traherne is writing based upon the reality of his spiritual experience, it is not something written merely for amusement or speculation.If a Christian has been given, by God, through divine union, the gift of peace passing all understanding, it acts as if an interruption in time.Time, in a spiritual sense, loses its flow and if we experience this state, there is a complete loss of every anxiety.....so we are not longing for the past or the future, but the NOW...THE PRESENT REALITY. This is where Traherne has encouraged me, because this has been my reality too though no amount of self effort could produce such a condition.It is too bad that Traherne is so unknown, but then, some one would have to experience what he is saying in his writings in order to understand them because this is not merely intellectual, like reading words off a page.Otherwise, it seems like so much pseudo science and abstract reasoning, but its not.Its a higher form of reality,realized only by those who pursue holiness and wait on the grace of God.And its possible though you will convince no one.Its all between you and God.Love Traherne.

Unfortunately this book is as rare as a diamond found in the street. If you are looking for innocence and purity, this voice from the 17th century in England might talk to you as it did to me. Traherne fits into a world described by Van Morrison, T.S.Eliot or William Blake. He seems to have antennas that are connected to Paradise, but not in a dry, scholarly way. His images are refreshing, personal, childlike. He is filled with a genuine, true love that communicates itself to the reader. Consider yourself a lucky person if you get in touch with this fountain of joy.

Traherne's work is deeply spiritual. His vision is clear and consistant. The impression of reading his work is of getting not only into the author's thoughts, but simultaneously his spirit. Written in post-Shakespearian England by a Presbyterian pastor. A must read.

Just wanted to point out that all the reviews here dated before Feb 2003 are referring to older editions. The new one has been totally revised (no laundry list of corrections at the end) and also expanded -- lots of material from the last 25 years of set theory research is now included. Most notable among these is material on proper forcing and pcf theory. (There is even a section on my research interest, mutually stationary sets, and this is a notion which was just published for the first time 2 years ago!) The book is still just as informative and readable as the previous editions.

This book is a wonderful reference volume for set theory. It contains a clear and readable explaination of all the things a set theorist needs to know. I have only one complaint: "revised edition" simply means that a 20-odd page errata has been appended....

In 1979, I was a first-year graduate student in mathematics. One summer day, I was looking in the math section of Stanford bookstore and saw this thick green volume with the simple title Set Theory (by Thomas Jech). I couldn't help pulling the tome off the shelf. I flipped through the pages in awe. This book had everything about mathematics that I had always wanted to know.

After about an hour, I reluctantly looked at the price and it was just too much; I had to put it back on the shelf. But for the next month, that book was all I could think about. I finally went back and bought it.

Two years later after hooking up with my adviser and embarking on research in set theory, I started working through Jech's book starting on page 1. It took me 2 years to work through the entire book, and for much of that time I had the opportunity to present what I was learning in seminars.

That book is a real treasure. I don't think I've spent as much time poring over any other book. I think the presentation of material is fantastic and the coverage is thorough (or it was at the time I studied it--probably his recently updated work also has this attribute).

I would recommend this book (or rather the most recent edition of it) to any serious graduate student specializing in set theory.

Two areas where I needed supplementary study were in his approaches to the constructible universe and to forcing. These are important areas, and Jech does a fine job in his approach, but certain approaches other than his have become more of a standard, and any serious researcher will have to become familiar with these standards. Jech uses Boolean algebras (primarily) in his development of forcing (and his development is excellent) whereas by now, the usual approach is with partial orders. Also, Jech develops L as a transitive model that is closed under "Godel operations"--a perfectly valid approach. These days, though, the formula-based approach is more common in the literature.

Nonetheless, Jech's wide variety of forcing applications, his in-depth treatment of large cardinals, and his compact surveys of saturated ideals and descriptive set theory make his work really an outstanding contribution.

