ET Books

"Epiphany in the Modern Novel" is a thoroughgoing literary study of the first order, replete with convincing arguments carefully and eloquently argued, quiet and balanced in tone and yet instilled with a legion of inspired insights. To the best of my knowledge, it's also quite innovative; other scholars had noted the novelist James Joyce's appropriation of the term "epiphany," of course, but Beja, while indeed making Joyce's articulation of this concept the core of his study, goes further and fully demonstrates its very real (but varying) significance for other modern novelists and its role in their novels, both as technique and theme. Much of the later work I've read on this subject (by Ashton Nichols and Robert Langbaum) in fact seems to trace back to this seminal book, making it a key source in this line of inquiry.

Unlike the later studies though, which for the most part focus on poetry, Beja here is very much intent on just what his helpfully straightforward title suggests, the modern novel. He's very much aware of the poetry connection, of course, and outlines this relationship succinctly in the first chapter (noting Wordsworth's importance in this regard), which traces the prehistory of the concept from Saint Paul's experience on the road to Damascus and Saint Augustine's conversion all the way to the Romantic poets of the 18th and 19th centuries and then earlier novelists like Henry James, Joseph Conrad, and (lest ye doubt) Marcel Proust. The bulk of the book though consists of four chapters, each one extensively treating one specific novelist and his or her novels in great detail: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Wolfe, and William Faulkner. In the process, 20th century developments in psychology and philosophy, especially as these relate to the nature and subjective perception of time or the qualities and characteristics of aesthetic appreciation, are explored to the degree that they influence this phenomenon. For anyone interested in the philosophy of Henri Bergson, he figures prominently in these discussions, though others like William James, G.E. Moore, and D.T. Suzuki pop up as well.

These are complex matters definitely, but Beja writes in wonderfully clear and understandable prose, bringing a self-assured erudition to bear on the subject and, unlike so many literary critics nowadays, writing in order to be understood rather than to impress his peers. For anyone who takes modern literature seriously, for anyone who suspects it is (or can be) profoundly spiritual though not necessarily religious, for anyone who sees it as a possible (if less than perfect) key to meaning and significance in this mixed-up, modern, crazy world, this book's definitely for you. Highly recommended--reading this fine study is almost an epiphany in its own right.

I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history.

It is important to understand that the army of the Republic was by no means a second rate militia force. "Discipline and training were its hallmarks; the care with which the camp was laid out reveals no ordinary grouping of amateur warriors. The Romans adopted professional attitudes to warfare long before the army had professional institutions." The army's professionalism is proven by reading the one military training manual still extant, Vegetiu's fourth century CE Epitome of Military Science. Most experts agree that Vegetius' Epitome was certainly a compilation of earlier Roman military training and doctrine manuals that have not survived. This manual is replete with information for the commander on how to recruit, train, supply, billet, and employ his legion in combat.

Rome had an army from its earliest beginnings as a small city-state. There is little known of the structure of the military in early Roman history. "At first, military service in the Roman Army entailed a man being away from his home...for a few weeks or months over the summer. The campaign season opened in March and closed in October, as official festivals in the Roman calendar make clear." Servius Tullius was the sixth king of Rome who reigned from about 580-530 BCE. Servius instituted many reforms in both the political and military structures of Rome which were codified in the Sevian Constitution. He conducted the first census of the citizenry and used this information to divide the population into classes based on wealth. The class structure was then used both politically for voting classification and militarily to determine in what portion of the legion a man would serve in to defend Rome. The men were organized into centuries (hundreds) within the class structure. Militarily, the class ranking was based on wealth, which determined where a man would serve in the legion based on his ability to provide his own weapons and equipment. The wealthiest class in Roman society served in the equites or the Roman cavalry, of which there were eighteen centuries. Obviously, these men had the financial ability to provide their own horses. The majority of the population was divided into five classes who served in the infantry. Men who had no property had no military obligation. The military tactics used were similar to the Greek hoplite formation.

"Members of the `first class' were to be armed with a bronze cuirass, spear, sword, shield and greaves to protect the legs; the `second class' with much the same panoply minus the cuirass; the `third', the
same but lacking the greaves; the `fourth; the shield and spear only, and the `fifth' was armed only with slings or stones.

