THIS BOOK WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU TO EXAMINE YOUR LIFE IN A WHOLE NEW REALM. A REALM THAT VERY FEW OF US EXPERIENCE, THE TRUTH. VERNON HOWARD BYPASSES ALL OF THE FLOWERY LINGO USED BY TODAY'S AUTHORS AND CHALLENGES YOU TO LOOK INWARD IN A STYLE THAT WILL COMPLETELY ALTER THE WAY YOU SEE YOUR EXISTENCE. VERNON HOWARD'S TEACHINGS ARE BRILLIANT BECAUSE THEY BRING TRUTH TO THE FOREFRONT AT ALL TIMES. IF YOU ARE TIRED OF LIVING IN THE KINDERGARTEN OF LIFE, STUDY VERNON HOWARD. THE TRUTH IS ALL WE NEED, AND I BELIEVE THAT VERNON HOWARD IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT ACTUALLY ATTAINED THIS HIGHER LEVEL OF LIVING. VERNON HOWARD IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO REALLY LIVED. I HAVE READ MANY OF HOWARD'S BOOKS, AND THIS ONE IS THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN.

What can I say? I sit here to write a review and I find that words are inadequate to express the truths contained within this book.(as well as all of his other books) I completely agree with the reviewers below. I have read so, so many books in my lifetime and vernon howard simply towers above the rest. His insight, understanding and utter authority is unparalleled by any other. I find his teachings to be absolutely inspiring, straightforward and "non-new-agey".

I'm glad I've stumbled onto Mr. Vernon Howard's materials. It has helped me so much that I cant even explain it. Every paragraph that I've read, I felt a shock going through my body because the truth was letting me know. I cant believe that I'm the second person reviewing this book. anyone intersted in his books or not yet sure should check out anewlife.org, its vernon howards homepage. Listen to the sound library and I'm sure you'll purchase all his works.

This is a truly wonderful book and a very good read for anyone interested in the well being of the earth. Subjects such as permaculture, improving soil, water harvesting, seed saving and the importance of seed diversity are all discussed here with input from some of the masters on these subjects.

This book is not only a reminder of the damage that we have done to the earth but also an inspiration so that we may change our ways and improve the environment. One quote that stuck with me from this book is from E. O. Wilson ..."what humanity is doing now in a single lifetime (to our planet) will impoverish our descendents for virtually all time to come." Having said this, take this book, read it, practice what you have learned and share this info with all you know. As individuals, we can do our part to make a difference for the future.

Much appreciation goes to Seeds of Change organization for their efforts in bringing the importance of seed diversity and other environmental issues to our attention. I think they've done a great job with this book.

On a similiar subject, I found "Gaia's Garden" and "Forest Gardening" both to be very good reads as well.

Day after day many of us read about the destruction of our planet: farm land covered over with environmentally unfriendly golf courses and asphalt or destroyed by huge pesticide driven agribusinesses; water supplies contaminated with arsenic and ecoli; air polluted with everything from asbestos to zinc; wetlands destroyed by pesticides and developers; dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico; old growth forests pillaged by greedy corporations; and thousands of species of plants and animals on the brink of extinction including the Orca Whale symbol of the West Coast Indians.

GARDENING FOR THE FUTURE briefly describes these destructive practices (and cites Al Gore's EARTH IN THE BALANCE) but it also shows us a better way. You should continue to support those organizations waging the good fight in Washington and elsewhere -- AND buy this book, read this book, and light one candle by turning your own yard into a living example of a better way. You can do it. I've done it and it works. Not only that, once you get your yard converted you will never have to mow grass again.

I've been farming organically for ages and had encountered and put into practice many of the ideas put forth in this book but this book brings all these ideas together. The authors have assembled thoughts of the "experts" in fighting the environmental battle on the homefront--your yard. Think Victory Gardens. Each of us can make a contribution to the "war" effort. Each of us can begin to turn our garden plots, no matter how big or small, into a "piece of the action" -- gardening for the future of the earth.

