I found this book to be very well researched and written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural history of our great nation.

This book could have been titled America's Ancient Landscapes. One of the pleasant surprises about this book is that it deals with all types of landscapes: prairies, barrens, savannas, and all types of wetlands, as well as forests. For those of us in the Midwest, who deal with all of those types, this is a great bonus. Bonnicksen gives us the needed background, through the tremendous changes of the ice age and the plant migrations that followed, to the landscape affects of the Native Americans, to be able to knowledgeably manage natural areas, and restorations. The background on the Indians is so very thorough. You can't help but acquire a new impression of how important and ubiquitous their influence was. What I really like about this book is the complete documentation, done in the old fashioned way, with footnotes! The chapter on fire had 317 footnotes, all of which can be looked up in first the Notes and Citations, then in the extensive Bibliography, which alone covers 75 pages! This is a great reference work. If you can't afford it, get your local library to purchase a copy. I did!

Professor Bonnicksen has devoted his career to the care and protection of the forests. Where public relations folks talk the talk, Professor Bonnicksen walks the walk. Ancient Forests is a tour through history, a tour de forest that takes us from ancient lands and brings us to the present day, making us realize that from the forest we came and from the forests we shall go. A member of the Congressional Commission charged with oversight of American forest and land use and a devoted conservationist, Professor Bonnicksen in this brilliant volume brings many of his themes expounded in shorter articles and books together in a densely forested wood of pine and deciduous scented brilliance. After reading this book, no one will pass a tree and look at it the same, ever, again. Kudos to Professor Bonnicksen of Texas A & M University.

This is a remarkable book. From the man who was responsible for millions of Bibles smuggled behind the Iron Curtain, he tells his secret strategy. He refers to scriptures in proving that Christians (and Jews) may indeed justify asking God to change his mind. Then he gives examples of when he did just that, and GOD DID CHANGE HIS MIND. He charges the heresy of Christian fatalism with the responsibility for the powerlessness of many of today's Christians. He points out that Christianity (and Judaism)is the ONLY religion that denies the immovability of the will of God. If you are into prayer, try it, you'll like it.

Brother Andrew knows what prayer is all about, and this book makes plain the ways in which God longs to communicate with us. Biblically sound, highly readable. Exciting stuff! It will transform your prayer life.

This is an excellent book on the subject of Christian prayer. I suggest it to anyone interested in praying or communicating with God in more dynamic means.

Dave Fasold was a friend of mine. He passed away a few years ago and I'm deeply saddened that he never lived to see his find honestly considered by anyone.
It's too bad because Dave found Noah's Ark.

I never went to Turkey with him but I've seen his video, read his newsletter (I was the unofficial cartoonist) and I've read his book, THE ARK OF NOAH.
He self-published it himself and the book is in need of an editor, but the info is detailed and ultimately overwhelming. In the spring of 1948 (as Israel was coming into existence), an earthquake pushed a huge boat-shaped hull out of the earth about 17 miles from Mount Ararat. Dave's expertise as a ship salvager and his obsession to find the Ark drove him until his last breath and I defy anyone to prove him wrong.
Read it for yourself.

What's missing from the book: Dave's struggles with everyone from Christian television to National Geographic to even consider his data. Dave's adventures and arrest in Saudi Arabia open another outstanding archaeology book called THE GOLD OF EXODUS and, despite my urging him to include such exciting episodes, he avoided exploiting his fascinating travels and struggles. He avoided all of that Indiana Jones [stuff]. He wanted his research taken seriously.
Maybe someday someone will take up his life and his extraordinary find.
He certainly deserved it.

I found this book to be extremely useful in the comparison of various flood legends and the way in which the post-flood social development could have immortalized the personages of the ark in the cultural mythology of Egypt and other ancient civilizations of the Middle East. I have heard that the author has since recanted, so to speak, his belief that he had found the ark. That is, he had found something but no longer believes it to be the ark or that there even was an ark. Still, the book is the best I've read on the subject. Although it's no longer in print, I'd recommend an effort to locate a copy.

