Product Description
This book offers a powerful new interpretation of the philosophy of William James. It focuses on the multiple directions in which James' philosophy moves and the inevitable contradictions that arise as a result. Richard Gale shows how relativistic tendencies can be reconciled with James' account of mystical experience. Such is the range of James' philosophy that this stimulating new interpretation will find readers among those interested in the history of modern philosophy and especially in pragmatism, as well as in the history of ideas, religion, and American studies. ... Read more

Product Description
If you have tried hypnosis tapes and been disappointed with the results, it may be because the tapes weren't recorded with your voice. Self-Hypnosis for a Better Life by William W. Hewitt presents the breakthrough technique that will allow you to become your own hypnotherapist and improve your life. Using the system in this book, you will learn how to create self-hypnosis tapes in your own voice and be able to design your own self-improvement program.

Making these tapes is surprisingly easy. All you need is a tape recorder, a blank tape, and the complete instructions in this book. Simply make yourself comfortable and recite one of the 23 scripts included in the book.

The easy-to-follow scripts include self-hypnosis techniques to:

·Bring more love into your life
·Understand your dreams
·Help control your weight
·Control insomnia
·Improve your memory
·Increase self-confidence
·Enhance success at work
·Overcome phobias and fears
·Maintain good health
·Stop smoking
·Reduce stress
·Stimulate self-healing

Once you have made the tapes, you can use them at your convenience. Just pop in a tape, close your eyes, and allow your own voice to hypnotize you. As you use these tapes, you will discover that hypnosis is safe, pleasant, relaxing, comfortable, and effective.

Self-Hypnosis for a Better Life presents an elegant, simple system you can use to improve every area of your life. You owe it to yourself to get this book.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A waste of time
This is not what I expected, I was looking for strategies on various ways to hypnotize myself. This book contains statements that you can record on a tape and play back to yourself at a later day. This much I already knew and have done to some degree using various software programs.

So, the question is this, is this book worth your hard earned dollars? Not really IMHO, I think there are better free software programs (Do a Google search on brain waves) out there that you can use and you won't have to listen to that awful voice of yours while you stumble over someone else's ideas of how you can be great. All in all, I expected more and I got what I wasn't looking for.

Life Transforming
I have made several of these scripts onto CD's. From deeper sleep to work success you name it, the end results are 100%. There is no better person to hypnotize you than yourself.

Great as a guide for creating your recordings.
The book consists of scripts you can use to create recordings. The scripts are written in the third person (eg. "you are" rather than "I am"), which makes them easy to record without editing. The scripts are pretty good and make a good baseline for creating your own scripts/recordings.

I didn't expect it to be this good
I was very impressed with the scripts provided in this book. The author definitely knows his way around the subconscious mind.

This book contains many useful scripts, and is free of personal bias or any other type of preachy stuff. If you read a lot of hypnosis material, you know that is a rare combination.

Easy to use, it's a great start for a beginner!

Best Self Hypnosis Book Ever..............
-
Ya I can say that.You will never find this kind of book on self hypnosis.

There is a very brief introduction about Self-Hypnosis.Then 23 Scripts are given on different situation of life to work on.

Each script ends in about 30 minutes.Author suggests us to record these scripts in our own voice & listen to them according to our need.

I think this is a best idea for Self Hypnosis.Each Script starts with relaxation then Visualisation & then suggestion.

This is Great,like using the power of your own voice for your better life.I was wondering Why I didnt got this idea before? ... Read more

Product Description
To control and direct one's self is the path to SUCCESS, FREEDOM, and POWER! All truly great men and women who are considered "Magnetic" and know how to win and influence others did not achieve their abilities by chance. Their abilities are solely due to the mastery of The Art of Self-Control.

If YOU are one who feels unlucky, always passed over by Success, Popularity, Love or Money, this eBook will help you achieve your goals and ambitions.

Customer Reviews (1)

Where has this book, and author, been my whole life?
No feelings spared & no words wasted.this book is short BUT:
1.worth 10 times its weight in gold, &
2.packs a wallop to last a lifetime after only the first sentence.This book is going to form the basis of a study guide for me to work thru with my childrenDEFINITELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ... Read more

Product Description
CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2005

Some neurological patients exhibit a striking tendency to confabulate—to construct false answers to a question while genuinely believing that they are telling the truth. A stroke victim, for example, will describe in detail a conference he attended over the weekend when in fact he has not left the hospital. Normal people, too, sometimes have a tendency to confabulate; rather than admitting "I don't know," some people will make up an answer or an explanation and express it with complete conviction. In Brain Fiction, William Hirstein examines confabulation and argues that its causes are not merely technical issues in neurology or cognitive science but deeply revealing about the structure of the human intellect.

