History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades

Average customer rating:

WELL WRITEN WELL DONE. VERY INFORMATIVE
Very Impressive
Phenomenal - This is a must read
Good book, but there are better ones out there
Knights Templar 201

Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades
John J. Robinson
Manufacturer: M. Evans and Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0871316579

Book Description

One of the most magnificent books... putting it down is almost impossible. --Ocala Star-Banner

Customer Reviews:

WELL WRITEN WELL DONE. VERY INFORMATIVE.......2006-07-22

I enjoyed every page of this one. Not being an expert in this field, I certainly cannot vouch for each and every fact the author has given us, but the several facts I did take the time to further research proved the athor correct. The book is well written and in fact is quite a page turner. This is one of those I hated to stop reading and was rather sorry when I had finished it. It is important to understand this past era in order to understand where we are today. The consequences of the actions taken at that time are still being felt even to this day. Highly recommend this one.

Very Impressive.......2006-06-04

I am extremely impressed by the way Robinson conveyed the history of those tumultuous times in such a captivating manner. This work is rich in facts: both large and small, and all interesting. Aside from Templar history, I really appreciated Robinson's ability to clearly explain the major and minor players and the political machinery and machinations of all sides involved (Muslim factions, Hospitallers, Vanetians, the Popes, etc etc). Reading this work is a real learning experience, and Robinson's great writing is far from dry. After reading this book I will surely continue to read Robinson's other works.

Phenomenal - This is a must read .......2006-05-24

Where to start? This is a fantastic piece of work that takes you through the rise and fall of Templars. I would rate it better than Da-vinci code because this is no fiction. It is remarkable that a non-fiction work packs so much action and thrills. This is also the best account of Crusades that I have ever read. In addition, the author also touches upon the personal codes that governed the life of Templars (like the chastity belt, rules against bathing etc). All in all, I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested about Crusades or Templars

Good book, but there are better ones out there.......2006-03-05

John Robinson does a very good job in complining information about the Templar and presenting it in an interesting and readable fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about the Templar (and Robinson does include many details not found in the other Templar books I have read, contrary to those reviewers who claim it is all old material).

What I liked best about this book was its emphasis on context. Robinson does not just give an account of the Templar's doings; he provides an account of all the things which are happening around the Templars as well, which is essential for understanding the Templar.

I also liked Robinson's clear writing style. Some history book get you bogged down with dates and names, but Robinson does an excellent job of tying them together and helping you remember them so that events further into the book will make much more sense.

There are also two complaints I have about this book:

1. There are a number of small, careless mistakes which really should not have been there (i.e. slightly misquoting people, slightly incorrect dates, etc.) and which are rather annoying. As far as I can tell, none of his information is majorly wrong; he just does things like writing that events happened several weeks after another event when it was actually many months, so I guess it's not really a big deal.

2. He seemed rather biased against the Catholic Church. I myself am not Catholic, but even I do not think some of the things that they did were quite as bad as Robinson makes them out to be. For example, his comments to the effect that the charges of homosexuality against the Knights were very probably true because they had vows of chastity are simply underestimating the effect of religion upon people's lives and are just plain stupid. If the Templars couldn't take being chaste anymore, it is not very likely that they would choose to become homosexuals violating the ordinances of the Church rather than simply violating the laws of the Templar.

In conclusion, this was a very good book, but I think that there are better books on the subject out there. I would recommend Stephen Howarth's The Knights Templar. His book is slightly shorter (and thus has a little less detail), but it is also more accurate and is much more fun to read.

Overall grade: B+

Knights Templar 201 .......2005-04-28

Several readers have trashed this book, one saying 'Same old song in a new cover'. That reviewer then goes on to recommend two books written 10 years later.. That's probably why he thought that this was 'old'. While I can't compare this book to anything by Runciman or Tuchman, I will say that this is a pretty good book.

Before you buy this book, please pay attention to the title.. It is called 'Dungeon, Fire, & Sword The Knights Templar IN THE CRUSADES' In order to understand the impact of the KT in the crusades you have to understand the crusades themselves, and in order to understand the crusades, you need to understand the 'players', culture geography etc... The Crusades didn't revolve around the KT, they only played a part, albeit an integral one, in the crusades.

Yes this book is more than just the KT, and no it's not an in depth history of each of the crusades, but it's not supposed to be.. The reader should use this book as a building block about the KT, the crusades and even the Papal State.

What is interesting is that the more one reads about the KT the more you realize that there really is a lot of uncertainty and disagreement surrounding them. In his book, Howarth writes that the master of the Templars was never called the Grand Master, yet that is how Robinson refers to them. There were a few other descrepencies between the two books but nothing major.

The maps (all 3 of them) were ok. The tables of the 'players' in the back of the book were helpful.

I recommend this book.. Could you do better? Maybe, but with all of the junk that they are publishing about the KT these days you could do a heck of a lot worse.

Average customer rating:

Ahhh, RUSSIA...
Lindsey has better
Loved it (:D)
Entertaining...some names confusing
give me the drug!

Secret Fire
Johanna Lindsey
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380750872

Book Description

A master storyteller who spins romantic fiction like not other, Johanna Lindsey weaves together endearing characters, enthralling adventure and pulsating passion to create stories that touch the hearts of her readers.

Secret Fire

He'd caught only a glimpse of her from the window of his carriage, but the young prince knew he had to have her. Within minutes, Lady Katherine St. John was dragged from the London street and carried off to a sumptuous town house -- for the pleasure of her royal admirer...

