Neuroscience

Book Description

Neuroscience is a comprehensive textbook created primarily for medical and premedical students. In a single concise and approachable volume, the text guides students through the challenges and excitement of this rapidly changing field. The length and accessibility of the writing are a successful combination that works equally well for medical students or for undergraduate neuroscience courses in which many of the students are premeds. Being both comprehensive and authoritative, the book is also appropriate for graduate and professional use. Key features of the Third Edition include:

* Text boxes, new and revised, that highlight topics of special interest relevant to the chapter topics; these include discussions of the major neurological diseases, research methods, and the relevant animal models
* Additional neuroanatomical content, including two appendices: (1) The Brainstem and Cranial Nerves, and (2) Vascular Supply, the Meninges, and Ventricles
* Sylvius for Neuroscience: Visual Glossary of Human Neuroanatomy (CD included with every copy) is an interactive reference guide to the human nervous system. This new version of the popular teaching aid features textbook-specific organization and an enhanced interface.
* Revised and expanded full-color art

Customer Reviews:

Hard to follow.......2007-09-17

This book is a really tough read. I know neuroscience probably isn't supposed to be an easy read, but the author jumps all over the place. The chapters are divided up into broad sections with long heading names that don't always imply what the section is about. There are no subheadings or lists, just block text and pictures, making it difficult to outline the book in your notes. There are boxes about pathologies thrown in randomly throughout the chapter, but because the box begins when you are in the middle of a sentence about something completely different I'm rarely drawn to read them. For the most part the pictures and diagrams are clear, but when I study from this book I have to supplement with my general anatomy and physiolgy book. On several occasions the text has referred to parts of the anatomy that aren't labeled on the diagram. Not my favorite textbook...

A good reference for mammalian nervous system.......2007-08-23

Take a look at the content page and you will know. However, be aware that almost all info are based on the mammalian system. If you are a developmentalist, or working in other systems, this might not be able to fulfill your need. Nevertheless, it is overall a very good reference.

Whew!.......2007-06-28

Whew! This book I can read. Although I am using it in a course with clinical focus, this book provides foundational info.

Great for Undergraduates.......2007-06-23

I am a high school senior about to become a college freshman, and I intend to major in neuroscience.

After seeing the reviews, I bought this book in new condition at a really cheap price. I couldn't be less satisfied. The book explains all details in clear detail, so that even talented high school students could understand the text. The images that accompany the text greatly reinforce the main ideas. I must confess however, that I read each chapter twice before fully understanding.

Buy this book and get a headstart! It is the best.

Overall pretty good book.......2006-12-06

A well written book that is pretty easy to read with very good pictures and diagrams. While it doesn't go into the same depth as some other medical neuroscience books, it's really more than efficient for general medical education. It's concise enough to be read from cover to cover!

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

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

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.

Perspectives on Marriage: With Catholic Wedding Ceremony (Resources for Marriage) (Resources for Marriage)

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly good tool for pre-marriage discussions!
Solid workbook, nonjudgmental
A Good Workbook

Perspectives on Marriage: With Catholic Wedding Ceremony (Resources for Marriage) (Resources for Marriage)
Gregory F. Augustine Pierce
Manufacturer: ACTA Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0915388375

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly good tool for pre-marriage discussions!.......2005-12-25

This little booklet was given to us by a preist during pre-marriage counseling. My husband couldn't roll his eyes fast enough when he saw the title, but to say that we were pleasantly surprised was an understatement.

This little book has wonderful little exercises that just help navigate discussions on really important topics from raising children to how you fight as a couple, to daily chores - the things that really come up in a marriage.

We have now been married for five years and have sent this book to several of our friends as they have become engaged (Catholic and other).

Highly recommended.

Solid workbook, nonjudgmental.......1999-03-09

This collection of worksheets for couples to do together goes further than typical marriage preparation courses in covering issues like sharing household tasks, coping with aging parents, step-parenting, and forming strong interfaith marriages. Although this edition is specifically for Catholics, the book is remarkably unpreachy and would be very usable for couples where one or both are not Catholic. The Catholic wedding planning section at the back is an adequate overview but not sufficient for a couple who wants a personally meaningful ceremony.