Hirstein describes confabulation as the failure of a normal checking or censoring process in the brain—the failure to recognize that a false answer is fantasy, not reality. Thus, he argues, the creative ability to construct a plausible-sounding response and some ability to check that response are separate in the human brain. Hirstein sees the dialectic between the creative and checking processes—"the inner dialogue"—as an important part of our mental life. In constructing a theory of confabulation, Hirstein integrates perspectives from different fields, including philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology to achieve a natural mix of conceptual issues usually treated by philosophers with purely empirical issues; information about the distribution of certain blood vessels in the prefrontal lobes of the brain, for example, or the behavior of split-brain patients can shed light on the classic questions of philosophy of mind, including questions about the function of consciousness. This first book-length study of confabulation breaks ground in both philosophy and cognitive science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Interesting Notion of Self-Deception
When asked to pick a book related to neuroscience, I was interested in finding one that was able to relate the two fields that I am interested in; neuroscience and neuropsychology.This book does a great job of relating these two fields in the explanation of confabulation and self-deception. Although this book was a somewhat difficult read, the topics discussed throughout the book are extremely thought-provoking.The detailed descriptions of examples of confabulation in patients along with the idea of self-deception in normal people, really made me think about all of the ways I have exhibited these same types of symptoms. Using these patient accounts, he is able to describe and thoroughly explain his definition of confabulation as "lying without the intent or knowledge that one is actually lying."
In the more scientific field of neuroscience, Hirstein describes confabulation with a set of syndromes that express confabulation. For example, in a patient with Korsakoff's syndrome, autobiographical memory is disrupted, so that this person will create confabulations to questions about themselves; how old are you, what did you do last night, and so on...There are also some other neurological syndromes defining confabulation such a anosognosia (denial of illness), Anton's syndrome (denial of blindness), and Capgras's delusion (the delusion that people to whom the patient is close have been replaced by impostors).Looking at these different disorders, Hirstein is able to come to conclusions as to where in the brain confabulation may originate, by looking at where the brain damage takes place in these patients.
In the neuropsychology field, Hirstein explains the process by which confabulation may occur.He states that there are two pathways by which our brains create a hypothesis.First, the brain generates a plausible hypothesis.Second, the brain checks this hypothesis with memory and knowledge that that person has. For a person to confabulate, both of these pathways must be damaged.For a person who is performing self-deception, there is no damage to these pathways, yet the checking process is somehow not being used.An interesting statistic used in the book was the fact that 94% of educators describe themselves as better at their job than the average colleague.Thus, obviously these educators have a self-deception rate of 44%.
What I really enjoyed about this book was how the author relates a normal person's self-deception to the clinically impaired confabulators.Hierstein suggests that there is very little difference between these two ideas, that the only difference between confabulation and self-deception is the confidence with which a person makes a claim.Confabulators have complete confidence in their claims, because their checking process' are damaged.Those who self-deceive have the ability to use memory and knowledge that may decrease this confidence in their own claims.
Although this book was exceedingly informative, I did have some problems with the way it was written.The amount of detail on each topic made the book feel very long and repetitive.I felt like, in many instances, the author kept repeating generalizations without ever making any new inferences to the overall goal of explaining confabulation.Also, although the author hints at an overall theory that may explain confabulation, the book is mostly references of incidents where confabulation occurs. Entire chapters are dedicated to these incidents, with very little conclusions made.
Overall, this book was an interesting read. The accounts told of patients who display confabulation are extremely fascinating.Hierstein is able to relate both confabulation and normal self-deception, but makes a very loose overall confabulation theory. I recommend this book for those who would like to learn more about how we create self-deceptions in our everyday lives and how specific syndromes cause people to confabulate. But an answer to the question of confabulation is mostly filled with more hypotheses and more questions.

A difficult read
I was attracted to the book by a review I read in (I think it was) Science, and the topic of self-deception and confabulation.As an attorney the ability to understand the factors that influence the articulated perceptions of witnesses is critical to me.As a scientist reading outside his field (physics) I was attracted by the idea of relating behavior to brain structure.

I was rewarded in the first four chapters by being able to glean a general idea about how some types of brain damage can be related to behavior.However the author's efforts to illustrate the book and describe the affected areas was hampered by his adoption without apparent modification of images from other sources that were not carefully related to the text they were intended to illustrate.I found myself attempting, with little success, to make sense of the text and the illustrations by reference to my copy of Gray's anatomy.

The problem became worse in the later chapters where the author goes into great detail on each of the syndromes by which he attempts to demonstrate his hypothesis.I eventually gave up trying to follow the arguments, lost in the morass of poorly related detail.

It may be that a person familiar with the structure of the organ and the nomenclature can better use of this book, but without some external reference the non-specialist is going to have a hard go.Maybe a sceond edition could incorporate a chapter on these topics.

A fascinating and important study
To anyone interested in modern research in neuroscience, this book will be of great interest. Confabulation, the topic discussed in the book is one that was completely new to this reviewer, but the preface and jacket summary motivated the subject in a way that definitely convinces the reader that it is relevant to both neuroscience and neurophilosophy. It is important to emphasize that both of these fields are used to discuss confabulation in the book. The author is a professional philosopher, but he makes heavy use of the latest research in neuroscience, and this is refreshing, for it makes his conclusions more credible, not being ones that are arrived at solely (and therefore incorrectly), through sophisticated rhetoric and from the safety of the academic armchair.

