St. Thomas' summa is one of the most important pieces in the history of Christian and Western thought. No one can properly understand the developement of early modern philosophy and theology unless they first have a firm grasp on Aquinas and medieval scholastic thought. However, reader beware! The summa is also one of the most difficult texts to read. Make sure you read up on secondary material before attempting Thomas' own writings. You will probably be easily discouraged.

Anybody who seriously studies theology and/or philosophy, especially those who are Roman Catholic, must have some knowledge of this timeless classic written by St. Thomas Aquinas.

I heartily recommend this English translation of the Summa Theologica; however, if you want to do scholarly research, it would be best to get your hands on a copy of a good Latin version. A good Latin version provides access to many nuances not adequately expressed in the English translation.

Serious and orthodox Catholics, especially, will discover the Summa Theologica to be an endless font of knowledge and wisdom.

If you are a non-specialist or a person with little background in philosophical-theology and the history of ideas, it would be wise to find a companion to guide you. For this purpose, I recommend anything on the topic written by Rev. Dr. Brian Davies, OP (Oxford University), Rev. Dr. Armand Maurer, OSA (Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies), Dr. Ralph McInerny (University of Notre Dame), and/or Dr. Eleonore Stump (Saint Louis University). Be careful not to read St. Thomas blindly without guides who have truly studied his thought. These scholars will provide much needed background and prerequisite knowledge.

The people of his time and culture knew him as "Tommaso D'Aquino." We know him as Thomas Aquinas ... but we also know him as probably the greatest, most systematic thinker that Christianity has ever produced. This five-volume work is the classic Dominican translation of his SUMMA THEOLOGIAE and is probably the most widely used English translation of the work. (As an aside, you may enjoy the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII that sought to rebuild Roman Catholic philosophy and theology on the work of Aquinas; it is included in this edition.) If your love is classic catholic theology, you need a copy of this work in your library. All of Roman Catholic theology was firmly based upon it for centuries and it remains an important foundation for modern catholic theology. Whether you buy it new or get yourself a used copy, you will enjoy the clear thinking process that Aquinas used as he explored the issues and questions of faith. Laid out question by question as Aquinas originally intended, this classic version of his work will endure for as long as the church endures. Though Aquinas seems to have suffered a breakdown at the end of his life and though he pronounced all of his work "but straw," I doubt that you'll agree with that assessment when you venture into this masterpiece.

This is one of the greatest books I've ever read in the last twenty years! Find it anyway you could and after finished it, try to find the sequal SLEEPING DOGS, kill both with one shot, please! This book almost became a bible to modern day thriller writers and it's plots and scenario had been sneakly if not consciously copied by many recent writers such J. Finder(the Zero Hour) and B. Branon(Devils hole). Thomas Perry is one of the great treasures in American literature(although I don't like this serious word). Mr. Perry is a most talented but sometimes with weird writing directions. If you enjoyed his BUTCHER'S BOY/SLEEPING DOGS, then please try to read his new DISAPPEARING ACT series, you will be so happy to find a great writer who obviously never lost his MUSE to find a different Hero or Heroine to entertain himself and us. A MUST READ ALL WRITER!

I read this book in one sitting, something I've haven't done since. It always amazed me that a movie hasn't been made out out this great story line: Hit-man on the run, young female FBI agent and Mafia hit-men on his trail. What fascinated me was the detailed picture that Perry paints on the need of a person in a business such as the 'Butcher's Boy' to blend into the background and, by all means, not get noticed. He's carried this on somewhat in his later books, which are all very good, but this is, I believe, his masterpiece.

Thomas Perry's first novel is a Killer-Thriller! I had read "Sleeping Dogs"(the sequal) before I read "The Butchers Boy". Both books are great. I am glad they re-printed "The Butchers Boy" because it explains a lot I missed when reading
"Sleeping Dogs". However, each book can stand alone without the other. The "Butchers Boy" is about a hitman that is double crossed by the mob after he completed some contract(killing) work for them. It also tells the story of the Department of Justice Field Agent that is trying to tie all the killings together. It is a race to the end to find the missing link that will tie the knot to this killer-thriller. Also don't miss the few chapters that introduces us to the much loved "jane whitefield series" the lady that can make you disappear. I hope Perry brings that series back-it was one of his best. "Butchers Boy is a good read!

Until recently, I had only heard of Dylan Thomas but after reading this book and various poems of his, he has quickly become one of my all time favorites! I read this book because for my honors english course at Syracuse University, I was assigned a presentation about Dylan Thomas. I feel that this book is an excellent way for people to learn more about Thomas and his poetry, I feel that it is a very well put together piece. I thouroughy enjoyed it.

