I bought this Bible for a New Testament Intro Class. My appreciation for the Scriptures has grown since. The translation is more beuatiful than the NIV but more readable than the NASB. Also, it has not bowed to political correctness like the NRSV has. It does not matter how egalitarian one is, gender-inclusiveness is not an attractive read.

Particularly helpful (or harmful) are the book introductions. IT is very important to consult an evagelical opinion at the same time, not to embrace that view necessarily but to get a well rounded view of the opinion. Another interesting aspect is the articles at the end, "How to read the Scriptures with understanding." This is without doubt the most beautiful essay on Bible Reading. However, these men openly doubt the historicity of the sacred text. Whether they are right or wrong, they very eagerly embrace higher critical views that can be dangerous if they are abused. The main reason that i give the book 4 stars is that some of the information is dated. The Documentary Hypothesis was once popular to academicians, now archeology is beginning to shed some uncomfortable light on it. They place more weight on that theory than necessary. other than that, a great read.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, with Apocrypha is an amazing work. It uses the accurate RSV translation, and includes the study notes of great scholars like Bruce Metzger and Herbert May. I found the essays at the end of the Bible helpful as well, especially in an Old Testament class. The RSV (and NRSV) also offers the entire apocrypha/deuterocanon accepted by major Christian churches, which will enhance study.

This New Oxford Bible is slightly different than the NRSV version. Many of the notes are identical to those included in the NRSV version, or else they are very similar. The text itself is of course different. The RSV contains archaic language in the Psalms, and has no inclusive language, among other differences. The NRSV however, makes more use of the better texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Overall I would say this Bible is written from more of a Christian faith perspective than the NRSV counterpart. One example I noticed is in the Introduction to Isaiah in the RSV, where it mentions Jesus as the incarnate suffering servant. This is omitted in the NRSV, probably in a desire to make it more ecumenical among Non-Christian religions.

Overall I think this is a great Bible to own. The scholarship is excellent and embraces Biblical Criticism, while coming from a perspective of faith. The translation is beautiful and readable. I am proud to include this is my collection of Bibles for both personal and academic use.

I bought this Bible recently as a replacement for my well-worn NIV study bible. I had come to enjoy the RSV after using it along with several other translations on my PC bible software -- it is written at a more advanced level than the NIV and seems to be closer to the original language while still remaining accessible to modern readers. This RSV is sturdy, easy to read, and has the benefit of a "modern" translation of the Apocrypha.

I often find text notes, inline maps, etc. to be merely distracting rather than helpful, and often the notes included with a Bible are somewhat questionable in their merit. (My NIV study bible has more notes than text on many pages.) This RSV edition keeps the notes short, succint, and scholarly. The maps are all in the back along with some excellent scholarly articles. Kudos to the publishers and editors for such a clean, thoughtful layout.

The only thing I'd change is that there's virtually no room in the text or in the margins for making notes. I use post-it notes stuck at the various places, but that's getting cumbersome.

Professor Blackburn has written a concise, clear, and witty dictionary of philosophical and political terms covering a wide array of traditions, both Eastern and Western. And like all the best reference works, it carries the flavor of an individual author, displaying, here and there, touches of idiosyncratic wit and charm. Many of Blackburn's definitions are masterpieces of concision and fairness--see, for instance, his entry on Nietzsche, which squeezes a century's worth of scholarship into two-and-a-half lucid columns. This delightful book has earned a permanent place on my desktop.

Philosophy is, at best, a difficult business. Whether one is a professional philosopher (whatever that means), or a casual reader, any discussion of philosophy requires familiarity with a huge number of specialized terms. A philosophical dictionary allows the reader to quickly ground himself in the vocabulary without losing the train of thought.

The various encyclopedias of philosophy are more comprehensive, but they serve a completely different purpose. If you are looking for in depth analysis, turn to an encyclopedia, but for a quick definition, this volume is perfect. The entries contain just the perfect amount of information. You are quickly gotten up to speed, without bogging down in endless peripheral issues.

In short, a valuable supplement to philosophical studies, both for the novice and for the more experienced reader of philosophical texts.

