prickly pear press has been providing anthropology and anthropologists with some of the most important, innovative, and lively writing for over 5 years. sahlins' pamphlet is top notch.

Sahlins is amazing. When I read the first edition of his pamphlet, I thought it was the final word in anthropological satire. Then the second editon came out, and I stood corrected. Now, with the third, I begin to realize that the only thing of which we can be certain in these post-modern times is that Sahlins, like good wine, gets better with age. Cheers! And the new cover art, by the way, is amazing. Kudos to the good professor and to Prickly Pear for helping us keep our minds so sharp. Ye-ouch.

A Wakeful Faith offers a fascinating approach to the daily practices of Christian spirituality. J. Marshall Jenkins makes the salient point that spiritual practices seem right and easy and appropriate on a Sunday, but much less so on a work day or a day in which we face all the stresses of life. He describes that typical weekday and points to ways in which spiritual practices undergird all that may happen. Jenkins is well aware of biblical stories and uses these throughout the book. He is also a psychologist who uses psychological insights to serve the larger purposes of Christian spiritual practice. And he has a nice sense of humor. A good read!

Nagel's article is essential for serious students of military ethics. It is a thoughtful essay that takes on kant, utilitarianism, moral rationalization, and moral decision making. The conclusion is Kantian: right actions, and not deliberating consequences.

I really enjoyed reading Lord Alanbrooke's War Diaries -- six years of daily impressions from the fellow who managed World War II for Britain. I now have a much better understanding why the British and Americans were fighting the Germans in North Africa and why the first Allied invasion of Europe took place in Sicily and southern Italy. Although Britain was already at war and had broken the German military code, it seems unlikely its leaders had any advance warning of the Pearl Harbor attack. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Britain sustained devastating defeats in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma leaving India and Australia vulnerable. Of course, Hilter's invasion of the Soviet Union was the turning point.

As Churchill's principal military advisor, Alanbrooke kept a daily account from September 1939 to August 1945. He describes the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940; the nightly German bombings of London that continued for many months after September 1940; the defensive measures Britain took to guard against attack; the German defeat of France; and meetings with American allies to plan the invasion of Europe and the defeat of the Axis powers.

Alanbrooke dined with military and political leaders virtually every day and attended many meetings with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Eisenhower, Marshall, Dill, and Montgomery. In a typical entry (January 24, 1944), he tells of Churchill

". . . discussing Stalin's latest iniquities in allowing Pravda to publish the bogus information that England was negotiating with Germany about a peace. He said: 'Trying to maintain good relations with a communist is like wooing a crocodile, you do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it on the head. When it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile, or preparing to eat you up.'"

Alanbrooke described the major role he played:

"The whole world has now become one large theatre of war, and the Chiefs of Staff represent the Supreme Commanders, running the war in all its many theatres, regulating the allocation of forces, shipping, munitions, relating plans to resources available, approving and rejecting plans, issuing directives to the various theatres. And most difficult of all handling the political aspect of this military action, and coordinating with our American allies."

He struggled to keep military strategy intact at Allied war conferences held in Washington, D.C., Casablanca, Teheran, Quebec, Moscow, Yalta, and Potsdam. Later, Alanbrooke inserted the following after one of his diary entries:

"According to [Eisenhower] when we stood on the bank of the Rhine on March 25th, I said to him: 'Thank God, Ike, you stuck by your plan. You were completely right, and I am sorry if my fear of dispersed efforts added to your burdens. The German is now licked. It is merely a question of when he chooses to quit. Thank God you stuck by your guns.' I think that when this statement is considered in connection with what I wrote in my diary that evening, it will be clear that I was misquoted. To the best of my memory I congratulated him heartily on his success, and said that as matters turned out his policy was now the correct one, that with the German in his defeated condition no dangers now existed in a dispersal of effort. I am quite certain that I never said to him 'You were completely right', as I am still convinced that he was 'completely wrong', as proved by the temporary defeat inflicted on him by Rundstedt's counter stroke, which considerably retarded the defeat of Germany."

Alanbrooke also took time to ponder the meaning of war:

"The suffering and agony of war in my mind must exist to gradually educate us to the fundamental law of 'loving our neighbor as ourselves'. When that lesson has been learned, then war will cease to exist."

His perceptive remarks ring true today. If you have the time, this book is definitely worth reading. The editors provide a useful introduction (including short descriptions of friends, comrades, politicians, and soldiers), a carefully prepared index, a handy list of abbreviations, and 8 pages of photographs.

I have read and marvelled at Marshall's Book many times - unlike many "coffee table books" that become as uninteresting as yesterdays coffee grounds I open the book frequently and almost always catch a breath of fresh air. I have used it several times as an inspiration for vacation trips to the Pacific Northwest and when words have failed me in describing the natural and varied beauty of the state I have lent ( and even given ) copies to friends. The pictures are not "flat" and truly give one a sense of the grandeur of the state. Great job John Marshall.

Well, I must first say, that I was quite amazed by the amount of information stacked into one vollume. Want to find out how to contact the National Science Foundation (NSF) or Alliance for Enviornmental Technology. Well, if one has an affinity to do this, then one should buy or use this source in question, i.e., Washington Information Directory 2000-2001 (Washington Information Directory, 2000-2001) by Congressional Quarterly (Editor). In here, one will find (amonst many things and items for that matter) the address for the Center of Concern and the web page address for center for Democracy. Highly Recommended.

Research in a bookstore with a coffee bar and big comfortable chairs, trying to choose the books I would order from Amazon, led me to this book. As I glanced through the first chapter, I realized it was just what I needed in that the authors did not assume I already knew basic watercolor technique. I have painted in acrylics for years, and trying to shift to watercolor is like trying to learn to walk again. Bud Biggs has a way of explaning technique that makes you feel like you've been painting all your life. Check this one out if you have found other technique books leaving a gap between you and your paints.

I like this book mainly because it went to extraordinary lengths to explain why a whale isn't a fish or the differences between a crocodile, an alligator a frog, and a toad.

The thing that surprised me the most is finding out the difference between a donkey and a mule. I never knew that mules couldn't reproduce. I did know that they were stubborn. I also didn't know that there was such a thing as the butterfly moth.

All in all, I found this book entertaining to read and would recommend it to young readers.

Poor Carruthers. He's ready to hibernate, only he doesn't know it. And poor Emily and Eugene, his friends, who try everything to cheer him up to no avail. This is one of Marshall's quieter books, but no less effective. Plot, illustrations, details are all there.