To date there are two well known translations of Plotinus' work in circulation; Mackenna's and Armstrong's. Each translation contributes to the understanding of Plotinus' philosophy.

Armstrong's translations/editions are considered the cornerstone for modern scholarship. Armstrongs understanding of the Greek language allows him to get extremely close to what Plotinus is trying to say. His footnotes are especially rewarding and insightful.

A sound background in Plato and Aristotle is needed to understand Plotinus. However those who have had the ultimate mystical experince with 'Unity' itself are naturally excused.

If you desire to study and quote Plotinus, then it is safe to say that this is the 7 volume-set to have (so far).

As is typical for the Loeb classical library books, the volumes are physically small, and the original text (Greek, for Plotinus) is given on the left hand page, with the English translation on the right.

The Preface describes the historical context within which Plotinus wrote, offers a summary of this thought, and a survey of Plotinus translations, commentaries, and studies. This material is supplemented by short introductions and synopses at the start of each chapter, and by abundant and detailed footnotes. The footnotes explain translation difficulties (not uncommon with Plotinus), and also identify the sources of Plotinus' references to other writers. These materials are excellent.

The only thing that this edition lacks is an index. The editors plead the difficulty of indexing Plotinus, and recommend "Lexicon Plotinianum" by J. H. Sleeman and Gilbert Pollet as an alternative. This work is, however, out of print (is it even in English? I am not sure) so it is not a very helpful suggestion. As it is, given Plotinus' rather scattered way of writing, an index is missed.

The Enneads are a collection of Plotinus' writings from fairly late in his life. Porphyry, his student, encouraged him in writing down his teachings, and acted as his posthumous editor (he also wrote a short biography of Plotinus which is included in the first volume). The works as they exist today are as they were received from Porphyry. As editor, Porphyry created his own organization for the works based on subject matter. This order is completely different from the order in which Plotinus wrote them. Porphyry, however, did document the original ordering.

From my own experience, however, I would recommend strongly reading Plotinus' writings in the order Plotinus wrote them rather than the order in which Porphyry arranged them. The major advantage I found was that it was much easier to follow the reasons why Plotinus believed what he did, even if the subject matter does jump around a bit. I tried Porphyry's order first, and almost gave up in despair before trying again in Plotinus' order. I have come to the conclusion that much of Plotinus' reputation as a bad writer is due to unfortunate but well-intended editorial decisions by Porphyry. Given that the Loeb edition presents Plotinus' writings in Porphyry's order, and that the Loeb edition is in multiple volumes, reading Plotinus this way does have a certain entertaining quality as well (first get volume IV, read a treatise, then get volume VI, read another, then get volume I, read another, and so on).

An important recommendation I would make for the reader is that he be properly prepared in his background reading. All of Aristotle and all of Plato would be ideal (as well as a worthwhile activity in its own right), but if the would-be reader of Plotinus finds that a little daunting and wants to get started sooner, there are a few works that he should make a particular effort to read: Plato's "Phaedo", "Republic" (Books VI, VII), "Parmenides", and "Timaeus"; Aristotle's "Physics", "On the Heavens", "On the Soul", and "Metaphysics". Plato, as the earlier writer, should be read first (by the way - don't be discouraged when you find you don't understand the second half of "Parmenides", Plotinus is going to tell you what he thinks it means in due course, so all you need to do is understand the references). If you don't have Plato or Aristotle, for Plato, Cooper's "Plato: Complete Works" (in one volume), and for Aristotle, Barnes' "Complete Works of Aristotle" (in two volumes), are excellent.

This Loeb Classical Library edition of the works of Plotinus is in seven volumes. The titles are as follows:

Plotinus I: Porphyry on Plotinus, Ennead I (Loeb Classical Library, 440)

Plotinus II: Ennead II (Loeb Classical Library, 441)

Plotinus III: Ennead III (Loeb Classical Library, 442)

Plotinus IV: Ennead IV (Loeb Classical Library, 443)

Plotinus V: Ennead V (Loeb Classical Library, 444)

Plotinus VI: Ennead VI, Books 1-5 (Loeb Classical Library, 445)

Plotinus VII: Ennead VI, Books 6-9 (Loeb Classical Library, 468)

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Below is the combined table of contents for those volumes:

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME I:

Preface (editors)

Sigla (editors)

On the Life of Plotinus and the Order of his Books (Porphyry)

Ennead I:

1. What is the Living Being, and What is Man? (53)

2. On Virtues (19)

3. On Dialectic (20)

4. On Well-being (46)

5. On Whether Well-being Increases with Time (36)

6. On Beauty (1)

7. On the Primal Good and the Other Goods (54)

8. On What Are and Whence Come Evils (51)

9. On Going Out of the Body (16)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME II:

Sigla (editors)

Ennead II:

1. On Heaven (40)

2. On the Movement of Heaven (14)

3. On Whether the Stars are Causes (52)

4. On Matter (12)

5. On What Exists Actually and What Potentially (25)

6. On Substance, or On Quality (17)

7. On Complete Transfusion (37)

8. On Sight, or How Distant Objects Appear Small (35)

9. Against the Gnostics (33)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME III:

Sigla (editors)

Ennead III:

1. On Destiny (3)

2. On Providence I (47)

3. On Providence II (48)

4. On Our Allotted Guardian Spirit (15)

5. On Love (50)

6. On the Impassibility of Things without Body (26)

7. On Eternity and Time (45)

8. On Nature and Contemplation and the One (30)

9. Various Considerations (13)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME IV:

Preface to the Loeb Plotinus IV-V (A. H. Armstrong)

Sigla (editors)

Ennead IV:

1. [2] On the Essence of the Soul I (4)

2. [1] On the Essence of the Soul II (21)

3. On Difficulties About of the Soul I (27)

4. On Difficulties About of the Soul I (28)

5. On Difficulties About of the Soul III, Or On Sight (29)

6. On Sense Perception and Memory (41)

7. On the Immortality of the Soul (2)

8. On the Descent of the Soul into Bodies (6)

9. If All Souls are One (8)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME V:

Preface to the Loeb Plotinus IV-V (A. H. Armstrong)

Sigla (editors)

Ennead V:

1. On the Three Primary Hypostases (10)

2. On the Origin and Order of the Beings Which Come After the First (11)

3. On the Knowing Hypostases and That Which is Beyond (49)

4. How That Which is After the First Comes From the First, And on the One (7)

5. That the Intelligibles are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good (32)

6. On the Fact that that Which is Beyond Being does not Think, and on What is the Primary and What the Secondary Thinking Principle (24)

7. On the Question Whether there are Ideas of Particular Things (18)

8. On the Intelligible Beauty (31)

9. On Intellect, the Forms, and Being (5)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME VI:

Preface to the Loeb Plotinus VI, VII (A. H. Armstrong)

Sigla (editors)

Ennead VI (continued in volume VII):

1. On the Kinds of Being I (42)

2. On the Kinds of Being II (43)

3. On the Kinds of Being III (44)

4. On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole I (22)

5. On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole II (23)

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR VOLUME VII:

Preface to the Loeb Plotinus VI, VII (A. H. Armstrong)

Sigla (editors)

Ennead VI (continued from volume VI):

6. On Numbers (34)

7. How the Multitude of Forms Came into Being, and on the Good (38)

8. On Free Will and the Will of the One (39)

9. On the Good or the One (9)

The numbers in parentheses indicate Plotinus' order of composition, which differs from the order given them by Porphyry and which this edition follows.

The bracketed numbers for the first two chapters of Ennead IV are an alternate ordering for them.

What a charming tale of two pups who are trans-atlantic pen pals. A "must" for those of us who believe that dogs DO run the world (or should!). This account captures the personalities of the two main characters, Rodeo, a German Shephard in Cassis, and Jefe, a poodle in western Massachusetts. Also a lovely and true picture of beautiful Cassis, France . . . Most of all, a moving and heartwarming story about the bond many of us humans share with our four-legged "best friends." A great read and a "keeper" for all of us animal lovers, and a lovely one to share with friends.

This book nicely balances the humor of the "dog's-eye view" with genuine respect for our canine friends. Armstrong manages to appreciate both the heroic working dog and the fiesty house poodle. I found some of the descriptions of the sea-faring dog to verge on the poetic and made me misty-eyed with respect and admiration.

Nicely woven into the tale are ruminations on WWII and the french resistance, as well as what is essentially a travel diary as the author recounts his experiences in France.

This is a moving tribute to dogs without ever becoming too cute. I certainly recommend it.

Regards Rodeo is a communication between a poodle in Massachusetts and a berger (German Shepherd) in Cassis who share a patron, Alan. As their correspondence deepens, they share tender anecdotes about philosophy, frailty (human and canine), family, work and love. The author is clearly a "grown up" a la Saint-Exupery whose childlike wonder is intact. The illustrations, created by the wife of the patron/author, enable the reader to visualize the wonderful experiences shared by Jefe and Rodeo. I bought 5 copies to share with friends.