A Good Workbook.......1998-02-23

This book is a workbook for an engaged couple to work through to help them discuss issues relating to their married life. Going through this book makes the couple discuss important issues and avoid future problems.

Average customer rating:

Groundbreaking Overview of Sex/Love Addiction and Recovery
Like the AA Big Book for SLAA
Required Reading for those wishing to recovery from S and L

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
Augustine Fellowship
Manufacturer: Augustine Fellowship
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0961570113

Customer Reviews:

Groundbreaking Overview of Sex/Love Addiction and Recovery.......2006-08-25

This is a profound and important book which examines the very real, though often socially ignored, addiction to sex and love relationships. Because sex and romantic love are so highly touted in our culture, compulsive behaviors in this area are often overlooked, tolerated and even encouraged. As a psychotherapist I have found that this is often a primary addiction, underlying substance abuse, eating disorders, etc. It is based on the unmet need for genuine love and belonging (agape) missing in our families of origin and the culture at large..and the fundamental lack of self-love and self-acceptance that fails to develop as a result. Thus the endless search for that someone or something outside of ourselves that will be the balm to our loneliness and cure for our inner emptiness. The author brilliantly and poignantly chronicles the discovery and naming of his own addiction and the painful, though ultimately rewarding journey to wholeness and recovery. His chapter on withdrawal was incredibly powerful. I believe this was a book written before its time that deals with a fundamental human/societal problem..the myth that our happiness can be found outside of ourselves rather than within...and serves as a guide to those who have the courage to face themselves and walk through their pain out onto the other side.

Like the AA Big Book for SLAA.......2006-08-13

I became a member of SLAA (Sex And Love Addicts Anonymous) around 1988. This program saved my life. This book was a very important book to me, and all of us. Its writing was inspired by the man who founded SLAA (the way that Bill W and Dr. Bob founded AA) It has his story, and the stories of many other recovering Sex and Love Addicts, as well as a lot of theory and suggestions. It is not written for the lowest common denominator, as the originator was a Harvard graduate - but still, I never heard any of our members complain about its being hard to understand. The book is cleanly written and does not contain any obscenities. I am surprised that I didn't find any indication here at Amazon as the what this book really is - the core literature for SLAA - a 12-Step recovery program that still exists.
If you think you might have an addiction to sex and/or love - in any of its many forms - I recommend reading this book, and seeking out some meetings!

Required Reading for those wishing to recovery from S and L.......2000-05-11

This book will put you in touch with your core issues regarding Sex and Love Addiction. If you ever had any questions reguarding your sex and love history this book is for you. If you want to be free of the pain caused by this disease of the mind then get this book.

Average customer rating:

Bio: Old but Good

Human Aging: Biological Perspectives
Augustine G. Digiovanna
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0072926910

Book Description

With the growing size of the elderly population comes an increased interest in aging as a subject of research and study. Human Aging: Biological Perspectives is written for the one-quarter or one-semester introductory level course and is aimed at students with little or no science background. The main structure of the text follows a body systems approach. In addition to the introductory chapter and a chapter covering molecules, cells, and the theories of aging, each body system is covered in its own chapter.

Customer Reviews:

Bio: Old but Good.......2006-08-20

I am a little surprised that my instructor used this book seeing as it is about 4 editions old. Other than that it is a good book.

Average customer rating:

Interesting historically, bad theology/philosophy
The problem with evil is that it is good
Peeping into the soul of a man
This bitter sea, the human race
Essential classic of world literature

Confessions (Oxford World's Classics)
Saint Augustine
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192833723

Book Description

This new translation conveys to the English reader with accuracy and art the brilliant and impassioned descriptions of Augustine's colourful early life.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting historically, bad theology/philosophy.......2007-09-10

As a non-believer, some of the more entertaining bits were Augustine pining that he wishes he'd been made a eunuch as a boy, and describing at length the sensual dreams that aroused and tormented after he gave up his lecherous ways and escaped the lesser torment of marriage.

Interesting historically as a document of how Platonism was explicitly wedded with Christianity, but some of the theology is a bit strained, i.e., his exposition of Genesis chapter one in which he attempts to explain how God created everything outside of time and without any effort, and yet this took six days and he rested on the seventh. His attempts to solve the problem of evil also do more to confuse the issue than to clarify it, but that is to be expected.

