Jim McCormick writes a book that explains in detail the actualities of what to expect in a visit to the Holy Land. Jim is able to explain what to look for, what one will see and the significance of each site that he visited. Jim takes an armchair visitor so clearly to the sights that we who cannot make the trip in person, don't really need to. We can 'see' the sights and feel the emotional bond through his keen, hazel eyes and marvelous heart and mind. It is a book that, I feel, everyone who has an interest in the site of Jesus's birth and life, should read, and read again. It is a literary success in the finest tradition.

Judge McCormick does an outstanding job of providing a most helpful tool in preparing one to travel to the Holy Land. He does this in several ways: 1) By delineating clearing the difference between a "Pilgrimage" and just taking a vacation trip. This is a spiritual journey. 2) He notes the wonderful variety of religious traditions that converge in Israel and ways to get in touch with the wealth of these traditions; 3) Has THE most helpful listing of ways to be brought "up to speed" prior to traveling to the Holy Land to maximize the experience; and 4) I agree wholeheartedly with his comments about the value of booking with a tour company which provides Christian guides for Christian groups. As a pastor who has led two tour groups to the Holy Land in the last 14 years, I find this book an excellent choice in preparing spiritually for this trip of a lifetime. Thanks!

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO ISRAEL OR JUST WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT THIS BOOK IS A MUST. IT IS EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN WITH MANY ANECDOTES, FOLK TALES, AND LEGENDS. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WALKING THE LANES AND ROADS THAT ARE DESCRIBED. THE AUTHOR TAKES YOU INTO THE JEWISH QUARTER'S SYNAGOGUES. SHE ALSO COVERS FAMILY OUTINGS TO PARKS, GARDENS, MUSEUMS, AND THE JERUSALEM ZOO. THE BOOK HAS OVER A DOZEN EASY TO USE MAPS. IT LISTS THE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE SITES AND RESTROOM LOCATIONS. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT FEATURE FOR A TRAVEL RELATED BOOK. IT WOULD MAKE AN EXCELLENT GIFT FOR ANYONE YOU KNOW THAT IS INTERESTED IN ISRAEL.

This book is an excellent guide to walks in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Walks is a fantastic book for those who are traveling to Jerusalem. Having lived and studied in Jerusalem myself, I am confident in saying that you will have a hard time finding a book that has this much information in a guide book format. The 6 walking tours offer something for everybody, and I can think of no more enjoyable way to get to know the city. The focus of the walks is of course the Old City, but she also offers a couple of walks in Western Jerusalem. I have taken tours all over Israel and Jerusalem, but I have not seen another source offer such a variety and depth of historical and fun information about the turbulent history of Jerusalem. From the Patriarchs to the Romans to the founding of Israel, if it happened in Jerusalem, it is probably in this book.

Jerusalem is a city of such intricacy and layers of meaning that it can only be appreciated on foot, but it is so complex that you could walk around on your own forever wihtout really seeing it . Rosovsky takes you by the hand and shows you the courtyards, the buildings made out of pieces of other buildings, the ordinary-looking spots where history happened. Of course, Jerusalem is a prosperous city and the constant construction sometimes throws a wall across your path. Don't let that stop you, just circumvent the obstacle and pick up the tour at the next point of interest.

Hershel Shanks, editor of the magazine 'Biblical Archaeology Review', put together this wonderful volume on the archaeology of Jerusalem in honour of the 3000th anniversary of the establishment of the city by King David (a date of conjecture, to be sure, and with some variability even within the conjecture). In the introduction, Shanks states:

'Through the archaeology of Jerusalem, one can learn about almost everything even remotely connected to the ancient Near East: from Bible and ancient history, art and architecture, burial practices, languages and scripts to geography, water supply systems, chronology, theology, pottery typology, archaeological methodology, warfare and daily life.'