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy by Simon Blackburn is a handy guide when it comes to the realm of philosophy. The preface is written in a scholoraly tone without sounding prentious or being overly dry. The book itself lacks a good table of contents which is a must for a dictionary of any kind. There is also no index which is odd since this makes it hard to use and one finds topics more by chance then with skill. The only thing that Mr. Blackburn bothered to put in was an apendix that has nothing to do with the actual content of the book. The entries in themselves are well written and they are in aplhabetical order. I must admit that I was a bit baffled to see a dictionary without an index or a table of contents.

The title page of James Fenimore Cooper's 1823 novel "The Pioneers, or the Sources of the Susquehanna" defines it as "a Descriptive Tale"; and indeed the narrative is more a series of descriptions rather than a straight-forward plot. There is a well-drawn set of characters living quiet country lives. There is a plot "teaser" that is fairly obvious and finally resolved in the penultimate chapter, and there is a vague love triangle that never intensifies. In fact,Cooper seems to be not so much concerned with events as with attitudes. The story opens at Christmastime of 1793, and the settlers discuss the tumult of that year in Paris and the Vendée. (One of their company is an émigré who keeps muttering "Les monstres!" and "Mon pauvre roi!") Unfortunately, Cooper seems to have lost track of his time scheme because several months later in the story it's still 1793. This is one of the Leatherstocking Tales, which means that Nathaniel Bumppo (called Leatherstocking by the newcomers, Hawkeye by the Indians) is one of the major characters. But "The Pioneers", unlike "The Last of the Mohicans", does not involve Natty in dangerous adventures. (Which is just as well -- he's suppose to be 70 years old.) Instead, the novel presents frontier life in central New York at a settlement on Lake Otsego through commonplace but colorful occurrences: a fishing expedition, a turkey shoot, a gathering at the Bold Dragoon, a trial. The remarkable aspect of "The Pioneers", and the reason today's readers will identify with it, is the many arguments for the conservation of natural resources, both flora and fauna.Natty Bumppo's concern is understandable, as he is a man of the wilderness. More surprising is the wealthy entrepreneur Judge Temple's insistence that "we are stripping the forests, as if a single year would replace what we destroy. But the hour approaches when the laws will take notice of not only the woods, but the game they contain also". Later, both he and the Leatherstocking are appalled by the indiscriminate slaughter of birds in a single outing. This ecological attitude gives an unexpectedly modern tone to "The Pioneers" and makes it sympathetic reading in the 21st Century.

Even though this is a difficult read if you are not in the right frame of mind, I felt it was an excellent book. This book illustrates the final days of Hawkeye and the dilemmas that he encounters as an old man. I believe that the only major problem of the novel was the unbelievable and corny ending. Overall a good book.

Marmaduke Temple opens this story as he retrieves his daughter Elizabeth from a boarding school in New York City shortly after the Revolutionary War. As they descend the mid-winter mountains of upstate New York into the valley the Temples call home, they meet the other major characters of the story, Natty Bumppo, Chingachgook, and Oliver Edwards. Cooper prefaces this book by telling us that he wrote it for his pleasure, not ours. As Elizabeth's first night back home consumes 178 pages, I was beginning to take the man at his word, but, from here, an outstanding tale unfolds.

The Pioneers is a book in the romantic style of it's age which also carries contemporary messages. The loss of wilderness and wildlife were already a concern in the late 18th century. As the population shifted westward, Native Americans were supplanted and the wilds they inhabited were methodically tamed. Marmaduke Temple and Natty Bumppo, the conservationists, approach the issue in differing ways. Temple exemplifies the responsible management of natural resources while Bumppo longs for the departure of civilization so that nature may reclaim it's own.

Surrounding the ecological message is a story of a human dimension that, though expectedly formulaic, is nonetheless pleasing to behold. The characters are finely wrought as is the portrait of 18th century American life. Easily transported, the reader will find the descriptions of natural surroundings evocative of period and place.

I was sorry to see the last page, though the last page was masterfully done. While James Fenimore Cooper need not be proclaimed by me as the author of classics, I consider this book one and the same and rate The Pioneers a resounding five stars.

For one thing it makes the efforts of other writers who have tried to capture the super natural look like fairy tales.It allows mankind into another side of the Devil. He is not an ugly being as dogmatic religions will make us believe.Instead he is a fine being with the power to lure human with his promise of greatness.Mankind will fall if we do not substitute greed,and avarice for the greater purpose of God's creation,Love.Marvis Clair moving the Devil to tears was enough to make me cry.It shows the yearning for God's love even to his arch rival.
I recommended this book to my father,and he never regretted the time he spent in reading it.

