Many people believe that Abraham Lincoln was just a hick lawyer. This book cites more than 60 cases and shows that Lincoln was a top notch shrewd, sophisticated lawyer. In addition, Lincoln took on all types of cases and earned a good iving. He represemterd a slave owner even though he opposed the idea of slavery. He defended people accussed of murder and he prosecuted murderers. He represented corporations and he handled many individual bad debt cases. It was particularly interesting to read about Lincoln's daily mixture of law, politics and activities in the society of his time. For the first time, this book uses newly discovered legal documents about Lincoln's practice and the author describes cases that were previously unknown. There is a large mass of references and a substantial bibliography - about 40 pages of material. If lincoln had not been elected president, there is no doubt that he would have become one of the leading lawyers in the nation. Obviously, lawyers will enjoy this book along with historians and the general public. I heartedly recommend this book.

A. Lincoln Esquire: A Shrewd, Sophisticated Lawyer In His Time by Allen D. Spiegel (Professor of Medicine and Community Health, State University of New York Health science Center, Brooklyn, New York) is a unique study of an often overlooked aspect of the President who saw America through the Civil War. Studying Abraham Lincoln as a lawyer, A. Lincoln Esquire focuses upon his tireless work as a dedicated litigator facing down a tremendous caseload. Exhaustively researched for ten years, filled with legal papers as primary sources and presenting more than sixty of Lincoln's cases, A. Lincoln Esquire is a truly astounding portrait of a great legal mind - whose far-reaching career in the court of law was curtailed only by the higher calling of the nation at large. A. Lincoln Esquire is a seminal, ground breaking Lincoln biography, and a highly recommended addition to academic and community library collections.

I liked the mixture of Abraham Lincoln's law cases with his politics and activities within the society of his time. He handled all types of cases and was not a hick lawyer. I was surprised to learn that he defended slave owners despite his opposition to slavery itself. Furthermore, I learned that Lincoln handled medical malpractice and sexually-related slander cases. I highly recommend this book to historians, medical professionals and the general public. Read it and enjoy it!

These books are REALLY good. Alice Turner Curtis has the remarkable ability to be able to blend delightful, historically accurate plots with an old fashioned charm and morality.

I read this series as a child, and I was very happy to see them reprinted, and keeping the all the lovely illustrations intact, too. Now I can buy them when I have children, continuing the tradition.

I read the complete set of books as a young girl. Fifty years ago, I found them in the Warwick Public Library, yellowed, loose-leafed, dog-earred, but very interesting. Imagine my delight when I learned they were being reprinted. Presently, I am buying them for my granddaughter. Having performed some genealogical research, I find that Colonel Barton, who captured General Preston in this story, was a distant relative of mine. I went to church in the meeting house at Warwick. It still stands. I have no reason but to believe that Alice Turner Curtis, the author, researched her books well, and that her writtings have historic happenings supporting them. Give to all the female 9-10-year-olds and enjoy them yourself. They may lack sophistication for many 11-12 year-old girls of today, but read them to your child or grandchild and establish a bond. These make excellent gifts to "young maids."

This book told about the Revolutionary War through the story of 11 year old Penelope Balfourd, who lives on a farm on Rhode Island with her mother and older brother Ted while her father fights in the American army. Penelope is determined to do something for her country. She manages to deliver a message to the American army. Because of her message a British officer is captured. I really enjoyed this book.

Very well written book, containing both the background and the travel info on Java! MUCH better than the Java section of the general Indonesia guide... lots of "off the beaten track" places included.

This is one of the better travel books I've ever used. It provides information about food, lodging, and activites that are helpful whether you're travelling on an unlimited or, like me, a shoestring budget. The maps are helpful; very detailed and usually only showing the parts of cities that are interesting to tourists. There are excellent and insightful cultural essays that really add to the traveller's enjoyment.

Take this book if you're off to Java. It's a wonderful wonderful place, so don't miss it if you've ever considered going East!

This is the book, that you have to take with you. Its not the first time I took Lonley planet books with me. Its saved me a lot of money with very good b&b recommendations. The money you spend for the book you probablly earn the first night you take the advice about the hotels.

I encountered this book in the late 80's, and it became one of the most influential books in my life.

This book, essentially collates, combines, and compares theories of how the human mind works, finding parallels, offering interpretations, and finding intersections of ideas. From Frued to Marx, Jung to Blake, it's an amazing trip through explanations of "us," and served as my first introduction to concepts of cybernetics and feedback in mental and information systems.

