I am not related to Leon Battista Alberti...but I thought I would do a review of this book for the simple reason, I have read it.

An indepth look at both a Renaissance man and his times. The balance of information and readability for the less than committed scholar, gives this biography a wide range of appeal. If you like Italian history, especially of the Renaissance with a bit psychological and social analysis, you'll find it here.

The chapters are divided up into different interests, but you can skip around easily. Overall a very readable approach to a biography that covers quite a bit of academic insight.

My surname is Alberti (52 years old), I am a direct decendant of Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72). It was a very personal experience to read Mr. Graftons book. How often in this fast paced world do we forget our roots and our heritage. Since my father is still living there are 4 generations of Alberti's all residing in the United States. I appreciated Mr. Graftons style of brining to life the man behind the ledgend. Thank you Mr. Grafton, you have added much to the completion of the history of my family and ancestory.

I can't say enough about this tape and book! I started playing this tape for my son when he was about 2. He loved it. Everytime we drove in the car, he wanted to hear it. It's got a fun beat (easy for parents to listen to!) and a great book with lots of color. In fact, I had to order extra books, because his friends wanted to have their own when they were in the car. My son turned 6 in December. He began sounding out words when he was 4, and was reading words on his own by 4 1/2. Now he's way beyond any of his peers, reading at the 3rd grade, 8th month level. His spelling is also exceptional. I truely believe I owe it to his early introduction to this book!

I purchased Rock 'N Learn Letter Sounds for my two year old daughter. She loved following along in the work book to the very catchy songs. There are many colorful pictures to hold her interest. Also, it has a quick pace to keep her interested, but not too fast for her to keep up. She learned her letters and all their sounds before she turned three. We are now moving on to side two of the tape that teaches her to read whole words. I went to a local teacher supply store and asked for a recommendation for teaching early phonics. They told me this was the best out there. I agree. Furthermore, the music is actually pretty good so it doesn't drive parents crazy.

The essays in this book are valuable for many different reasons. They speak to the conflict (clash?) between Islamic civilization and Western civilization and more particularly between the Islamic Republic of Iran (that great sponsor of world terrorism) and the United States. They also address human rights, women's rights, the rights of religous minorities inside Iran and so on. There are also some never before revealed nuggets from the former U.S. Ambassador who was held hostage inside Iran between 1979-81. He reveals a never before reported incident as he was boarding the plane to leave Tehran after being held hostage for 444 days. This would make for a complete collection but the collection of letters and essays is even more amazing because it contains an essay by Anthony Dennis which not only addresses in illuminating detail the writings and political thought of the reformist Iranian President Mohammad Khatami but also provides an historical view by someone living at the end of the 20th century of American civilization. I think this book and Dennis's impressive essay will become historically significant in future centuries when historians and American studies experts look back on how a prominent American citizen viewed his own civilization and its role in the world at the end of the 20th century.

This is an insightful and interesting read as well as an impassioned called for reform for a county that practices brutality and terrorism. The letters that appear in this book provide great solace and inspiration for anyone who is concerned with human rights and personal freedom. Lets hope that President Khatami and other rulers of the oppressed take the message of this book seriously.

This tape is a great relaxer after a stressful day
at work.

This cassette was produced by a board certified music therapist, Sr. Jean Anthony Gileno, Ph.D. The piano runs on this tape were composed to facilitate relaxation as well to elicit an awareness of our unique spirituality and purpose in the universe. (See Doves of Peace.)

I was given this book by a Friend when my husband died suddenly and unexpectantly. I gained great comfort and peace from this little book and I then sent it to a friend just recently who had also lost her husband. I highly recommend this book for the comfort it gives.

When my daughter was killed I was inundated with inspirational, uplifting books. I was in great pain, not ready to be uplifted. Someone who knew me well gave me this one.

It is full of poetry & prose about how I was really feeling, not how I SHOULD be feeling. It made me cry a lot, which was the best thing in the world to be doing in the beginning. I was reminded over & over again by characters from the Bible, from the classics, from every walk of life, that I was not the first person to feel this way. It reassured me that I was in stellar company, King David to C.S. Lewis, & I too would recover. I carried it with me for more than a year. Better than a live-in "shrink."

It's rare that I encounter a book in English that I need to read with a dictionary handy. Anthony Burgess' autobiography is the first book which has forced this in quite a while. The life itself was rather fascinating, covering primarily that portion of Burgess' life before he became a writer. This is the point in a writer's life which is interesting. After they settle into the task of actually writing, their lives tend to become dull as dirt.

