Genesis as history is hardly a novel idea but in this package word and text show just how close and how far away are ancient near eastern literary approaches to what we call history. We have been reading the Patriarchal narratives through the centuries without knowing the customs and traditions of the peoples from which the Patriarchs came. That is like looking at Irish and Italian Americans with no knowledge of Ireland or Italy; like trying to understand the American Southwest with no notion of the existence of Spain; like gazing at Plymouth and Concord and Boston without knowing that there is an England. Feyerick offers insightful accounts about the fuller context of the Genesis stories.

The time was the Bronze to Iron Ages, the third to the first millenniums B.C.E. Great leaders arose from Iraq to Egypt-Sargon of Akkad, Gudea of Lagash, Hammurapi of Babylon, and Akhenaten of Egypt- and from these lands of the Fertile Crescent came a brilliant legacy to Western civilization of law, science, arts, and the alphabet. But the human spirit wanted more. In a universe run by mercurial gods who kept humankind in bondage to their wills, there emerged the need for one all-powerful divinity, one omnipresent as mentor and protector. The book of Genesis, with its narratives of real people struggling to survive, gave them and us that God, and thus the roots of monotheism arose in a whirl of great wars, captive peoples, and uncertain allegiances.

GENESIS: World of Myths and Patriarchs is an in-depth look at the civilizations that formed the background of the first book of the Bible. Drawing upon the major archaeological discoveries in the Middle East over the past century, everyday life of the people of Genesis is viewed through politics, arts, nomadic migrations, commerce, religion, and moral values. With over 250 illustrations, including sixty-four color plates, this rich visual panorama tells us what the authors of Genesis saw, and what events and ideas moved them to write the story of their people's origins. It includes fourteen maps and charts, a selected chronology, and a list of gods of the Middle East. Cyrus Gordon and Nahum Sarna, two of the most renowned scholars of ancient Near Eastern history and Bible, provide the text preceding the illustrations.

GENESIS: World of Myths and Patriarchs acquaints us for the first time not only with the people we know from this familiar book of the Bible but with the places they inhabited and the culture they developed. We trace what was borrowed, rejected, and transformed to create a new and unique ethic which has continued to shape the world.Great for a general audience.

This book is wonderful. I had never read Genesis in light of it's contemporaneous society, but that is exactly the approach the book takes. It demonstrates that Genesis was a radical revolution in thought about God, humanity and creation. Genesis takes themes of neighboring societies and religions and uses them in radically different ways to develop an entirely new ethic. Case in point: in ancient Mesopotamian religion, the gods created man to take the burden off of them, to take care of the earth, and grow food for them, so that the gods could relax and bicker without needing to participate in the affairs of the world unless they chose to. Man was created to serve the gods. Genesis changes this immensely, reversing the roles, saying that God created humanity and provided a Garden of Eden where food, for the people, was plentiful. This God, rather than being distant, loved his creation, which he had made in his own image. A new ethic is created, using the same imagery, but putting it to a new purpose. The book is full of such fascinating material, and excellent photos. My only criticism is that I wish it went into greater depth on some subjects, but it is still wonderful.

Unlike the usual simpering heroine, Lucia is strong, mysterious, natural, and good. Children who are different from others--foreign, language difficulty, intelligence higher or lower--will appreciate how this stranger bounced back from hurt.

This retelling of the Legend of Lucia Zenteno is beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors and imagination. The text is given in English and Spanish. It is the story of Lucia who has the most beautiful long hair. It is so beautiful that the river that runs throught the town falls in love with her, and when the people of the town, because of their fear, drive her away, the river and all its inhabitants leave with her. The town has to learn humility and they try to get her to return. A wonderful book with a strong female hero.

A very comprehensive and thoroughly researched reference for Polish regional and national dances. Published in english it explores the origins and sources of dances through numerous musically notated examples which have original dialect lyrics plus translations. Dances are explored in their regional, historic and cultural context. A Tailored reference for choreographers, dance groups and musicians it can also be read to obtain an understanding of regional influences, movement and progression of traditional folk dance types within Poland. The text provides detailed instructions for dance formations and choreography with diagrams showing body stance and presentation for performance. The authors have produced a thorough reference with over a hundred examples that preserves a representative portion of this special heritage.

