Rice makes reading an ethnography a pleasure. All ethnomusicologists seeking to undertake their own writing project ought to read this book first. His accounts about studying with Kostadin make you feel like you were there learning the gaida, too. Rice's model makes a good case for learning an instrument while conducting fieldwork. Particulary insightful is the author's interpretation of the emic/etic distinction as it relates to the ethnomusicologist.

If you have the slightest interest in music, Eastern Europe in transition, and intellectual thought, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. Proper obeisance is made to the academic gods - Ricoeur, Clifford, Bourdieu, Geertz, Gadamer and the rest - and the references are sincere and thoughtful. But most of all you will be enthralled by Rice's personal account of his discovery of Bulgarian music, and of the lives of a wonderful couple who perform that music and became not just his 'informants' but his friends, indeed his family. The book is personal, revelatory, and stimulating. If only all musical scholarship were this good!

A friend of mine and I read this book. We both have had experiences of being in all-Black and all-White congregations and the authors are right on target. This is definitely a must read for all that are concerned about reconciling the races for the greater cause of Christ. 5 stars!

A wonderful book! Rice and Perkins hold nothing back as they show that the race problems in America cannot be worked out simply by passing laws. The only way true healing can take place between hostile races is through Christ's unconditional love for all of us. They strongly encourage churches to open their doors and arms to people of different races and cultures and to work out their differences through God's Grace rather than simply passing legislation. This book offers strong, proven examples of black and white Christians learning to live and worship together in Jackson, MS. Highly recommended!

The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burrroughs is a wonderful epic adventure that doesn't leave you wanting. Beautiful descriptions sumptuous writing, this is a novel that you can truly set your teeth in. You'll cheer for Edgar's anti-heroe as he travels through 1920's seedy Chicago, to the decks of sailing vessels, to unusual distant lands. The characters are so well fleshed out, that you truly understand the psychology of the protagonist and you know why he behaves the way he does. In his world he has no other choice for he is the mucker. This is a far cry from Tarzan, this character is real and raw, and in some ways more primitive than Tarzan of the apes. It was a joy to read and is a joy to reread. Anyone who likes high adventure cannot help but love this book. It is almost a genre unto itself. Why this film has not been converted into a movie is unimaginable to me.

Most of Edgar Rice Burroughs' heroes are highborn, chivalrous, and heroic. The Mucker is none of these things. He is a gangster, a hoodlum, a boxer, and a hobo. He is also one tough cookie. Of course, he cannot remain a thug. Over the course of the book he becomes noble, chivalrous, and heroic. One of Burroughs' best non-Tarzan books.

The original edition of this book was out of print for some years and it is delightful to see it out again, and expanded no less. It combines 2 great virtues: highly readable and informative text with illustrations of a quality that are "suitable for framing." It is a great book for anyone who takes an interest in botany, cooking, or gardening and you couldn't go wrong giving it as a gift to one of these types. It's also great for reference. If you're getting it as a gift I suggest ordering 2, because you'll want one for yourself when you see it.

This book is great for learning to identify food plants from all over the world. The illustrations are realistic and each plant is described. I use it to help my 4-H horticulture judging team prepare for the national judging contest. The plants and illustrations in this new edition are the same as in the original book, however the 1998 edition has an excellent section on phytonutrients.

This is a marvelous volume, full of love for her Lord, love for her family, and for her fellow man.

I am preparing to give copies of this book to two people, which is the heartiest recommendation I can think to make.

I am sorry to report that Dr. Achtemeier passed away recently. My wife and I have been blessed to hear her husband, Dr. Paul Achtemeier, teach on the New Testament several times. I would have loved to hear her speak.

Highly recommended.

In this brief but full autobiography, Elizabeth Achtemeier brings us full circle from her Oklahoma childhood, her theological education in New York and Germany, her years as wife and mother, and her unplanned vocation in teaching homiletics at a time when women were just beginning to enter the pulpit. Her prose is sharp, witty, but gentle too. Throughout this book, her theme is God's hand on her life, in joys and frustrations.

I especially enjoyed reading how she and her husband met and how their scholarship has complimented, rather than competed against, one another. I also think it is so important for retiring scholars to write such personal accounts, sharing with those who have admired their intellectual prose the humanity from which it stems. It is clear God is "not done" with her yet, noe with any who seek His voice.

In 1980 Richard Rice published this book about the problem of evil and the nature of divine foreknowledge in relation to mankind's free will. The book was quickly forgotten and was out of print in a few years. However, there were a few prominent theologians who read it and were intriqued. Jump forward 14 years to 1994 when Clark Pinnock along with other authors (Richard Rice included) published "The Openness of God" (the use of Rice's title apparently a tribute to this book's influence) and brought the open theism debate to prominence. It's interesting how a seemingly insignificant book can years later have a huge impact.
Personally the book was a jolt. I was comfortable with my view of God and resistant to changing it. But this book opened my mind to new possibilities. That in itself is a good enough reason to read it.

This book was an eye opener for me. It straightforwardedly describes a vison of God that allows for human freedom and that squares with the Bible. This is not Arminianism or Calvinism but a new view. Gone is predestination, gone is a God who is an author of evil. It pictures God as not knowing the future but an involved spectator rooting for us to live according to our consciences. Very interesting chapters on prophecy, efficacy of prayer, sovereignty, group predestination. Short but pack full of ideas.

