Walter Bagehot was a journalist and a social and political thinker of the middle Victorian period (1850s and 1860s). His classical work "The English Constitution" comes as a collection of polemical assays upon the structure of the British political system. Cabinet, monarchy, Houses of Commons and Lords, execution of political power, and the foundation of the systems of checks and balances are explored in the book.

Throughout the book a comparison and contrast of Cabinet system and the Presidential system (a.k.a USA) is a constant theme. Bagehot does not hide it preference for the Cabinet system, which in his view is a both more dynamic and more effective. One of his main points is that direct popular election is a myth, since most of the electorate are ignorant of the nature of the political power (and moreover are forced to this ignorance by the effective uselessness of the legislative debate in the USA as opposed to the UK). Moreover, a result of the direct election is a static Presidential term of 4 years, which allows the executive branch to execute almost unchecked control of the political process. According to Bagehot, the indirect electoral system of the Commons, where people vote for the MPs and they then select the PM amongst themselves produces a more effective government, which is more responsive to the popular will since it can fall at any time due to policy disputes. A hidden secret of British success according to Bagehot is a fusion of legislative and executive powers in the Cabinet system. In the latter chapters, Bagehot exposures two forms of power - the dignified power (in the person of the monarch and the lords) and the effective power as exemplified by the Cabinet. Dignified power serves as a façade of legitimacy under which the dynamic and opportunist real effective power can subsist. He follows through to explain how each of the minister of the government exercises its power for the common goal, what are the legal powers of the monarchy and how it is exercised indirectly via control of the composition of the peerage and the power to dissolve the Commons.

Bagehot's style is clear, flavorful, his knowledge of political process is profound (with a qualification of more so of British then American), his research is well done, and he is a master of dramatic tricks to keep the reader interested. I would recommend the book as both a scholarly reference, and a well presented popular case.

First, to the reviewer looking for the doctrine of separation of powers: you'll find it in Montequieu's "Spirit of the Laws". Also check out "The Federalist", number 51.

Now then, Bagehot, like Madison, describes the operation of a modern liberal regime. The trick for founders of liberal government is to produce a government that permits the people civil liberties, but does not permit the people to abuse those liberties, or in the words of Madison, to create a government that is "democratic yet decent". Madison and the American Founders accomplish this end by so constructing the institutions of government that mens' selfish natures will be turned against each other ("ambition is made to check ambition"), rather than united in tyrannical concert.

Bagehot too describes the operation of a system of government that rules by the consent of the governed, yet which does so by restraining the vices of those who ought not to rule. Bagehot argues that the English government is moderate and decent because of a division of government into the "dignified" and the "efficient" parts, and a "noble lie" about the relationship between the two. It is this noble lie that permits the government to operate without the interference of those who would turn it away from the public good. But to discover the noble lie, you'll have to read Bagehot.

Warner Winborne

Professor of Political Science

Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney, VA

I am a law student in the university of Plymouth and i would like you to send me some information that this book contains, concerning the subject of the separation of powers. Your advice will be of great help. Thank you.

Opposed to U.S. wars? Wondering about the U.S.-French friction? Read this concise outline of how the U.S. emerged into, as Trotsky described it, the capitalist overlord of Europe and the rest of the world. Trotsky outlines the economic and military basis of U.S. dominance and the deceitful stratagems it was able to employ in the early years of its world role-and still does. Trotsky's historic perspective helps us to see that U.S. aggression today operates more and more from a position of weakness. Don't be awed by the monster, understand it, learn its vulnerable points. Read this clear analysis.

A very useful work, presenting two speeches from the mid-1920s by Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky analyzing big developments in the world economy and political and military relations between major capitalist powers in the decade after World War I. Trotsky speaks as a tested leader of mass working class struggles and aims not just to observe developments but to help others understand what change is possible if workers and toilers of the countryside organize in a revolutionary movement. And while world has changed since the 1920's, the underlying causes of conflicts have not, making this pamphlet all the more useful to help orient oneself today.

The issues Trotsky explains should be very familiar to anyone in the early part of the 21st century: worldwide economic stagnation and poverty, sharper conflicts between major imperialist powers (France's 1923 invasion of Germany, the declining British empire, the rising American and Japanese empires), the first manifestations of fascism, the state of the labor movement. I found particularly useful Trotsky's observations on the forms of conflict Washington used in relation to the European powers, a 'pacifist' imperialism that intervened militarily around the world. And they are wonderful example of the careful use of Marxism method in the scientific analysis of world developments.