But it is definitely far better in terms of both literary style and quality of thought than the efforts of today's believers, and it is worth reading for anyone interested in intellectual or religious history.

The problem with evil is that it is good.......2007-08-02

It is said that St. Augustine invented the autobiographical genre and that is significant. But more significant seems to be his great insight into the problem of temptation and evil. With deep conviction and personal examination, he studies the motivations toward sin and sees the paradox that we choose evil not for evil sake but because it seems good. Of all the actions in Augustine's life he could have examined as sinful acts, he chose the most simple on which to concentrate - a boyhood prank of stealing fruit captures the microscope of his self-examining eye. Bit by bit he takes apart the incident conveying how it relates to other incidents in his life and what it tells us about the human condition in general. It is the genius of Augustine to use an apparently innocuous event to convey some of the most profound thinking on human nature and the problem of evil. A groundbreaking work of its kind and content.

Peeping into the soul of a man.......2007-03-24

Translation by Rex Warner (in Signet Classics)

This one is a very good translation, especially for the modern reader. It conveys the immediacy and vividness of a text written more than 1500 years ago. One feels almost as a voyeur peeping into the private confession of a man to his God. The honesty and unembarrassed disclosure of his sins, and fruitless search for worldly wisdom, is something we can personally identify with, even today. It is amazing how vivid the description of life in late 4th century is in this Confessions. What a wonderful way to approach History, places like Carthage, Rome or Milan, thru the eyes of a skilled and intelligent man who pours his heart on these pages for us to benefit from.

St. Augustine's life, however distant in time, is filled with events, desires, and troubles, as common today as in the year 400. We can identify fully with him, and in his longing and weakness we can see our own soul portrayed. He talks about his childhood, his family, his studies and his lifelong pursuit of wisdom and truth, specially since the age of 19. We get immersed in the daily life of people in the 4th Century under the Roman Empire, their daily worries, their intellectual debates, their religious confrontations. We see the social conditions of all classes of people, from the wealthy and idle to the slaves who fight in the Circus. We see people living, talking, traveling, dreaming, and going about their business as if we were present with them. No wonder this book is an authentic classic, one that I should have read long ago.

There are many reasons to read this book. Those interested in History are certainly going to find plenty of information from eye-witness perspective; those who like to read personal memories and autobiographies won't have it easy to find a better one. For those interested in the history of religion and Catholicism, this is a must, a landmark in Christian literature. Whatever you are looking for, this book is certainly one that will satisfy your intellectual curiosity as well as fill you spiritually.

One thing to bear in mind is that the Confessions are not addressed to us, readers, that is why certain things about the author's behavior seem inexplicable: certain things that would seem to us to merit more explaining, being only mentioned briefly (his behavior toward the woman he had a child with, for example), while other issues are given a lot more space. Of course the Lord knew his heart well, but still, one is intrigued at this man.

This bitter sea, the human race.......2006-11-27

This is an eminently Catholic book written by a sinner in his young age, becoming a singer of the heavenly pleasures of asceticism, growing older. It is a long masochistic call to God for forgiveness of his previous sins in order to get eternal bliss.

Saint Augustine sees sins everywhere and every time. Every newborn baby receives a stamp `original sin' from his first day on earth, followed immediately by `Was it a sin to cry when I wanted to be feed at the breast?' All organs are sources of sin: the ears, the eye, the smell, taste (eating and drinking) and obsessively, sex (`better a eunuch for love of the kingdom of heaven'). The bodily pleasures leave him so terrified to loose eternal bliss that `Even in my sleep I resist the attractions'!
Other characteristic cardinal Christian rules are: obey all authorities (`In his own kingdom a king has the right to make orders'), censure (`But your law, God, permits the free flow of curiosity to be stemmed'), and deep anti-science sentiments (`futile curiosities masquerade under the name of science and learning. The secrets of nature are irrelevant to our lives.')

One should think that `love thy neighbor' is one of his basic principle. Absolutely not. He is a profound sectarian: `the Manichees, I ought to have disgorged these men like vomit.'
But, why is he so sure that he is right? Because of his faith (`not a clear view'), his faith in God and the Holy Scriptures.
Saint Augustine's Confessions contain also rather childish reflections on the mind, the body-mind dichotomy, memory and, e.g., `the problem of space and God's dimensions'.

