The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary

Customer Reviews:

The book I need to read about Jesus.......2007-07-04

After many confusing interpretations of the teachings of Jesus and dogmas from religions and false prophets making money and living a good material life under the umbrella of Christianity, this is a very simple to understand book, and it came into my hands at the right time. Wright explain life in times of Jesus and his teachings very clear and from a neutral point of view. I recommend it.

From the TV show.......2006-08-02

This book is a companion to a 1996 TV show. The first part (Jesus - Then and Now) consists of some modified versions of the original script, along with still photos from the show. It's well written, as you would expect a script to be, and the photos are great. Unfortunately there is nothing new here, although it is nicely packaged.

The second part (Reading the Gospels with Both Eyes Open) departs from the original show, but again, there is very little original thinking here. Wright discusses the discrepancies in gospel accounts, the Jesus seminar, the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating the gospels, the Jewish influences, etc.

There is no reference list nor any notes. The index is skimpy, but so too is the content.

Bottom line - this is a well written and nicely illustrated sketch of some aspects of Jesus' life. It will not appeal to scholars and is of limited interest to beginners who will find it too truncated.

In My Top Ten EVER!.......2005-11-12

This book is a MUST read. NO MATTER WHAT. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT OVER AND OVER. Not only is it a tremendous intro to Tom Wright's academic works, The Original Jesus is a beautiful and refreshing book to fuel your tired search for Jesus Christ.

True scholarship in a user-friendly package.......2005-03-25

This is a brilliant, no-nonsense historical introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. The first half of the book is based on a BBC series on Jesus that the author was asked to write and produce. The second half goes into a bit more depth regarding the Gospels as sources of historical information about Jesus and his mission. The book is an easy read and is full of great photography and art that tie into its story line.

The author is widely respected by conservative and liberal theologians and historians alike, and I especially appreciate his even handed approach and deep understanding of the historical context in which Jesus lived and moved (though he really just scratches the surface in this work). This book is a popular-level treatment of material that he explores in much greater detail in "Jesus and the Victory of God" and other book in that series. Reading this book makes me eager to dig into those deeper texts.

nothing new under the sun.......2005-01-18

I regret that I coughed up mazuma for this here book. Unfortunately it doesn't consist any new views. What does the publication say ? "It is a true fact that Jesus has existed. How so ? Because the New Testament says so ! " This is the only proof the author gives. As far as the rest of his text goes, he just flags away the diskrepancies in the NT as unimportant. It is better to read the actual Gospels themselves, and make your own opinion of the Lamb.

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The Wrong War: Why We Lost in Vietnam
Jeffrey Record
Manufacturer: Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MC0UR4

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The Wrong War: Why We Lost in Vietnam.(Review): An article from: Pacific Affairs
William J. Duiker
Manufacturer: University of British Columbia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098X5O6
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on June 22, 1999. The length of the article is 646 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Wrong War: Why We Lost in Vietnam.(Review)
Author: William J. Duiker
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1999
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: 72 Issue: 2 Page: 322(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Tony Hiss's lively book takes a considered look at a variety of landscapes, from New York's Central Park to the Great Plains, and points out why the design of some places gives us the creeps, while that of others liberates our senses. Hiss suggests how cities and suburbs can be shaped to keep (or rediscover) their connection to the natural landscape, and, more important, how--for once--our expansion into a place need not mean its destruction. There's much food for thought in The Experience of Place, and a dozen starting points for the reinhabitation our lands require.

Customer Reviews:

from a New Yorkerýs point of view.......2004-06-22

This book is an exploration about what makes a place look and feel right for human habitation. In the introduction, Hiss sets out some interesting goals. To justify his outlook, he states "the places where we spend our time affect the people we are and can become," and later adds "the relationship with the places we know...is a close bond...a continuum with all we are and think." It follows, then, that changes in our environment will affect ourselves as well, and that "overdevelopment and urban sprawl can damage our own lives as much as they damage our cities and countryside." Hiss goes on to argue that before changing a place, we need to make sure that the changes will nurture our growth as people, protect the natural environment, and develop jobs and homes for all. It's tough making the right decisions that will result in these sorts of positive changes, so Hiss advises that we need to learn to pay close attention to our surroundings, using all of our senses at once. If we don't do this, then bad changes in our environment will come to pass, and we will experience a sense of loss as places that are dear to us disappear.

