Brand Blanshard, twentieth-century philosophy's greatest exponent of rationalism, here turns his pen to an examination of reasonableness in action, as exemplified in the lives of Marcus Aurelius, John Stuart Mill, Ernest Renan, and (Blanshard's own favorite exemplar of the "rational temper") Henry Sidgwick. Though himself a rationalist, Blanshard was not under the illusion that only avowed rationalists could be reasonable, as his selection of examples clearly shows. In each essay, he presents a lucid and sympathetic account of his subject's life and thought in a seamless combination that deserves to be called "philosophical biography."

While this volume is of course highly informative about each of its four subjects, it also of interest as regards Blanshard's own thought. He was ninety-two years old when he wrote this delightful and highly readable work, and his examinations of these four men distill a lifetime of his own reflections on the role of reason in the ordering of human affairs. A final chapter -- "The enemy: Prejudice" -- summarizes his mature views on the nature and importance of the rational temper.

The entry under Blanshard's name in the _Oxford Companion to Philosophy_ closes on an uncharacteristically personal note: "Blanshard's personal demeanour," writes the entry's author Prof. Peter H. Hare, "was one of extraordinary graciousness." That graciousness, evident throughout his work, is especially so here, where Blanshard deals less directly with philosophical questions and more directly with reasonableness as instantiated in actual human lives; his generosity and sympathy (much neglected rational virtues!) are almost palpable. If the rest of us could absorb something of his rational temper and spirit, our lives and the life of the world would undoubtedly be transformed for the better. And there is no better place to begin than this volume by a great man whose religion was the service of reason.

Wow! Who'd have thought that an author could approach such a topic as "reasonableness" and render it so well-defined, so palatable and so attractive. By using four historical examples, with focus not primarily upon their philosophies, but more upon their lives, Blanshard is masterful. As a noted philosophical and social commentator in his own right, the author does an excellent job of inserting his own interpretation on the four subject persons, and upon their historical & intellectual significance. Last, and maybe most important, is Mr. Blanshard's ability to communicate clearly. As far-fetched as it may sound, this book is truly a page-turner! I'd recommend this to anyone who feels the need for a book that makes you go, "Hmmmm." At the very least, it will leave any reader with an increased appetite for more reasonableness in his/her own life.

This series of books (15 in all that make up A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight) is a wonderful journey of discovery, history and vivid storytelling. Williamson's novel is brilliant. Each volume stands on its own, but is best read from the beginning to truly experience the cycle of Phillip Maddison's (and one's own in some way) life. Volume 15, The Gale of the World, makes one want to start again from the beginning. An epic tale. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Few can claim to have read "A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight," a mighty, mighty work that Henry Williamson wrote during 1951-1969, comprising the following books: (1) The Dark Lantern (2) Donkey Boy (3) Young Philip Maddison (4) How Dear is Life (5) A Fox Under My Cloak (6) The Golden Virgin (7) Love and the Loveless (8) A Test to Destruction (9) The Innocent Moon (10) It Was the Nightingale (11) The Phoenix Generation (12) The Power of the Dead (13) A Solitary War (14) Lucifer Before Sunrise (15) The Gale of the World

The pivotal character in this work is Philip Maddison, the phases of whose life are portrayed from book 2 and thereafter, through his schooldays [no Evelyn Waugh, he], involvement in the war, love affairs and various attempts at farming in the Devon countryside. Williamson's style is akin to Thomas Hardy, especially in the lengthy nature descriptions throughout the work. At times, Williamson allows an almost obsessive [autobiographical??] bitterness to overwhelm the plot development in the second half of the work and overtake the portrayal of Philip Maddison. Still, the work has great merit and should be read as a whole, though it weighs in at 7,000-8,000 pages. Highly recommended

I really enjoyed this book and the information provided on these beautiful animals. Very educational and the photographs are outstanding. It helped me to identify the gray foxes which live around my house.

i must say this book gives very good info. I would recommend anyone who is intrested in foxes they have info from the swift fox to red foxes etc...

I think this "We Both Read" series is great. Whatever mood my boy is in when bedtime rolls around - whether he's working with me or against me - this concept works. I read the (difficult) left page in each two page spread, and the child reads the (easy) right. Teamwork. And even though these make no mention of Power Rangers or Batman Beyond, these are my boy's favorites. Along with some math books from Singapore(sgbox.com), and a learn-to-read series called "Now I'm Reading" by Nora Gaydos, these books are a great experience for your child. After your child has finished reading and they climb in bed, give your child something to strive for... turn on your booklight, turn off the room lights, and read your child a chapter or two from a more advanced book. Treasure Island, Harry Potter, anything by Roald Dahl... That's what works for my boys and I.

This series of readers really works. I've been running through them at bedtime with my six-year-old, who adores taking it in turns with me to read her page after I've read mine. It turns reading into a collaborative game, with plenty of play-acting (doing the different voices of the characters) thrown in. At my daughter's stage of reading, a short book can be a long haul, when she has to do it all by herself. The "We Both Read" books break up the text into manageable segments, and give her time-out while I do my share of the work. I'd like to see more and more titles quickly added to the series. I am baffled as to why Amazon should inflict a $1.35 surcharge on the publisher's recommended price--it seems to run entirely counter to the Amazon way of doing things. But the books themselves are splendid.