But not everything is negative in this book. There is the love for his mother and his young son.
Remarkable is his vision that time didn't exist before the creation of the universe.
As a former sinner, Saint Augustine knows human nature all too well; e.g. `Men love truth when it bathes them in its light; they hate it when it proves them wrong.'
More importantly, he found a religious solution for the problem of evil: if God created everything, he is also responsible for all evil in the world. But God gave all human beings a free will. Every human being is individually responsible for his actions. (This is not the case for Calvin's creed of predestination).
One should in no way underestimate Saint Augustine's influence on Christian and Western morals.
Only for historians and theologians.

Essential classic of world literature.......2006-10-20

This is a good translation of St Augustine's 'Confessions', one of the most important works of Christian and also world religious and philosophical thought.

St Augustine's genius needs no advertisment. His brilliant intellect is more or less the founder of Western Christianity as we know it. Between St Paul and Aquinas, he is the most brilliant theological and philosophical mind the medieval period managed to produce. If Western philosphy is a cathedral, then Augustine is one of its capstones.

The Confessions is a personal narrative of Augustine's life, which describes his spiritual and intellectual journey from childhood to adulthood. Augustine is such a brilliant writer he manages to capture countless facets of experience in a book which itself is only about 340 pages long (thirteen books in total) and this work also has immense range and depth, from the strange nature of free will and sin to the inner quest for the indwelling image of the Trinity, to Augustine's mystical experiences, to his dramatic conversion, to his allegorical commentary on Genesis to his ceaseless praise of God's goodness and the beauty of creation.

Augustine is clearly influenced by several sources, especially Neo-Platonic Philosophy. Augustine read the Enneads of Plotinus in translation into Latin (thanks to Marcus Victorius, a Christian convert from Neo-Platonism) and found its concepts of God made more sense to him than that of the sect he was a member of, the Manicheans. The Manicheans, a syncretic sect who blended Buddhism, elements of Christianity, Zorastrianism and Gnosticism, and Platonism captivated Augustine for several years, seeming to provide a satisfying explanation for the baffling problem of evil. Yet Augustine, after reading Plotinus, thought the explanation of evil in terms of non-being made more sense than God making an evil world, or being ruled by an evil principle. In this sense Augustine made a crucial breakthrough in theology, not only by finding God 'within' the depths of his own soul, but also in associating God with the Platonic Good.

Yet Augustine's strongest influence is the Bible. References to the Bible abound far more than references to Plotinus, and for Augustine, pagan thought is mostly useful for articulating truths already main plain by the Word of God. However, Augustine is always too brilliant and original thinker to merely fall into a rigid pattern of dogma he never leaves (in contrast to many more mediocre minds in the Christian tradition) and reworks his theology consistently and constantly in a creative manner.

However the Confessions is too brilliant and profound a work to summarise in one review, and it is best if readers avail themselves to a copy of this work as soon as they can.

How Bill James Changed Our View of the Game of Baseball

Average customer rating:

I'm not sure
A Slim But Important Volume
For Die Hard Bill James Fans
High Hopes. . .but just okay. . .

How Bill James Changed Our View of the Game of Baseball
Rob Neyer , and Alan Schwarz
Manufacturer: ACTA Sports
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0879463171

Book Description

If all you think Bill James has done is changed our view of baseball, then maybe not. But if you add in how this guy from Lawrence, Kansas, with "mismatching sox and dirt under his fingernails," has changed how people think about a lot of things, including baseball, then maybe he does. Here are twelve provocative essays by people who know James' work well, interspersed with shorter reflections by "just plain fans" and concluded with a last word by Bill James himself. Articles include:

Freeing My Mind by Alan Schwarz
Ten Things I Learned from Bill James by Dave Studenmund
The Arrogance of Bill James by Gary Huckabay
Prove It by John Thorn
James, Tenace, McGraw and Kluszewski by Hal Richman
Selling My Soul to Bill James by Sam Walker
Slapping Myself on the Forehead by Steve Moyer
The Collision of Sabermetrics and Fantasy Baseball by Ron Shandler
Baseball, Basketball, Whatever by Daryl Morey
Ready for the Next Question by Susan McCarthy
The Bill James Way of Life by Rob Neyer
Bill James Is Worth the Wait by John Dewan
The Last Word by Bill James

