Spanish All Talk Basic Language Course (4 Hour/4 Cds): Learn to Understand and Speak Spanish  with Linguaphone Language Programs (All Talk) (All Talk)
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    Spanish All Talk Basic Language Course (4 Hour/4 Cds): Learn to Understand and Speak Spanish with Linguaphone Language Programs (All Talk) (All Talk)
    Linguaphone
    Manufacturer: Linguaphone
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Spanish for Dummies Spanish for Dummies

    ASIN: 0747309515

    Product Description

    On-the-go Instrction Because your time is valuable... All Audio All on the go! Beginning level instruction is presented in an all-audio format on 4 digitally-recorded CDs. You have the opportunity to learn on the go, taking advantage of time normally wasted. Study in your car, while exercising, doing yard work anywhere you can safely listen to a CD player. No accompanying books are needed to help you complete the lesson activities. Why can t learning be fun? It can! Linguaphone has chosen to present the allTalk series in an entertaining, soap-opera format. No dry old teacher with a monotone voice putting you to sleep, you follow the adventures of a visitor to a Spanish-speaking country as she interacts with individuals in a variety of interesting situations, learning the language and beginning to understand the culture. Actually learn the language Tired of spending money on language courses that don t work? Did you ever think the problem could be with the course and not you? With Linguaphone s unique learning sequence: Listen, Understand, Speak, you will find yourself actually using the language in no time at all! You are presented with a unit of the language, it is then broken down and explained to you, then you put it back together with greater understanding than just repeating what you may not have understood in the first place. . . . and learn it well! The all Talk methodology not only teaches well, but will have you speaking and understanding basic spoken Spanish in no time at all. Other popular all-audio courses require four times the cds, four times the money and four times the time to do what Linguaphone s allTalk Basic does with 4-one hour CDs.
    Talk To Me:  Communication Moves To Get Along With Anyone
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Review
    • Talk to me
    • A shrink who writes in a reader-friendly way.
    • Great Talking Tools
    • Just read it!
    Talk To Me: Communication Moves To Get Along With Anyone
    Dennis E. O'Grady
    Manufacturer: New Insights Communications
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Interpersonal RelationsInterpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: 0962847623
    Release Date: 2006-09-20

    Product Description

    Why can't we all just get along? It all comes down to communication skills. People listen to what they want to hear, and how they want to hear it. Since we all travel down the communication highway, we better be prepared for two way traffic. This book provides the "communication" roadmap based on Dr. O'Grady's new tested theory that there are two types of communicators: Empathizers and Instigators. Empathizers and Instigators believe, think and speak differently about communication exchanges. "Talk To Me" outlines the structure from which people can identify and understand their communicator type as well as that of others, so they can be successful in any communication situation. Don't be fooled, this system is not gender based and takes the understanding of communication exchanges to an all new level, making it a very powerful tool. This communication system can be applied to personal relationships, family dynamics and business/work-related exchanges. Now you will be able to answer that famous question.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Review.......2007-06-09

    Dr. O'Grady shares his insightful approach to improving communication, and consequently relationships, in Talk To Me. The Talk to Me system has taught me how to have a better relationship with my self as well as with those around me. Destructive and ineffective communication habits once caused me to ruin many opportunities for happiness. Now, I produce good results for myself.

    5 out of 5 stars Talk to me.......2007-06-09

    Dr. Ogrady's Talk to me addresses different communicator styles and gives communcating partners valuable tips and tools to proceed to successfully complete effective and meaningful dialogue. Talk to me bridges egos and competitive behaviors to get to the heart of the communication message.

    5 out of 5 stars A shrink who writes in a reader-friendly way........2007-06-09

    In his book, Talk To Me, Dr. O'Grady takes a central idea about people being Empathizers or Instigators and uses it as a jumping off place to indroduce many profound insights into communication and relationships. While reading about seeming opposites, I was introduced to observations about relationships and communication in a much broader and deeper way than is typical of popular psychology books. O'Grady has a gift for conversational "fun" prose that pulled me in and made me feel like he was talking to me personally, not above or below. He avoids negative labeling which I found impressive. And by the way, I loved the apple/orange cover.

    5 out of 5 stars Great Talking Tools.......2007-06-08

    This book introduces and describes a new theory in communication. If you take the time to read and apply the concepts, it really works. It changed some of my perceptions and helped me keep some of my communication biases at bay. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in being a better communicator and happier individual. The concepts work in business, home and at play, but especially in relationships.

