Hidden by fog and the vagaries of history from the eyes of the world, the Kuril Islands have never featured on many travellers' itineraries nor can I think of a single novelist that took them for a backdrop. In fact, I have never seen another book about the place. No matter. John J. Stephan has written a comprehensive book which covers most topics possibly of interest to the reader. While his subtitle pertains to the Russian-Japanese rivalry over the island group, THE KURIL ISLANDS supplies a satisfying amount of information in a readable style. The few photographs, while not brilliant, complement the text well and I have a feeling they were not so easy to come by. Six maps guide amateur readers like me and for the professional, there is an extensive bibliography with (probably) all sources in Japanese, Russian, and English. The subjects covered include geography and prehistory (including fascinating data on the original inhabitants), the exploration by Russians, Japanese and Dutch, and then various aspects of Kuril history since the 17th century, seen through the prism of Russo-Japanese rivalry. Fascinating details emerge about the WW II period as well as spying activity in the 1950s. In short, if you are looking for information about the Kuril Islands, or you are just curious to learn about an unknown corner of the world, you have come to the right place.

I thought this book was very informative i really enjoyed all it had to stay about Latvia. It really makes you feel as if oyu know the country better I recommnd this book to anyone who is taking a trip to Latvia or one of the Baltic states the book is even good for just review! This book is a definte if you are lookign for information and description on latvia.

A very needed contribution about a very important but little known part of modern Russia. From the druzhina movement to defeat of the "Project of the Century" that helped topple soviet dominance, the Russian love of the environment has served as a source of strength and political expression. A good antidote to the lingering cold war condescion still kicking that there is nothing of value in Russian society. Dense reading, however, but good. An important historical source.

This story about a journalist who meets with a family that has lived for 50 years all alone in a tiny primitive shack in the Siberian wilderness is fascinating. It appeals to our human fascination with "lost people" or people who have shut themselves away from the world. The descriptions of the family and their lives is an astonishing read. The reader comes off still very puzzled, however, at why they did that. Understandably, even the author did not find the true answer, but after our fascination with the situation is over, we have more questions than are answered. When three of the five family members suddenly die within a month of each other there is little explanation and it takes up only a page of story. I recommend this book, but I should warn that after the story is over, you will have many unanswered questions. The book does not give those of us untutored in Russian history sufficient explanation of the facts of people like this family.

As Slovenia embarked on the road to independence, no one thought it would be easy. Slovenia is a small, alpine country... once Communist and once a part of Yugoslavia. I wrote my Master's thesis about Slovenia's economy, and finding reliable, helpful and unbiased information was next to impossible. However, I found this book, which contained a great deal of credible information as well as avenues for further research.

Of particular value for me were chapters on the economy of Slovenia, which is highly unique among Eastern European economies in that it has remained buoyant throughout its struggle for independence from Yugoslavia (and the loss of the Yugoslav market) as well as economic recession in Western Europe (Germany, Austria), Slovenia's primary economic partners.

The book as a whole, however, brings together all the issues that Slovenia faces, from the labor market, to the political system, to language and education policy.

This is an excellent overview of a new nation from a variety of viewpoints.

I absolutely love those plots. It's filled with real intelligence and a lot useful tricks, unlike most other comics. And full of surprises, you never can guess what happens in the next moment. I'm a fan of Modesty Blaise since I was a kid. A must for her fans. I felt the pictures could have been drawn a little better.

