The title of this book is a little misleading. I was expecting an argument, or at least a compare/contrast essay of the two basic types of education. However, this essay is devoted almost entirely to compulsory education alone. It details the history of compulsory education and how it came to be in America. There is really no argument against it, or for it, except in a small introduction. It really allows the reader to take in the history and the subject matter and make of it what one will. I came away with a general dislike for compulsory education, as I was sure I would, but there is really no argument for free education included here.

I did find it interesting that the pioneers of compulsory education in America came out of Massachusetts, home of Ted Kennedy who thinks he is the authority on education today.

All said, it's a very small book, resembling an essay. It's very quick to read and gives a good history. But, if you are looking for a real compare and contrast style, this isn't the one.

Murray Rothbard published this small book in two installments in The Individualist some years ago. In it Rothbard sets forth his theory of education and how education relates to the state.

Not surprisingly, Rothbard starts with a discussion of human nature and the basic fact of human inequality. Since people differ in abilities and interests, there will be no one kind of education that is appropriate for all children. Some children will benefit from an education that prepares them for work relatively early in life, others for a career in the professions. A system of voluntary education, where parents choose what is best for their children, is the most efficient system and also the most consistent with individual freedom.

However, government is the great equalizer and centralizer. Rather than accept human inequality, it is intent on creating a "one size fits all" approach to education. As Rothbard shows through an analysis of educational reforms in the US and the world, governments began to create taxpayer funded, compulsory schools in order to indoctrinate children into the ideology of the state. As the elites became more secularized in the 1800s, government run schools were established to destroy the influence of religion and the church.

I can't agree with everything Rothbard says. There are a few unsupported statements (such as his attacks on Protestantism) and gaps in logic, but as usual Rothbard is provocative.

Few things can make me feel as uncomfortable as the unsavory expression of ideas I basically agree with. I bought this book because I expected a good argument for and information to support the ideas I instinctively believe in and support. Unfortunately this book is more of an affirmation than an argument; more of a manifesto than an essay; propaganda rather than analysis.
The arguments are indisputable, but not particularly well presented.
I've always been a strong opponent of compulsory public education but the way the arguments are presented in this book make me twitch. My support for the ideas of non-compulsory non-public education does not stem from the fact that I do not want my children to mix with the 'moronic' and 'substandard' ones.
The only information that was news to me was the Lutheran-Calvinist influence in the birth of public education.
I think my misgivings can be understood considering the level of ignorance displayed in some of the passages. Mistaking Sade for Rousseau is absolutely inexcusable. I have not read "Emile" myself, but at least I know about it; I know what it is about and if I was to write about education, I would make an effort to read it. Making a vague reference to the wrong author does not inspire confidence in other references presented by Mr. Rothbard.

Should you read this book? Since it is very short, I would say why not? If you are interested in the subject this will introduce you to the basic libertarian ideas concerning it. Just do not expect high quality arguments.

In Homer's "Iliad" the one reference to Oedipus suggests he ruled in Thebes until he was killed in battle. However, in the more famous version of the tale, told by Sophocles in his classic Greek tragedy "Oedipus the King," Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes. In "Oedipus at Colonus" Sophocles tells of the final fate of the exiled figure. Colonus is a village outside Athens, where the blind, old man has become a benevolent source of defense to the land that has given him his final refuge.

"Oedipus at Colonus was produced posthumously in 401 B.C.E., and the legend is that it was used by Sophocles as his defense against the charge of senility brought by his children. In terms of its lack of dramatic structure (the scenes are connected by the character of Oedipus rather than by the loosely constructed plot) and the melancholy of its lyric odes it is the most atypical of the extant plays of Sophocles. "Oedipus at Colonus" is the most poetic of his plays while being the least dramatic as well. But it is the characterization of Oedipus as a noble figure that stands out. This is still the same proud and hot-tempered figure who vowed to solve the reason for the curse on Thebes in the earlier play. But this is also an Oedipus who has accepted his punishment, even though he insists that he is innocent. After all, the sin responsible for his exile was really that of his mother; if you read "Oedipus the King" carefully you will see that the incestuous part of the prophecy was added by the Oracle after Jocasta tried to have her infant son killed in order to save her husband's life. Consequently, when Oedipus claims to be a helpless victim of destiny, there is ample reason to agree with his interpretation of events.