I was expecting a pamphlet and I received a treasure. Particularly, I enjoyed the background on the dances, the clarity of expression in describing the steps, and the author herself. A surprising plus, all the Polish words and captions are given a pronunciation key, a terrific help for those of us who have lost our heritage language. I am honored to have a signed copy. Also available are two cassettes with the music for the dances, recorded by the author in her travels in Poland. This book is a treasure for dance teachers and everyone who believes that heritage should be preserved.

Umrao Jan Ada is perhaps one of the most enigmatic, and forgotten female figures in South Asian literature. To date, the question of her existence, her beauty, her scholarly abilities and her poetic gifts remain a mystery. The book is an account of Umrao's life, documented by a close friend and supposedly dictated by Umrao. While the novel offers no twists and turns shuttling the reader into a "what happens next?" frenzy, it is a remarkable and very effective attempt to capture the essense of what it meant to be a courtesan in royal india. The novel weaves Umrao's story with a delicate sprinkiling of poetry, royal societal dynamics, as well as an indepth glance at a long since forgotten profession. I highly reccommend this novel to any enthusiast of Royal India, Indian poetry, and South Asian studies in general. For poetry enthusiasts, and for those readers who are well versed in Urdu, the Urdu version of this book is remarkable.

A courtesans life told as no other than Ruswa could tell it. He uses the very flower of the urdu language to his advantage. It is the passion, pleasue and glory of mughal India and her incomparable courtesans.

The Table of Contents of this book is nearly indentical to the "Code of Federal Regulations" issued by the Justice Department and provided free of charge to anyone who asks for it. But at roughly 6x9 inches, it doesn't fit in my pocket. So if the pocket thing is important to you, I highly recommend this book!

This little book is easy to carry around and contains all of the ADAAG info you could ever need! I've been using mine for 2 years and would be lost without it! Thomas Schmokel - ADA Consultant

Are you tired of tracking down the office copy of the ADA standards? Is the only copy within the workstation of King Tornado? Get your hands on this little number. Keep it by you at all times. I have used this reference guide for two years now and it has saved me a lot of time. This is a very easy to use condensed version of the state issued ADA guide. It is accurate and reliable and it does not have to go back to the office library. And don't let the words "pocket guide" scare you off, this is not a brochure, it is a book. It's just smaller and smarter, not to mention lighter than the stardard issue. So get a grip on ADA, pocket size.

I purchased this book in the hope that I could use it as a refrence as well as a tutorial for using the Gnat compiler. It failed in both cases. Don't get me wrong, This is a good book if you have time to read it cover to cover. I do not! Further, the book never goes into much depth about the copiler and most of the data on the disk was unaccessable. My conclusion is that if this is your first time with Ada and you have time to spare this book is for you. Every one else should look else where.

The text is an organized, well written, generously exampled introduction to Ada95 for the novice. It provides a good basis for object oriented programming using Ada95 for generics and privates (ADTs), it does not cover as fully or clearly inheritance and/or polymorphism. This book is apropriate for a 200 level CS class. I personally was disappointed with the amount of clear differentiation between Ada83 and Ada95. The section on tasking dismisses conditional Select entry as being beyond the scope of the book. Variant records are given too large a play. though they are a good intro to the thinking behind Ada polymorphism, in practice (Ada83) they are too code intensive and have serious short comings when used as private data elements. Overall, I think that this is a good, complete Ada95 introductory text. It is NOT an in-depth push the boundaries of the language or a "here's how to go from Ada 83 to Ada 95."

Ada 95 is nicely written easy to understand book. I use this book in beginning Ada 95 course that I teach. It explains programming concepts and Ada 95 constructs in a interesting way by citing examples. It comes with a CD which has GNAT Ada95 compiler (for PC/MAC/UNIX) as well as key documentations like ARM, AARM, and Rationale in text, html and postscript format. I highly recommend this book to any one interested in learning Ada 95 from beginning. Great book!!!