The sound and rhythm of his poetry is so lovely, he could have written perfect nonsense, and I wouldn't notice. I had to read many of the poems several times before I was able to focus on the content, rather than the wondrous form in which it was conveyed. However, the words proved to form equally profound pictures.

He used language and sound in a way uniquely his own. While others struggle to fit their poems into some rigid prescribed boundary, or toss their words carelessly on a page, Thomas's poetry grows naturally according to its own rules and boundaries. This produces a wild, rhythmic sound, like the sound of waves rolling in, then receding from the shore.

Dylan Thomas's poetry is nothing less than amazing, and this collection is quite nearly perfect. I have read it ten times or so and intend to read it many more.

Overpraised during his brief lifetime, and attacked by some of the same critics shortly after his death, Dylan Thomas has finally managed to emerge from the romantic hype surrounding his name. His poems, some of which are among the most well-known in the English language, will live on while the muckraking dies out along with the people responsible for it. Regardless of his extravagant last years, Dylan Thomas has become known to subsequent generations as a poet of extraordinary craftsmanship and power. This collection is the reason.

A no-nonsense, no-frills, and fast-paced read. Jane Whitefield is a native American Houdini on a life mission to save others. Her escapes from danger are clever and provide the reader (or listener) a sort of "how to" on avoiding detection, capture and/or death. This is not the usual who-dunnit or action thriller. The native American thread woven through it is fascinating and Jane is a remarkable and unique heroine. There isn't a dull moment. After listening to the audiobook version, I immediatelly went out and bought the first book featuring Jane: "Vanishing Act." It was equally compelling. If there was a negative about "Dance for the Dead," it was the audiobook reader, Lindsay Crouse. Her monotone reading became, well, monotonous. But the author's story overcame her flat recitation.

I picked up this book because the cover caught my attention. I was looking for mystery, excitement, danger with a native american flavor. I could not believe my luck. I read this book in a couple of days on the train, during lunch and late at night. I loved the lead character Jane Whitefield--she's badd!!! I think Jane Whitefield would make an excellent TV series. This was my first Thomas Perry novel and I plan to read Vanishing Act next. This book is a real treasure.

The first three Jane Whitefield books are the classiest alternative to Tony Hillerman's "Navajo mysteries." Nobody is more fun to read about than Jane Whitefield. She's clever, she's beautiful, she's seriously dangerous to bad guys.

Like that Holmes guy, she's been so popular that Perry tried unsuccessfully to get shet of her for three novels. And maybe she will "rise from the dead" once more. Meantime, there are three good novels (*Vanishing Act,* *Dance for the Dead*, *Shadow Woman*) and two better-than-average-but-kind-of-half-hearted ones (*Face-Changers,* *Blood Money*). In each of the last three books, Jane promises her husband that she will stop now. Perry's done two novels since *Blood Money*, and it looks like Jane's last retirement took. What a shame.

In *Dance for the Dead*, the action begins on page one, and by page five Jane has fought her way through a gauntlet and five or six key people are dead. From this dazzling start, it's a wild ride of switched identities, super-killers, and Jane's mysto/techno woodlore that brings us, breathless, to a celebration on the Seneca rez. On the way we meet a woman we learn to love almost as much as we do Jane.

Wow. Read this book.

Please, please do not pass over the other fine stories in GO DOWN, MOSES and go straight to "The Bear." This gem means much more when illuminated by the other parts of the text, and only by reading the entire book can you fully understand the meaning of Ike's repudiation of the McCaslin land. I recently completed a Faulkner course, and of all of his "genius" novels--"As I Lay Dying," "Light in August," "Go Down, Moses," "The Sound and the Fury," and "Absalom! Absalom!"--I believe that this one has the strongest emotional core. Read the whole thing; your experience will be much richer.

I read Go Down Moses in 1996 before taking a trip to Mississippi. I had never read Faulkner before and had only one criterion for picking a book of his: it had to take place in the mythical Yoknapatawpha County. I picked this one off the library shelf.

For any non-southern American whose sole exposure to what happened there was from history books, this should forever shatter the pat preconceptions and simplistic black and white (no pun intended!) formulas they were taught.

The book plunges you into a vast panorama of ambiguities and contradictions. It was clear to me from the first paragraph that Faulkner was a genius. In the whole history of literature, he surely stands among a select few at the very pinnacle of greatness.