As a phenomenon in the human mind, confabulation is rather disconcerting, and one can only feel extreme empathy for those who are afflicted with it. The author discusses several different cases of confabulation, including Korsakoff's syndrome, anosognosia, Anton's syndrome, and Capgras' syndrome. He also gives an extensive discussion of the different explanations for confabulation by various researchers. Many of these explanations are interesting, such as the one that connects confabulation with the human storytelling. Individuals concoct stories in order to engage in self-protection and self-definition, and consequently define, however inaccurately, their identities. This can be done without conscious deliberation, and its function is to solidify the personal identity of the narrator.

Another interesting explanation for confabulation that is discussed in the book considers the time scales needed for individuals to formulate decisions and then act on them. If these time scales are very short, the decision-maker cannot consider all possibilities, and minute concentration to detail is prohibited. Therefore the human mind will omit these details, eliminate any feelings of doubt from the cognitive process, and concentrate on the "big picture." Confabulation is then essentially a smoothing function, a large-scale manifestation of this process.

For the author though, confabulation is a process that cannot only be studied empirically, but can also be connected with epistemological issues in philosophy. When confabulating, the human brain is unable to check whether an answer is not real. He attempts to justify his theories by using what is known in neuroscience, with the specific goal of showing that the brain's ability to construct an appropriate response is independent of its ability to check that response.

Since the author is a professional philosopher, and not a neuroscientist, readers of a more scientific persuasion may be concerned that the discussion on epistemology will degrade into sophistry. Refreshingly though it does not, for the author gives a fascinating discussion of confabulation as an "epistemic phenomenon," but integrating it with the neuroscience of confabulation. Two epistemic mistakes are made when confabulation is present argues the author. The first one occurs in a particular knowledge domain in which a process causes a thought to occur that is "ill-grounded". The second mistake is the result of the failure to self-correct, this process of self-correction occurring in the frontal regions of the brain. All cases of confabulation involve these two mistakes argues the author, and he connects his assertions with the more general field of naturalized epistemology, the latter of which was put on a more rigorous foundation by the philosophers Alvin Goldman and W.V.O. Quine. These philosophical musings are necessary argues the author, for they allow one to distinguish between "well-grounded" and "ill-grounded" beliefs, which one must do if a successful explanation of confabulation is to be obtained. The biology of the brain though must enter into any of this theorizing, for as has been shown experimentally, damage to the areas of the brain responsible for the construction of knowledge domains, along with damage to the monitoring processes in the orbitofrontal areas of the brain, can result in confabulation.

Most interesting in this discussion on confabulation and knowledge is the author's contention that the construction of effective representations by the human brain takes place in degrees. He then discusses an appropriate consequence of this assertion, which he calls the `degraded representation principle.' This principle asserts that if the capacity to represent events of a certain type is diminished in a particular individual, then the likelihood for this individual to confabulate about these events increases.

Self-deception, a "lighter" manifestation of confabulation is discussed at the end of the book, and is, one could argue, the most prevalent form of confabulation. The author does distinguish it from clinical confabulation, and after reading this chapter this demarcation becomes justified. The person who is engaging in self-deception frequently has a greater ability to access the information that is needed to prove his belief is ill-grounded. A clinical confabulator though does not, as the processes and brain areas needed for this proof have been destroyed. Various degrees of tension also exist in the range from that of the clinical confabulator, who experiences none when making ill-grounded claims, to that of the self-deceiver who may experience a lot.

As an example of self-deception, the author offers the educator who describes himself as being better than their colleagues. It is interesting that he chose this example, since it seems that this form of self-deception is the rule rather than the exception in the halls of academia, at least from an anecdotal standpoint. This inflated view though is accompanied by the "weakness of the warrant", wherein the justification or "warrant" for the belief is very weak. An individual engaged in self-deception has beliefs that are not constructed from the most reliable collection of beliefs that his brain could deliver if it was not crippled by self-deception. The issue of course here, as it is throughout the book, concerns the human need for belief systems that can be justified or warranted. As the author points out early in the book, the avoidance of confabulation must have an evolutionary importance for the well being of the human species. Time constraints and resources though may prohibit an exhaustive check of all assumptions and beliefs. ... Read more

Product Description
2007 Expanded edition. Includes a gallery of 17 paintings depicting different stages in the journey.The search for one s real self is a sacred quest, an archetypal journey, whereby the seeker eats through the web of illusory "I's" that mask his or her real self-identity. In our times, this search has rarely been reported in such a candid and compelling manner as it is in William Patrick Patterson s book Eating the "I".Dispirited and disappointed in life, the author s life dramatically changes when he is introduced to the esoteric teachings of the Fourth Way - the way of transformation in ordinary life. Unique to this rich and practical teaching is its insistence that the student's negativity and confusion are the sources of his awakening. Life's shocks and uncertainty - that which he is most trying to avoid - are in fact that which can help him to awaken.Writing on many levels, and in the strong vibrant voice of a natural storyteller, Patterson describes his twelve-year search that takes him from secret meetings in a Manhattan townhouse, to the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, to Dublin and the Aran Islands, to England s Lake District and a medieval Scottish chapel, to his boarding of Allan Watt's S.S Vallejo and discovery of the "Holy Fool".Into his life come many memorable and powerful people: Trungpa, a Tibetan Master of Crazy Wisdom; Vali, a beautiful and enticing witch; Casey, a Jungian painter; and Stanley, an arch-adversary. Yet by far the most remarkable and unforgettable of all remains the man chosen by Gurdjieff to lead the Fourth Way in America, Lord John Pentland.Eating the "I" shows how the pressures, conflicts and uncertainties of the technological world actively serve our awakening. Life is used to come to Life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Left me numb