You can grow vegetables organically and replenish the soil and eschew the use of pesticides and herbicides and other killers -- I know I've done it. And, I've done it in on a several acre spread out in the countryside. My neighbors who had abandoned the "old ways" for modern chemcial solutions looked on in awe as the bad bad bugs beat a hasty retreat from my garden to theirs.

But most important, as Paul Mueller, one of the experts cited in this book says, "Gardening is not just about having tomatos and peppers and flowers -- Gardening is about empowering -- planting a seed and watching it grow -- no matter who you are it makes you richer and deeper and more understanding of all the cycles of the universe and of your relationship to them."

The authors describe their contributors as the "Dream Team" Bill Mollison (Tasmanian permaculture expert); John Jeavons (soil growing in very small spaces); Masanobu Fukuoka (a plant pathologist promoting natural farming); Alan York (a viniculturist involved in biointensive gardening); Alan Kapuler (a biologist and Seed Exchanger); and Wes Jackson of the Land Institute.

This book is filled with ideas and plenty of practical examples. Everything from garden design to plant breeding is covered by numerous experts. You don't have to be a genius or work 12 hours a day to make this happen. The only thing you give up is that awful environmentally unsound lawn. I've done it. My neighbors are doing it. You should see the birds who come to our place.

Howard Shapiro has done the organic gardener and the "thinking about it someday" armchair novice a great favor. He has read most of the good books for you; extensively interviewed and visited with the giants of the subject; and, he has added his own considerable wisdom and experience with Seeds of Change, to provide us with a great, concise volume on sustainable gardening and systems. "Gardening for the Future of the Earth" is also very serious about its title; Shapiro sprinkles the text with anecdotes and data about the huge genetic, environmental, health, and cultural impacts of modern chemical factory farming - his personal time line is 20 years until the world, all of it, is in serious trouble.

It has taken me over 7 years (and several hundred dollars) of intense interest and reading: to be exposed to Bill Mollison, the Tasmanian curmudgeon and genius who coined the term permaculture; to find his mentor/idol, Massanobu Fukuoka, the author of the "One Straw Revolution" and pioneer of intercropping rice and barley in Japan; to heed the teachings of John Jeavons and his Bio-Intensive, double digging techniques- a savior in the gumbo clay soil of Austin, TX; to uncover the amazing, successful, and almost occult practices of the Biodynamic techniques from the brilliant but difficult writings of Rudolph Steiner in the 1920's; to kindle an interest in perennial farming systems, which was Nature's way in our Midwest (prairie) until two centuries ago from Wes Jackson of the Land Institute in Salina, KS; and, to just start to fathom the import of Alan Kapuler's words on the crisis that is upon us in bio-diversity and the declining gene pool.

A whole library in one volume! A pleasant read! You will have no doubt that there is a problem, but there are solutions......and they are not coming out of our major research labs and campuses. They are coming from the grass roots. To quote Shapiro: "gardeners know a lot more about soil than laboratory scientists!'

I am homeschooling my 9 year old son and this book is a great resource to use. It's humor can't help but add joy and eagerness to the learning process. It's just the spark we needed to get his creative juices flowing when it comes to writing! Lessons are short and to the point with examples that clearly show what the lesson is intended to convey. I'll be using this one for awhile!!

What a great book for teaching grammar. Very anectodal ways to teach grammar to even 8th graders. The book is nicely organized and instructions are clear. The author used a fair amount of creativity to feed grammar to students with a spoonful of sugar! Definitely worth having in a library.

This book is definitely not boring, even if it is about grammar. It doesn't just teach about more effective verbs, students learn how to use Five Hundred Horsepower verbs. It teaches independent clauses by having students write about people picking their noses -- just the kind of gross stuff kids like. This book is a must for anyone stuck with teaching the parts of speech.

Hudson Taylor's short autobiography ought to be required reading in any study of missions.

Catholic. Protestant. Evangelical. Charismatic. Everyone who is Christian and desires to serve God either through overseas missions, or in their own hometown will be inspiried to read of Taylor's humble heart and gracious service.

This could be considered a case study in prayer. Taylor did not send scores of appeal letters, newsletters, refridgerator photos. His practice was to not solicit funds, but to ask God for providence.