At first, the book seemed to inundate the layman reader with scads of useless techno-babble. After actually giving it a chance however, I found it to be significant, not only as a tool for exhortation for the believer, but also as a tool for soul-winning. Never before has there been such a need for such a "meat-and-potatoes" approach to Biblical archeology. Who better to find a lost boat than a marine-salvage expert? This work was long overdue.

For anyone who loves the West -- Old or New -- this innovative atlas must find a place on your bookshelf. Created at the University of Colorado's Center of the American West, it charts beautifully and eloquently how the American West has evolved. This volume will help you understand how some myths of the West grew out of proportion to the facts, and how some are not myths at all, but semi-fantastic truths.

To understand the contemporary West, this book would be a good starting place.

One of the best introductions to social, economic and environmental trends taking place in the Western United States. The graphs and photos highlight the new trends from water usage to ethic population patterns. The 7 chapters and two essays provide telling examples of how communtities are adapting to the changes (or not adapting in some cases). The work is footnoted to provide jumping off points for more research. Also, I found the quotes that are placed throughout the margins of the text to be extremely insightful.

The book shines at showing how the West is moving away from a culture of exploiting natural resources for basic industry and instead exploiting the natural beauty to draw ever increasing numbers of residents and visitors.

The University of Colorado's School of Geography uses basic demographic and economic data to profile in understandable maps and graphs the population explosion occurring in the Western United States. The Atlas gives a dramatic presentation of the net in migration into an area with little water and vast amounts of open space. It chronicles the shift in economic activity from traditional industries such as mining and logging, to new industries such as information technologies and service activities. The latter having a special, and economically, rewarding basis in tourism. The Atlas portrays, in graphic form the perdictions made in Cadillac Deseret. It is a must read for anyone concerned about perserving western heritage for future generations.

The Aunt Nancy in this book is my kind of old lady -- spunky! When Old Man Trouble comes a-knockin' on her door, she doesn't let him get the best of her; no sir! She uses a little reverse psychology on him and the next thing you know, Old Man Trouble is leaving town. It is no fun causing people trouble if they appear to be enjoying it. This is one of my two most favorite children's books...My 6 and 9 year-old children love Aunt Nancy.... It is a great book for any child or child at heart!

This book is great because whenever Old Man Trouble brings trouble to Aunt Nancy, she makes something good out of it.

Aunt Nancy is a bright and clever character who outsmarts Old Man Trouble every step of the way. She is a shining example of getting lemons in life and making lemonade. One of the funniest scenes is when Old Man Trouble causes Aunt Nancy to drop a glass which shatters in all directions only to have her respond by thanking him since the glass already had a crack! When Old Man Trouble finally learns that he cannot outwit this sunny dispositioned lady, he heads off for greener pastures to cause trouble elsewhere. The wonderful illustrations and whimsical dialog clearly enhance the readers' enjoyment of each character. I look forward to revisiting the charming Aunt Nancy in her next adventure with "Cousin Lazybones."

This is a P.S.

Battered & Bruised, should be required reading in every college and university in the country that have or DO NOt have Women and Gender Studies.

Just got the book out of the library last night and I'm nearly 1/3 through it. It is wonderful. In reading the bible, I could never understand how such vile and derogatory outpourings against the few women they wrote about could have been so well hidden. Women seem to make up the baulk of religious worshipers and yet not a kind word is directed at them.

Arthur Ide has my deepest appreciation for stating out right what has been so cleverly distorted regarding the reality of women in the OT.

Thank you.

Arthur Frederick Ide work should be available in school reading lists. I did not know what to expect until I realized that with the bible in hand you can check every footnote and discover that what he says is true. The bible is written as a rabid assault on female sexuality and women in general. Especially note worthy are the comments regarding foreign women, racism is rife a long side hypocrisy and gang rapes. Ide writes well and offers up some thought provoking material .

