At long last, a book on education that does not skirt the issues or waste the reader's precious time on experimental proposals with no proven effectiveness!

Begin Here (sorry--don't know how to italicize on the 'net) is a series of articles and essays written over the years on the subject of education. I have tremendous respect for Barzun as a man of letters and as a writer; if I ever possess half his range of knowledge and gift of expression, I will be very fortunate. His ability to identify underlying principles and their results is astounding, and the essays in this book are so filled with wisdom that I want to stand up and cheer at the end of each one! I sorely regret that either he is not younger or I am not older--those who had the privilege of having him teach one or more of their courses have been abundantly blessed indeed.

The bottom line: If you want to sit around and wring your hands helplessly while bewailing America's educational problems, you'd best keep shopping. But if you want to cut the political nonsense and demand results, not excuses, this book is indeed the place to begin.

This book is far from original, and its influence upon me was sobering, not life-changing.

Barzun, the near-ancient Columbia scholar, argues simple truths rather than attempting to glorify the fads in today's educational system. He advocates the value of effort in achieving results in schools--and the results themselves are to be simple to account for ("rudiments," such as reading, writing, or drawing) instead of touting abstract and platitudinous "goals," "objectives," or "doctrines."

As a college student, I found his musings about the state of higher education even more inspiring. In line with the full title of the book, he writes of the forgotten conditions of teaching and learning in the face of over-politicisation and drive to "re-search" of modern colleges. He also stresses the deliberate detachment of academic institutions from the mundane goings-on in the rest of the society for the sole purpose of pursuing knowledge. Instead, the modern establishment of higher learning (?) feels incomplete without an array of "social justice" undertakings in place both in its curriculum and interaction with the world outside.

I think every thinking person who believes in common sense would enjoy Barzun's writings.

There are many ideas in this devastating critique of contemporary universities and of the educational system in general.

According to Barzun, the advent of making research profitable (through grants, the publish-or-perish mentality, etc.) has fatally wounded universities. Before this, teachers were teachers first. Research was conducted on a teacher's own time, and important works were often published at the end of a teacher's long career of teaching, reading, and thinking about a subject.

In contrast, teachers today resent students because students take time away from research. The publish-or-perish doctrine has resulted in a wash of triviality. Information that was once a footnote is now the subject of an article. What was once an article is now a book.

Barzun also disapproves of the politicization of universities. Teachers, he says, should concern themselves with providing the tools needed to get along in the world: reading, writing, counting, and thinking. The result of those tools should be of no interest of the teacher - because it isn't any of their business.

Primary education is little better than the universities. Educators fall under the spell of their own rhetoric. No one can teach creativity, self-esteem, etc., and teachers should stop claiming that they do. Instead, teachers should teach those subjects that are teachable: reading, writing, thinking, and counting.

Beth Russell is a master at creating easy to follow charts for needlepoint projects. Her color changes are particularly easy to follow. Any figure, flower or section of her designs can easily be separated and converted for use wherever wanted.

I got hooked on Needlepoint books once I discovered it was much cheaper to buy your own wools and canvases. Not to mention you don't have to try and figure out where all the printed lines REALLY belong!

First let me say that Beth Russell is not necessarily the place for beginners to start. The designs are detailed, and the charts are detailed, and the canvas is usually smaller than, say, Elizabeth Bradley. For those needlepointers with some experience, however, you will enjoy the challenge of translating these beautiful Morris-inspired designs into art for your home.

Some of the best I've done include the Morris Lion (a wonderful medieval-looking lion with an ornate tapestry background), the orange pillow (on the cover), and the woodpecker tapestry

William Morris is well-known for his intricate designs and wonderful harmonies. He was also a dedicated designer for needlework of many types. In Beth Russell, Morris has found a faithful and dedicated translator of his work for today's stitchers. This book is full of wonderful designs and charts which allow you to create Morris designs for yourself. From the wonderful, enormous Raven tapestry, to the simple fruit pillows, this book is a treasure to dream over or stitch from

I love this book. If you want to use the internet to enhanceyour off-line reading experience, this book is a wonderful choice. Aguide to authors' sites, incredible on-line literary magazines, on-line libraries, and collections of great reading--real treasures, like Arts & Letters Daily. You'll bookmark a ton of URLs from this book! Plus how to publish your own work on-line. Highly recommended.