The introduction is an intriguing essay, but for me, the rest of the book didn't live up to the goals laid out by Hiss in the introduction. The main text is divided into two parts: "Experiencing Cities," and "Encountering the Countryside." The titles themselves of these sections make it clear that the book is told entirely from a city person's point of view, a person who experiences city life on a day-to-day basis, and only makes it out into the country for short encounters. But even more specifically, Hiss is not just a city person, but a New Yorker, and almost all of the examples that he uses to make his points are from New York City. This is fine for New Yorkers, but if you are not very familiar with New York neighborhoods and landmarks, his examples don't carry a strong resonance. To really make this book approachable by wider audiences, it would have been great for him to branch out to other cities like San Francisco, Minneapolis, or even Boston, which he may have visited once or twice. The adage goes "Write what you know," and Hiss apparently took this to heart.

Topics covered in part one include: simultaneous perception, a sort of intuitive sixth sense that people use to feel their links to their surroundings (as when people find their way through a crowded rail terminal without bumping into others); connections, and how design elements can resonate with people or not; possibilities of planning, and tools for exploring the sensual impact of proposed changes; and picking up the pieces- -examining why certain urban spaces don't work well and what can be done to fix them. Part two includes: working landscapes, or an in-depth description of the importance of the last working farm in New York City; highways, and how they connect city people to the suburbs and vacation spots; next generation- -limiting development so that city people will still have working landscapes to look at and visit; creating public value, or the importance of green spaces for city dwellers; and thinking regionally, which discusses developing urban green spaces and protecting working landscapes by clustering suburban development. The book closes with a short bibliography and it includes an index.

For me, some of the most interesting parts of the book were the short asides, bits of research that Hiss had worked into the text. For instance, I learned that researchers have found that parks should be within a 3 minute walk of residents, or they won't be used. Or, New York City restaurants don't serve water without a request because of habits learned during a 1965 drought. And I never dreamed that there was a working farm, zoned for agriculture in Queens. But I wanted so much more from this book than these factoids. Some of Hiss's ideas were quite interesting at the outset, but made no connections to me, since I have never been to New York City, nor do I have any interest in visiting it. The book had a lot of potential, as was clear in the introduction, but I wanted to learn more about humans' connection to natural places, wild landscapes and country villages, and not just those found on Long Island within 50 miles of the city. In his introduction, it sounded like Hiss meant to comment on the environment at large, rather than just the New York City environment. Perhaps a broader choice of examples (and even including some truly rural or even wild places) might have the points stick.

What a great title for a book..........2002-12-30

Too bad the title was wasted on this one. Don't bother reading this unless you want to read long, drawn-out exposition of efforts at preserving various farms and wilderness in the New England states and buildings and parks in NYC. The research was light, no real thesis put forth - some garble about "simultaneous perception" that's forgotten after the first chapters hardly counts. It's not that the writing is offensive, but it is a bit boring and provincial, and lacking in unity and focus.

Inspired me to pursue a career in planning and city admin........2000-06-05

It was Mr. Hiss' book that first inspired me to pursue a career as a city planner/city administrator. I recently reread the book to refresh much of the enthusiasm for carefully crafting a sense of place that, too often, can be dulled by the grind of bureaucracy. The New York Times is only partially right in suggesting that this book is essential reading for city planners, developers and city administrators". It also should be reread, upon occassion, to provide continued inspiration for better planning and development. The book can be effectively supplemented by Howard Kunsteler's Geography of Nowhere and Home From Nowhere.

A refreshing look at real-estate development.......2000-05-14

I was required to read this book as a part of a real-estate development/project management class, and was surprised and refreshed by the author's insights into public space and evironments. The book attempts to get at fundamental values of creating "a sense of place," and although decidedly a bit frou-frou and subjective at times, it offers tangible alternative avenues to our notions of land-use planning and real-estate development. Extremely easy-reading, and insightful.