In my humble opinion, it wasn't very good. It seemed that the Fourth Way teaching was present in the author's life and those around him, but that the essence of The Work did not penetrate their lives. They lived parallel to 4th Way ideas, but I can't see that anyone was able to overcome false personality and inertia enough to complete the interval and overcome our imaginary prison.

In fact, I found Eating the I to be downright depressing because it illustrated how those involved in a 4th Way school could be going through the motions, believing that evolution was taking place, yet substantial and beneficial changes did not come... a warning to us all. At least that was my impression. Mind you, I think I probably skimmed the last 20% of the book because the first 80% left me numb.

Although, the reflections on his life were interesting in their own way.But the kind of transformation that most of us are looking for in The Work?Unfortunately, I don't think so.


Awake!

Venger As'nas Satanis
High Priest
Cult of Cthulhu

A Very Personal Story
"Eating the I" is an interesting book. The author, William Patrick Patterson, writes a raw, sometimes joyful, sometimes disturbing, account of his personal search for meaning in life. The first half of the book is quite gripping, with Patterson introducing the reader to his mid-life-crisis state of "sleep", and how he sees that Gurdjieff's works may provide some answers to why he exists in such an unconscious "grey fog" all the time. He is told by a friend about Lord John Pentland, the man chosen by Gurdjieff to lead the Work in America, and makes an appointment to see him - leading to a very interesting encounter.

Patterson details his initial experiments with self-remembering and meditation and provides a reasonable description of a method. But he does not really explain the Fourth Way system in any great detail. Anybody looking for such should probably start with Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous", Mouravieff's "Gnosis" series, or (for the really keen) Gurdjieff's own writings.

There are some very inspired moments in the book. His talk about the "General Law/Satan" I think was one of them, as well as a part where he discusses an "Initiation" of sorts where he moves from seeing the world in normal terms, to seeing the world in terms of synchronicity, archetypes and symbology. Certain things occur to him that have deeper meaning, like 'signposts', yet the people he discusses this with (such as his wife) are unable to comprehend the meaning that he sees in these things - they dismiss it as being an "overactive imagination" or suchlike. This change in perception - the literal "seeing the unseen" is not a quantitative thing, such as seeing thoughtforms, auras or spirits, but rather a qualitative understanding of the "deeper meaning" behind otherwise straightforward events - distilling extra information via a "sixth sense". He refers to it like moving into the "world of the psychic" at one point. Readers interested in such ideas would do well to check out Laura Knight-Jadczyk's "The Secret History of the World", a book that I think expands on these concepts quite considerably.

The latter half of the book focuses more on Patterson's family life and his efforts to reconcile his relationship with his emotionally absent father and his overbearing mother. His father's death seems to provide a catalyst for unravelling the emotional 'knots' that hinder him from seeing many aspects of himself, particularly concerning a student/'son' relationship with Lord Pentland. He also discusses the Jungian anima/animus (female/male) principle and some of his experiences relating to him trying to express the anima (female principle) within himself. This male/father/female/mother dynamic makes up a substantial part of later chapters, and provides an interesting complement to the sections more focused on Gurdjieff's material.

For me, the ending of the book was somewhat of a mystery. Patterson seems to take off on a huge tangent and becomes enamoured by the cryptic philosophy of Sunyata - an mystic of "no teaching" and "inner emptiness". He then leaves the G. Foundation, and book just sort of.... stops. I thought it was an odd note for an autobiography to end on, when it seemed there was clearly much more to be told judging from the year of publication of the first edition. Perhaps there is a follow-up volume intended? A web search yielded no clues at the time of writing this.

In any case, this is a book I would recommend that anyone interested in the "Work" read. Patterson seems to have a knack for presenting complex concepts in a more "digestable" way for the beginner, plus he creates an enjoyable page-turner of a story. Did I learn from it? Absolutely. It is an autobiography though, and thus is more about a man, than the knowledge that enabled him to become more truly "himself". Overall, my impressions are that this is a work that inspires more than it educates.

A Perversion of the Work
If you can find a copy of the first edition, then you'll find an interesting book.The author gave that printing a fresh and authentic account of his time with Lord Pentland and his time of stumbling through the Work.Unfortunately, that edition was not well received in established Gurdjieff circles and the author was forced to do an extensive re-write.This current edition is 2nd rate, at best.You'll notice many glowing reviews and high ratings here, but that is because these were written by the author's students after having been given the task as a Work assignment.You'll be much better off sticking to the classic core books written by those who do not use the Work to earn a living.The author's later books are better reading, but this one is best left behind.

