Despite my objections to his less-than-fair appraisals of womans' place in the world, Blacks, Africa and Islam (he has explanations for all of these), Daniel Andreev's message is Absolute GOOD. He is consistently fearless in sharing his visions of the hyperdimensional world (which we see only a minute fraction of), no matter how maniacal they may appear... Kudos to him for his strength. His interpetation of the worlds, monads and angels shared with him is filled with heavens, sub-heavens, purgatories and hells (-his Christian/ Orthodox faith possibly coloring his visions? Hardly relevant)... The gist is no less than a call for a World Church that embraces all faiths, so that mankind can finally end it's petty differences. Deep inside, Humanity (every one of us) has always known this. Let his miracles roll over our limited perceptions, and KNOW his appreciation for nature, basic understanding and love for the fellow man; for it was never only his, it's been all of ours... Words to begin a new world by.

What would spirituality look like beyond defensiveness, self-righteousness, fear, and hate? Could it still be a profoundly poetic work, beautifully written, almost taking the breath away with its metaphors and, yet, deal with the history of theological and philosophical arguments throughout religious history in a deeply cogent manner?

The answer is yes. Just when you thought there was no hope for spirituality to ever grow up, to really care about the world, to understand social, economic, and political systems, there comes from Gulag the work of Daniel Andreev.

The Rose of the World is a metaphor for what happens when a deeply compassionate writer examines the world religions and takes from them that which contributes to the recognition of the infinite, compassionate intelligence which is the source of meaning and beauty in our lives.

He uses this wisdom to sketch another possibility for organizing humanity and also to recognize the divine organization already present in our cosmos.

Read this book. It can change the way you think about spirituality. If there is a part of your heart which has been waiting for a grown up spirituality, wait no longer. This is the first review I've bothered to write for Amazon. This book is that good.

The Bible aside, if your home had space for one other book only, The Rose Of The World should be it. For decades it was available only to a negligible few in the Soviet Union who have saved the manuscript living in constant danger of being arrested and committed - for somebody else's words. Now it is published by the Amazon.com, the world's biggest book selling entreprise. The freedom of speech for Daniil Andreev? Or rather the freedom of spirit for those of us who are finally ready to see an eyewitness' notes on the structure of the Universe?

The previous reviewers have left excellent reports; one thing to add though: I've never come across another book that would be a sophisticated philosophical work and a breath-taking page-turner at the same time. It keeps just the right balance between being intelligent and intelligible - probably because knowledge itself is the best entertainment available! What is it about? - Just about everything. Is it interesting? - It bloody well is. Is it worth reading? - It is indeed, but are WE worthy of reading it?

Considering The Rose Of The World is now available by mail order world wide, we probably are.

This book is an absolute must-read! Before I read this book the history of Russia was a weakly connected sequence of contradictory events to me - that I wasn't able to organize in my mind in any comprehensible way. After reading this book I see a clear picture of my country's history. I suddenly understand what is going on. Every historical event, every action of a historic person suddenly falls into place, I see their meaning. This book provides you with an understanding of the real issues that have been troubling Russia for the past 1200 years. You will understand Russia and you will understand its people. The mext time Russia is on the news, and you have some Russians making a statement or conducting some action - you will understand where they are coming from when they are doing that.

After reading many books on Russian history this one tells me who the players are and how they became players. An excellent book that presents a lot of information on the day to day life of everyone in early Russia.

This is a must read.

Jimmy

I only read this book after I had been studying Russian and Russian history for many years, studied in Russia and married a Russian. It is beyond any doubt the best introduction to the subject that I have found in English. It removes a large amount of misconceptions that Americans have about Russian history, illuminates what deserves to be illuminated, avoids pet topics and romaticisms and manages to do all this without the condescending tone that most American writers take when writing about Russia. If you know nothing about Russia and want to learn, this is an excellent place to start.

Joe Sacco has produced a gripping account of the war in Bosnia through the eyes of the people who lived it. He tells the story of Gorazde and by extraploation of the war in general by drawing up and commenting on personal encounters he has had during his stay in Bosnia. His account remains very much a journalist's account in remaining objective, regardless of a natural feeling of indignation for the atrocious crimes the people he interviews have suffered. He also displays appropriate criticism towards his own priviliged position as a UN protected journalist. The sometimes black humor in the book further helps to sharpen the focus on the situation.

