Many years ago, I took the trail to the top of Mt. Whitney. Leaving my older, less confident companions behind in the predawn hours at Whitney Portal, I moved quickly up the trail. By mid-morning I was cooling my heels at Trail Camp, a campground of sorts, in a barren glacial basin at 12,000 feet. With another 2500 feet of climbing ahead of me, the trail lead off into a steep jumble of cobbles and boulders. I could see a notch in the ridge above, where the trail was likely headed, but it was not at all obvious how it got there.

I had no guide, but from training as a scout, I knew how to evaluate subtle trail sign, and before long, I was nearing the top of the ridge. From there, the final leg to the top of the mountain was much easier to follow.

A surprise lay below me. Looking back down the slope that I had just climbed so tediously, the trail was laid out like a map. I could see every switchback and turn. Invisible from below, but completely obvious from above.

Human life is more than mirrored in mythology. Each individual's adventure has a potential of mythic intensity and proportion. Our personal experiences are greater and more mysterious than we can often bear, without overlaying those experiences on the framework of mythology. But by properly framing our life's journey, paths once invisible become remarkably clear.

Foster has chosen the cycle of the seasons, and the wealth of mythos surrounding this cycle, as a model for the human life experience. And he uses his model to assist others in making difficult but necessary life transitions. His model, much more so than how he uses it, is the basis for this book.

Looking back, it's as obvious as the back of your hand - or my trail up the mountain - the truth of this model. Yet modern, mechanistic humanity cannot easily envision this model, because so few of us have actually made the transitions. We as a society, with all our complex tinkertoys and petty battles, are a world of children. We have forgotten how to grow up. Those of us that do, have largely done so by ourselves unaided. But for most of us, our core personalities cannot mature in a world that offers us nothing but a cacophony of media mainlining and pseudo-cultural posturing. There's not much chance of escaping this chaotic nightmare.

The vision of the "Four Shields" offers some hope amidst all of this. In truth, this is more than just a book describing a philosophy. It is a way of life - Foster and Little have been living it for decades now - which finally has found its way to paper. Conceivably it could be a blueprint for expanded consciousness. It is highly likely that this book was written with no thought of financial recompense. It was written personally for you - and everyone. For now the only thing I can say is: this book must be purchased, read, and if at all possible, understood. It may not change the path you are on, but it will make that path much clearer.

Foster and Little combine modern psychological insight with indigenous native wisdom. Their approach is inspiring and yet down-to-earth.

Their image of the 4 seasons of nature is a metaphor for the seasons of human growth. Rites of passage are more important than focusing on the seasons themselves.

A helpful paradigm for healing and growth.

FROM DISTANT DAYS : Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia. Translated by Benjamin R. Foster. 438 pp. Bethseda, Maryland : CDL Press, 1995. ISBN 1-883053-09-9 (pbk.)

I currently have three anthologies of Sumerian-Akkadian literature on my shelves: Stephanie Dalley's 'Myths from Mesopotamia' (1989), Thorkild Jacobsen's 'The Harps That Once' (1987), and the present book. All three are by specialists and are designed for the general reader; all, within the limits of their shared conventional viewpoint, are excellent; and anyone with a serious interest in this remote and fascinating literature will want to have all three.

Of the three, Dalley's is the most 'technical' translation, in the sense that it has far more extensive footnotes, and that it wisely prefers to retain original terms such as "Kurnugi" (page 155), instead of offering essentially misleading equivalents such as "Netherworld" (Foster, page 78) or "Hades" (Jacobsen, page 207 ff). Her translations also seem to me to be the most vigorous, but that's just a personal feeling, and all three of these tranlations are wonderfully readable.

Foster tells us that the present book is "a selection, rearrangement, and abridgement of 'Before the Muses, An Anthology of Akkadian Literature' (Bethseda, MD : CDL Press, 1993)" (page vii). His substantial anthology is organized as follows : 1. Gods and Their Deeds; 2. Kings and Their Deeds; 3. Divine Speech; 4. Hymns and Prayers; 5. Sorrow and Suffering; 6. Love and Sex; 7. Stories and Humor; 8. Wisdom; 9. Magic Spells.

As is the case with the Dalley and Jacobsen anthologies, all texts have been provided with their own brief introductions, and all gaps and losses of text in the original tablets have been indicated in the translations, though Foster's texts are much more lightly annotated. His book opens with a short 8-page Introduction, and is rounded out with a Glossary of Proper Names, but lacks both a Bibliography and an Index.

The book has clearly been designed as a reader's edition, with minimal impedimenta in the way of notes and so on that might interfere with the reader's enjoyment of the texts. Foster tells us that those who want to learn more about these texts, or to read further in Akkadian Literature, should consult his much fuller 2-volume work, 'Before the Muses.'

The book is well-printed on excellent paper in a large clear font that might have been a bit heavier, is bound in glossy wrappers, and has one of those abominable glued spines that crack when opened. I wonder what happened to stitching?