He endured blisters, lack of medicine, thievery, poverty on every level. He'd wait for months for resources, but the miracle of God was always there.

Written with ample selections from his personal journal, we gain insight to a man hailed as one of the greatest missionaries ever, and the foremost in China. That insight is not of a powerful speaker, dynamic personality, or shining star in the pulpit. Instead, we see an ordinary man, not so different than you or I, pressing on in faith, moving forward as God led him. God prevailed to supply him every need, though often in the last moment.

Beyond learning about Taylor, we also learn the intimate history of the founding of the China Inland Mission in 1856, and its influential growth in China. We gain a sense of the culture and interpersonal dynamics which existed in China, London, and mission leadership in general.

Because of the foundational evangelism by Taylor, China now boasts extraordinary amounts of believers despite China's present oppressive government.

I fully recommend "Hudson Taylor" by Hudson Taylor. See also the longer, two-volume Taylor biography by Howard Taylor.

Anthony Trendl

I asked a respected leader in America, "What do you recommend I do, so my life would be spent having the greatest impact for helping people?" He told me to read the two volume book on Hudson Taylor by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor. He was right. Wow, what a book--what a life!

This book has given me A LOT to think about and apply. I highly recommend this book to anybody who has a heart to serve people. Don't hesitate to read such a long book, it probably is better than the last five you read put together!

If you are in earnest about walking with God, you will love this book immensely. It will give you a hunger for excellence and a vision of the greatness of self denial. It will increase your love for God and you will find yourself wanting to travel the pathway of purity that Hudson Taylor lived. I can't recommend this book highly enough, it's probably one of the greatest books I've ever read. It inspired, lifted, and encouraged me greatly. It took my heart on a journey that I pray I never forget. This book has been out of print for many years, and to have these copies available is priceless. I refer back to my copy year after year and it continues to refresh and feed my soul in many ways. You will find a treasure and a friend in Hudson Taylor. Then you will gratefully appreciate the anointing that was on his son as he wrote down the account of his father's life. The benefits you reap as you travel through the pages of the this book will bless your life for years to come.

I am looking for someone that knows something about old books like the home garden handbook published in 1927

I am a heavy duty user of Excel and I support users of the application too. This is one of the best books I have seen on Excel's most powerful features. The chapters on array formulas and range names are the best I have read on the subject. This book is outstanding. I am here writing this review because I was hoping to order a copy for work.

One of the excellent book of Excel. However it is out of stock. I lent it from the library and can't find it from any book store. I hope the publisher will re-printed it.

Howard Greene, the most esteemed of all educational consulants, writes of the social, academic, and campus experience of college students. This book is a clear must for anyone interested in what really goes on inside of well known colleges and universities throughout the country. Honest and interesting, Greene has sucessfully accomplished another outstanding book! I can't wait to see what he will publish next! Perhaps a piece co-written with his daughter, a college freshman?

Very complete research on many aspects of life in "Select" colleges. Certainly a good book to read if you have a child, or are a student interested in the highly competitive colleges.

I have studied higher education for 20 years and my greatest frustration has been the public's unwillingness to look beyond the designer label when choosing a college. Prestigious universities get and maintain their reputations DESPITE their typically offering extremely poor undergraduate education. Not only are classes often large and poorly taught, many students find themselves stressed into fearful quiescence in classes and into depression or eating disorders outside of class (with the colleges doing little to prevent it. And for the privilege, the four-year actual total cost of attending such institutions is nearly $150,000, with only modest cash financial aid available to the middle class. Finally, there's a book which, with painstaking documentation, tells some of the tale. I would only add that even the vaunted career-boosting of an Ivy diploma is seriously overrated. Because these institutions attract the nation's best and brightest students (They really can't be that bright if they're willing to pay so much for so little) they would get great jobs no matter where they went to college. Indeed, at less selective students, these Ivy-caliber students would stand out, thereby getting to hold leadership positions on campus, receive superlative letters of recommendation from professors and administrators, and insider leads on jobs--none of which is as likely at an Ivy institution, filled with student superstars. This book is a MUST read for anyone considering attending or sending their child to a "prestigious" college. The truly wise choice is to send your Ivy-caliber child to a public institution that has a substantive honors program. Some of the small publics may be particularly wise choices: Mary Washington, Evergreen State, St. Mary's College of Maryland.