As follow-up, I'd recommend Leon Trotsky on Britain, the Struggle Against Fascism in Germany, In Defense of Marxism and The Spanish Revolution (1931-39).

Disparaging the weakened European powers with the well-earned assurance of a victorious Bolshevik, Trotsky explains in the 1920s why Britain has become the handmaiden of the US, why Canada is, to all intents and purposes, a US state, and foresees another unimaginably brutal world war as Europe and America fight over Asia. This kind of sweep helps place the France vs. US bickering over exactly how to plunder and subjugate Iraq in March 2003 in the much bigger frame of a disintegrating imperial system. Trotsky backs up his conviction that social revolution -- like the one he helped lead in Russia -- can provide the only alternative to further conflagration, with concrete historical detail on the labor movement's experiences in the Europe of his time. Definitely a good thing to read at the beginning of the 21st century.

Europe and the Jews is the definitive description of the birth and growth of anti-semitism in Europe, leaving the reader with a deep and disturbing understanding how the world can sit by and allow the systematic murder of millions of innocent people. The book is written clearly and with a surprisingly appropriate touch of irony. This book is an excellent companion to the "Hinges of History" books written by Thomas Cahill. It is a scholarly work that is extensively documented -- it would have to be considering the material covered, but it never becomes dry or impersonal. Mr. Hay never lets the reader forget he is describing the fate of millions of souls over the centuries. The lessons in this book should give us the courage to expose and resist those that would commit genocide anywhere in our world.

I give this book five stars because it is an extreme form of honesty. For that it deserves to get as much credit as it can get from anyone who longs to have the opportunity to read the truth about anything. I find the book difficult to read, but people whose minds have absorbed the awesome responsibility assumed by the United States at the end of World War II for maintaining a peace which surpasses the decency of any former age ought to see if they can relate to the author's position on this work as a classic example of how historical ethics can subsequently be applied to anything which tended to favor the worst kinds of behavior.

There is something in this book, and in Isaiah, about an ox and something too absurd to relate in a review as an actual sermon that has been preserved for hundreds of years. ...The problem with reading this book (for those who would consider such an activity to be anything other than a distraction from the daily activities of our mundane world) is the problem that anyone who seeks a foundation for an honest society might still express: among whom would an honest society be more likely, or even possible?

This book reveals a number of truths about the relationship between Christianity and anti-semitism, the first being the exposure of the early Christian leaders roles in the shaping of the negative image the Jewish people have been burdened with for the last two centuries. The distortion of the Jews involvement in the death of Jesus is exposed with particular clarity, focusing on how the anger at the Jews unwillingness to accept Jesus as the son of God led to the myth that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for death of Jesus. The author's statement that " seventy-five percent of the Jews in the land" had never even heard of Jesus at the time of his death is a comment worth serious contemplation. The suggestion that the anti-semitism perpetrated by the church led to an apathetic attitude toward the victims of the Holocaust and thereby enabled Hitler to more effectively accomplish his goal is a revelation of immeasurable value. This book should be read by anyone who cares not only for the relationship between Jews and Christians, but who cares to any agree about history, truth and the fate of mankind.

I often travel to Europe. Hop the trains with my Eurail Pass and hit as many countries as I can in less than 10 days.

On one trip I took about 6 different phrase books with me and wrapped them all up with a rubber band. Too bulky!

What's better for European travelers are phrase books with multiple languages. The European Menu Translator fits perfectly in a backpack and even in your back pocket.

Great reference for eating out all over Western Europe.

If I had one criticism, it would be that they might want to include a couple more languages. Maybe expand it a bit and include some other important Euro languages, like Dutch, Czech, or even Russian. Certainly Greek should be added.

But otherwise great job Galbraiths!

Collaboratively written by Whitney and Anne Galbraith, European Menu Translator is a "user friendly" pocket-sized dictionary specifically designed for tourists and travelers seeking to understand the specialized cuisine terminology of France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. A brief introduction to the fine dining basics of each nation supplements the lists of alphabetically arranged terms, subdivided by language. European Menu Translator is an excellent and very highly recommended reference whether when dining abroad or simply eating at a European-style restaurant here at home.

This is an excellent travel book. Because it is small, it's easy to tuck in your purse, back pack or whatever. It's so thorough it makes the most of each meal on the road. It can bring a great new dimension to eating in countries with French, German, Spanish or Italian menus!

It's so inexpensive, it's a great bon voyage gift for a friend or for yourself.
We love ours!
Julie & Peter Dawson.

