this book is one of the beat books in the world. it will make you happy and sad. if you naver read any of his work before read this one it is a good intro to lewis's work

Only Lewis Grizzard could make me laugh and cry at the same time and about what? His own near death experience. His unusual humor will be sorely missed. This book is almost as good as what I think was his greatest - My Daddy was a Pistol and I'm a Son-of-a-Gun. I will miss the talents of this great writer.

I went out and bought this book b/c I'd listened to the abridged recorded version. This made me laugh and cry. It truely pulled me out of a "Why are we here and why do we bother?" kind of funk. I'm not sure I got the answers, but the answers didn't seem to matter after all. His presence is missed deeply in my life.

I learned more from this book then I did in all the classes I was required to obtain my political science degree. The main premise of the book is that the Republican and Democratic party leaders collude to keep power, often by not contesting elections that could easily be won with any money or effort expended. A quick example from 25 years after the book's publication should suffice to verify Karp's thesis.In the state of Florida in 1998, half of the congressional seats were not even contested (several other "contests" simply have write-in candidates with zero chance of winning). This was despite the fact that both parties knew winning an extra seat or two might well determine who controlled the next Congress. Unfortunately, this fact is overlooked by not only the public, but all of the so-called experts on TV. Right now, the public perception still is that the parties fight like dogs to win elections at all possible costs. Karp sees what the pundits oftoday can't; namely, the goal of party leaders is to maintain control of their organizations,not to win elections. One quote from former Democratic speaker Sam Rayburn demonstrates this principle;when faced with a coming landslide for his party and a gain of many seats for his party,he ruefully says :"I'd just as soon not have that many Democrats, they'll be difficult to control." This is the shocking but real story of how politics in America really works. A truly indispensable work.

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Karp not only pulls back the curtain on the evils of partisan politics, but goes on to propose a Jeffersonian style of self-government. Some of my favorite analysis from this book includes the following:

* Party oligarchs and their Cold War statism highlights his "principle of waste."

* A State inherently tends toward collusion and monopoly-granting, and therefore expansion, and this necessarily leads to war.

* Special privilege is in direct odds with liberty and self-rule, and only serves to further entrench a ruling political elite. And this he says, is a result of the "Hamiltonian tradition."

* Political ideology necessarily takes the form of the ruling bureaucracy.

*Decentralization [and hence, secession] is the key to breaking the back of the Hamiltonian system.

Karp, a revisionist historian, takes on such sacred cows as FDR, Wilson, Johnson, McKinley, Hamilton, and trade unions (gasp!). It's one of the best books ever on raw political machinations.

For me, the major impression left by this book was it's massive originality. Every page was the equivalent of opening your lunchbox in expectation of the usual bologna sandwich, and finding instead a skyscraper, the Hope diamond, or Elvis' twitching torso. Karp looks at the theories of American politics and attempts to overturn every accepted explanation, always suggesting complex, subtle and powerful alternatives. Whether he succeeds or not you can judge for yourself, but he somehow manages to be always unique on ground previously trodden by so many feet. Yet, he isn't merely a contrarian. His intricate theory retains remarkable consistensy throughout this book and his other three books on politics.

The previous reviewer sums up one of the books main ideas very well. Another argument of the book is that power in America is almost totally monopolized by the two parties -- contrary to most opinion today which seeks to blame anyone and everyone for our problems except the most obvious suspects, the politicians who pass laws and frustrate reform. Since so many pundits blame either the "liberal media elite" or monopolistic corporations for our woes, Karp details the ways in which both groups are under the complete domination of the two parties (his analysis of the media is part of a separate book _Buried Alive_). As Karp points out, the idea isn't new. Madison, Jefferson, Washington, et. al. shouted until they were hoarse about the necessity of zealously watching politicians and rulers. They had little if any concern about journalists, manufacturers and bankers, except insofar as they might become willing tools for would-be despots and oligarchs. But no one except Karp has thoroughly explored the implications of this founding belief in the modern political context.

This is one of the best books I have read. Ingersoll was one of the most courageous and eloquent spokesmen for Reason. He honored nature, science and liberty and condemned superstition, bigotry, slavery, religious intolerance and worthless ritual in a time when it took great courage to be outspoken. His words have even greater meaning today when the evils of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism have again reared their ugly head. This book condenses much of his writings in an organised and eloquent way. If it were required reading I think it would seriously undermine the religious convictions of many Americans. I urge everyone to familiarize themselves with Ingersoll, the magnificent!