Go Down Moses is a tremendous struggle to get through. Some parts are straightforward and easy, but there are others that you can't hope to make literal sense of. You're bombarded by its twisted grammar. Its frantic confusion. Its endlessly unresolved sentences. But through these, Faulkner ultimately conveys the pain of history -- past and present. The emotion of that pain seems more real to him than the specific incidents it sprang from. Why else would a book begun in pre-Civil War Mississippi -- entirely skip it -- picking up again a generation later?

This book is about the South. Having read it, Faulkner walked beside me every step of the way I took through his state. But this book also has a sub-theme that should not be overlooked. Faulkner was a profound environmentalist, although sharply contrasted with how we usually think of that term. Hunters don't much fit the mold of environmentalism -- and Faulkner was an avid one of that lot. So, in that sense, along with all the sociological, he can shake you up pretty good! Go Down Moses contains some of the most wrenching descriptions you could hope to find on the loss of wilderness. There is nothing ambiguous in his portrayal of that loss. Faulkner may confound everything you thought you believed of Southern sociology, but in an environmental sense, he leaves no room for confusion. Leave those trees standing!

This book will grip you; I can't imagine it having a lesser effect. Like all truly great art, it should change you forever.

It becomes quite clear after reading Go Down Moses why many critics call this William Falkner's most mature book dealing with race. In Go Down Moses, the black characters are not only as well represented as may be possible from a white author, they are believable and easy to relate to. The main character "Uncle Ike", the grandson of an influential plantation owner, comes to represent everyone who struggles with identity in the miserable face of racism. The style of the book itself was confusing for readers and critics when first published, as it makes use of a series of chapters, each with its own title and numbered sections. Faulkner resisted having the book called a collection of short stories and most modern readers should have little problem with its nonsequential chapters and its sometimes, seemingly, unrelated characters. If you have read some Faulkner, especially A Light in August or Absalom, Absalom or if you enjoy authors such as Toni Morrison and Richard Wright you must read this book to get an idea of just how far Faulkner came toward wrestling with race in his time.

This was one of the best books I have read this year. I'm not a bird watcher by any means, and, despite the drama that I'm obviously missing, do not intend to become one. Nevertheless, I was captivated and moved by the story of Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who builds a nest in Central Park, and then builds another, and then builds yet another. I thought the writing and story-telling were superb. The way Winn intertwined the story of the hawks with the story of the people watching the hawks, complete with celebrity references (if you blink you'll miss Glenn Close), was excellent. (It did not occur to me until the acknowledgments that one of the reasons the story-telling was so good is that the author is married to a film-maker, who offered advice on how to keep the story moving.)

Perhaps because I'm just not into birds generally, I was less interested in those parts of the book that did not relate to the hawks. Of these sections, the more memorable birds were the saw-whet owls and the woodpeckers. But the prose about these birds is not as moving as the prose about the hawks. Or, perhaps the hawk story is just so well-done it makes the other birds seem, if I can resort to anthropomorphism, pedestrian.

The book is obviously a labor of love, and it was a pleasure to read.

Ms Winn presents the story of red-tailed hawks that appeared in New York City and their unlikely selection of a posh condo building to locate their nest. She does a tremendous job of weaving birds, birders, and others who played key parts in putting this story together. This is not a book just for serious birdwatchers; I keep an eye on my birdfeeders, but have no great interest in doing more than watching. The book does address the adaptability of wildlife to urban areas (nesting in skyscapers, dining on pigeons and rats) with the availability of parkland nearby. Red-Tails in Love is quite readable, with brief encounters with the likes of Woody Allen, Mary Tyler Moore, and an astronomer key in the vital process of reading bird bands from afar. The book would be an excellent choice for anyone who wants a good read, nonfiction, with an element of suspence and lots of humor.

This book achieves what every thoughtful instructor strives for: to teach without letting the student know they are being taught-to make learning a seemingly effortless pleasure. Winn teaches the reader about Red-Tailed Hawks, as well as a good deal of observation practices, behaviors and helpful tips for making wildlife notations; all in the context of a thoroughly enjoyable story. The world of Central Park opens up and becomes an inviting (and ironic) man-made natural habitat.

Best of all, Winn shows us how the wildlife in Central Park united a village of caring people in the heart of a vast city.

I recommend "Red-Tails In Love" to anyone who likes entertaining and informative reading, but especially to those who also love nature.