I checked this book out at my local library with two other college admissions guides to refesh my memory of what it's like to go through the college application process as a part of my efforts to help my young academically gifted cousin who is beginning this process. I found this book to be thorough and easy to follow for a college bound high school student looking to broaden their options. I can relate to what it was like to be in the world of a pretentious high school senior without real world experience to tell me that the name on your degree doesn't necessarily equate to how much your occupation and earnings after college will fit society's ideal of "success".I can see how this guide book could serve to reassure the ambitions while calming the anxieties of high school seniors who feel that their fate is based upon whether or not they get into a "name" school, which usually includes an Ivy League institution.
My response to a couple of other readers' reviews is that I can see how questioning the validity of the prestige of Ivy league institutions would seem to be a viable option. Everyone knows that "rankings" are subjective, and that each college has attributes that are more suitable for some students than others, but that doesn't mean we have to bash those schools for their ability to maintain their success. One of the previous reviewers questioned whether or not Penn or Cornell is really better than Amherst and Middlebury, which is really an unjustified comparison when Amherst and Middlebury are two small liberal arts colleges and Penn and Cornell are not only Ivies, but very large research universities with a multitude of undergraduate and graduate programs (not to mention Cornell's reputation of being a pressure cooker driven intellectual buffet with over-achievers representing not one, but seven undergraduate colleges). Those of us who didn't necessarily gain admissions to an Ivy don't have to take the resentful route of bashing them to stroke our egos. Yes, there are other colleges with top notch academic programs, and let me reiterate that going to an Ivy won't necessarily make you more successful than a graduate of a state university , but let's keep the goal of looking into other schools with highly regarded programs in focus, not down playing another school's prestige as one's own defense mechanism. Ultimately, I would recommend this book to be read in addition to other college guides.When it comes to selecting the institution where you will be spending probably the four most mind expanding years of your life, you can never do too little research.

For those who want more than the Ivies ---- not only an Ivy-rated undergraduate education, but, virtue, leadership training, personal challenge, proving what you're made of, pride in giving something back to your family and America ---- the answer is West Point. EVERYONE has a good chance at the full scholarship. If this sounds like you, go for it.
Recommended reading: "West Point: Character Leadership Education...", Norman Thomas Remick.

The Greenes' "Hidden Ivies" is the best overall guide to the best colleges that are not covered in their other book covering the Ivy League universities. The contents are up to date, detailed, cover all aspects of these schools, and are free of the kneejerk conservative agenda that underlie some of the other detailed college guides, e.g. "The Best 100 Colleges". The approach in this book is somewhat similar to Pope's "40 Colleges That Change Lives", although the latter is geared more to B students, while this book is geared to A students (to oversimplify!)

What comes across clearly in the Greenes' approach is that these schools are the equal of the Ivy League schools in every respect, with perhaps a bit less stress and pressure. In fact, a number of these schools (e.g. Amherst, Middlebury, and Pomona) are actually more selective than at least some of the Ivies. Additionally this book, like Pope's, gets the point across that there are advantages to the more personal learning approach of the liberal arts colleges versus the larger class environments of the Ivy League universities. Students at the top of their class really owe it to themselves to consider these schools in addition to the Ivies. After all, the fact that eight excellent universities decided to formally band together in the 1950s to form an athletic league hardly makes those eight universities "the best" per se. Are Penn and Cornell really "better" than Amherst or Middlebury? Some may think so, but even then it's not because they're in the "Ivy League" (By that measure Stanford, Chicago, and Johns Hopkins wouldn't be top tier either - an assertion that would be ridiculous). In any case, this book is essential reading for any high school achiever interested in going to a top school, i.e. any one of the top 30-40 schools!

Despite the author's posting of three 5-star reviews of his own work, this is the best overall resource volume for beginning digital photographers that I've seen. Unable to find anything particularly useful about scanners at the library I picked up this book because it had a chapter on Adjusting Resolution on Your Computer that answered all my questions about why it's appropriate to print at much higher resolutions than the resolution of your original image.