    5 out of 5 stars Just read it! .......2007-06-07

    Disclosure: I've known Dennis O'Grady nearly 30 years and have worked with him on other book projects before as an editor. I just wish he'd had written this one FIRST. If you're having problems or scratching your head over any relationship -- with children, spouses, friends, coworkers, teens, etc. -- you gotta read this book. It's that simple. Light bulbs go off. "OHMYGOSH!...THAT's what that was about!!!" thoughts start running through your mind. You truly begin to understand why you think/behave/act the way you do, AND why the people around you think/behave/act differently than you (or the same as). Truly, truly....it's an eye-opener kind of book, one they ought to give to teen-agers in high school and everyone who's thinking about getting married and prospective employees and political candidates and ministers and counselors and....well, you get the message. Do yourself a favor. Just pick it up and read it. And learn about yourself...which is the whole point of this wild ride called life, right?
    Talks my father never had with me: Helping the young Black male make it to adulthood
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      Talks my father never had with me: Helping the young Black male make it to adulthood
      Harold Davis
      Manufacturer: KJAC Pub
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding

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      ASIN: 096385531X
      Talks My Father Never Had With Me: Helping the Young Male Make It to Adulthood
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        Talks My Father Never Had With Me: Helping the Young Male Make It to Adulthood
        Harold Davis
        Manufacturer: Kjac Pub.
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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        1. Health o Meter  HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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        ASIN: 0963855336
        Please Talk with Me: A Guide to Teen-Adult Dialogue
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Please Talk with Me: A Guide to Teen-Adult Dialogue
          Ronald J. Gaetano , Jim Grout , and Marv Klassen-Landis
          Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          TeenagersTeenagers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
          Accessories:
          1. Health o Meter  HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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          ASIN: 0840364881
          4 Titles By Vicki Lewis Thompson Nerd Series : The Nerd Who Loved Me - Gone with the Nerd - Talk Nerdy to Me - My Nerdy Valentine
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            4 Titles By Vicki Lewis Thompson Nerd Series : The Nerd Who Loved Me - Gone with the Nerd - Talk Nerdy to Me - My Nerdy Valentine
            Vicki Lewis Thompson
            Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Mass Market Paperback
            ASIN: B000WU2OQG

            Product Description

            multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
            Fisher-Price Talk-To-Me Books Set of 10 (Use only with Fisher Price Talk To Me Player)
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              Fisher-Price Talk-To-Me Books Set of 10 (Use only with Fisher Price Talk To Me Player)
              Various
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Spiral-bound
              ASIN: B000Q7JSXW
              He Talks With Me: A Diary of Answered Prayers
              Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
              • I give it a half-star.
              He Talks With Me: A Diary of Answered Prayers
              Billie Steves , and Barbara Eagan
              Manufacturer: Dream Street Pub.
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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              ASIN: 0966509706

              Customer Reviews:

              1 out of 5 stars I give it a half-star........1999-12-30

              The 200 page book is basically three paragraphs repeated almost endlessly. The whole book should be a half page article.
              He Walks with Me and Talks with Me
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                He Walks with Me and Talks with Me
                Charlotte J. Barnhart
                Manufacturer: Candlelight Publishing
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 0970422407

                Product Description

                Inspiring to all,"He walks with me and talks with me" illustrates the longing cry of all hearts-to know god.Richlyinterwoven with Scripture,share here both the happy childhood memories of growing up on the mission field and the impact of returning to the USA. Then the stage of life is set for a dramatic walk into marriage,family life and the costly work of sheltering abusevictims. The devastating result serves as an uncompromising backdrop to a life utterly surrendered in to the hands of the lord Jesus Christ. You are invited to come alongside the author and rediscover the faithfulness of the Sovereign Lord and the reality of walking with Him through the panorama of life.
                Lord, I Wish My Teenager Would Talk With Me
                Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                • Practical Parenting
                Lord, I Wish My Teenager Would Talk With Me
                Larry Keefauver
                Manufacturer: Charisma House
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                GeneralGeneral | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
                TeenagersTeenagers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
                Accessories:
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                ASIN: 0884196399

                Customer Reviews:

                5 out of 5 stars Practical Parenting.......2001-02-23

                If you are struggling with communicating with your teen (and if you have a normal teen then you MUST be having at least SOME struggles), then you are going to appreciate the practical approach to this book. Dr. Keefauver covers the reasons for breakdowns in communications, mistakes parents make and how to avoid them, how to repair the relationship or improve it in this new stage of their lives, and many more vital aspects you need to know if you want a close relationship with your child. Dr. Keefauver even tells you exactly what to say and how to say it for those of us who don't want to have to figure it out for ourselves for fear we'll get it wrong. It is full of examples to illustrate every aspect of the journey back to the heart of your child and back into your child's life as a trusted confidant and/or sympathetic ear. This is a book of hope for parents of teens! A MUST READ!!!!!

