I've had four copies of this book in my hands and all have had the same physical defect: bad binding. The glue which holds the pages to the paperback cover simply pulls away from the cover with the least pressure.

While the content of this book is excellent, this defect is a serious problem. If you buy the book, plan on gluing the cover in place yourself.

I actually obtained two copies directly from the publisher, Ariadne Press. When the first defective copy arrived, they sent another but said that the books were printed in the UK and they could not guarantee the quality. They also said this problem was possible with all of their Gustav Meyrink titles, though I've only had the problem myself with "Walpurgisnacht" and "The Deadalus/Ariadne Book of Austrian Fantasy: The Meyrink Years 1890-1930."

Walpurgisnacht might probably be considered Meyrink's most pessimistic, apocalyptic vision of the inevitable destruction of the world, of the weaknesses and foolishness of humankind.

The word "Walpurgisnacht" has its folklore roots in the concept that the night of April 30th is an evil night, one when old values are destroyed and replaced by new ones. But, in the mind of Meyrink no new values will bring salvation to the world. The novel was published in 1917, and the setting is the city of Prague during WWI. The main characters are Zrcadlo (the mirror) the solitary man who forces people to look into their own souls, and Dr. Thaddaeus the only survivor of a spiritual alchemy, the only character capable of facing his sould and taking a new direction in his life.

In his contempt for established religion, Meyrink brings forth the concept of Aweysha. Anyone who is not able to hear his own soul becomes an "aweysha," a living body whose soul has moved into another living being, a dead mirror where strange demons come and go, a wandering corpse. Defying the concept of "free will," Meyrink holds that anything a person does against his will comes from "aweysha."

Myerink was influenced by Jewish mysticism and found in the experience of the "innermost I" the salvation of the soul: "the innermost I is the source of joy, and who does not worhsip it is a servant of hell." Unfortunately, his mystical experience integrates the good and the evil alike, downgrading the soul to low moral standards.

This novel is a reflection of personal despair, a desperate search for a transcendent reality that will surpass mysticism into the esoteric.

Este Libro lo he buscado en Español y no lo he encontrado. Ahora se que puedo encontqarlo en Ingles e intentare hacerme a el. Yo heleido el Golem, El angel de la Ventana de Occidente, el Dominico Blanco y otros cuentos, elautor es impresionante com o maneja los temas de la vida cotidian y su vida de Buscador Real de la Vida . Espero tenerlo pronto.

Autumn Sky is a mystery, romance novel. Set in the eighteen hundreds, in the Colorado territory, it has the feel of the old west. The author introduces her characters in a charming way, immediately bringing your attention to the beautiful Shayleen, beloved daughter of Tom O'Malley. Tom is a rancher, who married Katherine after the death of his wife. They had raised Shayleen together, and now that she has returned from school after 5 years, they see she has become a woman, ready to begin a life of her own. This is the backbone of the novel and thus begins the battle for her love from several different suitors. Each one is woven into the story, and as each is introduced ,you find yourself wondering just who would be the perfect mate for this lovely lady.

Chance McCord is Sheriff of the town. A handsome man who has loved Shayleen since she was a child and lovingly calls her Irish. Both he and Buck Matthews were befriended by Tom O'Malley years ago. When no one else would give them a chance to work for an honest day's pay, he did. They were eternally grateful to him and they were bonded to the O'Malley family. Tom O'Malley's hopes rest on Chance, he knew that there was a spark between him and his little girl. However, is Chance really the upright citizen that all see him , or does he have a dark, secret past? Brandy would know. And what about Brandy, who is not the lady that Shayleen is, where does she fit in this scenario? She also has her sites set on Chance, and is not going to give up that easily. After all, hasn't she been the one who has been in his arms and felt his passion? Why was someone trying to kill Tom and Shayleen? Is Brandy the one who is behind the shootings? Sorry, you will have to read the book to find out the answer. What are Bucks feelings and will he express them?

What happened that day when Shayleen was thrown from her horse? Why did Shayleen's heart leap at the sight of this stranger, Trace Cooper, who came to her aid. Was it fate that brought him into her life, or is he only going to complicate and confuse her feelings for Chance? Does he too fall in love with this woman? I'll tell you this much, there will be a wedding, but you'll have to read the book tofind out who the lucky groom is.

Come into the world of Shayleen O'Malley and see if you can figure out who her true love is. This one may surprise you. I enjoy books with a happy ending and Autumn Sky fits the bill.