I've been using a digital camera for several months and have just acquired a scanner that came with a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements. This is an application with a great deal of depth and I found myself wondering what the documentation was talking about regarding color correction, gamma, resampling, palettes, and many other technical terms. This book, besides giving a great deal of information about cameras, also gave me an understanding of all these things.

I would have given it five stars except for two things.

The illustrations are all black & white, making them meaningless in many cases where the subject was color. Even worse, there would be two B&W photos side-by-side purporting to show differences where the differences were totally invisible. A CD-ROM accompanying the book has color copies of all the illustrations, but this is not a convenient way to read a book.

The book was published in 1999 and the information in it is current only through some time in 1998. As fast as things move in the world of digital cameras this makes most of the specs for cameras way out of date. Today's high-end consumer cameras are far beyond those detailed here. The book could do with an update to the chapters concerned with specific models and their specs as well as features now available that you couldn't get five years ago.

I tried posting an author comment months ago, but for some reason it never appeared...then I tried a review, but I included a URL and they say they don't like that, so here's my last attempt at posting this information

The following is from the introduction to the book:

"This book grew out of my personal interest and enthusiasm for digital cameras. For the past ten years I've been a multimedia developer; making interactive projects of all kinds. Most of these have a tremendous appetite for images and other media, and I'm always in a hurry to get the things assembled as quickly as possible. Being able to take photographs of objects, subjects, materials and scenery and get them in to the computer immediately makes the process that much easier, so using a digital camera just makes a whole lot of sense.
Digital cameras have come a long way in the last ten years. Now, for less than $1,000 you can buy a camera that takes photographs good enough to print at 8 x 10 sizes. Resolution and image quality has improved dramatically, and the functionality of the cameras is improving too. If you've been thinking of buying a digital camera, now is as good a time as any.
This book covers the digital camera world, from how cameras work and how to make a buying decision, through using the camera and downloading images to a computer. Since a digital camera really only makes sense if you have a computer a lot of the book is devoted to dealing with images once you get them into your computer. From explaining resolution and color models, through how to edit images and the myriad of software applications available to manage, edit and massage your images. The chapter on printing covers the many issues involved in turning an image into hard copy form.
Since this is the age of the Internet, the book also covers the basics of Internet imaging; how to create a web page, how to upload images to a web server, and working with some of the popular auction web sites. The chapter on webcams covers setting up web cams and digital conferencing."

That's the end of the quote from the introduction, but here's the chapters:

INTRODUCTION
1 Stumbling Through Digital Imaging
2 How To Buy A Digital Camera
3 How A Digital Camera Works
4 Working With A Digital Camera
5 Connecting To A Computer
6 Adjusting Resolution On Your Computer
7 The Digital Darkroom: Image Editing
8 Color
9 Printing
10 Accessories
11 Other Uses
12 Interviews
13 File Formats
14 Saving and Archiving
15 Immersive Imaging and 360-Degree Panoramas
16 Introduction To Web Graphics And HTML
17 Useful Software Applications
18 WEBCAMS
19 Animation
20 DIGITA Operating Environment
21 Copyright
22 High-End Cameras
23 Troubleshooting
24 Camera Specifications
25 Future

Hope this was of use to you.

I tried posting an author comment months ago, but for some reason it never appeared, so I'm going to try this method of adding an author comment instead... So the following is from the introduction to the book:

"This book grew out of my personal interest and enthusiasm for digital cameras. For the past ten years I've been a multimedia developer; making interactive projects of all kinds. Most of these have a tremendous appetite for images and other media, and I'm always in a hurry to get the things assembled as quickly as possible. Being able to take photographs of objects, subjects, materials and scenery and get them in to the computer immediately makes the process that much easier, so using a digital camera just makes a whole lot of sense.
Digital cameras have come a long way in the last ten years. Now, for less than $1,000 you can buy a camera that takes photographs good enough to print at 8 x 10 sizes. Resolution and image quality has improved dramatically, and the functionality of the cameras is improving too. If you've been thinking of buying a digital camera, now is as good a time as any.
This book covers the digital camera world, from how cameras work and how to make a buying decision, through using the camera and downloading images to a computer. Since a digital camera really only makes sense if you have a computer a lot of the book is devoted to dealing with images once you get them into your computer. From explaining resolution and color models, through how to edit images and the myriad of software applications available to manage, edit and massage your images. The chapter on printing covers the many issues involved in turning an image into hard copy form.
Since this is the age of the Internet, the book also covers the basics of Internet imaging; how to create a web page, how to upload images to a web server, and working with some of the popular auction web sites. The chapter on webcams covers setting up web cams and digital conferencing."