Not everyone is a candidate for 12-step programs like Alcohol Anonymous. Clinical psychologist A. Thomas Horvath provides an alternative to 12-step in Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions. He says "the purpose of this workbook is to draw together ideas and techniques that have been well studied and used in the field of addiction psychology and to present them in one readable workbook."
Dr. Horvath begins with the concept that addiction is a habit, and like other habits, it can be changed. While addiction usually has worse consequences than most habits, and changing it can be extremely difficult, it is still a habit, and it can be changed. He defines addiction as "repeated involvement with anything, despite excessive costs, because of craving." He adds that "an addiction is a type of relationship between an individual and [a] substance or activity." The idea that the person is a victim of the substance or activity is erroneous.
He divides his workbook into chapters on the perceived benefits of addiction, the costs of addiction, understanding and coping with craving, choices, and building a new life. Each chapter has an overview, followed by a detailed discussion of the subject. Then comes questions which help readers connect the information to their personal circumstances. Each chapter also includes two or three simple projects designed to help individuals apply the previous information in their lives. Chapters end with a section titled "What's Important Now?" which give readers an opportunity to record their personal growth.
Horvath is at all times encouraging and supportive, realizing that change comes in small increments. He also keeps his advice very practical and doesn't resort to jargon or "psychobabble." He maintains that we all have choices, and recognizes that people feel resentment when told that they have to overcome addictive behavior. Horvath says "regardless of what anyone else thinks, its up to you what happens with your addiction."
Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate is designed for those who are choosing to overcome any addictive behavior and need practical help with achieving their goal. Horvath's workbook is based on taking personal responsiblity for your behavior and does not require total abstinance or turning your life over to a "Higher Power," unless you choose to do so.

This book is truly a helpful book about overcoming addictions or any "behavior" problem/habit. Dr. Horvath shows his readers how to recognize and overcome a variety of addictive habits WITHOUT a 12-Step approach (which, DOES NOT work for everyone). If you are not comfortable with the same old 12-step approach and you have some sort of "addiction" to overcome, whether it be eating, alcohol, drugs, shopping, whatever, this book is for you! Even if your "habits" are moderate. Dr. Horvath can clearly show you another way . . . a much better way. This book is the best I've seen so far, next to "Addiction is a Choice." THIS is the book that Oprah needs to talk about!!!

This workbook is loaded with practical suggestions and will appeal to anyone who has unsuccessfully sought to overcome a serious addiction or habit using more traditional (i.e. 12 step) treatment approaches. Horvath, whose credentials are extensive and impeccable, leads you step by step through a rethinking process designed to accomplish goals you may have thought impossible. The workbook approach is straighforward and adaptable to a variety of addictive behaviors (over 100 are identified!--you can add your own). The author's warm good humor and tolerance will support you through the tough times. He is there to hold your hand in the darkness and encourage you when you slip. He gives you full credit for your own accomplishments. It's the closest thing to individual therapy you will find in a bookstore (virtual or otherwise). There are many up-to-date references and a useful reading list. Incidentally, the information presented is not hostile towards, or totally incompatible with other approaches to addiction, but is primarily intended for those who want a scientifically proven, rational approach to behavior change.

I read this book after years of interest in the Ocean and all things therein. I had thought I read most of the published accounts of the more well-known incidents, especially here in teh U.S. This book taught me so much more was available. This is the best coverage of the New Jersey shark attacks (with photos) just now being covered in greater detail in 2 newly published books. It covers the story of an old shark fisherman, an evolution of our study of sharks and of attacks and biological data. One of the best.

this is one of the most informative and fascinating books i have ever read. i have used it for giving speeches and for teaching. the illustrations are very interesting along with the other art works included. i must own close to a thousand books , but this is one of the very few which i read over and over.

Well, what can i say? i LOVE this book. From the first pages, an account of the "rogue shark" off New Jersey in 1916, this book is informative, exciting, and sometimes even endearing...stories of shark fisherman, attacks, and a comprehensive guide to sharks commonly found in North American oceans, i have never read a shark book that is so full of information...READ THIS BOOK!

(And by the way, it's pronounced "Loney.") I can't add much to the other positive reviews of this ground-breaking book. Written well, convincing...long live the Earl of Oxford--"Though I once gone to all the world must die" indeed!!

Book arrived in the late afternoon, I started reading and didn't get to bed till 10 AM the next morning. A stunning detective story.

