Foreign-market Books

If you are a deep material reader then you will really enjoy Rumi & Self Psychology (Psychology of Tranquility) and Sara's Therapy: A Way to Purity. These books are unique, easy to read, full of information, and just amazing; and you can not put them down.

That is the best translation of the Masnavi I have ever seen. It consists both the original idea and the rhyme.

Though excited about this fresh translation of the first book of the Masnavi in a rhymed and metered format, I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first about its faithfulness to the original. Recently, though, I had the chance to go over portions of the translation with my father, who is very well versed in Farsi and in Rumi's works, and we were positively surprised by how much this rendering is loyal to Rumi's masterpiece in both spirit and form. May Mr. Mojaddedi be inspired and energized to carry out the monumental task of making the Light of all six of the Masnavi's books available to the English-speaking public in its original and delightful rhymed couplet form.

The translation is a little off on some parts, in my opinion, but other than that it is good. It is a mid-level book of Sufi Anecdotes written in symbolic couplets. It is not for beginners. One should, before reading this, study theology and jurisprudence (the Creed of Imam Tahawi and Maqasid are good for theology and jurisprudence). On top of that, The Book of Illumination and al-Hikm (Sufi Aphorisms) by Imam ibn 'Ata'illah should both be read before delving into the Masnavi. Otherwise the reader will not understand anything.

If you visit Konya, and see Rumi's tomb, with his father and son and other family members buried nearby, in a gorgeously illuminated mauseleum-mosque, with its supernal light and its electric energy of peace and vastness, you see Rumi is no pop-figure but drenched in traditions of Islamic Sufism that brings out its deepest and most original heart, the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) true teaching... compassion, love, and adherence to God's world above and beyond this one through right action and sincerity, wild daring, discipline and spiritual transformation.

Rumi's Masnavi is a true companion on this Path, and Rumi a true indicator of this Path, and for those without Persian, we've relied on the Victorian (though unrhymed and much interpolated) masterpiece of Nicholson (and later revisions by Arberry) and the rather haphazard fragments either "translated" or "rendered" in new, modern versions by contemporary poet-scholars.

With this new translation by Jawid Mojaddedi we have a sensational new take on Rumi, whose original (as indicated by its title) is in rhymed couplets (Masnavi means "rhymed couplets"), and which ranges from praise-poetry to stories, both high and low, to long stretches of ecstatic gnostic realization and "revelation" filled with light. This new translation keeps it all, and in a flowing smoothness that is truly remarkable, drenched (as in the original) in remembrance of Allah (the same One God of us all).

It's eminently readable, and you feel you're getting closer (by the fidelity and sincerity of the translator, direct from Persian this time!) to Rumi's actual tone and intention.

I'm a cheerleader for this translation (and have no qualms calling it this, since it is), it's a sweet gift to us, and attests to Rumi's saintliness after all these centuries. He's reached us in our mire, and now in a voice that sings in poetic tune to lift us from it (from mineral to plant, from plant to animal, from animal to angel)!

May our intrepid and courageous translator be given strength and inspiration to continue until all six books of this world treasure, this rare compendium of spiritual truths, are as superbly translated and made available.

This bilingual dictionary's two greatest virtues are its compact yet readable format and its affordable price. And, as a bonus, there are brief grammatical summaries and lists of irregular verbs. These reminders are packaged with the two-way translations for convenience, never meant as a substitute for an exhaustive reference.

This meets my limited needs, as someone who comes across the occasional French word in passing. Most high school language students will also find that it has all the vocabulary they need. This isn't a scholar's reference, though. Translated definitions tend towards the terse, so they won't cover all usages of a term. And, to keep cost down, it's printed on pulp stock, so it won't last forever even if handled gently. It offers plenty if you don't need much, and that's good enough for me right now.

//wiredweird

Probably the best of the Bantam New College series dictionaries, in my opinion. Its simple guide to French usage is simple enough to retain its clarity yet provide a good-enough overview so that one might compose small sentences with fair accuracy

I receied the French dictionary in good time and was glad it was available.

