european

It is amazing how much information you can squeeze in into 230 pages. I have read many books on energy-healing and here is the one that compiles all that knowledge into one. The hands-on exercises are described into the tiniest details and are very easy to follow. I have just found out that "Biotherapy" was aproved as a continuing education home-study course for massage therapists nationwide. No wonder why!

I can't believe this book is not a best seller! It has all the answers to my questions about energy-healing and more. All this knowledge in such a small space! Thanks!

The most complete book on healing I have read. It may not be a "Deepak Chopra", but everything in the book has a practical application that even I, as a lay person, was able to do. It is definitely a life changer!

I have always been interested in the Ukrainian art of pysanky and found this book touching. Anyone interested in seeing fine examples of Ukrainian Pysanky should visit the pysanky showcase website at www.pysankyshowcase.com.

Renown and widely acclaimed all over the world, the UkrainianEaster Egg is generally considered to be the finest example of the artform. In terms of its beautiful and intricate design the Ukrainian Easter Egg is unsurpassed. There are Ukrainian Easter Egg societies and clubs even as far away as Japan, whose members not only collect Easter Eggs, but paint them! This is a delightful story for children. Eat your heart out Harry Potter!

The Birds' Gift is a wonderful folk tale of the Easter Season. The Ukrainian villagers help the birds trapped over the winter. The birds repay the kindness by leaving behind beautiful Easter Eggs when they go on their own in the spring. The author tells the story in a lovely gentle manner. The illustrations are delightful, especially the last two pages with intricately designed Ukrainian Easter eggs. Highly recommended.

This collection is a triptych of poems that focus on culture, family, and the personal landscape of marriage. Logghe writes of the beauty of northern New Mexico's Espanola Valley and the problems experienced by an outsider upon entering this special place. She has lived in New Mexico for 18 years and spent 15 years writing these poems. Check out "Something like Marriage." Graceful, hopeful, and wonderful.

Joan is a very talented poet whose work is lyrical, fun, real, true! All of her work reads well.

No finite amount of stars could express how much I've gained by reading Logghe's passionate rythmic poetry. She makes each poem divine, yet accessible and wholly intelligible. Logghe is an honest poet who reveals her tenderness and love of the world and family through the most ordinary language. The material aspect of the book is also quite simple and beautiful.

jacques prevert is one of my favourite poets. this book is a great selection of his work & miss zinnes translates it all wonderfully.

I first read this book, as a French student, when I was in high school. Afterwards, I became very interested in Prevert's work, and so I read more of his books, such as Paroles, etc. I became aware that Blood and Feathers is one of the most excellent collections of Prevert's best poems. The translations, as well, are very accurate. This book is a joy to read for the French student, and the poetry lover as well.

I first read this book when I was in high school, and became very interested in Prevert's work. After reading other works by Prevert, it became known to me that this book truly is one of the best collections of his poetry overall. The translations as well are very accurate. It is a joy to read, for the French student as well as the poetry lover.

It has been twenty or thirty years since I first read this account of the Caen battles and I still re-read it every couple of years. It is that good. There would have been no Max Hastings' 'Overlord' or John Keegan's 'Six Armies in Normandy' without Alex Mckee - he laid the ground work for all that.

In addition to giving a well crafted account of the fighting and what it felt like to be a British or Canadian soldier in Normandy he provides lots of information and first person accounts from the German side as well.

There are books with more technical detail but this is one upon which all subsequent accounts of Normandy can be based. McKee writes as a man who was there (and not so long ago as of original publication date) and incorporates his own prejudices into his account which for me gave the work verisimultude.

I find myself sharing his frustration as one bloody blunder follows another, and both sides heaped up more than their share of blunders. After reading this book one becomes aware of just how big a debt the Allies owed to Adolf Hitler for pushing his troops into a trap (Falaise) from which less than half broke free.

This book is to me, like an old friend, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in military history in general or the Normandy battles in particular

At last a book that tells what really happened on the British/Canadian sectors of the Normandy Beachhead. Mr McKee vividly decribes the savage fighting before Caen. He mixes grand strategy with the ordinary British or Canadian soldier's experiences of the carnage on the ground. The narrative flows well and is engrossing. McKee does not neglect the German perspective either, he frequently includes remeniscences from the opposition.
I would reccommend this book to anyone, for readers on the western side of the Atlantic it may come as a surprise that the tardy Brits didn't just sit and drink tea while the yanks did all the fighting.