The Experience of Place: A New Way of Looking at and Dealing With our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside

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The Experience of Place: A New Way of Looking at and Dealing With our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside
Tony Hiss
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VJ6WB6

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A Future Classic of Nature Literature

Praise for A Wing in the Door

Fine new Milkweed title.

Strong story compromised by some inaccuracies.

A Wing in the Door: Life with a Red-Tailed Hawk (World As Home, The)
Peri Phillips McQuay
Manufacturer: Milkweed Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Red-Tailed Hawk (Wild Bird Guides)

Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park (Vintage Departures)

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ASIN: 1571312390

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At home from Panama to the Arctic, red-tailed hawks are a common sight in the skies of North America. But because red-tails are understandably shy of humans, they are usually a distant sight, and few people get the opportunity to observe the raptors up close for more than a fleeting second.

Peri McQuay, a Canadian writer and naturalist, is one of those few. Called on to help raise a young red-tail that had been taken from the wild early and trained--but only partly--by a would-be falconer, she embarked upon what she clearly considers to be the adventure of a lifetime. Warned that Merak, the young bird, might have imprinted on humans and therefore likely could not fend for herself, McQuay spent the next several seasons encouraging Merak to find a home for herself in the world to which she belonged, probing the depths of raptor psychology in an attempt to help Merak learn to hunt, find a mate, and return to the wild state that was her birthright.

The experiment, as McQuay writes in this thoughtful memoir, had mixed results. Her portrait of Merak is sympathetic, affectionate, and full of surprises (among them the humorous revelation that a bird of prey and a cat can arrive at an accommodation, and even live in peace), if tinged with sorrow for what has become of so much of the wild. McQuay's affecting tale of "the gift of this pitiably damaged yet magnificent hawk" will inspire any student of wild birds. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Illegally plucked from her nest when only a month old to be trained for falconry, Merak is two when finally released. She isn’t used to foraging for herself, however, and wanders into a nearby town. As Peri McQuay quickly learns, this human-imprinted hawk is not quite ready for the wild. As Merak’s caretakers, the McQuays try to coax the bird to independence. In journal form, Peri McQuay writes about her life with Merak, relating the hawk’s antics — chasing a garden hose that looks like a snake, rearing up to magnificent size to threaten a house cat — and her difficulties. McQuay becomes increasingly attached even as she hopes that Merak will become fully wild again. This unusual book about a little-known topic testifies to the powerful connections between humans and animals.

Customer Reviews:

A Future Classic of Nature Literature.......2001-10-24

The fact that Milkweed Press has wisely chosen to reprint Peri Phillips McQuay's A Wing in the Door: Adventures with a Red-Tail Hawk (originally published in Canada in 1993), bespeaks its enduring value, and I think helps ensure its survival into the future as a classic of nature literature. Like another great Canadian nature writer, Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf), Peri Mcquay explores the relation between human and wild with wisdom, intelligence, and spirit. McQuay adds to these qualities a remarkably poetic prose which deeply involves the reader in the inner experience of her story-- which is also the story of Merak the hawk, who becomes movingly real to us through the pages of this wonderful book. 'A Wing in the Door' is even more convincing and enriching because it includes not only the human-imprinted hawk and her caretakers who are attempting to help her live as close to the wild as possible, but much of the other wildlife surrounding them as well. The world of 'A Wing in the Door' is broad, rich, and varied, as well as exciting and deeply poetic. To quote from a moment in the book when the author is enjoying watching Merak in flight: 'To fly through the wings of a hawk is like flying through a kite, only far better." As a scholar and teacher of nature literature and editor of two books on naturalist John Burroughs, I find this book a treasure, one that I hope to use in the classroom.

Praise for A Wing in the Door.......2001-08-07

Toronto Globe and Mail, June 23, 2001: "In the style of Jane Goodall and other...animal behaviourists, there's a magnificent tenderness in these narratives--emphatically not to be confused with sentimentality....[A] rare and enlightened witness to the truth of non-human nature."

Washington Post Book World, April 22, 2001: "McQuay knows her land, knows its inhabitants, both plant and the animal, like a first language. Because of this she has written a compelling tale about wild places and wild and half-wild creatures and what it feels like to be around them that rings with authenticity."

