Walkin' the Talk: An Anthology of African American Studies

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harper American Literature, Single Volume Edition (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Possibly the best available U.S. lit anthology
I've taught using this book
I've used textbooks before...

Harper American Literature, Single Volume Edition (3rd Edition)
Donald McQuade , Robert Atwan , Martha Banta , Justin Kaplan , David Minter , and Robert Stepto
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0321012690

Customer Reviews:

Possibly the best available U.S. lit anthology.......2001-09-10

No anthology of United States literature is going to be ideal for every student, teacher, or general reader. But "The Harper Single Volume American Literature," under the general editorship of Donald McQuade, is probable the best overall anthology of its kind. Weighing in at about 3000 pages, this is a huge gathering of American voices. The third edition of this text includes some major changes.

The anthology starts out with such foundational texts as Native American myths, an excerpt from an Icelandic saga about the discovery of the New World, and writings of Christopher Columbus. There follows a good sampling of 17th century Colonial literature. From there, the anthology moves chronologically to the contemporary era.

There is a great diversity of material here: poetry, autobiography, letters, speeches, short stories, excerpts from novels, plays, political documents, and more. The authors chosen represent the ethnic diversity of the U.S.: there are Asian American, African American, Native American, Jewish, Latino/a, and other voices. There is a good balance of male and female authors, and an interesting representation of lesbian and gay literature (most notably the first part of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America"). Through it all, most of the great names in U.S. literature appear.

There are informative introductions to each of the book's separate sections. Also fascinating are the several "Cultural Portfolios" scattered throughout the book. These are gatherings of texts and (in most cases) images that reflect a focused theme: the Salem witch trials, the Harlem Renaissance, etc. The most interesting of these Cultural Portfolios, in my opinion, is the one entitled "Who Is an American Writer?" This portfolio questions why some writers are "excluded" from the "canon" on the basis of birthplace, citizenship, or language in which they write; the portfolio includes examples of the writings of Vladimir Nabokov, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Maria Irene Fornes, Bharati Mukherjee, and others.

As excellent as this anthology is, there are some flaws. There is a virtual exclusion of important science fiction authors. Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Ursula LeGuin, Ray Bradbury, Samuel Delany: neither these nor any of the other great sci-fi writers appear. The neglect of this important genre is lamentable.

I also question the inclusion of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in its entirety. This book is a pivotal masterpiece, but it is widely available in a number of inexpensive additions. I would have used the space in the anthology to include a variety of other works by Twain and other authors, and let interested teachers order a copy of "Huckleberry" separately.

Despite its flaws, this is a truly outstanding anthology. If you have a serious interest in the literature and history of the United States, I recommend that you get this book.

I've taught using this book.......2001-08-17

This is a nice collection for the 21st century, including lots of new voices while still maintaining enough of the canon for a good survey course. It's a big, heavy book (for a paperback) that might have been easier to read in two volumes, but as far as content goes, this one has Norton's beat by miles.

I've used textbooks before..........2000-11-16

but this is undoubtedly the best Anthology of American Literature available, if only because of the sheer variety and bulk of literature contained in it. As an added plus, there's background information on every author contained in the book. The writing varies from Columbus's diaries to late 20th century poetry, so there's something to interest everyone. All in all, it's a wonderful buy for the price.

The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Package 1: Volumes A-B

Average customer rating:

Wrong Product
"Canon" balls
Terrible...F-
Not revisionism, breadth
More Mathers Please

The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Package 1: Volumes A-B

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0393977935

Book Description

Now available in a portable multi-volume format, The Norton Anthology of American Literature is the classic survey of American literature from its sixteenth-century origins to its flourishing present.

The Sixth Edition offers the work of 242 writers—30 newly included—representing the extraordinary wealth and diversity of American literature. Among the many major works included in their entirety are Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Thoreau's Walden, Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Clemens's Huckleberry Finn, Chopin's The Awakening, Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, Larsen's Quicksand, Ginsberg's "Howl," Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, and Parks's The America Play. Informative introductions, headnotes, footnotes, and bibliographies accompany the texts.

Package 1, "Literature to 1865," contains two slipcased volumes: "Literature to 1820" (Volume A) and "1820-1865" (Volume B).

Customer Reviews:

Wrong Product.......2007-02-08

Seller would not accept return or even respond when informed about it being the wrong product.

