Average customer rating:
- The Dark Night of Recovery
- A must read!
- A fast reading book full of insights and wisdom
- One of the finest books I have ever read
- Higher Power Brought It To Me
|
The Dark Night of Recovery: Conversations from the Bottom of the Bottle
Edward Bear
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Substance Abuse
| Recovery
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Psychological & Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
| Astrology
| Chakras
| Channeling
| Divination
| Dreams
| General
| Goddesses
| Meditation
| Mental & Spiritual Healing
| Mysticism
| New Thought
| Reference
| Reincarnation
| Self-Help
| Theosophy
| Urantia
| Visionary Fiction
Look Inside Health Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Substance Abuse
| Recovery
| Health, Mind & Body
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Psychological & Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Seven Deadly Fears
-
The Seven Deadly Needs
-
Tyler and the Twelve Traditions
-
Edward and Tyler Relapse & Recovery
-
The Cocktail Cart
ASIN: 1558746536 |
Book Description
This inspiring work shows readers what it feels like to "hit the wall" or "hit bottom" on a spiritual path, and gives them insight on how to move forward toward a better life. It deals with the darkness, the despair and the joy that are inherent in the quest for enlightenment and self-knowing. Though focused mainly on issues relating to recovery from various kinds of addictions, the principles presented in this tale hold true for all spiritual journeys. The story of The Dark Night of Recovery is in the form of an ongoing dialogue between a relative newcomer to recovery (Lawyer Bob) and an old-timer (Tyler) who meet every two weeks to discuss life and turmoil and love and lust and everything else. Each of the twelve chapters deals with one of the Twelve Steps, using the wisdom of the Tao, the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Winnie the Pooh, Yoda, Thomas Merton and many others. The story line follows Bob as he struggles through personal and spiritual problems, trying to apply the principles he is learning. At the end of the twelve sessions, Bob (and hopefully the reader) has acquired a few more skills to apply to the art of living one day at a time.
Customer Reviews:
The Dark Night of Recovery.......2005-08-01
This book is a must read for those in recovery but I think it would help almost anyone. I got it from someone who bought 10 copies and gave them to everyone close to her. Now I want to buy 10 copies and give it to those I care about. The twelve steps are presented to you in a way that allows you to appreciate the journey. Trudging the road to happy destiny, I couldn't put the book down! I'm starting to read it again and have formed a group w/several other women, we will meet monthly and go through each chapter so we can continue to grow together -- one day at a time. Bless you Tyler and Bob...and Edward Bear wherever you are!
A must read!.......2004-12-04
I just ordered my 9th or 10th copy of this book. I've lost count. I keep giving it away because it is the most helpful book on recovery I have ever read. I seriously want Tyler to be my sponsor but I guess he's pretty busy. P.S. The Deadly Fears and Needs books are also excellent (in fact I just re-ordered those too!!!) I'm beginning to think I should buy these books by the gross. If you are at all interested in improving your spiritual life and wondering what its all about, this is the book for you. You don't have to be a recovering alcoholic to get it but if you know a recovering alcholic this is the perfect present. You might also want to pick up the Velveteen Rabbit. Thank you Edward Bear.
A fast reading book full of insights and wisdom.......2003-02-12
I thought the flow of conversation in this book made for interesting reading and discussion. A good read for anyone in recovery. Do you need a sponsor? This book answers the question clearly. Yes. A poignant look at how we are all in this together and here to help those who remind us of how we used to be.
One of the finest books I have ever read.......2002-04-16
I started this book not sure if I am an alcoholic, not sure of anything. The help and hope and LIFE giving forces that come tumbling out of these pages have less to do with alcohol than you may think. As Tyler says, "alcohol is a neutral substance - it is like Pepsi, Gatorade...." It isn't about the drink. It is about the soul.
I have read it 5 times. I have bought 4 copies and given them to the people in my life that I really do love. I will re-read this book countless times for the rest of my life and along with my Thanks be to God, will be Thanks be to Tyler.
