I am one of those people who has read Walden over and over again over a period of decades, and have owned several editions. This is by far the best I have seen. It is quite helpful in the explanations it provides for some of the more obscure passages, is beautifully put together, and is simply a pleasure to read.

Thoreau was part crank and part visionary, like a crazy uncle. I am glad to have known him through his books. Taken with a grain of salt, his perspectives are refreshing and often illuminating. He helps his readers see there are indeed different ways to look at the world.

For 2 years and 2 months, Thoreau decided to live life in the Concord Wilderness near Walden Pond, as an experiment. He wanted to see if complete self-reliance was possible. As an experiment in pure solitary living, unaided by the trapping and encumberances of society, Thoreau failed. But as a book of profound insight and beauty, Waldon ranks supreme in the history of American literature, and the bulk of his insights and observations stand. I say failed, because Thoreau often spent evenings at the town pub, drink and talking, where from he would stumble home drunk without the aid of lamp light to find his way. Moreover, asside from a doting mother who would often bring him homemade victuals as a break from mountain berries and salted meats, he often stayed over with the Emersons when the loneliness was particularly biting. So clearly Thoreau was never as detached from society as he would have us believe, and yet that is neither here nor there. Thoreau was an amazing writer, an observant naturalist, brilliant social critic, and perhaps the most singular individual America has ever known - and for that Thoreau cannot be beat. edition of Waldon is particularly good, in that Hardin has done exactly what all editors should do. In keeping with the Thoreauvian motto, he has made the text simple and accessable, clarifying points with annotation and references. After reading Waldon, you might also want to check Harding's biography of Thoreau, which I highly recommend. Among other things, you will learn about his trouble with women. (Interestingly, like many philospohers, Thoreau died a virgin.)

Just as Alexander carried a copy of the Iliad in a precious cask, I have cherished a dog-eared and well marked copy of Walden for a quarter of a century. Now at last we have a binding worthy of one of the greatest books of all time. The embossed cover, the lavishly illustrated endpapers and page footers, the vast number of drawings from Thoreau's pen, and the detailed Masorah-like marginalia elucidate the familiar text and enrich the reading experience. The many references in the notes to Thoreau's Journal have lead me far afield into the various editions of the Journal (at least those I can afford). This is a first rate edition which I hope to carry with me the rest of my life.

Ah, what can I say about such an important book in my life?

Hans is a poor boy who dreams of riding dressage with the Spanish Riding School of his native Vienna. He attains his goal through hard work and perseverance, by his own merit and against the odds. The book is beautifully written with a flowing narrative style, engaging for both adults and children. The illustrations are the best I have seen from Dennis, at times humorous, at times scholarly, and always precise.

I did my senior thesis on the birth of dressage in the Renaissance, but without this book I would never have even heard of Xenophon, or the passage, or known that the Ancient Greeks rode without stirrups. I illustrated it with my own copies of Wesley Dennis's drawings from this book.

Also highly recommended as horsey history, "Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio" by the same writer/illustrator team.

If you would like to find out more about Classical dressage please check out Laura Camins's "Glorious Horsemen" and Walter Leitdke's "Royal Horse and Rider," both of which deal with the birth of dressage in the Renaissance according to modern scholarship, and by extension the noble equestrian ballets of which the Spanish Riding school is the last still extant. Did you know that the Louvre's great central courtyard was designed to accommodate horse ballets exactly like those in this book?

When I first read this book, when I was about seven years old, I owned a Lipizzan mare of my own. She was for me what Borina was to Hans, my schoolmaster. She was small and gray, with a wide girth, branded, and very long lived. She would do caprioles as we galloped through the field, I kid you not. Were it not for this book I would not have the words to describe her, to remember her like this, and so I am indebted Marguerite Henry.

To bring one spark of beauty into the world is worth a life's dedication, is it not? Certainly mine.

Read the book and you will understand.