Set in the late eighteen hundreds this romantic story weaves us through a time in our country that is untamed and free. Set with the backdrop of the Colorado territory we find
mystery, love and passion in this novel.To story opens with Shayleen O'Malley returning home after five years in Pennsylvania. Shereturns home to the land she loves and Chance McCord the man she has loved since she was
eight years old. In a freak accident she meets Trace Cooper a loner, some call a mountain man. When she is forced to run the ranch after her father's accident it's Trace who comes to help.He finds himself captivated by the violet eyed beauty and hoped to change her affection from Chance to him.
Through the entire story one finds themselves wondering which one will win the heart of Shayleen. Will it be the handsome Chance McCord the sheriff whom she has loved and
wanted all her life, or the mountain man who has nothing to offer her but his heart and souland his love .
The story will keep one interested from the first page to the last and wanting to know more.

Blue Coffee, spanning eleven years of Mitchell's work if both inspiring and diverse, taking on many different subjects. As a line from 'a Flower for Boty' reads, to me, Mitchell's poetry can only be described as:

"Eloquent art speaking straight to the heart"

adrian mitchell could never write a poem as good as his "tell me lies about vietnam" or so i thought. in blue coffee, a documentation of his more recent works to be followed up this year with a retrospective of his career up 10 1984, he achieves great concepts but with very 'working class' language - this is accessible to both the scholar and the brickie. this is no more evident than in his poem which contains the exquisite line "a bus says us, while a car says me" from the poem "Yes". although in places the metaphor may be seem a little twee, and cannot surpass the quality housed in his "greatest hits" collection, this is a sturdy book outlining a almost more relaxed output of a poet reaching 65. To me his works spell out a note of potential freedom to express oneself, i.e. that if he can do it, anyone can. This may seem a backhanded compliment, but i believe that adrian mitchell's true ideal is for a nation of poets. i saw him perform his poems at the wedgewood rooms in portsmouth, a nice arts venue near to me a bout 2 and a half years ago. i really feel that my life changed a bit that night - i felt that i could achieve something beit with poetry or any medium that takes my fancy. mitchell has been inspirational to others as well as me and this book shows it, but for a total understanding of hsi appeal - his "greatest hits" must be read.

While I would not use this as my sole guide to the area, if you are truly interested in the WINES, it provides much needed maps and information. I, unfortunately, did not find this book unitl the last day of my visit to Bordeaux (in the very large bookstore in the center of the pedestrian zone downtown.) I will be seeking the other books in the series -- Burgundy, Loire, Germany...

It makes for easy reading and whets the appetite to go on a wine tasting trip. We were intending on a golfing trip but ended up making sure we visited some of the wine growers.

Out of all the books I have read on this subject, this is one of the better ones. Unfortunately, there needs to be better books on this subject. There is so much left out of all the books I read, that I still didn't have a high level of confidence in making the purchase, and relied a lot on my previous business experience. However, this book did a good job of getting the process started, and sent me in the right direction. I eventually found a business. Someone needs to write a book on all the details to pay attention to in the acquisition process, and why. It would be a good alternative to the expensive price of paying professionals to educate you.

I found this book very helpful. From a first time business buyer, this book was great. It won't explain how to do every individual thing while searching for a business, but it will point you in the right direction. It was the first book I bought once I started any research, but defenitely not the last.

I teach your good book in Tanriz university. But I haven't the disk which includes the files of book. So I appreciate it if you could send me the programming file which are inside the book. Regards Sajjad Fekri

One of great book to learned C. I highly recommended

This book had a hard time keeping my attention. It is of course, short stories from the men who were there and originally written to be read by other soldiers only, in a soldiering magazine, circa 1944. I felt "The Thousand Mile War," was much better written and left me with a better understanding of the battle for Attu. Now, please understand some of the soldiers stories were very interesting, but more of them weren't, in my opinion.

In 1942 Attu (one thousand miles from the Alaskan mainland and the western-most island in the Aleutian chain) was home to two Americans and forty-five Aleut hunters and their families. In June 1942 Attu and the nearby island of Kiska were invaded by the Japanese in the hopes of forestalling use of the islands by the Americans and hindering any U.S. - Soviet cooperation, as well as establishing Japanese military bases for attacks on the American mainland. On May 11, 1943, the U.S. effort to retake Attu began. The struggle was essentially an infantry battle. The ever-present fog, rain and high wind limited the use of air power, and the craggy terrain made mechanized equipment next to useless. The American infantry retook the island foot by foot. Lieutenant Robert J. Mitchell was wounded in the battle. During his convalescence he took down the accounts of the survivors while their memories were fresh. In The Capture Of Attu, he presents them in his fellow combatants own immediate, direct, and informal language. This compilation of eye-witness, front-line infantry descriptions is a very welcome and highly recommended addition to the growing library of World War II memoirs now available for scholars and military buffs.