I had finally sat down to read the Bible when I picked up a copy of Ingersoll the Magnificent. I can tell you the latter was the only book I finished. The Bible shocked me with its ignorance and cruelty. Ingersoll impressed me with his wit and principles (charity, respect, intellectual integrity, hope, and honesty.) There are so many gems of wisdom. Here are but a few: "I admit that reason is a small and feeble flame, a flickering torch by stumblers carried in the starless night, -- blown and flared by passion's storm, -- and yet it is the only light. Extinguish that and nought remains." "All that is necessary, as it seems to me, to convince any reasonable person that the bible is simply and purely of human invention -- of barbarian invention -- is to read it." "It is a great pleasure to drive the fiend of fear out of the hearts of men, women and children. It is a positive joy to put out the fires of hell." "Honest men do not pretend to know...they admit their ignorance, and they say, 'We don't know.'" Reading Ingersoll made me want to meet people like him and directly to meeting Madalyn Murray O'Hair. They certainly had their differences, but both stood for high ideals and wanted humankind to be better.

It's funny that in the 21st century most Americans have forgotten the lost American tradition of Free Thinking. Robert G. Ingersoll was one the greatest free thinkers and one of the greatest Americans in our history. This is a tremendous collections of his thoughts on the nonsense on christianity and the seperation of church and state. You have to love a politician who had the guts to stand up and say "Christianity has made more lunatics than it ever provided asylums for." Here is the opposing view to those who believe this is a "christian nation."

Graeme Base has lent a thrilling vision to Lewis Carroll's poem, illustrating the complete poem with seven dioramas -- lush, layered cutouts that are an interesting departure from pop-ups and lift-the-flap books.

It is not the only possible imagery, but it is very entertaining, well engineered and, in my opinion, faithful to the spirit of the text's author.

This is my 2 year old's favorite book. We have read it so many time that he almost has the whole poem memorized!! The illustrations are wonderful for adults and children. I find new things in the pages almost every night. I highly reccomend it.

I LOVE this poem by Lewis Carroll. It is extremely well written and inspires the imagination to soar to new heights. I am a big fan of illustrator Graeme Base. His bright and colorful creatures makes this Lewis Carroll classic a MUST for anyone.

For anyone who has a modist size Zeppelin collection of live recordings this book is a must, It has an incredible breakdown of hundreds of shows including track lists and commentary on the play quality as well as remarks on Robert Plants witty comentary between songs. I found myself going back and listening to many of my bootlegs to see how the author's opinion of concerts compared to mine. It was also nice because It helped straighten out some of the songs from the compelation discs I have, correcting the perpatraitors generally incorrect slipsheets and liner notes.

Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett have provided readers with a treasure: a look at every known live performance of the world's greatest rock band, Led Zeppelin. The book is full of reports of what, where, and when the band played, how good the concert was, concert facts, and many samples of the wisdom of Robert Plant. They even recommend the best bootlegs, perfect for us die-hard Zepp fans. The authors also include innumerable concert photos, many of which don't appear in other books. Any Zeppelin collection is incomplete without this book.

This book is a dream come true for any Zep fan. The set lists and descriptions of every Led Zeppelin performance are great. If you are not sure exactly when or where you saw that Zep concert, this book has the information you need. Loads of pictures of the band, venue posters, backstage passes and more. Looks great on the coffee table too.

This book is awesomely beautiful with brilliant colors and fine art! Ms. Lewis and her illustrator Mr. Clarke have created a masterpiece for children of color!

The Christian theme throughout the book demostrates values. It shows how thankful a young child is for the world around them. A lesson some adult could learn.

Little Lumpy is a priceless keepsake for generations to come. I look forward to the line of children's books Ms. Lewis has to share with our young readers. -LC

Let Little Lumpy Lulu warm your heart with this wonderful story of appreciation and thanksgiving. This playful story with smiling faces and rich vibrant artwork will warm the hearts of children, teens, as well as adults of any age. This is the type of book that children should be reading to instill an appreciation of family and foster a giving spirit! A joy to read - a must have for everyone with a child!