All in all an excellent read

It is a terrible pity that this book is out of print, both in Australia and in the USA. This is probably the best account of a battle that I've read, along with A Bridge Too Far. The descriptions of the horrors of the Caen battlefield - particularly the Battle of the Falaise Gap - are excellently done. One gets a good feel for small unit tactics in the British Army, especially tank actions. They ought to make a movie out of this!!!
McKee also does not hold back on stories of Allied war crimes, with the English, Canadians and Scottish mistreating and executing prisoners, especially SS-troops. It certainly gives a dark side to the story, especially the Canadians, who seemed to have been especially venegful (many were descended from Frenchmen). This is stuff I never read before in the history books...

The cover of Caligula shows an abstract horse bucking, and that is just what Caligula does to us. It knocks us off our high-horse by bringing us face-to-face with death. Only (and I do not choose that word lightly) a true understanding of death can put lives in perspective. Sure Caligula is a despot who could have the life of any of his subjects, but the fact-of-the-matter is that our lives can end at any second. Caligula teaches us not to take life for granted, which is something that is all to easily done in this era. This theme also exists in State of Seige. The other two plays, The Misunderstanding, and The Just Assasins are more subtle, but they also deal with idea that we take petty concerns and ideas too seriously, and fail to look and the big picture. I should also add that the language and passion of the plays are exceptional.

Encompassing the doctorine of the Ubermensch cast alongside the dictatorship of Hitler, Camus creates an absurd, absolute ruler whom the people are at his beck and call. Every whim, be it for food or a specific person's death for the merge specticle of it, are just some of the scenes depicted in this play. It forces the question of whether one would rather possess a ruler who is consistant in all actions, thought, etc. or one who is willing to contradict him or herself for the good of the people. This is a complex work whose depths it seems may never be compeletly explored. Often overlooked due to the potency of his prose, Camus has produced yet another masterwork.

Camus' raw talent. There isn't anything negative to say about Camus, other than he died too young. If he'd lived through the 60's, he'd at the most give Sartre a good run for his money.

I love Camus simply because he's the only writer/philosopher who 'beats you up' with the truth, and comforts you with the notion, that he too has done this to himself. He doesn't try to replace your religion or your belief, or even question your place in the world. And he certainly didn't trade in one 'ism' for another like his Toad-faced contemporary!

Read this! It's wonderful. Camus sums up life's absurdities simplier than Kierkergaard and a tad bit kinder--maybe even sublte--than Nietzsche (who in my estimation is the one and only TRUE existential----maybe Che Guevara is a close second)

Neruda's Canto General is a poetic retelling of the history of South and Central America from the late pre-Columbian era to the middle of the twentieth century. The book is set up like a novel, with chapters and subheadings, a straight-line narration, and a cast of characters. Neruda's communist ideology is visible throughout the work and is a major theme. Canto General leaves the reader with an interesting impression of American history seen through the eyes of the impoversihed people of South America, as well as an idea of how third-world communists perceive reality. This is truly an excellent work, and should be read by everyone.

This is one of Neruda's greatest books. It is a jorney through the history of the American Continent, from its creation, to its conquest until the present day. Most readers will know it from its chapter 'Hights of Machu Picchu' but it is certainly more than that.

It is a review of 500 hundred years of history, of war, of love, of betray. Obviously the book is a reflection of Neruda's left wing inclination, but that only adds to the book.

In Chile and other parts of Latin America this book is called "The American Bible" and it truly is. Along with Residencia en la Tierra, it is probably Neruda's finest. And is probably the book in which Neruda became what he though his role as a poet ought to be "a voice for all who had no voice".

If you must read only one book from the Modern Latin American Literature (and this certainly would be a great mistake, if not a crime), then it should be this one. Canto General is a single poem, and yet it is a collection of poems. It is a historical epic, a social analysis, a political pamphlet, and a love sonnet. It is a song of Love and a song of Revolt, a personal song as well as a universal one; a song which whispers tenderly in your ear, and a song that screams against injustice with a loud forceful voice. It is Pablo Neruda's song and it is Chile's song, but it is truly America's song, North and South.