Dear readers,
I am the daughter of Ron Lyon who is the brother of Donna Denice Harraway.She was my aunt...I know her as Denice.I was 4 years old when this horrific crime against my family occured.This event tore my family apart and continues to torment us to this day.When this book "The Dreams of Ada" came out, our family was outraged.The so called "facts" in this book are not only untrue, they are ridiculous.Tommy Ward and Carl Fontenat DID do this.They confessed and then later said it was all a "dream".They had the facts that only the police and the killers would know.I am sickened that this book is still in circulation.I am writing this to inform anyone who has or will read this book that it is merely a collection falsehoods.I just want this to be known.Thank you...

I have never believed that Tommy and Karl were guilty of anything except being poor country boys. There are people in the Ada area who know who did the crime and are just to afraid to come forward. One day there will be a Part II and the truth will be known but in any case the book is a good one to read.

I moved to Ada the same year that this crime took place. The "mood" of the city at that time was unbelievable. Somebody had to go to jail for this crime and I believe the police knew these two men were innocent. Convicted of murder for a dream ...even though every aspect of your dream was proved false by the police. More people need to read this book!!

Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, constitutes Nabokov's largest work and his greatest use of imagery. In fact, Ada reads very much like a wide-screen technicolor extravaganza of the sort that makes millions and millions for Hollywood producers. To produce this kind of technicolor of gorgeousness, Nabokov both concentrates and expands on every detail he provides to the reader. The entire first half of Ada has an extremely visual quality, with images pouring out in such profusion that the reader's mind is almost overloaded with the effort of following them all. The natural setting of the Veen estate and Ardis Hall, itself, are extremely detailed and realistic.

Ada also contains all of the sexual escapades that Lolita seemed to promise but never delivered, although each one of them is essential to the story. Almost every character in the book is involved in some sort of torrid affair. The characters of Van and Ada, with their almost inexhaustible capacity for sexual indulgence, have their roots in the fabulous passions of the ancient pagan gods and goddesses. The family tree which Nabokov provides for us at the beginning of the novel recalls the elaborate genealogies developed in the ancient myths, particularly of the water deities.

Van's prodigious sexual capacity is reminiscent of certain lecherous pagan deities. It is his father, however, who is the greatest of all the libertines, being consumed by his almost inhuman energy.

But even in this world of sexual license, many of the characters in Ada are destroyed through their indulgences. Ada's lovers, in particular, all meet wretched ends, save for one, and many of the other characters in the book share similar fates. It would seem that Nabokov is trying to say that casual "love" is just as illusory as it would seem, and that those who pursue it recklessly will ultimately be destroyed by it.

Nabokov's exquisite pictorial detail in Ada creates the atmosphere of a Hollywood movie production while constantly pointing to the falseness of the Hollywood view of things, particularly in the realm of sex and love.

This is definitely Nabokov at his finest; even the plot must take a backseat to his lush, witty and playful prose. Ada is definitely a novel in which Nabokov's love of complexity and eye for detail reached spellbinding heights.

My attitude towards the real nature of Ada has changed with time and "distance" from my original reading. When I first read it, I was seduced by the novel's fictional "authors" Ada and Van Veen. On the surface it is the romantic and dashing story of two incestuous lovers, whose love overcame all obstacles. Ada and Van, who write their own story, are far from objective portrayers of their own story, polishing to a sheen their own virtues and talents, while almost obscuring their moral depravity and cruelty. Those who fall by the wayside, are written off by the couple, and made to play bit parts supporting their "grand romance".

Coming back to the novel ten years later, I can see why Nabokov said "I despise Van Veen",the novel's "hero". In fact, the Veens are much subtler Humberts, but much more effective. While few readers would gush about the romantic Humbert, it is easy to brush of Van and Ada's faults,and "buy in" to their interpretations of

their lives. Now, with maturity, I see that Nabokov presented me with a story of moral depravity, daring me to find the true story behind the Veens'gloss,and to use my independent moral judgement.

In his "Strong Opinions" Nabokov suggested that future generations may come tounderstand him as a fierce moralist. This is not easy to see, because most of his narrators are in fact depraved. In Lolita, King Queen Knave, Ada, and Pale Fire, this is very much the case. Nabokov was a moralist in the negative sense. He typically showed the immoral, and assumed that his readers would draw the appropriate conclusions. Like an artist who charcoals a canvas, and draws with an eraser. He was probably amused that leftist literary types in America liked Lolita BECAUSE of Humbert's depravity, and felt more disdain for the American motels and roadside diners described in the novel than they did for Humbert's actions.