This generous compilation of major works from the principle players in modern European (non-British) philosophy remains the one-volume sourcebook for every undergrad who has to write a paper and, more substantially, everyone who wants a real nose-to-the-grindstone encounter with the major philosophers. Spinoza, Kant, Rousseau, and Nietzsche are represented by substantial, and judicious, abridgments of major works (the "Ethics", "Critique of Pure Reason", "Social Contract", and "Beyond Good and Evil" respectively), while Descartes' entire "Meditations", the famous "Discourse on Metaphysics" and "Monadology" of Leibnitz, and the Introduction to "The Philosophy of History" of Hegel (which essentially comprises a book unto itself) are complete. Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Idea" is also given about eighty pages, and the seldom-seen Fichte leaves a powerful mark with the Third Part of the "Vocation of Man". Fleeting but powerful selections from Pascal provide the dissent from the Age of Reason. Comte and Mach are, at least by my prejudices, footnotes today (their offerings, particularly the latter's, remain mostly unthumbed), but appendices of brief selections from Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche offer further elucidations of some of their key concepts and arguments (this volume makes for a particularly good introduction to Descartes and Kant). The brief editorial prefaces are also noteworthy both for their keen appreciations of each philosopher's contributions (the tone is always sober but generous-- sober indeed largely because of the editors' awareness of just how much we owe to these thinkers) and for very full catalogs of available editions of the philosophers's works in English and of scholarly examinations of their lives and work. To put it banally, this is one-stop shopping for the Descartes-to-Nietzsche block of post-Renaissance thinking. And the spine on my copy has proved surprisingly enduring-- despite being blown off a truck, left in a hostile dormitory for over a month, and constant perusal, it has remained largely intact, though I'm about to lose a few pages of Spinoza. After ten years, this is saying a lot.

This is, of course, a compilation of European philosophers. The book is 870 pages long and contains parts or entire works from famous theologians such as Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Mach, and Nietzsche. Most of the primary works of these men (at least in part or in their entirety) are present in this work. Each philosopher covered is given a nice introduction describing his life, works, etc. The works are translated quite well. This book would be a great edition to add to anyone's philosophy collection, especially since it is a collection of primary works. Some of the works that are included are Descartes' "Discourse on Method," Pascal's "Thoughts," Spinoza's "Nature of Evil," Leibniz's "Relation Between Soul and Body," Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," Hegel's "Intro to the Philosophy of History," Comte's "General View of Positivism," Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil," and much, much more. If you are wanting a collection of philosophical writings then this is one of the better texts to add to your library.

This book is a wonderful resource for aquiring a much more profound idea of the most renkowned thinkers of the modern era. The contents of this book includes twelve great thinkers, within the span of two-hundred and fifty years, and their ideals of the world around them.

The author has selected these individuals due to the diversity of their philisophical world-views. Just look at the likes of Rene` Descartes in comparison with the eccentricity of Mr. Friedrich Nietzsche. One of course, would see that these two are extreme contraries, thus engendering an induction of pure thought from these contrary opinions, which in turn you as the reader may attain new insights resulting in a possible thesis or anti-thesis of your own. Then their are those who share simalar ideas such as Kant, Hegel, and Descsartes. They all hold that innate thought is to be venerated as the sole good of the world. Whereas an Empericist or Materialist would rather adhere to the product of nature to find the meaning of this chaotic earth. Any way you look at it all of their views are to be reverred and worthy of thought.

With the absence of a few great philosophers of that period, I was left just a little dissapointed, but the intuitiveness and profoundity of this work has left me invigorated. So if you would like to get to know these great thinkers all little more in this miraculous compilement of thought, pick up a copy today.

This book is really interesting in the fact that had not Leland gathered all this information it would most likely be lost to us today. I would not however recommend it as a BOS to follow ,mainly because we do not know the real context of these spells. Even though Leland has written them down they are from another time and one we are no longer a part of. This is just my opinion and I recommend if you do use a spell from this book you should know why you are using a certain herb, object etc. and WHO you are calling on!Just a precaution I would take. Ciao!

This is a wonderful addition to any home library for anyone interested in the religion of Antiquity and Italian folklore. All of Charles Leland's writings are wonderful, but this book in particular is of great merit. Leland travled the Italian country-side and recorded many of the tales from rural folks, some of which still practice the "old religion" both overtly and covertly within the Roman Catholic structure. It is through his recording of these stories that we can see the evolution and continued existence of the Gods of the Ancients. This is a must read for any serious mythographer, folklorist or modern day observer of the Old Ways.