Jerusalem is at or near the centre of three major faiths that have had profound and lasting impact not only on the city or region, but upon the entire world. Jerusalem has long been at an important crossroads in history--military expansion of major empires have had to go through the city; trade routes east and west have always been through or nearby the city -- indeed, Jerusalem has been conquered 23 times in its history. From the sack of the city Salem by King David (who had to conquer it three times before being able to hold it from the Jebusites) to the Moslem reconquest from the Crusaders, archaeological evidence is rich in diverse time periods.

This makes Jerusalem rather like the wall made of successive layers of wallpaper with subtle but distinct patterns--it is hard, when scrapping away layers, to discern accurately which layer belongs to which period.

The first chapter begins with Jerusalem before the Israelites. Despite the year 2000 celebrating the 3000th anniversary of the city, it has in fact a much longer history. Egyptian hieroglyph records show the existence of a city on the site of Jerusalem as early as 1850 B.C.E., called Rushalimum. Continuous occupation can be seen from various records (such as Armana letters) to the year Davidic conquests. However, yet other evidence points to even earlier settlement; pottery dating back to the Chalcolitic period, and architectural remains point to inhabitation as early as 3000 B.C.E., making this truly one of the oldest cities in continuous occupation in the world. From earliest times, Jerusalem has been a 'cosmopolitan' place; even the Bible attests to the fact that despite conquest, the Jebusites remained inhabitants alongside the Israelites. This of course give more credence to the idea of assimilation of the cities and tribal/pastoral groups in Canaan, as opposed to the military conquest idea which is high on glory and patriotic ideal, but short on archaeological evidence. Obviously, if Jebusites still held Jerusalem, Joshua could not have truly conquered the entire land.

Other articles explore the strongholds of Jerusalem, the possible tombs of David and other kings; intrigues about finding (and not finding) evidence of the first Temple, and the difficulties involved in working around presently-functioning holy sites; the Babylonian period of destruction, including preserved clay bullae, one of which bears the name of the prophet Jeremiah's scribe, dated to the proper time period; Jerusalem during the time of Herod and Jesus, including a discussion of the authenticity of 'holy sites' that are pilgrimage sites today; Roman destruction, Byzantine reconstruction, Moslem conquest, Crusader conquest, and Moslem reconquest.

This book has an extensive collection of beautiful photography, timelines, maps and charts. From collections of art and ruins to panoramic views including the beautiful Dome of the Rock, a magnificent piece of Moslem architecture which remains substantially unaltered since it was built 1300 years ago, standing on the site of the Temple mount; to recreations of architecture to textual analysis, this is a book that will treat the eyes and the mind with fascinating detail and general ideas about the sweeping history of this city, and with this, a greater sense of the history of the religions that have shaped the world.

This book was given to me as a gift from my friend Monty, and I continue to be grateful for it - a magnificent gift indeed.

Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archeology Review (BAR) Magazine, offers an unrivaled look into the ancient City of Jerusalem. His concise descriptions and beautiful pictures captivated this reader and helped me to finally understand the relationship between biblical narrative and archeological evidence in the capital of Israel. Famous sites ranging from Hezekiah's Tunnel, to the Western Wall, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to the Dome of the Rock are wonderfully elucidated within their historical context. If you are interested in the Bible, the history of Jerusalem, or Archeology in general, this book is a MUST!

A very humane and sensitive account that explores the world view of people far from the beaten track. Despite the differences we are led to understand their concerns which turn out to be far less foreign than the material setting would suggest.

Chaffetz book "A memorial" is the last in my trilogy of readings on Afghanistan for this year. First, I read about Nic Danzinger's travels through the area in recent years. Next, I jumped back to the 1950's and '60s with Sir Wilfred Thesiger's--"Among the Mountains". I finished with Chaffetz's "A Journey Through Afghanistan". They are all brilliant but Chaffetz's book stands out as a scholarly piece and could well be used in anthropological circles for it's in depth study of the urban and nomadic Afghanis prior and during the Russian invasion. The recent drought that has affected the Hazarajat and Kuchi nomads of Afghanistan was brought that much closer with this book. I had bought this book in the late 1980's but between different trips to the Near East--I had fogotten where I left it. As a result, it took me 10 years to actually get around to reading it and after finishing it, I wondered why I hadn't cracked the spline earlier. Chaffetz' style can be a bit off-putting but his travelling companion is a perfect foil to David's abrasive personality. I would really like to know why Chaffetz was studying Parsi in pre-revolutionary Iran or was that just a cover?

