At the heart of Trollope's Phineas Finn lies quite a unique (and perhaps presciently postmodern) notion of politics. However, to get at this theory, we readers must wade through the immense amount of exposition that typifies Trollope's writing. We must patiently and assiduously gather plot details from the frequent and plentiful parlor chat, table talk, and other various and sundry gossip that Trollope uses to advance what is an otherwise exceedingly meager plot. Nevertheless, such exposition, which moves at a pace roughly equivalent to that of continental drift, rewards the reader with quite a keen insight into mid-nineteenth century British politics and its relationship to the reality of human nature.

Perhaps the easiest way to approach the political critique at the heart of this novel is by defining the operative assumptions underlying representative politics in general. In theory, representative government is intended to grant the citizenry a say in legislative process, albeit indirectly. A particular representative is supposed to vote on a piece of proposed legislation in such a way that reflects the greater concerns of his constituency. Prior to the events of Phineas Finn, British representative government is grappling with the issue of whom to extend the franchise based on the criteria of real wealth, property, region of origin, etc. One thus gets the sense that the presence of such exclusionary criteria betrays a rather Platonic distaste for general democracy on the part of the parliament ministers. Thus, in creating a system of barriers or gateways between the public at large and the legislative apparatus, the governing body reduces the potential for an anarchic clamor of myriad and wide-ranging interests on the part of the citizenry, which could potentially derail the legislative process altogether. As a result a properly civic-minded representative may always act for the good of his constituency by exercising his judgment, regardless of whether or not his vote conflicts with his constituents' desires. In other words, built into this system of government is the elitist conviction that the governed may be at times too unruly to exercise its franchise prudently. Therefore, by withholding the franchise from those deemed too ignorant to vote wisely (a determination based on various socioeconomic considerations), and by inserting elected officials between the enfranchised and the legislative apparatus itself, government achieves a normative regularity.

However, with the implementation of such a system of governments also come opportunities to exploit and abuse the system. A certain aphorism-- which I attribute to Michel Foucault, though I am not entirely certain that it is indeed his-- comes to mind: "a system is defined by what escapes it." In other words, because a system results from the desire to perpetuate the plane of consistency from which it emerges, the system must necessarily exclude that which is inconsistent with its purpose. Therefore, around any system arises a margin of excluded possibilities and potentialities; however, those dedicated to the system seek to refine it in such a way as to increase its power to envelop and re-absorb that which it had originally pushed to its margins. Thus any system exists in a state of perpetual refinement because it aims to absorb back into itself that which has escaped it into the margins.

Into such a system steps the young and callow Phineas Finn, a man who is indeed marginal in that he is Irish and a commoner, and it is that position of marginality which the system seeks to incorporate into itself. However, one must understand that the system does not incorporate into itself those who dwell at its margins in order to empower them. Rather, it seeks to neutralize the threateningly unregulated marginality that individuals like Phineas Finn represent by bringing them into its regulatory, normalizing regime, and as we shall soon see, this is precisely what almost happens to Phineas.

With the above in mind, one may ask if whether there is any real benefit to entering such a system, if it is indeed essentially neutralizing and normalizing. I answer provisionally that the system into which Phineas enters, i.e., British Parliament, conceals its regulatory, homogenizing and neutralizing essence beneath a seductive veneer of power and celebrity, and it is this veneer to which Phineas succumbs. That is, it seems that at first a government office offers one the ability to satisfy one's desires, because it is a forum policymaking that also generates a cult of celebrity, and I need not explain the advantages of being a celebrity. Therefore, although we may initially think Phineas one lucky devil, we soon discover that Phineas's various political adventures are characterized by the necessity of forsaking that which he desires. For example, Phineas must abandon his desire for Lady Laura Standish because he cannot satisfy Lady Laura's own political ambitions, and later his political indebtedness to Lord Brantford forces him to abandon of his desire for Violet Effingham, with whom Lord Chiltern is in love. In fact, Phineas soon discovers that posturing, longwinded orations and cloakroom alliances epitomize politics more than any deep desire to get things done.

Mr. Kennedy, on the other hand, is quite a virtuous consummate politician, because he is devoted to carrying out every administrative detail that accompanies government office. In truth though, he is really nothing more than a particularly diligent paper pusher. But, however propitious his demeanor is to the endless administrative duties he must carry out, Trollope nevertheless portrays him as a dry, sober, and nearly humorless. Furthermore, Trollope also portrays Mr. Kennedy a sort of gentle but effective disciplinarian in his married life. Thus we may conclude that political success requires the abnegation, or at least the endless deferral, of one's true desires, and that the most successful politician is one who can most effectively subordinate his desire to the workings of government. Therefore, the system seduces Phineas and his peers with a promise of power that it never delivers, and furthermore the system steals one's position of resistance from him via assimilation into a normalizing regime.