Higher Power Brought It To Me.......2002-02-13
I was doing my weekly service committment answering phones at the Santa Cruz County, CA., Central Office, and in walks this dynamite, enthusiastic lady with 14 months sober. I've got eight years and have been hitting my second bottom. Agony! We talk and she tells me about this book, which I proceed to order - and IT'S about second bottoms! A perfect book for me. I've seen stuff in it that puts things in the right light - like a passage from the Tao that reads: "The Proverb has it that/The way of light often looks dark./The way that goes forward appears to go backward./The flat path looks hilly./The power that is lofty looks like an abyss./The power that stands firm looks flimsy./What is in its pure state looks faded./Great talents ripen late./Great sound is silent./Great form is shapeless./The Tao is hidden and nameless./ Yet it alone knows how to render help and fulfill." Well, I tell ya, folks. That really made sense to me. It's about giving up the struggle and letting God, because this AA Higher Power is just like that, and always kind.
I'll finish this review with a little plug for the people at Evanco who took my order and sent this used book to me in very good shape and in very good time. Great people!
Keep Coming Back!
Thomas
Customer Reviews:
Provocative Essays and Social Comment on Science and Humanities.......2007-05-05
The twenty-four, short essays in Late Night Thoughts On Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony remain surprisingly fresh and fascinating today. While many focus on new discoveries in biology, medicine, and physics, Lewis Thomas also offers a sobering look at the dark side of modern technology. The title essay (the last one in this collection) is particularly haunting.
I almost set this book aside after reading The Unforgettable Fire, the first essay in this collection. Thomas Lewis had awakened in me uncomfortable memories of a distant past. Among my first lessons in kindergarten was to move quickly to the basement when the alarms rang, to crouch down, and to cover my neck with my hands. Along with many others of my generation, I came to accept that nuclear war was virtually inevitable.
Lewis Thomas balances the more serious essays with others characterized by enthusiasm, wonder and excitement for the world about us. His observations are often surprising, and nearly always provocative. Admittedly, a few essays are becoming dated, but this collection is still quite interesting. A few examples include:
The Lie Detector: our physiological response to telling a lie - even when we do it for protection or personal advantage - is sufficiently stressful to be detectable, suggesting that there is at least some physiological compulsion for humans to be honest.
On Speaking of Speaking: Children not only learn languages much more readily than adults, but they seem also to play a key role in shaping and restructuring language, especially in a mixed language setting. Perhaps that period called childhood is ultimately the source of the thousands of languages and dialects that characterize human societies.
On Smell: The short-lived olfactory receptor cells are themselves proper brain cells although not residing in the brain. The storage of olfactory memories remains a mystery.
On the Need for Asylums: A society can be judged by how it treats its most disadvantaged, its least beloved, its mad. We must be judged a poor lot for closing institutions and turning mentally ill inmates onto the streets.
The Problem of Dementia: Lewis asks not only for more funding, but for a qualitatively different approach, one that funds long term studies, freeing researchers from the need to continuously publish results.
Trained at Princeton University and Harvard Medical School, Lewis Thomas held positions at the University of Minnesota Medical School, New York University-Bellevue Medical Center, and Yale University Medical School. Subsequently, he became president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He began publishing essays in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1971; nearly all of the essays in this collection were originally published in Discover Magazine.
Essays on humankind's accomplishments--and its dementia.......2007-02-18
The title of this collection alone conjures up a pipe-smoking, fireside dilettante charming his friends with eclectic observations on random but serious subjects. Take away the pipe and the Renaissance man you've envisioned would indeed look a lot like Lewis Thomas, who wrote dozens of breezy, perceptive, witty essays on subjects as varied as the seven wonders of the modern world, the evolution of language, incidents of fraud in science, the faculty of smell, and the onerousness of politics.
Most of these essays appeared in Discover magazine in the early 1980s, and although Thomas introduces current events into his discussions, his subjects are timeless. A notable preoccupation, however, is with the nuclear threat and the irrational thinking that fueled the arms race and, more troubling, the planning for tactical nuclear warfare. Although the Cold War has passed and the threat has greatly diminished (but not vanished), the essays on this subject serve both as reminders that the challenges we currently face (terrorism, global warming, sectarianism) are hardly unprecedented in their peril and as investigations into the madness and stupidity that fear alone can unleash.
