This, no nonsense book is a must have. If you are serious about working with people. about caring about the people you work with (and who work for you) you must read this book. No, you must own this book. It is the best guide to successful people management that I have ever seen. It is to the point and it works. The practical advice given and the way the book explores options assist you in understanding human dynamics. If you are unsure about whether or not you are a people person, read it anyway. It may reveal that necessary ingredient that will make you a successful team leader. I highly recommend it as a tool to develop skills and to be the best people motivator that you can possibly be!

The Irish Republic by Dorothy Macardle. Published by Wolfhound Press. Price #40 hardback. "Whether the Irish Republic ever existed has been disputed not only by jurists and not only with words. For the Irish people the Republic was, for a few tense years, a living reality which dominated every aspect of their lives. its existence was a fact of human history, if not of logic or of law." With these eloquent words, Dorothy Macardle begins her monumental work on the history of the Irish struggle for freedom between the years 1916 and 1923. Its republication this week is an event in itself and is long overdue. The Irish Republic is a book which has been neglected for over 30 years, last reprinted in 1968 and frowned upon ever since by 'revisionist' historians. You will not find this book on most academic bibliographies. Because it views events from a frankly republican standpoint it was deemed out of bounds by the anti-republican historians who dominated history writing and history teaching. Yet the same historians used this book in the quiet of their university libraries as an invaluable source of information not to be found elsewhere. The great value of Dorothy Macardle's book is its attention to detail and its strict chronological approach. Add to that the 32 documents and speeches in its appendices and its biographical notes and you have by far the most comprehensive survey of the period. The book was written soon after the events it describes with the benefit of the author's personal experience and wide circle of friends and acquaintances who were centrally involved. The book, and Macardle's reputation, have suffered because of de Valera's association with it. De Valera wrote the preface and the book has been described by Tim Pat Coogan as a "hymn to de Valera". But to drag down this book along with the reputation of de Valera would be a travesty. It is not an apologia for any one person but is the testimony of a people in struggle. Dorothy Macardle was an independent-minded feminist republican. She played her own part in the national struggle, was for long an admirer of de Valera but, like so many others, became disillusioned with his regime in the 1930s. She was among the prominent republican women who publicly deplored the anti-woman 1937 Constitution and urged de Valera to change it. He ignored their demands. This book, the major achievement of Dorothy Macardle's writing life, deserves to be reclaimed and rediscovered. For anyone interested in Irish history it is essential reading. The cult of Michael Collins has distorted the view of the Civil War period and this book is especially important in understanding the republican perspective of that time. But equally, its carefully documented account of the Home Rule crisis, the 1916 Rising, the growth of Sinn Fein and the Tan war has to be read for a thorough understanding of those revolutionary years. All public and school libraries should be encouraged to obtain it. Hopefully a more accessible paperback edition will follow fairly soon so that many more people can add it to their personal libraries. By Micheal MacDonncha

This is no word for this book. It's touching, but still funny. The story teaches that the world is a better place with you than without you. Read this book when life isn't good, for it's very soothing. You will get a laugh too. This is a five star, two thumbs up book. That's why I highly recommend it!

Di Scala's book covers Italy from 1700 to the present. He divides it into several sections relating to the time periods in Italy. Di Scala gives careful attention to the clashing forces in Italian politics including the Church in the time during and after unification and Communists in the last hundred years. Perhaps Di Scala's best part of the book is his coverage of Italy under Mussolini. He details how he came to power and how he led Italy into an alliance with Hitler that put them in the Second World War. This is an excellent book for someone who wants a concise history of modern Italy.

Anyone interested in republicanism and the French Revolution should read this small study. Although part of a three part study on the French Revolution this can stand by itself. Contrary to all of the conservative and Marxist interpretations on the Jacobins and their plan for a republic author Marc Bouloiseau provides an objective study of the sucsesses and failures of the Jacobin regime. He places the Terror on the context of 18th century France and shows how it was a result not only of paranoia and fear but of very real rebellions and plots againt the French Republic by it's enemies.

Also addressed is how the Nation Convention and Committee of Public Safety functioned during wartime, and the proposals for a new society that were put forward. The Jacobins are seen not as "proto-Stalinists" but as 18th century democrats and reformers. Public education, land reform, trade, the military,were all to be revamped for the republican state. Bouloiseau does nto excuse the Terror but places it where it belongs: in the context of a brutal war for the very survival of France, Overall a great study.

Mr. Brown is one hell of an author with other great books. I would like to commend Mr. Walt Brown on a great piece of writing. Also I know Mr. Brown personally and he is such a weirdo!

Franz Kafka spent most of his life in Prague, even though he always felt like a stranger there -- a German-speaking Jew in a predominately Czech Catholic town. Consequently, there are many sites in Prague that are of some interest to fans of Kafka's work. Klaus Wagenbach's little "Travel Reader" highlights most of these sites (e.g., the writer's birthplace, all the Kafka family residences around Old Town Square, Kafka's apartment in the castle, etc.). If you're headed to Prague, you could easily spend half a day retracing Kafka's footsteps with this guide. The book includes a map and numerous photographs of the city as it appeared about 100 years ago so you can contrast today's Prague with the Prague Kafka new. It also includes some short excerpts from Kafka's works, mostly vignettes like the haunting "An Imperial Edict", included next to the sections on the buildings where Kafka lived.

I lived in Prague myself for a month this summer and frequently took this book along with me on my evening jaunts through town. The selections from the writer's work included here helped add personal and emotional meaning to what otherwise might have been just a bunch of buildings. Highly recommended.

This book was an interesting look at the organization over the past ten years. I think we all have a view of the KGB which was formed during the years of the cold war, a large, well run organization that main times was one step ahead of the U.S. This book details what happened to the KGB after the USSR turned back into Russia and the coup was put down. It details the house cleaning of the top, long time KGB officials that took place after the coup and how that is changing the focus of the organization. It also goes on to detail the new focus of the KGB from 100% focus on the U.S. and NATO to one that also takes into its portfolio internal issue as organized crime and terrorist threats. The author also does remind the reader that even though the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has increasingly become warmer; there is still a high level of focus on the U.S. by the KGB.

Overall this is an interesting book that keeps the espionage junky up to date with what is going on inside the KGB. The book will probably become dated in a few years, but it should be up to date for now. The book is well written and keeps the readers interest through out.

This edition is a dramatic improvement over the original. Photos are used instead of drawings. The exercise descriptions of this edition are also much better than the original edition. A virtual encyclopedia of effective qi gong techniques.

I bought this book before a trip to the Czech Republic. As I read it, I discovered that I couldn't have made a better choice in travel guides. This book is crammed with pictures and facts. It covers the city in every detail, from its history, to its artists, and even its architecture. It is laid out very well in an easy-to-read fashion with myriads of colorful pictures exploding from every page. The book is a fascinating read even if one doesn't plan on visiting Prague.