What a joy! The gorgeous photography earns the book a place on the coffeetable. It is a good source for identifying many flowers. It offers good tips for arranging flowers for all four seasons. This is the perfect type of book gardners should read in the winter, when we are longing for the first colors of Spring and looking forward to getting our hands back in the dirt. I got mine when I was recuperating from bi-lateral carpal tunnel releases in early Spring and it helped me pass the time that I was restricted from much use of my hands and dying to work in my flower and vegetable beds.

What a joy! This book came to me in the Spring, but I had just undergone bi-lateral carpal tunnel releases and was unable to do much with my hands for several weeks. It helped me pass the time that I would have otherwise been working in my flower and vegetable beds. It crossed my mind that this is the kind of book gardners need to read in the winter, when we are housebound and frustrated, planning new projects for as soon as the weather allows. It is a truly a celebration of flowers and one woman's love for growing them and arranging them. It gives good basic advice for creating lovely floral arrangements for all four seasons. It is a good source, complete with color photos, for identifying many flowers. The color photography deserves a place on the coffee table. I will definitely re-read it this Winter when I am housebound,longing for the colors of Spring and looking forward to once again getting my hands in the dirt.

Finally, there's a "coffee table book" that reads like a love story! Hardie Newton has written a celebration of the seasons, of our senses (if we unclutter them), and the natural beauty all around us. It's a lyrical trip through the countryside of my college youth, a gardner's manual, an arranger's inspiration, a recipe book, a medicine chest and a philosophic guide. It's what you might expect from a lady who builds a house with 29 glass doors, no windows and doesn't let Sunny Reynolds, whose photographs are great, show it to you until page 102!

I found the Inner Quest book to be very informative at this time in my life and the world. It really help me to understand a lot of things that I'm personally dealing with.

Peace & Blessings
James Makell

I want to personally thank Consuella Newton for her book "Inner Quest".

To me, it supplied me with pieces of missing puzzles.
I'm impatiently waiting for her next work to help me complete the picture.

I found the Inner Quest book to be very informative at this time in my life and the world. It really help me to understand a lot of things that I'm personally dealing with.

The preface to "The Life of Isaac Newton" starts with "Few men have lived for whom less need exist to justify a biography." To this I would like to add that few books have been written which need to be read more than the "Life of Isaac Newton" by Richard Westfall.

A thorough research of the life and work of one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived, if not the greatest, Westfall paints a vivid picture of the life of Newton from childhood to old age. He describes Newton as not only a scientific genius, but as the person who revolutionized science, and thus influenced the way of thinking, and indeed the way of modern life.

Newton, to be sure, was not an easy person to live with, nor was he a perfect human being. All this however pales in comparison to his superior intellect and deep understanding of nature. The book gives ample accounting of Newton's two great works "Opticks" and "Principia" and how these two have influenced the world he lived in, and the effects they left forever since.

This book is a necessary reading not only for those interested in science, but for all who want to have a glimpse into the way of life in the 16th and 17th centuries, and especially the way science and philosophy spread throughout the world.

Read it!

Shab Levy
Portland, OR 2002

This is a condensed version of "Never at Rest: Biography of Isaac Newton" by the same author. In this new version he took away details that he thought were interesting just to the specialist, so this book was written for the general public (and it indeed succeed to be non-technical).

What is really important about Westfall's work is that he is the only REAL biographer of Isaac Newton, since he was the first (and the last) to make an intensive research about him, seeking Newton's ancestors, tracking all his way through; collecting letters from everyone that had a comma wrote by Newton. Sure, this is the full biography of Newton and everything that you read aside is based on this one (if it's not wrong). The goal of this biography is to be impartial: you certainly won't find the author arguing that Newton was a bad person or glorifying him; he will just narrate and point out the true, the facts, the letters, leaving the interpretation with you. My interpretation is: Newton was a great man, not only because he was a genius, but as an example of humanity. You can disagree... as long as you know the facts; not being influenced by some biographical essay that has more adjectives than verbs.

I couldn't agree with reviewer #1 more! As a doctoral engineer, I thought I knew everything about that greatest scientist that ever lived. But I was wrong. Westfall taught me plenty about his life and times.

Civil War writers, researchers, and buffs will find a valuable source about actual Confederate troop strength in Steven Newton's book. Newton's theme is that the claim that the Confederate Army lost in the battles of 1864 due to serious manpower attrition is false. He proceeds to show, army-by-army, department-by-department that the Confederates largely made good their losses in the great battles of 1863 and started the 1864 Campaigns with roughly the same manpower levels that they enjoyed at their high water mark the previous year.