The fact that military strategists were (and are) actually planning scenarios for a limited nuclear war can, upon rational reflection, only shock and dismay. While enumerating some of the impressive (if time-consuming and expensive) advances in surgery and therapy, for example, Thomas reminds us, "There exists no medical technology that can cope with the certain outcome of just one small, neat, so-called tactical bomb exploded over a battlefield. . . . If you go ahead with this business, the casualties you will instantly produce are beyond the reach of any health-care system." All the emergency drills, the plans for evacuations, and the crisis management training are for naught. The certain horrific outcome of such "strategies" is why medical professionals like Thomas wouldn't--and won't--have anything to do with their planning ("count us out")--not because they are pacifists, but because they are realists. Lewis Thomas listens to Mahler and begs his readers for reason.
What a pleasure .......2006-08-10
It is simply a great pleasure to read the essays of Lewis Thomas. His intelligence, his balance, his sense of wonder, his great knowledge his humility and sense of human values , his masterly and often poetic writing ability make each of the essays an adventure of discovery and delight.
In the opening essay he considers the horrifying consequences of nuclear war, and argues urgently that Mankind must cease being its own worse enemy, and threatening itself in a way no natural phenomenom could.
In many of the other essays he argues for the centrality of the human, and the terrestial. In surveying the cosmos he wonders at the remarkable beauty and singularity, the intricate complexity of the Earth.
He writes about the sense of smell, and wonders how it is we do not have the power to reimagine what we smell the way we can reimagine and recreate what we see and hear.He returns in his essays 'Things Unflattened by Science to the subject of his first and perhaps most well- known work 'The Living Cell'.
Here is a description of the evolution of the cell, a description which provides a sample of his own exceptionally clear and vivid style.
"The oxygen in today's atmosphere is almost entirely the result of phosynthetic living, which had its start with the appearance of blue- green algae among the micro-organisms. It was very likely that this first step -or evolutionary jump- that led to the subsequent differntiation into eukaryotic , nucleated cell, and there is almost no doubt that these new cells were pieced together by the symbiotic joining up of prokaryote. The chloroplasts in today's green plants, which capitalize on the sun's energy to produce the oxygen in our atmosphere, arethe lineal descendants of ancient blue- green algae. The mitochondria in all our cells, which utilize the oxygen for securing energyfrom plant food, are the progeny of ancient oxidative bacteria. Collectively, we are still, in a fundamental sense, a tissue of microbial organisms living off the sun, decorated and ornamented these days by the elaborate architectural structures that the molecules have constructed for their living quarters, including seagrass, foxes and of course ourselves. '
A Winner.......2003-12-27
If you are looking for a short, exquisite book about humanity and life and science (and the connection among all three) look no further. Lewis Thomas gives just the right touch, always keeping the writing at the educated layman's level.
Starting with an outdated plea for peace (the USSR was still semi-viable at this time) he touches on human senses - sight, smell, hearing, touch, language - and inserts a brilliant little chapter on his own Seven Modern Wonders. Essays on altruism, music in all its splendored forms and the brain follow. The last chapter is a requiem for life and the loss of life.
Brilliant title, content not........2002-11-14
I was not as enthralled as the other reviewers.
The main articles in this book dealt with music and thermonuclear weapons.
The author is, with reason, a fervent opponent of nuclear weapons; who not? But he must admit that in the field of basic science there have never been cutbacks in the financing of research on thermonuclear weapons!
On the other hand, I agree that it is not easy to write about music. But these texts are not at the same level as, for instance, the brilliant 'Penguin Guide to Compact Discs'. I am also a big fan of Mahler. That's why I bought this book and read it.