"Canon" balls.......2005-02-26

Except for the silliness of Avishai Mallinger, I can sympathize with the view points of all the reviews of the anthology. I am using the 1820-1865 vol in a class right now and must say, I find the selections over-all quite varied and enjoyable. I do fear that in our pluralistic society, the American Literary Canon is being distorted to fit material that is only included due to the minority status of it's author, or the political correctness of its subject matter. An example, I think, is the inclusion of the rather churlish William Apess.

I have always been dismayed by the American pedagogy's fetish for slavery, and that preoccupation is well exemplified here. I must ask if the inclusion of both Harriet Beecher Stowe AND Harriet Jacobs was strictly necessary, and I find it unnecessary to sound the beautiful deeps of Thoreau to bring up his opinion of the same institution. And not only his, but Longfellow's as well. And not only his, but Emerson's as well. In my own class, "Nature" was dismissed with a cursory glance, while "Last of the Anti-slavery Lectures" became a paper topic.

However, if the Canon were not revised, I might not have been treated to the wonderful Margaret Fuller or the fascinating Enlightenment piece of the first of the Cherokee Memorials. It is only by reading and testing such material that we can determine if it is truly worthy of being canonized. Anthology revision, in it's successes and failures is a part of that process.

Terrible...F-.......2004-09-13

As a student who is forced to read this book, I must say that it is one of the most dense and boring compilations of literature I have ever read. All of these writings are so dull and pointless that they just make me want to rip up this junk. But then again I want to re-sell this at the end of the semester to get some kind of money back. I can buy like 6 CDs or 3/4 DVDs for the amount of money i had to waste to support the Norton series. I now associate having to read any kind of Norton book with hell.

Not revisionism, breadth.......2003-10-24

The reviewer who complains about the great authors being excluded in favour of the mediocre is missing the point. For me, to study American literature is not just to study the great works. Instead, it's to study American literature. That includes slave songs, native American chants, and anything else that was produced with a commitment to art and expression rather than simple commerce. We can't, of course, read everything but have to limit ourselves to reading representitive samples. And those representitive samples will include the great works which should, rightly, dominate. But to exclude the rest of the American works that those great works grew out of is to give, I think, a perverse view of what "American literature" means. Do you read only the flowers or view the field as a whole and see the flowers as they fit into the ecology? Is it a study of American literature or a study of selected great works? Lately, the Norton anthologies have been moving towards the broader view. It may not be what you want to do but to disparage it as unworthy is wrong.

More Mathers Please.......2003-10-01

Is this all the Mathers you get? What about Jerry and Marshall. And we all know that early American lit is more boring than the late stuff. This anthology would really benefit from some Chuck Palaniak.

My favorite novel included is Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to go without church for all that time. She really had strength.

Book Description

The New Oxford Picture Dictionary and its components provide a complete, four-skills language development program. The program is: BLPractical - a wide range of topics introduce new words in their most common context. BLEasy to use - vocabulary items are presented without ambiguity or the need for translation. BLVersatile - the Dictionary itself and its components have unlimited applications. BLFlexible - the Dictionary can be used alone or with its components.

Customer Reviews:

GOOD FOR ADULTS LEARNING SPANISH .......2007-02-07

I don't normally review any items on Amazon but I must take the time to review this picture dictionary. I am 57 years old and using the dictionary for myself. I like it because the vocabulary words are grouped by subject: the kitchen, eating out, the bedroom and items relating to those subjects.

I have found this dictionary quite enjoyable. I love studying Spanish even though my memory is not what it used to be.

is good to learn english.......2007-01-11

La verdad me parece que este libro esta mas dirigido para personas que quieren aprender ingles. Yo lo compre pensando que podria ensenarle espanol a mi esposo.

Excellent Resource.......2006-03-21

As a teacher for community Adult ESL classes with 100% Spanish speaking students I can say that my classes are THRILLED with this bi-lingual, pictoral resource. I know some schools of thought resist the use of native language but my students find comfort and help with the bi-lingual translations (as do I as a Spanish Language learner). This book gives you lots of bang for your buck and the teacher resource materials are very useful, too!!!

Great for ESL or for teens and up learning Spanish.......2006-01-03

I used this for several years in my Adult ESL classes - the words, and matching up the numbers are a little cumbersome for any age younger than junior high, I think. The only drawback is the lack of phonetic spelling - I think we expect it from a dictionary, but most picture dictionaries leave that part out for some reason.