From the tempestuous passion of their first encounter, across stormy seas, to the golden splendor of palaces in Moscow, she was his prisoner -- obsessed with rage toward her captor even as an all-consuming need made her his slave. Yet theirs was a fervor beyond her understanding, carrying them irrevocably toward final surrender to the power of undeniable love.

Customer Reviews:

Ahhh, RUSSIA..........2007-04-04

I just wanna say: Can I get me some of those aphrodisiacs?! Do they come with Dimitri? Ooooh, baby! Yes!

Lindsey has better.......2007-03-09

This book is ok; however, it doesn't stand up to her newer works, such as Once as Princess or Love me Forever. I'd recommend reading her newer works and if you want to read Secret Fire, borrow it from a library.

Loved it (:D).......2007-01-10

good read, good book...I enjoy the read the characters the storyline and the chemistry didn't get bored...

Entertaining...some names confusing.......2006-09-24

Overall it was a light, interesting read. The couple have one hot night courtesy an aphrodisiac and then the story falls flat for about 150 pages until our hero, at his wits end, has to drug her AGAIN, to get his way. Lindsey has an annoying habit of assigning each character two or three nicnames, totally unnecessary and only lends confusion. Especially when hero's long lost brother returns for about a paragraph and is called three different names during the one chapter he appears in. You can definitely tell this is one of her early works. Not too much depth, but still enjoyed it. Great background and description of Russia, nice angle.

give me the drug!.......2006-04-30

one of the best JL story I've ever read. Though I am strongly against of pushing men's needs to women in matters so....you know what.....I find this story very funny and not so degrading to read. I love the heroine on how she did fight Dmitri in many ways. Yes. That is one of the ingredient of being a strong woman. Though she's not the best faces in the crowd, she got him in her strong characteristics/personalities. Go girl! AT least, you won't get disappointed that the heroine in this story is not much of a poor victim. She depicts the strong women today even though her time is far from us, our way of liberal thinking in matters of women rights. Good work JL.

Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks: Tips, Techniques, Shortcuts, Sources, Hints, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Plus 100 Sure-Fire Recipes to Make You a Better Cook

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable
Carucci's Secrets - a useful addition
One of my favorites
Good, but not what I was expecting
A great resource for cooks wanting to take their "game" to the next level

Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks: Tips, Techniques, Shortcuts, Sources, Hints, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Plus 100 Sure-Fire Recipes to Make You a Better Cook
Linda Carucci
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0811842436

Book Description

When it comes to food, Linda Carucci is at the top of her class. As a cooking instructor with more than 20 years of food industry experience, no one is more qualified than Linda to reveal the indispensable everyday secrets and shortcuts that professional chefs use constantly in their cooking. Each of the more than 100 sensational recipes—soups and salads, pasta and risotto, main courses and side dishes, plus indulgent desserts—offers truly useful guidelines and tips. What is a chinois and why will this make homemade chicken stock better? Why are Turkish bay leaves preferable to the California variety? What cut of meat will ensure the most flavorful pork chop? Why is a marinade essential when grilling a flank steak? Why should granita be frozen in a square, rather than round, pan? The recipes go from down-home good and simple-to-prepare favorites (Tomato Cheddar Soup, Spaghetti and Meatballs) to guest-worthy, look-what-I-can-do feasts (Double-Crusted Timpano, Rack of Lamb). Clear illustrations show techniques such as how to cut the skin from a salmon fillet and slice basil into a chiffonade (and what is a chiffonade anyway?). Add to that a myriad of user-friendly charts (recommended temperatures for meat doneness; typical cuts of poultry, meat, and pork), menus, and resources, and any new cook—as well as the not-so-new ones—will quickly find that going back to school is way more fun (and delicious) than they ever remembered.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable.......2007-08-18

I borrowed this book from the library and now I am considering buying my own copy. I would consider this more of a teaching/reference manual rather then an everyday cookbook. This book offers a huge amount of information from food science, cooking techniques, and of course many delicious recipes too. I Especially enjoyed the info on improving knife skills, understanding your palate (such as the role of acid and umami). This book is full of information on how to be a better cook, assuming you are not already a professional chef. There is no substitute for practice but if you can't go to cooking school this is also helpful. Overall I found this book easy to read, thoughtful, and an excellent reference I would refer to often.

Carucci's Secrets - a useful addition.......2007-05-07

I don't buy many cookbooks anymore as many sit on the shelf and never get used - except perhaps my 1950's version of the Joy of Cooking - but Carucci's Secrets is one of the few others I find a useful addition - not only for basic recipes but also for techniques and variations on a recipe - I most often use it as a quick reference for tips on how to make things even better - she often has a succinct tip on something simple but impactful that makes this book worth checking out before I try something new or sometimes if I want to find an improvement on an old recipe.
As an aside, I first met Linda at a friend's party, where she had brought a dish that was excellent, but seemed quite simple - many people were raving about it and later I saw her signing cookbooks and realized she was an expert in our midst - and reading her cookbook is like having a brief conversation with a down to earth friend or a next door neighbor - seems like casual advice - not overwhelming in details or overly technical - it's "just right."