The fact that this was the last play written by Sophocles offers a line of analysis for understanding "Oedipus at Colonus" as well. You can read in certain lyrics, such as the first "staismon" with its ode to Colonus and the characterization of King Theseus of Athens, the playwright's praise for the democratic institutions and proud history of Athens. On a more psychological level you can consider the play as articulating Sophocles' views on death. These other considerations tend to reduce the importance of the title character, but there is the compelling argument of the play that through his personal suffering Oedipus has been purified.

In Homer's "Iliad" the one reference to Oedipus suggests he ruled in Thebes until he was killed in battle. However, in the more famous version of the tale, told by Sophocles in his classic Greek tragedy "Oedipus the King," Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes. In "Oedipus at Colonus" Sophocles tells of the final fate of the exiled figure. Colonus is a village outside Athens, where the blind, old man has become a benevolent source of defense to the land that has given him his final refuge.

"Oedipus at Colonus was produced posthumously in 401 B.C.E., and the legend is that it was used by Sophocles as his defense against the charge of senility brought by his children. In terms of its lack of dramatic structure (the scenes are connected by the character of Oedipus rather than by the loosely constructed plot) and the melancholy of its lyric odes it is the most atypical of the extant plays of Sophocles. "Oedipus at Colonus" is the most poetic of his plays while being the least dramatic as well. But it is the characterization of Oedipus as a noble figure that stands out. This is still the same proud and hot-tempered figure who vowed to solve the reason for the curse on Thebes in the earlier play. But this is also an Oedipus who has accepted his punishment, even though he insists that he is innocent. After all, the sin responsible for his exile was really that of his mother; if you read "Oedipus the King" carefully you will see that the incestuous part of the prophecy was added by the Oracle after Jocasta tried to have her infant son killed in order to save her husband's life. Consequently, when Oedipus claims to be a helpless victim of destiny, there is ample reason to agree with his interpretation of events.

The fact that this was the last play written by Sophocles offers a line of analysis for understanding "Oedipus at Colonus" as well. You can read in certain lyrics, such as the first "staismon" with its ode to Colonus and the characterization of King Theseus of Athens, the playwright's praise for the democratic institutions and proud history of Athens. On a more psychological level you can consider the play as articulating Sophocles' views on death. These other considerations tend to reduce the importance of the title character, but there is the compelling argument of the play that through his personal suffering Oedipus has been purified.

Many people make the mistake of only reading part 1 of this trilogy. In my opinion, it is a horrible mistake to ignore parts 2 and 3. The blind Oedipus is touchingly lead by his daughter. (I can not help but suspect this inspired the relationship between Edgar and Gloucester in Shakespeare's "King Lear.") It is also in this play that we see Creon is not exactly an outstanding citizen. He seemed nice enough in part 1, but once he has Oedipus' power, he is somewhat of a tyrant. It is also in part 2 that we are able to get a closer look at Oedipus. (REMEMBER, HE DID NOT KNOW HE HAD KILLED HIS FATHER, MARRIED HIS MOTHER, AND HAD CHILDREN WITH HIS MOTHER.) It is in this play that we see the human side of Oedipus. I can not overestimate the beauty of the scene where "seemingly sighted" he enters the Greek Version of heaven. Again remember, the story does not end here. You MUST read "Antigone" (Part 3).

A good book on the progression of college athletics through the years. Sperber looks behind the scences in college athletics with somewhat of a true eye. The major problem with the book is the stories and references to ND. Several chapters are devoted to ND history. ND is a great school but I did not buy Onward to Victory to get a detailed history of ND.

Other than the overrun of ND stories a good not great book.