This book is a classic text on the "Old Religion." The author Charles Leland was a folklorist performing field studies into Italian Witchcraft during the 1800s. He describes witches as worshippers of the goddess Diana, and refers to a specific group as the "good witches" of Benevento. Leland points out that "bad witches" also exist and he includes several spells to illustrate this.

Etruscan Roman Remains carries a feel of antiquity as Leland introduces ancient lore and its revelance to the witches of Old Italy. This book was the first of its kind to present material drawn directly from people claiming to be witches during the 19th century. Along with Leland's Aradia; Gospel of the Witches, this book presents the foundation of many concepts now found in modern Wicca, including a full moon sabbat, the worship of a god & goddess by witches, ritual use of cakes and wine, and witches as healers and magic users. After reading Leland's accounts, there can be little doubt that Gardnerian Wicca was founded, at least in part, upon the writings of Leland on Italian witchcraft.

In addition, Etruscan Roman Remains contains a great deal of information on old superstitions, folk spirits, and folk magic. This book is an important addition to any library on Witchcraft.

This book was very useful in my 4-day trip to Paris. It helps you locate all the hot spots in each neighboorhood and of course the top 10 places to visit.

What I did is, I chose a few of those top 10 places, then once I was there, I could check the book to find my way to the best restaurants, museums, streets and sights in that area.

The map of the Metro is very helpful.

The book fits in your pocket which is nice if you like to travel light.

Bonne journee!

This book was great! It is concise and accurate, and fits in your pocket. It gives you great highlights, plus suggested walks and places to eat. It has no extraneous information, so you don't have to sort through it to find the good stuff, like most guide books.

If you are going to be in a city for 3-4 days, the Top 10 Travel Guides are perfect. It gives you the top 10 sites to see and the top 10 things to see at each site. In addition, it goes into more depth in each area of the city...giving you additional top 10 lists. For a first time visit to a particular city, you can feel overwhelmed with the amount of site seeing involved. These books are perfect in helping you decide what are the most important sites to see. I have personally used the London and Paris versions of the guide books. I can't wait until more books in the series are published.

If you are thinking of living abroad with your children, there are two compelling reasons to read this book. First, the author shares his and his family's real-life experiences, both good and bad. He reminds us that life anywhere is just that -- life, complete with victories and accomplishments, as well as mistakes and disappointments. His entertaining story of their year in Prague helped replace some of my romantic notions with visions of reality. I now feel more prepared to face the challenges of life abroad if and when we decide to "live outside the borders." The other reason to buy this book is its wealth of resources and practical tips. Although the organization was at times scattered, the appendices help to make up for this.

A Family Year Abroad: How To Live Outside The Borders is the story of the Westphal family. Chris and Stephanie Westphal wanted to travel, but since they had responsibilities to their children, the only way they could do so was to travel with the whole family. They rented their house, put their bank accounts in safekeeping, and moved to Prague, Czech Republic for a year. A Family Year Abroad is their story, packed with wisdom, experience, tips, and much more on such things as culture shock, foreign schools, traveling with kids and health and safety concerns. A lively, involving book, A Family Year Abroad is much more than just a family memoir, it also offers practical tips on how to successfully live in a foreign country and deal with changes in the family, health and safety concerns, insurance questions, the management of finances, foreign schools, and the inescapable phenomena of culture shock.

In _A Family Year Abroad_, Chris Westphal invites us into his experience with a dream many of us have had--living abroad in an exotic foreign country--but which most of us never get around to making real. He weaves together practical tips with a delightful narrative of his own adventures and misadventures as an expatriate family in Prague. Combining detailed, practical tips with insightful personal observations, Chris succeeds in bringing us along on an amazing trip into unknown--an unknown that, with Chris' help, is made known to us vicariously. Reading _A Family Year Abroad_ I really came to feel what it must have been like to "live outside the borders" for Chris and his family. And while not ALL of his adventures--a night at the "opera" that featured a midget pushing a wheelbarrow across a darkened stage, for instance--made me hunger for the expatriate experience, I certainly felt that they prepared me for taking my own family abroad should we be so bold as to try it. All in all, a great read: exciting, funny, helpful, practical, poignant, and witty. It's Rick Steve's _Europe Through the Back Door_ meets S.J. Perelman's _Eastward Ha!_ with a bit of Theroux's_Mosquito Coast_ thrown in for fun. Loved it!

This is one of the most engaging history books I've ever read. The authors concentrate only on the facts and occurrences which really matter; the book was rarely boring. And it still manages to supply a sufficient amount of information. The only negative I perceived was that with the way the book is organized, with each chapter focusing on a different person, rather than period, was that it was disjointed, and virtually impossible to follow the big picture, the "story", if you will. However, this detracts very little from the book, which is an excellent source if you are interested in going in-depth on specific people, this book provides overviews for about 30 different people.