One of my favorites.......2007-04-23

I love cookbooks. I have dozens and would have hundreds if I had more space. But there are only a few that I pull out when I need a really good recipe; the books that I trust to deliver a delicious result. "Cooking School Secrets", "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison and "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer are the three that come out when I'm having people over and I'm not sure what to make. I pull this one off the shelf for other reasons too. For instance, I can finally hard boil and egg to perfection due to the insructions and explanations in this book. The introduction is full of information that has made me a better cook, just as the title suggests.

As for the recipes, I've made the "Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles", the "LInguine Aglio e Olio", and the "Fresh Fava Beans with Pecorino and Meyer Lemon Olive Oil", all good. But it was the Thanksgiving dinner that I made from the recipes in this book that really made me a convert. My husband, who complains loudly every Thanksgiving that he doesn't like turkey, ate seconds. My mother insisted it was the best Thanksgiving meal she'd ever had. I loved the fact that the recipes for roasting the turkey, making the stuffing and preparing the gravy were clear and presented in a step by step fashion. I can say with confidence that this book is filled with really well tested recipes that turn out deliciously every time.

Good, but not what I was expecting.......2007-03-08

The information is fairly helpful, but all spread out. You have to go through and look at every recipe to get the tips. I like the background of the recipes Linda gives, and the sources information in the back is pretty helpful. Might have been better if not written as a cookbook with extras.

A great resource for cooks wanting to take their "game" to the next level.......2006-07-16

Permit me a brief digression that will later bear on the review. I once attended a massage therapy school in a city with three competing schools, and I was continually amazed at how limited the competing graduates from the other schools were in basic anatomy, assessment, and palpation skills compared to what I learned. On the other hand, those graduates were way ahead in actual "salon/day spa" cosmetic techniques, so they tended to land positions more easily. They couldn't find a trigger point, balance a meridian flow, or treat a muscle tear, but they could select the best aromatherapy oils for various emotional stresses. Which set of skills were more valid, or "better"? It all depends on what you think is important in massage therapy.

Any course of education and training from a particular institution will have its prejudices, limitations, and standards. Other, competing training schools (and schools of thought) may well differ from the curriculum taught here and may well criticize and castigate these shortcomings. The important thing, you need to understand the rules and conventions of a craft or an art before you can successfully experiment with them or break them for effect (something that people like Alton Brown, Mark Bittman, and Mario Batali do all the time). And Carucci's book does an amazingly thorough and accessible job setting forth those conventions, heuristics and "secrets" in one place, in an easily absorbed format. And she offers them AS conventions and secrets, which implies that other, alternate techniques may well exists. (I didn't even know that the ratios of the ingredients in "mire poix" were an issue, for instance). So to me, this book really is a cooking school between two covers, with all the advantages and limitations that would imply. Mastering the contents of this book will give the aspiring cook/chef a useful set of tools and protocols for "serious" cooking...but other cooks and chefs, trained in other ways of thought may well disagree with many of the "secrets" presented here. The important thing is to understand that the issues exists and that no "secret" is any better than the understanding and perception of the person trying to use it.

So to me, the most important (and useful) part of Carucci's book are the parts were she emphasizes the actual use of the senses and intuition as part of the cooking process. That takes this book to the next level as far as I am concerned and makes it a valuable resource in the education of would be cooks. I've learned a ton of stuff in the three short weeks that I've had it, and more important, I understand the extent and depth of my ignorance, in ways I never did before from working with these pages.

This is a great book to have. The only cookbooks in my collection that I like better are Alton Brown's (and I know that many people consider his recipes hit-or-miss See how personal perceptions enter into it, no matter what you do in subjects like cooking?) I'm delighted that I found this on the stands and decided to give it a chance.

Average customer rating:

Enchantment and hardship blend in some outstanding surveys.
Fire King wet blanket
The Secrets of a Fire King
An amazing first effort
Fabulous Story Collection

The Secrets of a Fire King: Stories
Kim Edwards
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143112309
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Book Description

The first story collection from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter

With The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards touched hearts across the nation. In this, her first collection of stories—now with three new stories added—she explores the lives of those who exist on the fringes of society: a fire-eater, an American and his Korean war bride, Madame Curie's maid, and others. Though their tales vary dramatically, each comes up against the barriers of place and circumstance in the most universal of experiences: the quest to discover and understand the elusive mysteries of love. Transporting readers to exotic locations, this beautiful collection reinforces Edwards's presence as an extraordinarily gifted writer.

Customer Reviews:

Enchantment and hardship blend in some outstanding surveys........2007-09-03

Kim Edwards' short stories in SECRETS OF A FIRE KING receives actress Bernadette Dunne's fine acting skills and smooth voice as they offer insights on individuals living on the edge of society, from a fire-eater and a juggler to a cleaning woman whose life is entwined with Marie Curie's. Love, enchantment and hardship blend in some outstanding surveys.

Fire King wet blanket.......2007-07-22

This book was a huge disappointment. After reading her best seller I thought this book would be better.

The Secrets of a Fire King.......2007-07-21

I loved Kim Edwards novel, "Memory Makers Daughter" so I decided to try a book of her short stories. I am not as impressed by this book of short stories as I was the novel that she wrote.