Thus we have arrived at the essence of Trollope's political critique: that the British system of representative government is not dedicated to progress, but to stasis. The government preserves and extends the influence of the status quo through a subtle and complex array of practices: e.g., needlessly repetition of proposed legislature, stupifyingly long-winded filibusters, etc. These practices thus result in a perpetual deferral of desire on the part of plebeian, politician and rising young man alike.

All merits of the novel itself aside (and I did enjoy it very much), this edition seems to have been cobbled together either hastily or carelessly. It was full of errors in punctuation and spelling (including inconsistent spelling of characters' names) which I can hardly believe are the author's. It was a disappointment to me, especially given the fine tradition of the Everyman Library.

Also, the notes on the text, as is unfortunately so common, give away major plot points. I would strongly advise anyone reading for pleasure rather than scholarship skip the notes, or read them only once you've finished the book.

That said, Phineas Finn was a wonderful read. I began Trollope with Can You Forgive Her?, and while I did like it, I liked Phineas so much more. Unlike many male novelists of the period (especially those who were, as Trollope, embraced at the time), he demonstrates a sympathy for and understanding of the difficult choices presented to the women of his time, and does not shrink from presenting women who are intelligent, complex, and quite at home in the political world of London. Lady Laura Standish, Miss Violet Effingham, and Madame Max Goesler might each have been the heroines of their own novels--indeed, their complexities and the depths of their emotional and political lives throw Phineas's own lack of depth and complexity into relief. And by that I don't mean that Trollope nodded while writing his hero, but that he rather deftly endowed him with indifferent qualities as compared to the women his life.

I wouldn't give away the ending of the novel, but I confess I was a little disappointed in Phineas's final choice. Trollope was, after all, a Victorian gentleman, and perhaps he must be forgiven for wrapping up his hero's adventures in what seemed to me rather a prosaic way. I have yet to read Phineas Redux, and perhaps that sequel may redeem Mr. Finn yet.

PHINEAS FINN is a book of many virtues and one unfortunate flaw. The flaw lies in the ending, of which I can say nothing here without giving away a bit of the plot. Let me just say that the ending is a bit of a "tack on." Trollope himself confessed in his AUTOBIOGRAPHY that he botched the ending, and explains that when he decided to write a second novel starring Phineas Finn, he awkwardly had to correct the mistakes he made in the ending of the previous book.

The virtues of the book lie in part in its presentation of the social complexities of the British upper class in 1860s. While a political history of the period could explain the various ins and outs of the major pieces of legislation dealt with at the time, Trollope shows us how many individuals at the time actually felt about these issues from the inside. In this way, Trollope performs a service that no historian ever could. Virtually all the major political figures of the time, from Gladstone to Disraeli appear under thinly veiled aliases.

But the true heart of the book is Trollope's great characters. I absolutely love Jane Austen. She is one of my two or three favorite writers. But sometimes I find the enormous propriety of her characters to be a tad tiring. In these way her characters, as magnificent as they otherwise might be, sometimes seem a little less than fully human. Trollope's characters, on the other hand, often fail to act with complete propriety. They do improper things, and feel improper emotions. Our hero falls in love with one woman, then another, feels attraction to another, and falls in love with yet another, and in general fails in his role as a great romantic hero. A woman marries someone she doesn't love, yet retains feelings for another, and suffers from the threat of a bad marriage. Another woman is attracted to two men, and must decide which. Two close friends love the same woman. I find all this emotional complexity to be extremely compelling.

Trollope's most compelling and interesting characters are nearly all female. In the book, Lord Chiltern seems cardboardish and unbelievable, the title character likable but not terribly vivid. But whenever Lady Laura, or Madame Goesler, or Violet Effingham take the stage, the novel comes to life. This is not unique to this novel. In nearly all his books, Trollope's most compelling characters are female.

If we could give half stars, I would give this one four and a half stars because of the weak ending. But I will stick with five rather than four, partly because the rest of the book easily makes up for the weakish ending, and one can view the excellent PHINEAS REDUX as the real ending of the novel. Either way, I heartily recommend the novel.

Great read! Well written, well thought out but I disagree strongly with parallels drawn with human societies. Would recommend this wholeheartedly for every thoughtful reader.