                On the High Wire: How to Survive Being Promoted
                Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                • Logical, yet lacking new ideas and impact
                • I Needed This!
                • A "Must-Read" for Navigating the Transition into Leadership
                • The human dimension of business success
                On the High Wire: How to Survive Being Promoted
                Robert W. Gunn , and Betsy Raskin Gullickson
                Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

                Job Hunting & CareersJob Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books | General | Guides | Interviewing | Job Hunting | Job Markets & Advice | Resumes | Vocational Guidance | Volunteer Work
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                1. Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership
                2. You're in Charge, Now What?: The 8 Point Plan You're in Charge, Now What?: The 8 Point Plan

                ASIN: 0275984877

                Book Description

                You've just been promoted and find yourself questioning your ability to pull off the new job. Now what? Virtually every leader recalls that "make or break" promotion when success depends on accessing inner capacities that lie just beyond prior experience. Taking on new challenges and responsibilities as a manager can be one of the most exhilarating and rewarding transitions in a businessperson's career. It can also be fraught with stress, self-doubt, isolation, and frustration. Bob Gunn and Betsy Gullickson draw on decades of executive coaching and human resource consulting experience to characterize the process of management promotion as walking the high wire-venturing into the unknown without a safety net. More often than not, managers are tapped for their functional knowledge and expertise; rarely are they trained in the subtle art of managing and motivating people while delivering bottom-line results. In this highly accessible guide, Gunn and Gullickson address the challenges and opportunities head-on and offer specific strategies and tactics for navigating the transition into leadership, delegation, conflict management, motivation, project management, and problem solving. At the heart of the book is the notion that productive and fulfilling management is not simply a collection of skills and techniques, but a mindset. Illustrating this theme through many powerful first-hand examples, the authors guide you toward achieving the clarity of vision and purpose that comes from being aware of context, attuned to the feelings that influence behavior, and respectful of multiple points of view. Featuring thought-provoking questions and a listing of helpful resources, On the High Wire will engage and inspire new managers to become even more creative and effective leaders.

                Customer Reviews:

                2 out of 5 stars Logical, yet lacking new ideas and impact .......2005-08-02

                This book is about a critically important topic to many professionals.
                I basically like the structure of the book as outlined in the Introduction (pp. 7-8, hardcover edition). These points are not dramatically new, yet neatly outline three key precepts to embrace when stepping up to a higher position. And throughout the book are boxed lines of text that define terms or give tips in a usable sound-bite.
                Still, this is where my compliments stop for this particular book. Why? Most of the writing over-simplifies the disparity between the "conventional" and the "step-up" behavior options that it introduces, as if we are either one or the other. Vague recommendations don't get fleshed out and hints that sound more like platitudes take center stage.
                As a reader, I was left with the impression that these authors are seeing the real-world as a black-and-white kind of place.

                5 out of 5 stars I Needed This!.......2005-07-14

                How I wish I'd found this book years ago. I discovered it when it was very favorably reviewed in the Portland Press Herald.
                It has boxes showing the "Conventional" approach by a manager and then the "Step Up" approach. Too often as a manager, we revert to our gut instincts and they may not always be the best. This book tells how to move up to a higher level of functioning in management.

                5 out of 5 stars A "Must-Read" for Navigating the Transition into Leadership.......2005-04-19

                So focused are we on scrambling up to the next rung of the corporate ladder, that we expend too little effort figuring out what we need to do when we get there. This nifty book examines the issues faced by real-life managers navigating the challenging landscape of a promotion and provides viable - and actionable - solutions. It guides the reader to discovery of the attitudes and behaviors required to be successful in a new, elevated role. This book offers excellent strategies for everyone, from senior managers to college graduates just starting a career. Engagingly written and a quick read, it will leave an indelible impression on how you conduct your business - and your life.