An amazing first effort.......1997-05-12

Kim Edwards is a highly gifted writer with a wonderful grasp of both character and language. While many of her locales are exotic, the characters are very recognizable in their humanity. Some stories made me cry, and others made me want to shake some sense into the characters. This book is an amazing first effort, and I look forward to Ms. Edwards' future works

Fabulous Story Collection.......1997-04-26

This book is full of a sincere magic and an earthly clarity. The characters' lives are extraordinary and compassionataly rendered -- I have been touched and moved by all their stories. If you love short story collections definitely read this book

Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire

Average customer rating:

The German attempt to bring down the British Empire.
Another Hopkirk Treasure
The fire that nearly engulfed the world
An Okay-to-Good Book
Why they call it World War

Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire
Peter Hopkirk
Manufacturer: Kodansha Globe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568361270

Book Description

A GRIPPING STORY OF IMPERIAL AMBITION, SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE, AND THE KAISER'S OWN JIHAD.

An acclaimed historian tells, for the first time, the full story of the conspiracy between the Germans and the Turks to unleash a Muslim holy war against the British in India and the Russians in the Caucasus. Drawing on recently opened intelligence files and rare personal accounts, Peter Hopkirk
skillfully reconstructs the Kaiser's bold plan and describes the exploits of the secret agents on both sides-disguised variously as archaeologists, traders, and circus performers-as they sought to foment or foil the uprising and determine the outcome of World War I.

Customer Reviews:

The German attempt to bring down the British Empire........2007-10-18

During World War I, Germany and the Kaiser attempted to bring down the British Empire in India and Burma. Since Germany was already allied with the Ottoman Empire, the Kaiser and his spies attempted to make a course attempt to rally Muslims worldwide to oppose both the Russians and British. The British were also appealing to the Arabs on a nationalistic basis. The book covers the attempt by the Germans in both Persia and Afghanistan. It also covers the Russian Civil War in Central Asia. The Germans would have done better to appeal to the disaffected Muslim element in Russian Central Asia.

This is my fourth book I have read from Hopkirk. He is a great story teller and weaves his several themes well in this book. I have enjoyed his books greatly and wish he would write on other subjects. This is a fascinating read.

Another Hopkirk Treasure.......2007-09-05

You can count on Peter Hopkirk to deliver fascinating accounts of the lands that served as the arena for The Great Game, and this is no exception. In this well-done volume, Hopkirk tells the tales of intrigue launched at the outset of WWI, mostly aimed at the destruction of the British Empire. While the world was focused on the carnage in Europe, a lesser-known war was raging in Central Asia, where the players were the dying Ottoman Empire, the newly emergent Bolsheviks plus Persian and Caucasian forces and, of course, the British. Hopkirk records these events with a journalists eye toward telling a compelling story. So much of today's world was influenced by the events Hopkirk describes. This is a valuable book which rounds out our knowledge of a most turbulent time.

The fire that nearly engulfed the world.......2006-12-15

Hopkirk delivers a wonderful book in his look at how the British Empire was forced to respond to Germany's attempts to destroy its empire. The book is the most terrifying installment of the series as Hopkirk describes Germany's efforts to raise a holy war in the Middle East. The efforts of the British to stop it are impressive and once again show the triumph and finesse of the British imperial system. This is another fascinating book that looks at how the British empire lasted throughout the turbulent years of world war 1. As always the book is very well written and impressively displayed.

An Okay-to-Good Book.......2006-03-23

THE GREAT GAME was a great book. Suspenseful, interesting, etc.

LIKE HIDDEN FIRE, in comparison, doesn't really come close to comparing to THE GREAT GAME.

LIKE HIDDEN FIRE has its moments where you're flipping pages in anticipation of the next page, but in a book with nearly 500 pages, there aren't enough moments like this and the existing moments don't last long enough.

Can't quite really put my finger on any specific issue. The overall storytelling sort of wanders from one area or time into another one, and you weren't quite sure what the connection was. Other accounts are told, only to seem as if there was really no other point to include it.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad book, per se. If you haven't read either book yet, read THE GREAT GAME before this one (aside from the fact that THE GRAT GAME historically precedes LIKE HIDDEN FIRE).

Why they call it World War.......2005-01-15

So many aspects of our present world and the dilemmas that plague us now grew out of the backrooms, the backwoods and the backwaters of the world. Even today, Central Asia is a mystery to most people in the US. "Like Hidden Fire" is a great place to start to learn how complex the world is and why the peoples of the Middle East and Central Asia might have just a little mistrust of the West and its motives.

The story is the down and dirty of the German efforts to unseat the British Empire leading up to and during the First World War. It includes efforts to create a Holy War against the British and champion the Kaiser as a "Defender of the Faith" (the Faith in question being Islam, of course).

The trail takes us from intrigue to counter intrigue through Turkey, Iran and into Central Asia where then, as today, the Westerners are more pawns in the local struggles than vice versa.

This is totally relevent to today both in understanding the local issues as well as how shallow the West is in dealing with the people and culture of the Middle East and Central Asia.

The work is as vast and complex as the region and the people it covers. Set some time aside to read it and don't be surprised if you find yourself exploring the people, places and other works that are cited in the book.

-Mike

Friendly Fire: The Remarkable Story of a Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Rescued by an Italian Secret Service Agent, and Shot by U.s. Forces

Average customer rating:

Ironic Ordeal
Civics Lesson Folks
Especially recommended for military and public library collections.
Insightful, exciting
With Friends LIke These...

Friendly Fire: The Remarkable Story of a Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Rescued by an Italian Secret Service Agent, and Shot by U.s. Forces
Giuliana Sgrena
Manufacturer: Haymarket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931859396

Book Description

"Giuliana Sgrena's work is forever curious, powerful, and brave. I salute her."-John Pilger

Giuliana Sgrena brings us inside the US occupation of Iraq as no other journalist has done.