The novel gets only four stars, because I didn't like it as much as Pale Fire or Invitation to A Beheading. The novel was unnecessarily difficult, which was of course part of the purpose of the Veens, but Nabokov created them, so he still gets some blame. For moralistic books I much prefer a positive rather than a negative presentation, in the way that Ayn Rand presents morality in The Fountainhead, or Atlas Shrugged.

"Ada" is an unconventional, sci-fi fantasy (no rockets and spaceships here, don't worry) firmly rooted in the late 19th and early 20th century Russia of Nabokov's birth, that takes place on a planet called Antiterra 'parallel' to 'our Earth' which is called Terra. Things have happened there in somewhat similar yet oddly different ways than on Terra (earth), including the fact that the Russian and American land masses are connected.

This set-up allows Nabokov as wide a scope as possible to dig into his own memories and also for prose excursions into uncharted territory. "Ada" is certainly his most comprehensive and difficult novel, and definitely his greatest after "Lolita" ("Pale Fire" die-hards can disagree all they want, but they probably haven't taken the time to delve deep enough into "Ada").

"Ada" is also Nabokov's own twist on Proustian memory investigations. It is being written as 'memoirs' by his main character: Van Veen, but also includes certain intrusions by Ada Veen, who is with him as he's writing it (during the time they spend their old age together after years of separation). So, often, especially in the first third or so of the book, two perspectives of the past are provided. Two memories remember certain things they both experienced or saw, each from its special perspective, and sometimes one adds things the other may have forgotten. Towards the end of the book, Nabokov uses Van's slightly demented but deeply observant writings about the nature of Time to capsulize the thought processes that made Van write these memoirs in this 'odd' way.

The main event in Van's memoirs is his secret incestuous relationship with Ada, who is his half-sister. Van is in love with Ada who loves him back and their love affair affects the whole course of their lives. Years later, Ada's younger sister Lucette also falls in love with Van, whose love he doesn't reciprocate because he still loves Ada. In addition Ada and Lucette have had a secret Lesbian relationship since they were young girls. Van is at various times a university student and part-time masked circus acrobat, a psychologist, a novelist, and a lecturer in philosophy. He also seems to be addicted to brothels (especially when away from Ada). An unsuccessful sci-fi novel he writes, "Letters from Terra," unexpectedly and years after its initial publication, is made into a hit movie by a famous director.

There's very little that's strictly linear in this book. The best way to look at it is as a gigantic puzzle, the pieces of which are gradually falling into place.

Nabokov uses super-long Proustian sentences to put in every detail he can think of and simultaneously provide wide-scoped connections. The longer paragraphs are universes of their own. They have their own little stories and 'sensual delights' going on in them, which no mere cursory examination can reveal. Rereading is a must.

This is what usually happened when I was reading: first of all, I definitely had to take a paragraph by paragraph approach (the book's too complex not to require constant rereading as you're going through it). Upon first reading a complicated paragraph, I was often confused (had to skip the long parentheses and come back and reread them, etc.), on second reading a bit more lucid and fascinated, on the third I would often start laughing, on the fourth I'd often become enchanted. That's right, sometimes it takes four readings to even begin to get the drift of the man's wit, but it's hard work that pays off 'big-time.' And every so often, a paragraph doesn't mean much and is just clever wordplay for esoteric readers to figure out. You can ignore some of those, but don't let it become a habit.

As for the endlessly annoying eccentricities sprinkled throughout "Ada"? Well, you either appreciate Nabokov's brand of esoterica or you don't, but that doesn't mean the book is ruined by them---far from it---they're a spice you can take or leave according to your taste. This book is his widest in scope and he allows himself every indulgence he can think of, he covers all his 'bases,' so to speak. There are fantastic passages in here that he could never have written if he had stayed more restrained.

The book is filled to the brim with sex. Not only do Ada and Van as adolescents have sex up to 4 times a day but they still have an appetite for outside lovers. Only on Antiterra does this lack of repression and complete insatiability co-exist in an environment that is, in other respects, quite similar to late 19th century Terra (Earth).