Here, as a brief example of Foster's style, are the opening lines of his 'When Ishtar [i.e., Inanna] Went to the Netherworld,' with my obliques added to indicate line breaks :

"To the netherworld, land of n[o return], / Ishtar, daughter of Sin, [set] her mind. / Indeed, the daughter of Sin did set her mind / To the gloomy house, seat of the ne[therworld], / To the house which none leaves who enters, / To the road whose journey has no return, / To the house whose entrants are bereft of light..." (page 78).

Those with access to the Dalley and Jacobsen will find it interesting to compare Foster's version with theirs. His rhythms seem a little more stately and relaxed, a little less vigorous, and he seems less sparing of words. But, as I've indicated, all three books, though differing in flavor, are intensely readable, and we should be grateful to Professors Dalley, Jacobsen, and Foster, for the enormous labors which must have gone into them.

What I said in my review of Jacobsen applies equally here. The limits of Foster's book are the limits of the official point-of-view. Within these limits his book becomes a labor of love, a wonderfully readable literary treatment of some of the world's most ancient, fascinating and beautiful literature by a noted authority, and one that can be strongly recommended to all sensitive readers.

Readers, however, shouldn't take Foster as gospel but as something vastly more interesting, since what Ishtar/Inanna may well have been visiting was not the "Netherworld" but the mines of Africa. But to understand this you'll have to read linguist and scholar Zechariah Sitchin's 'The 12th Planet.' Only he provides a framework in which all becomes intelligible.

This has just about everything, although, as the author notes in his preface, this is an abridgment of an earlier work, Before the Muses: Anthology of Akkadian Literature. The selections are arranged by type, beginning with myths and epics--the Enuma Elish and a composite Akkadian flood story--and working its way through deeds of kings, hymns, prayers, proverbs, magic spells, elegies and celebrations. There is also some satire--a land deed drawn up for birds and a curse against a bleating goat.

Foster provides an introduction to each piece, and to sections of the longer pieces. There are gaps in most narratives, and Foster notes them. He also provides footnotes explaining the more obscure points and allusions, as well as some issues with translations. At points, it is less than a leisurely read, but Foster seems determined to present the material in plain but telling language.

I have quoted often from the book and return to it frequently. One piece, an elegy for a woman who died in childbirth, has always moved me. It is told from the point of view of the dead woman. After remembering a happy life with her husband, she says that the day she went into labor, her face "grew overcast." Despite her pleas and the pleas of her husband to Belet-illi, the goddess of childbirth, "shrouded her face" She concludes:

[All... ] those days I was with my husband,

While I lived with him who was my lover,

Death was creeping stealthily into my bedroom,

It forced my from my house,

It cut me off from my lover,

It set my foot toward the land from which I shall not return.

This book is the bible for anyone traveling to hawaii. You can plan your vacation based on the activities you like and you will not be disappointed by their recommendations. The hotel reviews are very accurate and I used the restuarant reviews exclusively. Even on my second trip I found the book to be extremely useful.

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii and have been amazed on the amount of information that is out there. This book summarizes all of the hawaiian islands and helped us plan our 3 week trip. It reviews not only hotels, but restaurants, activities and hot spots to see. All for less than $20! I feel that it is a must for any traveler to the island.

This book gives a painfully honest account of the author's journey from physical and sexual abuse to Christianity. Its easy reading style will allow you to read the entire book in one sitting. I literally couldn't put it down. Using biblical verses and the analogy of scars and scabs, the author gives the reader tools to overcome hardship and despair and to find triumph in God.

An honest and realistic self-help manual for those who have been physically, amotionally and sexually abused. The books details one womann's journey from victim to victor. Using Psalm 23, as a thread she takes the reader through the healing process and shows the power of God's grace and its effect on her ability not only to survive the abuse, but to manage her depression and forgive those who had violated her.
Helpful scriptures are interspersed through the book to elevate the faith of those who have been abused and those who love them.
If you have been abused or know someone who has this will be an invaluable addition to your library.

This book has just been made into a movie called "The First of May" starring Julie (East of Eden) Harris as Carlotta, introducing Dan Byrd as Dan, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Mickey Rooney, with a cameo by Joe DiMaggio. It wrapped in Lake Helen, Florida in mid December '97 and will be distributed in 1998.

This book was one of the best, most delightful, insightfully written and charmingly told story. Heard it's going to be made into a movie with Julie Harris starring as the lead and Charles Nelson Reilly and Joe DiMaggio in supporting roles!

M.B. Goffstein created an exquisite universe in her children's books which explore what it means to be an artist, a craftsman and a human being. Anyone who has seen Schubert dancing to keep warm or struggled with a child becoming independent as explored in Two Piano Tuners or has experienced the aging of a loved one as reflected in Noah's Ark can only marvel at the delicacy and seriousness of these "children's" book. Each and every book, except maybe Natural History are written and illustrated exquisitely in a minimalist style which strips to its essence life and line. One of the joys of my second group of children's lives is enjoying the trove of Goffstein's left at home by their big sister. It is simply inexplicable that these exquisite books are out of print. This is a real crime. Perhaps the answer is to bring them all together as was done with the George and Martha stories, but much would be lost because the size of the books seems integral to their power. But for anyone who has not experienced this author/illustrator start here and clamour for more.Perhaps the gods of publishing will listen.