I had read this book and found very informative. I recommend it to the one who would like to know more about internet

Mr. Morris is very informative, easy to follow and ,the best part,he's very funny. I keep this book close to my computor at all times. D.Solomo

Many books have been written on health and exercise and slowing the effects of aging. The problem is, they are all written by doctors or forty-something fitness gurus. This is written by a "real" person, a pharmacist in her seventies.

Her biggest recommendation is to take control of your own health and well-being. No matter how wonderful your doctor or pharmacist is, they won't do it for you. Educate yourself about, for instance, supplements and alternative medicine. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Is drug B really necessary, or is it simply counteracting side effects from drug A? Drink lots of water, and, if applicable, change your status from smoker to ex-smoker.

A big reason for America's health problems is the American diet. It's full of all sorts of artificial, pre-processed, fat and chemical-filled stuff that bears little resemblance to real food. Reduce the amount of such things that you put in your mouth. Eliminating it entirely would be even better.

Part of the secret is attitude, which starts with the word "retirement." If you're physically and mentally able to keep working, don't retire just because you have reached "retirement age." If you're retiring to do something you have always wanted to do, go for it. On the other hand, if you're retiring to move into some retirement community and wait for the Grim Reaper, you need more help than this book can provide.

Morris also recommends living in an environment that includes young people; they can be a pain in the neck, but their energy can be contagious. Avoid people and organizations that say "the end is near." Develop a positive sense of humor and outlook on life. Stand apart from the masses. Don't abandon long-term plans just because you think you have X years left.

To those who aren't ready to leave the workforce, or leave this Earth, just because their body has reached a certain chronological age, this book is for you. It's very easy to read, it's from a regular person intended for regular people, and anyone can learn a lot from it. This is very highly recommended.

...As a pharmacist with a degree from Rutgers U. College of Pharmacy, Morris is able to give readers reliable, pertinent information about a wide range of medical and health topics and good habits of interest to persons getting into their fifties and older. In addition to this, she also discusses fundamental matters of the psychological and mental well-being of older persons. As the title denotes, the intended readers for her book are the baby-boom generation starting to face health and psychological matters of aging. But obviously her book is of interest to any readers older or younger interested in maintaining a vital life style for as long as possible.
In general, Morris gives advice on how individuals can stay integrated into the mainstream of life even as they grow older. This allows them to enjoy a full, diverse life rather than become segregated from the younger generations by their own feelings of separation or by inappropriate images or expectations of society. A couple of the points this author makes are "Traditional retirement is a fast track to decline, decrepitude and an early demise"; and "Live in an environment that includes young people." Morris does not outline any specific program for enjoying life during one's later years as so many books in the self-help genre do. Instead, she offers readers upbeat counsel and principles which go a long way toward helping readers live the kind of life that is most rewarding and enriching for them despite long into their later years.

...

Barbara Morris' Boomers Really Can Put Old On Hold is a practical, energetic, and health oriented book dedicated to the proposition that anyone can extend their life and improving the quality of their "golden years". Written especially for Baby Boomers, this excellent catalogue of tips, tricks and techniques covers not only keeping oneself in good health but also retirement plans and solid information resources. Written by a fresh and vibrant 72-year-old woman (check the author's photograph and you'll be amazed someone that venerable can look and feel so good!), Boomers Really Can Put Old On Hold is highly recommended reading for all ages!

This is a book I enjoyed from cover to cover, largely due to the author's fresh style and non-stop sense of humor. It was a pleasure getting to know her resilient protagonist, Jess Shore, and her engaging gaggle of friends and lovers.

Even though I pegged the perp early, I was still surprised by the ending. This is a fast-paced, well-written mystery that left me anticipating a sequel.

This book kept me interested. It fleshed out the characters well, gave pretty decent background, kept a good pace, and was a very good mystery. Loved Jess and Buster. Got more than a few chuckles, but.........as good as the book was, I felt let down in the last chapter. Is was as if Ms. Morris wanted to end the book in 225 pages or less, and she did. Would have liked to have read more about her relationship with Cat...oh, well, maybe next time. Still, a very good read.