Whether you like French or not, this small package packs a huge punch w/ its plethora of words. What really pleased me were all the idioms and phrases I didn't expect in a ENG-FR dictionary as small as this one. Its range of words, from the usual to the oddball, is great and I keep it next to me always when writing in FR. I've yet to find a dictionary as small as this one yet with the same wealth of reference.

This is a very usable bilingual dictionary. With 70,000 entries, it's all I've ever needed to get through daily life in French or even read non-technical books. Complete pronunciation information is given for entries in both languages. At the beginning of the French-English section is a very comprehensive summary of French grammar, including the complete declensions of 76 irregular verbs. With such a summary, you don't need to carry a grammar book along if you have this dictionary with you.

Elizabeth works undercover to blow the top off a sexist restaurant that forces its waitresses to dress like prostitutes.(or popstars..).Meanwhile,someone else is pregnant!!

This book was great! Billie and Steven go through hard times, with a surprise ending. Jessica sees her ex-husband, Michael McAllery again, and is determined to prove she can handle anything. Even a new job. Elizabeth works undercover as a waitress for a sleazy night club. I loved this part of the storyline. She had to put up with a lot of perverted guys, but really told them off! The nightclub only allows women with large breasts to waitress it. Elizabeth does some padding and heads on in! It was really cool how she and the other waitresses showed those men a thing or two! This is a great book!

Billie Winkler and Steven Wakefield are going to have a baby! Billie is pregnant! Elizabeth blows the top off a restauraunt called "Kitty's" I think it's where prostitutes hang out. She gets fired. Billie loses the baby by miscarriage.

Pretty good. Billie is a really good character. But I think she and Steven needed to work things out so much better, though. Oh, and Liz posing as a waitress at that resturant was pretty cool, too.

Jessica has the unfortunate tendency to be flighty and boy-crazy, but with Steven's help gets a job. Hopefully, she'll learn what maturity is and realize the difference between deep love and infatuation. And that Lila...boy, does she learn a lesson when she gets fired from her job that the world does NOT revolve around her just because she's rich! Great job Liz did on exposing the porn business at Kitty's. Also great on how the other women stood behind her. I think Steven ought at be happy for Billie that she has musical talent and not pressure her into law. Sure, she may go away for a while, but REAL love is when you can spend time apart as well as together.

Great book with very detailed examples on the relationship between different fixed income instruments. My only complaint (and it is a very minor one) is lack of problems at the end of each chapter to help solidify the concepts. Otherwise, an excellent book.

This is a very practical book with detailed examples to help reader with the basic concept and Eurodollar Futures and Options. Very useful for beginners in this field. The last half of the book is dealing with more advanced topic more suitable for fix incoming researchers.

Having just finished reading the author's treatment of bond futures in the 'Treasury Bond Basis,' I was happy to see that Burghardt was updating some of his material from the early 1990s on Eurodollar futures. The 'Bond Basis' was an excellent and thorough analysis, and 'The Eurodollar Futures and Options Handbook' follows the same trend.

He provides an excellent overview of the institutional details of Eurodollars and their uses. The book is at its strongest when dealing with issues of the convexity bias and also scores high by not neglecting important issues like the stub period. Perhaps my favorite chapter was on callable bonds and the extension/compression risk, which, while a little misplaced in a book on Eurodlllars, still provided a very lucid explanation of the relevant issues.

With regard to options, the author touches upon some of the interest strategic combinations using serial and mid-curve options, but I feel that he could've delved a bit deeper in this part of the book. It's the only area in which I felt the book was somewhat lacking.

Having said all that, if you're looking to learn about Eurodollar futures, I can't imagine there's a better book out there. This is an excellent compilation of a number of Burghardt's research from the 1990s together with more recent updates. Even if Eurodollars are not your main area of expertise, this book will still help you to gain a more solid understanding of many of the pertinent topics in fixed income.

Clearly the best book on Eurodollar futures and options. The book is a must for anyone involved in fixed income securities.

Having just finished reading the author's treatment of bond futures in the 'Treasury Bond Basis,' I was happy to see that Burghardt was updating some of his material from the early 1990s on Eurodollar futures. The 'Bond Basis' was an excellent and thorough analysis, and 'The Eurodollar Futures and Options Handbook' follows the same trend.