Here we get a detailed look at the Confederate Army's manpower in all its component armies, departments and commands. A descriptive narrative and new order of battle, based on the latest information and research, is provided for each organization. Newton's review of troop recruiting and movements within and between commands provides valuable background for perspective writers on Confederate grand strategy.

Newton contends that the South lost, at least in large part, due to the poor use and allocation of its troops rather than a lack of men. His case is, in considerable measure, persuasive. His orders of battle, narratives and statistics show where the troops could be found which, when added together, gave Southern commanders approximately the same number of men that they had in 1863. William Marvel, in his recent "Lee's Last Retreat" takes a similar position by showing that the Confederate troop shortage during the Appomattox Campaign was less than has been believed before.

However, it seems that Newton sometimes reached his totals by including assorted collections of backwater troops that would have been of doubtful value in major operations. He fails to sufficiently acknowledge that his 1864 troop counts for the first line armies were often achieved only through the replacement of the high quality veterans lost in 1863 with green recruits and home guard type troops from the Confederacy's interior. I believe that in this sense, the Confederacy did suffer from attrition. Notwithstanding these criticisms, reluctantly made, Newton has provided Confederate military scholars with a wonderful resource. Don't expect dramatic accounts of battles here. But within its specialty it is packed with valuable and interesting information about troop strengths in the various areas and commands of the South. The highly detailed order of battle section, about 175 pages long, alone justifies the price of this book. Readers wanting to learn more about the state of Confederate manpower in the latter part of the war should not miss this book.

Now in a newly revised edition (copyright 2000) incorporating additional details discovered about the titular fight, Jerry Keenan's The Wagon Box Fight: An Episode Of Red Cloud's War is a complex historical analysis of a singularly crucial wartime battle. With black and white photographs, diagrams, exhaustive notes, a bibliography of primary sources and an index, The Wagon Box Fight spares no resource in its in-depth analysis. Very highly recommended for historical recreationists, 19th century military buffs, Native American studies, western historians, or anyone with a keen interest in the juncture of American history that formed the background for "Red Cloud's War".

Keenan does an outstanding job of defining this epic fight during the Indian Wars. His ability to blend the story factually with accounts from participants and archology makes for fascinating reading and will be a book one keeps for further reference. One should have this book in hand when he/she visits the sight/monument.

While only a brief moment in the half century of Indian Wars--it proved the value of breech loading rifles to the US Army as a means to counter being outnumbered during battle. The same senario worked at Beecher Island and didn't work on the Little Big Horn when the Army's Indian opponents had acquired a higher ratio of repeating arms than in the past.

Highly recommended book!!!!

It's a lot to read, but well worth the time. Any serious student of America history should own these volumes. Rothbard explodes many of the contemporary myths espoused today by would be historians. For example he proves by historical documentation, that the accepted myth that only 1/3 of the colonial population were in favor of the revolution, 1/3 neutral & 1/3 loyal to England, is WRONG! The letter from which this supposed fact was taken, by John Adams, is clearly referring to America attitudes toward the French revolution, not the American. In another letter, Adams estimated that the American Revolution was indeed supported by over two-thirds of the colonial population. A striking contrast to popular belief. He supported these findings by quoting from a book by John R Alden, 1954, "The American Revolution." This is an example of what you find in Professor Rothbard's books. He gives an extensive study of the religious and political issues of the time and spells out the prejudices of slavery and the evils of tyranny. Conceived in liberty will surly open your eyes to early American history in our day of revisionism and double-speak. These volumes should be the historical textbooks in our schools and colleges. I recommend adding them to your library and using them as a valuable source of truthful information.

Anything by the late Murray Rotbard is worth reading. He is a brilliant economist and he proves to be a great historian as well with this groundbreaking book set. Enough said.

Although, I am not finished reading this pleasingly large four volume book of American history, I can say unequivically that there is more historical value in this book than in all of my elementary (1-12) years of education. Presented in understandable language and in sufficent detail as to lend an entirely new perspective to "the discovery of America" and the subsequent conquering of her native peoples in the name of the monarchey. Will open the eyes of any patriot.

If, like me, you want to teach yourself Latin so that you
can read the Vulgate and the Breviary, then you have only
two choices of introductory texts that I know of: Scanlon &
Scanlon's "Latin Grammar" and John F. Collins "A Primer of
Ecclesiastical Latin". Both texts are intended for
classroom use.