                5 out of 5 stars The human dimension of business success.......2005-04-09

                There seem to be two things that business people don't understand: people in general, and themselves in particular. It's not that business people are dumb or insensitive -- the problem is that the modern corporation simply wasn't created to address the human dimension. The knowledge and systems aren't in place. Given the intensity of the environment these days, and the premium placed on great decisions, innovation, collaboration, talent, and intellectual capital, there's an urgent need for some simple, practical guidelines to the human aspect of business: how to help people reach their potential, how to get the most out of yourself.
                In my experience, most touchy-feely business books are worthless. This one gets to the core of what makes people grounded, flexible, and creative. Most of all it gets to the most important question: how is it that people get "in the zone" with access to all the good stuff they've got inside -- and how to stay there. This book is the real thing. And it's short!
                On the High Wire: How to Survive Being Promoted
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  On the High Wire: How to Survive Being Promoted
                  Robert W. Gunn; Betsy Raskin Gullickson
                  Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000ORBQP2

                  Fin-De-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture
                  Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Enter, stage right, anxiety
                  • Need Your Home Interior Remodeled? Call an Historian!
                  • Just like a time machine!
                  • i want to kill myself!
                  • Challenging but exemplary read !!
                  Fin-De-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture
                  Carl E. Schorske
                  Manufacturer: Vintage
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  EuropeEurope | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                  AustriaAustria | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                  HungaryHungary | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Germany | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
                  WesternWestern | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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                  ASIN: 0394744780
                  Release Date: 1980-12-12

                  Book Description

                  A landmark book from one of the truly original scholars of our time: a magnificent revelation of turn-of-the-century Vienna where out of a crisis of political and social disintegration so much of modern art and thought was born.

                  "Not only is it a splendid exploration of several aspects of early modernism in their political context; it is an indicator of how the discipline of intellectual history is currently practiced by its most able and ambitious craftsmen. It is also a moving vindication of historical study itself, in the face of modernism's defiant suggestion that history is obsolete."

                  -- David A. Hollinger, History Book Club Review

                  "Each of [the seven separate studies] can be read separately....Yet they are so artfully designed and integrated that one who reads them in order is impressed by the book's wholeness and the momentum of its argument."

                  -- Gordon A. Craig, The New Republic

                  "A profound work...on one of the most important chapters of modern intellectual history" -- H.R. Trevor-Roper, front page, The New York Times Book Review

                  "Invaluable to the social and political historian...as well as to those more concerned with the arts" -- John Willett, The New York Review of Books

                  "A work of original synthesis and scholarship. Engrossing."

                  -- Newsweek

                  Customer Reviews:

                  3 out of 5 stars Enter, stage right, anxiety.......2007-01-14

                  We are drawn to Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century because of Adolf Hitler, as much as or more than by its own curious modes of art, music, architecture, science, literature, city design and medicine. What a strange brew it was!

                  Cultural historian Schorske has nothing to say about science or medicine or Hitler, and little enough about the setting of his chosen few subjects, despite the word "politics" in the subtitle. The Germans and German Jews of Wien were a small fraction of the population, which was a small fraction of the German-speaking population of the empire, which was in turn a small fraction of the emperor's subjects, who were overwhelmingly Slavs, Hungarians, Romanians. Possibly Schorske could assume his readers would understand that part of the background. It is not so clear that, today, many people understand the makeup of the multinational empire.

                  To me, the most interesting section of "Fin-de-Siecle Vienna" was the longest chapter, on the building of the Ringstrasse. This effort, permitted but not managed by the sovereign, was, he says, a more complete rebuilding of a capital even than the contemporary work in Paris, done at the behest of an emperor.

                  In Vienna, the briefly ascendant and confident liberal bourgeoisie did it.

                  Pause a moment. Schorske uses the word "liberal" without explanation or caveat, but German liberals of Austria were different from other liberals in that they did not embrace the national principle. Schorske mentions this without discussing it, but it is a question whether the Vienna bourgeoisie and its few aristocratic allies can properly be called liberals at all.

                  In any event, it seems likely that the decay of their political power, leading to the crisis of confidence at the end of the century, was largely caused by the fact that they were not, in fact, liberals. (If they really had been liberals, their power might have decayed even sooner, but that is another issue.)

                  Schorske attributes all to a failure to continue to believe in progress, history and community; and thus a reaction toward psychology, individualism running to narcissism and despair. Antisemitism rears its ugly head, but Schorske treats it almost as background noise. Soon enough, it would drown out everything.