Fine new Milkweed title........2001-08-02

This gentle, closely-observed, radiant work explores new territory in the genre of writing about animals. The red-tailed hawk, Merak, never gets more than a wing in the door, literally. She is neither reared nor rehabilitated in the McQuay house. She is brought to them Ñ on their 800 acre conservation area in Ontario Ñ by the local rehabilitator to be released back into the wild. It is only almost as the door to the cage is being opened that the McQuays find out that the hawk may be human imprinted, and thus Merak may be within the circle of their lives for the rest of her own. This book, like a crafted journal, tells the story of several years of Merak's life interwoven with the lives of the people who choose to feed her (mice and rats and muskrats) and look out after her. It is always the hawk who is the focus. Merak is neither wild nor domesticated, but lives in that space where more and more nonhuman creatures will be found, as human existence encroaches upon the natural states necessary for animals to be completely themselves. McQuay is all too aware of the losses that Merak must live with, and records them with the clarity and honesty available to someone who lives amidst such hard lessons.

Strong story compromised by some inaccuracies........2001-05-10

Take a strong premise-the observations and interactions of a human family with a partially tamed Red-tailed Hawk, evocative, often lyrical writing, add some anthropomorphism and a few factual errors, and you have A Wing in the Door. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Like Marie Winn's Red-tails in Love, it covers a subject very near to my heart, humans and their relationship to birds of prey (I teach environmental education using non-releasable hawks, and one of the birds I use is a big female Red-tailed Hawk). The opportunity to interest a wider audience in the "personal" lives of these birds could be a valuable asset in promoting greater understanding of and appreciation for not just the subject species, but all wildlife and the environment in general. To do that effectively, anthropomorphism is a legitimate tool to make the birds seem more human and give them recognizable character traits to which the reader can relate. However, you shouldn't go too far. Too often, I thought, Ms. McQuay ascribed feelings, motivations, and premeditation to the bird's actions that I felt were a stretch. She addressed this issue in an opening note, explaining her use of anthropomorphism as a conscious, necessary antidote to the alternative worldview that we humans are somehow above other animals. I agree, in principal, up to a point, but felt that the author went too far in many cases, thus undermining the non-fiction objectivity of her narrative. In a similar vein, there were some inaccuracies, mainly having to do with aging and plumage characteristics. Early on, she discusses the bird's age when it came to her family, spring of the year following the year it hatched. The bird still has the brown and gray banded tail typical of an immature redtail, as it is coming up on its first molt. Yet, the bird is called a two year-old in the text (it is, in fact, just coming up on one year). I found this confusion about the bird's age as the years cycle throughout the narrative a bit distracting. The process of molting (shedding old feathers and growing in new ones) was often described as being uncomfortable for the bird, with allusions to ill-temper and bad behavior related to being thus indisposed. In my experience and from everything I have read, I have never seen reference to molt being a particularly discomforting process, any more than is the shedding of our hair. Out with the old, in with the new. Molt does change the bird's energetic requirements, but doesn't seem to actually cause them pain. These and similar problems with raptor biology aside, there is much to enjoy in A Wing in the Door. I welcome the effort to interest the general public in some of the fascinating details of the lives of raptorial birds. In the end, the author spins a pretty good tale about her experiences. For myself, I would have liked it better with a little more about the bird and a little less of the human.

Birds of Voyageurs National Park: A Guide to the Minnesota-Ontario Border Country

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Birds of Voyageurs National Park: A Guide to the Minnesota-Ontario Border Country

Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Nature/Regional

An essential guide to bird identification in this wilderness region.

Voyageurs National Park, on the Minnesota-Ontario border, is beloved by campers, canoeists, kayakers, hikers, and especially, bird-watchers. Its solitude offers a relatively undisturbed habitat, and its unusually varied ecosystem-the open water of large lakes, wetlands, and upland forests-provides a unique home for its bird population. Indeed, Voyageurs encompasses some of the greatest diversity of bird life in North America with over one hundred species known to breed within the park and even more nonbreeding visitors.