I have always believed that Louis Armstrong is one of the more animated and vibrant characters in 20th century culture. "Satchmo," Louis's semi-auto-biography, does nothing but reaffirm this belief. He goes into great detail about his childhood memories, recapping on the rough, New Orleans street life and the beginnings of his musicianship. Little else is covered however, which I thought to be rather dissapointing; after all, it was written later in his life. If a childhood expose is all you're after, pick up this book. The writting if fine for someone who only got through the 5th grade.

You left you music to carry on so majestic, so elogant. Your music makes the song bird sing, while traveling in rainey and sunny New Orleans skies. Your music makes southern bees dance and fly. When I here your music, I just let my mind give over to your music. When I want to relax, your music, I choose it. It's jazzy, calm and cool. Your music makes me feel like I'm retiring on a raft in a pool. Your music is a real jewel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The editors kept Armstrong's voice true to the legend and honest in its depictions of his sometimes harsh life in New Orleans. However, Artmstrong's sense of humor and goodness shine through his story and the reader really learns to like him as a person as well as a great musician. As a native New Orleanian, I really enjoyed his descriptions of the city during that time. I look forward to reading this book again!

The universe keeps gifting us with blessings and we often miss them. Our education or culturization gets in the way. I really think the best things in life are free. The Water of Life by John Armstrong is a beginning, an opening door, that will hopefully change opinions. The cases presented are not only interesting they are convincing. My biggest complaint, is that there are not enough specifics for implementing. e.g. For application to the head/hair. How long should it remain on the hair. Should the hair then be shampooed, or just rinsed?

I read this book and was blown away. Incredible stories, unbelievable, awe inspiring to say the least. This book describles stories of very sick people trying urine fasts, as a last resort, after years of traditional medical treatment and healing whatever ails them. I would also recommend "Your own perfect medicine" by Martha Christy and "the golden fountain" by coen van der kroon, two books I also read about urine therapy. I have done a few urine fasts and they really work to help you lose weight and junk in your body.

THE WATER OF LIFE : A Treatise on Urine Therapy by John W. Armstrong. Saffron Walden, Essex : The C. W. Daniel Co.Ltd., 2nd Edition 1971, Twelfth Impression, 1998.

Since its first publication in 1945, 'The Water of Life' has achieved something of the status of a classic. Having just finished reading it, I can understand why. Armstrong, who was a British naturopath, was a very modest man who never intended to write his book. But after repeated requests, and after considering that he had a duty to his fellow men and women to reveal the details of the miraculous therapy he had discovered, he went ahead, and we should all be intensely thankful that he did. The book is a goldmine of good sense, practical advice, brief though fascinating case studies, and astute observations on a wide range of matters.

His discovery - or perhaps rediscovery is a better word, since urine therapy was and is known and practised in many cultures and is even known to the animals - came about in a curious way. As a young man he suffered from consumption, had been passed through the hands of a whole slew of orthodox medical practitioners, none of whom had been able to cure him, and some of whom made his condition worse.

But he seems to have been a religious man, and one day, while pondering Proverbs V.xv : "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well," he had a flash of inspiration which led him to link this passage with a few tales he'd heard about the curative properties of urine. Could this reference to "waters," he wondered, be a reference to the body's own water - urine? Having nothing to lose, he decided to give it a try.

He began drinking his own urine, was restored to health, and went on to lead a vigorous and productive life by helping to restore the health of many others, both human and animal. Incidentally, one of the interesting features of his book, which indicates something of his kindly and unselfish nature, is that he has included a Chapter XVI 'Urine-Therapy on Animals.'

In 'The Water of Life' he has provided details of the threefold 'urine fast' method he worked out, details which will be found enough to go on by mature adults of average intelligence who have a bit of common sense.

The most important point to understand, which he emphasizes throughout, is that one should NEVER attempt to use or ingest any substance other than urine and pure water - whether chemicals, drugs, alcohol, denatured foods, etc., - when undergoing a urine fast or 'penance' as he liked to call it.

The whole idea is to allow NATURE to take her course with as little interference from us as possible. A fast of urine and pure water, plus frequent, lengthy, and thorough urine massages, and, if necessary, the application of urine compresses, would, he felt, cure pretty well anyone of almost anything if undertaken long enough for the body to rid itself of toxins.

Armstrong's 'The Water of Life' is a very rich book, crammed with fascinating and useful information, and interwoven with brief case histories of almost every conceivable ailment. I couldnt even begin to do justice here to the wealth of ideas it contains.