I am so glad to see one of Brooke Goffstein's books back in print!! All of her books are small treasures of perfectly and simply realized stories that go along so well with the simple yet rich line drawings that accompany them. I always find myself crying or close to it at the end of these stories which is a little hard to explain to my children if I am reading them "Natural History" or "My Noah's Ark"! I haven't read "Goldie the Dollmaker" to my children yet, it's still mine alone to cherish. If you've ever made or cared for anything with a great deal of love and attention to the fineness of details than you will understand Goldie. She starts off feeling as if she lives in "her parent's house" and is continuing "their" work of making dolls. These things don't truly belong to her until after she looks into her heart after being inspired by a kindred artist spirit in a dream. This story is a tiny gift from heaven.

Hal Foster is the Master of Cartoon Art, without peer, without equal, he is simply extraordinary. Little is known of his life--until now. Thanks so much for bringing us this book! Many terrific anecdotes, in depth stories of his life and influences and work habits. I have never seen many of the illustrations included here. A truly terrific book! Very handsome in every respect. I was delighted by this purchase.

Brian Kane has a lot going for him to begin with; the cooperation of Hal Fosters grandchildren and extraordinary access to the Foster family and private papers; but without a sensible recognition of the importance of the sequence of events which lead to the assignment of Hal Foster onto the TARZAN strip, and the eventual culmination of Fosters aspiration to produce his own strip, the storytelling and illustration masterwork PRINCE VALIANT, this pedigree could have been lost or mislaid.
However the pedigree is not lost; this books remains a standard for anyone attempting to pay due homage to a historic artist, a master of his media, and a disciplined Professional who won awards within and outside of his field as a matter of course.
And one doesn't necessarily need to be a firm fan of Popular Culture to see, on the page, the initial artworks provided through family archives, but watch the commercial illustrator become the accomplished storyteller cartoonist/illustrator to the craftsman who transcends his adopted field.
A power read, yet eyefuls of narrative,illustrative, and evocative draughtsmanship which will allow anyone owning it to want to revisit this book as anyone reading the Sunday Funnies has revisited the two classics which Foster brought to pinnacles of powerful evocation : TARZAN and PRINCE VALIANT.
An affectionate and heartful reccommendation by a long time and familiar fan of Hal Foster; impossible to imagine anyone could have completed the task with more vigor and commitment and completedness.

This fantastic book is almost impossible to put down. It follows the tale of the Bank from initial studies, through the invited international competition, design development, bidding, and construction. The challenges of building the "most expensive building ever built" in the middle of South-East Asia involved manufacturing and engineering feats usually reserved for aerospace of military efforts. The book really describes how the design concept responded to the realities of the program and the construction procedures and how Foster's office and others staged the monumental task of getting the building completed. Everyone involved claimed that it was the project they had been training for their entire career.

Possibly the greatest work of art by the famous British Architect Sir Norman Foster, this review takes you step by step through the entire process of design, planning, and construction. At it's time the most expensive building on earth, Williams' book is a tour-de-force and should be a must read for every budding young architect. Seek it out and buy one now if you can (I bought 5 copies to give to my friends)

I am finishing reading this book and it has helped me to see my personality type (DRIVER) and how differently people react to similar situations because of their personalities. I recommend this book to anyone who can't seem to get through to your boss or to other people you work for or with. This book has helped me understand some signs people display when they lie, when they are depressed or angry. It is well written and documented. You won't regret the purchase of this book. Did I get through to you?

This book is a very good study in human nature, I think that the material can be used in many different areas of your life besides spousal relationships. I have attended seminars presented by the author (D.Glenn Foster) and have found that his technique is effective. If you always wondered why your other half acts the way he/she does this is a excellent book to read.

This is a very good book for people who want to know how to draw the characters from the X-Men comic. It has many of the X-Men in it and has some of the villains, too. This book will probably work better if you have some knowledge of how to draw. It includes Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto, Proffesor X and about seven others. I definitely recommend it!

Good like a buyer what you need to know is the content of this book: This book has 32 pages of how to draw in way simple "basic" two poses of Wolverine,one of cyclops,one of storm,one of Professor Xavier,one of beast with other three without explained ,one of Gambit,one of Rogue,one of Magneto,two of Sentinels,one of sabretooth,one of Mr Sinister and one of Blackbird all together with theirs principals features step to step until ends them exactly how the of animated serie and it also has 8 pages of grid paper.It is a beautifull book in presentation and quality and my other opinion about this book,is for someone that need to start the practice of the heroe human figure and who practice the human figure, is an ideal complement.