During the period of the Republic, the structure of the army went through some changes after the enactment of the Servian Constitution. When a Roman citizen volunteered or was drafted, it was to fight in a specific campaign rather than for a specific length of time. Since Rome's empire was expanding in the second century BCE, it might not be uncommon for soldiers to serve in successive campaigns with a length of service reaching six years--the usual maximum length of service. In some very rare instances a soldier could volunteer to serve longer terms of service, mainly for the booty reward available to soldiers. Normally, a soldier would be maintained in a citizen reserve for sixteen years after his initial term of service. If a soldier was mobilized later, it was unlikely he would retain his former rank. This fact made it difficult for a man to make the army a lucrative profession in the Republic era. Even if a citizen showed exceptional aptitude and bravery in combat and rose to the rank of centurion, he would only have received double the pay of an ordinary soldier until Julius Caesar changed the pay and reward structure for his legions.

Recommended reading for those interested in Roman history, military history.

Chapters Include:

* The structure of Simmel's Social Thought (Donald Levine)
* Form and Content in Simmel's Philsophy of Life (R. H. Weingartner)
* Formal Sociology (F.H. Tenbruck)
* Simmel's Image of Society
* Some Aspect of Simmel's Conception of the Individual (M. Lipman)
* Some Aspects of Simmel's Conception of the Individual (M. Lipman)
* Simmel's Sociology of Power: The Architecture of Politics (E.V. Walter)
* The Time and Thought of the Young Simmel (P. Honigsheim)
* A Note on Simmel's Anthropological Interests (P. Honigsheim)
* Simmel in German Sociology (H. Maus)
* Georg Simmel's Influence on Japanese Thought (M. Shimmei)
* On Simmel's 'Philosophy of Money' (Howard Becker)
* A Note from a Student of Simmel's (A. Salz)

Also includes translations of:
* Letter from Simmel to Marianne Weber
* The Adventure
* The Ruin
* The Handle
* The Aesthetic Significance of the Face
* On the Nature of Philosophy
* The Problem of Sociology
* How Is Society Possible?

Also includes a 'bibliography on writings on Georg Simmel' by Kurt Gassen

So cute! my daughter loved it (we borrowed from library), we had to read it over and over. The wolf is afraid, and every page, since he is still afraid, he is given something to help him (a lantern because he is afraid of the dark, a hat because he is afraid of the rain etc) but it does not help. Our poor little wolf is still afraid. So in the end, the reader / "savior" gives up, and the last page is the wolf begging not to...close the book because when we do...the last page pops up and the wolf jumps out of the book.
The drawings are (not only) but based on strong black and white visuals (like on cover). The text is short and simple. Funny. My daughter is also afraid of this and that, and this book helped her see others (such as the big bad wolf!) gets afraid to.
I recommend this book.

What a shame such a needed book is now out of print! As one who experienced first-hand extraterrestrial technology that our government has, as one who knows the reality of ET presence on and around our Earth, this is a subject to be taken very seriously and not to be ridiculed as we have been conditioned to do by those factions in gov't who have a vested interest in keeping this technology secret.

For any who are worried that ETs coming to Earth would be an invasion, don't be. As meticulously documented in the works of Zecharia Sitchin, the ETs we would need to worry about have already invaded and their influence has corrupted Earth culture, society and politics for perhaps thousands of years. What we need now is a leveling of the playing field that would be created by the arrival and full open contact of spiritually evolved and benevolent ETs, as described in this book. I personally know how badly our Earth and her people need this. This out of print book is also available online in its entirety at http://www.wanttoknow.info/etcontact . Wanttoknow.info is a website dedicated to the transformation of humanity... for the better. It presents the most balanced collection of information about the inner working of the power elite on this planet and supplements it with loving and inspirational material so that we can see both sides of what is transpiring. To get the full benefit of it, sign up and do the free Transformation Team course, 21 lessons to educate, uplift and inspire. Until then... visualize first full open public contact with spiritually evolved ETs NOW.