That's the end of the quote from the introduction because I don't want to go over the 1000 word limit for this.

"Capt. Howard Rutledge,11-27-65" was the POW/MIA name engraved on a bracelet I acquired in 6th or 7th grade (~1972). A grass roots organization distributed bracelets with the name of missing servicemen. The idea was to wear the bracelet until the missing were returned. To my great joy, Capt Rutledge returned and wrote a very inspiring account of the hell he and others lived through and the spriritual toughness and comradeship that got them through it. I immediately read the book when it first came out. As an 8th grader it had a huge impact on me. The book disappeared after being loaned out to friends. I retain the bracelet and an undiminished bank of gratitude to Capt. Rutledge and all other veterans. The depth of faith and cunning of the prisoners and the brutality of their captors is amazing. This is an excellent book about the POW experience and the true meaning of honor and a military Officer.

When I was only 11, I had the pleasure of meeting Captain Rutledge in August of 1976. He was my Dad's Commanding Officer in the Philippines. We all read his book and sat amazed at the God-granted ability to survive. I borrowed the book from my Dad (25 years later) and just finished reading it again. The faith that he and his wife were able to muster is incredible. Makes the rest of us foolish to take our God, our faith, our families, and our freedoms all for granted.

Captain Rutledge went to his greater reward on June 11, 1984. I will never forget that man. He will always be an example for me.

Read it!

While watching the History Channel on the topic of prisons, Hanoi Hilton came up. A few of the former "guests" were interviewed such as Sen McCain. I had a immediate flashback of Rutledge's book which I read back in the mid-70's. It was one of a few books that was hard to put down.

In one volume, this work combines the theories on intelligence advanced during the past century, but especially during the last decades. Beginning with the pioneering work of Piaget, the authors continue with the latter's disciples, whether supportive or in disagreement; a discussion of the brain and attempts to copy its functioning with intelligent machines. Of special interest are discussions of recent theories of intelligence by Gardner (seven intelligences and the experiments how he arrived at them); Mike Anderson, who asserts that intelligence evolves through changes in the organization of knowledge and skills, indicating that Gardner's multiple intelligences are 'sometimes a behavior, sometimes a cognitive process, and sometimes a structure in the brain'; Robert Sternberg, whose theory is a combination of three 'triarchic' subtheories: the componential, the experiential, and the contextual; and, based on Sternberg, Stephen Ceci's but, while the first has stressed the componential aspect ('what goes on inside a person's head when he thinks intelligently?') Ceci emphasizes the contextual aspect ('How does a person 's interaction interaction in the world affect the world in which he lives?'). The final chapters of the book are devoted to how all this new knowledge will affect schools and learning in the workplace. Each chapter has its own list of 'suggested readings' while the final list of references is comprehensive and inviting for further 'in-depth' studies

This is a great book for anyone interested in the subject of intelligence. It's well-written, and does justice to this complex and deep subject matter. Unlike books like "The Bell Curve" this book doesn't try to prescribe a narrow definition of intelligence. Rather it exposes the richness of different conceptualizations of intelligence, and the ways in which intelligence is important in various settings.

Gardner, Kornhaber, and Wake have written the essential book on the subject of intelligence. This book helps to undo some of the damage of books like Herrnstein & Murray's "The Bell Curve." This well-written text presents the many faces of intelligence, across different cultures and different settings such as work and school. It includes psychometrics, artificial intelligence, the role of the brain, and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, providing a robust introduction to one of the most important topics in psychology and education. This book should be required reading for every educator, and every student of psychology, education, and science.