He provides an excellent overview of the institutional details of Eurodollars and their uses. The book is at its strongest when dealing with issues of the convexity bias and also scores high by not neglecting important issues like the stub period. Perhaps my favorite chapter was on callable bonds and the extension/compression risk, which, while a little misplaced in a book on Eurodollars, still provided a very lucid explanation of the relevant issues.

With regard to options, the author touches upon some of the interest strategic combinations using serial and mid-curve options, but I feel that he could've delved a bit deeper in this part of the book. It's the only area in which I felt the book was somewhat lacking.

Having said all that, if you're looking to learn about Eurodollar futures, I can't imagine there's a better book out there. This is an excellent compilation of a number of Burghardt's research from the 1990s together with more recent updates. Even if Eurodollars are not your main area of expertise, this book will still help you to gain a more solid understanding of many of the pertinent topics in fixed income.

At the outset, let me say that I am definitely at the beginner level with regard to the trading of currencies on forex, but I do feel that I learned a lot after reading this book.

The most important lesson that I took away is that the novice trader needs to spend a heck of a lot of time trying different strategies risking very small amounts of money before before diving in and putting significant amounts at risk. Although there is nothing wrong with learning to trade with a practice account, the authors says that you shouldn't begin with a practice account holding $50,000 or more and then trying to trade $100,000 lots using large amounts of leverage, even if you might be fortunate to have that much money with which to fund your initial real account.

Prior to reading this book I would have assumed that I would always be trying to earn at least 50 or more pips a trade, however this author teaches that there is nothing wrong with simply trying to get a string of wins of only 10 pips at a time until you have a solid record of consistency that would justify going for larger returns. As a novice, I will certainly take his advice to heart and would recommend this book to anyone else who is not already a veteran currency trader.

I have purchased and read most of the recent books related to Trading Forex. I would place Abe Cofnas' newly released "The Forex Trading Course: A Self-Study Guide to Becoming a Successful Currency Trader" at the top of the list of books to purchase. The author covers the basics of trading: Fundamentals and Technical Analysis in a very in-depth level. However, I feel what sets this book apart from others are discussions of Advanced Strategies (e.g., Renko scalp setup and Pattern Recognition).

This book is a Must Read!

John Echternacht

Nothing new or great here. If your just getting started this book will help with the basics. The part about system development is very sparse (essentially just says use ms excel for backtesting). Overall I felt fleeced paying retail for this at B&N.

For those of you, like me, who actually want to learn to trade forex and don't know where to start, this is the book to buy. I reviewed lots of others, was disappointed that they either spent most of the book shilling a particular book/system/company, or else they gave a high-level overview of everything in the forex universe, but not much in the way of how-to's. This book's different. The first part explains how/which economic factors affect currency markets; the next section tells you about technical analysis and which/why/how to use it, and also talks a little about strategies. The third part is called "Putting It Together" -- here's where this book really stands out: he explains how to get started, how to do test trades, how to gauge your results, putting on different kinds of trades so that you can compare which worked better, etc. etc. Included is a spreadsheet following one trader's journey from inept beginner to knowledgeable forex trader. He talks about how to trade different size accounts. He talks about determining your trading style and best strategies to use whichever style you select. Note that each subject area is explained with enough detail that you can get started, right now, as you read. But if you want more information (as do I), he tells you where to look. This book is just great. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book. It filled in a lot of the missing info that new forex traders are missing in their everyday trading. This book has a nice mix of technical and the fundimentals that are missing in a lot of other author's books. This book should be in every new trader's library.

The book details the positive and negatives of every ship and is an excellent guide to cruising. Even people like me who have cruised hundreds of ships find details I never knew about some of the ships I have sailed. but, you are wrong about publication date. My copy says "1998" while your description says an earlier date. You should correct it as the book includes ships of the Milleniuim as well as all of the new ships sailing in 1999.

This book does offer some good general information but use caution when using it to evaluate a cruise company. I admit this is a very hard thing to do... but it could have been done more objectively. Having sailed numerous cruises, I was a little shocked to find the reviews glowing on one particular cruise line. The other competing lines were being given very dry, somewhat negative reviews, instead of an accurate desciption of the ambience they deserve. Wondering why... I finally read the dedication... and may have figured it out... it is dedicated to the founder of that glowing cruise line... he died in 1999... and the author thanks him for their friendship.