Collins slowly introduces you to Latin grammar while
building up your Latin vocabulary. Scanlon & Scanlon tend to
push you through the grammar more quickly, relying on
cognates early on to help you cope with the vocabulary.
Scanlon & Scanlon supply accent marks in all their texts and
vocabularies to show you which syllable to accent; this is
very helpful if you are teaching yourself. Collins provides
macrons to mark long vowels in his texts and vocabularies;
these suffice to let you figure out for yourself where the
accent is, and they help you appreciate the meters used in
classical poetry. For those who care about such things,
physically Collins is clearly superior, with larger pages
and larger type and plentiful margins.

My approach to teaching myself Latin is "Teach me the
grammar, give me a dictionary, and let me at the text". So
I much prefer Scanlon & Scanlon to Collins. If you want to
take the grammar more slowly though, you'll probably
prefer Collins.

Honorable mention goes to Gavin Betts who wrote an excellent
textbook, "Latin: A Complete Course (Teach Yourself)", that
is intended for self-teaching. Unfortunately, its emphasis
is almost entirely classical. Still, Classical and
Ecclesiastical Latin are similar enough that it makes a good
supplement to either Scanlon & Scanlon or Collins.

Whichever choice you make, once you start reading the
Vulgate, you'll certainly want Leo F. Stelten's "Dictionary
of Ecclesiastical Latin". Neither the Cassel's nor
Chambers-Murray dictionary is adequate.

This remarkable book is a good place to start for anyone trying to learn ecclesiastical Latin, especially those who are interested in understanding the Mass or the Divine Office. This is the first of a two book series written for seminarians and novices who may have had no previous knowledge of Latin and needed to learn it fairly quickly (the second book is called Second Latin).

This book won't make you an expert Latinist, but it is most useful for anyone who desires a reasonable understanding of the language, particularily if you are interested in understanding the Latin used in the liturgy. Readings from the Gospel of St. John are introduced in later lessons (the second book focuses more on the use of Latin in theology and cannon law). This first book does a decent job of covering Latin grammar completely; although, the explanations of grammatical constructs are a bit brief. It was written in 1944 and so presumes that the reader has had some exposure the the Latin Mass, but it won't be much of a hinderance if one hasn't had any exposure to the Latin Mass.

Overall, this is a wonderful introduction to the Latin used by the Church, and I heartily recommend it to anyone.

This book is excellent preparation for reading ecclesiastical Latin. For reading the Vulgate, the extensive vocabulary at the back makes it a handier reference than a standard Latin dictionary. The emphasis here is on reading: all exercises are Latin into English - none are English into Latin. It lacks diacritical marks, although it does mark the accented syllable. Readers seeking a primer to prepare them to read church Latin appear to have few choices, but this is a good one.

The most upsetting thing to a student of the Scottish Gaelic Culture is the lack of accurate information available. Among "Brigadoonery", New-Age rosy-coloured romanticism, and commonly available histories of Scotland, the student is faced with errors, misrepresentations, and outright indifference to Gaelic heritage and culture. Dr. Newton's work is the first serious attempt to redress this situation.

"A Handbook of Scottish Gaelic Culture" provides a useful starting place for both the novice and the scholar by describing the culture in its own words. He uses folktales, poetry, songs and stories in Gaelic, with English translations, to support descriptions of all aspects of daily life: work, family, social, spiritual, creative life and entertainment. Many of his sources, being Gaelic, have never been available to the English-speaking student before.

Because Dr. Newton is attempting such a massive undertaking, there are some aspects of the work which are dealt with in less detail than others would like. I found it curious, for instance, that there isn't a section on fishing as a community food source. This was of prime importance in Coastal and Island communities. That said, it must be remembered that this is, after all, a "Handbook", not an "Encyclopaedia". He has included copious notes and an eleven page bibliography for further study for those who wish more information.

This book is valuable for everyone interested in the real culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

Michael Newton has managed to introduce us to Scottish Gaelic culture in a well researched and enaging way. It's not dry, it's not difficult to understand. I say introduction, as to try and cover every single aspect of history, lore and so on, in one volume, would be difficult. He has presented a cohesive, well rounded picture from the point of view of the culture itself, not as an outside study. Welcome as well, is the fact he also touches on the present state of things, which of course history books generally dont get into.
With the curious lack of this type of work, this was a welcome addition to my library. One may further research the aspects he brings to us, checking through the bibliography.
Mr. Newton also has a website, and is very active in the preservation of the language, stories, folklore. I hope he publishes more.

Whether you just have a curiosity, are seeking to know more of "your people", or are a student, this is an excellent place to begin.

I'm sick and tired of having to explain to Scottish people why I'm interested in Scottish Gaelic culture. Maybe if they read this book they'll get a good idea why it is important to Scotland as a whole (not just the Highlands), and why we should be preserving the language instead of ignoring it, or being hostile to it. If nothing else I wish someone had come up with a book like this earlier! The nearest equivalent is 'The Companion to Gaelic Scotland' which is really an encyclopedia and contains numerous omissions.