My children loved studying the Middle Ages, and this book was an effective (and non-threatening) way to introduce them to it. The Famous Men series uses short biographies to illustrate the era studied. As with the others in the series, Famous Men of the Middle Ages proved to be understandable to my third grader and informative for my seventh grader. All my children found the stories entertaining. In helping kids study this era, I also recommend: Days of Knights and Damsels by Laurie M. Carlson for fun, informative, and hands-activities and articles. The Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of the Middle Ages, which provides discussion starters, a few activities and a listing of additional resources.

The "Famous Men" series continues to inform and inspire children by relating biographies of people from the Middle Ages.

Included in the 34 chapters are stories of: Attila, Justinian, Mohammed, Charlemagne, Alfred, El Cid, Robert Bruce and William Wallace, Joan of Arc, and Gutenberg.

"Famous Men of the Middle Ages" is a great introduction to this era that is often skimmed through. Allow your child to linger and delved more deeply when sparked by one of these stories.

In late 1993, right before the new year, Toni Dorado is returning home to Los Angeles to face the lover she left abruptly and to reconnect with her family. Her niece and her mother are very excited to have her back, but her sister Sylvia isn't happy at all, and she has her own problems in the form of an abusive husband. Toni struggles to make amends with Pat, her former lover, and the two slowly begin to communicate about where to go from here. As the various women's lives and sometimes volatile relationships collide, so too does the earth as a major earthquake hits the area in January 1994, forcing the women to face some naked truths about each other and about themselves. Even though the earthquake has a deus ex machina feel (where it solves problems so the characters don't have to), "Faults" is quite a remarkable novel for creating a beautiful portrait of a present-day Chicana family to which everyone can relate.

This book is excellent and readers of Ms. De La Pena's previous books will be reunited with some familiar characters. It's also a fascinating read for LA fans and fans of lesbian literature. It's the kind of novel you wish wouldn't end but when it does you know she'll be back with an even greater read next time! I think Terri De La Pena really captures what it's like to be a lesbian and a Mexican-American!

Other reviewers have outlined the plot of this novel adequately, but more needs to be said about the deft characterizations, setting, and style.

The five primary characters in Faults have each been given a distinct voice. The novel is structured through short chapters, each in the first-person voice of five very different women. Terri de la Pena has created characteristic idioms, world-views, personalities, and character strenghts and 'faults' for each person. I was fascinated as these characters unfolded; it is a risky and, in Terri's hands, successful narrative technique.

Two reviewers complained about the mix of Spanish words and phrases in the narratives, a perspective I would like to counter. My Spanish understanding is based on a couple of semesters 20 years ago, and although I didn't understand the litteral meaning of every Spanish phrase, I found the use of Spanish absolutely authentic to the characters, and actually pretty easy to decode. In fact, there is often a translation of sorts in the context, many are English cognates, and others are common Spanish heard in the US. So don't let it put you off. Even when you don't understand the phrase, the intent and mood is clear. Actually, the use of Spanish adds a great deal to the novel--how much Spanish crops up in a character's thoughts, for instance, provides insight to her personal culture. Also, the presence of Spanish is important to the sense of living as Chicanas in an Anglo macroculture. Bilingualism (and not every Chicano/a speaks Spanish) must be an enormous, perhaps a defining part of the experience. For a non-Spanish speaker of another culture to criticize what is clearly a deeply imbedded cultural characteristic shows a regretable bias, and listening to it would limit one's aesthetic. Finally, I want to say that for Chicanas and others with Spanish-based cultures, the language mix must be quite welcome. (Terri de la Pena is not the only Chicana author writing in this manner, of course.)

I appreciate the attention Terri de la Pena pays to environment in her settings--from street and business names to architectural details. Though briefly mentioned, these things add to the authentic ring of the story.

One other strength of the structure created by the five woman characters is the way time unfolds as the characters speak. Each short narrative takes place within a given moment or brief period of time; in fact, each section is dated so we have a sense of events defining a period of several weeks. What we know about the past is colored by the POV of the speaker, so the contrasting views give us various "truths" that we must sort out as we perceive the biases of each woman.

I have focused on three aspects of Terri de la Pena's writing that contribute to the strength of "Faults." The sum is, of course, much more than the parts. The book is an important addition to lesbian literature which offers a reading experience rich on many levels. I recommend it.