If you have any doubts about purchasing this book, forget them and buy it now. I was given this book when I was a child (20 years ago) and it thrills to me to this day. Ms. Henry writes with such imagery that you find yourself caught up as Hans, the young boy who is captivated by the stallions. Not only is the writing terrific, but so is the artwork. This story is one of my all-time favorites.

This is the story of Hans, a young Austrian boy that wishes more than anything to work with the "Dancing White Horses," the Lipizzaner stallions of Vienna. In the story he is accepted to the Spanish Riding School, the finest riding school in the world, and then the work begins. Teamed with his patient instructors, one two-legged and one four-legged, Hans sets out to achieve his dream and prove to everyone that any goal is possible with dedication. This is my all-time favorite horse story; the characters are believeable, the illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is timeless.

Ok amazing is kinda a strong word, but as far as understanding goes, this book is awesome. I mean it has everything that you would think to ask and I have read alot of books, but I HIGHLY recommend this one to be your first and I am a pretty tough critic.

This is an excellent introduction to the psychic dimension and metaphysics in general.
In part one, the author explores some universal concepts that serve to explain the nature of reality and how psychic awareness is a natural part of that reality. The work of Fritjof Capra, Gary Zukav, Lawrence LeShan, Rupert Sheldrake and Carl Jung is referred to in these chapters and it makes interesting reading.
Part two discusses some of the more common psychic experiences and how to evoke them - through intuition, dreams, meditation and hypnosis. I found the chapters on dreams and dreaming the most interesting. When we dream, our vibrational pattern shifts and we tune to a different spectrum of reality. And if you want to become psychic in a graceful manner, you must allow it to grow out of the practice of meditation.
Part three probes the role of the body, mind and soul in psychic awareness. It discusses the hologram, morphogenetic fields, the conscious, subconscious, superconscious and infinite mind. It also includes a "second verse" to the children's bedtime prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep" in these words received in trance:
"I thy child forever play, about thy knees at close of day, within thy arms I now shall creep, and learn thy wisdom while I sleep."
Part four provides some experiments for the reader that wishes to venture into this exciting realm, and discusses the ultimate purpose of psychic awareness. It includes planning, dream recording, using a pendulum, mental telepathy, open channelling and cultivating one's spirituality. The book concludes with a discussion of psychic awareness as harbinger of global changes, followed by a bibliography and index.
This is a highly impressive text, dealing with all the relevant aspects of the psychic realm and how to cultivate one's psychic powers. The style is engaging throughout and easy to understand. I highly recommend it as a sensible guide to those who are interested in metaphysics but confused by the large number of disciplines and books available.

This is really a good book. It gives a very lucid explanation on how amazing intelligence and psychic abilities can be. It covers a lot of material and is written with an holographic overtone. Learn how to awake from hypnosis - as it were a sugar cube in your hands.

My third time reading it! The Movie would be a really decent contemporary sequel to "Close Encounters", because it's that different. The Ace Bark character (Art Bell...sort of?) is a great addition, and there are unpredictable twists every few pages! I'm glad I read it ahead of the pack. Watch out! Sooner or later this will be a movie. Uh huh. That's what I know.

Mr. Raymond may have been an extra-terrestrial himself in one of his lifetimes ~ his sense of the understanding of things outside our realm comes through that strongly. This book is a total escape from the mundane and a real page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what in this world can explain these weird occurrences. His visualization is spooky. A good read.

With all of the so-called sci-fi books out there, it is nice to know that there are a few that occupy the fields of true science-fiction and literature. Henry Raymond's "Third Kind of Midnight" is a credible combination of post-modern literature and science, along with a little mystery thrown in. While keeping the story believable, the author takes the reader much, much farther down the road than any X Files episode ever has....