I have been living in the Bay area for almost 3 years and have had numerous books, most of which stink in comparison to this one. The vast amount of area that this book covers is great for doing just about anything in or around the Bay Area. I've probably utilized this book for more than 30 different activities (biking, hiking, camping, etc.) and I'd have to say that just about EVERYTHING that I've done was great and went smoothly because of the detail the book provides. The only bad thing I'd have to say is that the layout of the information is a bit confusing, but there are so many good "activities" in it that you get over that part quickly.

If you like the outdoors and spend time in Northern California like I do, this book is indespensible! I use it to find all kinds of cool things to do when I travel. I used it on my last trip and it guided me on fun things to do in and around San Francisco, up through Napa and Sonoma valley, great hikes in less populated regions further North around Mt. Shasta, down to Yosemite, the greatest park in the world, to Sea Kayaking in Monterey Bay and finally down to fun coastal stuff around Big Sur. Needless to say I'm very psyched that author Andrew Rice is researching a book on outdoor adventures in Southern California!

A young woman, born on the wrong side of the blanket & raised in wealth by a nanny, is subsidized by the mother who wants to remain anonymous. Although raised with love by the servant, she is traumatized by the knowledge & stigma of her illegitimacy. She begins a search for her family roots after the nanny dies. Evie is an extremely intelligent, well-educated, very beautiful young woman - however she has a powerful imagination, fired by her love of literature & fiction, & a tendency to live in a dream-world. She hires a man she believes to be a famous gunfighter to escort her safely to Texas from post-Civil War St. Louis, Missouri. The "gunfighter" is a notorious, womanizing, gambler & though he is an expert marksman, he is definitely not the man Evie believes him to be - a hero she picked out of a penny novel. Tyler Monteigne, in fact has some serious traumas of his own. His family was killed during the War, their plantation in Louisiana lost to carpetbaggers, & he was a prisoner of war in a Yankee prison camp for 3 years.

Tyler agrees to accompany Evie, along with some other very colorful & well-defined characters, to Texas. He is a hunk. She is sooo sassy. Together they ignite. Very Steamy! These are more than cardboard, formulaic characters. Ms. Rice has worked to populate her novel with 3-D people, lots of humor & sensitivity. There are wonderful plots & sub-plots - and a beautiful & realistic love story.

What a great book! I could not put it down. The writing is intelligent & witty. I love strong heroes...but I like strong heroines more - especially back in the days when a woman had to fight extra hard for her independence & individuality. This one's a keeper.

PS - This is book #1 of a series. I look forward to reading books 2 & 3, "Paper Tiger" & "Paper Moon."

This book was very good.....I have read romance novels all my life and this was definetely a find....it kept me laughing and interested and OH so in love with Tyler that I couldn't put it down...for once the heroine was smart and sassy and loyal...it was nice to see a woman stand up for and believe in her man instead of always running him down....I loved the story and would highly recommend it to anyone....It helps too if you like the west and cowboys type of man.

Commendations to Howard Rice and his editors for The Pastor as Spiritual Guide. Rice taught spiritual formation for a number of years and attempts to put his thought into a systems approach to congregational ministry. In many ways he succeeds, particularly as he deals with the everyday actions of pastors and the normal problems of churches. Where Rice slips is in the biblical foundation for his approach. I wanted Rice to use the Bible, to show a biblical basis for his work, to develop especially that biblical foundation for pastoral authority. That is not there, though any pastor should be able to read this book and grow from its insights. And any pastor can provide the biblical texts he or she most often quotes concerning call to ministry. I am not aware of any other contemporary attempts to relate spiritual guidance to the totality of ministry. Do read the book. Maybe the sequel is in you and awaits birth.

Howard Rice invites pastors to step away from the task-driven agenda of pastoral ministry to think about the larger need for spiritual guidance. I find his work very encouraging as he deals realistically with the demands pastors face. Particularly helpful is the chapter on worship and spiritual guidance for in this chapter Rice reminds readers that all aspects of worship should invite participants to listen for God. Rice notes that all of worship is an invitation. Rice also writes about spiritual guidance and the administration of the church.

Very helpful book. It opens up new ways to think about ministry and the church.

I bought this book while visiting Williamsburg with a friend. It so captured my attention that I had to read some of the stories to my companion. We were both quickly enthralled. I brought it back with me and introduced my quilting group to it. Several more copies sold the next day. The stories are heart warming. The photographs are incredible.

The man who picked up quilting only after his wife passed. Well. Just amazing.

The wedding quilt made in the late 1800s by friends and relatives of the bride. Awe inspiring.

This book is not a "how to" book. But if you are interested in quilts, quilting and quilters, it is a must for your library.

This book is superb & worth the extra effort to special order it. The author interviews women (and a few men) of Southern Appalachia, where quilting as a mainstay of life has never really gone out of fashion -- hence they've never had a quilting "revival" either. Photographs are gorgeous, and the stories about the people make you feel rooted to the land. One of the more intriguing stories is the "Hanging Elephant" quilt, which shows an applique block of an elephant being hung for the crime of killing a Tennessee man in 1916. The book is printed on heavy, high quality paper. Quilt history buffs and anthropologists will love this book. As for hobbyists, it's not a how-to book, but the photographs will furnish much inspiration and food for thought.