! In a clear, concise, and thoughtful way, Penny explains what makes labor progress, how to recognize labor progress, and how to help with labor progress. My copy is always in my birth bag. I have used it at several births for various reasons, and have always found it to be helpful, with reminders or even just to reaffirm that I've done everything possible. I recommend this book for anyone in the childbirth field and for expectant couples as well!

Every once in awhile, a book on childbirth comes along that is a standout. The Labor Progress Handbook is one of those books, but what else would one expect from Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta? The authors have produced a lucid, logical, beautifully organized, clearly written, bounteously illustrated, meticulously documented book that gives birth professionals a systematic, practical basis to prevent, diagnose, and treat poor progress in labor. Approaching dystocia holistically, the authors consider the effects of the woman's emotional state, her environment, and the impact of hospital or caregiver policies and attitudes in addition to the standard "powers, passage, passenger" explanation for labor progress. And they are woman centered: the laboring woman is the active agent in resolving difficulties, and the unacceptability of a recommendation always contraindicates its use. If you teach about labor, care for laboring women, or work as a doula or birth assistant, you should--no, must--read this book.

This deceptively slim book is jam-packed with useful information that can be used by just about anyone involved in childbirth today. I have recommended it be added as a textbook to the midwifery program where I teach, and I am planning to purchase a copy for the nursing station of the hospital where I work. The illustrations are very informative, the text is well organized, and the suggestions are well-documented both from research and from anecdotal evidence.

St. Maximus the Confessor lived during the time when the eastern half of the One Holy Apostolic Catholic Church was battling a heresy called the Monothelite controversy dealing between the unity or duality of will in relation to nature. Today many think the issue was due to cultural language limitations between Greek & Arabic, political problems within the Byzantine empire, & the rapid spread of Islam. Either way St. Maximus was the champion of Orthodoxy defending the view that Jesus was fully God & fully human in his incarnation, therefore he had 2 natures, & each nature had a will. Jesus expressed these ideas when he said "Not my will be done, but thy will be done" verses "I am in the Father." The 1st section of the book deals with St. Maximus's trial before the Byzantine Emperor where many false witness accused the Saint of being against the Emperor. St. Maximus quickly & rightly goes to the source of the matter & asks for proof, of course there is none, its all hear-say (heresy). For historical note: St. Maximus was finally accused, had his tongue & one of his hands cut off, & sent into exile where he shortly died. The masterpiece of this book is the 100 Chapters of Love, where St. Maximus takes several scriptures & many writings from the Church Fathers, & explains in great detail what Love is. The 1st time I read this book, I tried to read it as a whole book, this was a mistake. The 2nd time I read it, I read a verse at a time. St. Maximus writes with such tight exact meaning, that each word is overwhelming. Therefore for maximum (Maximus) enjoyment, read this section like a poem & then pray or reflex on each line. Another section is a great commentary on the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father". Each verse gets a few paragraphs of detail. This book is not for the soft hearted or for the easy to read crowd, but for people that enjoy deep books.

I am an Orthodox Christian, and I have not only read this book, but as a Maximus scholar, I have lived with it for 15 years, since it first came out in 1985. My original copy is totally dogeared, held together with tape and glue and the grace of a book lovingly valued as precious far beyond its price. Every page is full of notes upon notes in various colors. As it gradually falls apart through much use, I am considering learning the art of bookbinding, so I can preserve it and keep on using it. I am very grateful for Paulist Press for producing this volume, and to George Berthold for the effort and energy (as only one who has tried to translate Maximus' subtle and sophisticated Greek knows just how much effort and energy) it took to translate these texts of the Confessor's. I believe St. Maximus' genius and accomplishments deserve to be honored for what they are and not to be bracketed by disputes and criticisms that, whatever their merit, have no real point in the present setting. Yes, there are other good translations of some of these texts. Yes, the critical apparatus may not be of the highest order. Yes, the theological perspective in the Introduction may not rise to the level or be equal to the content of the Maximian texts. But what introduction could?--and that was not the book's primary purpose. As a basic introduction to the Maximian corpus, the Paulist Press volume on St. Maximus, for all its supposed faults, is still the best single volume to give to someone new to St. Maximus. St. Maximus' greatness lies in the fact that he was not only a brilliant theologian, but an equally accomplished philosopher, as well as a great ascetic and spiritual master of the Eastern Orthodox monastic and hesychastic tradition. He can put more into a single sentence or paragraph than most philosophers or theologians put into whole chapters, or even books. That is why a volume like this one can be read and reread for years and years, always giving one a new perspective or an astonishing view of depths previously unknown or unrealized.