I read this hoping for an indepth analysis of all facets of the growth of college sports. But Sperber devotes at least half of the book to an analysis of Notre Dame (perhaps because it was easy research - driving from IU to South Bend). Every facet of his ND examples are covered in too much depth while his coverage of the incidents which publicity leads one to believe the book is really about, are cursory at best with little depth in the research behind the topics. I found myself skimming over all the ND examples while reading other topics - an easy one day read over all.

Murray Sperber has become one of my favorite authors. I really liked his first book, College Sports Inc., and also his second, Shake Down the Thunder. The first one focused on the problems in contemporary college sports, especially how schools lose money in it, and the second book showed the history of the phenomenon from the point of view of the only school that has actually made money in college sports, Notre Dame. Both books were very well-researched but, although Sperber is a college professor, he writes really well and always entertains and enlightens the reader.

Onward to Victory combines the best elements of Sperber's first two books--he exposes the scoundrels in college sports, particularly the NCAA, and also reveals the "true history" of the phenomenon. This book is set in the 1940s and 1950s, and again Notre Dame comes off very well--it never cheated because it could do so well and win by playing it straight. But the book is so much more--if you love stories about what crooks the sports media are and have always been, this book is for you.

At the end of this book, Sperber outlines his next one, Beer & Circus: The Impact of Bigtime College Sports on Undergraduate Education. I really look forward to that one. It's great that there is someone around like Sperber willing to puncture holes in the sanctimonious greedheads who run college sports and the media people who promote it so relentlessly.

Nick Murray is the financial service industry's God. His book, The Excellent Investment Advisor is on every successful financial advisor's shelf. (...) Most people who buy this book are financial advisors who then give it to their clients, particularly the ones who are beginning to notice that the best that their advisor can do for them is match the market's return, and will thus underperform the market by however much he charges in fees. The marketing technique of Murray is to shift the client's attention off of performance and smother the client with confidence in the trust of their relationship. This book was written toward that end. If you read this sales pitch from the industry's God, then I suggest that you also read the advice of the industry's Devil: Jack Bogle, the founder of Vanguard Group, particularly his latest - Common Sense on Mutual Funds. Go to the index and make sure that you read what he writes on "wrap accounts"

Like every book by Nick Murray, this book is excellent. As a financial advisor, this is one book that I would certainly give to every one of my clients and recommend to anyone else, but not for the reasons given in the previous review.

Statistics show the the average mutual fund investor consistently underperforms the mutual funds that he or she owns. Why? Because they sell AFTER the fund has dropped 10% and buy back in AFTER the fund has risen 10%. After five years, the fund has delivered 10% average annual returns, yet the investor has achieved only 5-7% average annual returns (or worse). Murray correctly believes that the secret to long-term investment success lies in the investor's behavior, not in his ability to pick the best stocks or mutual funds. In this, and every other book by Nick Murray, he teaches investors how to fight their emotions and look beyond short-term performance to become better long-term investors. He preaches about the wisdom of dollar cost averaging and about buying stocks when they are "on sale."

Murray also supports his bias toward equities with a clear, concise explanation of the "real" risks that every investor faces. Every investor will get something out of this book.

This book, simply and conveniently, describes necessary investor behavior to accumulate wealth. This is a great book for financial advisors to send their clients and prospects to easily explain the "trick" to wealth accumulation and preservation. Some of the concepts and charts clearly illustrate what most of us try, sometimes in vain, to educate our clients about. Excellent tool for financial advisors. I highly recommend this!!!

I was so happy when I got this book as I have been restoring a couple Chris's for the last several years. But was dissapointed after thumbing through it. There a very few pictures of the different models, infact the illustrator seems to have used the same 4 boats throughout the whole text, with slight exception. The history material is excellent dry reading witha lot of facts most people are unaware of. Every model is listed in the book but sometimes so briefly the reference has no value. All Chris Craft owners should have this on their coffee table or aboard their boat.

The legend of Chris craft is a masterpiece by both the author and publisher that should be made available to our all of our citizens.

The problem as I see it,is, its a best kept secret,not enough marketing,even long time Chris Craft owners do not know of its existence.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in historly of this legenday American boat builder. Chocked full of details about the company and the boats.