Look out V.I. Warshawski, here comes Jessica George Shore-ex-Canadian cop turned PI. She not only flys her own plane but has a large canine sidekick named Buster. Jess Shore spends her time between Toronto and Provincetown and this book takes P-town by storm. When a popular restaurant owner is whacked into a coma, PI Jess needs to find out who did it. The book is fast-paced and the cast of characters and endless quips keep you chuckling while you read. The heroine is all too human right down to her committment avoidance and migraines. I left this one wanting to read more of the friends and family of Jess Shore.

Yep the shelves are full of C and C++ books. It is not that one is better than the next. It is that sometimes it is good to have a book tell you what you already know in a different way. Then you can say "Oh, that's why it is done that way!" This is one of those books.

This is a hands-on step-by-step book to get you started.

This bookhas taught me alot , thanks to les hancock and morris krieger for making this book comprehendable to new c programmers like. I especially enjoyed their second edition of c primer. I hope some authors will have the idea on how to present their learning style just like what mr. hancock and mr. krieger did !

I have found this book to be a rather good means of acquiring knowledge on many aspects of C programming. It provides a simple yet effective means of explaining various topics in C programming to the reader, using anecdotes and so forth. It might not be as extensive or as long as some other books, and cover all of the topics, but instead provides to the point explanations on the the more prominent topics which helps the reader understand concepts quickly. This book can be a good way to assist in ones learning C, I used it in conjuction with a much larger and more drawn out book, when I don't understand something I often turn to this book which provides a look at the subject from a slightly different perspective. I recommend this book, to be used in conjuction with another book such as Stephen Kochan's excellent and recommended Programming in ANSI C, but unfortunatly the C Primer is out of print.

. . .this remarkable bit of literary detection by Mrs. Lindskoog.

Informed hobbits have known for quite some time that there have been serious issues of legitimacy and integrity surrounding the writings and literary legacy of CS Lewis, close friend and fellow Inkling of our own great Professor. In this volume, Mrs. Lindskoog traces the history and lineage of Lewis' literary legacy and demonstrates that there has, in all likelyhood, been a great deal of fraud and deceit practiced upon lovers of Lewis by a number of individuals who should have known better.

This hobbit can only hope that Mrs. Lindskoog's book quickly returns to print and is widely read and disseminated among those of our fellows who truly loved Mr. Lewis and respected his legitimate work.

All true lovers of the writings and person of C.S. Lewis, and all academics interested in Lewis from a literary standpoint will benefit greatly from this book.

Lindskoog pins down, through incredible academic detective work, what many of us suspected for some time, but were unable to voice or prove, namely, that Lewis's "literary executors" have tried (and in many cases succeeded) in pulling the wool over our eyes!

Lindskoog has demonstrated that many of the quaint little stories about bonfires, lost manuscripts, personal secretaries, etc. have, in many cases, been outright fabrications foisted on an unsuspecting public. It's a shame that in the confusion following Lewis's death, a better executor could not have been found; perhaps, if this had been the case, much trouble would have been averted.

Well, it's all water under the bridge now. The truth is out there, and real Lewis scholars know what it is. Dr. Hooper and his cronies have been thoroughly discredited. Now if only he would quit writing introductions. . .

Lord Acton said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. St. Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil. These two principles have combined in the C. S. Lewis literary estate. As one of the many economically foolish things CSL did in his life, he left the management of his literary estate to two friends who did not have the experience or time to manage it. At the first opportunity his friends unloaded the management upon the first person handy, a student from America who was keenly interested in Lewis' books and occasionally visited him in the last summer of his life.

Predictable results occurred. This person wielded power over publishers who made huge profits from the books. He had the power to say which academics had access to certain Lewis archives and which got permission to quote Lewis. The publishers had to include this person's book introductions in which he rewrote himself in a favorable light into history. Ambitious specialists needed to agree with the claims. One such claim was that this person was Lewis' live in, full time, private secretary for several years. This person also "discovered" many unknown Lewis literary works and revisions of existing works that were significantly lower in literary quality than the original, known Lewis literature and in some cases contained religious and ethical themes that were the exact opposite of Lewis' adamantly held views.