Frank depiction of Work
I first read Eating the `I' over 10 years ago as I was very interested in learning more about Lord John Pentland, the man G.I. Gurdjieff had directed to spread the Fourth Way in America. Even with the publication of Exchanges Within, Eating The `I' remains a vibrant record of the remarkable Lord Pentland.

But I didn't quite know quite what to make of the author at the time. It was only in a subsequent reading, some years later, that I realized what had thrown me off-balance. Autobiographies generally carry a thread of commentary, explaining or justifying, whenever behavior might be considered unflattering (although I suspect more often the facts are simply `adjusted' to deliver a more agreeable accounting). Instead I was confronted with simple reporting, including thoughts and moods of the moment, with no "commentary". Could I have done this, simply reporting on my life to a wide audience? Even in a private journal entry, I either come out the "good guy" or the breast-beater crying "mea culpa". Now, I began to read with more care. Not only was Lord Pentland's dynamic teaching presented, but also this student's deep acceptance of, as well as rebellion against, this teaching.

As Mr. Patterson struggles with the ideas of the Fourth Way, as well as with "Patterson", he shares many of his hard-won insights. But it is the struggle itself that is the center of gravity of this book. As one truly opens to the way one's life is "lived", there is an inevitable collision with what one imagines about one's self.

If struggle is the center of gravity in this book, courage may well be the corresponding theme. Lord Pentland is portrayed as the courageous warrior bringing the Fourth Way to America; though Mr. Patterson does not speak of his own courage, it is only through courage that he can put this very personal account of his efforts, and failings, on public display.

Personal Search
A brilliant and `can't put down' book that shows an individual's efforts to come to something for themselves and how this can add up within the context of the Fourth Way. What does it take to be `in the Work'? We see the author against a background of family relationships, social situations, job relations and, embroidered in high relief, the archetypes that are present in everyone's life; particularly noteworthy is the `father-son' relation.He illuminates with clarity how the teaching Gurdjieff brought uses `life' to come to `higher life.'

In a wider context, William Patterson brings the Fourth Way teaching into modern times, and in particular, these modern times.We get a look and feeling of what it would be like to be on this fourth path of transformation. One also gets the sense that the Work does `stand above life.'

Given is the perspective of how a person wrestles with the questions necessary for oneself that can produce real individuality. Irresistible book for an initial introduction to the Fourth Way and invaluable for people already there. ... Read more

Product Description

It has been clear from the beginning that William Blake was both a political radical and a radical psychologist, and in William Blake on Self and Soul Laura Quinney uses her sensitive, surprising readings of the poet to reveal his innovative ideas about the experience of subjectivity.

Blake’s central topic, Quinney shows us, is a contemporary one: the discomfiture of being a self or subject. The greater the insecurity of the “I” Blake believed, the more it tries to swell into a false but mighty “Selfhood.” And the larger the Selfhood bulks, the lonelier it grows. But why is that so? How is the illusion of “Selfhood” created? What damage does it do? How can one break its hold? These questions lead Blake to some of his most original thinking.

Quinney contends that Blake’s hostility toward empiricism and Enlightenment philosophy is based on a penetrating psychological critique: Blake demonstrates that the demystifying science of empiricism deepens the self’s incoherence to itself. Though Blake formulates a therapy for the bewilderment of the self, as he goes on he perceives greater and greater obstacles to the remaking of subjectivity. By showing us this progression, Quinney shows us a Blake for our time.

Product Description
Time, Self, and Psychoanalysis has two theoretical foci: the first is the nature of time experience and the second is the implications of the understanding of time for conceptualizing the nature and functioning of the self. The result is a result is a rethinking of the self-concept and its engagement in the analytic process. The book pragmatically explores patterns of enactment in analysis through three extensive cases in which chronic and significant lateness characterized the analysis. ... Read more

Product Description
Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
A fascinating, controversial exploration of how self-esteem conflicts develop and are played out in all of our relationships, written by an internationally recognized expert

In this wide-ranging and strikingly original book, William Swann not only dissects the mistaken assumptions that underlie current self-esteem programs, but also incisively analyzes the nature of self-worth and the "self-traps" that make achieving and sustaining a sense of self-esteem so difficult. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting
I gained some insight into how people can select other people and interpretation of events to reinforce their own self views, even if those views are negative.It certainly explains some things I've noticed in relationships and even friendships.A useful book for gaining some more insight into relationships.