Ginger Barnes is helping her husband out with a problem student by taking him to a scared straight session with an intimidating judge. While waiting for the interview to end, she sits in on a trial going on in the courthouse. To her dismay, her old babysitter is on trial for fraud. They claim that he aged a rug and sold it as an antique. Ginger doesn't believe a word of it, Uncle Wunk was always pathologicaly honest. Then, all of the prosecution's witnesses start to die off. The defendant is elderly and on a respirator much of the time, not a likely candidate even if he was a stranger. There is also the secret cause of his early retirement, what was it and does it have anything to do with this case.

This was a really enjoyable and fast mystery. The information on textiles was very interesting. The mystery has many twists, turns, and red herrings. Enjoy.

Donna Murray's Gin Barnes novels always epidomize that oh-so-rare quality in the genre: genuine cozies...but cozies with a brain! LIE LIKE A RUG (7th in the series)comes especially well-equiped with heart too and is quite probably my favorite of them all. Why? Because not only does spunky Gin's determined sleuthing in this particular instance logically evolve out of her completely understandable concern for an old, dear friend who's in big-trouble when the novel opens (something that we can all relate to), but we get to see her win-out in an especially satisfying, cleverly-conceived, cliff-hanger denouement that keeps the reader guessing right down to the finish-line. More? If Gin Barnes flew a flag, it would probably read "Don't Tread on Me!" with the sentiment extended to read "Me or Mine!" Some of the strongest sections in this book are part of its subplot (which eventually dovetails marvelously with the main thrust of the action) wherein Gin helps husband Rip...another beautifully developed characterization...deliver a well-deserved kick in the pants to an enfant terrible who's been wreaking havoc at Bryn Derwyn Academy while the reader stands up and cheers! Finally, as is again typical of what her fans expect, Ms. Murray has focussed her book around a thoroughly-researched, utterly intriguing technical background in which antique textile arts and their intricacies introduce us to a side of history that I have not encountered before and makes me want to transplant bag and baggage to the Winterthur Museum and experience its wonders for myself. Warm and wonderfully real...Gin is a heroine to cherish, and since LIE LIKE A RUG reads beautifully as a stand-alone novel, it's a perfect introduction to a consistently outstanding mystery series.

I enjoy this series because they draw me in and actually make me feel the adventure. Her character is very real. I love the local flavor and the use of real places. After reading any one of her books I come away with a better understanding of the subject.... like the textile industry. The research was thorough and enlightening. While at the hairdressers, I was finishing the book and the person next to me was excited to see that I was reading Lie Like a Rug and noted that she worked at a museum in Dolyestown and also noted great insight into the industry. Oh so true..... "Let The Buyer Beware"!

This book tells us how location matters to astrology and how important for us to choose a good location to fulfill our wishes. The author's method is based on synastry between one's natal chart and that of a certain city, state, or nation. She recommends us to look at the links between our natal planets and ASC, MC or other important points of the location. The book also contains lists of lots of cities' birth data (not including birth time though). Though this book does not mention any of typical relocation methods, data themselves can be of great use.

Rose Murray has written this book in a very clear and simple style so that anyone can look up the best place to live. I find it strange that she also uses the cards to find this place: there is a card for each birthday. There is not that much astrology involved and no calculations. It's a pity that I cannot tell you if this system works but you may read the book for yourself and see what it means for you.

I have traveled throughout the world and I am also an Astrologer and I found this book to be accurate. The use of the cards based on an Egyptian system is the only one i have seen written and used Astrologically. She covers details about relocation carefully for advanced students of Astrology but brings it down to earth for beginners.

Once again Ginger takes us beyond the humdrum of dailylife. And finally someone brings some authentic emotion to those NFL celebs! Great enjoyable reading. An added perk - almost everyone has heard of the infamous Main Line PA. The Ginger Barnes Series makes a great gift for past, present, and future wanna-be Main Liners. Keep going, Ginger. How about a story set on the shores of the nearby Cheaspeake Bay.

You don't have to love football to be instantly involved in this plot. This is great summer reading, as are all of Murray's books.