In this book Kathryn Lindskoog does a thorough job of investigative journalism in deflating much of the rewritten history and "new" Lewis works with documentary evidence and eye witness accounts. This book reads much like a Chapman Pincher espionage expose. This book attracted much attention, and further eye witness accounts and leads to more documentary evidence and was followed by a second book, "Light in the Shadow Lands," five years later.

Last Christmas a friend gave me the book, "Catwatching" also by Desmond Morris, and I was so intrigued with the book and the beautiful photography that I began searching for other books by the same author. I finally came across this one and was equally as pleased. Catworld is absolutely fantastic! The coloured photography is exquisite and the book, with just under 500 pages, contains anything and everything you want to know about your feline friends. From big cats of the wild to the various breeds of domestic cats, from the origin of Puss and Boots to cat care, this book contains a wealth of well-organized information, all in alphabetical order.

I have two Persians, and "Catworld" is a book I definitely would not want to be without. No matter how broad your knowledge is on cats, novice or expert, you are bound to find some new and interesting facts and amusing trivia contained among the pages. There are some recently published books on the market that do not contain nearly as much information as this one. "Catworld" is an excellent resource book for your library and you are bound to enjoy the stunning photography. I highly recommend this top-notch book...and your cat will love you for it!

Once you buy this book you wont need to buy another. A must read for all feline-friends! Don't miss it!
You will learn about breeds, history, behavior everything you want to know about cats. Desmond Morris is a great writer: clear and concise. A Desmond Morris' book is just a treasure, a delight for those who love to read about pets.

After looking through this book for a few hours, my husband and I immediately began trying to think of who we knew who would like it for a gift. Not only does it cover the subject matter you would normally expect from a book on cats, such as rundowns on all the recognized breeds, but it has interesting entries on such subjects as why cats eat grass. Beautiful pictures. A perfect gift for the cat lover on your list. Wish my friends would take the hint and buy me one!

Michelle Spieker is truly a gift to this world. Her book, "The Cherished Self" inspired me to make great changes in my life. I have read it many times now and learned so much more with each reading. "Allow the music of your soul to be heard and felt," is so very powerful. "Trust your heart and stay true to who you are." This book helped me with relationships, reminded me to set my boundaries, and gave me tools "to follow my passion and be true to myself." Michelle speaks to my heart and soul with such wisdom and passion. This book is beautifully written by an angel who had the courage to make life-altering changes to facilitate healing in herself, in others and on this planet. I am honored to have met this beautiful soul and I look forward to reading her next book. And her next...I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires a simpler life, filled with peace, harmony and joyous miracles to nourish your soul. When we take the time to nurture and cherish ourselves, we are then able to love and nurture others. Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your gifts.

This book has been hugely instrumental for me as I have set off an a journey of self-discovery. It is light, easy, inspiring. It is easy to pick up and put down and read a little bit every night. It has great exercises, probing questions and funny anecdotes. This book has become one of my favorite gifts to give friends.

With honesty and candor Michelle demonstrates what it's like to live a truly joyful life. A wonderful book and a valuable tool to use as a constant resource. When life seems to be falling apart or even when things are going well, The Cherished Self will help you move through your days with grace and joy by simply reminding you to Cherish yourself. A must in everyone's home library. I highly recommend it.

Cholera sweeps New York City and one of the most prestigeous doctors comes down with it. She gets through it and begins to search for a cure. A marvelous story about survival, love, and faith. Read it Now!!

I liked the book. I did not like how Cheney acted sometimes but in the end a near tragedy brings everyone closer than ever. It really is a heart felt book, I cried in it twice. I read your inquiry about the Cheney books on Amazon.com. I have read all but #5. I did not like #2 as much as the others. What do you think about Cheney and Shiloh's relationship? I love the books and read each one in a day. Read about my page deicated to the series Cheney Duvall, http://www.angelfire.com/mo/blondgirl/cheney.html

I thought that the book was descriptive and greatly recommended for women to read and men will ebjoy iy too.Dr.Cheney Duvall and nurse, handsome Shiloh Irons set out to overcome the trials of a female doctor in 1865.I thought that this was one of Morris's best book series. I will treasure it forever. I love the series so much a made a webpage for it. http://www.angelfire.com/mo/blondgirl/cheney.html The Cheney Duvall sereis is higly recommend from me and my friends.This book series is good for anyone old and young.