DO NOT use this book as the sole authority on what cruise line to sail. Talk to as many previous cruisers as you can find. Then get a travel agent that has invested some time studying the cruise industry.

Cruises are wonderful... it does pay to be informed properly!

Ethel's newest book is the bible of cruising. The 2003 edition guides passengers to the right ship at the right price at the right time. It's a "must read" before choosing your ship.

Invaluable information if you are trying to decide what line or ship to go on. She gives a fair description and evaluation of almost every ship and line sailing, as well as plentiful and honest advice for both the 1st time and many time cruiser. Highly recommended!

The new edition has a different name. I believe, the "Total Traveler Guide to Worldwide Cruising". She doesn't pull any punches with shipboard ratings and gives many great insights to particular ships and cruising in general.

This is a wonderful collection of essays on current topics in economics, skillfully brought together by Tom Keene, editor at large for Bloomberg. An essential read for anyone interested in current economic issues and who wants more - much more - than the normal TV sounbites.

This book was a refreshing break from the recent deluge of must-read bestsellers on the global economy. Such works (e.g. the all-pervading The World is Flat and the blockbuster Freakonomics) do well to bring economics to the literary scene, but as a student already aware of the benefits of free trade and regression analysis, I was grateful for some opinions with a bit more rigor.
On topics as broad as commodity inflation, the truth behind the employment numbers, and the history of U.S. fiscal (ir)responsibility, Flying on One Engine certainly stretched my conception of economics as a porthole and a microscope onto the world.
I had the chance to meet Tom Keene this past summer while working at Bloomberg LP, where he hosts the daily radio show "Bloomberg on the Economy." In a media giant devoted to stylized data and concise news reports, Mr. Keene fills the niche of the purveyor of primary, unedited knowledge. He interviews the real heads (not necessarily those who hold executive titles such as President or CEO) behind Wall Street's 500-pound gorillas.
The show clarifies why these men and women are afforded such respect in the profession: a penetrating and original command of the data coupled with the articulation to communicate that understanding to investors and (perhaps one day) politicians. Effortlessly dissecting the endless leading indicators and strike prices which to the rest of us are merely noise, they produce the coherent daily forecasts influencing colossal financial transactions and crucial policy moves. I find their analyses fascinating because their work is supported by quantifiable figures freely available to the public but useful only in the hands of a skilled interpreter.
The show enticed me to pick up Flying on One Engine which, edited by Mr. Keene, carries the same respect for the unadultered account of the expert into written form. These fourteen economists write in their own words, illuminate with their own graphics, and authenticate all claims with their own numbers. The editor participates just enough by prefacing each of the articles with a short presentation of the author's credentials and reputation-a welcome interlude since the authors tend (refreshingly) to be lean on rhetoric themselves. The rest is nuts-and-bolts argumentation for the most prudent policy and investment decisions. Some of the contributors (John Ryding and David Rosenberg come to mind) contradict each other bluntly, and obviously not all of them can be right all of the time. Yet it is just this brazen openness to contradiction that makes them such interesting reads. Despite the work's title, its contributors present a wide range of diagnoses on the state of the world economy, so it is up to the reader to reach his own conclusions.
This book is no beach read. It probably won't awaken your inner Economist if have little taste for the subject already. However, any reader interested in the kind of economic criticism rarely available on the oped page of the New York Times will emerge with a deeper and a wider understanding of the world around him. And if, like me, you're a student wondering what a "career in economics" could look like beyond academia, number-cruncher, or Ibank peon, read these essays and prepare to be inspired (and intimidated).

This book is a collection of topics from some of the top Economists in the country. I try to understand macro and microeconomics as it applies to our economy and markets so I thought this would be an enlightening book. Unfortunately, the tone of the book is PhD level discussions of many theories of economics that was honestly "over my head" I'm sure if you are a graduate student of economics you'd find this book very informative. I can't really comment on the content except to say that it was difficult to understand for a college graduate with engineering degrees. I'm sure it is a fantastic collection of thoughts for the right crowd.