I had to do a presentation on megiddo for a class. This book was the most useful and interesting one that I had at my disposal.

History is a slight of hands artist of sorts. It tends to focus ones attention on the flashy action center stage while more important events are often happening in the wings. Its spotlight brings out in high relief the massive endeavor of the pyramids, the power and grandeur of the Roman empire, the longevity of Chinese culture, or the blood rituals of the Aztecs. In doing so it tends to neglect the margins, places where cultural synthesis and mere survival of local polities brings the real issues of life during the time into sharper focus. Eric Cline is a master at redirecting ones attention to precisely these issues of history. In The Battles of Armageddon he chronicles the "life" history of a region that was for most of that history on the margins of the action in the Middle East and in the world.

The Jezreel Valley and ancient Megiddo, the Armageddon of Revelation, are brought to center stage in this well researched and thoroughly entertaining book. Here the armies of the world have fought battles deciding the course of human history, and here too it is suggested that the final battle between good and evil will be fought in the future. All tolled, some 34 major battles have been fought in this valley, often if not usually between combatants who are foreign to the area.

In documenting the drama of conflict that has played itself out on this valley floor, Professor Cline has examined a wide variety of data recording human events in the area. He discusses the records of ancient Egypt, the Biblical texts, the cuneiform documents of Anatolia, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia, the written material of both the Moslem and the Christian participants of the Crusades, French documentation of the Napoleonic wars in the Middle East, the Allenby diaries, letters, etc. for the World War I conflict with the Ottoman Empire, and the more recent evidence for the Arab-Israeli conflicts in the area. In short, he addresses an impressive collection of data and with it constructs an absorbing "biography" of the region, and in doing so brings the history of the world itself into sharper focus.

I found Cline's willingness to entertain alternative proposals for events of the Israelite conquest of the Levant particularly impressive. He does not seem wedded to any particular theme or version of early Biblical history, a fact which gives one confidence in his critical judgment with respect to early documents, both Biblical and extra-Biblical. Where he is uncertain of the order of or veracity of events or their documentation, he is willing to say as much. There is no effort to make the evidence appear more concrete than it is. He also seems to have no preferred "side" in the Arab-Israeli conflict at least as a historian and archaeologist--whether he has one as an individual is his own business. The author also sticks to historical information and its interpretation and only introduces archaeological data where it is pertinent to the discussion. He doesn't burden the amateur enthusiast with more detail than they are willing or able to imbibe. In short he doesn't slow down the "story" of the Jezreel which makes the volume more readable.

Although I certainly found the earlier history of the Valley of interest--my degree is in ancient history--I actually found Professor Cline's treatment of the era of the Crusades more engaging because I learned more. I also enjoyed the discussion of General Allenby's possible foreknowledge of the war between Thutmose III and the Canaanites at Megiddo an excellent demonstration of good historic detective work. (It was definitely a good illustration of the value of a thorough knowledge of history.) The bibliography of The Battles of Armageddon is a veritable who's who of historical and archaeological research since the 19th century, including authors of topical works, of edited collections and encyclopedias, and of journal articles. For anyone with a specific interest this would definitely be a good starting point for the pursuit of information on tangential topics. I will probably use it to help fill in my knowledge of the Crusades. Without doubt this book would appeal to anyone with an interest in history, particularly that of the Levant or of peripheral areas in general, or in political and military history. One might even use it to teach world history, as so many of the main "players" in the events of human activity have passed through this valley and left their mark on it. Definitely a work worth reading.

For anyone interested in battles, ancient and contemporary, this book is for you. Cline invites those interested in the site of Armageddon as well as military history buffs into the world and circumstances of the Jezreel Valley. Destined to be a classic on ancient battles.