Four books on urine therapy are currently available : those of Armstrong, Martha Christy, Coen van der Kroon, and Flora Peschek-Bohmer. Of these, the Peschek-Bohmer may be ignored as being both superficial and highly misleading on essential matters. The remaining three all serve to complement each other in different ways, with one providing what the other lacks or hasn't gone into as fully.

The serious practitioner would be unwise to overlook Armstrong. True, his is an early book and we know more about the actual constituents of urine and how it does its work today. But he was a unique character, and in his own way he was a very wise man, and I think he will always have a lot to teach us all.

This book has in-depth coverage on COM and ActiveX ---though a bit steering on Web. I refer to it often, the smart comments is quite illuminating. The issues around ActiveX are clearly iterated. a joy reading it!

This book is great. It lead to the development of my website, skidvis.com Thru this book I learned the fundamentals of ASP, HTML, ActiveX and so much more. This book is the perfect book for those trying to learn VB and all the above mentioned items. It covers them all in great detail without getting too complicated. I highly recommend it and turn to it often!

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.

In brief, I picked up the first of these books about ten years ago after reading a review in the Christian Science Monitor. It literally changed my life. Heath's descriptions of life in Guyana delivered to my imagination the details of my Mother's childhood. These three books inspired me to travel to and eventually live in Guyana where I met the love of my life, my wife. During my travels, I was just as knowledgeable and often times more informed about the sociocultural history of this beautiful country and it wonderful people. Recommended for all of all ages.

I found this book had every major fishing knot type and good comments on where and when to use them. The subject is simple, yet covered in depth.

In summary, I think it is a handy reference guide to both beginner and "old salty" fishermen. If you find you cannot tie a knot that holds in monofilament or "spider" type lines, this book is very helpful. The step by step illustrations are some of the best I have seen.

It really is full of great info and worth buyin

This book was very good, but in the beginning it was a little bit boring. Around the middle of the book, it started to improve. I liked this book, but I liked "Emily of the Wild Rose Inn" better. Now, that book got straight to the point. The Bridie book was good, but it was disappointing at the end. She could have stayed in Massachusetts and *TRY* to fit in. But I think she left because she couldn't stand the people of Mass. I won't blame her... Will Handy was infatuated with Bridie, she liked him too, but Will's old mother stopped him from leaving to Canada with Bridie. You know what though? I think they won't last, because she was so different from him. Overall, this was a good book. I recommend that you read it on a rainy day, since it's a depressing book. :)

10 years ago, Bridie MacKenzie's parents left her behind in Scotland to build a new life in Massachusetts Bay Colony, promising to send for her soon. But 10 long years went by before Bridie finaly came to Massachusetts, and she's no longer a child, no longer able to adapt to her surroundings as easily. But Massachusetts itself isn't so bad. It's the people there, the laws they made. Bridie is a Catholic, and in Massachusetts you can only be a Puritan. Can Bridie build a home for herself in the harsh new land, and keep her religion alive within herself? Or will she have to leave the family she was just reuinited with to find a home elsewhere, where she can be true to her religion?

Although I have some serious problems with Kraft's assertion that Custer and Meotzi were lovers (a "fact" that has never been established beyond reasonable doubt), his book does present Custer the cautious commander, *negotiating* with Indians and avoiding bloodshed with same even at the cost of some of his men's admiration.

Louis Kraft's book, CUSTER AND THE CHEYENNE, deftly takes the reader through George Armstrong Custer's 1868-1869 winter campaign against the Southern Cheyennes. The manuscript begins with the events that led up to Custer's court-martial, banishment, return to active duty and the Battle of the Washita. Surprisingly, the battle marks the beginning of military operations and not the end. In this beautifully illustrated and designed book, Mr. Kraft explores the rest of the campaign in detail: mainly Custer's trek onto the Staked Plains of Texas with two regiments (Seventh U.S. Cavalry and Nineteenth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry) that had one goal--kill Indians. Mr. Kraft makes it clear that Custer refused to bow to his men's wishes. Instead he used good judgement and acted prudently in his dealings with the Native Americans, eventually rescuing two white women and concluding the campaign without further bloodshed.

Although Custer's actions during his peaceful roundup of the recalcitrant Cheyennes are little known and certainly do not fit the general population's clichéd view of him, few will challenge Mr. Kraft's scholarship and careful citation. He mixes the finest primary sources available with Cheyenne oral tradition. Mr. Kraft's fluid and dramatic writing style breathes life into the participants, making this one of the best books ever written about the Indian wars.