Customer Reviews:

I'm not sure.......2007-09-17

When you talk hardcore Bill James fan, you talk about me. Have all his book since BB Abstract 1980, read everything. There is very little stuff worth reading or new in this book, the best coming from Hal Richman. Not a bad reading but nothing out of ordinary, bordeline boring at worst. This is the problem; when we see something about Bill James, we always expect something extraordinary, something new. Not in this case

A Slim But Important Volume.......2007-05-13

My favorite Bill James insight has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. It was in the Abstract the year he bought a computer, and the insight was that computers are incredibly dumb. He would type things the way he always had, and then make one mistake and the computer would execute that mistake as perfectly as it had all his correct commands, and he wondered why the computer couldn't learn. And although computers can, in certain instances, learn (which is why Google will suggest that your search was different from the one you misspelled, for instance), they have gotten, in my opinion, even dumber, as you can get a message that is in perfect gibberish that you have to accept or cancel, and you have no idea what it is. Microsoft Word will still prompt me to use "Paste Special" to make something into HTML even though every one of the million times I've used it, I used it to make unformatted text. And everytime computers are dumb, I think of Bill James and his wisdom 20 years ago about computers.

Today, if there were a new Bill James, a community of Bill James lovers would grow up instantly though MySpace pages and the like. There would be a Bill James Web Ring of fan sites and everyone would know everyone else was out there. But for those of us, like the contributors to this book, who were experiencing the Abstracts in real time (I bought the 1982 Abstract at Waldenbooks; I can remember the day), we were all discovering this really good writer who had insights into baseball and into life that we could use in everything else we did. As the books shows, some of them turned out to become engineers as well as sportswriters. I use James's insights and methodologies in my law practice (don't tell my clients).

And it's reading those stories of how each writer came across James and used James and took his lessons to heart and benefited from it that are at the heart of this book. It could have been longer, but every essay in it is interesting and thoughtful. Some criticize James for some things (which would please him) and some get him wrong (which wouldn't surprise him), but the general sense is that this is a labor of love for people just like me for whom the insight has been life-altering without once needing to enter any place more intimidating or serious than what Bull Durham called the church of baseball.

For Die Hard Bill James Fans.......2007-04-12

This collection of writings about Bill James is a must-read for hardcore fans of James. Learn how others apply his basketball principles to other parts of life.

High Hopes. . .but just okay. . ........2007-03-04

I've been a big fan of Bill James and have longed for a critical review of his work. Doing that probably wasn't the intent of this book, but what we get is somewhat disappointing. It reads like there are 11 different writers contributing forewords to the next Bill James book. . .but then, there is no book. Granted, each of these writers are accomplished in their own rights and they are probably saving really good stuff for their own books.

Some of the best stuff is from Hal Richman (founder and CEO of Stratomatic)who mixes his contribution with praise for James, as well as noting the difficulties he has had with examining defense. Daryl Morey, the assistant GM for the Houston Rockets, writes about how he has tried to apply some of James' ideas to basketball. I also enjoyed Ron Shandler's chapter on Fantasy Baseball, but I would disagreed with some of his observations. Bill James may not have embraced fantasy baseball as much as some people think he should, but he hasn't disdained it either.

I was also disappointed with Neyer's contribution. Neyer, no doubt, has plenty of anecdotes he could share about James. He only shares a couple, but I am sure there are some great ones where he and James clashed over some analysis or conclusion. Those are the stories I want to hear about.

So, all in all, it's okay. I would only recommend it to the die hard Bill James fans.

Average customer rating:

Up Close and Personal
Truly Moving
Worthwhile even for agnostics
wow
Brave, Bold, Beautiful . . . .

Confessions (Penguin Classics)
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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ASIN: 014044114X

Customer Reviews:

Up Close and Personal.......2005-09-25

Augustine of Hippo was a very interesting character who had immense influence on church theology long after he was dead and buried. Some of his thoughts on church discipline and just war had long term results that he may have disliked, but his personal journey was an interesting one.