Perhaps the Roman Catholic fellow whose review is found below didn't understand what the fellow from Chicago meant, so I'll try to make it clear for him: other books in this series dash from their subject matter to theologians on whom the writers later had an influence, but this one does not. Why not? It seems obvious: Paulist Press is a Roman Catholic operation, and the main line of Orthodox theologians have been branded "heretics" by the ... in Rome. That includes St. Gregory Palamas. Thus, the main influence St. Maximus had is completely ignored in this text.

If you want to know St. Maximus, skip the introduction and read the text. Then, go to one of the many secondary works _in the same tradition as the saint_ for further light on him. It will surely repay your effort.

While looking for a book by Dr. Bob Arnot, I accidently came to this book review for Dr. Bob and The Good Oldtimers. Well, I read the reviews and then asked an AA friend of mine of he had the book in his library. He did, so I borrowed it.

There's no author listed in the book, so I gather it might have been written by a group of archivists? The writing has that dry, "committee" like feel to it. Which is a little sad, because Bob Smith lived one interesting life! His story is very inspiring.

I read it in one sitting, about three hours, so it's not long. From my perspective, you don't have to be an alcoholic to enjoy this book. Cause I enjoyed it.

The only historical work out of GSO worth reading. Brings home the powerful message that the good Doctor carried. Gives one puase to think of what AA could have become if Bob had outlived Bill.

This is a very interesting biography. His life took many fascinating twists and turns. Some of the other reviewers noted that the writing is a little bland, but it really doesn't get in the way of a good story!

This book is packed with very good, detailed information about colleges' use of early application options, particularly early decision. This book--more like a report--backs up what every good counselor knows: colleges admit applicants early that they may not otherwise admit. But this book is not an admissions process "how-to" guide. If you want that, try Allen's "College Admissions Trade Secrets." It's a very detailed and sometimes controversial book that reveals much of the same insider information that "Joining the Elite" reveals but in a more "how-to" format. Buy "Trade Secrets" with Princeton Review's "Best Colleges" and you'll have just about everything you'll need to tackle this process. Buy "Joining the Elite" if you need the fine details and justification for the things that Allen says.

This book is for those young people who have Ivy League dreams. Avery and his colleagues have written a guide for high school students and parents who don't know much about the game of early admissions. It's written in an accessible way. The authors bolster their advice with strong empirical evidence.

In the not-too-distant past, the college admissions process was fairly straightforward. It was not fair, but it was fairly straightforward. Some recent changes to the process have brought more fairness, some have brought more complexity, and some have reduced fairness while increasing complexity. A change that has both reduced fairness and increased complexity is the preponderance of "Early Admissions" (i.e., "Early Decision" and "Early Action") plans.

Whatever one's opinions on Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED), they are realities that present high school students, their parents, and their counselors with a dilemma: To EA/ED or not to EA/ED?

When looking for answers to this dilemma, students, parents, and counselors have had to rely on unclear messages, equivocal statements, anecdotes, and urban myths.

"The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite" shines a bright and needed light into the darkest recesses of a murky maze. The book combines irrefutable statistics and the words of high school students, college students, and admissions professionals to present a clear and readable picture of a complex, often hermetic issue.

I don't use the phrase "irrefutable statistics" loosely here. Statistics are too often used to "prove" a theory that looks a lot like the preconceived notion that the researcher brought to the research. However, in this case, the authors possess the objectivity to report their findings with clarity and without baggage. Also, their backgrounds in economics, public policy, and college admissions give them the qualifications and abilities to present a comprehensive and in-depth review of the subject.

"The Early Admissions Game" explains both how to play the game by the current rules and, at the same time, advocates for a better, fairer system for the future. Information for the debate on EA/ED and practical advice for those coping in the "Age of EA/ED" are well presented.

