Edward G. Browne, the most famous British scholar of Iranian studies, for whom a street adjacent to Tehran University is named, has made an enormous contribution to Iranian studies in this and his other works. Professor Brown, whose other works span Iranian literature, culture, sociology and history, was a great friend to those who sought to advance the cause of liberalism and the rule of law in Iran.

This work is particularly valuable, as it is the only first-hand English language study of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. It is particularly valuable for those readers unable to access works in Farsi, such as Ahmad Kasravi's seminal work on the Constitutional Revolution.

In this work, Brown vividly portrays the machinations of the British, Russian, and Iranian players in the constitutional revolution. One can sense the joy and agony in Browne's work as he describes the initial victory of the constitutionalists, and their eventual defeat at the hands of foreign agents and Iranian traitors.

Amanat's introduction is also valuable for the historical and biographical context it provides. Amanat, a scholar at Yale, has established his position as one the most prominent authors of Iranian history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Those who enjoy this work, may care to also consider Shuster's work "The Strangling of Persia", also in the Persia observed series.

This book attempts to reconstruct the events and upheavels during the persian constitutional revolution. The author shows an intimate knowledge of his subject, having spent time in Iran previously. Amanat does a magnificant job in introducing the unknown part of Iranian politics, with accurate observations and conclusions.

"Michelle stare at the apple on her teacher's desk and smile.She was in the father-daughter apple pie baking contest.And Michelle knew she couldn't lose."

DJ and Stephanie had already won a blue ribbon for their pie.Now Michelle wants to follow her sisters steps and win a blue ribbon too.Michelle is sure she is going to win with her gramma's secret recipe.But will Michelle win with Rachel Tilly (a new girl from school)whose dad is a chef and learned how to cook in a school in Paris.Michelle is not sure she'll win now.Will Michelle win?

I was very excited by this book because I wonder will she win or not.

I really enjoy this book because it was fun,exciting,and suspenful.

I recomend this book to everyone and anyone who likes fun and comedian books like this one.

I really think someone will like this book because it makes you wonder alot and its very interesting and you can know that just by reading the first paragraph.

I am 8 years old and was able to read this book in one afternoon because it is so great. It was easy to read but a little challenging...just the way I like my books! It was funny when the pig ran into the tent and caused all kinds of chaos! I think most kids would enjoy reading this book as much as I did.

I am leading a group of 48 people to the Holy Land and originally intended to compose a liturgy/sacred reading book for the group to use at each of the sites of our visit. I began to research all the relevant Scripture passages; for example, Elijah's battle with the Baals for our stop at Mt. Carmel; the Capernaum passages, etc. Then I discovered Fr. Doyle's book and Hallelujah! Saved me a ton of time. All the relevant Scripture references etc. and passages for all the key sites, along with appropos reflections, suitable hymns etc. This book is not an exegesis nor a history nor archeological text, but an excellent liturgical accompaniment.

I ordered 4 copies of this book last Sunday and paid for shipping next day air. You needed 1/2 days for handling. The books have not arrived and I'm leaving tomorrow (Sunday) for Israel. Please note: I'm not paying and will need to send these books back due to delay in arriving

i read this book so many years ago, but i can still remember
how good it is. this book is not only about the underwater
world but also about the goings-on in a typical barrio in
the philippines. it has a socio-economic aspect to it that i
found quite realistic, having been born and raised in that very
same third world country. it amazed and pleased me that a
foreigner like hamilton-paterson could,quite accurately, capture
the very essence of filipino rural life---like the old woman who

he suspects isnt so aloof and taciturn as she seems
and the children of the barrio who frolick in the water and
in their humble amusements, oblivious of the shortcomings of a
third world upbringing. the book is an unusual stew of underwater
adventure and an unpatronizing account of a life among the natives.

Paterson is living on a small island in the Philippines and he is joining the natives in diving (i.e. fishing) for a living. We scuba-divers, as we only come for 1-2 week vacations, often are not experiencing the reality around our dive sites. Paterson's book was helping me understanding more of the countries I was visiting. Very instructive are his personal insights about ecology in a third world country and the connections to the economical and social structure. I found it very valuable that the insights do not follow the well known beaten paths about the third world but are rather well founded, personal observations. This makes this book a much more interesting read than any other book about the subject that I have ever read before.