Written as a "letter" to God, "Confessions" takes the reader through Augustine's life of wandering searchs in a variety of places for the spiritual solace that he desired. His comments on Manichaeism, philosophy and Christianity are personal and coloured by his own experiences. His own thoughts are very negative and dark in places, though "Confessions" smacks of a brutal honesty that is rare. At times, his writings are coloured by his disappointments, such as meeting with Manichaean priests.

The Penguin translation is sometimes a touch dry in the presentation of Augustine, and that can make reading a bit difficult in places. At times the style is a touch on the hard going side. However, being quite cheap, this book gives you a very cost-effective introduction to the life of the man.

However, this should not detract from the overall value of such a personal look into the life and reflections of one of theology's great historical figures. While I felt this version was not the best, the personal look at Augustine's life, loves, and disappointments put some "flesh and blood" on the person who is so often quoted in theological text books and so on.

If you have not read this, then I recommend doing so. It is a cool book.

Truly Moving.......2005-08-15

This book may change your life. Augustine's personal history tells of how a sinner can be transformed into a righteous man by faith. The most moving part of the book is the description of Augustine's mother's (Monica) influence on his life. She must have been a wonderful person of extraordinary character and determination.

Augustine's early theology is a little confusing, but it is fairly easy to understand the main ideas he is putting forward. The section on time is quite profound, and the small bit on the nature of the Trinity is very interesting.

Augustine's style combines his own personal experiences, his own theology, and biblical references to create a story of sin, redemption, and the saving power of God.

The translation is probably the best on the market, as Penguin Classics usually are.

On a side note, this book also gives information on the late imperial Roman world and church. For example, Augustine's relationship with the famous St. Ambrose includes a detailed account of the theological ordeal between the western church officials and the eastern empire.

Worthwhile even for agnostics.......2005-07-15

Before reading any St. Augustine, I had formed an image of him as an intolerant puritan, almost Taliban-esque. As an agnostic, I did not at all expect to find him a sympathetic figure. The "Confessions," however, reveal a warmly human, hugely intelligent man, relating his own open-minded spiritual journey, which included way-stops at Manicheeism and neo-Platonism. Augustine formulated his religious and ethical systems through careful deliberation and observation, aided by an epiphany or two; his is not a story of blind, unthinking faith or of mysterious visions. His concept of God seems little different from the Chinese concept of the Tao, and his concept of grace little different from the Buddhist concept of enlightenment. Thus, there is considerable interest in his viewpoint even for non-Catholics, non-Christians, and non-believers.

In addition, this book also constitutes an autobiography of material existence in the waning years of the Western Roman Empire, and thus should be of great interest to any classicist. Little examples: Augustine confirms that, at least around 400 A.D., the normal way to read, even among the most highly literate, was aloud; Ambrose's habit of reading silently to himself inspires considerable comment and speculation. We learn that high school students were rowdy, then as now. The Roman Emperor didn't seem to matter much in the lives of citizens.

The Penguin translation by Mr. Pine-Coffin is excellent and very readable. He avoids the archaic "thou's" that plague many translations. Regrettably, the cover material chooses to emphasize the translator's status as a Roman Catholic as his single most important attribute, and his introductory comments are likely to strike non-Catholics as intolerant. Skip over that, and get right into Augustine's writing itself.

wow.......2005-06-03

St. Augustine's Confessions is a masterpiece of literature. One of the first books ever written from an introspective first-person point of view, it is an intensely personal glimpse into one man's mind, soul, and relationship with God.

The first nine of Confessions' thirteen books are the story of Augustine's life, beginning with his birth and early education. He recounts his sinful lifestyle and his mother's constant grief and prayers for him, and he praises God for faithfully seeking him until at last he was converted to Christianity.

Books ten through thirteen explore the mind, the memory, the nature of time, and the interpretation of Genesis 1. Augustine displays his intellectual brilliance the most in these books, sometimes almost leaving the reader in the dust. The insights and opinions he offers, however, are ingenious.

The entirety of Confessions is written with such eloquent style one can only conclude that his expensive education to be a master of rhetoric paid off. Some of the passages are so beautifully written that you have to stop, reread it, and think about it.