The drawing style, in pure Black-and-white, is detailed and dynamic. There is a clear Robert Crumb influence in how the characters are drawn, especially in how Sacco draws himself. As far as format and story-telling go, I think Art Spiegelman's Maus has been an undeniable influence. The visual story-telling through the changing layout of each page is very functional. It helps the book to deliver its viewpoint in a very compact and efficient way.

All this of course is post-reading-analysis. I read the book cover to cover in one go. If I was teaching history to 16, 17-year olds, this would be a mandatory read on my reading list. I'm sure no one would complain.

I bought this one together with 'Palestine', which is of the same high quality, and immediately put in an Amazon-alert to notify me when anything new from Joe Sacco comes out.

Sacco is great at comic-book journalism; he in fact has a degree in journalism and can really draw. It's a shame that this terrific book is so little known while its precursor Maus--which is similar only in basic format--was out winning awards and hitting the bestseller lists. Maus is subjective, culturally and racially biased, far too personal and badly written and drawn where Palestine and especially this book on Bosnia are objective, intelligent and well-drawn, but Maus came first (and also had the benefit of appealing to the prejudices of many book reviewers) and so still gets all the attention. Perhaps some readers were stung by the overhype that surrounded Maus and judge the infinitely better works of Sacco by it; if so that's a shame. Sacco succeeds where Maus failed, that is, everywhere.

Joe Sacco is a rarity,a comics journalist. As in PALESTINE,Sacc uses the comic medium to give a long detailed report about a foregn land that he has visited. SAFE AREA GORAZDEfeels more true than any other reprt from the Balkans because Sacco is relentless in his search for some kind of understanding about the region without being simplistic about it. He is also a fine illustrator. This is the best graphic novel since MAUS and Sacco deserves all the praise attention and sales that he can get.

This must be a definitive review of Spanish society and culture in the last half century, and while it's certainly fascinating reading, it is oversaturated. It can be a bit difficult to get through learning EVERYTHING about Spain if you are a newcomer to the topic. The section on the press becomes passionately detailed. Hooper seems to give the names, political bents and histories (behind the scenes and otherwise,) of every newspaper and magazine printed since 1936, as well as statistics about readership levels among various classes and regions over time which he compares to those of Britain and other European countries. Granted the information, with his analysis, does make for a very vivid portrait of the country, but you may feel a bit as though you're being hit on the head with a hammer when he starts doing the same thing in a chapter on television broadcasting. I simply couldn't keep track of the TV stations, and what they were up to, who was running them, how and why. Though I did get the point. Spanish love television, and they don't seem to have a problem with government control of the medium.

On the other hand the chapters on education, the arts, film, and the significantly independent regions of Spain, to wit, the Basque, the Catalan and the Galician regions, were much more breathable, and did fill in many gaps in my understanding,(though there were far too many personalities to keep track of, and all involved in very intricate negotiations,) as did earlier chapters about the general History of the country, and how the conflicts, between the various nations which came to form Spain, still exist today. In the minds of most Spaniards, the formation of Spain as a nation was never a forgone conclusion. And Hooper covers this national psychological fragmentation, and its present day outpourings and consequences, with startling detail.

I suppose that this book could be described as a handy guide to contemporary Spain, covering everything from economics and politics to bullfighting. A good read it is too - Hooper's style is informative, reflective and very accessible, almost conversational. I wish that I'd read this book prior to my recent trip to Spain, but no matter as it's served merely to whet my appetite for another visit.

Hooper gives due weight to the historical influences on modern Spain, trying - sometimes with difficulty - to put the Franco years in context, and also devotes space to Basque, Catalan and Galician affairs. The book contains lots of stuff I was previously unaware of, such as the "Opus Dei".

It is the fate of books such as this to be out-of-date as soon as they are published. For instance, Hooper's contention that Britain's high TV viewing figures compared to Spain and the rest of Europe are due to "the exceptionally high quality of British television's output" struck me as an extraordinary statement: either Mr Hooper hasn't seen (suffered?) much British TV recently or Spanish TV is unbelieveably dire.