Finally, someone confronts the origins of the Palestinian crisis. This book appeals to rational minds, to those who are not interested in blaming and rhetoric but well-reasoned and documented causes.

There is no political agenda here, thankfully. Shepherd focussed blame on the British for their part in generating enmity, for health policies that did not include education policies, and for playing contradictory games of favorites. She likewise places blame on Arab leaders and Zionist ones as they appear justified by the historical record.

Past 1948, the conflict was rather solidified. It is under British rule that we must seek the origins of the conflict.

This book is a well-written and detailed history of the British mandate rule of Palestine (1920-1947). She is a careful historian who supports her prose with ample references. The tale she tells is a sad one and chronicles the systematic colonial expulsion of Palestinians from their land. Some British were even-handed but the weight of Ms. Shepherd's evidence demonstrates a bias against the Arabs. This is a most timely book because of the continuing struggle of the Palestinians for a fair deal. The facts presented should be considered by Israeli negotiators involved in the so-called "peace process".

An excellent and concise guide to the astonishing buildings to be found in downtown Chicago. The book covers the great buildings of the 19th century to modern skyscrapers by Mies, SOM, Murphy/ Jahn, KPF, Perkins & Will, et. al.

The book is great because of its clear structure and handy size; downtown is divided into 3 neighborhoods each with their own map with buildings keyed by number. The 100+ buildings are then each given their own page w/ an architects fine line drawing of the building (some with close up details) on top and description below. There's also a glossary of Chicago archi-terms and everything is indexed by building and architect. The writing is user-friendly and often very entertaining -- brief historical backround of building and architect, followed by incisive an commentary as to WHY the building is famous and how it fits into the ongoing story of Chicago's architecture.

One of the best portable guides to buildings that I have used in any city--highly recommended.

As a long-time fan of Access Guides and of the city of Chicago, I was pleased to find this pocket guide to Chicago architecture. Loved the history and all the visual detail "explained" that made it easy for me to visit and observe. This is a "must-have" for visitors and architecture buffs as well. It spurred me on to pick up the "skyline Chicago" videos. As well done as any Ken Burns documentary, these are great -- loved Chicago's Neighborhoods in particular.

Long before such books as "The Enlightened Mind" hit the shelf, this anthology was languishing in obscurity. It has some excellent material from Ramana Maharshi, Francis Thompson, and Richard Rose, among others.

The marvelous thing about this book is that it combines in one volume the highest mystical teachings from several, seemingly disparate religious and metaphysical traditions. And yet while the spiritual "language" and paradigms of each tradition are different, they all point to the same path, that of "dying to the self", from non-attachment to the ego towards realization of the One Eternal Essence. "Profound Writings" contains poetic descriptions of the ego-death (Francis Thompson and Richard Rose), teachings and methods of practice (Ramana Maharshi and Hui-Neng), and precepts (Tibetan teachings, the Upanishads, and Franz Hartmann). There is also a brain-teasing chapter entitled "The Lecture of Questions", formulated by Richard Rose, founder of the TAT Foundation, under whose auspices this book was published. There is so much wisdom to be fathomed in "Profound Writings" that it will provide the spiritual seeker a source of inspiration for meditative and contemplative practice, as well as spiritual guidance, for many years to come.

I have been interested in international cooking for years with a particular fondness for Indian cooking. I discovered this wonderful book on Amazon.com and found it appealing because 1) it covers a region of India (Orissa) whose recipes I have never seen before and 2) the author is actually a scientist so I knew the recipes would not omit any details. I must say I was not dissapointed. If you are like me, you will be amazed that Dr. Parida is not a full time chef and cookbook author.

Once you read the preface you will also see she has a great sense of humor that shines through again and again throughout the book.

For those among you who sometimes feel that the spice mixtures of Indian recipes are a little overwhelming, this book is for you. All of the recipes I made from this book are flavorful without being overpowering.

So far I have 3 recipes that I love from this book:

1) Khichidi - a wonderful rice and lentil combination that is extreemly easy to prepare, elegantly seasoned and can serve as a full meal on its own.