                  He examines writers like Hofmannsthal and Schindler, Freud, painters like Kokoscha and Klimt, one composer (Schoenberg) and a host of characters who will be unfamiliar to English readers, like Saar.

                  It is almost too pat that the Viennese cultural mafia chose a few themes (such as the garden) that Schorske is able to use as threads to weave a remarkably dense, almost impermeable cloth.

                  Yet the themes seem valid.

                  Occasionally Schorske descends (or ascends: he is clearly in soaring mode in these episodes) into high-falutin' gobbledygook of the kind all too common in cultural criticism. This goes with the territory, I suppose. (He is also capable, more than once, of astoundingly wrong obiter dicta: "The European mind lost its capacity to project satisfying utopias." This is exactly backwards; Europe was rushing to fall on antisemitic and nationalistic and ideological utopias. What Europe had lost was its capacity to be practical.)

                  More damaging to the overall persuasiveness of his analysis is his uncritical Freudianism. "Fin-de-Siecle Vienna" was published in 1961 and could hardly have been written even a few years later. Schorske explicitly says that in writing about the various thought-modes of his subjects he is keeping his historian's distance and not embracing any of them. He obviously tries to do this in the chapter about Freud, but later in the book he falls into an (unconscious?) easy Freudianism, chatting blithely about a whole class of men suffering from castration anxiety and similar imaginary maladies.

                  Ah ,well, the unconscious mind is the universal solvent for the uncritical critic: On the slenderest of evidence, he can attribute motives and causes to his subjects that, by definition, they did not even know about themselves; and assign to them any symbolism and significance he cares to. Schorske is fairly restrained about this with his earlier figures, but with Kokoscha and Schoenberg, anything goes.

                  In comparison with some other mid-206th century muggers of historiography, Schorske is a mere hubcap-stealer. Still, his brush with psychoanalysis seriously debilitates an otherwise interesting book.

                  4 out of 5 stars Need Your Home Interior Remodeled? Call an Historian! .......2005-01-13

                  How does an historian, whose job it is to interpret the past, come to terms with a cultural movement built upon the concept of modernity rejoicing in the death of history? This is exactly the question posed by Carl E. Schorske in his book Fin-De-Siecle Vienna Politics and Culture. In a series of essays, which the author admits are not meant to be interlaced, Schorske examines Vienna's cultural reaction to both the decline of Liberalism and the end of the Habsburg Empire. The task of merging politics and culture is not an easy undertaking and the faint-hearted reader should beware. "Just as a knowledge of the critical methods of modern science is necessary for interpreting that science historically," writes Schorske, "so a knowledge of the kinds of analysis practiced by modern humanists is necessary for coming to grips with the makers of twentieth-century non scientific knowledge" (p. xxi). Yet this brand of historical analysis is not that simple as Schorske goes on to explain. It appears, still more separates the historian from the humanist. According to Schorske, a dual approach is required when attempting to analyze cultural history. This binary-method is analogous, he argues, to a vertical and diagonal line. In the "diachronic" or vertical line, the historian more or less places the cultural in its historical context. In the "synchronic" or horizontal line, he or she looks at the relationship of the particular element of culture studied with what else is going on in the world of art, music, literature, and architecture. In a useful analogy, the author believes "The diachronic thread is the warp, the synchronic one is the woof in the fabric of cultural history. The historian is the weaver, but the quality of his cloth depends on the strength and color of the thread" (p. xxii). But what does this all mean? The essays that follow, though providing an enjoyable read, raise some doubts about Schorske's conclusions. The strength lies in the author's ability to place the culture of late nineteenth century Vienna in its historical context. In the opening "Politics and Psyche: Schnitz and Hofmannsthal," Schorske successfully ties the other essays together by introducing the two strands of Austrian fin-de-siecle culture:moralistic-scientific and the aesthetic. A conventional historian may feel more at home with the former, however, the aesthetic aspect is more difficult for many of us, to borrow a trite cliche, to carve in stone. Arguing functionality versus aesthetically appealing, or the placing of ancient Greek statuary on the steps of the Parliament building because Vienna had no past, therefore, it had no political heroes of its own to memorialize in sculpture, needless to say is unconvincing. Since Schorske cites no government documents, to back up his claims of Liberal motives and intentions in urban modernization, for example, his analysis of the connection between politics and culture borders on pure conjecture. The Freudian injection, resulting in the weakest essay of the book should have been omitted. Aside from the above-mentioned flaws, the book is interesting. Schorske's possesses a clear literary style, that helps the reader survive this graduate level sleeper. The addition of color plates, an anachronism in today's budgeted publishing industry was a welcome sight indeed. Yet, one wonders if such abstract concepts as modernity and aesthetics ought to be left to those more qualified outside the historical profession. Such studies, as art criticism itself, surely leave room for varying interpretations that open the doors for open debate.