This book is unusual among Civil War publications. It's a stark and realistic portrait of the enlisted man's view of war, similar to those published about VietNam. Based on previously unpublished letters and diaries, CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS follows the troops of both North and South. It describes not only their feelings about what they were doing and the reasons they did it, it shows the offense that men of both armies took from the behaviour of their fellow citizens. and claims that medical help was either lacking or incompetent. Mitchell claims that blacks suffered brutality from both armies and offers proof.

This is a book that reaches across the centuries to bring a distant war close to the reader. It should be required reading in every American history classroom.

This book uses primary sources as its main resource. Mitchell draws the reader in by using the writings of the actual soldiers themselves; diaries, letters, ect. This is one of the rare Civil War works that allows us, the reader, to gain an understanding of what these gallant young men might have been thinking and feeling. We are given a glimpse of the answers to the questions; "Why are you fighting?," "What does it feel like to be in battle?," "Are you fighting for slavery/the slaves?," and many others. Truely, a must read for students of the United Staes Civil War.

In this book, Mitchell Aboulafia compares Mead's philosophy of self with the thought of Arendt, Habermas, and Levinas (and to a lesser degree, Derrida, Kant, and Smith). Very roughly, Mead's theory of the development of the social self starts with the development of mutually understood gestures, turned into "symbols" (words and grammatical structures in language) used to play "roles" in communities of "generalized others". In other words, people learn how to speak and act by learning or guessing the expectations and potential reactions of relevant others.

What sets Mead's idea of the generalized other apart from that of Habermas' is the idea that such generalized others may be the basis of universal judgments, even if the actual community/universe/generalized other is quite small, whereas Habermas seems to think of "universalism" only in the context of mankind at large -- Habermas' idea of universalism has a quasitranscendental foundation, whereas Mead posits a contextual universalism grounded in the community's inherent reason. In general, Mead the pragmatist has greater faith in the rationality of habits and nonreflective practices than most philosophers seem to have (one is thus reminded of much more conservative thinkers, such as Burke or Oakeshott).

On the other hand, Habermas and Mead seem to agree that it is reasonable to expect to find "truth" in politics, in other words, they think it possible to find some policies better than others from a quasi-objective point of view. They differ in that Habermas seeks truth through rational discussion leading to consensus, whereas Mead appears to have thought such consensus would be reached automatically if only people were educated enough (Rousseau, anyone?). Hannah Arendt dismissed the idea of truth in politics altogether, and very sensibly concluded that politics consists of balancing varying interests and irreconcilable differences. Aboulafia does not recognize this offensively totalitarian strain in Mead's political theory, perhaps he has not heard about the "re-education" programs in countries where only one truth is allowed in politics. In general, I would say that Aboulafia's treatment of Mead's politics is shallow. He mentions Mead's claim that nationalism is founded on insecurity, but leaves it at that, as if such simplistic phrases could even begin to explain an ideology which is a major building-block in every modern state. He further mentions that Mead did not fully trust free markets, "he was, after all, a progressive". Once again, no explanation or elucidation. This is intellectual sloppiness at its worst, the author taking for granted that the foundations of modern society can be dismissed out of hand as longs as his readers share his own perspective. Such failures to take political realities seriously contribute to the image of contemporary philosophy as detached from and disinterested in the real world.

Nor does the lengthy presentation of Levinas' thought do much to improve this image. Not only are the quoted passages from Levinas obscure to the point of being virtually meaningless, the actual theory is so bereft of any understanding of human nature and the times we live in that it is impossible to convey it in a short review. In brief: every self-assertion is a form of violence, and self-denial is the only road to justice. Two of the book's five chapters are dominated by this strange thinker, and the book is all the worse off for it.

All in all, I think the editorial review exaggerates the contribution made by this work.

Oyangen, who wrote a terribly negative review, also wrote another review on completely different book that reads "I admit that I only finished this book so I could comment on it with a total view of its looming inadequacies." Now do you really want to trust a man that will finish a poor book just to hear himself speak, or in this case, see his words on a screen? For gosh sakes, he's not even getting paid.

At first I wanted to beat myself with a wooden mallet, then I started to find the stories almost amazing but not, you know! Mitchell writes about things that don't matter and yet he gives it so much passion. He is definitely a hurting writer, but a trying one.

W.O. Mitchell has been a huge figure in Canadian writing for a number of years. His books are routinely assigned in schools from grade school to university. He evokes the Canadian Praries so as to make that the cultural homeland of all Canadians. So it is with great pleasure that I recommend this collection of stories. Written to mimic a night of his storytelling, they weave a magical web. I would also recommend the forthcoming audio book based on A Night With W.O. Mitchell. It will feature him reading his own compostions and promises to be excellent. Buy this book and understand Canada a little better