Later on we find out that Antiterra has somehow bypassed 'modernism' and the tragedies of 20th century Terra (Earth), with its world wars and dictators and carnage. The Antiterrans are fascinated by the sci-fi film "Letters from Terra" based on Van's book, because it deals with the crazy events that happened on that odd planet. Vitry's hit film actually comes very close to describing the actual events that took place on Terra (Earth). Here, Nabokov mocks the absurd history of 20th century Terra (Earth) by making it a subject for a sci-fi film on Antiterra.

The main characters aren't exactly 'sympathetic' but not necessarily 'immoral' either (as some readers feel it more comfortable to label them). They're a bunch of erudite, stuck-up, pompous Ameri-Russian aristocrats with their quirks and neuroses and perversions, some of them (like Ada and Lucette) more likable than others (Van and Demon), but none without quite a bit of experience in what would be called 'sinful' behavior by Christians. However, no mention is ever made of a Christian morality dominating on 'Antiterra' where the story takes place. And if some readers base their label of 'immorality' only on Van and Ada's incestuous romance (or Ada and Lucette's lesbianism), it is not a closed case at all. How much are Van and Ada hurting themselves or others? They love each other deeply, there's no age-difference manipulation going on like Humbert's with Lolita, they don't plan on having any children that might come out deformed (Van's even sterile), they're not influenced by how society might view them, so what's the big deal? Certainly no one would call it 'immoral' if they had been separated and met by chance, not knowing they were related? The only way they can be hurt (or hurt others in their family) is through social ostracism. In fact, that necessary discomfort in maintaining secrecy is their only real hurt. Van's endless philandering over the years (engaged in mainly when separated from Ada) with numerous young prostitutes is much more degrading and 'immoral' than his 'pure' case of incest with Ada. And Ada and Lucette's Lesbianism? There's not much manipulation there either. It's mutually engaged in for mutual pleasure. Of course the great thing is that all this is can be seen as one big Nabokovian joke on the hypocrisy, philistinism, and superficiality of some or even most of his readers (who simultaneously love his books but reserve their praise because they don't know how to deal with the 'immoral' or wretched characters). Far from trying for some easy 'moral message', Nabokov uses these 'unsympathetic' and semi-grotesque setups because, as he mentions in "Strong Opinions," he likes to "compose riddles with elegant solutions." Once the elegant solutions are found the work transcends any superficial considerations such as 'sympathetic characters.'

To stay detached, understand and laugh at all of society's hypocrisies, and through art, expose, ridiculte and transcend them: this is not easy. Many are pretentious enough to try it but only a few ever succeed. Nabokov succeeds so well, it's SCARY. Even the people who call what he does high-brow pornography are forced to realize how high a brow they're dealing with.

I have been so busy reading. Sorry I didn't rate sooner.

This book by the American Diabetes Association does a commendable job of reviewing many of the basic issues surrounding diabetes. It is a nice starting point for a newly diagnosed patient but does not offer much detail for the more seasoned person with diabetes. The information is well laid out and succinctly explained. For those looking for more details and references I would recommend the ENCYCLOPEDIA of DIABETES by Petit and Adamec.

This book is a great guide to have if you are a diabetic. The information is written well and easy to understand. You will go away a more informed person about your diabetes. It has truly helped me to gain the knowledge I need to help me cope with this disease.

I was unhappy with this book. There is a lot of information if you are a breeder or somebody who wants show your dog. Our beagles are pets, however. We have no interest in showing them. Most of the information in the book seemed to be targeted at people who are raising beagles to show. I was looking for a book that would teach me about the dog but also give me a lot of general information: health issues, concerns, training, etc. My other complaint is that the pictures are old & black & white. ..., I expect to at least get clear, sharp color pictures which add more to the detail or point which is being referenced to or explained by the picture.

This book is wonderfully written, while it is not geared to a beagle owner in the "pet" set of mind. It is a wonderful tool and a must have for breeders, serious enthusiasts, exhibitors, etc.... My only suggestion would be for the pictures to be in color vs. black and white.

Without a doubt the best book on dogs of any breed, and a must for every Beagler. Comprehensive and authoritative, giving you an expert's view on breeding, grooming, training, showing and loving your Beagle. The only bad thing is that other breed enthusiasts don't have anything like it. But then, they don't have Beagles either.

Pay special attention to the section on distinguished pedigrees. It helped me find one of the top beagle breeders in the country and eventually get a great dog from them.