Many Blessings,
Niara

Opera prima de una promesa cumplida, el autor Oscar Alvarez ha demostrado tener el antídoto contra el mal que aqueja a muchos lectores, desde las primeras líneas quedamos cautivados por una prosa rica en imágenes y cargada de emoción, y cuando ya sin fuerzas para sustraerse al influjo de la trama que nos conduce a desenlaces inusitados, caemos en la cuenta de haber experimentado una deliciosa lectura, sin salir ilesos atrapados en las páginas de un escritor sorprendente.

Sujet :

Un son étrange, mystérieux, a résonné dans la montagne. Un son qui conduira Jonathan à rencontrer un personnage envoûtant, parfois inquiétant, mais plus encore à partager en plein Himalaya, alors que deux peuples se livrent une guerre sans merci à quelques jours de marche de là, une étonnante amitié avec un homme qu'il aurait dû haïr au plus profond de lui-même, ceci jusqu'au dénouement dramatique qui lui révèlera la terrible vérité.

This book is about one thing, drugs. 'Et Slags Liv' goes through the life of Lisbeth, a 15 year old girl. She goes through alot of things, including drinking, smoking, drugs, parties, problems and much more.
All the characters and happenings are fiction.

Cecilie Grorud was 16 years old when she first published this book in 1977. She herself had gone through this tough environment. She wrote this book because she wanted to warn and open peoples eyes. She wanted people to be aware that there still are drug addicts that need help and that need support.

This is an excelent book, very well written. I give it 5 stars.

The “ET Visitor’s Guide…” may be very funny, but a funny book that engenders the truth is not to be taken lightly.

After several volumes on humor, satire, and satirists, Prof. Feinberg uses his steady hand and sharpened wit to show what it’s all about. The book is best savored in small glimpses, in order to allow the epigrams and one-liners to glide by like a parade of Victoria’s Secret models who render an element of satisfaction while appearing to be unaware that they are not wearing any clothes.

Even an Oscar Wilde would relish the adeptness with which Feinberg can allow a joke to teeter along the edge before being pushed off and take an unexpected bounce or two before finally hitting home. Some examples:

“Administrators, having once been human, sometimes retain a few decent qualities that hinder them in their administrative careers.”

“Social biologists are convinced that it is genes rather than society that account for the brilliance of social biologists and the stupidity of other scholars.”

“American women are endowed with an extra chromosome that compels them to go shopping whenever they have a spare moment.”

“No matter what you hear about the prevalence of brotherly love, don’t count on it if you have no money.”

“Love…seems to be one of the few human activities that is not measured by cost effectiveness.”

“Technology, like the laws of nature, is amoral.”

Dr. Feinberg also draws from his repertoire of pungent quotations and sometimes adds a twist:

“Ambrose Bierce defined ‘his’ as ‘hers.’ Women call him ‘Bitter Bierce’; men do not.”

“Recently a speaker at a law school graduation said, ‘You now have a license to steal.’”

“Niels Bohr, the famous physicist, explained why there was a horseshoe hanging on the wall. ‘Of course I don’t believe in it. But I understand that it brings you luck whether you believe in it or not.’”

In an earlier book Feinberg noted that satirists usually are considered to be unhappy people. A more generous view is that writing satire is what makes them happy, as well as contributing to the general welfare--whether they like it or not.

There are forty-eight short chapters including “Physique,” “The Sexes,” “Heredity and Environment,” “Aggression,” “Deception,” “Conformity,” “Human Peculiarities,” “Culture,” “Pretense,” “Advertising,” “Science,” “Health,” “Education,” “Sports,” and some more perilous topics like “Race,” “Ritual,” “Philosophy,” and “Religion.”

This is a book that can be picked up at any time and opened to any page for a thought-provoking laugh, smile or grimace. It would benefit from having an index and table of contents. [...]

This publication by the British, IUCN, is nearly the only publication which has the very rare Ethiopian Wolf as its only topic. Estimated population is 400 as of 1997, the date of publication. Action plans toward preservation are presented as well as the usual background of this beautiful animal. As a "canis" lover, I would be disheartened to see yet another one extinguished due to "mankind" (a oxymoron indeed!) I would have liked more photos, especially in color, but I know the funds can better be used towards preservation. All in all, a much needed educational tool.