If you're involved in psychology, social work, programming, writing, anything that touches on the mind and information, get it and read it. You'll be a much richer person for it.

I bought this book years ago, and now need to replace it. With a brilliant layout of a cartoon, an abstract, and then a one or two page essay, Charles describes how people have thought about mind from very early times. His summaries are absolutely brilliant, and the insights from Freud to de Bono to ... are illuminating.

Maps of the Mind is an excellent review volume that integrates and condenses many different perspectives concerning the nature of the human mind. Using the metaphor of a map, the author organizes the work of several prestigious authors and theorists into 9 different levels, from the mechanistic and physiological to the paradigmatic and mythological. Probing, entertaining, and thought provoking, Maps of the Mind will provide you with a sophisticated and breathtaking vista on the intricacies of the human psyche.

This is a tale wonderfully told of an explorer's quest to fill in the blank spots on the map of Asia. Not only does Hedin present a clear and highly entertaining view of his travels, but he also gives us a portrait of his character. He shows us that he is a man with high goals and is undeterred in achieving those goals, even when all odds are against him. He shows us that he is also a very caring man, very much concerned about the welfare of his men and his animals. He also is a man that is awestruck by nature and is very concerned about not unduly intruding upon it or unnecessarily destroying it.

But most of all, this is an adventure story that is just plain fun to read.

A suggestion to readers who are not very familiar with the geography of central Asia would be to have on hand some good maps as the ones Hedin draws are quite limited and often fail to give the perspective that may be desireable.

I concur with NDylanRay@aol.com. This book is exceptional. I could hardly put it down. You feel the excitement and intensity of his adventures, you begin to understand the force that drives him (and you respect him for it), and you meet the people and the places that make Turkestan and Tibet 100 years ago like no place that you could ever imagine.

Sven Hedin's "My Life as an Explorer" is an exceptional work. Stylistically situated somewhere in between scholarly works such as those by Aurel Stein and pure "adventure for its own sake" works such as those by Thesiger, Hedin's explorations are astounding and wonderful stories. His bravery and thirst for adventure are unmatched--he seems to have a total inability to turn back from his goals. Yet the goals are noble, and his methods meticulous and scholarly, so one is not left with the impression that he is simply a daredevil seeking thrills. He singlehandedly filled in, in a fairly detailed manner, one of the last white spaces of "terra incognita" on the map of the world.

At certain moments in the book, especially (in my opinion) the discussions of the Lama Rinpoche, who vows to remain walled inside his cave for his entire life, Hedin's narrative reaches the heights of great literature, placing his work, I believe, among the greatest travel or exploration writings ever produced.

This book is highly recommended and some day I promise u I will put it to good use and so will Ariana...

And Kay I have realised something very important from reading throw this book as well as living the life that I have lived its all about a 'powerful name' and I thank you very, very much for writing this book and I will treasure it indefinitely.

The dedication is right on. This book contains memories as well as info about names. If I knew Mary's complete e-mail address, I'd share a lot more about favorite names. For the top girl's name, I'd pick Ariana. For the boy's top name, I'd pick Damian.

There is a great story behind this book, and if the readers were privi to this information they would enjoy it a zillion time more. I would like to share the information how about you? Contact me !

Love Mary Randolph

Muri@yahoo.com

Pauline Kael once wrote of a film, "I'm scared to say how good I think this movie is." That's how I feel about this book. The pictures cover a wide variety of subjects, from urban landscapes to intimate family scenes to nearly abstract images of the commonplace, but they are consistently engaging, thematically and artistically. All of the photographs are black-and-white, many are dark with multiple gradations of gray, and most are shot with ambient light. De Carava was a painter before he became a photographer, and that background shows in his appreciation for composition and the use of light. Anyone who doubts that photography can rise to the level of art should spend some time with these images.

There are so many great pictures in this book that it's hard to pick just a few favorites. But "Dancers, New York City," "Woman Walking, Above," "Sam Laughing," "Gittel" and "Graduation Day" would all be toward the top of my list. There are also a number of interesting shots of writers, artists and musicians who were part of African-American New York City arts scene in the 1950s and early 60s.

The prefatory essays are helpful and informative, but it's the photos themselves that are the stars of this show.

Roy de Carava's photographs are simply breathtaking.

It is really unfortunate that the book is no longer available in its softcover edition. Could we convince MOMA to make it accessible to people who can't pay sixty bucks for a book?