I should however quote an important remark by the author : twentieth century science has provided us with a glimpse of something we never really knew before, the revelation of human ignorance.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful Coulples Devotional!
|
Night Light: Devotional Thoughts for Couples
James C. Dobson , and
Shirley Dobson
Manufacturer: Garborg's Heart 'n Home
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar
General
| Christian Living
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Inspirational
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Dobson, James
| ( D )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1580613551 |
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Coulples Devotional!.......2002-08-28
My husband and I read this every evening before bed. It is short, interesting,thought provoking and has helped us grow in our relationship with each other and God. I would reccommend it to any couples wanting their marriage to grow.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2007-09-13
I had a friend who found these CD's useful, but they did not help me sleep at all...if anything, they kept me awake. Very disappointed, as I was psyched to try them.
Book Description
For a person in grief, the night rarely brings rest and relief. Often that is when all the questions, hurts and tears find a way to come out. Doug brings his best discussions about loss to this book and then provides blank pages following each chapter for the reader to respond, reflect and journal. In a unique twist to the journaling concept, also included is a CD with Doug reading portions of the book along with soothing, contemplative music for those times when it is too difficult even to read and when sleep won't come. This is a wonderful answer for those in the throes of grief recovery.
Average customer rating:
- Advances an eclectic variety of new ways of looking
- More Than You Might Expect
- More Than You Might Expect
- More Than You Might Expect
- Relativity of Reality
|
The Experiment: An Exploration of Perception and Focus, a Primer
Ketherin Michaels , and
Corvus Night
Manufacturer: Greybear Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Metaphysics
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
New Thought
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0970310358 |
Book Description
The Experiment is an experiment in consciousness - one that we perform on ourselves. It teaches us to extend our perception beyond the boundaries of our focus in three dimensions. The teachers in The Experiment take us on a series of strolls around what they call the "concept pool" a pool of ideas and thoughts that we can draw on to become more fully aware of the invisible layers of reality that surround us and support us. From this wider perspective we see and learn how we use the power of focus to shape space and time into the experience we call life. With practice, we may learn to open a channel to the Knowledge and Truth that flow from the center within each of us to the outer consciousness of our waking awareness.
Customer Reviews:
Advances an eclectic variety of new ways of looking.......2002-05-17
The Experiment: An Exploration Of Perception And Focus, A Primer by skilled and experienced medium Ketherin Michaels and with the assistance and artwork of her partner, Corvus Night, is a compelling metaphysical treatise that utilizes mesmerizing color illustrations to take the reader on a fascinating and informative journey through consciousness. From optical illusions that appear in three dimensions to metaphors of sound, color, and music, The Experiment advances an eclectic variety of new ways of looking at the world and understanding both within and without. A appealing, self-guided adventure in self-exploration, The Experiment is highly recommended to students of metaphysics.
More Than You Might Expect.......2002-02-24
The Experiment:An Exploration of Perception and Focus is truly an exceptional book. The radiant imagery includes color charts based on musical notes and a SevenStar series that put the color spectrum in patterns that are to balance our energies with the energies of the cosmos. There are also Ketherin's poems with paintings by Corvus and intriguing illustrations of the concepts and excercises throughout the book.
The unique collaboration between Ketherin, her teachers from the "Inner Planes" and Corvus has created a primer that works like a training manual for enhancing our awareness, inner and outer. As the teachers introduced them to the "Concept Pool" they worked with the ideas, lived with them and now share them with us.
The ideas open a pervasive understanding of perception and focus while linking it to historical, scientific and philosophical knowledge. I read it twice because I didn't understand everything the first time and it is totally unlike anything I ever read before. The entries of illustrated poetry shift your mind from the "mentally athletic" concepts to a personal, more lyrical view.
I found that the excercise of reading this book enhanced my perception positively and I plan to use it more. I look forward to their future books and visiting their website where more information and posters of the charts are available.
More Than You Might Expect.......2002-02-24
The Experiment:An Exploration of Perception and Focus is truly an exceptional book. The radiant imagery includes color charts based on musical notes and a SevenStar series that put the color spectrum in patterns that are to balance our energies with the energies of the cosmos. There are also Ketherin's poems with paintings by Corvus and intriguing illustrations of the concepts and excercises throughout the book.