More seriously, the book might deserve an updating to reflect more fully on the effects of Spain's entry to the European Union and to her participation in the single currency. To his credit, Hooper speculates briefly on both of those issues, and alludes to what might be the elephant in the room that few people are noticing as Europe gets on with building a "super-state": that is, how the creation of such a state can be reconciled with the increased desire in many regions of Europe for greater autonomy. Spain's history might serve as a warning, as a model, or as a barometer. But at least it's worth a thought.

I would categorize this book less as politics and current affairs and more as a complete sociological analysis of contemporary Spanish society. The author covers all aspects of modern Spain including its politics, economy, demographics, education, housing, labor, family, religion, and popular culture. The author explains the changes over the past 25 years from the ossified Franco regime to the modern nation involved politically,economically, and socially with the rest of Europe and the world. Very well written and organized with insightful analysis and illuminating explanation of Spanish society and mores.

Ahhh Paris. As a graduate student fortunate to be studying in Paris, I found myself falling into the dull routine of class and studying. I was failing to appreciate one of the prettiest cities on earth. This book opened my eyes to the multitude of interesting "trucs" around me in the Latin Quarter. Although some of the stories are more interesting than others, there is genuinely something for everyone's taste in this book. I now often study at the "Deux Magots" cafe due to its history and popularity with Jean Paul Sartres and Simone de Beauvoir that I read about. This book is wonderful for anyone interested in Paris, wanting to take a mental journey there, or a seasoned traveller who thinks they already know Paris. Anyone armed with "Paris Traveler's Tales" can discover the "Joie de Vivre" en Paris!

You can read this book before going to Paris, after going to Paris, or just to dream about Paris. Of the 5 different Travelers' Tales Guides I have read, this is the best. The writing quality is good, and there is a surprising diversity in viewpoints and experiences represented. It is as if the magic of Pairs inspired the editor's best effort. The essays/excerpts/stories cover such a variety of topics, from carousels to strippers to Napoleon to the French historical angst, that one really gets an insight into French mind and culture. If you have any interest in Paris, you will find this book entertaining and enlightening.

"çà, c'est paris"! is a popular french song from WWII period. Parisians sang it when Paris was delivered by US and french troops. This is the song I started whislting when I read the first pages and table of contents of this book. It's good to read paris guide books where you're not obliged to go through 50 pages of historical descriptions before you understand what paris is all about. This book is not dull. It is well documented even if this documentation has nothing to do with "classical" culture. It belongs to a tradition in French publishing business: collection of essays written by famous writers about a specific place. In this case, I do not know the writers (I am french)and am not influenced by their past works. One could imagine to publish the same kind of books with texts from Victor Hugo, Ernst Hemmingway and other famous writers.

Rene Goscinny is a wonderfully talented author who has blessed the world with a timeless classic in Le Petit Nicolas. Jean Jacque Sempe's fabulous illustrations add a hilarious twist to an already entertaining book. The funniest chapter is one called "Je suis malade." In this chapter, Nicolas gets sick from eating too much candy. He must stay home from school the next day to recover but he sure can cause a lot of trouble from his bed! This book reminds me of Beverly Cleary's Ramona and it also reminds me of the little prince. I read this book to my brothers every night before they go to bed. The grammar and vocabulary are simple and easy to read. I highly reccommend this book for anyone and everyone who like French and to anyone who simply enjoys a great book!

Bought this to develop French reading skills. It's a kids' book, of course, and I'm a grown-up, but it absolutely cracks me up. Each chapter is a little short story following Nicolas and his gang of friends. Imagine Our Gang or Peanut, but in French, and ten times funnier because of the cultural incongruity. Nothing like reading a chapter before lights out and stumbling across, "Bouge pas, Oklahoma Kid!", "Tu le regretteras, Joe!" And the tiny little cartoons that go along with the story -- cracks me up!

Being an intermediate french student, I was searching for easy to read french books and stumbled upon le petit nicolas. This is one of the most hilarious books I have read. The adventures of petit nicolas and his "copains" are very enjoyable. The french in this books is very easy to read something that even a beginner level french student can read. Nothing like a fun book like petit nicolas to boost your confidence in reading french.

The best thing about this edition is its stunningly beautiful cover. It goes downhill from there.

The previous edition (was it around 1995?) was really, really very good; ahead of everyone in the business. I wrote a glowing review at that time. Since then, the countries have moved on at an amazin pace, but LP did not manage to catch up.