Eliezer Goldman, the editor, has done an excellent job in presenting the ideas and views of Leibowitz to the English speaking public. This collection of articles gives a broad overview of the Jewish faith, the relationship of religion to the people and the state of Israel, the political problems of the Israeli state and finally the relationship of Judaism to Christianity. It is a thoroughly honest exposition of the problems inherent in the various topics and it is a pity that the book has not become more widely known and reviewed.
It should be of interest to a Jewish as well as Gentile readership and had his warnings after the 1967 war, in relation to the occupation of the conquered territories, been heeded Israel would not be in the difficult straits the country finds itself in today.
His discussion of the Judeo-Christian heritage and refusal to accept the term is also valuable. He does not mind explaining "the repugnance Judaism has for Christianity" as seen from a genuine orthodox Jewish perspective, rather than from any of the other parts of the spectrum which comprises today's Judaism.
While some may not agree with all of his views, they are honest, well reasoned and therefore important to be listened to.

Perhaps the best introduction to Yeshayahu Leibowitz in English is Eliezer Goldman's prefatory essay to the volume he edited, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Judaism, Human Values, and the Jewish State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 1992). This volume contains 27 translated essays, most of which come from Leibowitz's Hebrew collection, Yahadut, Am HaYehudi u-Medinat Yisrael (Jerusalem: Schocken, 1975). Goldman's recent collection of his own essays, Mehkarim ve-Iyyunim (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1996) contains a number of pieces on Leibowitz as well.

Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-93) was the often paradoxical, so-called "conscience of Israel"--a philosopher, controversial social critic, and sharp-tongued Socratic gadfly. He was born in 1903 in Lithuania, and was educated in Germany prior to settling in Jerusalem in 1934, where he taught chemistry, physiology, and the philosophy of science at the Hebrew University. He was an author and editor of the Encyclopedia HaIvrit, and taught, lectured, and wrote on a wide range of issues throughout his long life.

Beyond his political thought, Leibowitz is perhaps best known (and critiqued) for his radical conceptions of Judaism. In brief, his position focused on the centrality--indeed, exclusivity--of mitsvot as the constitutive factor in Judaism. Observing the commandments (i.e. fulfilling the divine will) is an end in itself, and not a means to achieve personal, spiritual, or communal benefit. The significance of a religious act, argues Leibowitz, is in its performance qua worshipping God. To seek any meaning beyond that is, in his opinion, idolatry. Critics took Leibowitz's position as atheistic--and indeed, he effectively removes God from the human experience of religion: God as the transcendent being is unimportant to Leibowitz, only the service of God holds any meaning. The relationship between man and God can only exist in the arena of the normative practice of halakhah (Jewish law).

Leibowitz feared (and in this many feel he was prescient) that the continued entanglement of religion and state would ultimately lead to a corruption of religion. He felt that the inability or unwillingness of rabbinic authorities in the early years of the State to forge innovative halakhic approaches to unprecedented situations (engendered by the return of Jewish sovereignty in the modern era) would turn religious Jews into parasites. Leibowitz further articulated views on the State, such as positing that the ascription of inherent sanctity to the land is a form of idolatry, and that viewing the state as a value in and of itself (rather than a vehicle for social or national good) is a precursor to fascism. He believed that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 war would ultimately corrupt the state in the way in which all colonial regimes become corrupted. All of these elements bear the common thread of his repugnance at the use of religion to justify what he saw as political corruption or oppression.

