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July 29,2000 This was A great book! I recomend it to anyone.

This mystery is great - the people,the incidents,the end result are all very captivating.It's exciting and fast-paced,and the lessons are clearly understood(but are not preached!) throughout the book.I liked this book a lot,and hope you would enjoy it too!

This is a beautiful book. It combines seminal papers with anecdotes and a post-scripts which place the paper in their context and make it easier for those of us who have been consumers of socio-biology to better appreciate the significance of the ideas presented. Trivers is a compelling writer and this book is a true gift to anybody curious about human psyche and behaviour. Highly recommended.

Those of us who are interested in the stories behind just HOW major breakthroughs in evolutionary and ecological thought were made have been spoiled in recent years: First there was W.D. Hamilton's marvelous 2 volume NARROW ROADS OF GENE LAND, now we get Bob Triver's wonderful NATURAL SELECTION AND SOCIAL THEORY. Here, in one place, one can find most of Trivers' revolutionary work on the evolution of social behavior, and as an added bonus one also gets Trivers' unvarnished -and often highly entertaining- commentary on just how he came to put together the ideas that -love 'em or hate 'em- provided much of the driving force behind Sociobiology & ultimately lead to Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Psychology. Along the way we are introduced to a fascinating cast of characters, ranging from Ernst Mayr, the foremost living Darwinian, through the neo-Marxist wing of Harvard, to Huey Newton, ex-Minister of Defense for the Black Panthers. Trivers' thinking is as eclectic and far ranging as the list of his friends and enemies, and while many of his subjects (altruism, parent-offspring conflict, fluctuating asymmetry, etc.) are still at the cutting edge of evolutionary thought, his writing is sufficiently free of jargon that I think it will draw in even the non-specialist. You may not agree with everything that Trivers says here -and I suspect that some folks will be offended by his candor- but this is a really important book & I see it as essential reading for any of us interested in the question of why we may do so many of the things that we do. Bravo!

Of all the great Christian mystics that I have read, Nicholas de Cusa is one of the finest. In the masterpiece "On Learned Ignorance" he reveals the "coincidence of opposites," which is the point in infinity when all opposites unite and become blended together in God's infinity, the Infinite Line, which is the Absolute Maximum and Absolute Minimum combined, i.e., the two points (contradictions) of a finite line converging and becoming unified, or equal in God's un-being existence, where there is no proportion between the infinite and the finite. He believed that Jesus Christ is the Gate Keeper of the "coincidence of opposites." We can only understand God through a "learned ignorance" because God is beyond being, beyond all understanding. This work alone is worth the cost of the entire book. Also included are "Dialogue on the Hidden God," "On Seeking God," "On the Vision of God," and "On the Summit of Contemplation." All these works together form a synthesis in Nicholas' philosophy/theology. Nicholas was very gnostic. He takes Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite's mysticism to the next level, if that is even possible. You will also see the obvious influence that Meister Eckhart had on him. There's a wonderful Foreward, Introduction, Abbreviations, Notes to the Text, A Brief Glossary of Cusan Terms, Select Bibliography, and Indexes. This book is a must have for any Christian-mysticism collection. I highly recommend this volume.

This book affords the scholar and novice alike a wonderful foray into the thought of Nicholas of Cusa. A fine collection of principal titles by Cusanus, this book is one full of enigmatic charm and probing insight! The forward and introduction provide a helpful entryway to the texts which are supplemented by a useful glossary of key terms and several notes.

no immunity, susan dunlap's fourth novel featuring medical examiner-turned-private eye kiernan o'shaughnessy, is her best yet... kiernan has to deal with a potentially devastating, highly contagious virus that could ptove to become a huge epidemic. she has to face some past personal demons and make a tough decision to help an old friend, dr. jeff tremain, regardless of the threat to her personal safety... but it seems the only thing kiernan can say no to is partnership, so she agrees to help her old friend. adding to her woes is her long-time houseman, ex-pro football player brad tchernak, who's feeling undervalued and underapprecciated. brad is determined to prove himself to kiernan and he takes on a case of his own, seemingly unrelated to kiernan's highly-contagious virus. as the two cases begin to overlap, kiernan must do some quick thinking to save them both. a highly satisfying mystery, intelligent and fast-paced without ever rushing out of control. susan dunlap has become one of my favorite authors; i find myself reaching for her books itime and again. i'd love to see jill smith take a break from her woes and team up with and vj haskell to solve some really tough case!