Why is it so hard to change ourselves?
Because we are always seeking verification of who we are and if that inner perception is negative then we will likely marry and continuely seek out those whose view of us matches the internal ideal. The "good" people who praise us, just don't feel right. It is as if they are delusional and just don't know us!!! Our sense of self is made up of patterns of behavior that we repeat, usually without our even thinking about them. We may marry an alcoholic like dad and divorce him only to find another becuase the initial behavior of that person validates who we think we are. VERY interesting reading as is his SELF-TRAPS which is available used. ... Read more

Product Description
Harvard Medical School, Boston. The Guilford Substance Abuse Series. Presentation of Harvard's Modified Dynamic Group Therapy (MDGT) approach. DNLM: 1. Psychotherapy, Group. ... Read more

Product Description
From the beginning, William Faulkner's art was consciously self-presenting. In writing of all kinds he created and "performed" a complex set of roles based in his life as he both lived and imagined it. In his fiction, he counterpoised those personae against one another to create a written world of controlled chaos, made in his own protean image and reflective of his own multiple sense of self. In this groundbreaking book, James Watson draws on the entire Faulkner canon, including letters and even photographs, to decipher the complicated ways in which Faulkner put himself forth through written performances and displays based in and expressive of his emotional biography. The topics Watson treats include the overtly performative aspects of The Sound and the Fury and related manuscripts and privately written records of Faulkner's life; the ways in which his complicated marriage and his relationships to male mentors underlie recurring motifs in his fiction such as marriage and fatherhood; his reading of Melville, Hawthorne, and Thoreau, and his working out through them the problematics of authorial sovereignty; his presentation of himself as "Old Moster," the artist-God of his fictional cosmos; and the complex of personal and epistolary relationships that lies behind novels from Soldiers' Pay to Requiem for a Nun. ... Read more

Product Description
Agent of Empire is a detailed study of creative works inspired by the escapades of the American soldier of fortune William Walker. The leader of several fractious, bloody forays into Mexico and Central America in the 1850s, Walker was executed in 1860 by a Honduran firing squad. Brady Harrison looks at a dozen works, such as Bret Harte’s novel The Crusade of Excelsior (1887) and Alex Cox’s film Walker (1987), to show how Walker’s life and legacy have been explored in journalism, poetry, fiction, drama, and cinema for over a century. At the heart of our ongoing interest in Walker, says Harrison, is the need to understand the ever-shifting ambitions and arguments that have driven American economic, military, and paramilitary ventures around the globe over the past 150 years.

Harrison discusses how the mercenary romance, an understudied subgenre of the historical romance first popularized by Bret Harte and Richard Harding Davis, owes its conception to William Walker. Engaging the work of other scholars such as Quentin Anderson and Judith Butler, Harrison places Walker in the company of Aaron Burr, Theodore Roosevelt, Oliver North, and other American conquistadors. Walker and such fellow agents of empire, Harrison argues, exemplify a peculiar merging of Emersonian inner mastery and the American habit of equating self with nation. Inward-looking at first, they soon set their sights, as special agents of providence or the state, on such places as Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba, the Philippines, and more recently, Vietnam and Iraq.

Agent of Empire is a timely exploration of American imperialism and its troubling components of hypermasculinity, racism, and ambition. Harrison shows how literature helps us gauge the ever-shifting desires, fantasies, arguments, and ideologies that continue to underwrite our imperial ventures, private and public. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Filibuster and Freebooter
In Agent of Empire Harrison introduces us to William Walker, an imperialist who's successes and failures eventually lead to his rise as the dictator of Nicaragua. From his ascendancy to his execution Harrison explores what has made Walker such an interesting case study in the complex history of American imperialism. Harrison does an excellent job of exploring the many stories directly and loosely based upon the exploits and personal character of William Walker. Through poetry, novels, movies, fiction and non-fiction Harrison weaves his way through all of it helping us to understand the times and prevailing philosophies that helped create a man like Walker. This book is well researched and the writing is inviting and thought provoking.

A Reasonably Effective Study of an Underappreciated Subject
Brady Harrison's AGENT OF EMPIRE is an interesting and sorely needed approach to the underappreciated subject of William Walker, "the Gray-Eyed Man of Destiny," the Nashville-born doctor/lawyer/journalist who became president of Nicaragua in 1855.Harrison examines the role of Walker--and more commonly, the archetype of the American Imperialist-Adventurer, which Walker symoblizes--in popular culture.Harrison's thesis is that the Walker character is an important reflection of various ideas of the American "hero" and how the icon has developed into what might properly be called the American "antagonist."On the plus side, nobody has ever quite written something along these lines before; as a professor of English and History with a special emphasis in popular culture, film, and interdisciplinary studies--not to mention a Walker expert myself--I am very pleased to see a recent study of Walker and one that takes the unusual approach of contextualizing the filibuster as a cultural force.Harrison's writing style is strong, and his interpretations of texts convincing.He has even dug up some stories and books that I either didn't know about or knew the titles and nothing else; for that accomplishment alone, Harrison deserves a tip of the hat.On the downside, the subject itself is so specialized that few people outside a few scholars are destined to read AGENT OF EMPIRE.Perhaps this is not unusual for an academic tome, but it is significant that Harrison accurately observes the way the Walker icon endures cycles of discovery and obscurity, thereby not remaining a constant warning--or inspiration--to American tendencies towards interventionism, imperialism, and international hegemony.A bit more discussion of Walker's life would help make the book slightly more useful to general readers.More problematical is the omission of certain key texts; Harrison goes into great detail in his coverage of Richard Harding Davis' Walker-inspired works, but there needs to be more discussion of Alfred Neuman's STRANGE CONQUEST and Robert Houston's THE NATION THIEF, important novels about Walker.Of Alfred Leland Crabb's DINNER AT BELMONT (1942) there is no mention, nor of a recent "alternative history" novel, the name and author of which escape me at the moment, two works that feature Walker as a prominent character.Even more curious is the total omission of the 1972 film BURN!, in which Marlon Brando plays Sir William Walker, a British imperialist in the Caribbean.While it is true that BURN changes so much around that it is only nominally related to the real Walker, this same charge could be made against some of the stories Harrison does discuss.Initially I theorized that Harrison had never heard of BURN!, but I don't see how that could be; in a footnote he mentions Leonard Maltin's TV MOVIES dismissive review of the movie WALKER (1987), an entry that references BURN!Maybe Harrison was unable to secure a copy of the movie, but it has been released on video (out of print now, alas) and is the subject of sufficient critical attention (Danny Peary's CULT MOVIES, to name one) to warrant at least a cursory mention.