If you want your children to experience the true value of family and spirituality, then this book will help you and must be a part of your kid's library. I commend the author for focusing on bringing our children back home to where they belong. This is a must read for your sons and daughters.

With Flute of the Fallen Tiger, Volume 3 in the epic Lone Wolf and Cub saga, creators Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima take the series from mere greatness to a whole new level of perfection. Assassin-for-hire Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigoro continue to travel the assassin's road, meeting new friends and foes, most of whom wind up dead in short order. My favorite tale in this volume was "Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice", where Father and Son meet a mysterious street beggar who implores Itto to spare Daigoro from a life of killing and hatred; He's so determined to save Daigoro that he's willing to gamble his own life. Another story, "The White Path Between the Rivers", tells of the birth of Daigoro and the events that led Father and Son to travel the assassin's road.

There are some really memorable stories here, and somehow the creators manage to make each installment better than the last; It's tough to believe that there are 25 more volumes left; I for one can't wait to see what comes next. I highly recommend Lone Wolf and Cub; Not just for a good read, but also for it's fascinating insights into Japanese history and culture.

I am working my way through the manga epic Lone Wolf & Cub one chapter at a day and have now completed Volume 3, "The Flute of the Fallen Tiger." Through these five stories writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima slowly expand the breadth an depth of their story: (15) "The Flute of the Fallen Tiger"would not have been my choice for the volume's titular story (I would definitely have gone with #17), but it does look at some very different ways of fighting for Ogami Itto to deal with in this episode. (16) "Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice" is not the most significant story in this volume, but definitely the most interesting as Lone Wolf & Cub encounter Shino Sakon, a Mijin school master who has become a beggar ronin and who tries to talk Ogami Itto out of walking the Assassin's Road. The climatic and bloody swordfights that usually constitute the climax of these stories are never my favorite part, but in this one we have the novel approach of Lone Wolf thinking through a series of attacks, looking for one that can end with him winning. I found this a very interesting approach, more so than the usual hacking off of limbs and such.

(17) "The White Path Between the Rivers" provides a rare but tantalizing look at the backstory of Lone Wolf and Cub, wherein we find out the grim details of Daigoro's birth and learn how Ogami Itto became the target of political intrigue. In helps answer why, in part, he refuses to stop walking the Assassin's Road. Koike and Kojima had been stingy with this look at the ronin's motivation, which is what makes these stories all the more special. (18) "The Virgin and the Whore" plays off the standard formula of these Assassin's Road stories as Ogami takes up the cause of a young prostitute. Of course, appearances are almost always deceiving in this stories. This is also one of those stories where the attention to historical detail is impressive, this time with regards to the practice of prostitution during Japan's Edo Period. (19) "Close Quarters" provides an assignment for the assassin that hinges on the economics of a han controlling a forest and presents another clever use of Diagoro by his father. The back of the volume includes the next installment of "The Ronin Report" by Tim Ervin-Gore looking at "bushido," the code of the warrior by which Lone Wolf lives his life.

I love this series and have started collecting the books as I find them. The artwork is incredible and the format is great for just taking with you if you know you're gonna need a quick read somewhere. Something to keep in mind - asian books are read right to left. To preserve the flow, the art was flipped during the conversion to english. In feudal Japan, there were few if any left-handed samurai, but in the series everyone seems to be left handed. Took me a bit to figure out why that was happening.

For years, a small number of Oxford dons and fellows, as well as some of their friends, met in a local pub on Tuesdays to drink beer, hold discussions on such matters as mythology, morality, and literature, and read aloud the things they had been writing. Perhaps more important than these meetings were the Thursday night gatherings in the rooms of CS Lewis at Magdalen college. This group, which included such intellectual giants as Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and Charles Williams, was known as "The Inklings."

Much of "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and Lewis's Space Trilogy were read in these meetings. Lewis also read much of his apologetic work to the group. The Inklings have had an enormous effect on the world of fantasy and Christian apology, and this biography by Humphrey Carpenter attempts to examine, in detail, just what occurred at these meetings, and what the effect was on those who participated.