The leading Italian journalist, whose personal story was featured on 60 Minutes and in other major media worldwide, describes the real story of her capture, dramatic release, and shooting in 2004.

While reporting for the Italian daily newspaper Il Manifesto in Iraq, Sgrena was taken hostage by a group of Iraqis on February 4, 2005, and held until March 4, 2005. On the day of her release, as she was being escorted to Baghdad International Airport by Italian security, US forces fired on her vehicle. The attack killed Major General Nicola Calipari, the number-two man in Italian military intelligence, as he shielded Sgrena.

In the book, Sgrena describes her experience as a hostage and provides unique insights into the situation in Iraq under occupation, exposing US war crimes there.

In her foreword to this edition, radio and television host and best-selling author Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! situates the attack on Sgrena in the context of the increased targeting of journalists in conflict zones around the world.

Customer Reviews:

Ironic Ordeal.......2007-08-19

Irony is hardly the word to describe the situation of this hostage. Not only is she a stalwart champion of the suffering Iraqis including the ones who kidnapped her, but also she has little politically in common with the Italian Prime Minister who negotiates her release.

The book was most interesting when Sgrena spoke to her own experience. More that 1/2 or more text was devoted to the issues such as utilities and insecutiry in Baghdad, the factions, the role women, religion, etc. 50% (or maybe more) of the text could have been written by others.

It seems to me, readers interested in Sgrena and her story would be well versed in the Iraqi situation and would buy her book to hear what she has to say that speaks to her experience.

I would have liked this book to be more about her captivity, her understanding of others who have been held hostage in this way, her observations of her captors, and a more precise reconstruction of the negotiations to free her.

Civics Lesson Folks.......2007-05-30

I have not read this book but I am going to buy it today. This is a comment on the editorial review and this line in particular.

"either she or translator Riva fail to distinguish between government and citizens in reference to "the Americans"

Uh, last I checked (just watched School House Rock to make sure) the American People ARE the government. There are no two separate entities as "the government" and "the people" as we are a government "by the people, for the people, of the people".

If they don't treat the Americans as two separate entities, then maybe they know something about our system of governing ourselves that we'd do well to remember.

Yes, that makes me and you and anyone of voting age responsible for the war and for letting "our government" get away with what's happening.

I have abstained from rating the book, merely because I have not read it yet, but I felt I must make this comment and I will buy this book immediately and update my rating accordingly.

Especially recommended for military and public library collections........2007-02-09

The journalist author of FRIENDLY FIRE reported under war conditions, was kidnapped, rescued by an Italian secret agent, then shot by U.S. forces. If her name sounds familiar, it's because her story was detailed on 60 Minutes and other world media, but no show could prove the punch and impact of her memoir FRIENDLY FIRE, which chronicles her experience as a hostage. Any who would understand occupied Iraq in general and both military politics and hostage situations will find this packed with insights and answers lending to both study and browser interest. Especially recommended for military and public library collections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Insightful, exciting.......2007-01-09

"Hostages are weapons of war, a powerful means of blackmail in an asymmetric conflict like that in Iraq. In two years of occupation, all foreigners have become the enemy; there's no longer any distinction between governments and those who oppose them..."(page 68)

In November 2004 the United States launched an especially violent assault on the resistance stronghold of Falluja, laying siege to the city and creating a civilian refugee crisis. On the trail of this crisis, interviewing civilians, antiwar Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena found herself sucked into the war in a most unexpected way: One of the resistance groups kidnapped her.

Sgrena's powerful book not only documents her personal drama as a hostage but reflects on the wider situation in Iraq that led to hers'--and many others'--kidnappings. She clearly explains why the "unbearable" living conditions feed into a general discontent that is (literally) violently stirred up by the presence of Coalition troops and their sledgehammer anti-insurgency tactics...tactics which almost led to her own death and did lead to the death of her liberator, Nicola Calipari.

"What happened to me after my liberation, the car hit by "friendly fire", took me back to the real origins of the current situation in Iraq: the war. The violent fall of Saddam did not bring liberty, but the decline into barbarism of Mesopotamia, cradle of civilization of the Sumerians, the Assyrians and the Babylonians. This is the reality." (page 187)

(Kudos to the translator and editor for producing a highly readable English account of the author's remarkable story and exceptional political insight.)

With Friends LIke These..........2006-09-25

Like many other hostage tales, there are moments of true human interaction between the hostage and her captors in this book. Interestingly enough, but not surprisingly, some of these moments occur during various soccer matches that are watched by the kidnappers. Although Sgrena is anything but a sports fan, her Italian nationality gives her credence if only because of one of the kidnappers obsession with Italian soccer. She describes her discussions of religion and non-belief with the mujaheedin holding her and their difficulty in understanding her relationship to her unmarried longtime partner. Unlike other hostage tales, especially the recent story by US journalist taken hostage Jill Carroll, Sgrena refuses to accept the rationale of the occupiers and insists thgoughout the text that it is the occupation that is the primary culprit in Iraq, not the resistance. The descriptions of the aforementioned conversations reminds the reader of the contradictory nature of the human condition--warriors able to hold a woman prisoner yet curious enought of this person from another culture to converse with her and debate, even though their commanders and clerics might not approve.

