I loved this book, and after 30 years, I still pull it off the shelf and read it. Ms Norton was one of the first woman writers of Sci-fi/fantasy. Best known for her "witch world" fantasy series, Norton has also given us many fine sci-fi novels.Ordeal In Otherwhere would be considered one of the best of her action sci-fi. Norton has re-occuring themes that involve a youth, estranged and powerless, confronted with seemingly overwhelming odds. Throw in a weave of mind-magic, aliens, great odds and a dash of animal companions, and you have a classic Norton novel. One of the first books I read that had a female hero!

By now it's a well known story that Andre Norton's publisher had been resistant to this story because they did not think her fans would want to read a book with a female as a viewpoint character. The enthusiastic reaction proved them wrong and helped to open the world of science fiction to a legion of women, among them many current science fiction authors.

Charis begins her story on a planet where a group of narrow relgious conservatives have taken over. She was fleeing from the settlement when a space ship planets. However, the way off the planet the ship offers is as contract labor, a hair away from outright slavery. Desperate, Charis agrees. She is taken to the planet of Warlock as part of a trading post, a small experiment to see if Terrans and Wyverns, as the natives of Warlock are called, can peacefully trade.

However, there is more going on than a trading mission. Charis finds herself caught up in a struggle between hijackers and the native rulers. She also meets up with Shan Lantree, the Planet Survey Cadet assigned to the small Embassy Post as well as Shan's nonhuman wolverine companion, and a small lovable native animal called a curl cat.

This is vintage Norton and well worth reading.

Robert Coover's first novel, Origin of the Brunists, shows how he won so many awards for his poetry and short fiction. This is a book you won't forget. The book throws a strange group of definitely substandard people together, adds a set of bizarre events, shakes, and comes up with the most bizarre - but plausible - religion you have ever seen. Metaphysics, virtual Forteanism, downright stoicism, you name it, it gets thrown in and sort of works. The book is a study of the individuals, not the religion, but the religion serves to hold the people together. I haven't read this book in 15 years, and I'm aching to get another copy. If you like this book, try Coover's Universal Baseball Association - J. Henry Waugh, Prop., or a collection of his poetry and shortstuff, Pricksongs and Other Delights. At least one of these is in print.

Having read Coover's later books, I was rather skeptical if his earlier ones would be as good - and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I would rate Coover's first novel as his best work: taut, earthy and powerful, it chronicles the rise and fall of a cult group called the Brunist (following the name of the so-called founder of the group, Giovanni Bruno) and how even a small, seemingly harmless and insignificant group of people can become potentially threatening to the larger community. But what I truly admire about this novel is the slow, subtle building of the narrative terror and hysteria. Coover is indeed a master of suspense and anti-climaxes, building up very tensed episodes to end them in slick, sometimes frustrating, bathos. But this only makes the novel more rewarding as the reader is never on solid ground. The prose continuously shifts and distabilises the reader's suppositions, making it almost impossible to stop reading (this is not an exaggeration). I highly recommend this electrifying novel and hope that it will reach a very wide audience.

This edition has "some" of Erasmus' most influential works; namely, "The Praise of Folly", the political "Complaint for Peace", "Forewords to the Latin New Testament", "Julius Excluded from Heaven", the "Colloquis", and excerpts from his finest letters. These works are selected more to understand the humanistic side of Erasmus rather than the scholarly doctrinaire who labored for the peace of christendom. With these selections - entailed by fotenotes, the editor's prefaces, and critcical commentaries - this edition will invariably enhance a more intimate impression of the mind of Erasmus at the dawn of the reformation.

I managed to stumble across Erasmus while reading William Manchester's "A World Lit Only By Fire", and was beyond intrigued by such a character as described that I had never even heard about. Of course, Erasmus had been mentioned in my presence often, but never in a direct context. So I pick up this book, hoping to find out what the deal was and what I was missing.

My entire view of the middle ages changed practically overnight. Do not miss the fact, people: Erasmus was THE deal. Erasmus makes Luther look like a limp little hothead. Erasmus is Jim Carrey to Voltaire's Carrot Top. Erasmus drows the candle of Aristophanes with a roaring torch. The ultimate critic, the ultimate wit, and the ultimate reason in an age of insanity. Without this fantastic book I may have passed a second 18 years without Erasmus as an inspiration. The pure genius and subtlety of truly the most underappreciated scholar of all time is laid out glowingly. Why did I waste my time with "Mandrake" and "Candide" when "In Praise of Folly" does the same job a thousand times better? Why on earth do we pay attention to Martin Luther, the most incompetant and ridiculous "reformer" of all time, when Erasmus was doing everything twice as good at exactly the same time?