Cultural information is still good (and that is the area where fewest changes were needed). It is not as good with practicalities: the book is full of small inaccuracies - money, costs, payment options, transport information all suffer from lazy, complacent research.

Another sad fact is that the authors seem to draw upon their one-off impressions: waiters tipping themselves by not giving you the change, what's that about? Credit cards accepted in "main cities and towns" - well, hello, when did you last go to any of the countries? These things go on and on.

As for "Getting There" information, one wonders which planet are Lonely Planet researchers living on. Has anyone told them about the Internet? About cheap offers from the airlines? How long can continue with their ridiculously irrelevant drivel about bucket shops and courier flights?

A good thing that can be said about this Lonely Plant is that it is not of trademark "bleeding-heart" variety and that anti-American propaganda still has not found its way into it. You will have to get the Iceland guidebook if you want some of the most bitter, biased and unwelcome LP campaigning.

Overall, it seems like Lonely Planet is cutting costs, and the most recent thing that they have chopped off is proper research and verification. This is unfortunate, for the start was really good.

I've used this guide to travel from Estonia to Lithuania via Latvia, and I can assure that the coverage of those countries is absolutely great. The stories included in the book are simply juicy drops of culture, and surely they capture your interest and push you to get more deeply in the history of those sites you are visiting. No matters where you go, you will find the essential information and much more than that. This guide worth the money.

As with all of Lonely Planet in Eastern Europe, this book is excellent. The historical background is particularly good, it makes some sense of an extremely complicated, and at times, surprising history. This are in many ways countries, almost of myth and old stamp collections, that have come back to the real world -a fairy tale in more ways than one. This book keeps that spirit alive, and I highly commend it.

To better understand the character of the British Army and officers of the Victorian age, one needs to be fully versed on the Roman Army. Without this background, Farwell's fine book will be nothing more than anecdotal and amusing. This books is a valuable addition to the literary collections of military historians and modern military officers.

A superb book. I had a rather vacant weekend recently and fortunately this book arrived a day before. Superb, highly entertaining stories on the pre-World War I British Army covering subjects as diverse as discipline, officers, enlisted men, religion, women (there were few of them-wives, sweethearts, prostitutes), drink (there was way too much of that), the importance of regimental loyalty,-see chapter titles for a full list. This does for the British army of the later 19th century what Don Rickey's FORTY MILES A DAY ON BEANS AND HAY accomplished for the American frontier army but is far more readable and enjoyable, even though the Indian Wars period is my main area of interest and research.

One drawback to the book--there are no footnotes or bibliography so we are left guessing where Mr. Farwell culled all these wonderful stories, tidbits and insights from. The book is so readable though and I am not a tracking down sources to write something myself, so this is easily forgiven. Enjoy!

This book provides a comprehensive survey of the Victorian army during the height of the Great British Empire. Mr. Farwell is something of an expert on this period and his lucid writing is a joy to read. The book brings out the many varied living conditions that existed in the British army of that time. This is more social history than pure military fare, but don't let that discourage the perspective reader. This is not dry stuff about living conditions in the Victorian army, the book is full of amusing anedotes from actual living Victorian soldiers.

They were a peculiar lot these Soldiers of the Queen, who cherished all their old traditions. The army was extremely conservetive in outlook, from Prviate to General. The regiment was the key element which kept it all together. The British army has always been a regimental army, and this was never more so than in the 19th Century. The army proved extremly adaptive to fighting in all the varied conditions within the Empire, and while this abundance of expereince gave it a unique espirit-de-corps, it did not prepare it well to fight any European conflicts. The British only barely managed to field a few full strength Corps at the beginning of the Great War in 1914. This was in no small way due to the Reforms of Edward Cardwell who created a reserve by linking many of the single battalion regiments together in the 1880s thereby establishing some form of reserve pool of manpower. The system just managed to hold the army together, but created many animosities between time-honored regiments who disliked being linked to each other in adinistractive fashion.

The book goes to great lengths to explain the huge social gulf between officers and enlisted men. The British army was stratified to a degree that no other army of the period entertained. It was an 18th century notion which struggled on into the next century. Farwell brings out these and many other fascinating details as he illustrates the daily life of the Victorian soldier. Those interested in the period of Queen Victoria's Little Wars won't want to put this one down. Its full of fascinating tid-bits of people like Kitchener, Charles Gordon, Wolsley, Frederick Roberts and Churchill, as well as the common soldiers and officers that made up the army. Also, anyone interested in the social anatomy of an army and the society to which it belonged should also find it most rewarding. There are many such Victorian studies out there, but few address the army, which perhaps reflected the age more directly than any other English institution of the time.