The unique collaboration between Ketherin, her teachers from the "Inner Planes" and Corvus has created a primer that works like a training manual for enhancing our awareness, inner and outer. As the teachers introduced them to the "Concept Pool" they worked with the ideas, lived with them and now share them with us.
The ideas open a pervasive understanding of perception and focus while linking it to historical, scientific and philosophical knowledge. I read it twice because I didn't understand everything the first time and it is totally unlike anything I ever read before. The entries of illustrated poetry shift your mind from the "mentally athletic" concepts to a personal, more lyrical view.
I found that the excercise of reading this book enhanced my perception positively and I plan to use it more. I look forward to their future books and visiting their website where more information and posters of the charts are available.
More Than You Might Expect.......2002-02-24
The Experiment:An Exploration of Perception and Focus is truly an exceptional book. The radiant imagery includes color charts based on musical notes and a SevenStar series that put the color spectrum in patterns that are to balance our energies with the energies of the cosmos. There are also Ketherin's poems with paintings by Corvus and intriguing illustrations of the concepts and excercises throughout the book.
The unique collaboration between Ketherin, her teachers from the "Inner Planes" and Corvus has created a primer that works like a training manual for enhancing our awareness, inner and outer. As the teachers introduced them to the "Concept Pool" they worked with the ideas, lived with them and now share them with us.
The ideas open a pervasive understanding of perception and focus while linking it to historical, scientific and philosophical knowledge. I read it twice because I didn't understand everything the first time and it is totally unlike anything I ever read before. The entries of illustrated poetry shift your mind from the "mentally athletic" concepts to a personal, more lyrical view.
I found that the excercise of reading this book enhanced my perception positively and I plan to use it more. I look forward to their future books and visiting their website where more information and posters of the charts are available.
Relativity of Reality.......2002-02-11
The Experiment is provocative and challenging. It reshapes one's awareness of how and what w e perceive, starting with simple exercises that lead to a revolutionary (yet age old) perspective. Drawing from quantum physics, philosophy and common sense observations, some of it is not easy to grasp at first go, but, like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, its ideas stick in one's mind and keep coming back with a ring of truth.
For instance the authors show how sound and color can each be rendered as wave lengths and can thus be correlated------ a color can represent a note--- theoretically showing the possibility of experiencing a hurricane or a lightning storm as a symphony or a light show. Which leads one to the thought that eventually we may be able to "read" the waves of the ocean to know the past.
This kind of startling concept makes The Experiment worth studying----and the beauty of the illustrations, their symmetry and color and rich backgrounds make it a pleasure to casually delve into. Thus, though demanding on an intellectual level, it is also a great coffee table book .
Finally , its authors convey a whimsy and a love and acceptance in their message that is uplifting
After reading The Experiment you may not have mastered all the information but you'll have a mind dancing with new insights, new ways of seeing what you've' taken for granted all these years.
Average customer rating:
- STORY NIGHT will light up your day.
- Cool book to read to slightly older kids.
- Philosophy at its Best
- sweet illustrations, deep thoughts :-)
- Only Truth
|
Stormy Night
Manufacturer: Kids Can Press, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1550746928 |
Book Description
As a storm rages outside the window, a young girl lies awake at night, her head buzzing with questions: Who am I? Where did we come from? What happens when you die? No answers are provided in Stormy Night. Rather, the questions prompt readers to explore their own place in the world. Winner of the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award, this intriguing book provides parents and educators with a springboard for discussions on life's questions. With imaginative drawings and simple but thought-provoking text, Stormy Night is the perfect place for children, regardless of age, cultural background or religion, to start looking for their own answers to all the really important questions.
Customer Reviews:
STORY NIGHT will light up your day. .......2005-09-13
STORMY NIGHT by Michele Lemieux is a totally engaging, brilliant combination of lightness and profundity in both its drawings and story. It's an imaginative peek into a little girl's nightime fancies drawn and written with sensitivity and flair. This is a rare book that should be shared. It was given to me by a woman who loves me, and I bought a copy for each of my four daughters after reading it.