As regards Sgrena's thoughts on Iraq, it is her contention that the fighters against the occupiers are primarily composed of two elements: the nationalist insurgency and the jihadists. Sgrena states that the jihadists want the US in Iraq because it gives them a front in their war on the infidels, while the insurgency wants the US and other occupation troops out so they can get on with their lives. As I write this review, the news broadcasts are reporting on a demonstration of hundreds of thousands against the US occupation of Iraq and the Israeli war on Lebanon in Baghdad. The primary component of this demonstration were Shia Iraqis that support Muqtada al-Sadr. According to the news report, US officials claim to be concerned that this massive show of strength by these Shia Iraqis could provoke attacks on them by members of the Sunni community in Iraq. While there may be some truth to this possibility, the fact that the US command is expressing concern is so transparent as to be laughable. After all, the US military and intelligence have certainly killed more of Sadr's supporters than their fellow Iraqis have. It is more likely that the US is concerned that the solidarity being expressed across religious lines and across the Arab world for the resistance of Hezbollah to Israel's onslaught will become the dominant current in Iraq. If that occurred, the resistance to the occupation would be nearly universal among Iraqis. That would spell the end of not only the occupation, but of the jihadists as well.
Of course, the Pentagon and White House (with approval from Congress) remains convinced that the situation can be remedied in favor of Washington via military means. Indeed, the commander of US Central Command, General Abizaid, went on record in early August stating that he could "imagine" the US military "winning" Baghdad. As Sgrena's book clarifies (once again), this imaginary scenario is nothing more than a pipe dream for the US generals and a nightmare for the Iraqis. As the occupation and its consequent mayhem continue no one is certain what the next phase will look like. The civil strife between various religious trends is but one facet of the aforementioned mayhem. Underlying it all is the continuing dismal state of most Iraqis' economic lives and the lack of any apparent future of peace.
Sgrena's understanding of this desperate situation and Washington's fundamental role in creating and maintaining it are the subject of much of her commentary in the book. It is interspersed with a narrative describing the physical realities of her captivity and her means of dealing with the boredom, fear, and hopelessness that are part of any imprisonment. Her journalistic abilities are quite apparent in these descriptions--one feels that they know the characteristics of the room she spent her captivity almost as well if they had seen a walk-through video of it. Her discussion of the emotions she experienced are interwoven into her story in such a way that they become like the darkness of her mask that the kidnappers insist she wear at times of their choosing. Or the daylight that we assume will always be. They exist but they do not overwhelm. In fact, that is how Sgrena tells her story. Perhaps it is her journalistic detachment or perhaps it is the only manner in which she could write it down. No matter what the reason may be, it works. Friendly Fire is more than the tale of one hostage's ordeal and it is more than just another tract on the US-created debacle that is Iraq. It is not a cry for revenge, but a tempered statement on a nation's shattered psyche and an individual attempt to share a perspective influenced by her unforeseen role in that nation's history.

Bug Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Electronic Eavesdropping ... But Were Afraid to Ask

Average customer rating:

Book is Just Overpriced Drivel, and of No Value
A good start
No useful equipment info.
saved me thousands

Bug Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Electronic Eavesdropping ... But Were Afraid to Ask
M.L. Shannon , and M. L. SHANNON
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581600658

Book Description

What would you do if you thought you were being bugged? How would you defend yourself? How would you even know about it? If you've pondered these questions, and especially if you haven't, you need to read this book. It was written to tell you, the average Joe, everything there is to know about tiny hidden transmitters that can broadcast your personal and business conversations to spies, government agents . . . even the next-door neighbors. Find out how these devices work, how effective they are, how to find them and deal with them and how to use this technology in your own self-defense if necessary. Includes scores of ideas and resources for protecting the privacy of landline, cellular and cordless telephones, as well as pagers, fax machines and computers, plus phone phreaking terms and tricks and, as one reviewer put it, true tales of the Biz that "will spook you . . . and a few that will make you laugh."

Customer Reviews:

Book is Just Overpriced Drivel, and of No Value.......2007-06-02

Much like much of other M.L. Shannon's works the material is not unique nor original, and is just overpriced drivel and of little to no value.

While reading the book I kept waiting for the author to make a clear point, but all I saw was the author grinding away at how evil the government was, how evil the companies that make the bugs, how stupid the public is, and how clever and enlightened the writer was trying to be.

I felt that most of the materials were not at all original, and that a great deal of it was regurgitated sales brochures and white papers that the author had pulled together, but which could be obtained for free from dozens of other online sources. In fact it appeared that to write this book the author had merely culled together a bunch of online materials mailing lists and website, added a few paragraphs of his own here and there to tie it all together, and then slapped a high price on it to create the illusion the buyer was getting something of value.

There is copius technical errors in the book, significant misrepresentations, quite a but of yellow or at least jaundiced journalism, too much sensationalism, and not enough well researched facts, or experiments.

The author appears to lack a strong technical background, and appears to possess nothing more then a general understanding of surveillance, with no technical depth or expertise.

Most of the material in this book appears to just be a rehashing of other materials he has in his other books, and his other books appear to just be a re-hash of this book, so it boils down to an issue of which came first the chicken or the egg. It seemed like the author had harvested materials from 3 or 4 web sites, and then used this harvested material to cough up a have dozen books, even though each book over lapped the other books by a good 85%.