GAVIN PEEBLES' MONEY IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: BOOK REPORT & REVIEW BY ARLENE YAP It is important for citizens to understand their own economy and the economy of foreign countries. For it is only through the knowledge of countries' economic standings that people will have a sense of how to make and adjust everyday economic decisions. These decisions might be as simple as how much bread to buy and the hours of worktime. Since people are depending on economists to relay important information on tomorrow's economic situation, it is therefore the economist's job to study historical events, analyze them and give meaningful forecasts on upcoming economic matters. The most significant feature of the First Five-Year Plan period, from1953-1957, was the taking-over of the state in almost all enterprises. Capitalist owners were bought out of control. The economy consisted of state-owned enterprises, peasants and some privately-owned businesses. By 1956, state public ownership accounted for 98.8% of the industrial output. Ministry of Foreign Trade controlled imports and exports of goods. Since there was a major change of economic organization in the urban area, the rural areas were neglected. And agriculture was not doing too well. Therefore, the state had to enforce quotas on grain producers. The government organized the sale of grains as well. And since 87% of the population worked in the rural, farm areas, the government now controlled at least 87% of the economy, including price setting. The Second Five-Year Plan had the vision of rapidly industrializing China through the growth of the heavy industry. The slogan "Great Leap Forward" was introduced in 1957. It set unrealistic targets. In an attempt to achieve the plan's objective, administrative, even militaristic means were employed. Steel production was to be the key element of the growth of China's economy. From 1957-1959, light industry's growth increased by 63%; heavy industry by 165%. However, like the First Five-Year Plan, the agricultural sector was ignored. And supplies of produce to the rural market went down by 16.4%. People increased consumption spending and decreased savings as they felt that the government would provide them with whatever they needed. Disaster struck. Banks ran short of money as they continued granting loans. The government had to temporarily cease their purchasing power and then educate the people on savings. This monetary phenomenon pushed agricultural producers to issue their own "tickets". Produce continued to fall. The result was a famine. Policies were then set up to deal with the main problem, which was low agricultural output. Workers were transferred to the agriculture sector. In 1962, finally, rural output rose. During the Third Five-Year Plan (1966-1970), the government was not able to fully concentrate on the economy because the Cultural Revolution had started. There was rampant murder, war and class struggle. 1966 output showed growth. However, years after that saw reductions in agriculture and industry. Mao Zedong and the People's Liberation Army took measures to restore peace in China. The major change after the striving period was the transfer of state-controlled enterprises to local authorities. What the government did not anticipate was that these local authorities were incapable of handling such immense responsibilities. The Fourth Five-Year Plan of 1971-1975 inherited the problems of the previous subperiod. The problems were known as the "three excesses", namely high accumulation rates, high increase in the number of state workers, thus higher wages, and grain imports. State investment was reduced, thus having to lay-off some of the workers and allow them to return back to the rural area where they could take care of the inadequate amount of grain. But China experienced five years of bad weather, which further decreased the amount of grain output. During the Fifth Five-Year Plan period of 1976-1980, China recognized Western influence. Foreign capital could now be used for development. Industrial plants were also bought from foreigners. However, the misfortune of natural disasters hit China during 1976. The result was a fall in the agricultural output . In December of 1978, the policy that was adopted was one of "readjustment, restructuring, consolidation and improvement". Higher bonus prices were given to peasants who achieved above-quota outputs in agriculture. The Sixth Five-Year Plan, 1981-1985, saw retail prices increasing. There were three components of this increase: first, the State Council approved the increase of prices of bamboo, wood and leather-based products; second, enterprises increased their prices themselves; and third, since merchants were already selling good quality products to their friends at low prices, they had to pass on the burden to the consumers. Aside from this change, households were given rights to lease land. And they became responsible for supplying services such as housebuilding. Thus, the economy saw a diversification from basic staples. During 1979-1981, to boost investment, the government tried taxing profits rather than confiscating them. In 1985, China ventured into the international market when it joined the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Foreign investment was encouraged. As a result, trade increased. This book contains a lot of important information about the economy of China between 1949-1988. Specifically, it tells us the events that shaped the economy, the reasons behind these occurences and the implications in the years after. Thus, it trains the economic mind to analyze important economic happenings, as well as forecast future economic affairs. I can personally say that this book sheds a brighter light in understanding not only the economy of China but economics itself. I encourage everyone to take more than just a peek at this book. I suggest that you digest it, not because I am doing MY report on this book, but because we are all aspiring to be good economists. $45.00 is a good price for this book because there is actually GOOD use to it. It is unlike other books where you simply READ them and forget the content after some time. By reading Money in the People's Republic of China, you are paying for good information and good economic mind training. Now don't you think $45.00 is worth it?

