I picked this long out of print book up at the Monterey Aquarium - kudos to Western Flyer Publishing for bringing this fantastic book back.

There are two "bibles" for people who want to know about John Steinbeck - Jackson Benson's biography and this one. Personally, I prefer this one because it covers the golden age of Steinbeck and his friendship with marine biologist, philosopher and brilliant mind, Ed Ricketts.

If you've read Cannery Row and Grapes of Wrath (among others), you've gotten a glimpse of Ed RIcketts. In Richard Astro's book, you get the "toto-picture" of the man. Steinbeck's literature has been called simple. Yeah, simple as a Zen painting. Richard Astro shows how the collective (and at times drastically different) philosophies of these two men spawned one to create some of the greatest stories ever told. Stories that can be read and appreciated by a kid in middle school and then upon rereading, it is discovered how many layers lie beneath the tightly plotted tales. Astro's book digs deep too and is a valuable, readible and thought provoking journey into a remarkable friendship.

This was wonderful. So insightful to learn about the man behind the stories.

What distinguishes Tomarken from other critics? I'll tell ya' what. He uses words like "absolutistically". Then, right when the writing starts to get dull, he'll hit you with a good ol' "obsequious", followed by the 1/2 punch of a "lycencous", and of all things the "dunne" of the text. Tomarken's ability to finger through the Oxford unabridged dictionary in order to find the most obscurely outrageous words available is unparallelled by any other 21st century literary critic. In fact, it is rumoured that in a flash of brilliance in 1972, Eddie pulled out the word "antidisestabilshmentarianistically" in reference to genre and ethics, a stunt that has yet to be surpassed. Here's to you Ed. Far and away, one of the finest brothers to Peter Tomarken there is.

What distinguishes Tomarken from other critics? I'll tell ya' what. He uses words like "absolutistically". Then, right when the writing starts to get dull, he'll hit you with a good ol' "obsequious", followed by the 1/2 punch of a "lycencous", and of all things the "dunne" of the text. Tomarken's ability to finger through the Oxford unabridged dictionary in order to find the most obscurely outrageous words available is unparallelled by any other 21st century literary critic. In fact, it is rumoured that in a flash of brilliance in 1972, Eddie pulled out the word "antidisestabilshmentarianistically" in reference to genre and ethics, a stunt that has yet to be surpassed. Here's to you Ed. Far and away, one of the finest brothers to Peter Tomarken there is.

Morimoto seeks to recast Edwards theology of conversion, justification, sanctification, and glorification in a more ecumenical context than what he calls "textbook protestantism". In a way, this makes sense, in that Edwards is without a doubt the foremost American theologian yet to emerge. On the other hand, it's a little weird, in that Edwards himself did not interact much with Roman Catholicism. In fact, most of Edwards works are very much defined by the intellectual climate of 18th century New England, and the theological confrontation with New England "Arminianism".

Morimoto compares Edwards primarily to Roman orthodoxy as defined by Aquinas and the Council of Trent. In doing so, he shows that many of the differences stem from an inability or unwillingness of both protestants and the defenders of Roman orthodoxy to understand the terminology being used by the other side.

Morimoto also offers frequent comparisons between Edwards and the first generation of reformers (Luther, Calvin, Bucer, etc.). The examples he chooses suggests that Edwards formulations are more in line with historical protestantism than much of modern protestantism, and that the very things (such as his definition of faith) that have embarrassed some Edwards scholars like Perry Miller because they seemed to lean toward Roman doctrinal formulations are in fact the points at which Edwards most strongly echoes the early reformers.

Morimoto observes that recent Edwards scholarship has been more cognizant of this fact. From this, he suggests that the current Protestant and Roman understandings of salvation are closer than they have been at any time in the last three centuries.

Morimoto's thesis is an interesting one, and he supports it well from primary sources. If nothing else, this book should stimulate the thought of its readers and perhaps some interesting debate.

Morimoto analyses Edwards "catholic" soteriology and shows it to be consistent with the thinking of the great Reformers. The study highlights the compatibility between at least some reformation traditions and the doctrines of Trent on justification. He is successful in showing that much of the disagreement between Reformation teaching and Tridentine Catholicism are differences in the way words are used to describe a shared understanding. These differences became hardened into theological systems that until recently have seemed to both sides to be incompatible.

Anyone interested in ecumenism grounded in the common search for the truth will find this book very useful and enlightening.

after I've given my first to a friend who liked it so much that s/he kept it. This is a well-structured, clear, concise guide on how to hit the ground running in a leadership position. The authors' approach favors "this is what works--do it" over touchy-feely, less generally useful philosophizing. Whether you are a seasoned leader or a first-time supervisor, don't embark on a new position without this!

An enjoyable read with excellent sugestions, ideas, and examples. Especially valuable if you have never been a manager. There are so many great suggestions made without a lot of management theory to weed through. Made me feel confident in my abilities when my new position made me feel in over my head.

These novellas require readerly effort and patience. In what at first seems like a bit of a patchwork they tell a sort of blinding truth, in the tradition of Hasidic folk tales. God is not only a presence, but a character. In a mirror of the human mind, an assortment of worlds - places, times, emotional and mental states - somehow coexist. There are important yet homely recognizable details plucked from bourgeois prewar European life, but no quaintness in the descriptions of the characters' histories in Europe (mainly Germany, Hungary, Austria, Rumania) and then Palestine and Israel. For example, the protagonist segues quite reasonably from a consideration of an ice cream cone to the burden of his father's mental illness - in several paragraphs. Love among people (parents and children; men and women) is often a troublesome thing. "Women, Joseph thinks, yearn to embrace a man, and a man yearns to embrace his Creator [...]"

