The fantasy world (especially those who love wizards) are fast becoming acquainted with Shalanna Collins' "Dulcinea." Now she has put out a book of short stories, "In Pursuit of Perspicacity."

As she herself sums up in the foreword, it's a collection of SF/F stories, beginning with Tales of the Fantastic, then going to slightly more conventional fiction; then to stories she describes as being on the human condition. (She also ends the foreword with "Don't take the narrator too literally, because she's unreliable in not only her life, but in the telling of her tale.")

Perhaps my favorite is dark fantasy "The Splatterfairies" (don't let the title turn you off), about what happens around people as they sleep. Similarly, don't skip "Welcome to the Spaceport Brothel" simply because of the title, it's an satirical glimpse of possible life in the next century, when a young cadet ventures out of his ship. "The Eve of True Forms" may be a fave for many readers of "Dulcinea," given that it deals with a young witch and her boyfriend.

"Cartoon-Logic" is described as mind-bending, and rightly so. "Rite of Passage" is a tale about a cheerleader with a secret, and the results. There is also a dark story called "Jeep Buddy and Pierce" that is apparently a novella-in-progress--I'll look forward to seeing the entirety. There is also a short short story, and an interesting essay on fantasy.

An excellent book, one I enjoyed from a rising fantasy/fiction author.

This book is very informative. The pictures are great and really show how things were. I am a future teacher and plan on using this book while working in the field with my fifth grade class as we learn about the industrial revolution. I also recomend this book to parents who are homeschooling or anyone who wants to learn more about the industrial revolution.

The most detailed and complete field guide on insects I've ever seen....plenty of color drawings and descriptions on morphology, habitat, ecology and ethology of each species. If you love the nature you can't loose it!

This is another great book by this team of authors who really know how to present information in a lively, easy to read format, with wonderful illustrations! Book features new crafts revolving around themes from the books and the period, time lines of events happening in the world during Laura's time, information about the real life stories of the Ingalls and Wilder families. An enjoyable book for child or adult readers with lots of projects that can be done together. If you have not read the other Collins / Eriksson books, I highly recommend searching though Amazon for the others, they are all fantastic!

For anyone who wants to learn more about "The Secret Garden" and its author--where the original garden really was, how an English robin differs from an American robin, how to make a nesting station for birds in your garden, what "oatcakes" and "doughcakes" are and how to make them (along with other recipes from the book), how to plant a miniature secret garden, how to make a windchime from keys like the one that unlocked the Secret Garden, and lots more! Wonderful gift. Tasha Tudor illustrations.

There are a daunting number -- and a broad range -- of books by and about Krishnamurti. This is a superb starting point for the beginner who's seeking to understand why he still commands such an enormous worldwide audience, as it is for the reader who can only begin to imagine what it must have required for Krishnamurti to renounce his childhood designation by the worldwide Theosophist movement as an Avatar come to Earth.

For the open-minded and inquisitive reader this man becomes a powerful presence -- even after the book and his thinking/action in the world are long "forgotten".

Once through this helpful volume, you can move on to any one of his accessible but often thcik writings.

I can't believe this book is not more popular! I loved it. It has pictures on every page which really helps keep your attention, at least for the first two-thirds of this 171-page illustrated book. This is difficult stuff, and the authors have done a very good job of introducing, simplifying, and illustrating Jacques Derrida's style and concepts. If you've had some exposure to either the Metaphysicians, Nietzsche, Heidigger or the Existentialists, it'll help. But this straight-forward format makes the new ideas extremely easy to understand. It gave me exactly what I wanted: Information about Derrida's roots, in Structuralism and Phenomenology, plus a springboard to allow me to read Derrida's books without any fear of misunderstanding or misinterpreting his ideas.

After a brief introduction to the core Viruses: Undecidability and Derailed Communication, the authors first use the concept of the Zombie in Hollywood movies to illustrate Derrida's concept of Undecidability, then Plato's Phaedrus to illustrate the concepts of Supplement and Difference which explain the magic, which metaphysics uses to disappear those nasty opposites! Phonocentrism and Logocentrism follow and whoopee! You're already starting to recognize a metaphysical concept coming from halfway down the block if you see one!

Seriously, the book is really THAT good if you like reading Philosophy and you've wanted to learn about Derrida's ideas. It pays attention to all of the important critical philosophers that preceded him, Hume, for example (p.45). After page 100, however, you realize you are reading about individual papers and speeches of his, which are a little bit like seeing advertisements and reading biography rather than seeing parts of the whole picture. You might want to skip through this section to whatever you're interested in. The problem is that Derrida happens to be a bit of a Rennaisance man, and the fact that he has an interest in architecture, or feminism, or people with disabilities is somewhat less interesting for me than what he is doing in Philosophy.

Collins's book is an excellent introduction to biblical exegesis. Covers the basics -- text criticism, form criticism, etc. -- in a clear and readable style. Presents good examples, and also discusses the various codices, their late discovery compared to the KJV, and impact on biblical scholarship. I have read enough biblical criticism to recognize a classic when I see one. Collins is, as I recall, a priest, so he is not hostile to the subject, nor offensive to the believer. He just presents the nature and results of good scholarly criticism. If only someone would put this out in paperback! This book started me on a 5 year exploration. If you are lucky, it will be at a library near you.

I was fortunate to be able to purchase this book in Dublin, while on a trip to Ireland in 1988. While I had been interested in the Irish struggle since reading Leon Uris's "TRINTY", I was never able to get as close to it until I read this book. It made such an impression on me that I actually went 7 days without eating to experience just a fraction of what these men went through.The dedication to their cause was heroic, especially when you consider the ambivalence of the rest of the world. It was a great book and a real eye opener. I just hope those men didn't die in vain. GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH!!

Interesting, very intersting. If you have ever wondered what made J.R.R. Tolkien write his epic master piece, or are curious about what he was like growing up, this book is a must fo you. Of course being a biography it can be a bit dull at times, but so what that how life is boy! This book afirmed that the respect and admiration I have for J.R.R. Tolkein was not just me blowing his importance out of proportion, for he truly always has, and always will be, a master of fantasy!