Appropriately titled, Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament gives opportunity for students, pastors and laymen to develop the proper tools necessary for finding Christ in the Old Testament. Barrett indeed guides the reader through the maze of Hebrew, Greek, and theological terminology with such simplicity and clarity that most anyone with some exposure to the Old Testament may follow with ease. The constant encouragement and brief pause to define terms makes this a priceless resource to any student of the Scripture. The author's love for the Old Testament is infectious. He warns, however, that without Christ it is impossible to comprehend truly the Old Testament; so he propounds: "Seeing Christ is the key to unlocking the message of Scripture," and in this book, specifically the Old Testament (14).
The first part of the book is concerned with identifying "who we are looking for." Christ or messiah is the term for an anointed one. Anyone anointed. The individual is chosen, accredited, and empowered. This understanding allows the reader to identify not only certain individuals with these particular qualifications within the Old Testament (e.g. Jeremiah, Jer. 1; Aaron, Ps. 106:16, and Zechariah, 2 Chron. 24:20), but also Jesus the Messiah. Furthermore, the three distinct duties of the messianic office (Prophet, Priest and King) are demonstrated to be fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.
Best seen where Barrett's clarity cuts through the complex is chapter two: the Person of Christ. He makes five statements, based on the Westminster Confession of Faith (also sprinkled throughout the book), that explain the hypostatic union. Of course he quickly defines this term: "Hypostasis is just a Greek word meaning essence or substance that has been used to describe this otherwise inexplicable union of a perfect human nature with the eternal divine nature in the Second Person of the Trinity." Referring to Christ's divine nature, Barrett explores His perfections of Deity, works of Deity, and the worship ascribed to Him. And the section on Christ's humanity addresses head-on the relationship of Christ to sin.
The balance of Part One is an explanation of Christ's work. It is expedient that the reader understand the works of Jesus Christ as one would study art, so that the beholder may correctly identify His person (79). First, discussion is given to Christ's first advent. His thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:21 are "By God's legal transaction, the life that Christ earned becomes ours and the death that we earned became His" (88). Further down the page, he argues for the eternally sure purpose of Christ's work, which defies the postponement theory. Second, His prophetic and kingly administration and priestly intercession demonstrate His present work. Last, Christ is described as Judge and Ruler in His Second Advent.
At this point you are 100 pages into the book. In the next 200 pages Barrett masterfully guides the reader "where to look" in the Scripture to find Christ. Chapters 4-10 deal with Christ in the covenants, in persons, in His names, in word prophecy, in picture prophecy, and in song.
Barrett gives a colorful synopsis of the covenant development from Adam to David (120-21). He spends considerable time with the first, particularly with reference to Gen. 3:15. Barrett believes that the phrase "bruise thy head" describes the crucifixion, while "bruise thy heel" "suggests the ineffectiveness of the serpent to frustrate or alter the mission of Christ" (127). Also he translates Genesis 4:1 "I have acquired a man, even Jehovah" (128). This indicates that Eve anticipated her first child to be the direct fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
Christ in person steers the reader through a discussion about Christophanies. In Micah 5:2-3a, Barrett sees an indirect reference to eternal generation of the Son and a direct reference to the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ. The appearances of Christ as the Angel of the LORD (taken appositionally) are a foretaste of Christ's prophetic, priestly and kingly mission. A chart including 24 passages revealing Christophanies allows the reader to get a jump start in his personal study.
Barrett gives the most pages in this second half of the book to Christ in His names (42 pages). He organizes the names in relationship to Christ's person and work. Although the list is not exhaustive, he chooses some names which may not be as familiar: Nail, Battle Bow, Thou God seest me, and Shiloh.
Christ in prophecy is broken up into chapters discussing verbal prophecy and typology from a premillennial standpoint (213). Barrett notes that verbal prophecy indicates that God is in control, inspires, confidence, and increases expectant hope. Using three "C's" as guidelines (messianic clues, Scriptural confirmation, and context), the reader explores Old Testament prophecies from the virgin birth to the resurrection. In the chapter on picture prophecy, the reader is walked through the gallery of various passages. The final chapter of part two identifies Christ in Song or Psalm, which points to His person and work. A helpful chart lists the Messianic Psalms, New Testament confirmation, and topics addressed in the Psalm.
Barrett's over twenty-five years of classroom experience radiates in his ability to draw attention with introductory humor and personal illustration as well as spread passion to the reader for his topic. One unfortunate aspect of the book is that there is no Scriptural index. Because of the gold-mine of exegesis on major passages, I seriously thought about making one myself. The conclusion and summary, which encapsulates the entire book in six pages, is written to the curious fellow that reads conclusions first (the author admits this tendency himself).
Overall the book is truly a masterful work that is Christ-honoring. Upon reading this book, not only will your appetite be whetted and ready for another reading of the Old Testament, but also your senses will be sharpened to see Christ! No doubt this is a must for every serious Bible reader.

Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. He is also the centerpiece of both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. Yet many believers neglect the Old Testament limiting their study of the Scriptures to the New Testament. Dr. Michael Barrett masterfully removes all the typical excuses for neglecting the pursuit of the knowledge of Christ in the Old Testament. He shows where and how to look for Christ. This book is a must for those who pursue the knowlege of Christ but have neglected the pursuit of that knowledge in the Old Testament.

Please, suggest to your church leadership that your church use this book as a textbook for an adult Sunday school elective on studying the Old Testament. It would be a wonderful elective because this is a wonderful book!

I had the privilege of sitting under the instruction of Dr. Barrett in seminary. His courses were always inspiring and life-changing.

I remember in one class a student asked Dr. Barrett why he always found Christ when studying the Old Testament. Dr. Barrett replied that when reading the Bible you find what you are looking for. I have had few statements in my life that have stayed with me through the years as that statement has stayed with me. If you are looking for information about the Bible, that is what you will find. If you are looking for daily inspiritation, that is what you will find. However, that is not why God gave us His written Word. God gave us the Bible that we might know Christ. No book, other than God's inspired Word, can teach us of Christ: His Person and His Work.

This book is for any Christian who is serious about their Old Testament study. This book is a manual for unlocking the depths of the Old Testament and its riches in Christ. Furthermore, Dr. Barrett's style is very readable and not overly technical--it is written for the student and the scholar.

I am currently using this book as the textbook for a Sunday School class in our church. I want my students to learn what I have learned, and continue to learn: that the Old Testament is full of Christ, His person, and His work. No other message is as needed for mankind.

I highly recommend this book to any and all.

Review of "Beowulf," Norton Critical Edition edited by Joseph F. Tuso and translated by E. Talbot Donaldson.

This is one of those works that has stayed with me, and I can understand the fascination it has exerted on so many people for such a long time. "Beowulf" is the jewel of Anglo-Saxon literature, written around 1000 AD, but composed most probably a couple of centuries earlier. This is a "primary" epic, like Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" because it shares with them its oral origins. Unlike "secondary" epics, such as "The Æneid," which has a clearly identifiable author creating the verses, "Beowulf" belongs to the oral tradition of the Old English "Scop," the teller of tales. The story is a known one, but fascinating nonetheless: Beowulf, a man who was not appreciated by his own people, the Geats (in Sweden), finally earns their respect and admiration, so much so that he can render assistance to a foreign king, a Scylding (Dane), whose realm is under attack by Grendel, a monster who kills men and eats them. Beowulf fights Grendel, and Grendel's mother, ridding the Scyldings' land of their presence, earning the king's gratitude and reward, and earning honor and glory for himself. But the story continues: Beowulf goes back to the Geats, in time becoming their king, until he must fight a dragon that is devastating his kingdom. Behind this very succint description of its plot, "Beowulf" has magnificent digressions, details, and a very effective challenge to the system of feuding. The digressions are necessary to explain the customs of that particular time and people. One of the most effective ones happens in pages 35-36, when we are told of the arranged marriages between members of feuding nations, and how that tactic is doomed to fail in a society that never runs out of reasons, or excuses, to feud and wage war. Another important digression takes place in pages 51-52, related to the battle of Ravenswood, and is again firmly tied to one of the poem's most powerful themes: the feuding society of vendettas that involve entire kingdoms must be disposed of.