Patience is required, and rewarded. The presence of the several languages (German, Yiddish, Hebrew, Arabic and the English of the translation) is the tip of the iceberg, really, in these stories that attempt so much. Definitely worth reading.

This book contains two novellas - each excellent and unlike each other.

The Book of Joseph is written in a mix of poetry and prose. It follows, to varying degrees of detail, the lives of several individuals who lead intersecting lives. Don't consider this "just another Holocaust novel" - it is a significant and unique addition to the corpus of Jewish Holocaust literature.

Katschen is a very low key novella following the life of an orphan in Palestine - describing life through the very imaginative child's point of view. Katschen's view is a delightful mix of naivete, taking words literally, and a vivid visual imagination. His life is followed through care by an aunt, by an elderly uncle, thru a kibbutz, a friendly Arab, the police and finally by his father - a man confined to an insane asylum through most of the story.

Both tales include footnotes that translate the bits of German, Yiddish, Hebrew and Arabic that occasionally occur. This multilingual facet is the only trace of a scholarly background on the part of the author.

Yoel Hoffman is an author with absolutely stunning control over his story - an unerring sense of concrete detail in sparse prose. I have yet to find any of his work less than awe inspiring.

This is an essential book for anyone planning to paddle Pennsylvania's rivers. It literally describes EVERY river, stream, or creek in Pennsylvania and gives a nice description and overview of each. In addition there are great maps and descriptions of put-in and take-out points as well as parking areas. He also describes which USGS guages to check for each stream and at what levels the guage needs to be in order to get through without dragging. It is a little money very well spent.

A good guide that covers everything you need to know to canoe or kayak in rivers and streams in Eastern PA. Hundreds of streams and rivers covered.

Edwards & Maloy provide a wonderful view of how all reading classrooms would work. Edwards & Maloy not only provide proof that traditional methods of reading and writing instruction DO NOT work for all children. Through their wonderfully innovative text, they provide methods of reading and writing instruction that DO work, that encourage and support young writers. A must for any parent, this text should be required in educational preparatory classrooms.

This book should be "required reading" for all parents who are involved in and committed to their children's education. Great tips on cultivating creativity in children, even at the pre-school ages. If you have a child who already shows an interest in writing, this is fuel for that fire!

The greatest love story of our century is an understatement.
A King's Story is well known to be ghost written for the Duke and even with constant prodding, he suffered from selective memory.
He seems to forget all his previous "friendships", those familiar with the saga will know this means the married women in his life before Wallis. A great addition to royal book collection, but if you are looking for the facts, hunt them down in Donaldson book. Companion book is the Duchess Heart has it's reasons. Maybe they should have gotten together so the facts in each book matched.

The Duke of Windsor wrote this book in the 1950s while living in Paris. Reading it you begin to get some sense that for all his faults here was an individual of extraordinary personal charm. It was certainly a singular life. Here was a boy who was led to believe he would inherit the throne of the greatest empire on earth but who ends up as a sad fixture on the international cocktail party circuit in the arms of an ageing American divorcee of uncertain past. What happened! The anecdotal style of this simply written book is very enjoyable to read. The passing of the certainties of the Victorian age, the Edwardian twilight, World War I, the thrill of all things new and American in the 20s and 30s: the would be Edward VIII is a uniquely placed witness. History increasingly casts the Duke and his bride as ridiculous even sinister figures. This book helps you to remember that they were human too, falliable, and at the mercy of political and world historical forces beyond their control.

First published in 1956, this handbook is an indispensable, up-to-date companion both in the field and in the marketplace. Topics include the vegetable industry, greenhouse vegetable production, soils and fertilizers, water, pests, weed control, harvesting, storage, and seed production. Packed with quick-access graphs, tables, charts, and line drawings, the 4th edition offers new information on drip irrigation, seed germination, plant tissue and sap testing, windbreaks, and weed management. It also gives advice on allowable pesticide and herbicide use and on the latest worker protection standards. The appendix contains sources of vegetable information, providers of vegetable seeds, periodicals for vegetable growers, and U.S. units of measurement and the metric conversion factors. A change from the spiral-bound 3rd edition is a sturdy, flexible cover to help hold pages flat.

I use this book as my first reference work to answer disease and insect problems in vegetables for the public. The layout is extremely easy to use. Each section is very clear and concise. This work is also used for establishing small plot research design that is comprable to the large scale production fields. All the information one needs is in this handbook for vegtable trials and for large scale production. There is very little else on the market that is as comprehensive as this publication and as accurate regarding information provided.

This is the best book by far of the three that Murphy has written on MoH winners in the three major wars. It is expertly detailed and has all of the recipients inserted in the timeline of the course of the war. There are so many details about each recipient, it is a wonder how and where he managed to get all the facts and keep them straight. This appears to be a labor of love and the great respect shown each recipient is plainly evident. This is also an excellent history of the Korean conflict, not only the MoH winners, so it serves a double purpose. Highly recommended, most definitely.

The author, who is the editor of the journal of the Medal of Honor Historical Society, skillfully weaves each of the Korean War Medal of Honor stories chronologically into the context of the war, providing insight into not only the individual heroism but also the development of the conflict itself.
With maps, a useful introduction detailing Medal of Honor history, tabular index of recipients, bibliography, and index, this is a handy compendium of MOH awardees, and also useful for its insights into the unique nature of the Korean War.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)