Get this book, people. Understand Erasmus and understand a wisdom that defied an age of stupidity.

Lucian, the second century (AD) satirist from Syria, was a master storyteller with a peculiar talent for wit and sarcasm. He had a profound impact upon Desiderius Erasmus' writings, such as the "Praise of Folly" and the "Colloquies." Even St Thomas More was greatly indebted to Lucian, whose works More translated and admired. These works are a collection of short stories in narrative and dialogue form. They are very telling of life in the second century of our era, pointing mostly to the philosophical and religious milieu of the Hellenistic world. He attacks sophists and displays his disdain for the priests of the Mystery Cults through the use fierce rhetorical invective. The dialogues with the gods, also, are entertaining bits of literary genius, which will be useful to anyone seeking knowledge of the personality and background of the traditional gods of the Hellenistic world. The Norton edition of Lucian's satires is authoritative, reliable, and will ultimately be a prize for anyone interested in the literature of classical times

Lucian lived in the 2nd century A.C. He was a travelling orator. In those days people liked to listen to the witful language skills of those orators. Their speeches served no purpose, it was only meant to show off and to amuse.
Besides his work as an orator, Lucian wrote a lot of 'Dialogues' or 'Satires', a kind of conversation in which he mocked several aspects of the society in those days. The most famous are 'Dialogues of the Gods', 'Dialogues of the Dead' and 'Dialogues of the courtesans'.
One of my favourite satires is 'The judgement of Paris'(from Dialogues of the Gods). Athena, Hera and Aphrodite want Paris to decide which of them is the most beautiful goddess. In the manners of a real beauty contest, the three goddesses try to sell their merchandise to Paris. Finally he chooses Aphrodite and in return she promises that the most beautiful woman on earth, Helen, will be his.(It will start the Trojan War but that's another matter).
If you read this book you will have a good idea of what the people in Antiquity called humour.

This book is "The Thinner Aquinas," a targeted text specifically focusing on Aquinas's political and ethical writings.

Incluced are obvious selections from Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica (Five Ways of God's Existence and Essay on Law), but also included are excerpts from "De Regimine Principum."

There are hidden treasures in the back, excerpts from backgound sources and essays that influenced and were influenced by Thomisitic thought.

This book is geared towards a poltical scientist and poltical philosopher. For the theologian or the philosopher, however, I would reccomed Penguin Classics "Selected Writings."

PS--Nice picture on the cover!

This is a truly excellent selection of Thomistic writing, both by the Angelic Doctor and his critics and modern-day followers. It is not only comprehensive on the subject of Aquinas's politics and ethics but it is a good introduction to Thomism and natural law theory in general. Mortimer Adler's spanking of Bill Moyers on the subject of objective ethics is worth the price of the book just by itself.

Ms. Norton didn't write *any* of the stories in this volume.

Bell, Claire: "The Hunting of Lord Estalian's Daughter" Megarti, a witch-maid raped by a drunken noble, has asked to be shapechanged in her quest for revenge.

Curry, Ginger Simpson: "Sea-Serpents of Domnudale" - The Wise Woman prophesies that twins will be born, one of the Dark to conquer and rule as overlord of many Dales, and one of the light - one evil, the other the true-born son of Lady Zvetta and her lord. But which is which? The 'bad seed' idea may not appeal, and the manner of presentation may distract you at first, but a good story.

Gravel, Geary: "Old Toad" - Ander and Berry, young brother and sister, dwell in Mountain Gate on the Estcarp border - but *he's * the one with Witch power, while she has a talent for asking questions - like why the Council has transferred their resident Witch, and why the Borderers seem to be pulling out of the mountains bordering Karsten...

Lewitt, S.N.: "The Judgment of Neave" - A tale of the Fane of Neave in Arvon and its search for a new guardian.

Lichtenberg, Jaqueline: "Through the Moon Gate" - Remora, a tough youngster fed up with being laughed at for her dreams of the Old Ones, has struck out across the Waste to find Arvon. Instead, she finds a gate - and Dorian St. Just ("Good God, this isn't Denver, is it?") But he's not as out of place as one might think...

Linaweaver, Brad & Cynthia: "Dream Pirates' Jewel" - After the destruction of Sulcarkeep in the Kolder War, leaving radioactive ruins, a small expedition finds a bay in southern High Hallack (separated by mountains from the chaos of the Invaders' War) that seems eminently suitable for a new keep. So the Sulcar have a settlement again, including some flotsam from the war, such as the witch-gifted girlchild Myrna, and her strange dreams of the sea.