Although I am a serious amateur photographer, and student of the history of photography, I admit to being ignorant of DeCarava's work. A visit to the current DeCarava exhibition at Atlanta's High Museum changed that. He is an outstanding black and white photographer, with a tendency to produce dark and moody scenes. The images work. Each one seems to clearly convey the artists intent. He shows mastery in all of his varied works whether street scenes, portraits, abstractions, or still lifes. I couldn't leave the museum without buying this book.

How can you describe a book which touches you at so many levels? First it is a good story that forces you to reevaluate everyday life and things you take for granted. Then it show you how the powers of this world manipulate us to make our own minds our worst enemies but the book does not leave us there. "Secret" takes us on a journey of liberation and on a no-holds barred battle for freedom and justice. The reader clearly sees that there are some things we must do for ourselves. On the surface, one might think Secret was a Black book but it is as universal as Herman Hesse's Sidhartha or Homer's epic tale, the "Odyssey." You read it knowing that it is cutting through our deception with the authority of a Holy Book, yet it is not preachy. We are co-adventurers with the main character Zafir. We see the truth for ourselves, discover with him, moment by moment. I recommend The Secret of Freedom to anyone who is trying to make sense of this world and would like an uncompllicated but clear account. Written before the movie, "The Matrix," it reflects a similar Philosophy, while showing us that the power to break free is ours already. You will read The Secret of Freedom again and again.

If I could write 1,000 words here about Kitabu's book Secret I would. However, I can't even put what I feel about his book into one sentence. This book is so many things in one, that you just sit back after reading it a say one word, "Wow." I very much wish I could convey my thoughts into words for this book, but I don't think they have words for what I feel. I was so moved. Thanks for another very well written book Kitabu.

A lovely mountain-mist prose, exciting insight, race, discovery, self, freedom: these are his tools. The result is The Secret of Freedom.

I am a journalist who met Kitabu while he was in Jamaica and had an opportunity to review his book for a national paper....

Extending beyond our 'limitations' Secret beautifully and almost poetically defines the idea that self is a great thing, individual and untouchable -- a core that makes the externals (like skin colour) irrelevant.

Written with such self-assured insight that you begin to feel: "Right, RIGHT, that's IT!", Secret offers a gently prodding look at the old problems. It is exciting to walk with Zafir through his discoveries that freedom lies within himself, and that the imprisoned can be free, even while those who imprison can be chained. The 'secret' isn't a secret at all, but something that is known if you make any attempt to find it within yourself: freedom is the acknowledgment of self, that untouchable core. And Kitabu communicates all this in a simple style that offers a greater vitality to the strength of these truths.

The book is a communion with the reader. You feel the freedom here, than read about it, you become Zafir. I cannot think of a better tribute to an author.

It quite obviously doesn't hurt that the author is a Zen practitioner and martial arts expert brought up in a Christian home, who has studied and published poetry.

His work is a blend of all these, and adds a behind the scenes richness to Secret...

Because Mr. Kohl will blow you away!!!! This is a fine book. The research is impeccable. The photos are sublime. Kudos to the author!!! I saw Mr. Kohl give the commencement address at the University of Chicago and the crowd was mesmerized. Most likely, because he hadn't been invited by the school to give it.

Leonard Kohl's first book is a fine effort, a splendid purchase for any fan of the big three horror icons who made serials. It is loaded with interesting facts. Where else could you discover that silent comedy star Harry Langdon almost co-starred with Lugosi in THE WHISPERING SHADOW. The book is chock full of rare photos, and they are a genuine treat. Fans of Charle Chan would be happy to find rare photos of Warner Oland from silent serials. This volume is a recommended purchase. As an author myself, I can see the hard work and dedication that went ito this volume.

Kudos to Kohl, who has done a fine job in presenting an informative, and always fair-handed, look at a fascinating period in movie-making. This is clearly the product of pains-taking research, resulting in a heaping-helping of historical data, elucidating testimonials, with a rich array of pictures to boot. No true fan of "the screamsome threesome"--Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney--and the too-often overlooked serials gentre, should miss this.

For anyone interested in understanding the cultural phenomenom that is Bob Jones University, this book is a must. There is no substitute for this detailed, documented history of the school.

As a former student, I can better appreciate Bob Jones University after reading this excellent history book. I was not aware of all the struggles that this institution went through. BJU is still a working miracle.

This book is an answer to the questions and rumors that circulate in today's world! It is an accurate history of Bob Jones University founded by Dr. Bob Jones in 1927. It explains its beginnings, struggles and unwavering Biblical stands that has made it what it is today.