2) Baigana Bharta - Mashed fried eggplants. while the description may not sound so appetizing, think of it as an alternative to Babaganoush. The buttery flavor of the slow roasted eggplant and the delicate seasonings make this an excellent dish hot or cold. I serve it cold as an appetizer with thinly sliced crusty bread. My dinner guests rave about it!

3) Kheeri - Rice pudding. Indian comfort food! Rice pudding is one of favorite desserts and when I first saw this recipe I thought it had a typo because it appeared to call for too much milk. I tried the recipe as printed and the result was a deliciously silky rice and milk concoction that I have made again and again.

I highly recommend this wonderful book. Lets encourage this highly gifted author to keep writing books!

Very rarely one comes across a book that seems on surface to be
devoted to a narrow specialty, but which by virtue of its author's
knowledge and expertise, becomes a mirror in which the whole
subject area and more is reflected and illuminated.
In this sense ``Purba'' is not merely a book on food originating from a major
state in eastern India -- it is a palette on which the author
manages in her inimitable style to unify the basic methods and
techniques of food preparation from different regions of the
world as disparate as France, China and Orissa (the last being
the state in eastern India where she hails from). In this
identification of the basic principles and techniques of cuisine
from across the world, this book and its author (a computer
scientist from Orissa, working in New York) is symptomatic of
our times; for better or for worse, an indicator toward our
globalized future.

``Techniques + Ingredients = Recipes''. This, according to the
author, is the defining equation of all cuisines. It also captures
succinctly the point of view from which the author (a scientist
byprofession) approaches the subject. It is not on the particulars,
but on the universal techniques, that cut across cuisines across different
continents, that our attention is focused on. The author is clearly
a master of her subject matter, as well as a good expositor, with a
sleek style and the occasional scientific humor. It is in fact a good
read even if you don't want to step into the kitchen in this lifetime.

Of course, subject of the book is food from Orissa and the author
does an extremely good job of exposing the richness and variety of
Oriya cuisine to the non-Oriya speaking world. This is a great service
in itself, as unlike cuisines from North and South India, food from
Eastern India tend to be unnoticed outside India -- partly, because
of their elaborate preparations which makes them unsuitable for
the typical Indian restaurant. But, when one really delves into it there are
immense riches here to be picked for the gastronomically inclined and
``Purba'' is a wonderful introduction to this rich, new, culinary world.
The recipes themselves are described with unusual precision, and
is suitable for both beginners as well as experienced cooks.

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Osprey Military Campaign Series. As usual, the information is concise, to the point, interesting, and a fascinating read. Also, the maps and other illustrations and photos, are fantastic. If you like ancient history, this is an excellent introduction to a particular epic battle of antiquity.

Another excellent book from the Osprey Campaign Series. This earliest recorded Battle in the human history is recounted and critiqued by the author in an exciting manner. As opposed to a mundane account of the battle and the events leading to it, the author constantly provides objective strategic insights to the battle based on the analysis of the battlefield as well as the compositions of the armies. This introductory book is well illustrated and provides photographs of key areas of the battlefields. Highly recommend.

Want to find a great guide for an enjoyable cycling adventure on the Katy Trail across Missouri? While this "escape" is only one of many covered in Gustafson & Jarrett's "Great Escapes from St. Louis", it is worth the price of the book alone. My husband and I have enjoyed several weekend bicycle trips along the trail made more enjoyable by their recommendations for historic sites, restaurants and our favorite experience; staying in a bed & breakfast. Pick up this book if you want to plan a bike trip from beginning to end! It is enjoyable reading while you locate valuable information that takes the guess work out of your travel planning. The authors convince you to travel our part of the country and experience the fun they obviously had while researching this book.

I have lived in Kansas City area for 15 years and had no idea there was so much too see and do here. I had heard about these attractions, but the authors really captured their character and liveliness. Seeing our city through another's eyes made us realize how much we have to offer. We also went to St. Joseph and enjoyed seeing the museums described in the book. We definitely plan on using this book for more "Escapes," especially those to the east. These authors obviously put a lot of time and work into this publication.