This book also draws a great deal on other books written and published in the popular counter culture mindset, and one could almost say that the book seems to be aimed at explaining to drug users in San Francisco how to find law enforcement bugs that may or may not be on the line, and that the book inflames paranoia without providing workable solutions. The level of technical knowledge in the book is on par to that which you would see written by a bunch of high school sophomores, or a bunch of wanna-be script kiddies.

There are numerous serious technical errors in the book, and the reader risks damage to their equipment, and possible personal injury if they follow the instructions in the book.

This book is a waste of money, you can find the same stuff for free elsewhere on the Internet just by googling on TSCM.

In my opinion, if you buy this book, you will probably want to ask for a refund after you finish reading it, the book is just that bad. Do yourself a favor and start with books NOT written by this author, and come back to this author after you have read other peoples writings on the subject matter and can appreciate the drivel in this book as a work of fantasy. Also, rather then purchase this book you should borrow it from a library first, or browse through it at a bookstore to decide for yourself if you really should waste you money on it.

Most legitimate books store don't carry it on their shelf, but you should be able to find it at your local head shop, survivalist supply store, and other "fantasy world" kinds of books.

Don't waste your time, or money on this book.

A good start.......2005-09-22

It covers the basic with balance and (like the Phone Book) appropriate language level. It is truly enough to get one started in the topic.

No useful equipment info........2002-10-23

This book seems to be intended as some kind of basic intro to surveillance. It does get a bit into techniques for black bag jobs, and he has some interesting views on the theory of transmitter range. But there is nothing specific on equipment. If you are looking for real information on building or acquiring those illegal devices, you'll have to look elsewhere.

saved me thousands.......2001-02-01

I was going through a messing child custody battle and was worried about my phone lines. Turns out they were bugged. This book showed me how to locate and do away with the buggs. It also showed me how to do a little survallance of my own.

Average customer rating:

The strength of the human spirit

Secrets in the Fire
Henning Mankell
Manufacturer: Annick Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1550378007

Book Description

The powerful story of one girl's indomitable spirit after surviving a land mine in war-ravaged southern Africa.

It is the wise old woman of the village who teaches young Sofia about the secrets in the fire. Within the flames hide all things past and all things yet to be. But not even old Muazena can see the horrors the fire holds for Sofia and her family -- not the murderous bandits who drive them from their home, and not the land mine that takes Sofia's legs.

In her long journey toward recovery, Sofia must still deal with growing up. Along the way, she discovers friends, and foes, in places she'd never expected. Through it all, Sofia draws on a strength she never knew she had, a fire of her own that's been a secret all along.

Real-life land mine victim Sofia Alface is the inspiration for Henning Mankell's stunning novel which puts a very human face on the suffering in Africa.

Key Features:

Land mines, an important, high-profile issue
A gripping, dramatic page-turner and a story full of hope
Readers will relate to the spirited Sofia

Customer Reviews:

The strength of the human spirit.......2003-08-10

This spare story presents the story of a young girl, Sophia, after she steps on a land mine. The impact of the well-chosen description of the circumstances is powerful. From the brutal reality of the loss of her village and the travel looking for a place to live, to the thoughts which carry Sophia through her daily life, this book is a memorable experience. We, who complain if the weather is too humid, could take a moment and reflect on the beauty of every day and the many fortunes of our lives.

Book Description

Mr. Harpur links together fields as far apart as Greek philosophy and depth psychology, Renaissance magic and tribal ritual, Romantic poetry and the ecstasy of the shaman, to trace how societies over time have used myths to make sense of the world. Harpur leads us through history's secret chambers with such grace of language and insight that we forget the hour.... I would make Harpur's book required reading for every student of philosophy, depth psychology, and history. --Dianne Skafte

Customer Reviews:

An exploration of imagination.......2007-04-12

The Philosopher's Secret Fire: A History of the Imagination
Patrick Harpur
323 pages
Ivan R. Dee publishing

This book takes the concepts Harpur discussed in Daimonic Reality and extends them further, exaining how the other world intersects with everyday reality through myth, imagination, dream, and even popular culture. He also explores the intersection of these themes with identity and how identity is formed for a person. Harpur does a good job with this book, showing how imagination impacts memory and identity, while also exploring Jung's archetypal theory in mythology. Certainly it's a useful book for otherkin who might find some of his concepts intriguing.

If there was one thing which did disappoint me and consequently lowered my rating of this book, it was that he didn't focus much on alchemy and his exploration of it was fairly thin, when he did focus on it. I'd have really liked to have seen more attention directed to that subject, especially given the title of the book. That said it's worth reading and is useful for anyone who finds the imagination fascinating.

4 out of 5

A Hermetic Labyrinth Leading to the Otherworld.......2003-11-01

While I have read many excellent books in the last few years, I would have to say that this volume is the most profoundly significant of them all. It is profound because it successfully challenges the accepted, modern view of "reality."

This book is a continuation of the ideas explored in the author's previous masterpiece, _Daemonic Reality_. It examines the "Otherworld", the Anima Mundi, or soul of the world. This is the larger Reality that was accepted by all traditional cultures, but which is now rejected, suppressed, and ignored by Western man. Yet, just because it is ignored doesn't mean that it doesn't exist- and doesn't make itself felt in our lives.