Major, A.R.: "La Verdad: The Magic Sword" - Gunnora sends an emissary to Abbey Halstead, furthest north of the convents of those who worship Those Who Set The Flames, asking alliance against the toads at Grimmerdale, to open a gate and bring forth a champion. (See _Lore of the Witch World_ if you're not familiar with Grimmerdale. Its chronology in the Invaders' War and that of the sword's origin don't seem to mesh at first, but the author has it covered.)

Mathews, Patricia Shaw: "Darkness Over Mirhold" - Rovagh of Mirhold became lord by being a berserker fighting man in a hold desperate to have someone take over and start running the place. Derris, the narrator, is his newly-wed lady - one of the many orphans in the care of the Duke of Karsten, in these days after the war, chosen because she seemed the only one strong enough to help rebuild a ruined hold.

Meier, Shirley: "Peacock Eyes" - Shallon, the narrator, was once human - she speaks of the days when the road through the Dales to the Gate, now crossing part of the Waste, was new, not old.

Miesel, Sandra: "The Salt Garden" Orel, last survivor of Estindale after Alizon blasted it into slag with Kolder weapons, and after his father fell to ambush days ago, has fled into the Waste, determined at least to die while exploring new things. (His father's killers have their maps, so there's really nowhere else to go). The lifeless city he comes to reminded me at first of Charn (in Lewis' _The Magician's Nephew_) - a city where only one woman, apparently an Old One, still lives, crafting flowers out of metal and gems where no water flows to give real flowers life. But is she the destroyer of the city, a victim, or neither?

Miller, Ann: "The Stones of Sharnon" - A Mineral and Energy Scout from a high-tech civilization strays into Estcarp on an innocent survey.

Paxson, Diana: "Heroes" Aelvan, only living son of a refugee from Karsten and her Borderer husband, follows the House of Dhulmat when they answer Kyllan Tregarth's call into Escore.

Schwartz, Susan: "Rite of Failure" Aurek, marked as the successor to the Pack's shaman, has undertaken his ordeal early, in these first days of their exile from Arvon. But what will happen to him now that he's failed?

Snodgrass, Melinda: "Futures Yet Unseen" Sytry, the narrator, can't be a conventional warrior, with his malformed hip; he's that rarity in Escore, a student of chemistry, who turns it to practical use.

Swallow, Lisa: "S'Olcarias's Sons" An old grandfather of the Sulcar tells a story of their origins over the evening fire.

Wind, David: "The Sentinel at the Edge of the World" - Set before the Kolder War. Vadim, the narrator, is a blank shield of Estcarp, offered service by a man seeking, not a mere mercenary, but a hero, to accompany him to the end of the world - eastward.

Wolf, Rose: "Tall Dames Go Walking" - A story of Jorge Petronius, the mysterious Guardian who opened Simon Tregarth's Gate into Estcarp, on an archaeological dig between Glastonbury and Tintagel in Britain. The references to how Petronius came into his guardianship don't seem consistent with the little we know from _Witch World_. The narration is somewhat awkward, as the author isn't content to let the reader do some of the work of understanding the story, e.g. "...her interest was at least purely (again, in a literal sense) academic", providing explicit literary allusion wherever possible rather than more subtle references. (Nothing's as dead as a pun treated this way.)

I never tire of Ms. Nortons collections of shorts. All of the authors are very talented and stick to the basic WW theme so well. Again, it is a steping stone for beginning authors as well as beginning readers and fun for both as well as a delight for long time Norton fans!

Here is the description the authors provide for the book: "This book aims to introduce managers to the trends leading to the creation of the virtual organization, as well as to concentrate on the better-known aspects of the concept, such a telecommuting, outsourcing, and strategic partnerships, which are in use today."

The definitional analysis of virtual organizations find little commonality beyond new structures that are faciliatated by improved telecommunications technologies, harnessing various forms of greater organizational flexibility, and requiring a higher level of trust to operate effectively. That's another way of saying that no two virtual organizations are the same. Nor should they be, because everyone company's situation is different.

The authors point out that the concept is not new. Companies like Nike have been employing this approach for many years.

The book goes on to explore the stalls that delay progress toward and in a virtual organization (such as problems in setting up successful alliances), dangers of having a virtual organization (especially the uncertainty and stress that it creates for employees and contract workers), and the irresistible forces at work that create demand for such an organization (globalization, technological trends, and volatile markets).