Be that as it may, Harrison has taken an important early step.I hope he will revise and republish his study one of these days and help finally establish William Walker as one of the key figures in US history. ... Read more

Product Description
Make the break, realise the dream and start living 'The Good Life!' Packed with comprehensive information on all the practicals, from ploughing fields to milking cows, as well as new information on how to create an urban organic garden and harness natural energy. This new and revised full-colour edition of the illustrated classic is an engrossing read and a wonderful handbook for realists and dreamers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Great book worth the price
This is one of the best general knowledge reference books I have come across.The author shares his experience of living a sustainable life and making it work without relying on the store.

Seymour's book describes caring for livestock, building a garden, crop rotation, preserving food, sustainable building and using local materials, home brewing, energy.. the list is extensive and it is all presented in an interesting format.Additionally, the illustrations are fascinating and informative.

I would recommemd this book to anyone who is interested in living a self-reliant lifestyle; this book will get you started in the right direction.

Fantastic inspirational book
One of my favorite books ever. Makes you want to get up and start doing things ;-)

a place to start
I found this book inspirational and a fantastic place to start when thinking about moving to the country and starting a self-sufficient life.It explains not only how to get started but gives an excellent over-view of how to plan your garden, what animals to consider and some skills and tools you'll need to get the job done.

That being said, if you are ready to begin and start putting plants in the ground or animals in the shed, you will want to seek out more detailed guides.

European skills
Not wishing to bash this book excessively. However this book is twice the price of much better and more complete books on the subject. Also it has a European author and is not based on traditional American skills. Very general and short on details. I recommendBack to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition.This book was also once published as "Back to Basics" by READERS DIGEST. Keep is mind that all these books teach principles and provide littlein detail.. The Storey series are good too.. If you have time and a fast internet connect most of the info can be found on the many State extension service websites. Some books seem to copy these websites material..

Daydreaming for grown-up children
The author does not deal with the major problem here, which is there aren't enough hours in the day to do all of this.People who intend to escape a life of drudgery do NOT want to do this.We need to realize that even farmers are not "self-sufficient," and this book does not describe the "old-fashioned way of doing things."

I wonder, for example, how many of the readers have actually worked on a dairy, or taken care of a milk-cow. (I have.)You get to choose between 2x and 3x milking -- that is, two times a day or three times a day.If it's 2x, those times need to be 12 hours apart.6 AM and 6 PM would work; so would 2 AM and 2 PM.Oh, and no holidays.This is the way to escape a life of drudgery, right?

But that's just putting milk on the table.Do you want to churn your own butter, too?Better allow a good slice of time for that.Oh, and the toast you're going to butter.Well, as "self-sufficient" people, that means you are running a wheat-field as well.No fair dropping by the grocery store and picking up a loaf of bread (which is what Real Wheat Farmers do, anyway).

The problem here is very simple.At least since the time of the agricultural revolution, people have been making progress through two things called Specialization and The Division of Labor.That means we can all do the things we do best, or like most.People who love growing wheat will do that (and buy their milk at the store).Other people may thresh the wheat, and it's a near certainty that others will turn the flour into loaves of bread.This process makes everyone better off.

Still, it's an amusing daydream.Just don't take it too seriously, and add "making your own bricks" to your list of daily chores.In fact, trying to do this stuff will lead you straight to overwork, anxiety, hyperstress, and the poor-house. ... Read more

Product Description
In most management books, middle management is treated as a right of passage to the CEO position. Today's managers are educated, trained, and inspired from the CEO's perspective. The career and art of middle management is lost in the pursuit of one's ambition for the top spot. The Lost Grail of Middle Management explores the history and future of middle managers and offers a fresh approach to becoming and enjoying middle management as a career. ... Read more

Product Description
This work aims to show how the damage caused by faulty beliefs can be reversed, enabling the reader to develop a firm and realistic belief in his or her attributes, accomplishments and abilities. Exercises and case studies help provide strategies for building self-esteem. ... Read more

Product Description
How to publish your book professionally, print at low cost, gain publicity and market for maximum profit. From the initial concept to autographing sold copies of your book, everything is here for success. Plus there are money-saving details which include tricks of formatting, selection of paper stock and reducing printing costs. Based on over 50 years of practical experience in the book publishing field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Definitely for Beginners
I believe this book would be very helpful for someone who is just beginning to consider printing a book.It is simple and very detailed, and points out the time and effort it takes to get something written and printed.There is lots of practical advice.