                  5 out of 5 stars Just like a time machine!.......2004-01-03

                  Reading Schorske is like riding a time machine to Vienna around the tumultuous late 1800s to 1900. He covers an electic array of topics. However, he has a central focus: to show the radical changes and interconnection between arts & politics at the turn of the century vienna (fin de siecle). But, be warned, Schorske is an intellectual historian, and though his exposition is easy to read, his themes are academic and copiously detailed.

                  Schorske first lays out the setting of a growing city. He describes the monumental architectural project of the Ringstrasse (the Ring Street around central Vienna) and the rising liberalism and shifting wealth this represented.

                  The more interesting, and key, episode of the book involves the reactions to this change in Austria, in the form of new politics, anti-semitism, Zionism, and of the ramifications in Arts, Sciences and Music. Specifically, Schorske writes about transformations of viennese politicians, medical doctor Sigmund Freud, artist Gustav Klimt, and musician Arnold Shoenberg. The "vignettes" of these figures are academic and marvelously entertaining. What's surprising is how closely these key figures in 20th century intellectual development were connected; Vienna was a small city, after all. As I said, you'll feel like you're walking through the bustling streets of Vienna, and spotting Freud or Mahler (though Schoerske doesn't cover Mahler) on a leisurely stroll.

                  1 out of 5 stars i want to kill myself!.......2003-11-23

                  read this book to fall asleep, actaully no, read the chapter on Freud's interpretation of dreams and then fall asleep. in the morning interpret your dreams! a load of mind numbingly boring, non-sesical drivel!

                  5 out of 5 stars Challenging but exemplary read !!.......2003-09-11

                  This is simply a phenomenal book. Schorske jumpstarted an interest in fin-de-siecle Vienna in the 1960's and opened the door for a plethora of scholars to build upon his work. Schorske's ideas are nothing short of brilliant and profound.

                  Granted, this is a tough read. The language is difficult, often verbiose. But never unnecessarily so. The subject matter is intrinsically complex and Schorske's diction only mirrors that.

                  One need not be a specialist to read this, though perhaps a good level of intelligence and fortitude to make it through some very complex ideas. It is a book to be read and re-read, at various intervals in life, particularly after a visit to Vienna where Schorske's words really come to life.

                  I lived in Vienna for two years, and in fact wrote my Masters thesis on the Viennese identity crisis at the fin-de-siecle. Schorske's book is one I can always go back to and still get something out of. It is ever-challenging and ever-fascinating.

                  If you are interested in a particular spin to traditional theories on Viennese modernity, read Jacques LeRider's "Modernity and Identity Crisis," whose thesis is that turn-of-the-century Vienna forshadowed postmodernism. LeRider takes Schorske up several notches, and therefore the two books are good to read one after another.

                  This book in not for everyone, but at the same time I feel it does not exclude either. If you've come across this review with no particular interest in Viennese modernity or intellectual history, I urge you to try this book anyway. It is rich enough to enrapture even the mildly curious mind.
                  Fin-De-Siecle: Vienna, Politics and Culture.
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Fin-De-Siecle: Vienna, Politics and Culture.
                    Carl E. Schorske
                    Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover
                    ASIN: 0297777726
                    Fin-De-Siecle: Vienna, Politics and Culture.
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Fin-De-Siecle: Vienna, Politics and Culture.
                      Carl E. Schorske
                      Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover
                      ASIN: B000UYA54M
                      Fin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Fin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture
                        Carl E. Schorske
                        Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Paperback

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                        Why Do Stars Twinkle?: And Other Nighttime Questions (Questions and Answers Storybook)
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Why Do Stars Twinkle?: And Other Nighttime Questions (Questions and Answers Storybook)
                          Catherine Ripley
                          Manufacturer: Maple Tree Press
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

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                          Why Do Stars Twinkle? (Ask Isaac Asimov)
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            Why Do Stars Twinkle? (Ask Isaac Asimov)
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                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Library Binding

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