This is not a good book for young children - too many things to look at on one page...EXCELLENT resource for adults and teens, though, who are eager to increase vocabulary and are confident with pronunciation. I use it a lot in my Spanish classes, and even as a reference, when wanting to boost the vocabulary list for the week.

For the younger child, try Flip Flop Spanish, which comes with a CD.

very informative.......2005-08-20

What is there to say about the book. It's got tons of pictures and with a number next to all the pictures, it tells you at the bottom how to say that object in english and in spanish. Very helpful.

Average customer rating:

easily the best of its kind
Ian Myles Slater on: A Classic Anthology
Most concise and precise book on Indian Philosophy
Most concise and precise book on Indian Philosophy
The gateway to the mind begins here.

A Source Book in Indian Philosophy
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , and Charles A. Moore
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Eastern Philosophy | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0691019584

Customer Reviews:

easily the best of its kind.......2004-08-06

the book is invaluable for the student of indian philosophy. but please note that it is not an exposition of indian philosophy by the authors. it is a "source book" ie the book presents original translated tracts and abstracts from various original works.

radhakrishnan was a true philosopher par excellence and knew his subject. so whatever is philosophically crucial and important in the set of literature he surveyed he has presented relevant passages and abstracts and excerpts from these texts. from the vedas to the upanishads to the dharma shaastra (manu) to the arthashastra to the various schools of philosophy - lokayata (book includes an excerpt from the rare jayarashi bhatta's tattvopaplavasimha), jainism (syaadvaadamanjari etc), buddhism (several of the suttas, chapters from milinda and visuddhimagga, last two chapters of the mulamaadhyamika kaarika, the whole of vaasubandhu's vijnaaptimaatrataasiddhi etc) and the so called orthodox schools (important verses from ishvara krishna's samkya karika with gaudapada's commentary, patanjala yoga sutra with vyaasa's commentary, nyaya and vaiseshika sutras with their commentaries including some chapters from udhayana's kusumanjali, mimamsa sutra with kumarilla's shloka/tantra vaarika, shankara's, ramanuja's and madhva's commentary on on the brahma sutras etc) important verses/passages are presented.

finally there are even chapters on modern philosophers like sri aurbindo.

notable omissions are sphotavaada and saiva siddhaanta.

only thing to fault with radhakrishnan is that he uncritically accepted the so called invasion theory which today is heavily disputed and discredited as a tool of colonial imperialism and slowly being negated. but that does take away from the professor the penetration of his intellect or his respect and knowledge for the subject.

Ian Myles Slater on: A Classic Anthology.......2003-10-25

Originally published in 1957, and reissued in paperback in the 1960s, this is basically a textbook (or supplementary reading source) for the serious study of the philosophical schools of India -- very much including the religious traditions.

Radhakrishnan and Moore assembled and edited an impressive body of material, most of it in selections, with useful introductions and helpful notes. It begins with philosophical passages in early Sanskrit religious texts, and proceeds through their orthodox interpreters, through heterodox approaches (materialist, Jaina, and Buddhist), and the medieval synthesizers, and concludes with a chapter each on two modern Indian philosophers, Sri Aurobindo and Radhakrishnan himself.

Although the work is careful and solid, it represents a half-century-old point of view, and especially bibliographically is in places quite out of date. So far as I am aware, however, there is no recent, but equally comprehensive and well-documented collection, available in English (specific topics are another matter). The translations are in places not only old but unappealing. It can be misleading, and at the very least it does not deal with fifty-odd years of controversy over the absolute and relative datings of various key texts. With this in mind, however, it is certainly worth reading.

This should be the whole content of my review; the remainder, is I fear, currently necessary, for reasons external to the book in question.

The age of the book has left it open to attacks which are less reasonable, from certain Indian nationalists and their more naive supporters, including reviewers here. The editors took for granted the conventional view (since the later nineteenth century) that the recorded history of Indian thought begins with the ancient literature in Sanskrit, itself a very early example of the Indo-European languages (see below). Anything earlier is either irretrievably lost, or inextricably interwoven with the Sanskrit and Prakrit (medieval vernacular) heritage, including that in the Dravidian languages of south Asia, notably Tamil.

This conflicts with traditional Hindu (and Jaina and Buddhist) views about the eternal nature of Indian civilization, and from a religious point of view is simply wrong; but Indian concepts of time are one of the subjects covered in this book (if not entirely adequately), and have little to do with Western empirical studies. (A Christian Fundamentalist or ultra-Orthodox Jew would have equivalent, if opposite, objections.)