Thomas Lion's autobiographical book, "I was an Unsolved Mystery," immediately drops the reader into the unfamiliar, underground world of a fugitive. We watch Lion as he naively steps into this all-consuming existence. We see the mind-work and quick thinking essential for him to keep a wife, contact with family, money, and most vital, freedom. We witness his surface façades and chronic inner-battles with the decisions he makes in hopes of keeping his life whole. We are forced to question the War on Drugs and the laws surrounding this cause.

Lion's life on-the-run is narrated openly and honestly. The book begins with an intensity that is maintained throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this story and am looking forward to reading Lion's other book, "Chelan."

T.Lion has his second hit book this year.Chelan was fabulous and now Unsolved. When will this government figure out the "wharehousing" of peaceful citizens in the name of marijuana is a very bad joke !!! Draconian sentencing for "herb" people should END ! Lion's unrelenting fight for freedom and fairness can finally be heard. Please take a special note how our government rewards violent criminals to get "their" man. Unsolved could be the new bible of the underground. A GREAT true story!

There is something that attracts most of us about a true story. This story is better than most. Both romantic, and dark, Lions takes you through an almost unbelievable journey that keeps your eyes glued to the pages. I was shocked at the way he escaped the hand of the law, and how the law finally tracked him down. This is a must read book!

The Waste Land, published in 1922 and considered one of the major works associated with modernism. This poem deals despairingly with the state of post-World War I society, which Eliot saw as sterile and decadent. Numerous references to religious imagery, mythology and literature of the past are used ironically to point out the comparative emptiness of Eliot's time.

The Waste Land is sometimes considered to be the greatest poem of the twentieth century. This collection from Dover (at an amazing price) includes this and several other of Eliot's poems. The Waste Land, however, is considered to be his masterpiece, his 'epic,' in a sense. In fact, it is interesting to compare Eliot's bleak vision of a land of waste to other, earlier epics.

The poem is in some sense a warning, in another sense a cry of despair. The image of the wasted land, of the spiritually degenerate human race, is depressing, yet the poem ends with a glimmer (albeit faint) of hope--salvation is possible, however unlikely. I am no expert on this poem, and like most people understand only fragments of it, but what I have gained from the poem I have found to be very enlightening, and very stirring.

Eliot draws many references from the old legend of the Fisher-King, and an idea of what this legend is about (in all its many forms) is useful in interpreting the poem. This is undoubtedly one of the classics in both English literature and modernist writings, and very worthwhile for anyone who is willing to take the time to study it.

T.S. Eliot wrote "The Waste Land" against the backdrop of a world gone mad-- searching for reason inside chaos, and striving to build an ark of words by which future generations could learn what had gone before, T.S. Eliot explores that greatest of human melancholy-- disillusionment. This is a difficult poem, but one well-worth exploring to its fullest. The inherent rhythms of Eliot's speech, the delightful, though sometimes obscure, allusions, and intricate word-craft, create an atmosphere of civilization on the edge-- in danger of forgetting its past, and therefore repeating it. In the end, only the poet is left, to admonish the world to peace, to preserve the ruins of the old life, and to ensure that future generations benefit from the disillusions of the past.

"Prufrock" is perhaps the best "mid-life crisis" poem ever written. In witty, though self-deprecating and often downright bitter, tones, Eliot goes on a madcap but infinitely somber romp through the human mind. This is a poem of contradictions, of repression, of human fear, and human self-defeat. Technically, "Prufrock" is brilliant, with a varied and intricate style suited to the themes of madness, love, and self-doubt.

Buy this. You won't regret it. If you're an Eliot fan, you probably have it anyway. If you're not, you will be when you put it down.

Thomas J. Ryan wrote The Adolescence of P-1 in the mid-seventies, and for its time, it must have been a breakthrough in computer science-fiction literature. The story is compelling: an adaptive computer program is created and set loose by a bored college student and becomes so advanced that it develops self-awareness. The computer virus, dubbed P-1 by its creator, can communicate with humans in English through a computer terminal. The dialog between P-1 and the humans is both amusing and provocative, while P-1's ominous nature tugs at the imagination. P-1's existence has a purpose: to survive. Eventually, P-1 must deal with the value of human life and the meaning of what it means to be human. The theme of the novel centers on those two topics while tying in to the speculations on Artificial Intelligence.