This novel is a MUST READ for every one that really appreciates what a novel in all its ramifications is. It happens to be the first novel I have read from cover to cover in twenty-four hours. It is so gripping that you can not do any other thing than turning over the pages to know what happens next. Readers should be warned that if they have any other thing to do in a day, they should not borther opening even the first page.

I've read this book many times since 1985. Every time I found something new in it. Every time I was inspired, believing in God and Love even more. There is an important message in this book to all of us. And also there is a great example of what the woman should be like in a face of a writer, Mavis Clair.

I love this book! I think it is the best of the Dalemark Quartet.

This is from the viewpoint of a girl, second youngest in her family. Her country goes to war. When the people of her village return from battle, they inform the children that they look exactly like Heathens, the people with whom they were at war.

When their village turns against them, the children must look to their Undying for help.

Totally awsome book!

When I first began this book (many years ago) I found it confusing at best, and terribly boring at worst. I recently picked it up at my local bookstore by chance over the summer and decided to give it another try, thinking it would pass the time before I returned to college. I found myself enchanted from the first page. The story (as others have mentioned) follows Tanaqui and her siblings as they travel down the River until their final confrontation with the evil Kankredin. As a child I couldn't really appreciate the humor and subtle narrative skill found in Diana Wynne Jones's writing. If you allow yourself to delve into the book, though, the words wash over you like the river in the novel and you become immersed in the world Ms. Jones has created. Just be warned, the narrative style is first person limited and the story itself is unlike most in contemporary youth fiction. It isn't as fast paced as most youth novels today, so if your children are looking for something with a lot of action, stick to Harry Potter. Even so, this book absolutely begs to be read aloud before bedtime, so give it a try and if the kids don't like it, read it yourself! The style and pacing take some getting used to, but this novel is absolutely worth the effort. Though appropriate for all ages, I think this book can be best appreciated by adults (both young and old).

Unlike the standard fantasy series, in which each volume follows the continuing adventures of a single cast of characters - a
series of tunes played on the same set of instruments - this one really is designed as a "quartet". Each of the first three books
is all but independent of the rest, told in its own distinct voice. They interlock, but in subtle ways - through common
geography, family names that link with the long history of Dalemark and its peculiar "gods". Diana Wynne Jones always
provides the pleasure of well-told, formula-busting stories. In her Quartet, she also provides the pleasure of watching an
intricate pattern unfold behind the stories.

The third volume is the true heart of the series, epic and mysterious, bright-lit and misty, awash in magical happenings and still more magical lyricism. "The Spellcoats" is the only book in the Quartet which is told in the first person. The voice we hear belongs to a young girl named Tanaqui, living with her family and her family's collection of gods on the banks of the great River. She doesn't speak her story, or write it - she weaves the words into an intricately detailed "rugcoat", a kind of wearable diary. The time is many centuries before the Dalemark of the first two volumes. There are no guns or bombs, scarcely any musical instruments, and the continent has a different shape, dominated by the one huge brown north-flowing river, worshipped by Tanaqui's neighbors as a god in its own right.

The surprising mythology of this dawn world comes slowly into focus for us as Tanaqui weaves her story. Neither her family, nor the river-worshipers, nor the "Heathens" with whom her whole country is at war, quite understand what the "gods" really are, or the predicament those gods are in. Their religions all have a piece of the truth, and the whole truth must be pieced together to defend the land from the evil mage Kankredin, who imprisons the souls of the dead in his far-flung nets.

Just for rousing storytelling, I give volumes 1 and 3 four and a half stars, volumes 2 and 4 four stars. But the Quartet is more
than the sum of its parts, and the series as a whole merits five.

If your intent is to study a comprehensive introduction to the theory of music - this is not the book you're looking for. Although it is adequately thorough, the book's explanations are poorly organized and consistently cluttered with unnecessary & outdated commentary. For example, the book goes so far as to chide electronic instruments as "gloomy" and "hollow," insisting they have nothing to offer a serious musician. ABC of Music was published in 1963 and repeatedly shows its age. I've yet to see an adequate music theory companion, however, if you are strictly intent on being snooty about your compositions, Music Fundamentals: Through Pitch Structures and Rhythmic Design by Elvo S. D'Amante is worth the extra expense.