A brief excerpt from the Afterword offers an appropriate introduction to my review. According to Peter L. Bernstein, "At its roots, economics is about how and why our society has changed and developed over time. Even deeper, economics is about risk and return. These are the themes that infuse the contributions to this book. Although the keen insights, original diagnoses, and the rare lucidity of the contributors to this volume inform us about the serious problems we face in today's world, that is by no means all they have to tell us. They have shaped their presentations around the primary elements of economic analysis: supply, demand, expectations, the critical role of real investment, foreign trade and finance, monetary theory and policy, and the interplay between the private and the public sectors. The result is economics at its best -- rich in description, searching in analysis, provocative in argument, profound in generalization, and always focused on the key issues. I am much the wiser for having read it."

This is high praise indeed, given the fact that Bernstein is founder and president of a firm which, since 1973, has served as an economic consultant to institutional investors and corporations around the world. He is also the author of a book I admire very much, Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, which has sold more than 500,000 copiers since it was published by John Wiley & Sons in 1996.

Brilliantly edited by Thomas R. Keene who also wrote the Introduction, what we have here in this volume are indeed "fourteen views on the world economy" but each provides more, far more than a hit-and-run briefing on its given subject. The authors (or in two instances, the co-authors) of the essays also establish a frame-of-reference within which to present their ideas and do so with meticulous care. Make no mistake about it, however: This book is not an easy read. All of the essays offer important insights and are well-written but some are more challenging than others. For example, David Goldman's "Capital Markets and the Economy." Keene wisely recommends that readers review the subjects and then his short introductions to select those articles of greatest interest, perhaps read in combination.

With regard to the title, Keene credits Kenneth S. Rogoff who does not use the phrase in his Introduction to this book. About two years ago in an issue of The Economist (September 18, 2003), there is an article called "Flying on One Engine" in which the phrase is attributed to Lawrence Summers, Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, who once observed that "The world economy is flying on one engine." The article concludes, "For the past few years, politicians have done little more than hope that the American engine carries on working. But this is no longer good enough. Policy makers need to act to make a crash less likely and avert protectionist threats. A good first step would be to acknowledge the size of the problem." In an essay in this volume, "The Global Labor Arbitrage," Stephen S. Roach assesses the productivity and the information-technology-enabled efficiency of a (not the) future world economy, "impatient with our inability to confront, consider, and to finally come to terms with what lies ahead."

With regard to some of the other essays, John P. Lipsky and James E. Glassman address "the topic of the day, unemployment." Tim O'Neill "destroys" pop-globalization myths and rebuilds a foundation of interdependent trade realities of nations and people who are "grounded in a world's timeless need to trade and, perhaps, trade freely." Richard B. Berner "sheds light on American business and its inextricable linkage to the larger economics of the United States and the world." I agree with Keene that David P. Goldman's discussion of "Capital Markets and the Economy" is the most challenging article among the fourteen. It is also among the most rewarding, especially after a second or third reading. In "Europe's Political and Economic Future," Thomas Mayer addresses a limited set of combined fiscal and monetary now made available to an aging Europe. "No rose-colored glasses for this former International Monetary Fund economist."

In the Introduction, Rogoff suggests that "This book may be the first of its kind. Let's hope it is not the last." I agree while commending Keene on having achieved his goals: to allow the contributors to expand in areas of their special expertise, to create a book which "forms a reliable bridge from the dryness of textbook theory to the real-world excitement of applied capital-at-risk economics," and to provide in this single volume "the best in thought-provoking writing on market economics [which will] lead to answers and also to deeper questioning and further study."

Bravo!

I found this to be a well written, detailed, and easy to use language guide. I have used a number of the Fodor language guides and travel guides over the years, as well as the ones by Lonely Planet, and I think they offer the best value for the price.

I plan on going to Europe soon, and hopefully, this guide will make it a smoother trip than the one I made to the eastern bloc some years ago.

While we're at it, I hope you don't mind if I recount a funny story that happened the last time I was in Europe.