However, the novel is not perfect. The Adolescence of P-1 was written by and for those in the nascent computer industry of the mid 70's, an intensely male-dominated industry. As a result, the female character in the novel (the hero's girlfriend) seems a bit oversexed for reality, especially in the beginning. I read through the cheesy, unrealistic dialog and laughed at its wackiness. It seems as if the author dreamed desperately about a woman like this, and had to write her in somehow. Or Ryan might have done a little satire on the flat characters of pop culture by putting one in his novel. But I wouldn't rule out the first possibility. Later, however, when the plot's theme broadens to encompass the more philosophical scope of humanity, she is portrayed as the vital feminine counterpart to the hero.

I think of myself as quite the computer buff, with a comprehensive knowledge of the computer industry and its technological history. However, in my short 17 years of age, I had never encountered the level of computer competence that this book demands. The actual technology described in the book is ancient. Although the author clearly explains the concepts that are required for believability, a few explanations cover too much depth and move too quickly for any normal reader to follow.

But I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite these minor setbacks.

Ah, the wit of a computer geek.

"The Adolescence of P-1" is one of those rare books: one that will satisfy computer enthusiasts as well as those who STILL can't program their VCR. It is an engaging tale about a programmer who creates a computer program that will find its own way into large computers. All the while the program "learns" from its mistakes and improves itself. Then one day it disappears ... and that's where the story starts. Considering this novel was published in 1977, I have been constantly amazed as to how well the author describes the workings of computer systems. Even though the computers in the novel are way out of date now, the story still seems surprisingly contemporary. The characters in the novel are believable and are well developed. This is one of the few books I can pick up and re-read many times. Many people I have lent the book to also like the story very much.

I read this book the first time decades ago. I was just getting my feet wet in the computer industry and the story was compelling and exciting. We didn't really know it at the time, but the hero of P1 wrote a polymorphic computer virus that could learn and grow. We are getting to this point only now, so the story has enormous relevance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not glorifying computer viruses. What attracted me then, and still does, is the possibility that we may one day interact with machines that are our equals, emotionally and intellectually. This book gives us a glimpse of that brave new world.

This book is an excellent mythology reader. The first section is devoted to the stories of gods and heroes. The majority of the stories is from Greco-Roman mythology and includes such classics as Apollo and Daphne, Pygmalion, The Golden Fleece, Midas, The Sibyl, and much more. This part also devotes four chapters to Eastern Mythology (Hindu myths, Zoroastor, etc.), Norse mythology (Thor, etc.) and The Druids of Iona. Part two is made up of the popular Arthurian legends and contains many of the most famous stories such as Tristam and Isoude, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the Death of Arthur. Much of this section is rendered in verse. This part also has the Mambinogeon and other myths of the British race (e.g. Beowulf and Robin Hood). The final section (my personal favorite) includes the legends of Charlemagne, or more specifically those of his paladins. This is where one can find stories of Orlando, Rinaldo, and Ogier the Dane. These stories are not as famous as the Arthurian legends, but are just as exciting. There is a very helpful dictionary of names and terms and a few maps and illustrations. Also, the English is fairly easy to read and shouldn't be difficult for the average person. This book is not complete; many of the stories are obviously abridged. It would be nice if it included annotations or a bibliography for those wanting to read more in depth. However, the introduction includes a very basic history of the stories, which should help the more enterprising reader find the unabridged editions. Still, Bulfinch's Mythology is one of the best and least expensive ways become acquainted with these classic stories. I highly recommend it!

BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY is THE classic introduction to ancient and medieval myths. In three volume's, Thomas Bulfinch recounted and referenced classical stories of Graeco-Roman gods and heroes, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Norse and Hindu mythology, the Arthurian legends, Robin Hood, the Mabinogeon, and the tales of Chalemagne and his paladins. All three volumes are combined here in a single book. Besides making great reading on their own, these tales, and the values and ideals that they illustrate, are at the very heart of western literature and culture. Shakespeare, Milton, and most of the other icons of English literature drew on them repeatedly. The modern fantasy genre has its origins in this material. Tolkien was inspired by it. They are "must" reading for anyone who aspires to be considered "educated".

There are just a couple of negatives here. The particular edition I have has a lot of typographical errors in it. There were such things as a sentence beginning "She..." when clearly it should have begun "The...", for example. Further, one can find fuller retellings of specific stories in other places. These are minor points, however. Bulfinch is still the classic introduction and source for mythological tales. Plus, as I said, it's great fun. Most people can profit from Bulfinch. Fantasy fans should especially love it.

This book is a most buy . This book was used by Ensemble Studios from Microsoft to create the game Age of Mythology (AOM). What else can I say? if any of you are fan of the Age of Empires series then you'll know what I'm talking about. :)