This book introduced the revolutionary idea that an aristocrat named Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550- 1604), wrote the works of Shakespeare under a psuedonym. Oxford is now considered the leading candidate for the authorship of the Shakespeare canon largely because of the influence this book has had over a 75 year period. It first addresses the documentary evidence "against" Will Shakspere from Stratford as the author, then presents the positive evidence on behalf of Oxford as author. The evidence for Oxford is detailed and circumstantial: literary and intellectual parallels in the works of Oxford and Shakespeare; parallels in the life of Oxford, his family and friends and the plots of the Shakespeare plays; topical references in the plays that pre-date the time during which Shakespeare allegedly wrote the works; professional, political and historical knowledge displayed in the plays for which the Stratford actor could not have had the training or access; and so on. Exhaustive research; excellent organization of materials; superbly written. A book that academics have not been able to refute since its publication in 1920.

Pieper, in these three essays, describes what we have to learn from the works and life of Aquinas. The essays detail the scholastic arguements of the day and how Thomas, in the true spirit of open mindedness (his life and method are the definition of this oft abused term) brought some peace ond understanding to the various sides, a very serious matter in his day. The book explains how much of an Aristotilian Aquinas was, and more importantly how much he was not. Mainly by showing how the charactoristics of the Latin Averroists have been unjustly attributed to Aquinas by his detractors - the Latin Averoists (Averoes was an Arab) were whole hearted Aristotilians.

This book is an excellent addition to reading Etienne Gilson's "Unity of the Philosophical Experience" as Pieper gives further explanantions as to the behavior of the Augastinians and Latin Averroists. It could explain also why modern Muslims are so singularly textually dogmatic - it is in reaction to Averroist's attempting to rid religion of faith altogether - and thus the violent reaction in nixing reason and rationalism. It tells how Aquinas circumvented this problem. The last essay also compliments Gilson's book in that it shows what Existentialism has in common with Aquinas, some interesting things, despite some gapping fundimental differences at their very root and conclusion.

The first essay vividly descibes what an attitude of accademic pursuit and teaching should look like. Too many teachers are dogmatic and are only interested in pursuing and supporting an idea that is presently clear in their minds and propogating it, rather than treating the moment as an active pursuit of truth. Thomas was a model teacher and the book is an active discripition of his method.

The book also argues, with supporting evidence and reason, that Thomas' main work The "Summa Theologica" was intentionally left unfinished. Why it was left unfinished is at the root of what Aquinas was all about concerning philosophy and metaphysics - it is a process not a conclusion. Gilson's book describes what a conclusion is, as sometimes philosophers have rejected the idea that they have reached a conclusion, when in fact they have. Gilson effectively defines what a conclusion looks like.

Both are highly recommended books for Teachers, Historians, and Philosophers.

St. Thomas Aquinas, needless to say, is not easy to understand. In this little guide, which makes nice supplemental reading to get a look "behind the scenes" of the saint's philosophy, Josef Pieper first sketches a biographical outlines of Thomas' life and then delves into the negative element in his philosophy and concludes with the "timelessness" of Thomism, which makes it a perennial philosophy.

This book is primarily concerned with St. Thomas' epistemological assumptions (which were taken for granted, hence the "silence"), what knowledge meant for the saint, and how and to what extent it can be achieved. Pieper tackles Thomas' seemingly paradoxical stance on essences, and whether or not they can be known, for Thomas maintains both that we cannot know God in His essence and that God's essence is His existence.

Pieper shows St. Thomas' beautiful conviction that "it is part of the very nature of things that their knowability cannot be wholy exhausted by any finite intellect, because these things are creatures, which means that the very element which makes them capable of being known must necessarily be at the same time the reason why things are unfathomable" (p.60).

All in all, this book is a fine look at Thomas' profound epistemology, so rarely discussed in philosophical courses today. If you have an interest in the philosophy of St. Thomas, don't pass this one up!