"Beowulf" is glorious and tragic epic at its best. It opens with a funeral and it ends with a funeral. There is treasure given as offering to a king at the beginning of the poem, and treasure that is buried in order to get rid of the problems of society at the end of the poem. The men are brave, violent, and long for the death of heroes. The women are given as war prizes and considered booty (not much room for feminist characters in epic tradition). Old age is cruel because a society of feuds values youth and strength above all else. The monsters must be destroyed if the world of men (and women) is to go on. Grendel, the "walker-alone," must die if the wine-hall of the Scyldings, Heorot, is to have scops telling stories, and men drinking and eating as before. Here is the principle of "until" applied to its best effect: things are just fine at Heorot until Grendel shows up and kills so many men that nobody uses the wine-hall for fun anymore. Things are fine in the land of the Scyldings until Grendel starts killing people. Everybody celebrates Grendel's death at the hands --literally-- of Beowulf until the next night, when Grendel's mother avenges her son by killing a man. Beowulf goes back to his land, becomes king, and everything goes well until an angry dragon starts destroying towns. Basically, this is life: things go well until they don't. The poem manages to remind us of something so obvious that we yet tend to forget, especially if we drift toward happy endings.

As with most Norton Critical Editions, this one has been put together with the student in mind but is still interesting for the general reader. Donaldson's prose translation is clear and to the point, and the footnotes, even though not as abundant as I would have liked, are helpful. The essays cover almost everything you always wanted to know about Danes, Geats, Feuds, Old English Scops, Prosody, and Poetry, Historical background, and more, including perhaps plenty of what you really do not want to know. Particular attention deserve two essays: Edward B. Irving's "The Feud: Ravenswood" (my teacher, Mrs. Georgianna, really likes this one), and J.R.R. Tolkien's "Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics." This last essay is also included in the excellent, and sadly out-of-print, book "An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism," edited by Lewis E. Nicholson, and it has become a classic.

The only thing I would add to this edition, apart from more footnotes, is the original text in Old English. Other than that, this is simply an excellent addition to the vast Beowulf literature, presenting us with the true grandeur and pathos of epic glory at the threshold of enormous social changes.

I was getting very tired of learning about every culture but my own in school. We were learning about Africa, South America, and Asia nearly all the time. I suggested to my teacher that we read Beowulf, and celebrate Anglo history. Being a reasonable man, he agreed. Well, let me tell you- it was one of the few times the public school system gave me my assignments that excited my "passions for learning" .................... Buy Beowulf and learn about a hero and his quest to save his people.

Many and many tales of myth and legend have survived the countless years since their conception. But, very few of them are as compelling as Beowulf. Any fan of mytholology theology and philosophy will have a field day with this tale, and any fans of such other classics as the Odyssey, the Iliad, and the Gilgamesh, will deeply love, adore, and cherish this tale of trial and tribulation, and conquering the greater evil.

When my grandmother died she took her recipes to the grave with her. This book is the closest I've come to recreating her food. I've used recipes for birthday's, Christmas, and family reunions and I've never failed yet following the instructions. Big Mama is folklore, it's a family history and it's divine food.

One of my grandmother's died 15 years ago at age 75 and another just a year ago at age 97. There are recipes in this book almost identical to those they used during their cooking days. This book is wonderful because it actually contains the recipes that they never got around to writing down or had jotted down on a notecard and put in a bible. The recipes may have different names but they have the same rich flavor. I throw out the diet and delight my family with recipes from The Black Pot at every gathering. My dad loves it because it reminds him when...

I love this cookbook! The recipes are just like grandma and great-grandma used. Being from the south I could really relate to this. It's the best southern country cookbook I have found yet! Signed, Mississippi