Actually, this book is more of a biography on CS Lewis than on the rest of the members. Carpenter, who wrote a separate biography on Tolkien, does not elaborate much on the creator of "The Lord of the Rings", but rather spends most of his time on Lewis, who was, after all, the life of the group. Despite the focus on Lewis, however, there is a large section devoted to the life and times of Charles Williams, another principal member of the group. By using Lewis's life as a narrative, Carpenter is able to explore the composition and disposition of the Inklings as a group, as well as discuss their collective impact on the world of literature, fantasy, and criticism.

This biography is well-written, and covers its subject well. The Inklings were a fascinating group of men, and this book provides much information and detail about the group as a whole that is difficult to glean from a biography which focuses on just one of the members. Unfortunately, this volume is not currently available in the US, and must be obtained either from Amazon.uk or from a used bookseller. Despite the difficulty in obtaining the book, however, this is a fascinating and worthwhile look at the Inklings.

This is a great book but don't be sucked into buying it for 150 dollers goto the UK site and get it for 8 bucks. Ships just as fast.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0261103474/ref=sr_aps_books_1_2/026-5367973-8334817

This is one of the best biographical books I've ever read. Carpenter captures the character of some of the most interesting British writers of the WWII/post-WWII era: C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams. He manages to tread that careful balance between criticism and adoration. He accomplishes this, I think, out of true sympathy for each of the writers involved. He helped me understand the nature and complexity of the different relationships surrounding C.S. Lewis without resorting to vulgar fault-finding or "taking sides". At one point, Mr. Carpenter recreates an Inkling meeting. The intellectual vigor and personalities of the participants rises off the page and helps to explain why the Inklings generated (and still generate) such interest.

I'm four-fifths done with "Honorable Warrior", and about the same amount done with "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam" by Neil Sheehan, and I'm terribly afraid, in fact, I'm pretty sure (I looked at the ending) that Mr. Sorley will duck the question that his subject could not duck..quite. That question was whether the military effort was going to work. General Johnson was averse to Phoenix-style assassination programs and to unrestrained bombardment. He thought local policing and interdiction of infiltration would answer things. This assumes (on his part) that the South Vietnamese regime would use this breathing space to flourish in democracy, rectitude, and mercy. Why did he assume this? His cherished analytical principle, Mr. Sorley informs us, was "challenge the assertion". For instance, the General tore to shreds, anaylytically, one of McNamara's "Systems Anaylysis" monster-reports on Vietnam by pointing out that it had been cobbled together out of twenty-eight other analyses, each of which had different assumptions. As my history professor would say, "scissors and paste" or "daisy-chaining" does not good history make. My question is whether the General was rigorous enough in evaluating his own thought, his own assertions. The question is directed to Mr. Sorley, who says in his conclusion that the war was actually against mere "surrogates" of China and the Soviet Union. By that logic, we would have been morally authorized to kill every Vietnamese, since they were only inert instruments of the source of the belligerency. Trying to look through Mr. Sorley's somewhat blood-misted eyes, I take seriously his suggestion that the General was often tempted to quit and that he had paralyzing doubts about the war, which he justified to himself as bringing freedom to the people of Vietnam. Did the General end up believing, in the words of the U.S. officer so often quoted, that in order to save the nation of Vietnam it was necessary to destroy it? No, I hear his fans shouting, he was too moral! But was he moral enough to realize that it was immoral to police and interdict a viable political regime (sponsored by Ho) to death in the hope that another regime would spring up from the morally toxic swamps of Saigon? (This concept of viability of regime is the standard upheld by so-called international law in determining which of competing regimes deserves recognition). Could he make that leap of faith in good conscience? Or did he in fact drape his moral doubt in words like "anti-communism" and "security", and leave it to someone else to decide if the whole thing was going to work? My suggestion for a moral lesson is that if you're called on to do something by someone who is farther from the action than you are to the extent that you're confident that you know more about the moral questions raised than your "superior" does, so much so that your sense of obligation to this superior evaporates, you cannot dress up your feeling of emptiness with some slogans, much less with the claim that you're only following orders, but must do something to rectify the malfeasance of your own superiors. In the words of Matthew Ridgeway, words that the Army put on a leadership poster ten years ago, "If you are confident that your orders are mistaken, you are obliged to attempt to fix things." Not his exact words. I don't think he just said to bring it to the attention of your superiors. I suppose that leaves disobedience, resignation, and forceful advocacy. It is the lack of forceful advocacy by the General, and lack of concern by Mr. Sorley over the General's lack of forceful advocacy, that makes the life of the General, as Mr. Sorley tells it, only worth four stars out of five. I mean, you can't just blame everything on General Westmoreland, especially when he worked for General Johnson, traditions of lattitude for field commanders notwithstanding. Alright, how do I know the General wasn't forceful enough since I haven't finished the book? He could have ordered Westmoreland to fix things: whatever, invade Laos, install U.S. commanders in all ARVN units, take over the administration of the South Vietnamese civil population, which is the same as taking over the Saigon regime, whatever it would have taken in his mind to win ("the freedom of the South Vietnamese people", remember) and then suffered the consequences. The President could have fired him. The fact that the President didn't fire him is proof to me that he didn't advocate forcefully enough. That is crude of me. Romantic. Duel at Diablo. End of story. Soul intact. It is so easy in a bureaucracy to adopt the attitude of "garbage in, garbage out", but they pay you and respect you for doing hard things. In the words of the New Testament parable, we are worthless servants when we only do what we are told. If the General had no doubt that his conduct of the war -- he was plumb in the middle of the road of the chain of command, it was on his watch -- was ethical, we cannot second-guess God's judgment of him. To quote the previous reviewer, however, it seems that he thought that his job was to follow orders. That is not ethical. That is, in the final analysis, stupid. We don't creates lines of authority to multiply our stupidity, but to diminish it. If, when you give somebody an order, there is no implicit "or am I being stupid" which they feel free to confirm or deny, you are not getting the best out of that subordinate and the people are not getting its best out of you. This applies the more so, the higher up you go. Hey?