In the absence of extended texts (instead of clusters of undeciphered glyphs) from the Indus Valley civilization, this is still the basic working assumption, despite attempts to recognize Shiva, for example, in ancient art. The dates are, within limits, open to debate, and the relationship of the arrival of the "Aryas" to the fall of the Indus Valley civilization is no longer taken as obvious. Still, the Sanskrit language is regarded as having entered India with invading tribes from the north, which occupied the inviting plains of northern India (including modern Pakistan). Their ("Vedic") language and culture, if not the tribes themselves, very slowly spread over the northern part of the subcontinent, and eventually beyond. (This has historical parallels, including the Persians, Alexander's Macedonians, and a variety of later, more permanent, invaders, most recently Muslims from Central Asia.) The ancient oral literature of the "Aryas" (Noble Ones), encapsulated in the Vedas and Brahmanas, is the foundation of later developments, including the Upanishads, the Epics, and the Puranas.

Some reviewers, perhaps accepting well-publicized recent "discoveries" (of an often dubious nature), seem to find this objectionable. They are either implicitly denying the well-known relationship of Sanskrit to Old Persian, and of both to Greek, Latin, and the Slavic, Baltic, Celtic, Germanic (and several other) languages, or they are arguing that the whole Indo-European (or, especially for German scholars, "Indo-Germanic") language group originated in India.

This latter approach was a view entertained in the nineteenth-century infancy of comparative linguistics; it has had a revival in India, where it has an understandable appeal. (Starting their history with an unrecorded invasion is an annoying idea -- although it leaves India in the same "humiliating" position as most of Europe.) Radhakrishnan and Moore were certainly familiar with some earlier versions of this position (including a variant which expressed open sympathy with the "Aryans" of Nazi Germany), and ignored them.

The "out of India" choice requires accepting that the ancient Indo-European speakers (in modern thought, a linguistic, not a genetic, grouping), instead of spreading throughout Eurasia in unrelated migrations and episodes of cultural influence, marched north from India, over the Himalayas, across some of the world's most rugged terrain, and spread out, presumably conquering as they went, imposing their language on the subjugated peoples, who learned to speak it as best they could.

This is possible to imagine, if militarily (and otherwise) highly unlikely. It presents India as the original colonial super-power, however. This view is actually endorsed, if not widely publicized in the West, by a variety of nationalist groups in India, whose "anti-imperialism" is apparently limited to recent, and European or Muslim, empires.

Those who want to present India in a positive light should perhaps complain less about what is, on the whole an admiring look at the sub-continents' more peaceful (if occasionally startlingly pragmatic / Machiavellian) contributions to history, in volumes like the present one. Radhakrishnan and Moore made a serious effort to explain the intellectual heritage of India. I wish I didn't feel it was necessary to defend them.

Most concise and precise book on Indian Philosophy.......2002-09-26

1) The best feature of this book is: it has the actual texts of so many great works like Vedas, Upanishads, Gita etc. For this one reason itself, it is a must have book, where else will you get such a concise and precise translations of all the major Indian texts all in one place.

2) It deals extensively not only with Upanishads and other six Darshanas but also includes Arth Shastra by Kautilya(Chanakya), the famous Indian economist/politician (contemporary to Alexander). It also included Bhagvat Gita and the famous Karma Yoga, as one would expect in any Indian philosophy book!

3) It summarizes the key-features of all the seemingly different Indian philosophies Buddhism/Jainism/Charvaka/Hinduism very succintly in the first chapter. I particularly liked the seven key similarities of Indian thought on page xxiii from the general introduction.

4) Another interesting part is on page xxx where the authors argue why one should undertake the study of Indian philosophy and how should it be taken. It takes historical, political and philosophical stand-points. Again, a must read!

4) One flaw of the book is that they have kind of assumed whole-heartedly with the Aryan Invasion Theory stating that Aryans came from outside India and settled in India around 2000 bc. However, this theory is seriously debated by many contemporary scholars like Prof Edwin Bryant (PhD from Columbia, now teaching at Rutgers), Prof Klaus Klostermaier (author of many Hinduism books, retired from Univ of Manitoba, Canada, now teaching at Oxford, UK), Prof Subhash Kak etc. Some of these scholars maintain that Aryans were native inhabitants of India who went to other parts of the world, starting from India. But, it is still a big controvery until solid evidences are found.