A Pig Tale is a very catchy poem about a little pig named Ziggy and his dad, Pop Iggy. Ziggy gets made fun of by everyone because his dad collects junk. Then one day, his dad announces that he will make something spectacular with all of his junk and everyone waits to see what it will be. When the barn doors open, everyone sees his "amazing invention, a most beautiful thing!" It's a beautiful balloon! Ziggy and his father circle the globe in their balloon and Ziggy is very proud of his father. The story has a wonderful morale: "Protect our dear earth. Don't throw it away. You, too, could make magic from garbage someday. This is an excellent book to have around during the study of Earth Day, especially for younger children.

I think when someone has great talents such as Olivia they need to do something with them. Of course, to a certain extent, but to not share them by acting, singing, or writing or whatever it takes to express/share the talents is selfish & wasteful. I have loved Olivia Newton-John since she first hit the scene & have never been able to get enough of her. I am not meaning to sound weird or anything, it's just that Olivia has rare qualities & if she shared just a little more of herself through acting or more importantly a book on her self it would prove to be a great asset to the world & the many people who would benefit from it, like myself. I would love to have a recent book of Olivia Newton-John on my bookshelf to reinstate juvenation, as an inspiration & just to enjoy in my leisure. I don't know about others but I find many people interesting; however, Olivia takes the cake. I'm not saying she's obligated in anyway or that she should be obligated to do these things with her talent, because of course she is human, too, & deserves her freedom; but if I had talent like that & someone said these things to & about me, I think I would be encouraged to fill their request(s) not due to obligation but simply in the term of that "IF I CAN HELP EVEN JUST ONE PERSON GET THROUGH LIFE A LITTLE EASIER, THEN I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT!!!" & I believe the world would greatly benefit from a person with Olivia's talents & therefore a recent up-to-date book on herself. I would really like to have something from Olivia to this effect. Olivia is a fantastic person & is a Blessing in disguise.

Sit down with your children and read a very pleasent story. They will love it and so will you. A great way to have some real family time together.

Power and Market is Murray Rothbard's seminal critique of government intervention in the economy. Originally meant to be part of his magisterial Man, Economy, and State, it was published separately some years later. (For a discussion of this, see Justin Raimondo's An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard at 189-194.)

Unlike most Austrian school economists, Rothbard was an anarchist. In fact, he was the twentieth century's seminal figure in anarcho-capitalist thought. This means that Rothbard thought that not only roads and the like, but also national defense and courts could be provided without a state. (See his Society Without a State in the Libertarian Reader, ed. Machan, for a succinct presentation of his views.)

Rothbard starts out this work with a discussion of various types of government intervention in the economy. He divides them into three types: autistic (violent crime), triangular (tariffs, wage and price controls, licensing, etc.)and binary intervention (taxation and government spending). Following this is a discussion of antimarket ethics. There isn't an aspect of government intervention in the economy that escapes Rothbard's scalpel. As a whole, this is certainly an outstanding book. Take Rothbard's discussion of taxation. Many "right wing" economists support the sales tax on the ground that it doesn't discourage savings and investment. But it reduces people's income and thereby reduces savings and investment. It is a tax on income. [pp. 92-93.]

My main problem with this work is the sometimes simplistic discussion of complex problems and the leaps in logic. (I've discussed this is my review of The Ethics of Liberty.) Take for example the issue of immigration laws. "The advocate of immigration laws . . . really fears, therefore, is not so much immigration as any population growth. To be consistent, therefore, he would have to advocate compulsory birth control, to slow down the rate of population growth desired by individual parents." [p. 55.] Even in light of the entire 2 page discussion of immigration laws, I don't see how this follows. In this (and some other areas) the discussion is narrowly economic. Aren't there good reasons to restrict the type of immigrants? For example, if you have a society that is devoted to individual freedom and responsibility, isn't it wise to prevent immigration from those countries that don't support freedom?

If you want to know the essence of Rothbard, purchase this work; Man, Economy, and State; The Ethics of Liberty; and the Logic of Action.

if you feel a serious need to understand what is being done to you, and your business, by those in charge of the government, look no further! when you are done reading power and market, not only will you be able to criticize, you will understand the situation. by the way, this book reads fresh and new. it could have been written yesterday; and it is that relevance that makes it so special!

I have no quarrel with Will Murphy's review of the book Power & Market, I would merely like to reiterate what Ludwig von Mises said of Carl Menger's Principles of Economics that "this book made an economist of me."