In my opinion, for those of us who have already ventured into the field, the book is a little simplistic.I hoped to get some helpful hints, but am finding mostly what I already know.So if you are new or just thinking about self-publishing, check it out!

From the author's point of view.
All reviews, critical and supportive, are this author's most significant reward for effort expended. An unsatisfactory spell-check, noted by a serious reader, does not in any way diminish overall values of SELF PUBLSIHING MADE EASY.This fine book is a focused approach to making the thoughtful reader capable of entering into the complicated business of book publishing. As my distillation of more than 50 years in the field, it is a very carefully designed handbook for emerging publishers. It supports this objective with clarity and is fairly described as "...an excelent roadmap...for getting your book in print..." Adequate references are provided for those publishers prepared to initiate exploration of additional resources within the same specialty.My hands have been involved in the publication of more than 100 books with about 35 of my company's books continuing in print. Book publishing has been a rewarding vocation that I continue with great satisfaction. As the author of SELF PUBLISHING MADE EASY my appreciation is extended to each person who has given of his or her time to review this book. I wish all of them, and you my reader, the greatest possible success in every publishing venture. [William Carroll]

Oops!
On a personal note to Mr. Carroll, and in response to Mike Swickey's negative review above, this is a good book that new writers would find helpful in spite of the fact that there are glaring copy editing mistakesthroughout. Since it contains no advice on working with an editor, my guessis Mr. Carroll perhaps doesn't believe in them, and assumes theself-publisher is up to the task of editing his own work. My advice:"Good editors make good books better". Find one.

Roadmap to Money
From accountants to Zamboni operators, "regular" people everywhere seem to be writing books these days. Few realize their chances of getting published through one of the major houses are nil to none, evenif they are the new Hemingway or Steinbeck. As a freelance editor, it hasbeen my harsh duty to break this news to every new writer I meet. I can nowsoften that blow by recommending they buy and read this book. On page 12,there is an anecdote about a woman who received only eighty-five cents ofthe $19.95 cover price of her book going through trade channels. Afterself-publishing, in two years she sold $800,000 worth on her own andpocketed half! Even if a new writer isn't "in it for the money",Carroll offers ways to attract readers and the "References"section lists some of the best sources available. Whether you have acompleted manuscript or merely dream of writing a book some day, WilliamCarroll provides an excellent road map, not only for getting your book intoprint, but for optimizing the likelihood of making money during the processas well.

How Ironic
Not to be too rough, but this book is horribly written. One of numerous examples: "If you need something to do, while making the Stop/Go decision, and on the premise that you may proceed, we're going out forpreliminary printing bids on a book you have yet to begin orcomplete." Or, try to decipher this one - "With "Adequate isEnough" our manta (instead of mantra), the obligation is to make areader capable while recognizing there's no way you can make him or herproficient." I hate to be so tough, but this is a book aboutpublishing and writing advice! I am sure the author is a very nice man, butthere is a reason this book was self-published - the writing is nothingshort of terrible. A waste of money. ... Read more

Product Description

Notable Children's Books of 1971–1975 (ALA)
Best Books of 1972 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1972 (NYT)

Customer Reviews (13)

One of the best read alouds of all time
I first read Williams Doll to my oldest son back in the bad old 70's when he was three years old. I had bought him a doll for his 'big' first birthday present, and his father had made some noises about boys & dolls. Williams Doll was the perfect rebuttal and a wonderful discovery back then.
This time around I bought it for my year old grandson - too young to understand it yet - but he will grow into it. Williams Doll is a terrific read aloud for kids (male and female)from two to six - and for the record my son nurtured his doll, as did his two sisters after him, and my son is now a wonderful father himself.

Warning!!
I'm sure this is a wonderful book for boys who have been mocked. HOWEVER, this would NOT be a good book for boys who have never faced such mockery! My 5 year old son loves his "babies," and we have always been surrounded by family, friends, and teachers who support boys and girls playing with dolls. I am glad I read this book first, as I would never want to introduce him to the kind of mockery and belittlement that William faces. William's grandmother buys him a doll and defends his desire, so in that sense it is a "positive" book, but for my son, it would be "negative" in that it would actually introduce him to shame that he has never felt.

Perfect baby gift
I have been giving this book as a baby shower gift for many years! I consider it a MUST read--especially for dads--- and for parents of baby boys. It's such a good, gentle lesson for both sexes.

A book for all little boys and their parents
If you have boys, you should have this book. It is just as much for us parents.Explains in such a simple way why it is important for a little boy to have something to take care of. We love seeing our little girls pretend to be mommies, why shouldn't we want our boys to feel proud of pretending to be daddies?

Zolotow is brilliant!
This story literally brings a tear to my eye every time I read it.If you have a little boy that ever showed interest in a doll this is the book for your entire family.I also recommend Zolotow's book "Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present". ... Read more