Written in Neruda's lyrical and mellifluous style, Canto General speaks with passion, lucidity, and even premonition of the heavy burden of social injustice and the brutality of tyrannical rule. But it also speaks with overflowing sensuality of love (for women, for the people, for his country). It would be unconscionable not to absorb and understand this book in its social and historical context, yet it would be a great mistake to view it uniquely as a political work of expression.

Read it to understand the Americas. Read it to revel in the beauty of its language. Read it to feel proud and to feel ashamed, to laugh and to cry. Read it in English (good), in Spanish (much better), or even in French (why not?)

I first read Canto General in French at the age of 15. I may since have forgotten some of the words in this book, but its impact and its spirit will probably remain with me for the rest of my life....

I have recently returned from the met and observed the great colour used by Caravaggio and was inspired to by the book. This contains a great of information and has great paintings on my favourite artist--Caravaggio. God bless

This book contains many beautiful full page photos of the works of Caravaggio. Each painting is accompanied with a brief explanation. References and comparisons are made to other famous works by great artistic masters. A great book to begin your art book collection!

please note!!!!the reviews and synopsis listed here are not for this 80 page book, but rather for the new puglisi book out now. very misleading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

This beautiful book explores the cave of Altamira in Spain, called "The Sistine Chapel of Quaternary Art" for the splendour of its drawings, engravings and paintings. The cave was first occupied 18 450 years ago and its early history ended about 13 000 years ago when the entrance vault collapsed. It was discovered again in 1879.

The text comprises an introduction by Antonio Beltrán and various articles: The Cave And Surroundings by José Lasheras Corruchaga; Altamira: Art, Artists And Times by Federico de Quirós; Techniques Individual Artists And Artistic Concepts by Matilde Pérez-Seoane; Photographing Altamira by Pedro Ramos; Conservation Problems by Corruchaga and a Conclusion: The Future by Beltrán.

This great monument to prehistoric art is documented by impressive color and black and white photographs of the area, the artworks and the tools found in the caves, including a portrait of the discoverer Sautuola. There are maps of the cave, a bibliography, notes and an index.

This magnificent book offers an exhaustive study of the wonderful and mysterious cave complex of Altamira and also deals with a number of theories about cave art around the world that casts some light on our ancient ancestors.

THE CAVE OF ALTAMIRA, edited by Antonio Beltran, tells the story of the famous paintings found in a cave in Spain in 1879. The book indicates the Altamira paintings date from the Solutrean period of the Paleolithic. Recent radiocarbon dating shows art in the Polychrome Chamber to be between 18,000 and 19,000 years old, placing it around 16,500 B.C. Pedro Saura Ramos, the photographer has a distinguished reputation. A number of prominent art historians have contributed interesting essays.

From the high elevation of the Altamira cave, one can see the 'Picos de Europa' - a range of mountain peaks which must have appeared awesome to Paleolithic humans. Judging by the remains of creatures found in pits in the cave chambers as well as portraits of animals on cave walls, the countryside around Altamira must have been a virtual Eden. Evidence shows that great park-like settings near the cave held deer, roebuck, and wild boar, while open areas favored large bovines like horses and bison, rocky areas provided shelter for goats and chamois, and the nearby sea and fresh water lakes and streams were filled with shellfish and other marine life. Charcoal used in the wall paintings and found around the hearths reveal a coastal ecology where willow, juniper, chestnut and pine grew. The discarded bones indicate the cave was probably used as a gathering place for a relatively large number of people.

Pedro Sauro Ramos says it is impossible to convey the impression one receives standing on the cave floor looking up at the wall and it's illustrations. His photos are unusual in that he has held the camera in non-conventional ways and shot angles not normally seen in print. He provides wide-angled, then close-up shots of many of the animals so the reader can see detail revealed at close range. He notes that artists often took advantage surface features when creating an animal. Natural bosses were used to round out forms. A ledge provided the line of a deer jaw. Cracks and crevices highlighted horns and hinds.

As is the case with Lascaux, many of the paintings have been damaged by exposure to human bacteria and some of the photographs reveal black fungus. In addition, ceilings and walls have been reinforced to support badly damaged sections of the cave. In some cases the human supports interfere with the lighting or alter the appearance. For example, natural lighting from the cave entrance that once illuminated the numerous bovines of the famous "Great Panel" and that would have been seen on entering the chamber have been blocked by a concrete wall. For his photographs, Saura Ramos provided natural lighting to show how the painting would have appeared to Paleolithic humans.