5) Other problem is: on page xxix, it is mentioned that the people from the varna, Shudra (sudra), are not religiously initiated Hindus and they dont have to undergo the four Aashrams (stages) of the human-life. This is also not agreeable statement as the same Manu-Smriti which has stated this has also stated elsewhere, that one becomes Dvija(twice born) of the first there varnas, ONLY by character and not just by birth alone. It prescribes the mobility between different varnas.

Most concise and precise book on Indian Philosophy.......2002-09-26

1) The best feature of this book is: it has the actual texts of so many great works like Vedas, Upanishads, Gita etc. For this one reason itself, it is a must have book, where else will you get such a concise and precise translations of all the major Indian texts all in one place.

2) It deals extensively not only with Upanishads and other six Darshanas but also includes Arth Shastra by Kautilya(Chanakya), the famous Indian economist/politician (contemporary to Alexander). It also included Bhagvat Gita and the famous Karma Yoga, as one would expect in any Indian philosophy book!

3) It summarizes the key-features of all the seemingly different Indian philosophies Buddhism/Jainism/Charvaka/Hinduism very succintly in the first chapter. I particularly liked the seven key similarities of Indian thought on page xxiii from the general introduction.

4) Another interesting part is on page xxx where the authors argue why one should undertake the study of Indian philosophy and how should it be taken. It takes historical, political and philosophical stand-points. Again, a must read!

4) One flaw of the book is that they have kind of assumed whole-heartedly with the Aryan Invasion Theory stating that Aryans came from outside India and settled in India around 2000 bc. However, this theory is seriously debated by many contemporary scholars like Prof Edwin Bryant (PhD from Columbia, now teaching at Rutgers), Prof Klaus Klostermaier (author of many Hinduism books, one of which was assigned reading in this class too, retired from Univ of Manitoba, Canada, now teaching at Oxford, UK), Prof Subhash Kak etc. Some of these scholars maintain that Aryans were native inhabitants of India who went to other parts of the world, starting from India. But, it is still a big controvery until solid evidences are found.

5) Other problem is: on page xxix, it is mentioned that the people from the varna, Shudra (sudra), are not religiously initiated Hindus and they dont have to undergo the four Aashrams (stages) of the human-life. This is also not agreeable statement as the same Manu-Smriti which has stated this has also stated elsewhere, that one becomes Dvija(twice born) of the first there varnas, ONLY by character and not just by birth alone. It prescribes the mobility between different varnas.

The gateway to the mind begins here........1997-07-05

Anyone like Krshna? This book, full of Sanskrit and Pali terms, not only expands the mind with new vocabulary, but adds a whole new dimension to the field of thought and understanding. If anyone wants a taste of Eastern Philosophy at its most difficult level, this is the book to read.

Voces de Hispanoamerica: Antología literaria

Average customer rating:

Textbook
more explanation please

Voces de Hispanoamerica: Antología literaria
Raquel Chang-Rodríguez , and Malva E. Filer
Manufacturer: Heinle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0838416535

Book Description

The market-leading anthology, Voces de Hispanoamérica, includes authors from the Colonial period to the present and incorporates some of the most influential writers in Spanish America. Readers are provided with necessary background information and context to study, analyze, and evaluate literary works.

Customer Reviews:

Textbook.......2005-09-24

Typical literature textbook. Layout is nice because of chronological groupings. Also, I like the biographical information about each author.

more explanation please.......2000-04-11

This book has an excellent array of works from latin american authors, but no explanation whatsoever. At the beginning of the chapters there is a small overview of the literary world at the time of the authors, but if you are unfamiliar with latin american history, this overview is not enough. Be prepared for outside research if you want to understand fully why these authors wrote the things they did.