The unifying theme of the three essays composing this book is the paradox that the intelligibilty of things and their incomprehensibility both derive from their being creatures, that is, from their possessing natures that are communications of the ideas in the mind of God. Things can be known only because they are created, but at the same time, things are unfathomable because they are created: "one and the same factor explains both why things cannot be entirely grasped and why they can be known" (pp.95-6). Why is this so? I'll not deprive the reader of the pleasure of reading Pieper's book to find out.

For me, this book ended a long struggle to discover what St. Thomas Aquinas really taught about our knowledge of things. Pieper succeeds in reconciling Thomas's frequent statements that we cannot know the essence of any created thing with his repeated claims elsewhere that our minds are receptive of the forms (i.e., essences) of things.

While my attitude toward Pieper's understanding of St. Thomas's thought is not uncritical, I must concede that he is one of the best and most original (the two are not the same) of twentieth century Thomist philosophers. Unfortunately, he is sometimes (unjustly) put down by scholars as a mere popularizer. Let them read this book and be disabused; Pieper has much to teach them.

My ratings of other books by Josef Pieper: Guide to Thomas Aquinas ****; Leisure the Basis of Culture *****; Scholasticism *****

This is the authoritative book on the subject of this the first modern English Poet - more neglected than he ought to be - out of print in Europe - Wyat survived life as a courtier/diplomat in the court of Henry 8th - a king as corrupted by power as its possible to be - a 16th C saddam Hussein - and yet produced these deeeply sensitive poems.

His voice still rings beautiful and true after five hundred years. What he has to say concerns our daily lives in this hard, competitive society as much as the intrigues of the Henrician court.

Wyatt is, quite simply, a brilliant poet, taking the Petrarchan love poem and adapting it to represent life in the promiscuous court of Henry VIII. And "They Flee from Me" is one of the greatest poems in the English language. Rebholz's introduction and notes make this THE edition for serious study of Wyatt's achievement.

Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop have managed to bring this awesome display of nature and the man who studies it to life! This book would be a wonderful addition to any household, library or school, as it describes the work of a dedicated scientist who has committed his life to understanding what we as humans can gain from the lives of garter snakes. Dr. Mason obviously loves his work and loves passing along his knowledge to others, young and old. "The Snake Scientist" is an accurate picture of an almost undescribable phenomenom.

This book about the adventures of Bob Mason, an Oregon State University scientist who studies snakes all over the world, is a must-read for any child (grades four to seven would be great) who loves science or nature - and a good gift idea for any parent who would like to steer their kids in that direction. Easy to read, great photography, compelling stories about snakes, science, the growth of a young boy who just started out watching nature shows on TV and turned that interest into a career as a world-class zoologist. Excellent choice!

A fabulous book, replete with color photographs of the snakes. Kids will gravitate to the pictures first, and then the text will engage them in Dr. Mason's research. His comments are child-oriented, yet will not insult the older readers in the audience. Bob's stories of his childhood and career path are an added bonus to this book....and may even encourage more budding "Snake Scientists"! Well done!

I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Blatt speak and interviewing him several years ago and I bought a copy of his book at that time. I am sorry to say it sat on my bookcase up until about a week ago - sorry because once I started to read it I couldn't put it down! I would recommend this book to everyone because it teaches one of the most important lessons there is about our history. It is a lesson I hope the world never forgets

I have seen the movie escape from sobibor and absolutely loved it. And now that i've read a book about it, it is just so breathtaking to compare the two and just to think about having to live like that for so long. i just loved this book and i recommend that anyone should read it.

Sobibor The Forgotten Revolt by Thomas Blatt. Revieved by Michael Nutkiewicz, Ph.D. Director. Chief Historian - Shoah A Steven Spielberg Foundation. Los Angeles.