Although I enjoyed the book overall because I love Paris, I felt this was very poorly written. The author just tries too hard to grab your attention. In my opinion, the book is way over-priced for a large paperback; try to find it at your local library - it's worth a read, but I can't see myself reading it a second time.

I got a chance to start and finish "Paeonian to Paris" last week on a trip to the West Coast and back. I truly enjoyed the book and once I got past the fact that none of the characters would have names, found it excellent. I have to admit I had a little trouble at first with the way author, Claire Kincannon identified the characters(eg.Spouse and Monsieur Blue Eyes) but I really liked her style of writing and the describing of her experiences. The book was a pleasure to read and brought many a smile to a tired traveler.

What seems at first to be a typical American woman's awe at leaving the comfort of rural Virginia to accompany her husband to live in the City of Lights becomes an interior monologue racing to keep up with the author's reactions. Will they catch the plane? Will the somewhat dilapidated Italian freighter (the Giuseppe Verdi) ever leave the eastern seaboard? Can they find an affordable apartment in Paris with a bathroom? Will the furniture fit through the doors and windows? Will they ever install a kitchen? Are Daughters 1 and 2 coming to visit? Can the local butcher provide a proper American Thanksgiving turkey? Will the author learn to cook like a native frenchwoman? Will she survive the Place de la Concorde's traffic? The voyeur on the rooftop? The exhibitionists in the apartments across the way? Her husband's stolid patience and superior ability to master French no matter how hard she studies? One roots for the determined female American author in this breathless effort to live, breathe, eat, and speak a la francaise. This is more than a diary, less than a travelogue, a madcap dash through the manners and culture of the most desirable city in the world. It made me wish I could be there too.

I always have a difficult time finding a travel guide that I like. Some are little more than lists of monuments and other must-see attractions; some are better catagorized as historical surveys of a place. Very few give me a sense of what a place is actually like - and that is the strength of the Collector Traveler, Paris.

This guide takes the unusual route of researching previously published articles and stories, colating them into themes, citing references and listing bibliographies. The editor of the guide, Barrie Kerper, is a keen researcher and for the small price of the guide, you can benefit from her efforts. For instance, besides the usual notations of the famous Michilin starred restaraunts of Paris, there are articles here about the best places to buy bread in the neighborhoods, or the best ice cream. The point is, traveling does not have to be about draining your bank account, but about living like the locals, even if only vicariously.

I am a notorious and obsessive planner; before going on a long-anticipated trip, I start doing my research. I plan site-seeing routes, shopping trips, where to dine, and where to people watch; but what I cannot plan is what the destination will be like, what my response will be to all the scenes around me. The Collected Traveler gives me more insight into the reality of Paris than any I have ever read. And true to form, I am starting to obsess over all the new things I have learned. One thing I know for certain is that this book will travel with me when I go to Paris.

This is a great little book on the City of Paris but it is not the kind you read through once and then leave on the shelf. You will probably want to read parts of it at first and then keep returning as your interests and perspectives change. It won't be very useful as a guide book and will be enjoyed most by those who have already been to the City of Lights and loved it (who wouldn't love Paris?). What Kerper has done is compile a number of articles from just about everywhere and publish them in a single book. I didn't count them but there's a great big bunch of them. All of them are well written and some are by well-known writers ... James Baldwin and Saul Bellow, to name just a couple. All are done with the idea of bringing you closer to the spirit of Paris or to reveal a specific dimension of the city's inner life that may not have been so obvious to the reader. The arrangement is by theme, and before you get to the articles there are 74 pages of practical information that is, frankly, a lot better than what you find in some guide books, and it is all arranged alphabetically from accommodations to yellow pages. If you like having books with heart and soul (and maybe some wine and cheese) in your personal library, don't miss this one.

I love all the information Barrie Kerper has gathered in this lovely collection. Not only is the travel information very helpful, but the articles she has chosen help to give a traveller more than just the sights of Paris to look forward to.