Anthony Burgess, the great linguistic writer of the 20th century, has succeeded in publishing something quite out of the ordinary-- he has written an autobiography actually worth reading. With most autobiographies, the authors tend to center on themselves, writing with the condescending bathos that only exists when one is talking of oneself. Burgess, on the other, hand, establishes his literary hubris early on, yet it never becomes condescending nor immitigably self-centered. He writes as one who realises both his genius as well as his shortcomings. The former he shows in his erodite vocabulary, his obscure puns, and his awe-inspiring knowledge of etymology; the latter is shown in his failure in school, his impersonal and inadequate personality, his extreme shortcomings as a husband, and his extessentialist-like apathy regarding death.

What ultimately sets him apart from other autobiographers, as mentioned earlier, is that he seems to center on others moreso than himself; in "Little Wilson and Big God, the tumultuous 20th century is viewed through a myriad of reference frames, all of which are given equal importance (even those, strangely enough, that would be seen to disagree with his opines).

Being a Burgess novel, one can expect to see highly established vocabulary; he frequently makes references to and puns in foreign languages, from Anglo-Saxon to ancient Gaelic. In one case, he tells of translating popular song into Latin. However, as opposed to his Clockwork Orange, he does not speak in some imagined colloquial dialect, and his excellent points are therefore not lost to the audience.

If someone is looking for an autobiography that can actually offer insight into the mind of a genius, look no further than this gem of a work.

This review is for the book: Living Heart Diet
by Dr. William Debakey, et al.

This is an excellent book for those who have had heart problems and for those who do not want to develop heart problems. Poor diet (high fat/cholesterol) is one of the main risk factors for heart disease -- excess cholesterol lays a foundation of plaque in your arteries that can eventually cause heart attacks and/or necessitate heart surgery. This book was developed to help us all eat right and help avoide disease. This book contains recipes, education about heart disease, and nutrition and sodium tables for most of the foods you eat. This is an excellent resource! Use it in good health!

I'm a diabetic and recently had a quadruple bypass. After being introduced to this book, I devoured it and now live it.

Simply the best work available on Indian Removal, in my opinion. It is highly regarded among academic historians. Wallace did a tremendous job of writing clearly and making the plight of the Indians understandable to anyone. It is short, it is lucid, it is interesting reading. Plus, it is balanced. This is not a work that treats Indians as childlike, passive victims, but it does convey the injustice and unnecessary hardships to which they were subjected. It also does not portray the government and non-Indian Americans simply as aggressors. It's an important work for understanding what happened to the tribes. It won't take a lot of your time, so do yourself a favor and read it.

An Indian activist or just an amature historian, everyone should read this book. Though short, it gives an excellent narrative of the removal of Indians and their trama from the East by the American government. This book is amazingly well written and is for both students (like myself who read it in a class) or for casual readers. Please concider this book to find out more about the emerging stories of what really happened to Native Americans.

This is by far the best book to have for a Lotus Seven through Type Four and the Caterham. It is very through and well written. It covers the history of the Seven. It also give you very complete mechanical description of the different facets of the car. Everyone that has a Seven should own this book. It is out of print so get it where you can. You won't be disappointed. Enjoy your Seven!

Written by a Lotus insider, this is a premium reference for all with an interest in the legendary 'Seven'.
Whether for owner, restorer, intending buyer, dreamer or (purists may suppress a shudder here) replica builder, the comprehensive text and informative illustrations presented by Mr. Weale are a practical guide, a significant historical reference, and a thoroughly inspiring read.

The Lotus Seven was a unique concept. Starkly functional, but with style; designed by Colin Chapman to provide an affordable, high performance sports car that could be assembled, maintained and raced competitively by an enthusiastic amateur.
The outstanding success of his radical approach to automotive engineering and design is reflected in the iconic status of this over-forty-year-old design that is still in production by Caterham Cars. (and being copied in backyard sheds all over the world, such is its' universal appeal.)

This book will be invaluable to owners who like to ensure their treasured Seven receives the maintenance a classic deserves, restorers seeking original specification or buyers researching covenance. The historical, technical and developmental detail contained in these pages will provide inspiration and priceless insight on components, materials and construction techniques for (I must plead guilty) imitators of Mr. Chapmans' magnificent design.
A highly recommended addition to your library.
(I must buy another copy for guests, my current one is much used and victim of the oily hand.)

This was a very easy read and one that I found I didn't want to stop reading. I am hoping that Mr. Asalone will be writing more books along these same lines. I think many people can and will get inspired by much of what is written.

"LOVE LETTERS FROM GOD has the ability to heal those in need and inspire those who are searching for a way"