The book has a number of case histories that are effective in elucidating the authors' points.

The book also provides a useful personal developmental planning summary for your consideration while working in or with a virtual organization.

The book ends with a checklist to help you prepare for the future in this area. You will not need such an organization when there is no strategic fit with potential partners, you have all of the core competencies you need inside already, trust-sharing would be very difficult to create, there is a high probability of losing strategic knowledge, or the project is ill-defined.

Due to its brevity, the book can do little more than provide an overview of where the structure has been and why it has evolved that way. I graded the book down one star for having an overly narrow focus to be a fully useful introduction to the subject.

The perspective on the future evolution of virtual organizations is too limited to be of much value. That is a subject that Carol Coles and I address in The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, if you are interested in more.

The book is certainly a good overview of the subject if you have never seen a virtual organization. On the other hand, you could learn more in an hour by visiting one and seeing how it operates from the inside out than you could by reading this book. If you are truly interested, go visit three or more such organizations. Then, you can use this book to give you a framework for thinking about which aspects of a virtual organization could make sense for your organization. At that point, you will want to review books more specifically aimed at aspects of the problem, such as creating alliances, improving communications, and so forth.

Good luck in becoming more virtual!

I found this book to be an excellent aid for a MBA assignment I had to do in regards to the virtual workplace.

The book covers everything you need to know about the virtual organisation from defining what a virtual organisation is, through to preparing for the future.

The book explains how and why the virtual organisation has come about along with it's advantages and disadvantages and of course the all important question of managing the virtual employee.

The authors are very concise and there is excellent use of bullet points, checklists and summaries. This is an excellent starting point to gaining a good understanding of the virtual organisation and thoroughly recommended.

This is a masterful short review of the influence of melancholy in early modern literature. The topic is fascinating, and the author discusses it with clarity and elegance. ...

didn't read the book, but she's a good prof.... so i liked it.

I really enjoyed Walden, it's a very deep philosophical book. Thoreau is very insightful, and he is also very intelligent. I admire his capability to digress on different subjects and expand on the topics. His profound statments make an individual contemplate and search his inner soul for his true identity. This book, if read carefully and with much thought, can really impact one's life. It can help one search themselves and think differently about life in general. I would encourage people to read this book if they have a good grasp on their life because it could be confusing and somewhat depressing at times, depending on the maturity level of the individual. If one has an interest to read this, it can be very enjoyable, and challenging at the same time.

Mind you, this isn't idle worship - this book is a masterpiece of American Literature, and along with 'Civil Disobedience', represents one of the greatest literary minds America has ever known. Thoreau stands with Dickinson, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman as one of the greats of his era. Indeed, in the 1850's when 'Walden' was originally published, it occasionally sat beside 'Moby-Dick' and 'Song of Myself' on book shop shelves. In reading Thoreau, one comes to understand the scholar and the naturalist that have so profoundly come together next to Walden Pond; their combination seems to express some of the most basic underpinnings of American life. More than that however, their intertwining through insight and spiritualism evokes a thoughtful reverence for life in its entirety. Thoreau's ruminations are striking, not merely for their deep beauty and sentiment, but for their delving examination of the human soul. The way in which he blends the substantive and the sublime, bringing the reader to Walden Pond in mind, body, and soul, deserves praise as one of the highest forms of art. One cannot help but wonder at the depth - of Thoreau, of the spirit, and of Walden Pond.

The novel chronicles the injustices that surround Maggie, who is quiet and doesn't fight back. A chilling look at poor, urban life in the late 1800's, it is also a tale critical of society's judgmentality and questioning of morality. A more complex novel than it seems on first look, it is wonderful to take apart and examine the relationship between Maggie and Pete, Maggie and her mother, and Maggie and Jimmie.

When I discovered this book, I was already writing a story cycle of my own, The Acorn Stories. Winesburg, Ohio became a strong influence on that book, and also led me to write New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. In Sherwood Anderson's acclaimed story cycle, a small town finds itself entering the twentieth century with loneliness and confusion. The same industrialism that Anderson would explore so well in his novel Poor White also asserts itself constantly here, turning a beautiful landscape into a sometimes desecrated one.

The young reporter George Willard appears in most of the stories, providing a connection for people who feel they lack connection and a voice for people who feel they lack a voice. Though many readers consider this book a bleak and disjointed novel, I consider it a collection of stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways. As for the bleak part, please also look at the many moments of comfort, the many sparks of inspiration.

I eventually lost track of how many times I read Winesburg, Ohio. I just know I'll read it again.