A scholarly and subtle book. Essential reading for any students of the history of sexuality. The book is about the closet, and where it came from. The wonderfully-named Mr Cocks (surely he, Colin Cruise and the German scholar Helmut Puff should form some sort of Queer Historians' Club?) argues that although male homosexuality/sodomy has been the unnameable crime since Biblical times, the problem of naming it only really became critical in England at the beginning of the 19th century. Then, a massive increase in prosecutions for (male) homosexual offences meant that this "nameless offence" was constantly talked about. The closet-that paradoxical modern formation in which homosexuality is both seen and unseen, talked about but secret-was therefore an attempt by ruling elites to marginalize discussion of same sex desire from the public realm. The beginning describes the nature of the law and policing, and although rather dense, shows conclusively that the purpose of the criminal law and the police was to try and marginalize same sex desire in general, to stop people talking about it, rather than to persecute an identifiable group of "gay" men. In fact, one of the good things about this book is that it shows that homosexuality was not confined to a subculture but was everywhere in ordinary life. Most of those prosecuted were nothing to do with "molly houses"-the 19th century equivalent of gay bars, as Cocks shows with evidence taken from ordinary peopel who slept in the same bed or met each other on the street. Because talking about homosexuality might make people do it (yes, that's what they really thought), the Georgians and Victorians tried to silence it. The book therefore shows that the closet was not the result of supposed hidden nature of homosexuality (it seemed to be everywhere), but was the result of a specific historical moment in which same sex desire had to be prevented partly by not discussing it. The rest of the chapters further map out how civil society was formed through the exclusion of same sex desire. Firstly, the "sodomite" was inveted as someone who was invisible or "in disguise" in the Victorian city, partly because people feared complicity in his "crimes." Then, the courts always worked to the advantage of the wealthy, and finally, the blackmailer was rigidly criminalized, again to the benefit of the rich and influential. The final part deals with a strange group of men in late Victorian Bolton, Lancs, who loved each other dearly, but in a spiritual, not a physical way. The book is trying to say that even at the level of personal attachment, homosexuality remained unnameable in the same way that it did in the paper. However, Cocks claims, paradoxically, that the closet was therefore in some way liberating of these apparently unnameable desires. Not sure everyone would agree with that. There is some fascinating stuff here. A dense and detailed book, but well worth the effort.

Texans have often been viewed by other Americans-indeed, the World-as "a bit different." Mark Nackman's NATION WITHIN A NATION goes a long way in explaining this phenomenon. Nackman traces the development of Texas nationalism during its time as a provence of Mexico, a republic, and a state in the Union. As a republic, Texas (the only state that can claim a previous existance as an independent nation) essentially developed its own peculiar "nationality" which is still very much in existence today. This is a well researched, scholarly book that will appeal to readers interested in Texas history and the development of Texas culture.

Perhaps our author's early years as a young Jesuit novice started out just as unusual as his early priesthood was destined to be. At 15 yrs old, Jan Korec, a native of Bosany (in the Slovak Republic) was the youngest Jesuit novitiate in his region; he took his vows at age 17 in 1941. Three yrs later, during the 1944 Slovak National Uprising, Korec hid out in a cellar in Trnava, reading philosophy to pass the time as the front line moved on thru. After that, he worked at a Trnava hospital caring for wounded Russian soldiers! Then while completing his studies at the Jesuit Institute, he wrote his thesis on Dialectical Materialism--irony incarnate, of course, as this is the official swan song of good marxists everywhere. And it was these very marxist followers who committed the horrors on that barbarian night of April 13, 1950 when the Czechoslovak state government shut down convents and monasteries and arrested religious leaders as "enemies of the state." Undaunted, Korec was secretly ordained a priest 6 months after this; the following year, he was secretly consecrated a Bishop of the Catholic Church. Over the coming years, he himself would ordain over 120 priests in "underground" ceremonies. Alas, in 1960, he was arrested for "treason" and imprisoned at the infamous Valdice and Pankrac prisons (he received early release in 1968 during the "thaw"). Even after his release, Bishop Korec lived under constant surveillance up until the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The 30 years he spent under the communist hacks make up the bulk of this book and provide compelling reading. Many editors and distinguished personages went into the making of this book; forewards are penned by Vaclav Havel and Pope John Paul II. Fotos are provided liberally thru the text, as well as helpful footnotes to events and persons discussed within. Korec pulls no punches either in naming specific commie villains (a pox to you Vojtech Filkorn!) and he weaves his prison experiences with other famous Church figures (Bishops Vojtassak and Hnilica) alongside him. Occasionally, the text gets bogged down with legal details in his trial hearings and individual's names are not always provided in a uniform manner with diacritics. NOTB is not a grim preachy and humorless read at all: Korec weaves humorous anecdotes all through his trials with marxist mayhem. You'll learn all kinds of things in this book: that Czech crystal was the product of prisoners working under duress and in unsafe conditions...in 1991, Korec was appointed a Cardinal in the Church (Nitra). Don't believe the naysayers who claim we have no heroes today--you just have to know where to look! For starters, then, meet Cardinal Jan Korec, a man who defied the machinations of a police state to ensure the survival of the Catholic Church in Slovakia.