Average customer rating:

New Anthology takes American Poetry to a new level
Oxford Collection - need I say more?
An Invitation into the World of American Poetry
The Gold Standard, Updated At Last
Unbalanced and Biased

The Oxford Book of American Poetry
David Lehman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 019516251X

Book Description

Here is the eagerly awaited new edition of The Oxford Book of American Poetry brought completely up to date and dramatically expanded by poet David Lehman. It is a rich, capacious volume, featuring the work of more than 200 poets-almost three times as many as the 1976 edition. With a succinct and often witty head note introducing each author, it is certain to become the definitive anthology of American poetry for our time. Lehman has gathered together all the works one would expect to find in a landmark collection of American poetry, from Whitman's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry to Stevens's The Idea of Order at Key West, and from Eliot's The Waste Land to Ashbery's Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But equally important, the editor has significantly expanded the range of the anthology. The book includes not only writers born since the previous edition, but also many fine poets overlooked in earlier editions or little known in the past but highly deserving of attention. The anthology confers legitimacy on the Objectivist poets; the so-called Proletariat poets of the 1930s; famous poets who fell into neglect or were the victims of critical backlash (Edna St. Vincent Millay); poets whose true worth has only become clear with the passing of time (Weldon Kees). Among poets missing from Richard Ellmann's 1976 volume but published here are W. H. Auden, Charles Bukowski, Donald Justice, Carolyn Kizer, Kenneth Koch, Stanley Kunitz, Emma Lazarus, Mina Loy, Howard Moss, Lorine Niedecker, George Oppen, James Schuyler, Elinor Wylie, and Louis Zukosky. Many more women are represented: outstanding poets such as Josephine Jacobsen, Josephine Miles, May Swenson. Numerous African-American poets receive their due, and unexpected figures such as the musicians Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and Robert Johnson have a place in this important work. This stunning collection redefines the great canon of American poetry from its origins in the 17th century right up to the present. It is a must-have anthology for anyone interested in American literature and a book that is sure to be consulted, debated, and treasured for years to come. Web Site A companion web site is now available at a href="http://www.oxfordpoetry.com"www.oxfordpoetry.com/a

Customer Reviews:

New Anthology takes American Poetry to a new level.......2007-09-16

David Lehman's collective process is very well done. The earlier editions of this anthology don't use Whitman as a pinnacle point in the tradition of American poetry. I highly recommend this to any avid reader of poetry, students, teachers, or just those curious about a succinct overview of American poetics.

Oxford Collection - need I say more?.......2007-02-09

An amazing collection - thorough - thoughtful - and a delight to browse through.

An Invitation into the World of American Poetry.......2006-12-19

If you love poetry, one book will never satisfy your hunger or lifelong search for poem perfection. Each book offers a unique perspective and The Oxford Book of American Poetry seeks to present an American viewpoint with over 200 poets revealing their most intimate thoughts. The poems warmly present insights into the viewpoint of the poets as they comment on cultural norms or decry conditions of their times.

The first poems seem to set a tradition of extensive stories to blend observations in nature with descriptions of insights into moments. Poems like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Bridge" have a soft beauty and thoughtful reflective quality. "To One in Paradise" by Edgar Allen Poe is stunning and revelatory in its romantic appeal. "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" also appear.

Many of the poems retain a historical significance and present a record of the emotions felt by those viewing the birth of new freedoms. The delicious culinary poem about "Hasty-Pudding" was a sweet surprise.

"I am the poet of the body,
And I am the poet of the soul."
~Walt Whitman

I will say that I became entranced by Walt Whitman's enthusiastic portrayal of life and his poems are an especially luminous moment that spans across many pages, which are needed because The Song of Myself (1855 edition) is included and takes up 48 pages! His soul seems to dance between moments as if infusing all he observes with an expansive optimism steeped in appreciation for all that he experiences. I loved these lines from "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd:"

"Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul,
There in the fragrant pines and cedars dusk and dim."

While most of the first 100 or so pages were completely new to me, hope dawned as I started to discover familiar favorites like "Wild Nights" by Emily Dickinson. "The Road Not Taken" appeared along the way and "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams reveals beautiful images of cool plums from an icebox . My favorite poem by Elinor Wylie did not make it into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by "The Puritan's Ballad" which is very sensual:

"Within his arms I feared to sink
Where lions shook their manes,
And dragons drawn in azure ink
Leapt quickened by his veins."

If you crave the sensuality of language and longing, there is much to enjoy. While most of the poems do not focus on romantic longings, there are quite a few sensual poems. Denise Levertov explores male longing in his poem: "The Mutes" where he presents a striking reality.

"Swan and Shadow" by John Hollander is actually shaped like a swan on a lake with its reflection and was a lovely visual surprise. Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" appears along with "Shoveling Snow with Buddha" and "Dharma." Rachel Hadas presents cool crisp images in "Riverside Park:"

"...strolling lovers vanish in the glare
flung from the river by the westering sun.
I can hardly claim to be alone.
Nevertheless, of all whom autumn's new
russet brocades are draping, none is you."