Confessions is a challenge to read, but it is well worth it. Its depth, vulnerability, and beauty are seldom, if ever, matched.

Brave, Bold, Beautiful . . . ........2005-04-19

True medicine for the heart: read it with the Bible. For centuries, AUGUSTINE'S CONFESSIONS has touched people's hearts and inspired the greatest philosophers to think on God, time, memory, creation, and our humble existence.

Augustine: The City of God against the Pagans (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

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What a slog...
Should be the new standard

Augustine: The City of God against the Pagans (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)
Augustine
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521468434

Book Description

This is the first new rendition for a generation of The City of God, the first major intellectual achievement of Latin Christianity and one of the classic texts of Western civilization. Robert Dyson has produced a complete, accurate, authoritative and fluent translation of De Civitate Dei, edited together with full biographical notes, a concise introduction, bibliography and chronology of Augustine's life. The result is an important contribution of interest to students of theology, philosophy, ecclesiastical history, the history of political thought and late antiquity.

Customer Reviews:

What a slog..........2002-04-18

Although this has been published as part of the "Cambridge Texts on Political Thought" series, it is only incidentally a political work. Its proper genre is Christian Apologetics - the reasoned defense of Christian belief.

Augustine's motive for writing it came from the sack of Rome in 410, which many Roman pagans blamed on the Empire's abandonment of its pagan gods for Christianity. Augustine began writing it in 413, continued with it on and off for the next 13 years, before finally completing it in 426. It is by far the longest of Augustine's works.

Although "The City of God" is formally divided into twenty-two "books" (the books of works of this period were quite short - broadly equal to the modern chapter), the book is more a unit of length than of structure. The highest level of structure of the work is more or less as follows:

(1) Against the belief that the pagan gods can give rewards in this life (5 books)

(2) Against the belief that the pagan gods can give rewards in the next life (5 books)

(3) Origins of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

(4) Histories of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

(5) Comparative futures of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

The first section, against the belief that the pagan gods should be worshipped for what they can give in this life, was primarily concerned with Roman history. The pagan argument was that Rome had been prosperous while it had worshipped the pagan gods, but had suffered disaster after abandoning them. Augustine's response is a recital of disasters - civil wars and despotic rule - suffered by Rome prior to turning Christian. Augustine admitted that Christianity had not brought prosperity to Rome, but pointed out that it never promised to - that Christianity's promises of reward were not in this life, but in the infinitely more important life to come.

The second section was aimed not at what might be termed 'popular paganism', but at the philosophical efforts to give paganism intellectual credibility, particularly Neo-Platonism. Following the Roman writer Varro, Augustine considered the paganism of the poets, the paganism of the state, and the paganism of the philosophers. His argument was that the philosophers admit the paganism of the poets to be nonsense, but that the paganism of the state could not be separated from that of the poets and must equally be condemned. Augustine was respectful of the paganism of the philosophers, but argued that the philosophical arguments were better fulfilled in Christianity than in paganism.

The third section was written around an exposition of Genesis. Its purpose was to define the relationship between God and creation, God and man, man and sin, sin and death, and the nature of the life to come. In the prior two sections, Augustine was primarily on the attack, but in this section he was on the defense, explaining Christian belief and defending it against philosophical objections that he thinks either arise from misunderstandings of Christianity or mistakes in Neo-Platonism.

The fourth section was devoted to history - Biblical and Roman. Augustine's account of Biblical history was quite literal - the long lives of the patriarchs, for example, was taken at face value and defended as accurate history. In it, Augustine developed the division of the world into those submitting to the will of God (the City of God) and those defying it (the City of Man). Augustine's history paid particularly close attention of prophesies of the coming of Jesus, through whom the City of God would spread over the entire world.

The fifth section was concerned with prophecies of the future of the world, particularly in the Book of Revelation, and with the nature of the next life for both the damned and the saved. Again, Augustine was quite literal in his readings of these prophecies, although he later wrote that he had probably been too literal in some of his prophetic interpretations.

In the title of my review, I described the book as a slog. It is time to explain why.