He remains an original (albeit controversial) voice on every issue within the Israeli social discourse. This helped generate the visceral connection the Israeli public has to Leibowitz and the issues on which he wrote. This volume introduces the reader to these compelling issues, and to a thinker who articulated positions which anyone interested in understanding Jewish life in the Jewish State in the modern era must contend with.

Featuring a Foreword by the Dalai Lama, Kakuma - Turkana: Dueling Struggles, Africa's Forgotten Peoples by Daniel Cheng Yang offers the nonspecialist general reader a profound interesting photographic journal of the struggles of the indigenous peoples of northwest Kenya. The emotional and unforgettable black-and-white photographs capture the harsh reality of life in lands with highly limited resources in an unforgettable compendium of images and commentary. Kakuma - Turkana is highly recommended photo-documentary for African Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

A very informative book of a country not covered by the media. The photographs bring the reader to an understanding of the plights these people face in everyday life

The great temples of Angkor are decorated with beautiful relief carvings that illustrate (mostly) Hindu mythology, with a few Buddhist and historical scenes. The sheer number and variety of reliefs is overwhelming; their length would total at least a mile or two, if laid end-to-end. It is hardly possible to see them all in one (or many) visits, let alone to know all the variety of subjects that they depict. And yet, Vittoria Roveda has done just that. It's quite an achievement.

The book is organized into two parts. The first part retells some of the myths that are most frequently illustrated at Angkor - stories of Rama, Krishna, Shiva, the Sea of Milk, etc. In part two, the author discusses the reliefs of each temple in turn. (An awkward consequence of this organization is that illustrations of the reliefs discussed in part two will often be found earlier in the book, in part one, and vice-versa, requiring much page-turning on the part of the reader.) In terms of coverage, while even Roveda could not include every possible scene in this book, I would be surprised if any but the most obscure have been left out; this is an amazingly complete effort, and the book is quite well illustrated.

This book will by enjoyed by readers who are interested in Khmer art and Hindu mythology; and those fortunate enough to visit Angkor will find this book to be enormously helpful in understanding and appreciating the reliefs that they will see there.

This book describes a wide range of myths and belief behide the Ankor's architecture and art. The book shows that the auther have to sacrify his heart to study and conclude all discipline about Khmer Empire in to one... This is a must book for those who would like to study Khmer's Art in depth, not only the physical architecture or artifacts the you have seen.

We used this book every day of our 2 week trip to Israel with 3 children aged 1-8. Our friends then borrowed the book for a 3 week trip with 5 children aged 6-16. The sections of the book are broken down by geography, with handy maps to assist you in setting up your schedule, whether your hotel is in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tiberias or Eilat. The greatest benefits of the book include the phone numbers of the tourist sites as well as the hours which each location is open. The author even recommends ideal hotels and activities based on your children's ages.

Whether you have children or not, this book will help you plan your Israel travel. It lists many attractions, tourist sites, museums, national parks, etc., including hours of operation, phone and fax numbers, and whether there is a fee. As a professional travel planner specializing in Israel travel, I highly recommend this book to all my clients, even those traveling without children!

I've scrutinized a bunch of guide books about Istanbul and Turkey, but I can easily say that I've never met that kind of detailed and well-pictured book on Istanbul. Especially the historical (Ottomans, their architecture) pictures are awesome. The only negative critic about the book for me is the out-of-date photos. For example, the Turkish policemen do not wear those uniforms and most of the bills (banknotes) that were shown inside the book are out of circulation.

This book is in the same genre as 'Eyewitness' with lush illustrations and colour. Possibly more detailed in historical information. Arranged thematically. An excellent armchair companion guide for before or after a trip. I would take 'Eyewitness' with me for the practical information (pictures of bus tickets; how to pay a dolmus driver; what to say to alight from a dolmus). But I am so pleased I purchased this book as well. Will tuck it into my bag next time, space permitting.

This is the most brilliant book on Istanbul in it's cathegory. Very coplexed and detailed on sites, historical monuments, museums and daily life. A must see before visiting Istanbul and Turkey.