Thomas Blatt has written a remarkable book that tells two stories. The first story is about a notorious Nazi death camp in Poland called Sobibor. This death camp achieved the awful task assigned by the Nazis: over a quarter of a million Jewish men, women and children were murdered there. The second story is about the revolt at Sobibor. In the fall of 1943, over 300 slave workers escaped after a short, violent and desperate revolt. In the history of Jewish resistance movement under the German occupation,the revolt in Sobibor ranks the second in magnitude after the Warsaw ghetto uprising. It was the biggest and most successful uprising in all of the Nazi camps, where Jews were able to escape en masse. An excerpt from Auschwitz Cammandant Hoes' memoirs concerning the revolt confirms the above. "...The Jews (of Sobibor) were able to achieve a major breakout, during which almost all of the German personnel were wiped out..." Blatt tells those two stories in mesaured tones:he neither exaggerates the heroism of the Jewish prisoners nor demonizes their cruel victimizers. This is a remarkable feat in itself, because Blatt was one of the prisoners who had a role in the revolt and who escaped from Sobibor. "I forced myself to be emotionally detached as a survivor," Blatt writes in the introduction "concerning myself only with recording history, while I sought interviews with the perpetrators themselves." He begins with a brief review of the Operation Reinhard, the Nazi plan to build death camps in Poland. He comes quickly to the story of Sobibor. The systematic killing was in full swing in May 1942. The victims came from Poland, the Netherlands,Slovakia, Austria, Germany, France and the former Soviet Union. The author witnessed the genocide and detailed the entire procedure in diary entries during and after the w! ar. Next he describes the revolt in greater detail, reconstructing the revolt step by step, describinbg his own escape trough the barbed wire and mine fields. The story of what occured after the escape is equally dramatic but painful."Most were murdered by hostile bands or individuals rangind from fascist, nationalistic, or anti-Semitic organizations, to common bandits. Only 58 survivors from Sobibor are known to have been liberated by the Allied armies." Blatt follows the story of Sobibor beyond the war, tracing the fate of both the victims and the perpetrators. One of the most remarkable aspects of this book is the author's first hand testimony and that of the former prisoners and other witnesses he personally interviewed. Most compelling however, are Blatt's interviews with Karl Frenzel, a Nazi officer at Sobibor. Blatt interviewed him in 1983 and reveals some portions of that transcript. Frenzel offers this explanation for his role in the murder of hundreds of thousands of people: "This was terrible, very terrible. I can only tell you with tears in my eyes; it isn't only now that it upset me so terribly. It upsed me then... You don't know what went on in us, and you don't understand the circumstances we found ourselves in." The interview encapsulates Hanna Arendt's famous phrase "The Banality of Evil." Blatt concludes his book with a short overview of the free world's reaction to the genocide of the European Jewry. He adds little that is not already known from secondary literature on the subject. But juxtaposed with the horrifying story of Sobibor, perhaps is right to remind us that the governments of the free world knew a great deal about the genocide by 1943 but did not engage in meaningful discutions about rescue. How one deals with what must have been enormous pain over long years needed to amass photographs, documents and interviews. And then incredibly, toward the end of the journey, Mr, Blatt had to confront a government who wanted to deny what happened. 'Sobibor! . The Forgotten Revolt' gives the reader a broader understanding of the complicated methods of mass genocide. It is a important book for anyone interested in the genocide of European Jewry. This book provides the reader with a glimpse into life and death in the 'belly of the beast.'

I don't really read a long book that's about 220 pages, but I can't believe I did it so fast. Any way this book is the bomb. The main character was Terry Masters who had to choose from football, one of the sports he is a star in. Or soccer. Aperently he picked soccer. And so he had somebody that took the spotlite. I think you should really read it.

I just read the book Soccer Duel and I think it is a great book. This book (Soccer duel) is about a kid that stars on the basketball, football, and baseball teams, but when he tries out for the soccer team he discovers that he will not be the star. When he tries to be the star he gets benched because he is not being a team player. Terry takes the place of Henrik (the star sweeper) when Henrik gets hurt and the team wins.

I think this is a great book because it never has a part when the author interrupts the action. The book has a lot of action, for example, very close soccer games. There are flashbacks of football games, too. Overall I like the book because of the story. It is very exciting and enjoyable. There are a few parts that I feel could have been better. Sometimes I got confused because there wasn't enough information in certain parts especially in the middle. In other parts there was too much information which made me bored, but I finished the book and it's terrific. I loved the book and I hope you read this book.

It was a story with a lot of conflict in it . It is a good book to get started off with. It is a great sports book.