Herodotus' Histories is often considered the gold standard of knowledge pertaining to the Persian empire. Little is made of the fact that this Ionian had certain political grudges against his political masters and had never visited Persia or had entry into Persian society. Xenophone however was a nobleman who lived amongst the Persians and the Medes and was acquaianted with their ways and histories. Xenophone's observations on Persian society and religion are far closer to modern scholarship than Herodotus. Furthermore even the chronological inaccuracies of Cyropaedia are in the Persian tradition. As evidenced by Sassanian histories, the Persians had the habit of attributing the conquests of dynasties to their founders. However the most fascinating and thrilling aspect of reading this book is that the educational stories attributed to Cyrus are identical to the stories found in Adab or the Persian courtly literature of Islamic era. Given that Xenophone was not translated into Persian or Arabic, this confirms the authenticity of the materials used by Xenophone. I love this book and have read it twice already. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a closer look at the realities of Persia.

Xenophobia is the fear of foreigners. Yet Xenophon's greatest book was a biography of the most hated foe of the greeks, Cyrus.

Cyrus was the greatest emperor of the Persian empire, and the antecedent (see what a great scholar I am? I can't remember all the exact facts like a real student should; I read this stuff for fun) of the Persian emperor who Alexander defeated right before Alexander went crazy and decided to conquer the rest of the world while he was on a streak.

In today's Jingoistic anti-Iran & Iraq climate, it's illuminating to get the Persian perspective on world history, and since I haven't found any Persian histories written from the ancient Persian viewpoint, this book is the best I've read.

This is a beautiful book, with magazine style articles (they coincide with the pictures). It is a great book to have around the house for a casual fast food reference of Authurian art, and a sort of who's who in the legendary relm of King Arthur. Great for all ages.

This entire book was filled with beautiful illustrations, and gave a terrific overall view of the Arthurian tradition, not to mention Pre-Raphaelite art!....wonderful...

There are very little places you can go in Tennessee and not find something with Elvis Presley on it. Among all the items with his picture on them, the most valuable and sought after likenesses of the "King of Rock-n-Roll" can be found on postage stamps from around the world. Foreign Postal agencies were issuing commemorative stamps on Elvis Presley way before the U.S. Post Office issued it's first one and their value will continue to increase. This book volume 1 is the first & only Elvis on Stamps Reference Book from over 37 countries. The beautiful color photographs & artwork from his life, career and movies, makes this book a collectable within itself.

One of the ONLY books on this much overlooked subject... Entirely FILLED with FULL PAGE 4 color examples of the World's Tribute to the entertainer Elvis Presley..A 'MUST HAVE' for every Elvis fan ! Looking forward to Volumes 2-4...A wonderful tribute to 'The King'

Emily, an athletic young girl who rules the Greenwood, and spends her days climbing trees and riding horses through her lush green forest ,follows Arden ,a unicorn, into the Mysterious Forest. There Emily and Arden pass Jibbets and Giants to get to the Land of the Unicorns to ask The Great Unicorn to give Arden her unicorn powers back . On the way Arden and Emily learn about true friendship, and for both the girl and the unicorn , that's what truly matters.

This is an interesting book because Arden and Emily go on an adventure to Crumble Mountain. You will like this book if you like princesses, unicorns, kings and queens.

King Arthur has always been of interest to me, and I happened upon this book on sales table and just had to buy it. Little did I know that for hours I'd have my face stuck in it...this book is no less than excellent, a great collection of Arthurian stories from different points of view in alphabetical order. A great reference and an awesome book for people interested in learning more about Arthur ;)

If this system allowed me to give 4-1/2 stars, that's probably where I would actually have come down. This reference source is magnificent. Coghlan includes names from often obscure and/or hard to find Arthurian legends, and he notes his sources. My only complaints is that he does not say where in his sources he found the name (so sometimes you have to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt), he's missed a couple of rare sources I wish he'd included, and he does not cite instances of the names outside Arthurian material (which is sometimes important). Other than that, this is a reference work of the highest quality.

It may come as a shock to some that Ireland still has nineteen documented native "royal" families, probably because the island's ruling dynasties were suppressed nearly five centuries ago by the imperialist Tudors. The conquest of Ireland was followed by the Flight of the Wild Geese, in which much of the Irish aristocracy fled to other Catholic countries (notably France and Spain) and was largely forgotten at home. The government of today's Ireland, however, has been granting courtesy titles to claimants who can prove their descents. Ellis is a noted scholar and popular writer in the area of Celtic studies and history and this enabled him to be "invited in" by the heads of the families to examine their claims. Each of these is "the chief of the name" -- though some also hold other Gaelic titles, such as Conor O'Brien, "The O'Brien," who also is hereditary Prince of Thomond (as well as being a baronet and Baron Inchiquin in the Peerage of Ireland under the UK). They generally have more money (based on land ownership) and education than average, and their influence in Irish culture can be considerable. The author does a very creditable job of outlining the lineage and political history of each of these families, each in its own chapter, as well as the modern-day activities of the chiefs in regaining their social positions. Following the publication of the first edition, a scandal erupted around Terence McCarthy, recognized as The McCarthy Mor, who turned out to be a complete fraud, and that episode, which badly damaged the credibility of the chiefs of Ireland, is also recounted in detail in this edition. An articulate, informative, and very well written book.

Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties Of Ireland by Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis is a stately and informative study of the Irish aristocracies that ruled Ireland until Henry VIII forced them to obey the English crown. Individual chapters relate the sagas of numerous Gaelic noble families, including O'Carroll, O'Connor, McCarthy, Maguire, O'Grady and many more. A highly recommended contribution to Irish Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections, Erin's Blood Royal is an articulate and impressive account of the family branches whose descendants live in Ireland, Great Britain, America, and many other nations throughout the world today.

This is a fascinating story told in the words of a great collection of people who "were there." Former wives, dealers, PR types, executives, many from the '40s and '50s offer candid insights and memories that illustrate the complexity, and at times the profound sadness, of Bill Harrah's life.

Casino cheating (by owners, employees, and customers!), evolution of gambling machines, promotional stunts, big name entertainment, and the famed auto collection are covered extensively.

My only reservation (a minor one) is that Harrah's subsidized some of the production costs of the book which probably had some editorial impact. For example, embarassing or critical material is typically played down. (No interviews here of disgruntled competitors or former employees) Please do not let this comment keep you from reading "Every Light", it is great!

This oral history about William Harrah is excellent. I believe the manner in which Kling interviewed all of the people gives you a inside edge to understanding more how the gaming business was run in the early years, and how Harrah help to create a successful industry. This book is definitly worth reading!

I have to agree with oakshaman--this is one of the best books on the geologic evolution of North America that I've come across. First published in 1959, the edition that I own does not deal with plate tectonics (a subject that was hotly debated at the time, and generally not taken very seriously), so at least some of the continent-building forces that elude King have since been identified. Nonetheless, this book is still a wonderful introduction to the landforms of North America. As oakshaman notes, the maps and geologic cross-sections are particularly informative. Any books on the subject published since this volume came out build on the solid foundation that Philip B. King laid so many years ago.

In my opinion this is the best geological travel book ever written. At least it is for North America. If you want to really understand the basic geology of the country that you are traveling through, from the North West Territories to the Yucatan, then this book is for you. Several decades ago, this was my college textbook for Geology of the U.S. In my opinion there has never been a better single text written to take its place. King was an old time classical field geologist- he knows this continent like the back of his hand. I usually just leave it in my suit case as a permanent reference.

The basic organization of this book is as follows: 1)The Natural History of the Continents, 2) The Canadian Shield, 3) The Interior Lowlands, 4) Appalachian and related Systems, 5) Lands and Seas South of the Continent, 6) The Cordilleran System, 7) The Eastern Ranges and Plateaus, 8) The Main Part of the Cordillera,and 9) Later Modifications of the Cordillera including the Coast Ranges.

The real strength of the book is the many extremely well-done maps and cross-sections. There is even a full fold-out geological map of all of North America in the back of the book- along with a full index.

Joan Grant had an amazing knack for incisive writing about her past lives. Many books of this genre are fuzzy, feel-good bromides that leave us doubtful.The authenticity of Grant's experience rings true in every sentence of this work.

It reads like an exciting adventure novel- yet the solidity and internal consistency of her main characters are astounding- and the spiritual gems glistening throughout the narrative are there for anyone to share. The prose is crisp, measured, and not padded and brings the culture and perspective of ancient Egypt directly into the heart and mind of the reader.

I am glad than writer Harold Klemp (Autobiography of a Modern Prophet) recommended this author to me.

If you got to this page, please, please DO BUY Joan Grant's "Eyes of Horus". It is a wonderfully written novel (Which is suppossed to be a real life she remembers), it is wonderfully written, and the amount of details of everyday life makes it amazing to read. You will feel you are in old Egipt, seeing everything with your own eyes. The way she writes makes you even understand other ways of thinking than our own, because of what her characters say, the comparisons they make... Believe me! I am an hypercritical person and there is nothing phony in this book! Please buy it, you will not regret it!

In 1999 The Fall of the King was nominated as the best book to be written by a danish author in the 20th century. Two major danish newspapers made the top-10 choice, and this JVJ novel got its number one celebration by both readers, publishers and reviewers. I have read it twice, and are now halvways into its psykologically dramas the third time, and its words has never been better. JVJ's way of putting our words together is unike.

This is surely the masterwork of the Nobel Prize winning Danish author, Johannes V. Jensen. The book mixes facts from Denmarks history from 1497 to 1543 with the fictional life and emotional turmoil of the student, Mikkel Thøgersen. Mikkel's life is contrasted with the life and times of the king of the period, Christian II, and we follow them through the bloodbath of Stockholm, war, civil war wich were the reason for the fall of the king. Mikkel is a person who cannot make friends with the world and himself and therefore kills, steals and rapes - all because of his dispair: It is impossible for him to live, because he is out of touch with what is really valuable: The love of a woman, his small hometown's life, nature. This book is a masterpiece, not because of its storyline but because of the dramatic poetic images, the wild visions, the modern way of describing the most extreme emotions in a man.