Sorley had become the preeminent biographer of military leaders. His first book, Thunderbolt, was a joy to read. Honorable Warrior is the story of man who fought, the Japanese, survived the Battan Death march and many years of unspeakable horror in Japanese prison camps. He also fought with great bravery in Korea. However, I t was his time as Chief of Staff when General Johnson faced his most difficult professional agonies. Anyone interested in leadership, the military or American history should read this book.

I had the honor to know General Harold K. Johnson while he was a Commanding General, and then to serve two years as his personal aide while he was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Sorley has done a magnificient job of research and reporting on the life of the most dedicated American military leader in recent history. General Johnson was a unique man, humbled by his roots, molded by his experience as a POW, and a man whose personal moral standards never waivered. I think the author has portrayed General Johnson as the man I knew. My only difference with the portrayal is the implication of "resignation in protest" on a number of occasions. General Johnson held the view that his function was to advise the President, and that the President had no obligation to accept that advice. I would accept the "resignation" theory only if it portrayed General Johnson as considering resignation because he felt his advice was inadequate or that his articulation ! of that advice was inadequate. The idea of resignation would have been because he felt someone else could perhaps do it better. He was such a private man that I also doubt he would have shared that thought with others, particularly junior to him. But, a really excellent biography and Sorley has done himself proud.

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This book weaves Hine's story together with his photographs of kids working in Maine's sardine canneries, Texas cotton fields, New York laundries, Tennessee and Georgia cotton mills and in textile mills all over the U.S. south. He took some of the most haunting photos of dark tunnels and grimy breaker rooms in Pennsylvania coalmines. He went inside glass factories, to farms, and onto city streets at 1 a.m. to photograph children distributing newspapers and 1 p.m. to watch them shining boots.

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If your kids occasionally gripe that they have it tough, get them this book and show them what the word means. Alyssa A. Lappen

Children and adults are both intrigued by this wonderful photo documentation of the history of immigrant children working in the United States. Lewis Hine's pictures tell the story and Russell Freedman's words add a greater depth to this sometimes sad yet beautiful celebration of children at work during the early 20th century.

"Kids At Work" is a great book to tell and show the children of today how hard it was back then. Lewis Hine takes most of the credit. Thanks to his great photos The Declaration Of Dependence was passed. It stated that kids would be dependent and should live a normal kids life. Which concisted of going to school, being able to play freely with other kids ect.. We the children of today thank Lewis Hine for giving us a free life. I also give Ressell Freedman credit for following Mr. Hine and writing this spectacular and amizing book. As far as I am concerned Hine and Freedman greatest authors of all time!!