If you are a fan of Antarctic exploration then this wonderful book should be in your library. Many know the incredible story of the Endurance and the trials those 28 men endured when the ship was locked in the ice and eventually crushed. The beauty of this book is that it documents the story with the remarkable photos of the expedition photographer, Australian Frank Hurley. When you consider the time period of this story (1914-1916) you can only marvel that Hurley produced such amazing images with the equipment that was available at that time. Additionally, the initial introduction to this photo collection is excellent. It presents a good recap of the Endurance expedition with many quotes from crewmembers that have not appeared in previous books.If you are a professional photographer, or even an amateur, the information on Hurley's equipment and the story of his early training will be of special interest. The over 500 photos will hold your interest for hours! I've read almost every book on Endurance and this will rank as one of my favorites.

I was fortunate that I could follow Shakelton on T.V. while reading and viewing these excellent pictures. This book is outstanding and I would urge anyone interested in either Shakelton or photography to get it. I could not help but think that every member of this expedition had story to tell. We have heard only a few. Amazing the limits of human endurance and to think that they had a photographer with them who realized what he was filming, and did so for all of us to see.To Hurley was far ahead of his time, and I am inclined to think that Ansel Adams had probably learned from Mr. Hurley.

This is the most defenitive retelling of Shackleton's adventure in pictures. Frank Hurley was an exceptional photographer who just happened to take pictures of a journey that without them would be simply unbelievable. Any Hurley's picture of the Endurance expedition is a treasure, and in this book are all of them!

I had been searching for God and the meaning of life for as long as I can remember. All that changed the moment I read Aham Da Asmi: Beloved, I Am Da; I knew in my heart that God had found me, at last -- the Living God is here for the sake of all beings! Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj's love and compassion is revealed in this amazing book. Never has such a proclamation so profound and moving ever been uttered. It has changed the course of my life, and I am eternally His devotee.

It is no longer necessary to wonder "where" God is, "what" God is or "who" God is. The great philosophical questions from time immemorial have all been answered by the Avataric Revelation of Adi Da Samraj, as communicated in Aham Da Asmi. Read this book, and you will surely see this is so-- and you will marvel at the glory and the beauty of this Divine Revelation.

There are several reasons why every person should read Aham Da Asmi. I have read it, and my life has been changed. That's an extreme statement to make about a book, but you will understand how I could say such a thing when you read Aham Da Asmi.

In Aham Da Asmi, Avatar Adi Da speaks in plain, straightforward language. What I appreciate the most is being addressed so directly-- for in this book, Adi Da speaks directly to the heart, and the more He spoke to my heart, the more He brought my heart to the fore as the one receiving His Revelation. I soon found myself in a "conversation" in which all my real questions were being answered. And the answers were plain Truth, spoken with the clarity and authority of one who knows. This book reveals Adi Da's utter commitment to engaging the heart of every being in a sacred dialogue. I have always looked for people who are interested in the great matters of life and spirituality, and if you are such a person, I am happy to introduce this book to you.

Sam Fuller is a filmmaker unknown to most Americans, but for years a favorite in France, thanks to such fervid acoyltes as Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. Such 50s classics as "The Steel Helmet" and "Pickup on South Street" made Fuller, along with Nicholas ("Rebel Without a Cause") Ray a favorite of the Cahiers du Cinema crowd.

But Fuller was more than just a director. He had been a newspaperman in New York's tabloid era of the 20s and 30s. He was an infantryman on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He had met just about everyone worth meeting -- from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone. And he is, as his autobiography "A Third Face" most eloquently demonstrates, a magnificent storyteller.

The section of the book dealing with Fuller's experiences in World War II make for amazingly gripping reading -- and I would like for people like Donald Rumsfeld to take a gander at Fuller's account of what warfare is really like before they send young Americans into combat any time soon. Fuller writes about war in all its hallucinatory insanity (as he waded through the blood and body parts to get onto Omaha Beach he saw a man's mouth -- just his mouth -- floating in the water), and it's not a story you're likely to forget.