Ahem. In case you're wondering, the author of this wonderful introduction to music is Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst and a brilliant musician in her own right--as well as a supurb writer of lucid prose. The introduction is by Benjamen Britten. Who are Gustav Holst and Benjamen Britten? Along with Ralph Vaughn Williams, the most famous and highly regarded British composers of the twentieth century, that's who. (If you're one of the few people on this one who haven't heard Holst's THE PLANETS, you're in for a treat.) So forget Elmo what's-his-name, and learn music from someone who really, really knows what she's talking about.

(Also check out Gustav Holst's favorite piece, EGDON HEATH.)

It's very sad to find so many people systematically brainwashed into believing everything a few decades old is "outdated"--this belief is pure superstition. It's very sad to feel constrained to point out the bleedingly obvious (as comedian John Cleese would put it): 1) the fundamentals of music HAVE NOT CHANGED since this book was first published. 2) What is good is what ENDURES.

some of the stories were good enough in this collection, but most were too boring too catch your attention (too obvious, boring descriptions, weak plot etc.). i guess you have to be into the old charm of the english ghost story to really appreciate this. i guess i am too modern to be scared by a guy who talks to a guy who turns out to be a ghost, and that's it.

This is a wonderful collection of ghost stories. Included are some of the classics of the genre. For instance, The "Monkey's Paw" (son is killed in an accident at work, parent wishes on creepy monkey's paw charm for son to come back to life, so please don't open the front door!) has been adapted a number of times for TV and film.

My personal favorite is probably "Smee," the quintessential between-the-wars British country house ghost story. Perhaps a scary little teleplay with Jeremy Irons, Hugh Grant and Judy Davis?

The horror genre is cluttered with hackwork, and imitations of hackwork--H.P. Lovecraft seems to have spawned a particularly virulent strain of the latter. However one of its subgenres, i.e. the ghost story seems to attract a better quality of writer--perhaps because a truly frightening tale of the returned dead is so difficult to write.

(Believe me, I've tried and after almost half a century of trying, have sold exactly one ghost story).

L. P. Hartley, who wrote "The Travelling Grave" and other great stories of the supernatural, described the ghost story as "certainly the most exacting form of literary art, and perhaps the only one in which there is almost no intermediate step between success and failure. Either it comes off or it is a flop."

Cox and Gilbert have collected mostly successes (and one or two flops) in "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories" and its companion volume, "The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories." If you suffer from what Virginia Woolf called "the strange human craving for the pleasure of feeling afraid," both of these volumes will satisfy. Each contains a good mix of familiar and lesser-known ghost stories.

Here is a sampling from 'English Ghost Stories':

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs -- A horrible variant on 'Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true.' This is a sad, frightening story--maybe 'the' perfect tale of the supernatural.

"The Confession of Charles Linkworth" by E.F. Benson -- A telephone call from a hanged man.

"Man-Size in Marble" by E. Nesbit -- An overly sweet Victorian marriage comes to a tragic end on All Saints' Eve.

"The True History of Anthony Ffryar" -- When a fatal epidemic sweeps through Cambridge, a scholar witnesses an unusual Mass for the Dead: "'Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine,' chanted the hooded four; and one candle went out..."

"Smee" by A.M. Burrage -- A Christmas Eve game of hide-and-seek has one too many players.

"Bosworth Summit Pound" by L.T.C. Rolt -- A haunted English canal tunnel: "Not only was the narrow cavern of crumbling brickwork as cold and dark as a vault after the warmth and brilliance of the May sunshine, but water streamed from the roof and descended in cascades from the chimneys of the ventilation shafts. He had the utmost difficulty in keeping a straight course, for the damp atmosphere exhaled an evil-smelling mist which obscured the farther end of the tunnel..."

"Hand in Glove" by Elizabeth Bowen -- A young woman on the hunt for a titled husband is in desperate need of a clean pair of gloves.

"Bad Company" by Walter De La Mare -- A haunting encounter on the Underground.

"The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker -- A likeable young man seeks solitude to study for a mathematics exam.