Whether you love EA/ED, hate it, or just want to better understand EA/ED and the rest of the admissions process, this is a great book to read.

Earthquake in the Early Morning
By: Mary Pope Osborne

Have you wondered what it would be like to be in one of the biggest earthquakes in the world? This book is about two kids named Annie and Jack. They go back in time to 1906.The kids have to find something to lend, because they have to save Camelot.
You can picture when the city gets on fire in California, because the story says, "The fires raged for three days, nearly destroying all of San Francisco. Over 28,000 buildings burned down."
The author of this story teaches you to always be prepared.
I like this book because it has adventures.
Read this book to find out what happens at the end. Will Annie & Jack get back to the treehouse & save Camelot?

Once there lived two kids named Jack and Annie.They had a magic tree house.They had to go to San Francisco .When they were at San Francisco there was an earthquake.

Once again Mary Pope Osborne had conjured up another exciting adventure for Jack and Annie. Young readers can travel with them on their quest for the last item they need to save Camelot.
As a teacher, I am always impressed with the knowledge students can gain as they read these adventure stories. Mary Pope Osborne includes interesting facts and real-life situations in her stories. In this book children can use their imaginations to get a feeling of what it was like in California during the big earthquake and at the same time read about the true experiences of the people and actual events.
This and other Magic Tree House books are great for in-class whole group readings or individual readings.

This abridged version of Maimonedes thoughts covers about one quarter of the complete book with the same title. The selection by Guttmann concentrates on Maimonedes' attempt to bring rational Aristotelian philosophy in accord with classical Jewish literature. Thus, allegorical reading of the anthropomorphic features of the biblical God is urged for a better understanding of the hidden meaning and to bring it in conformity with reason. Other main aspects covered deal with Prophecy, Providence and the way to a godly life. It is the latter which struck me as most interesting because the dedication of every moment of one's life to God (except when engaged in mundane duties which ought to be kept to a minimum) is precisely what one finds in the Bhagavad Gita except that the name of the Deity is Krishna rather than Yahweh. Apart from the name there is absolutely no other difference. If we are serious in believing that there is only one God in control of the universe this should not be disturbing because all nations are entitled to use their name for the Deity which encompasses all. Yet Maimonedes insists that only through contemplation of the Jewish law can perfection be achieved and one finds some rather derogatory remarks about those who think otherwise. Although Maimonedes emphasizes that the way to God is through humility, tolerance of the views of others will not be found. Furthermore, while intellect and reason are extolled Maimonedes has no difficulty accepting oral traditions of biblical stories, especially in regard to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, which have not only no corrollary in the Pentateuch but are at times at variance with it. Thus, the imaginative faculty and the rational faculty, as Maimonedes called them, and which distinguish the human being from animals, did not seem to find complete harmony in his view of the world and may leave some of us still perplexed.
The introductions to the book by Frank and by Guttmann are very helpful in setting Maimonedes' work in its appropriate context. For the student of comparative religion this is a useful introduction to medieval Jewish philosophy as it originated in a Muslim milieu and which is still held in high esteem by some modern theologians.

Rambam knocks me over. This is an amazing work. This is one of the most important books in any language. This translation by Pines is excellent, clear, simple, unobtrusive, and has just the right small amount of clarifying notes.

The Guide clearly should be studied with others. I would like to discuss each chapter with other people as we read (and maybe re-read) them. My email address is my firstnamelastname at yahoo dot com.

This is volume one of a two volume set, so be sure to get both volumes. Volume one contains two interpretive essays, one by Leo Strauss and one by the translator, the former alone making this translation worthy of purchase, according to the Times Literary Supplement. Maimonides' work itself is an intentionally tangled web of reason, not to be undertaken by the casual reader; such a reader will leave disappointed with its obscure style. Maimonides assumes a great deal of Scriptural knowledge and a familiarity with the most important commentators of his time. Nevertheless, for those willing to put in the effort both in learning the fundamentals of religion and in exploring an almost endless maze of logic, Maimonides will provide a sumptuary feast and sketch the outlines of his view of philosophy and faith.