His exploits in Hollywood, while not as gripping, are equally fascinating. Fuller clearly pines for the old days when moguls like Darryl Zanuck would protect a writer's vision and a deal could be counted on even if it was only a handshake. And while Fuller made his share of career mistakes (he turned down both "The Longest Day" and "Patton," for example), his filmography is an eloquent tribute to a man who wanted to make his films his way -- no matter what the cost.

The book is not perfect, though. It is marred by many factual errors (to give just one example, he discusses meeting French film critic Andre Bazin at a time when Bazin had been dead for years), and at times he seems suspiciously eager to belie his reputation as a right-wing filmmaker. His use of language can get a little repetitious (if I had a dollar for every time he uses the word "yarn" in this book I could buy everything on my Wish List), and I found myself wondering just how much of the text had actually been written by Fuller's wife, Christa (one of two credited co-writers), and not by its putative author.

All those reservations aside, this is a book that will keep you up late (that is, if I'm any indication -- I finished it at dawn), and that truly earns the description of "impossible to put down." You should put it on your bookshelf alongside Frank Capra's great (and equally inaccurate) "The Name Above the Title." Assuming that you don't take the author's word for gospel, and you're willing to accept the fact that he will never let the facts get in the way of a good story, it's an engrossing and unforgettable read.

An amazing man, an amazing life, an amazing body of work. Sam Fuller was the real deal, he lived the life of 10 men. As a boy selling newspapers, to being a teenage crime reporter to a writer of pulp fiction. At age 29 Sam joined the army, he turned down the cushy army journalist job to be in first infantry "The Big Red One". The book covers his fighting in N. Africa, Italy, and his role in the third row of boats landing on Normandy. Later, he went to Hollywood and directed films, his way, one of the first independent filmmakers. He made "Merril's Mauraders, I shot Jesse James, Run of the Arrow, Pickup on South Street and the Steel Helmet. In the 60's he made the classic pulp films "Shock Corridor" and "The Naked Kiss" ...

He was offered "Patton" but wouldn't do it because he though Patton was an jerk. He was offered John Wayne movies, but wouldn't do it because he thought Wayne was a phony. He had full control of his films, when that was a rarity.

In 1980, after 20+years of wrangling, he finally made the film based on his battle history, "The Big Red One" with James Coburn. Probably the most realistic WWII film out there.

Fuller died a few years back, unknown to many, but loved by those in the know.

Sam Fuller lived the life of 10 men and his book is the best read I've had in years, go get it.

Samuel Fuller did have a full life and you read about it here. His details of his life while in the Army during WWII is one of the best as is his teen years learning the newspaper reporting business. He had too many valleys in his life (don't most of us?}and the peaks were short lived. There is no gossip in this book, but an interesting story for all...not just movie buffs.

This is the Apollo 13 story almost exclusively from the Mission Control perspective. It very thorougly and completely details what went on in Houston from the moment of the "accident" to the recovery of the astronauts. This book helped me to understand how critical Mission Control is to space flights, how the astronauts are not necessarily piloting their spacecraft but that it is a joint effort. I was surpised by many facts given here such as that Mission Control had more information about the status of the spacecraft than the astronauts themselves. The author does an outstanding job of expalining the technicalities of what happened and why without making you feel like a dummy.

Through the lens of 25 years, it is very interesting to read this account and feel some of the respect and almost naivete the author and the public felt for NASA and the government at large that has long since been lost. I also enjoyed how the book was divided into three sections "Out" "Around" "Home".

I did feel the book suffered from its narrow focus on Mission Control only during the duration of the "event," and no pictures -- none and only one line diagram. These are small complaints, however. The book makes a wonderful companion to Jim Lovell's account.

The first detailed account of the Apollo 13 accident (this book originally came out in the early 70's) and one of the best (second only to Lovell's "Lost Moon"). Cooper tells the entire mission story and uses many of the Mission Control transcripts that (in my opinion) are the difference between a third person telling of a mission story or a feeling of actually being there. This book has been re-printed, so it's availability isn't an issue. Read this along with Lost Moon and you'll see the blatant errors in the movie "Apollo 13". Highly recommended.