While _Daemonic Reality_ emphasized the modern phenomena that seem to represent "break-outs" from the otherworld (UFO's, crypto zoological species, Marian apparitions, angels, etc.), this volume goes into more historical and philosophical depth. It is a round about approach, but then it almost has to be for such a complex and unusual subject. Modern language and mindsets are simply inadequate for the purpose. Indeed, the book appropriately mirrors a hermetic labyrinth in its approach.

Yet debunking the hyper-rational and ultra-materialistic world of modern scientism isn't the foremost objective here. The author is primarily trying to give us some sense of the mind-set of traditional man, of a supernatural world that existed in close communion with the natural world and human society. Our western religious and scientific tradition has driven a wedge between us and both nature and heaven. This is an alien and unbalanced state for a person, or a society. This seems to be why the old immortal daemons periodically break through the veil into our false, shallow, consensus reality. They are trying to awaken us.

Yes, we are truly initiated by what we cannot control....

Links philosophy, psychology and romanticism alike.......2003-05-15

This history of the imagination blends insights on myth, folklore and philosophy alike, tackling issues of imagination and unconscious insight to consider how beliefs in the otherworld have fueled philosophical and spiritual innovations. The Philosophers' Secret Fire skirts the line between spirituality and philosophy, drawing important connections between the two disciplines and providing a history which links philosophy, psychology and romanticism alike.

"Thus We Are Initiated By What We Cannot Control".......2003-04-21

Patrick Harpur's The Philosopher's Secret Fire: A History of the Imagination (2002) is further hard evidence that Harpur is a bright, complex thinker with a genius for digesting and assimilating complex threads of Western history, philosophy, religion, and science, as his Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld (1994) has already demonstrated. In fact, The Philosopher's Secret Fire reads like a sequel to the first book. While Daimonic Reality dealt directly with cases of paranormal and metaphysical visitation, The Philosopher's Secret Fire underscores and elaborates on the history of Western culture's "golden thread," Harpur's name for the centuries - old ideas, beliefs, and mystical traditions which have attempted to identify, name, and encompass the broadest possible view of the nature of reality. Harpur's work stands as a considerable reproof against books like Daniel Pinchbeck's recent Break Open the Head and other earnest but ill - conceived works which attempt a grasp at the inexplicable.

Beginning with Plato and moving through the Neoplatonists, Christian mystics, Renaissance High Magicians, alchemists, Enlightenment scientists and philosophers, Romantic poets, and 20 - century depth psychologists, Harpur lays down an extremely complex argument in the simplest of language. Plotinus is here, as are Heraclitus, Cornelius Agrippa, Jacob Boehme, John Dee, Paracelsus, Copernicus, Immanuel Kant, Isaac Newton, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Darwin, William Butler Yeats, and Carl Jung, among several dozen others. In Harpur's view, each of these men (no significant female figures are included, leaving readers to speculate about what Harpur has overlooked or dismissed) added important contributions as well as errors in theory to the historical chain of elevated knowledge. With a keen understanding of metaphor, symbol, allegory and other figurative expressions of language, Harpur, working with an incredible overview of timelines, moves from author to author and idea to idea, adding and subtracting conclusions and ultimately building his own very solid equation.

Unlike Daniel Pinchbeck, who argues that natural and artificial hallucinogens are the most reliable method of perceiving and interacting with the world of spirits, Harpur is wise enough to know that thousands of people all over the planet suffer or enjoy unexpected contact with "daimons" - intermediary spirits - every day, and usually without desire, foreknowledge, or belief in their existence. Whether manifesting as phantom animals, fairies, channeled or medium - visiting spirits of the dead, "gypsies on the roof," vanishing hitchhikers, poltergeists, unidentifiable aerial phenomena, voodoo loa, "soul guides," lake monsters, "men in black," hairy humanoids, the "terrors that come in the night," alien "grays," or even the mysterious quasars at the ends of the known universe, Harpur argues that mankind coexists and always has coexisted with these entities throughout time. Natural parts of the reality of the universe, the slippery daimons dwell nowhere and everyone at once: in the Anima Mundi or "soul of the world," in our speculative laws of physics, and in the mankind's conscious and unconscious psyche, specifically in the human imagination (as defined in higher and lower forms by Samuel Taylor Coleridge). Harpur's final argument appears to be that not only is the daimonic world simultaneously "real" and metaphorical, but that everything we call reality is both "real" and metaphorical, including mankind.

Intelligent readers with an active or innate sense of the miraculous will gain the most from The Philosopher's Secret Fire. Reality as portrayed by Harpur is not a sterile, meaningless, stagnant plane at the inevitable mercy of entropy, but a place where "God might at any moment make himself manifest out of the wind or the clouds." Highly recommended, especially those seeking enlightened answers to some of the fundamental questions of Western civilization.

Hermetic History.......2003-04-20

Patrick Harpur has been a household icon since the introduction of "Daimonic Reality" in 1994. Of course we are Forteans all and our bookshelves overflow with Keel, Sanderson, Jung, Vallee, Holiday, Wilson, and Coleman et al.
"Damonic Reality" is a survival guide for anyone aware of the anomalous events that pervade our lives. It is a Fortean necessity.
"The Philosophers' Secret Fire" is more fun and illuminating. It's a more difficult read but a lot more history and mythology is explained and deconstructed. A labor of love, it presents the Hermetic/Alchemic history of mankind in an interesting and usable fashion. "A guide to the Otherworld" was for our survival; "Secret Fire" is for our souls . Elegant in style and language, it is a worthy companion to Daimonic Reality.

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