This is the definitive Latn resource for classic Latin. The book itself has become like the classics it seeks to enlighten. HOwever, Oxford Press can hardly justify the price. $300 is had to swallow for any book, no matter how comprehensive. Oxford press has always offered high quality, hard to find texts, yet not many are at the price this Latin dictionary is. I would implore Oxford to bring the price down so that students and researchers alike could have access to this fine work.

This tome (and it indeed _is_ a tome!) is a fine investment for those who are really, really deep into Latin (i.e., *very* serious scholars, translators, those pursuing a college degree in Latin, etc, etc.). For the majority of us mortals and casual dilettantes, the fabulous Oxford Latin Dictionary is superfluous and overkill (especially considering its price), in my opinion.

Other publications, such as Cassell's Latin Dictionary, are excellent and are a very sufficient Latin reference for most. The latter features a great _English-Latin_ section as well! Of course, one might also consider various other volumes (for instance, Oxford's Elementary Latin Dictionary, and any number of abridged/condensed references..).

Again, the great Oxford Latin Dictionary is a classic work and a wonderful accomplishment but is simply not the best choice for everyone, especially Latin neophytes and those merely desiring a handy and economical home reference.

This dictionary is an excellent dictionary for classical Latin. Lewis & Shorts dictionary has a wider range of entries, but this one provides a more accurate explanation of works until about 200 AD. The text is easy to read and formed well. Some people may complain about the modern correction of j--> i and v --> u, but these are not obstacles to common sense in terms of pronunciation. If this acts as an obstacle, then you probably have not a need yet for this work; you may want to use Lewis' Elementary Latin Dictionary. That book doesn't have the modern vowel correction and has common and general definitions for most words that would be needed for most cases. The O.L.D. will list all those words and the less common and more case specific functions as well as more references to the sources from the original text. All in all, an excellent book if you have need for such specificity and have a few hundred bucks to spare.

In Book 1, the narrator presents to British readers German professor Diogenes Teufelsdrockh and his "Philosophy of Clothes". Book 2 describes Teufelsdrockh's childhood, education, first love, heartbreak, sad wanderings, loss and rediscovery of faith. Book 3 expands the philosophy. Only seeing through "clothes" (anything - notably rationalism -masking man's true nature as "spirit") can we understand life : education & art (flamelike, a spirit grows when kindled by another, not composted) the symbiosis of religion & society, science's limitations.Like the ramblings of a half-mad saint (sweetened by storyline only in Book 2) moments of beauty hide within thick stylistic jungle.

Humour (2) Readability (3) Characterisation (4) Structure (4)Beauty (6) Thematic unity (6) Literary style (6) Profundity (7) Significance (7)

Rating 50%

From the correspondance of T.H. Huxley:

"...when I look back, what do I find to have been the agents of my redemption? The hope of immortality or of future reward? I can honestly say that for these fourteen years such a consideration has not entered my head. No, I can tell you exactly what has been at work. Sartor Resartus led me to know that a deep sense of religion was compatible with the entire absence of theology. Secondly, science and her methods gave me a resting-place independent of authority and tradition. Thirdly, love opened up to me a view of the sanctity of human nature, and impressed me with a deep sense of responsibility."

I couldn't put it better. This is one of the books that makes life worth living.

This is a powerful and profound book and even sort of funny (a professor of everything... c'mon!!!)

This is a difficult book. It has small print and is written in the sort of stilted style that one would expect for a book with a Latin name written by a Scot more than a century ago. Carlyle was one of the most brilliant men of his time and in this book you can see hints of Goethe and Novalis and the other German romantic types..... which makes it sort of worthwhile....

But this was a really tough book for me to get through. Normally, I can plow through about anything.... but this took an awful lot of work....

I recommend it, though, with that qualification.... it is one of the "best" books ever written....!

This book is very limited. It is too basic and leaves out many important words. It is difficult to study Japanese when many of the words in my text book can't be found in this dictionary. Also, many of the entries from Japanese to English are vague and don't give a clear explanation of the word.

If you're a beginner in Japanese language, this is your first dictionary.
Okay, no romanji. But if you're afraid of kana why are you trying to learn Japanese?
Go ahead, forget romanji and dive deeply in this beautiful language

Very easy, Very good. Helpful phrases in the middle too.