A short anecdote:

After reading "A Man on the Moon" by the great A. Chaikin (space author, god-like genius) I developed a ravenous hunger for any reading material relating to the early space program (and Apollo in general). So when I saw this old book, "13: the flight that failed", in my school's library, I HAD to read it!

I was not disappointed. Mr. Cooper's book is THE story of Apollo 13.

I appreciate the fact that Jim Lovell's book "Lost Moon" was written as a first hand account but it seems a little mishandled (most likely Kluger's influence) and didn't live up to it's full potential. Furthermore, It is more of a biography of Jim Lovell. "13: the flight that failed" sums it all up nicely in a gripping yet thoughtful manner.

btw: "A House in Space" (i think by Cooper also but i'm not sure) is a great story of the Skylab space station

"...Best of Intentions provides a timely and well-reasoned history of U.S. attempts to prevent the spread of nuclear materials. Henry Sokolski has succeeded in setting forth the current dilemmas facing present-day decision makers and making a compelling analysis of where past policies have gone right or wrong."
Representative Edward J. Markey, (D-Massachusetts), Co-Chairman of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation

"...informed and trenchant...offers valuable insights and presents important challenges - not only to those who have advocated prior non-proliferation initiatives, but to those who contend that there are better options..."
Alton Frye, Vice President, Council on Foreign Relations

"Henry Sokolski has done us all a great service by parsing, briefly and succinctly, the tangled history of nonproliferation, and relating it to the problems we face today."
James Woolsey, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency

"This is an outstanding survey, analysis and critique ...a vitally important addition to the reading lists and libraries of scholars, policymakers, and others having an interest in U.S. national security strategy, technology transfer, arms control and proliferation."
Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

"For any Democrat or Republican wishing to rethink what our nonproliferation policies should be, Best of Intentions is the place to begin."
William Kristol, Editor, The Weekly Standard

"...an indispensable primer on a long and crucial battle we may now be losing."
Peter W. Rodman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

"A fascinating history and penetrating critique of U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy."
Frank Von Hippel, Princeton University, former arms control advisor to the Clinton Administration

"...raises fundamental strategic questions that must be addressed...a thoughtful, welcome provocation."
George Perkovich, author, India's Nuclear Bomb, director of the Alton Jones Foundation

"The Scrapbook is pleased to report the publication of a fine new book by Weekly Standard contributor and weapons-technology expert Henry Sokolski. Best of Intentions is a significant work of scholarship: the first comprehensive history of American efforts to stop the global spread of strategic weapons capabilities since World War II. Any self respecting grown-up will want to buy a copy immediately."
The Weekly Standard

"...This sobering analysis is must reading for scholars and policy makers alike."
Henry Rowen, Stanford University, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

"...a reference work no serious student of these matters should be without."
Gordon C. Oehler, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency's Nonproliferation Center

The Weekly Standard May 7, 200l Scrapbook, page 3 Book Notes

The Scrapbook is pleased to report the publication of a fine new book by Weekly Standard contributor and weapons-technology expert Henry Sokolski. Best of Intentions is a significant work of scholarship: the first comprehensive history of American efforts to stop the global spread of strategic weapons capabilities since World War II. Any self-respecting grown-up will want to buy a copy immediately.

Best of Intentions: America's Campaign Against Strategic Weapons Proliferation -- A Practical Primer

As reviewed in ORBIS Summer 2001, By Mark T. Clark,Ph.D., Director of National Security Studies, California State University at San Bernardino.

Henry Sokolski, in his Best of Intentions, expressly eschews the search for the causes of proliferation and instead prefers to evaluate efforts to prevent proliferation in the first place. A former military legislative analyst in the Senate and an official in the Department of Defense during the first Bush administration, he currently heads the nonprofit Nonproliferation Policy Education Center in Washington, D.C. His interests, therefore, lie in the search for practical answers to policy questions, not in the development of theory per se. He proposes to determine how effective U.S. and international efforts have been in curbing proliferation, and specifically intends to "identify and weigh the premises of U.S. nonproliferation policies (p. xii).

