I picked this book up in a used book store for [money] more than when it was purchased new in 1960. The pages literally crumbled as I turned them, but I couldn't put the book down. I was enthralled with the life of Oscar Wilde. Now, this biography isn't one written years after the subject's death from scraps of information. No. This is written by a very close friend of Wilde's, Frank Harris. In being written by someone of such closeness, it lends credence to the harsh words the author had to say of Wilde. Harris calls him lazy and slothenly. Of course, Wilde caused quite a sensation in his time. He was imprisoned under other pretenses, but mainly because he was a homosexual in a time period when this was not acceptable. Oscar was one who did not care what others thought of him. He was determined to live a life of pleasure and to make money doing things that he liked: writing and speaking. However, he did a great deal of leaching off of others. There's no denying Wilde's genius. I have yet to read any of his works except for a short essay entitled "The Soul of Man Under Socialism." To me, the thoughts seemed profound. But Harris says that Oscar never said or wrote anything original; he merely took other people's thoughts, meshed them together, and said them in a more profound way. This is a biography that reads like a fine story. Harris is a great writer and has more first-hand knowledge of his subject than any other biographer that I've read. I'd reccomend this book to others without reservation.

"The best life of Oscar Wilde", said George Bernard Shaw after reading this book. I cannot but agree with him utterly. No unnecesary data is wasted, no long reflexions bore us. It's just an Oscar's very close friend telling us with great elegance and delicacy the story of one he has admired and loved so much, but without fear of saying the truth. Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas. Of course, the reader has to know Mr Harris is the true "lead actor" in the story he's telling us, always supporting the Truth and the Right. But one can easily forgive him for that in reward for the great moments un Oscar's life he's saved from oblivion and darkness. A wonderful work of art itself, this biography must be read by every admirer of that Prince of Charm Oscar Wilde was. X. Careaga

I've always harbored a subconscious guilt whenever I thought about wolves in North America...I knew we'd trumped-up the danger they presented to us, in order to rid the wilderness of their threat to our fat, stupid livestock. Meanwhile we systematically slaughtered their age-old prey, leaving them to starve or become criminals. The clear, poignant and often beautiful writings collected in this book helped me understand consciously what that universal guilt is...and what I feel I must do to redeem my part in it. I must support programs to preserve what Wilderness is left, and return to it the species we have so ruthlessly extirpated. (Wait 'till you read what we did! And for how long! Yipes!) And while teaching me all this, John A. Murray reminded me how wonderful a writer, say, Aldo Leopold is...or introduced me to Edward Hoagland (WOW...thought he was a painter or something. He sure can write!) or Farley Mowat (Knew he wrote. Never knew how well!) Well worth reading!

Out Among the Wolves combines writings from some of the best known contemporary writers on wolves in one book. Every essay combines facts with great writing. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about wolves, for the love of them, or knowledge

This is a great book, with brilliant choices. Some of these poems feel like exactly what I needed to read right now and I bought copies for lots of friends, too. Joan Murray has a great ear -- her picks are superb: I love the Billy Collins, the Stephen Spender, the Jane Kenyon, John Berryman, Muriel Rukeyser -- The book also introduced me to Jennifer Michael Hecht's poetry. I bought her book, The Next Ancient World and all I can say is, BUY IT -- she will rock your world and if it is already rocking -- well get this book and Hecht's book...and see what happens.

When I saw this book at the bookstore, my first thought was Oh no, is this a book reacting to the events of September 11th? I picked it up and sure enough, it was published after September 11, but after reading the introduction I decided to buy the book. The editor has always loved poetry and for years has saved poems that were important to her in a binder labeled "Poems to Live By." She includes, at the end of the introduction, a poem she wrote a few days after the attack on the World Trade Center. She says "It was clearly an occasional poem, admittedly not a great poem." Besides this poem, there is only one other that might have been written in recent months, and this is "Try to Praise the Mutilated World" by Adam Zagajewski, which appeared in the New Yorker's first issue after September 11, and which alone is worth buying this book for.

These are not feel-good poems that give easy comfort. Instead, you will find here companionship in another person's way of seeing the mixture of suffering and happiness that is always around us. The book is nicely divided into sections, each title giving a hint of how the poems in that section look at uncertainty: Death and Remembrance, Fear and Suffering, Affirmations and Rejoicings, Warnings and Instructions, War and Rumors of War, and Meditations and Conversations. Mostly these are 20th century poets, many of them contemporary poets writing today (such as Billy Collins, Sharon Olds, Gerald Stern, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jane Hirschfield, and Seamus Heaney).

Sit and read these poems to feel what it means to be in this world. There is such a wide range of subject matter in this book, that there is probably a poem here to help you through any dark night you might find yourself in. But these 60 poems are one person's choice and any collection like this is only a beginning. The editor suggests that if you find any of these poems useful, you copy them out by hand and put them in a binder. I would take that suggestion a step further. Start your own binder, of poems you discover yourself.

He can't. He is superb. He distills to bare essences the way to a Holy life in Christ, but his prescriptions are not easy. If you want fluff, Murray is not the man to read. As with his other books, he holds True Believers to the standards Jesus Himself holds them to. As any Christian knows, this is NOT the easy Way.