Dr. Jeff Tremaine demands that private investigator Kiernan O'Shaughnessy apply her skills as a pathologist by conducting an autopsy on a cadaver, who might have died form a highly contagious disease. Jeff and Kiernan share the memory of a nasty experience in Africa where people were dying from a Lhasa fever epidemic. Jeff made a decision that ultimately cost him the woman he loved and he still blames Kiernanan for the choice he made. NO IMMUNITY is a believable tale that emphasizes the end result of fear, greed, and desperation that seems to prevail in today's society. Based on headline news stories about epidemics, Susan Dunlap weaves a frightening story where unchecked profit allows for the concealment of the truth and the resultant consequences are buried alongside it. Kiernan's motives to go it alone are fully understood, adding a personal touch to the chiller. This compelling thriller is a fascinating profile of human behavior that is a must read for those who enjoy an intellectual doomsday novel.

This book added to my appreciation of older adults as vital people with much to contribute. It is well-written and a pleasure to read. Also read other books by this author!

If you want a great time be sure and read all three of Effie Wilders books about Hattie McNair and her FairAcres gang. It is most enjoyable. I read all three. I hope she writes more. It makes me understand my Mom more. It almost makes me want to move to a retirement home. Granted there are sad times but also lots of good times. You find out how loving and helpful people are. Have some fun and read this book.

Shirley Steinman''s Only Paper, Merely Words presents a poetic voice with echoes of Emily Dickinson. There is a self effacement reminiscent of Emily''s writings from Amherst. The necessity to communicate with a larger world beyond the realm of hearth and home is the same.

This book of poems is like having tea in the afternoon with an old friend. All pretense has been stripped away because time is too precious to waste on superficiality. There is no easy sentimentality here or, at times, even easy reading. There are tears to be wept over the human condition, and there is also laughter. The vitality that lies in small things celebrates life''s eternal truths. She speaks of love and death, gardens, small animals and children. There is an intermingling of not only the horrors that exist in the world but of the joy and tenderness that lives there as well.

It is not an insular work. It reaches beyond a farmhouse in rural Michigan to encompass and examine events beyond the small circle of our individual lives. In ""Her Brothers"" she writes of the brother who went to war and who came home, and she remembers that ""his screams of terror rent the nights."" She captures, in just a few words, the terrible cost of warfare paid by its combatants. There is no glory here, only the unvarnished truth about a young man, and the unbearable grief that will haunt him for his entire life.

The nature writing compares to that of Wendell Berry and Aldo Leopold. Of the flower in the poem ""I Would Have Cosmos"" she writes:
I''ve always loved the cosmos
Since I first learned their name,
white and rose and purple,
swaying colors at the end of day.
Now I find them vibrant yellow and orange!
Peace not dying but aborning.

The world of death and war and destruction is unerringly and critically examined. Its brutality and senselessness is made human through the personal stories of pain and suffering. There is no easy forgiveness here for violence and aggression, and no glossing over of it, in these pages.

A reader, as always, comes unsuspecting upon the material to be read as on a journey with no known itinerary. Thus begins an experience which enhances and enlarges our understanding of the world. This book of poems fulfills those expectations. We travel along unknown roads and wind up at unexpected destinations. And in the process we learn more about ourselves and the life around us.

Strangely enough it is not a poetry of hopelessness, although that itself is justifiable in these days of possible nuclear extermination. Like Rachel Carson''s Silent Spring it issues a call to all of us to cherish and protect the natural world in which we live. As one woman''s journey, Only Paper, Merely Words is like a quilt pieced together from the various fabrics with which all of life is fashioned. In her work we see between the weaver and the loom an inseparable whole.