His book is divided into seven chapters, the first and last of which deal with the history and future of nonproliferation. The five central chapters are analytic histories of the major nonproliferation policies: the Baruch Plan, the Atoms for Peace Program, the NPT, proliferation technology control regimes, and the U.S. Counterproliferation Initiative. According to Sokolski, each of the initiatives had distinct assumptions that were built upon an assessment of the strategic dangers that needed to be avoided at the time, and each was designed to correct the failures of its precursors. He further argues that "[t]o the extent each characterized the strategic threat properly, they produced nonproliferation measures that were sound. To the extent that they did not, they encouraged measures that were impractical or that actually compounded the proliferation threats they were supposed to reduce" (p. xii).

How U.S. leaders characterized the strategic threat makes for an interesting approach to the periods under examination. It also reminds the reader that there is always a strategic context to policy, and favored solution to perceived problems. In other words, policymakers' assumptions about the world tend to influence their responses to it. For example, after World War II, American policy makers worried that the spread of nuclear weapons would inevitably generate undeterrable wars against which no defense was possible. Since the United States would not be able to deflect potential offensive nuclear wars, it sought to retain sole ownership of nuclear weapons. The Baruch Plan that was offered to the United Nations in 1946 provided, among other things, that anything critical to nuclear bomb making be turned over to the control of an international atomic energy authority, a meritorious proposal in itself. However, the United States' exaggerated fears of undeterrable offensive nuclear wars made it crucial for the country to maintain it sole nuclear monopoly until thorough safeguards were in place - and that condition alone provided the Soviets with the reason to reject it.

The drafters of the Nonproliferation Treaty of l968 had their own strategic assumptions, which continue to fuel debate over nonproliferation policies today. At the heart of the first three articles of the NPT are concerns about the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons, that is, the spread of nuclear weapons to nonnuclear states. The original Irish proposal in l958 reflected the early fears that the addition of new nuclear powers would lead to international instability, making nuclear war more likely. Before the NPT was finished, however, negotiators began fearing the effects of vertical proliferation, that is, the accumulation of nuclear weapons by the superpowers targets against one another, which could lead to accidental or unauthorized nuclear war. Today some states refuse to sign the NPT unless and until the major powers move more drastically toward disarmament. In the meantime, the dangers of horizontal proliferation continue to grow.

Sokolski's history and analysis would seem to be premised on political realism. In the concluding chapter, however, his prescriptions for new nonproliferation policies reflect a different theoretical bent. Since there are limits and weakness to all the previous policies, he argues, new initiatives must focus on issues more lasting than technological or military contingencies. The next counterproliferation campaign must be anchored in larger policies that distinguish between liberal and hostile illiberal regimes in an effort to broaden, over the long run, the "zones of peace" and shrink "zones of conflict." In other words, Sokolski relies on a form of the "democratic peace theory," which suggests that democracies do not wage war against other democracies. This idea has broad acceptance among American political leaders, from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton to George W. Bush.

Not a bad book. He gets the point across about communicating with horses. Mr Blake a great trick of telling funny anecdotes to get his point across. I haven't had enough to do with horses to confirm the ESP thing yet.

It was entertaining as well as informative. As a new horse owner I am glad it was the first book I read on the subject. Effective communication skills is a must wheather you are a first time or long time horse owner. It was very helpful to be educated on the psyche, and language of horses and to be given examples that just like people, horses each have their own individual personalities. Mr. Blake has had experience with a large number of horses over the years and has developed a reputation for his patience and handling of difficult horses....and reading about how much enjoyment he received from it was a real inspiration!

Sherry and James Fannon

Henry Blake's first book is wonderful. It is not only a retelling of personal experiences but full of practical advice as well. Blake has several useful suggestions for improving the relationship you have with your horse.