This latest Ginger Barnes Mystery is as enjoyable as the previous ones. Although Ginger loses her home field advantage, she proves to be a capable amateur sleuth even on the road. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy Ginger's knack for unraveling this mystery. Donna Huston Murray scores a touchdown in my book.

The premise sounds OK for parents who want their American-born children to learn more about their ancestral homeland--and entertain them at the same time. But the descriptions of Ireland and the Irish are trite and outdated/unimformed (e.g., relatively speaking, the Irish standard of living doesn't make Ireland a particularly poor country; and the references to the Troubles/partition are silly). Attempts at humor flounder throughout (not a chuckle from my child). And the idea that the book has a moral to teach is ridiculous: "watch out for mysterious drug marchants? " But there is no recognizable/useful anti-drugs message. Finally, the book gets counted against what must be a quota for presenting broken families as the norm, even though the point is irrelevant to the story line. Learn by my mistake; buy something else.

I've never writen a review before of a book I hadn't read, however, ... I just gave this book last night to my 11 year old daughter (who is an avid but picky reader, and as she read it she laughed so much that I couldn't get any work done until she reluctantly agreed to "lights out" way past her bedtime. Then she finished it today and thanked me many times and asked me to see if there were any other books by this author (unfortunately not). So, I can't argue specifically the points made by the one star reviewer since I haven't read it myself, but based on my daughters recaction, I must give it 5 stars, unequivocally!

This clever yarn will appeal to mystery lovers of all ages, but especially to the late elementary and early middle school children, who might be just beginning to read mysteries. They will readily identify with Allyn, the red-headed heroine, and her mischievous little brother, Mitchell. The author's ability to penetrate the world of clever, intelligent, and energetic children and then to portray them as happy and normal is truly refreshing. The children come to life and become so attractive that it is hard to resist wanting them in one's own family. The setting is a family trip to visit the country of their ancestors--Ireland. Great excitement about a holiday from school turns into grand adventure as the children do enough eavesdropping on "suspicious characters" to turn an ordinary vacation into a grand adventure. There are villains and scoundrels and much mischief afoot. The mystery is solved by the charming Allyn who does her Irish ancestors proud on their own turf--with a little help from pesky younger brother. The plot is utterly believable; it is fantastic, yet one can imagine these very things happening to an alert and curious twelve-year-old who is curious, fearless, and determinded. The book is most attractively presented, with photographs which are a feast for the eyes and sketches which assist in following the action. In short, an enchanting story with a most engaging young lady at the center of it; we need to read more of Miss Allyn Gallagher--and her brother, too, of course!

Mrs. O'Hair dedicated her life to helping people set themselves free from the chains of superstition and foolishness that many call religion, a pernicious form of insanity that is the most prevalent cause of such events as the attack on the World Trade Center, the Holocaust, and George Bush being elected president, not to mention a whole lot of really bad televangelists taking over the airwaves and driving out such decent programming as I Love Lucy reruns. Buy this book, and all of Mrs. O'Hair's other books, and set yourself free (or reinforce your freedom should it happen to waver.)

trying to even out the 1-start review from that person who isn't reviewing the book, but the philosophy. i just had to do this because you should not review a book based on your views, but on the book itself. i want to cancel out such a review with my five-star rating because that review had nothing to do with the book, but the world view of the person who read it.

Now that the trial of the murderers of Madalyn are in the news, I am becoming more aware and trying to research this controversial lady. The title couldn't be more accurate. All gods are ideas conjured up in the mind of man. That instinctive insecurity feeling of the unknown has perpetuated myths from the Mayans with the natural gods to modern day where Falun Dafa has become the fastest growing because they don't ask about membership, they just include the unknowing in the East to their role count. It's all part of evolution to realize who is the "higher" in command. With human communication we don't have a source we can learn from. We research everything including other mammals but they don't research us. Thru technology we have mastered dominance. We will continue base our instincts on myths which is what Madalyn is trying to allow humanity to overcome. Insecurity is why men chose to murder her. Fear of challenging their idea of god. Madalyns work, including this book will continue to inspire the ones not afraid of searching for real truth.