Better still, Murray asks the same questions we ask, then, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives the answers. His book, "The Holiest of Holies" is the best book on the New Testament book of Hebrews I've ever read and is the basis for the perfect Bible study. Buy anything he has written and you will hold in your hands a fine literary and spiritual work.

This book has, and still continues to change my life! Every chapter is so FULL of rich wisdom and practical application... The section on humilty is OUTSTANDING! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who craves for a closer, deeper and true relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Praise God for such servants as Andrew Murray! He was truly, a man of God! God Bless!

Finally, an effective response to the malpractice lawsuit crisis that's damaging the profession. Extremely readable and is the definitive guide to asset protection.

Very user-friendly forms, excellent resources and some ingenious tools for the medical profession. Totally essential reading.

As the malpractice crisis grows ever larger many physicians are wondering where they can turn for advice. The need to protect your assets now seems to be widely accepted in the medical community, but there's still a lack of knowledge about how to do this from physicians as a whole. Most of the offerings in this area in the past have consisted of attorneys trying to sell their services, so it's refreshing to read Practice Without Fear which has been written by Roger Murray M.D., in conjunction with some experts in the field of asset protection and a number of other M.D.s, to be specifically for physicians.

Practice Without Fear is unusual in that it takes a twin track to the issue by tackling liability reduction as well as asset protection. Much of the advice is simple, C.Y.A. stuff with the overwhelming theme of 'happy patients don't sue'. There are, however some notable new additions to the area. Murray has developed a scorecard to allow you to judge how likely a patient is to present a future litigation problem. He has also designed a patient testimonial sheet that cleverly masquerades as a 'Quality Assurance' form. 'It's hard for a patient to sue later when we have a signed form saying they were perfectly satisfied', explains Murray.

The book goes further into how to keep your records so that they can't be used against you in a trial, this should be required reading for any physician. The majority of physician lawsuits still come from outside the practice, divorce being a major component with an 82% occurrence amongst doctors. The authors delve into ways to protect yourself from non-medical threats in detail, showing sources of liability and ways to reduce, or eliminate them. Cars, dogs and teenage kids are all examined.

Practice Without Fear goes into detail on the actual practicalities of what happens when a doctor is sued. It suggests that the ultimate decision on whether to progress a lawsuit is if the target has assets worth seizing, 'How many vagrants do you see being sued?' says Murray. The books goes into detail on 29 different methods of protecting assets and suggests a 'layering' approach of using numerous methods to make it as difficult as possible to seize assets, lawyers know 'not to kick an empty bucket'.

'The advice that has been given to M.D.s in this area has often been poor. I saw a anesthesiologist last week who had been sold a revocable trust, which is near worthless for asset protection purposes. His law firm also sold him wills for everyone in his family ' totally unneeded if all of his assets are in trust. He probably spent $15-$20,000 for nothing' continues Murray.

This is almost certainly the best book of its kind. It is biblical, logical, and comprehensive. Since the previous reviewer has done a good job in explaining the merits of this book, I will only clarify why this book may be difficult to read for some people.

The previous reviewer points out that this book is not necessarily difficult due to its contents -- I agree. What he fails to mention, although Packer's foreword includes the explanation, is that Murray is difficult to read because his prose is VERY poor. He is a great thinker, and is biblical and logical in his presentation, but he is a VERY bad writer. That is, the Prof. Strunk of "Strunk & White" would have given him an "F" in writing and rebuked him severely.

This is not an unimportant point. As Packer correctly points out, if Murray had the ability to write as clearly as, say, C.S. Lewis, he would be much more widely-read. And really, his materials deserve to be more widely-read than Lewis. So, it is frustrating to see that his bad prose has limited his influence. Hopefully, more and more students will read his works and translate his thoughts into more understandable English for this generation.

Again, my criticism here does not touch in the slightest degree Murray's thoughts, but only his prose. If you want to learn about biblcial ethics, and you should, then do not hesitate to buy this book. Read it slowly if you have problems with the prose, but read it all. It will give you a comprehensive and coherent view of what the Bible has to teach us on the subject.

The biggest problem with books like Principles of Conduct is that they are so good, so full, and so rich, that the each principle written about is so easily forgotten when the next principle is elucidated. I realized that this had happened to me as, when I was almost finished with the book, I skimmed over the pages I had read just days previously and discovered that I wished I had time to read it again. The book is completely biblical. One look at the scripture index will quickly show that Murray's use of scripture is pervasive. This is not a book where Murray expresses his opinion about various topics, but is a book where the issues of biblical ethics are soundly dealt with from the primary source - the Bible itself. In this light I found that (of all the strong aspects of this book) the strongest characteristic to be the sound exegesis of often-mistranslated passages of scripture such as Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 7 and 9, and Romans 6.