While longing and desire do seem present in many of the poems, the sheer desire of the poet to communicate the experiences seems to be the main theme throughout. Dana Gioia's "Summer Storm" brings a moment as close to our experience as it can possibly be in a poem. Rain from a sudden thunderstorm is almost symbolic of a sudden attraction that is highly memorable.

Some of the poets featured in this anthology include: Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Francis Scott Key, Julia Ward Howe, Herman Melville, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker, E.E. Cummings, W. H. Auden, Kenneth Rexroth and Sylvia Plath.

It is my theory that if you find one or two new poems, then you have succeeded in your reading mission. Throughout this book I found many poems I not only liked, but I loved. Most of the poems were completely new to me and do span such an extensive time period (Poets born between 1616 and 1950), it is more than likely impossible to find all these poems in your own lifetime if you were to try to read a book by each of the poets. This is a much easier way to find poets you might enjoy and then you can select a few poetry books by poets you truly think you will love.

If you enjoy American Poetry, then "The Best American Poetry 2005" may also intrigue you. I'm working my way through the "Best American Poetry" series and have been impressed with how each book paints a picture of a year in the life of America.

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. If you enjoy poetry, I think you may love poems
by Brian Douthit and Diane Anjoue. The book "Eyes of the Poet"
is truly beautiful.

The Gold Standard, Updated At Last.......2006-11-07

The Oxford Book of American Poetry has always been the best collection of American poetry, even when it hadn't been updated for decades. It was the standard text at UC Berkeley in my poetry classes taught by Prof. Robert Hass, a remarkable man and a brilliant teacher, who now has the distinctions not only of having been named America's Poet Laureate, but also of having been included in this latest edition. The Oxford Press has one again put out a volume without equal.

Unbalanced and Biased.......2006-06-11

An anthology of this type should capture representative selections of all worthy poets; given that personal bias, I find this to be an unbalanced treatment of American verse. Walt Whitman gets 68 pages (as though his work is not readily available elsewhere), while the entire contribution of Stanley Kunitz (just to note a single example) is reflected in one short poem--and many other fine poets are slighted in this lamentable fashion.

Glance through the table of contents and browse the volume itself, and you'll find tiny snippets of some of our best poets, engulfed by huge selections of the few that this editor considers laudable.

It's unfortunate that Oxford should have issued a biased and arbitrary selection of this sort, which is of very limited use to those interested in the breadth of achievement of American poets. Many other anthologies offer more generous selections of accomplished poets, and will, one imagines, be much more frequently consulted by readers looking for a favorite poem.

Average customer rating:

Mapping Tantra
Unacknowledged contributors
The choice of topics misses the heart of tantra
Good overview...
Forgets to focus on the central idea of tantra

Tantra in Practice

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

China | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Nepal | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Tibet | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Tibetan | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mysticism | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0691057788

Book Description

As David White explains in the Introduction to Tantra in Practice, Tantra is an Asian body of beliefs and practices that seeks to channel the divine energy that grounds the universe, in creative and liberating ways. The subsequent chapters reflect the wide geographical and temporal scope of Tantra by examining thirty-six texts from China, India, Japan, Nepal, and Tibet, ranging from the seventh century to the present day, and representing the full range of Tantric experience--Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and even Islamic. Each text has been chosen and translated, often for the first time, by an international expert in the field who also provides detailed background material. Students of Asian religions and general readers alike will find the book rich and informative.

The book includes plays, transcribed interviews, poetry, parodies, inscriptions, instructional texts, scriptures, philosophical conjectures, dreams, and astronomical speculations, each text illustrating one of the diverse traditions and practices of Tantra. Thus, the nineteenth-century Indian Buddhist Garland of Gems, a series of songs, warns against the illusion of appearance by referring to bees, yogurt, and the fire of Malaya Mountain; while fourteenth-century Chinese Buddhist manuscripts detail how to prosper through the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper by burning incense, making offerings to scriptures, and chanting incantations. In a transcribed conversation, a modern Hindu priest in Bengal candidly explains how he serves the black Goddess Kali and feeds temple skulls lentils, wine, or rice; a seventeenth-century Nepalese Hindu praise-poem hammered into the golden doors to the temple of the Goddess Taleju lists a king's faults and begs her forgiveness and grace. An introduction accompanies each text, identifying its period and genre, discussing the history and influence of the work, and identifying points of particular interest or difficulty.