Cool book to read to slightly older kids........2002-10-26
The amount of text in this book makes it look like an early reader, but the basic questions it poses can make an adult stop and think. It covers the essential questions that plague humans since we became aware of our own existence within the world. Why are we here? It does not really answer that question, but it poses it in such a way that you just feel good.
Philosophy at its Best.......2002-04-20
It is hard to believe that one simple book could hold more philosophy than John Locke, Plato, or Einstein, but it is true. If you allow yourself to go where Stormy Night wanders, your mind and heart will be opened up to the world. This book explores life, the universe, and everything, and asks those questions that kids wonder, and adults conveniently forget about. This book doesn't discriminate, it doesn't label, it doesn't seek to teach. It simply seeks for equinamity and understanding. It is ironically fitting that the author uses a storm metaphor to show the true thinking power behind open-mindedness. For many people it takes nothing less than an unsettling(storm) to allow them to reach the greatest expanses of their understanding. By using simple phrases and complicated pictures, Stormy night transcends the universe, allowing any person to explore their true inquisitive nature. Read this book to your kids when they are old enough, and allow them to explore new ideas, never stifle their imagination. Buy this book, and let yourself go to that place that frightens some, and envigorates others. Let this book show you to never discount any idea. Let this book give you a tear in the eye, a smile in the mouth, a twinkle of the eye, a beat of the heart, and an expansion of the mind.
sweet illustrations, deep thoughts :-).......2000-07-26
I simply adore this book. The economy-of-line drawings are sweet and simply precious. The hardbound book is a classy-presented volume suitable for a coffeetable or as the "feature" on your bookshelf. The back spine is black cloth and the front and back covers are smooth clay paper. The pages are thick, sturdy cotton and just shy of being considered card stock... very nice.
During a stormy night, a young girl, probably 9-12 years old, has trouble sleeping and her dog keeps her company as she ponders life's deepest questions. Her dog attentively follows her as she raids the refrigerator, brushes her teeth and sits on her bed. As she eats, you see many little bone-shaped dog treats on the floor... it is just too cute!
During the night, her parents are obviously asleep and her dog is the only bounding board she has for questions such as, "Will I know when it's my time to die?" and "Will it hurt?" and makes suppositions about her future and station in life.
The book wanders closely into the realm of new age, but it doesn't really teach any "new" concepts... the thoughts the little girl is pondering are thoughts all kids have, but rarely share with anyone... thoughts and fears that stay with us if a belief system is not introduced in the home. This is a great book to read with your children... it opens up topics of discussion in a very non-threatening environment and opens the stage for teaching children your beliefs concerning what happens when we die, etc.
The book might be a little to intimidating to very young readers to absorb by themselves, but as a night-time read with a parent, even a five year old can participate in conversation about such topics... but really young readers may have trouble with the detailed drawings. Visually, the drawings are for more sophisticated eyes. As an adult, I just love this little book.
Only Truth.......2000-05-28
I read this book in 20 minutes. In those twenty minutes I felt every conceivable human emotion that it is possible to experience. This book contains the Weight of Life inside of it. The "plot" is fairly simple: One stormy night, a woman (and her dog) contemplate the nagging fears and questions that seem, at one point or another, to nag at everyone. Michele Lemieux's illustrations complement exactly the feelings expressed by the questions asked. Perhaps this is the most contemplative and introspective book I have ever read, though I do not believe that anything I could write here could express that. Next time you're in a book store, just flip through it, and you'll see what I mean.
Book Description
It is the end of an historical epoch, but to an old professor of physics, Victor Jakob, sitting in his unlighted study, eating dubious bread with jam made from turnips, it is the end of a way of thinking in his own subject. Younger men have challenged the classical world picture of physics and are looking forward to observational tests of Einstein's new theory of relativity as well as the creation of a quantum mechanics of the atom. It is a time of both apprehension and hope.