I rated it a 5, so theres not much left to say. Its a classic and if you are involved anywhere in the biological sciences you should have this book on your shelf (especially if you want to understand the new papers coming out on biodiversity such as those that challenge the ideas of island biography).

One has to wonder what all the controversy was about, back when this book was first printed. (In fact, there is an excellent book on the subject of that controversy, so I won't get into that.)

But here, and in "Consilience," Wilson was making a very important case which we cannot ignore or dismiss: the ancient Greeks dreamed of all knowledge coming together, and we are in a position to start making this happen. For example, we would regard a chemist proposing a theory which violated the laws of physics with deep suspicion. Physics and chemistry are already conceptually united, and I think mathematics falls into that domain, as does astronomy.

Psychology allegedly lies in an entirely different domain.

What about biology? Is it possible for a biologist to propose a theory which violates the laws of evolution, and remain coherent?

In any case, this is where much of the excitement of the 21st century is going to come from.

A landmark work!

If you're looking for an easy reading abridgement of the Institutes, this is an excellent choice. I enjoyed getting an overview of Calvin's work during devotions and before bed without having to think too hard about "translating the translation" which is so often the case with older translations. The fact of the matter is that there are other abridgements that may do the trick also, but this one does just fine for me. I'll read it again and again. So, if you want a overview of Calvin's Institutes without having to deal with the "intricate" details, think about this one... if you want an exhaustive history/biography of his life and works, obviously this won't do it for you.

This book is an abridgement of Calvin's much larger "Institutes." Tony Lane has paraphrased sections of Battles' translation into crisper, more idiomatic English so as to make Calvin's writing accessible to the contemporary reader. I first read this book as a 16 year old and I found no difficulty in understanding it! The guiding principle of Lane's abridgement is that Calvin's positive theological statements and arguments are, more or less, left in tact, while the (sometimes vindictive) polemics that Calvin indulged in are removed. I personally like this feature, because it enables one to see more clearly how edifying and pastoral Calvin's theology is. Calvin's extensive polemics, in this respect, can have the influence of making the modern reader lose sight of this. Lane follows the standard referencing system for the "Institutes" used in the Battles' translation. This is extremely useful, because when Lane indicates that he has abridged Calvin in a certain chapter or section, one can then go to the Battles' version to see what he has left out! Lane gives the reader enough of the "Institutes" so that one can grasp the flow of Calvin's arguments and penetrate to the centre of his theology. After reading this, I got the impression that I hadn't read a disjointed series of abstracts but a COHERENT arguement. It's Lane's ability to maintain the structure of Calvin's overall argument that makes this abridgement especially good. This book serves as an excellent entry into Calvin for the general (or busy) reader. It's short enough so that the attention span is not strained. As a text for a seminary or college course on Calvin's theology, it's a book that students could realistically read through in a semester. This book, taken together with the abridgements of many of Calvin's commentaries in the Crossway Classic Commentaries series, would provide an accessible (and relatively comprehensive) grasp of Calvin's theology and exegesis for the interested pastor or layperson.

This is the hard core of the much longer Institutes. The translation of the title is slightly different than the Ford Lewis Battles full-bore 2-Vol. set, which goes by "Institutes of The Christian Religion." Perhaps that's refreshing for hard-core students of the Battles version.

I was describing this abridgement to a friend as "pretty much the core of the 15% to 20% of what's left of the Insitutes when when you cut out all Calvin's footnotes ranting against the Catholics and accusing his foes of being dogs returning to their vomit." The friend's reply: "But those are the best parts." However, for those readers who would be put off by the hand-to-hand combat found in Calvin's profusion of footnotes (or more properly, in Dr. Battles's vast multiplication of explanatory footnotes), this volume is helpful. Here we have simply Calvin cut loose from his scholastic bickering conflicts.

It only seems less Calvinistic to read through this so easily.

What sells this reference is it's lovely (and very persuasive) cover design. It would appear to be a 'Complete Reference' but it's not. There is much instruction that simply doesn't instruct, typos, and lots of wrong information. The 'Advanced Word Processing Techniques' chapter of the Word section is especially disappointing. Auto-Chapter Headings, headers and footers that work? Not here. Thanks to this book I've been spending more time (and quality time at that) in the Word newsgroups (and getting straight info). Any reference that 'fluffs' itself up with large type, large pictures, generous line spacing, and page after page of hugely set keyboard shortcuts is simply trying to fill up space. Look at other reference books before considering this one.

Overall, this is an excellent book. It will lead a total beginner to competency even with some of Word's advanced features. However a few of those advanced features are not covered in enough detail and that coverage contains a glaring omission.