The book's first two sections consist of a 400 page attack on the truth of Roman paganism, a conclusion that the modern reader would have conceded before reading page 1. The reader's ability to get through this is not helped by the fact that it is repetitive and that much of it will mean little to readers without a solid background in Roman history. Further distancing this section from the interest of the modern reader is Augustine's frequent invocation of aerial daemons as being behind paganism. At that time, aerial daemons were believed in by pagans and Christians alike, but few (if any) moderns still do. As a result, contemporary readers will likely find Augustine's frequent references to them more hurtful than helpful to the Christian cause.

The book's last three sections, of about 700 pages, are largely concerned with the Bible. The first of these, dealing with Genesis, I found by far the most interesting of the book's five sections, but I also thought that Augustine treated the subject better in his "The Literal Meaning of Genesis". The fourth section, dealing with the rest of the Old Testament, was a by-the-numbers retelling of the original that felt like a deliberate test of the reader's powers of endurance. The last section, dealing primarily with prophecy, I found largely uninteresting because I found it unconvincing, a conviction that Augustine himself, at least to some extent, later shared.

I've given the book four stars less for itself than its author and its historical importance. Of all the works of Augustine I have read, however, this is near the bottom of those that I would recommend based on contemporary interest.

Should be the new standard.......2001-02-22

It is hard to find recent work on De Civitate Dei in English that does not use this newest edition and translation of probably Augustine's most influential work (if not his most readable). I am convinced that this will be the translation that will be used for the foreseeable future. An excellent rendering of the Latin original, wonderful introduction and copious notes. So clear and precise is the translation, and so helpful is the supporting scholarship, that one could conceivably come to this particular text of Augustine's work having no prior knowledge, and leave it with complete fluency. It is that good. For the full effect, get the 3 vols of the Loeb Classical Latin-English edition (the MacCracken-Greene translation is still very useful, though not in comparison to newer scholarship such as Dyson's) and work though the text yourself. I think that Augustine's Latin and Dyson's English match up well next to each other--this is a volume to own if you are contemplating any serious work with Augustine, or if you are just curious about what all the fuss over Augustine is about. A polemical, brilliant, controversial, and stimulating work, City of God is as good a place as any to introduce yourself to Augustine, and this is an excellent translation to use.

The Cambridge Companion to Augustine (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

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Great Collection of Scholars and Articles

The Cambridge Companion to Augustine (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

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ASIN: 052165985X

Book Description

It is hard to overestimate the importance of the work of Augustine of Hippo and its influence, both in his own period and in the subsequent history of Western philosophy. Many of his views, including his theory of the just war, his account of time and eternity, his attempted resolution of the problem of evil, and his approach to the relation of faith and reason, have continued to be influential up to the present. In this volume of specially-commissioned essays, sixteen scholars provide a wide-ranging and stimulating contribution to our understanding of Augustine.

Customer Reviews:

Great Collection of Scholars and Articles.......2001-06-06

This book, edited by Eleonore Stump and the late Norman Kretzmann, is a very nice collection of Augustinian scholars and their writings on or about different aspects of Augustine's philosophy.

The book consists of articles (or chapters) which deal with Augustine's view on Time and Creation, Faith and Reason, Evil and the Origin of Sin, Predestination, Pelagianism, and Foreknowledge, the Soul, Free Will, Philosophy of Language, Political philosophy and much more. Some of the contributing scholars are: Mary T. Clark (Manhattanville College), Bonnie Kent (Syracuse University), Scott MacDonald (Cornell University), John Rist (University of Toronto), Eleonore Stump (St. Louis University), Roland Teske (Marquette University), etc.

This book is a perfect demonstration of the influence which Augustine and his thinking has had over the last 1600 years or so. In my estimation this is one of the better secondary compilations which covers the thought of Augustine. The chapters are quite detailed regarding each philosophical issue and lead the reader to a greater understanding of what Augustine was espousing. However, the work is not so "scholarly" that the average person (or non-philosopher) would read it and be completely lost. Thus, it is so well written that anyone who has an interest in Augustine can tackle the issues. Moreover, the book covers several theological issues which Augustine had dealt with in his own day. This, I think, adds a nice dimension to the text. I highly recommend this work (as well as "Augustine Through the Ages" which is also available here at Amazon).

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