This book describes one hundred of Voyageurs' most commonly seen birds-from the familiar Common Loon to more unusual species such as the Black-Backed Three-Toed Woodpecker and the Mourning Warbler. Each entry provides a full-color photograph, a detailed description, behavioral information, and tips for where to go in the park to see these birds. Here we learn that more than half of the warblers of eastern North America can be found in the Voyageurs environs. And we are provided with explanations for surprising facts such as the paucity of sandpipers in the park (it has few of the sandy beaches and mudflats they require) and how beavers influence the bird species that reside there.

Voyageurs is one of the best birding destinations in the national park system. Until now there was no adequate resource for those wishing to enjoy its singular combination of species and habitats. This richly illustrated volume fills that void. Not only informational, it will also be a cherished memento for visitors to the Minnesota-Ontario border country and an inspiration for those planning such a trip.

The Voyageurs Region National Park Association was formed in 1965 to work for the creation of Voyageurs National Park. Since the park's authorization by Congress in 1971, the organization has worked to preserve the natural, recreational, and historic resources of Voyageurs National Park and to promote public enjoyment of the park.

Distributed for the Voyageurs Region National Park Association

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The ROM Field Guide to Birds of Ontario
Janice Hughes , and Royal Ontario Museum
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0771076509
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Book Description

This unique publication, produced in association with the Royal Ontario Museum, is the guide Ontario birders have been waiting for…

The ROM Field Guide to Birds of Ontario is researched and written specifically for the Ontario bird watcher. It is the most authoritative, easy to use, and beautifully designed guide to Ontario birds available.

This landmark publication features:

• Detailed and clearly written descriptions of more than 300 migrant and resident Ontario bird species and accidentals, including notes on Appearance, Voice, Habitat and Behaviour, and Status.
• Close to 400 stunning full-colour photographs from Canada’s top wildlife photographers, carefully selected for quick and easy identification in the field.
• Over 300 easy-to-read colour distribution maps, showing summer and winter ranges and breeding grounds.
• Handy page-per-species format, with photo, description, and range map all in one place.
• Glossary, Checklist of Ontario Birds, and Index.

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Best of a Good Series

Birds of Ontario
Andy Bezener , Gary Ross , and Ted Nordhagen (illustrator)
Manufacturer: Lone Pine Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Learn about 318 species of Ontario birds in fascinating detail. Descriptions of each bird, illustrations and range maps help you identify birds and understand their habits. A checklist helps you keep a list of your birding accomplishments. Technical review by Ross James, former Curator of Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum.

Customer Reviews:

Best of a Good Series.......2003-12-07

My wife and I often go bird watching while we travel. As a result, I often feel like a beginner, not even knowing which species I can expect in the locality I'm visiting. So, we usually have two bird guides with us and one of them is the Lone Pine field guide of the area.

The Lone Pine field guides all cover roughly 300 species with one page per species. A map showing where the species can be seen within the area covered by the field guide accompanies every description.

In some cases, the drawings of the birds are more accurate than that of the more comprehensive field guides.

Book Description

The Pocket Naturalist card is a pocket-sized, folding card which provides simplified, easy-to-use reference to what everyone should know about familiar plants, animals, and natural history. Maps are included to highlight prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions. Every card is laminated so that it is waterproof and practical for use in the field. This card highlights over 100 of Ontario's most common breeding birds and familiar migrants.END

Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ontario (Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publication)

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Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ontario (Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publication)
Ross D. James
Manufacturer: Royal Ontario Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ontario.

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Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ontario.
ROSS D.: JAMES
Manufacturer: Royal Ontario Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UCV9BM

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Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario
Michael D. Cadman , and Paul F. J. Eagles
Manufacturer: Univ of Waterloo Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Avian Ark: Tales from a Wild-Bird Hospital

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It is like visiting a wildlife refuge for a day

The Avian Ark: Tales from a Wild-Bird Hospital
Kit Chubb
Manufacturer: Ruminator Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 188691303X

Customer Reviews:

It is like visiting a wildlife refuge for a day.......1999-02-17

Kit Chubb's witty sense of humor comes through perfectly in this book about some of the most fascinating and incredible wildlife rescues and rehabilitation stories found anywhere. It is easy to understand the brain behind the phenomenon that is Kitt Chubb and a day in the life of the Avian Care and Research Foundation.

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