No mention what so ever is made of using comments, versions, or the revisions features. As a researcher and academic professional, I collaborate on manuscripts for journal publication with colleagues regularly and these features are essential to me. Unfortunately, no mention of them is made in this book at all. Indeed, these features are a cornerstone of collaborative authorship and are widely used, why aren't they covered?

Otherwise, an overall well done book. If the author corrects this glaring omission, I will be happy to revise my review and give it five of five stars.

Despite what this other reviewer told you, this book indeed has a section on outlining in Word. I'm looking at the 3rd printing, which also has some material on the Mac OS X version. Evidently that other reviewer read a different book and got confused.

I highly recommend Mr. Steinberg's book for a thorough look at the Mac version of Microsoft's office productivity suite.

This book has got to be one of the most confusing scientific texts I have ever read (in the realm of biology).

If you want to read a good book, try Janeway!

Kuby's book is probably one of the better text books to have if you are an immunology student. Kuby goes into detail that you will not find in other books. It is written for a higher level of understanding than most other text books. It is certainly not a beginners book. I definitely recommend this book to every graduate student studying immunology.

If a more general book is needed, try Abbas' "Cellular and Molecular Immunology". Janeway's "Immunobiology" is geared more for medical students than immunologists.

The "kuby Immunology" textbook is valuable for a number of reasons, but the two most prominent ones are: its broad content, and its simplistic outlook. Of course, the authors of this book had beginners in mind when they planned for it, yet, it has got what it takes to arouse the curiosities of experienced learners. I like the moderate details that most of the chapters parade, and the illustrative figures were colourfully done. Each topic consists of an array of smooth-flowing information, which are buttressed by supportive charts and diagrams. Even the otherwise complex immunochemistry topics were dissected in details, and without pain. This textbook will encourage any immuno-phobic beginner, while at the same time provide lifelines for those in need of revision. The only thing that I will say against it is that its price is much higher than that of other comparable texts, (like the "Roitt's Essential Immunology").

I give this book three stars because it doesn't have too much action.It has a sabertooth tiger.A man calls himself the animal master he has the antlers of a raindeer and a mask of an owl.The anlers of the raindeer for speed and the mask of an owl for better sight.The characters arejack and Annie.They have to find m thing wich are different times to free Morgan of a spellcasted by Merlin.

I give this book four stars because it educates people of the life of a Neanderthal. I would give it five stars, but there's not much action. But, I think it also educates people about Ice Age wildlife, such as the wooly mammoth. The educational part also includes Neanderthal behavior and beliefs.

"Sunset of the Sabertooth" is truly a great learning book. Jack and Annie go to the time of the Ice Age, where they find the first humans on the planet, which are called Cro-Magnons. Jack and Annie are very cold, so they find a cave to stay in. But not for long, because there's a wet dog smell and snoring, which confirms that there's a cave bear in there! Well, read the rest for yourself. Also, if you want my opinion of the book, this is undoubtley one of Mrs. Osborne's best.

Also, there's something I want to tell all the people who read this book. On Encarta, I found out that the first Humans lived in the epoch that's the beginning of the Ice Age, namely the Pliestocene Epoch. I thought that it would be impossible for humans to live way back then, but this book showed me that Encarta was right, and gave me additional information. If you're doing research on the Ice Age, this will be a book you don't want to miss. Enjoy!

Heroine: lush, voluptuous

Angie Bartoli, possessed of a dark Italian beauty and its accompanying fiery temper, stepped off the train at the Willow Creek depot in search of the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier. Upon finding him, she decked him with a punch worthy of a professional pugilist. And that was before Angie had discovered that he'd been living with another woman nearly all of that time, and has a family with her!

Sam Holland had waited for years for this moment to come. Finally he could put the past behind him, divorce his wife and move on with his life. But things aren't going the way Sam had planned. He knew there might be some enmity on Angie's part, but certainly didn't expect to be assaulted by her! No longer the daughter of wealthy parents, Angie can't afford to pay for their divorce. And Sam can't rustle up the funds because he is saving up to pay for his young daughter's operation.

So a truce is called and a plan is formed. Angie will live with Sam and care for his young girls until they've put by enough money for both the operation and the legal procedures. But the more time Angie spends with Sam and his girls, the less she wants to get that divorce. If only she hadn't already promised herself to another man!

What worked for me:

I thought the hero and heroine seemed like real people, and reading about their life in an 1800s mining town was very interesting.

Sometimes kids in romance novels tend to be too cutesy for me, but the girls in this story didn't come across that way at all. The whole "blended family" scenario was pretty realistic.