I was in Sophia, Bulgaria, trying to ask a Bulgarian policemen where I could buy a map, which in Russian sounds like "Gedzye ya pokupaiyu carteeriye? and instead I pointed to the phrase in the Russian phrasebook which said, "Where can I find a mild laxative?" He gave me a look that indicated I hadn't quite communicated my real intent, and then I noticed where I was pointing in the phrasebook, and I guess the expression on my face did the rest, because at that point he basically realized I didn't know what the hell I was doing.

Anyway, hopefully my next trip will go smoother in the cross-cultural communication department.

My native German friend was my personal translator but since I knew I'd be on my own half the time, I wanted to have a grasp of essential German words and expressions. I asked around for a good German program for travelers and a coworker recommended this program which didn't disappoint! The audio was great for helping me with pronunciation. What I learned in the "finding your way" section came in very handy when I was lost and needed to ask for directions back to my friend's place. The phrasebook also came in very handy especially when it came to dining out by myself. I knew I didn't want "hasenpfeffer" (spicy rabbit stew) or "eisbein" (pickled pig's knuckle)!

I bought these tapes before going to Germany, and found them useful in asking questions, such as, "Do you have a room available", but the only problem is that they don't really brief you on responces...understanding what people would answer back was quite confusing.

This phrasebook should see you through most encounters you are likely to have as a tourist in the German speaking world. Easy to follow and well laid out, it certainly helped me through a recent trip to Germany. Apart from a minor misunderstanding with a Stuttgart hotel clerk whom I mysteriously told "I am not normally flaccid" in response to a routine credit card inquiry, I coped marvellously.

There is little to say about a "Dictionary" per say, but I recently ordered this one to go along with Joseph Rosenberg's, "German; How To Speak and Write It." I have already utilized Langenscheidt's German-English/English-German Distionary numerous times.

The format and ease of looking up words is commendable. There are over 50,000 entries in this small book alone!

If, your interested in the German language then I would highly recommned you do as I did. Order both Joseph Rosenberg's "German" book and add Langenscheidt's dictionary along with it. You won't be sorry!

I found this dictionary moderatly complete in its number and accuracy of german words. However, the quality of my book was unacceptable. The print was unclear and at times came off the pages onto my hands. After a translating excercise, my hands would be black from the poor quality ink. Also, the binding was not acceptable. After only one semester of normal use(even below normal use since i've found online translating servers), the pages began to fall out. Very poor manufacturing quality, yet average to above average for number and definitions of german words(that is if you can actually read the letters). I recommend Langenscheidt's as a company, just not this particular dictionary

This is a very, very good dictionary for information and ease of use. I can find any word I need and it contains many example phrases. However, it has a very poor binding. My 5 star review is solely for the content. I'd give it a 1 for durability since the pages will begin to separate from the binding. If you use it everyday, plan to buy another copy within a year or two. Langenscheidt's needs to find a new manufacturer for this fine dictionary.

This is a very, very good dictionary for information and ease of use. I can find any word I need and it contains many example phrases. However, it has a very poor binding. My 5 star review is solely for the content. I'd give it a 1 for durability since the pages will begin to separate from the binding. If you use it everyday, plan to buy another copy within a year or two. Langenscheidt's needs to find a new manufacturer for this fine dictionary.

This is the book used in a French language course for adults. It is just the right book for this purpose

There are two things one can always expect from the series of "Le Petit Nicolas" books. To begin with they are always funny. And they are always easy to read --for any student of French. "Les Récrés du Petit Nicolas" couldn't be different.

This time round we meet the little garçon in his school break. So there is always a game, a conversation, something going on. They may fight, play soccer or take photos, but every time it will end up in confusion.

Goscinny found his perfect partner in crime in the illustrator Sémpe. The drawings are always exceptional and funny -- as much as the text. With his boyish mind, Nicholas never fails to make us laugh and learn French. The more you read the book, the more you want to read the other volumes.

This is a book that brings you back to your childhood. It shows the world in it`s real light through the eyes of a 10yr old. It will certainly make you laugh and read it over and over again. I think this book is great. Make sure to read it.

My girlfriend is learning French, my maternal language, and she discovered (I rediscovered) the joys of Sempe ... a very amusing and simple language is used to describe the simple world of Nicholas, a 10-ish year old French boy. A definite recommendation.