In this brief but comprehensive book which deals with the sources of human unhappiness, the author discusses psychiatric iillnesses that are biologically caused and those which are caused by life experiences and reveiws the medical, psychological and social treatments that are effective in its treatment. More than that, Dr. Everett instructs the reader about specific remedies that he/she can employ, and finally reviews the spirtual and religious bases of some human unhappiness and the benefits that follow from thoughtful self-examination and spirituality. Highly recommended. Paul H. Wender, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus University of Utah School oof Medicine

From Adversity to Invincibility is a practical and readable book. Its contents deliver solid information making everyone's emotional health readily understandable to them. There are only 115 easy to read pages in this new book, but they provide a wonderful user's manual for discerning our underlying goodness. Dr. Everett's years of practicing and teaching psychiatry have led him to recognize that there is an altruistic core in our nature that needs to be nurtured as we live our day-to-day lives. You will also learn common sense approaches to dealing with life. The fundamentals presented here inspire hope and they include his thoughtful solutions to the various kinds of emotional problems that we face. Dr. Everett is familiar with the fact that almost everyone needs assistance in addressing the problems that we encounter. Simple lessons fill this book with guidelines which teach us how to overcome the many emotional obstacles facing us. The author suggests to us that we are capable of emotional invincibility and his book illustrates exactly how it is within our reach. I especially liked the emphasis on building our lives so that we may always enjoy the wonderful satisfaction that comes with acting on our innate altruism. It is refreshing in the year 2000 to have altruism acknowledged as an active ingredient of mental health. This book is well worth reading. The information presented is easy to grasp and applying it will no doubt improve one's life immeasurably.

I have closely read all four of the MERCY OF A RUDE STREAM VOLUMES, and I feel that this third volume may be the most powerful and affecting. For many readers who are expecting the MERCY series to be just as transcendent as Roth's masterpiece CALL IT SLEEP, they are often disappointed when they start with Volume I of MERCY OF A RUDE STREAM. That volume (called "A Star Shines Over Mt. Morris Park") is a prelude, something of an overture, and it lacks the sheer intensity of feelings produced by CALL IT SLEEP. I would encourage readers instead to begin with FROM BONDAGE (Vol.III) or A DIVING ROCK ON THE HUDSON (VOL. II). If you like what you have read in Volume III, you will be caught up in the drama of the Stigman Family, and you will be able to read Volume I with far greater appreciation. Almost every reader whom I have spoken with is in awe of Roth's genius after having read FROM BONDAGE (and REQUIEM FOR HARLEM, the fourth and final volume, is a real page turner, too).

Imagine James Joyce growing up as a poor Jewish immigrant in Harlem in the 1920's. All of Henry Roth's books are outstanding, but this one may well be the best. His work, like Joyce's, is gritty, chaoctic, and tragic at one moment, light and whimsical at the next. Ira Stigman, his hero, is another Stephen Dedalus, adventurous, flawed, and often unmistakably autobiographical. If you are a reader of Joyce, discover the writing of Henry Roth.

This one of the most powerful books about Chief Joseph that i have had the pleasure to read. The stirring narrative from a native Nez Perez,really puts me in the story and makes me very,very angry about the way we have treated Native Americans,Will Henry was one of the most gifted and talented western writers of all time. I wish his books would make a comeback on the bestseller lists.

The book moved me and made me think about the hardships that the Indian peoples went through, especially the Nez Perce. It had lots of neat little points, and a different perspective of Chief Joseph. This was probably the best story that I've read.

This series of books (15 in all that make up A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight) is a wonderful journey of discovery, history and vivid storytelling. Williamson's novel is brilliant. Each volume stands on its own, but is best read from the beginning (Volume 1 - The Dark Lantern) to truly experience the cycle of Phillip Maddison's (and one's own in some way) life. Volume 15, The Gale of the World, makes one want to start again from the beginning. An epic tale. Also see henrywilliamson.org for more information on "The Chronicle" and HW's many other works. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Brilliant piece of work from a brilliant author. Williamson's loyalty to Europe and the furthering of Germanic culture has left much of his work (like 'The Gale Of The World')unread due to a type of blacklisting by the intellectual community of post-war Europe. I reccomend this work to anyone who wishes to read an eloquent piece of work by one of the greatest naturalist writers of this century (or any!).

I am a corporate labor relations manager for a Fortune 100 company. The practicle advice and reasoning in this book is very useful to me at the workplace and home. A definite thumbs up.

This well-organized, unique and unusual approach to the presentation of negotiation theory has become one of my favorite desk reference tools. Kramer has succeeded in writing an excellent step-by-step "nuts and bolts" guide to negotiating and includes numerous "tips, tricks, and traps" that professional negotiators keep in their tool boxes. For those of us who are somewhat acquainted with the mechanics of negotiation, the detailed table of contents is a quick reference, an index-like guide, for locating specific information. Five stars!