The first book to bring together texts from the entire range of Tantric phenomena, Tantra in Practice continues the Princeton Readings in Religions series. The breadth of work included, geographic areas spanned, and expert scholarship highlighting each piece serve to expand our understanding of what it means to practice Tantra.

Customer Reviews:

Mapping Tantra .......2006-12-04

D.G. White, author of the excellent yogic study and adventure story, "The Alchemical Body," here presents an edited compilation of articles about authentic Tantra traditions taken from the length & breadth of Indian-influenced Asia. Countries & cultures include: India (obviously), China, Tibet/Nepal and Japan, with articles on Hindu, Buddhist, Jain (Jain? yes, Jain), Islamic (!) and Shinto tantric traditions. Before this volume, who would have guessed at the sheer geographical pervasiveness of Tantric traditions? Topics vary from architecture to ethnography to poetry. The quality of the contributions is uniformly very good--well-written and well-organized--and most chapters include a translation, in whole or part, of an important or obscure tantra. The strongest point is that the authors are scholars, not practitioners, with the associated advantage is that, at last (and at least) the reader can avoid the fluff, hype and BS that pervades the field of so-called "Tantra." Reading this volume will go a long ways toward removing our conditioned ignorance, delusion and gullibility about "sacred sex" and "sacred orgasms," the phallacy of worshipping the linga/yoni of your current hot-sex partner as a god/dess, and the like. The jewels herein are too numerous to recount, but some of my favorites include Hudson's chapter, "Tantric Rites in Antal's Poetry," which rather lovingly introduces the poetry of Antal, a kind of Tamil Mirabai. Kudos to numerous authors for emphasizing the relationship between bhakti and tantra. The down side is that the authors are scholars, not practitioners, with the concomitant lack of experiential understanding about what actual tantric practices consisted of, and of what "cosmological homology," as a body of psychospiritual praxis rooted in various yogic practices, actually means in lived experience. (But, as White says in his Introduction, practice without theory is like a map without a legend.) That said, this volume does not suffer from the epidemic of post-modern sophistry--that is, you won't find here pretty words cleverly arranged to signify that Tantra was mere artwork or political posturing by miscreants (this disorder characterizes much of the sociological/literary-critic studies on Tantra). In short, what this volume sets out to do, it does very well. Still, to grasp actual tantric practice, you'll have to look elsewhere. But I am afraid that my guru forbade me to indicate where....

Unacknowledged contributors.......2004-06-03

The correct title of the book should read Tantra in Practice (Princeton Readings in Religions) by David Gordon White (Editor), Beavis and Butthead.

The choice of topics misses the heart of tantra.......2004-05-30

I would not recommend this book since the choice of topics enfogs the subject rather than illuminating it. This collection does indeed have some excellent contributions from leading scholars, but it is the whole package that is disappointing. I was also disappointed with White's own contributions.

Good overview..........2001-08-30

World-class scholars ANDRE PADOUX, PAUL E. MULLER-ORTEGA, DOUGLAS R. BROOKS and many others come together to write about Buddhist Tantra, Hindu Tantra, Jain Tantra, and Tantra and Islam in South Asia; //the countries covered are China, India, Japan, Nepal and Tibet.//
The topics discussed include:
--GURUS AND ADEPTS including "The Tantric Guru" by Andre Padoux, one of the best Kashmir Shaivism scholars in the world.
--KINGS AND PRIESTS
--DEVOTEES AND DEITIES
--TRADITIONS IN TRANSITIONS AND CONFLICTS
--TANTRIC PATHS including "The Ocean of the Heart: Selections from the Kularnava Tantra" by Douglas R. Brooks, one of the only brilliant scholars in the world to know Tantra "from the inside".
--RITES AND TECHNIQUES --YOGA AND MEDITATION
including "On the Seal of Shambhu: A Poem by Abhinavagupta" by Paul E. Muller-Ortega, the leading authority on Abhinavagupta, one of the 3 best scholars of Kashmir Shaivism with Alexis Sanderson and Andre Padoux.
//Any Indology student has to have read this book.

Forgets to focus on the central idea of tantra.......2001-05-02

This book has many excellent articles. Yet, it forgets to focus on the central idea of tantra which is the connections between the outer and inner cosmologies. The contributions thus get lost in the details, unable to find the grammar that would unlock the esoteric language of the medieval tantra texts.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books