The text includes reasonably good essays by a number of noted experts. My favorite is entitled, "Techniques, Individual Artists, and Artistic Concepts in the Painting of Altamira", by Matilda Muzquiz Perez-Seoane. In this essay, Perez-Seoane explains how bone marrow was used to illuminate the areas of the wall the artist painted in the dark interior recesses. Apparently, animal knee caps were filled with marrow which was lighted and provided a flame which illuminated without filling the chamber with smoke and choking the artist and/or blackening the ceiling or walls.

Prior to Darwin, there was relatively little interest in prehistoric art. Then the theory of evolution and the discovery of many wonderful caves jammed with art, almost like museums, conspired to change all of that. Altamira's art dates back around 15,500 years (due to radioactive dating techniques), but it originally drew little attention because it was too wonderful to be real. The psychology of disbelief stall led all but a few scholars to dismiss this gem. It took almost 20 years for its authenticity to be established, and subsequent evidence has only strengthened its claims. Many people feel that Altamira is the most wonderful collection of prehistoric art in existence. The other famous cave is Lescaux in France. In between these caves geographically, many other caves with drawings have been found.

After being initially ignored after its discovery in 1879, it soon experienced a crush of visitors (eventually approaching 200,000 in a single year). But cave art isn't going to last with that much extra heat and humidity, so the caves have now been closed except to the occasional scholar. The good news is that this cave (located near the seacoast in Spain) is being reproduced so that one can visit and get a sense of the place without harming the art.

Altamira is an extensive series of caves (about 270 yards long) with many different sections. The entrances and exits have mysterious masks. In one section with a low-hung ceiling are many wonderful large paintings of bison (many of these you will recognize). Another area features engravings in the soft stone that are remarkable in their detail and delicacy. Yet other areas have different features. The photographs are magnificent and capture both the beauty of the individual images as well as giving a sense of the part of the cave they are in.

The essays in the book are remarkably complete. They describe the history of the cave, the evolution of theories about what the art means, descriptions of how the art was probably created, and the difficulties of preserving and recording the cave's contents. The only drawback was that the discussions of the theories were somewhat redundant, and would have benefited from a stronger editorial hand or more preplanning.

Anyone who loves art, is interested in prehistoric life, or is fascinated by cave art would love this book. Anyone who loves a good mystery will, too.

Open your mind to the possibilities that exist, and use this book as an excellent example of how often we underestimate the potential of what is in front of us.

The book Chateaux of the Loire Valley by Jean-Marie Perouse De Montclos and photographer Robert Polidori is definitely the nicest coffee table book on sale about the beautiful castles of the Loire Valley. Besides being a superb wine growing region, the Loire River south of Paris offers a unique combination of beautiful landscapes and castles, which makes it one of France's most attractive regions. You should take at least a week or ten days to do a round trip. This book gives you an excellent idea of what to expect - or you cannot make it - what you are missing!

This is a superb book and a great purchase. I was happily surprised at the excellent quality of the book itself. This chateaux collection is by Jean-Marie Perouse de Montclos author of 'Fontaineblue', which I had bought earlier and enjoyed thoroughly. Perouse de Montclos is obviously an authority in this so interesting and imposing a realm. 'Chateaux of the Loire Valley' is beautifully captured pictorially by Robert Polidori, this treat alone unfolds like some magical visual biography of France, and the world. I can't begin to tell you how much charm this book brings. The architectural relics and historical wonders are each detailed in the accompanying text. The history of Chinon, for example. There is a preface with the best chronology of the Kings of France I've ever seen. Never ending information and art photos about the castles, one better than the other. Including a profile of the unique Chenonceaux, with it's haunting echo of the fascinating Diane de Poitiers. With it's modest price this has to be one of the most satisfying books I've ever come across. You might also look up 'Fountainbleau' a literary and visual collection about the legendary French chateau by the same author.

We own this beautiful book. It is filled with high quality photographs, portraying the true beauty of the Lorie Valley. We are purchasing one more copy as a gift for a dear friend who traveled with us to Chenonceaux, and Chambord. Our personal photo's did not do justice to the true beauty of these castles.

This book will be on our coffee table, to remind us of the breathtaking experience we had, while being in the presence of such lovely architecture. I highly recommend this book!!

We have visited France in 1997, 1998, and 1999.