Mary Johnston

I will say up front that I'm prejudiced when it comes to this writer as she is a long-time friend...however, i truly did not know the depth of her poetry writing until i read this book..it covers a multitude of subjects, from family, friends, politics, peace and lack of it and trying to achieve it--to stretch pants!!...while reading, i laughed, cried, shook my head, nodded in agreement and when i came to the last page, i wanted more...her writing flows on the page as i know it flows from her very soul..the reader will be blessed by reading Shirley's words..i hope she gathers up more scraps of paper that contain her thoughts from over the years and that soon there will be a volume II.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives is Part 1 of the Human Tradition series, and provides capsule biographies of everyday women from a variety of ethnic, geographic and economic backgrounds in American society past to present. Major topics are thus enhanced by these biographical backgrounds, which reveal ordinary women who made extraordinary impacts on daily living.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives reveals how the place and role of women in American society has evolved from Colonial times to the present day. Arranged in chronological order, sketches provide an excellent and informative introduction to both the contrasts and continuities of American women's experiences through almost four hundred years including such themes as women's rights, suffrage, education, health, "women's liberation", relations between the sexes, and marriage. Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives is a superb anthology of seventeen outstanding essays which range from Marla Miller's Rebecca Dicion (1738-1815): A Life Alone in the Early Republic; to Helen Desse's Caroline Healey Dall (1822-1912): Transcendental Activist; to Margaret Breashers' Gertrude Osterhout (1862-1920): I Am Independent; to Paula Barnes' Betty Flanagan Bumpers (b. 1925): An Ordinary Mother Dedicated to Peace. Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives is highly recommended for academic and community library women's history, studies, and issues collections.

Pain On Their Faces has recieved the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award for 1999 because the authors of this book "contribute mightily to public understanding of the complexities of differance in North America."

The 1987-8 strike in Jay, Maine, was one of the most important labor struggles of the 1980s. As in other major strikes, a local union (with two others in AL and PA) tried to hold the line against the corporate offensive. Against extremely long odds, the strikers held their ground for what their values and their community. There simply are not many accounts of strikes that are written by workers themselves. The closest that most books come, like the Betrayal of Local 14--which is also quite good, rely on oral histories by sympathetic academics or journalists. If you want to know what it means to hold the line against corporate America for 16 months, and then get sold out by your own people, and still believe in unionism, this book is for you.

Truth in advertising: I helped work on the book (by getting it typed up and edited it for typos).

Inside this wonderful little book you will find these kinds of stories... A boy finds a magical feather in Frankfurt, Germany. A homeless woman sings a carol to an Irish girl on Christmas Eve (see the "read an excerpt" link here on Amazon). Two angels turn the Golden Gate Bridge into a cathedral. An older woman tells a story to her great granddaughter about a man who tried to capture angels on film with his camera. And a whole gaggle of silly goblins spread Christmas joy. If you want to put something a bit different under a friend's Christmas tree you should check out Paper Angels.

Paper Angels is a thought-provoking, enlightening collection of holiday-themed stories. The stories, all of which are well written transport you at once to their varying locales. Through various themes and story lines, the author is able to convey heart-warming tales that are well suited to the holiday season.

Throughout the book, the author employs illustrative techniques which enable the reader to immediately identify and empathize with his characters. I have never read short stories that enveloped me so quickly within the first few sentences - usually it takes a couple of paragraphs or pages to engage this reader. This book is unusual in its scope and is well worth the price.

This book contains at least ten short stories of varying length, that could easily read out loud to children, but can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults.

My favorite tales, (so far)are "Strings", which to summarize it rather unfairly, is about a girl and a sought after violin; "A Doll for Christmas", which is set in San Francisco and "To Hear the Angels Sing" which is set in Dublin. What makes the latter two tales so intriquing is that the author is able to quite naturally and unassumingly describe these two cities in such a way that we are there - on their streets and at home with the characters.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to more collections from this author.

This is the first book that I ever saw of Colin Thompson's and became enchanted with his detailed illustrations. I could look at his work for hours discovering something new everytime. He has also written a beautiful story to go along with his illustrations. This is one of those classic books you want to keep forever.

My daughter brought home "The Paper Bag Prince" by Colin Thompson, from our trip to the library. What a delightful surprise when we sat down together to read it. The story itself is wonderful; it teaches children how nature works so hard to repair human polution, how the main character never lost sight of what was important in life (nature and home) and it demonstrates caring and compassion.

But the best is yet to come. Along with this story is the most wonderful illustrations. Not only did we play "I Spy" on each page, but the illustrations make your eye and mind work so hard, you cannot help but be entertained.

I have turned to Amazon to order my own copy, and look forward to sharing this artistic work with my nieces as well. This is a keeper! Bravo!