In this remarkable book, the reader literally inhabits the mind of a scientist while Professor Jakob meditates on the discoveries of the past fifty years and reviews his own life and career--his scientific ambitions and his record of small successes. He recalls the great men who taught or inspired him: Helmholtz, Hertz, Maxwell, Planck, and above all Paul Drude, whose life and mind exemplified the classical virtues of proportion, harmony, and grace that Jakob reveres. In Drude's shocking and unexpected suicide, we see reflected Jakob's own bewilderment and loss of bearings as his once secure world comes to an end in the horrors of the war and in the cultural fragmentation wrought by twentieth-century modernism. His attempt to come to terms with himself, with his life in science, and with his spiritual legacy will affect deeply everyone who cares about the fragile structures of civilization that must fall before the onrush of progress.
Customer Reviews:
trapped in shifting paradigms.......2004-02-07
Victor Jakob, an aging German physicist in 1918 faces the destruction of Germany after World War I, but even more, tries to salvage something from the realization that his life's work has been in vain. He realizes that his personal search for the world-ether has been as hopeless as the Reich's effort at domination. After a century of living with the implications of quantum mechanics and general relativity, and in a time when string theory attempts to explain it all, it's difficult to understand the unsettling options that bewildered physicists at the turn of the century
<
<
<
>>>
An interesting analogy is given by the old physicist, which takes even greater relevance with the discoveries in superstring theory that emerged after this book was written:
<
<
<
>>>
This novel is sadly lyric and brings together musings on many fundamental themes.
Not an easy read, but thought provoking........1999-03-18
Did you know that before quantum physics or atomic physics, classical physics maintained that there was a world ether through which light waves traveled? I had no idea what the struggle this old physicist was having because I did't even know that what he was losing had ever existed. However, I learned a lot, not only about the history of physics, but about a German scientist's view of science and his home land. If you would like a challenge, try this one, but don't take it to the beach.
Average customer rating:
|
Night Thoughts: Or, the Complaint and the Consolation
Edward Young , and
William Blake
Manufacturer: Dover Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
British & Irish
| Single Authors
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Blake, William
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0486202194 |
Book Description
Superb reproduction of 1797 publication of four sections of Edward Young’s popular poem Night Thoughts, illustrated with 43 designs by William Blake. Images of angels, spirits, poets, sensuous women, Life, Death, Reason and Truth swirl about Young’s text, adding to its meaning and revealing much of Blake’s own vision. Plate-by-plate commentaries by Professors Robert Essick and Jenijoy La Belle. Introduction. Bibliography. 43 illus.
Customer Reviews:
Unjustly forgotten.......2002-02-10
This is the reprint of the edition published in 1797, with engravings of William Blake. The poem itself, enormously popular in the 18th century, is now shrouded in obscurity, and it stays in print only due to Blake's illustrations. But despite of its unpopularity, I found it quite enjoyable. It is best read in one sitting, without interrupting the constant flow of ideas and thoughts. It is a meditation, at once introspective and all-encompassing, a contemplation of Death, Time, Friendship, and Immortality of man. Granted, it does tend to drag on too much in the last chapter, but the first ones are so good they're worthy of being memorized. Blake's engravings, surrounding the text as a frame, capture the essense of the poem and at the same time enhance it, adding to it even more depth. The poem's abstract concepts take shape, making some passages more memorable. (This edition includes a commentary on the pictures' symbolism.) The book is worth getting for the engravings alone; it is a work of art in every sense of the word.
Average customer rating:
|
Thoughts of a Night Sea
Lavinia Greenlaw
Manufacturer: Merrell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Nature & Wildlife
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1858942225 |
Books:
- The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities
- The Flute and Flute-Playing in Acoustical, Technical, and Artistic Aspects
- The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution
- The Heart of the Artist
- The Last Holiday Concert
- The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made
- The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning: A Project of the Music Educators National Conference
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World with CD-ROM
- The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction
- Life and Health Insurance: License Exam Manual
- Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet
- The Colours of Infinity: The Beauty, The Power and the Sense of Fractals
- The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You
- The Cougar Almanac: A Complete Natural History of the Mountain Lion
- The Winds Of Change: A Richard Jury Mystery
- Normas Contables Argentinas
- Board Member Orientation: Strategies for Nonprofit Executives