Size-wise Angie didn't seem to have many thoughts one way or the other about her nicely rounded shape, but the hero certainly did!

What didn't work for me:

I found the way the hero and heroine clung so desperately to their pride at the expense of their happiness to be terribly frustrating. I think a prologue showing the brief courtship and stormy breakup between Sam and Angie when they were young would have helped make their anger more believable.

Overall:

An enjoyable read for fans of Western Historical Romances...If you liked "The Bride of Willow Creek" you might also enjoy "Beckett's Birthright", "A Country Christmas", "Land of Dreams", "No Ordinary Princess" or "The Hero's Best Friend".

This is the second book I have read by Maggie Osborne. Easy on the ears and eyes! A glimpse into the Old West where things were tough especially for women. Her repartee is engaging and sweet. Read her "The Best Man" for some real education and laughs in the Old West. Good, light story.. always a sweet ending. Nice summer reading.

Maggie Osborne is one of the best writers in the business. Her books never fail to please. The heroine is written to perfection. Her story lines are fresh and unique. Not your average romance tale that repeats itself in book after book. I would highly recommend anything by Ms. Osborne - especially this one.

Having finished the book, I asked about what I learned .. nothing new. Superficial, usual and step-by-step path. I advice an excellent and strong book that is Creating Public Value : Strategic Management in Government by Moore...

As a manager of a medium size agency in a fairly large city, I've looked at a lot of these kinds of books. Too often they are fed-land oriented or full of impractical or incomplete ideas. This one wasn't and it has been very useful as we pursue a strategic reform of our management systems.

I've been working on rego in my federal agency for seven years. While this book had no great surprises for me, it was a useful resource to think through what we've done so far and what remains to be done.

I rate very highly any book that teaches me more about myself or makes me question life in some way. The premise of this book, that there is another soul attached to your own in a symbiotic fashion, begs the question "How would I live my life differently than I do now if I knew that someone else was always with me?" On a simpler level, the book provides some interesting characters and good action. Unfortunately, Cary Osborne does not do the characters justice. They are very underdeveloped and leave the reader with too many questions that are not answered here or in the sequels. The potential was here for a great trilogy.

I always enjoying reading about or seeing a cool woman warrior,kicking butt and not crying because she got bruised or complaining about what ever makes her uncomfortable. Carry Osborne has a nice style in her work it is easy to read and don't get you sidetracked and out of the flow trying to figure out what the words mean that are being used.Carry does a good job of using a common vision of the future as her back drop and incorporating the ancient mystisisum of Japanese Martial Arts. Remeber people Iroshi came out long before Xena. The writers of Xena may have found inspiration in Carry Osborne's Iroshi...

the book is well written, with hints of dune and star wars themes included. however the story overall lacks much depth. you get the feeling that you are reading an abbreviated, condensed version of the text. the story is good though and is a good read.

This book is about two kids named Jack and Annie. One day a magic tree house sends them back to the Roman times to the Roman Empire. When they got there they feel a tremble. After that they knew there was a Volcano. They fought and saved the Roman Times.
I gave this book three stars because it shows Annie and Jack were determined. And it was easy to understand. I recommed it because it is a nice story and there is a good message.

I discovered these books in my work as a teacher of reading to 2nd grade students. And students just love them!
Let me start by saying this is an excellent series of books. The way that Mary Pope Osborne incorporates: science, social studies(history/geography) and many other important academic elements into her stories is phenomenal!
The stories are exciting and well written. They have a way of drawing kids in and keeping them wanting to turn pages.
In our guided reading groups we usually read a chapter or two per day and the students frequently beg me to read more! That is how much kids love these books! Isn't that refreshing?
This particular installment in the Magic Tree House series finds Jack and Annie traveling back to ancient Rome! They happen to land in Pompeii in A.D. 79 on the day that Mount Vesuvius erupts!
This book incorporates two very popular elements for young children: volcanos and magic. It is undeniable that young students are intrigued by the power of volacanos. They love to read about them and this particular book is a great way for them to start researching.
Jack and Annie's adventures never fail to thrill readers and keep them interested.
I highly recommend these books for students in early elementary school. They are excellent for students in 2nd grade. Enjoy!

The purpose of fantasy is to enable children (and adults) to experience what they never could in reality. Every child knows that no adult would send him to the vicinity of a rumbling volcano--which is exactly why they love stories in which things like that happen. Seeing make-believe heroes in danger and seeing them get out of it is one of the ways children learn to be brave and optimistic. If a 4-year-old loves these books, then he's getting something useful out of them. My 8-year-old loves them, and I will happily keep reading them to him as long as he wants!