The description on the back of the book mentions, "Though the Ten Commandments furnish the core of the biblical ethic, Murray points the reader again and again to all of Scripture as the basic authority in matters of Christian conduct." The Ten Commandments are not explicitly dealt with in this book, but the ethical considerations that begin in creation and continue through the time of Christ and His church are explained. The methodology of discovering God's continuing revelation to mankind is known as biblical theology and Murray is a model for Christian theologians in this method. Murray is showing that the Ten Commandments were not a new thing God decided to mention at Sinai, but are rooted in the nature of God's creation. The Ten Commandments were neither new at creation, nor did they cease to be valid after the coming of Jesus Christ. Through this understanding of the biblical ethic, we come into a deeper understanding of how we may obey God and how we can love His law (Psalm 119:97) as the ethic that God has given man to live by.

I have always heard that Murray is a difficult read. Even Packer says in his Forward that Murray is considered by many to be "tough sledding." Personally, I did not think this book was that difficult to read. Though the implications are deep, Murray writes in a way that is so logical that it is very easy to understand. More than just logical, Murray is thoroughly biblical. I have found that his exegesis and use of biblical theology is rock solid. He thoroughly explains difficult passages in a way that is in solid agreement with the text itself.

I also found this book to be encouraging and helpful in my walk with God. My mind was just not filled with general facts, but was genuinely spurred on to greater devotion to Christ. It is a motivating book for the Christian who needs to be reminded time and again that he or she has been set free from the bondage of sin and has been resurrected to obedience to Christ. It is helpful for the Christian who is struggling to formulate a biblical ethic on the issues of marriage, capital punishment, and labor. It is helpful for any Christian who wants to know how they can serve God better in their day-to-day life.

My Civil War history professor required us to read this for his class. I was always taught the horrific side of the Civil War and Reconstruction and I will always have that side in my memory. I never knew the real story of the few blacks that well off than their poorer counterparts. Pauli Murray should consider herself thankful for being allowed to grow up in her racially tolerant neighborhood. This should be required reading for high school and college students.

Pauli Murray was reared in an extraordinary extended family of Northern Freedmen who had come South after fighting with the Union Army & Southern aristocrats-Indians-Slaves. Her great-aunt donated the land in Chapel Hill on which sits the University which denied her admission.

This is a story of the courage of the "Yankee Schoolmarms" (including her Grandfather)who brought education to the newly freed slaves, and the courage of those who sought the education he offered. Her aunts also followed their father in lives devoted to education. One of the most moving moments in the book is when her Aunt Pauline read the Supreme Court's decision to integrate in 1954, the year before her death. "Thank G-d, I have lived to see this day," she said.

Murray's own life was more than worthy of the ambitions they instilled in her. This is the way an autobiographical family story _should_ be written: if only such writers were thick on the ground.

Murray's thoughtful book challenges evangelicals to re-examine their thinking about the return of Christ. He carefully develops the basis for the sense of conviction and purpose that motivated Carey, Wilberforce and many others to do great works for Christ. Arguing that the "fullness of the Gentiles" must precede the conversion of Israel as prophecied in Romans 11, and that both of these events have not yet occurred, and that they portend far greater influence and triumph for the Church on the Earth, Murray lovingly challenges those who are of a "sit at home and wait for the rapture" mentality. He explains how and why the Puritans came to their eschatological beliefs; how these were perverted, primarily in modern times, by men like Edward Irving and J.N. Darby; why we've stopped thinking critically about these theories; and how we must recapture the confident expectation of Christ's triumphant end-time revival of Gentiles, then all Israel, before his return in glory. Excellent and thought-provoking.

From a historical survey, Murray details the relationship of Puritan postmillennialism to their motivation for world missions. Missionaries went boldly into various parts of the earth knowing that Christ has already won the victory over Satan's kingdom at the cross and had promised the victory of the church in history. "All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth, go therefore and teach...make disciples of all nations...I am with you even unto the end of the age." "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."

This is an excellent collection of essays that anyone could enjoy. Authors ranging from Mark Twain to Henry David Thoreau, from Barry Lopez to Charles Darwin, share their experiences about the seacoast. These essays touch any subject of interest (such as surfing, the Hawaiian Coast, whales and coral reefs) and would be a great gift to anyone interested in the ocean/coast. I had to read most of the essays for my college english class and I have never enjoyed reading these passages as much as any other textbook assigned to me. This is definately a book I will want to reread again and again. I will be eager to find the rest of the series (subjects include mountains, rivers, endangered species, deserts, forests, etc) as soon as they are published. This book is truly refreshing and opens the senses to the coastal environment around you!!!

A collection of essays, rather than short stories, this is a very entertaining read. Different views, different shores, all centered on the sea. Notable: Mark Twain's account of a Hawaiian trip; Barry Lopez's essay on beached whales and Jan DeBlieu's story of a Cape Hatteras storm. Well edited, ideal beach reading. A wide-ranging assortment making this a great gift for everyone on your list.

This book contains poems with a difference!
It's not like poems who'd read that are hard to understand and don't rhyme etc.
They make great sense, apply to everyone, and rhyme also!

I liked it a lot!

Self Expression was a great read. The depth of the writing is thrilling and amazing. It made me think about stuff I hadn't thought of in quite a while. Andrew seems to be able to touch people, different people, on a deep level. I look forward to reading more of his work.