Book Description
The astounding autobiography of the man who transformed Rumi from a learned religious teacher into the world's greatest poet of mystical love.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant and Necessary.......2007-09-26
It's hard to overstate the importance of this beautiful book to anyone who has been touched by the Sufi path, and especially Rumi. Chittick has provided us with a portrait of Rumi's master, Shams of Tabriz--and he's not what one might expect.
Rumi has become famous in the contemporary West for his divine poetry--and rightly so: he is one of humanity's greatest lovers and poets, and this comes across in every line. But as others have asked: Do we honestly know what this "love" Rumi talks about really is?
Here we have Shams of Tabriz, master to Rumi, the man Rumi loved most in the world, in Rumi's eyes a spiritual being of the first order. And he can be cruel, insensitive, and harsh. Lots of people around him hate him. If I remember correctly, he even makes a fart joke at one point.
He's seen as almost an embarrassment in a company of dervishes and scholars. And yet one suspects that this has more than a little to do with his ruthless and relentless practice of exposing imposture and hypocrisy--reminiscent of the work of Jesus, with the same sad, predictable result.
The connection between Rumi's love and this wild man's character is the absolute, uncompromising love of God. For this, really, is the love of Rumi: it brooks no insincerity or reservation. It is the essence of Islam: utter submission to the divine. Shams reminds us, as he reminded those around him, that this has nothing at all to do with sweet words and noble sentiments, with putting on spiritual airs and gaining the admiration of the faithful.
This can be a painful reminder. It threatens what the ego craves. And the love of God threatens the self as well--as Rumi and Shams both show us, when we truly love God, there is only love and God: we disappear. Shams' job was to show Rumi what this really meant. Rumi's job was to show us--despite the fearful protestations of the ego--what it really is: beautiful and joyful.
God bless William Chittick for this wonderful gift.
Meeting Shams of Tabriz.......2005-02-13
Who was Rumi's beloved? Who was this dervish who overturned Rumi's world, leading him to leave the safe path of knowledge and enter the burning path of love? Who was he before he met Rumi and how was he changed by this encounter? If you, like me, wondered about this timeless story of lover and beloved, you can meet Shams in this book and read his own words in English for the first time. Although it lacks a narrative structure, it brings him alive in moments of vitality. The story of Rumi and Shams is the story of the meeting of two human beings that, like the conjunction of two planets, realigned the fates. My novel about them, like Siddhartha or Last Temptation of Christ, is the tale of the lover of God, the mythic story of the human soul. This book offers a description of the human beloved who stood, for Rumi, as the divine beloved.
long-awaited Autobiography - Shams, the strange Companion.......2004-11-11
"When a sincere man begins to dance,
the seven heavens, the earth, and all creatures begin to dance." - Shams
Little did we know about Shams Tabrizi, except that he was the enigmatic master of Maulana Jalalludin Rumi. Now we may get an inside picture through this wonderful autobiography, translated by a thorough scholar (William Chittick). Moreover, it may correct certain childish misconceptions we may have had about both Rumi and Shams.
This is an authentic biography, however rather atypical. From the translator's introduction: "The first thing we need to remember about the Discourses is that it was not written by Shams. Rather, one or more individuals in Rumi's intimate circle took notes while Shams was speaking, often, but not always, when Rumi was present. (...) What is certain is that he never saw a final version - or if he did, it has not survived." Consequently, this autobiography does not read as a continuous story, but consists of random notes in the original manuscript, organized however into chapters in this English translation.
Who was Shams Tabrizi? You must read the book in order to answer this question for yourself. Shams recounts: "What then do you know of me? I went into that thicket where lions wouldn't dare to go (...) and awesomeness settled into me." Indeed, what did anyone know of him?
What is clear from this book is that Shams's heart-secret (sirr-e asrar) was no match for contemporary mystics, although he did respect just one or two or perhaps a few.
With every encounter he would reveal the other's state (hal) and spiritual standing (maqam) through gnostic insight, and invariably he would manifest as idol-breaker. Then they would flee his presence, being incapable to tolerate his face.
He is very critical even of the great ones in Sufism, particularly Bayazid Bistami and Mansur Hallaj, whom he frequently mentions in comparisons, or even Junayd. He says: "The station of `He is the Real' is far above that of `I am the Real'. And explains: "The difference between me and the great ones is just that - what I have inwardly is exactly what's outward."
He appears to have been vastly different from other Sufi masters. Whereas others would train recipients with "preparedness" to become saints (wali) and masters in their own right, Shams was made for a different task. He says: "I haven't come to do with the common people in this world - I haven't come for them. I've put my finger on the pulse of those who guide the world to the Real."
He explains, "If everyone in the inhabited quarter was on one side and I was on the other, I would answer every one of their difficulties. I would never flee from speaking (...) The inhabited quarter is where the people reside. The other three quarters burn from the shining of the sun, so people don't live there."
All his life he served the Companion. "My goal in the idol-temple is the image and beauty of Your face. If I want the idol of words for the sake of those meanings, it will not happen without the Companion. The Companion must be there."
And elsewhere: "When someone finds the way to be my companion, his mark is that companionship with others becomes cold and bitter for him." And: "I have a pearl within me. Whenever I show its face to anyone, he becomes estranged from all his companions and friends."
He would accept no disciple, but all his life he was waiting for the one, to become his sole companion; who was to be Jalalludin Rumi. Shams: "From the day I saw your beauty, inclination and love for you sat in my heart."
And he explains: "There are many great ones whom I love inwardly. There's affection, but I don't make it manifest. Once or twice when I made it manifest, I did something while keeping company with them, and they didn't know and recognize their duty in companionship. I took it upon myself not to let the affection become cold. When I made it manifest with Mawlana, it increased and did not lessen."
If you read carefully, you may discover from the text the universal rule of companionship and its graceful severity: "What is before your heart? Say whatever there is! If there is an obstacle, tell me about it. If you tell me about the obstacle, I will teach you the Path. It will become easy, because I know the Path better than you."
And elsewhere: "Whatever the state that comes, you should quickly tell the companion about it and be done with it. Don't think, "How can I talk like this to the companion?" The companion will see it, even if you don't talk about it." And: "As long as pride and existence are within you, you must say `God is greater', and you must intend the sacrifice."
"Without doubt, whenever you sit with someone and are with him, you will take on his disposition. On whom have you been gazing that tightness should have come into you? If you look at green herbs and flowers, freshness will come. The sitting companion pulls you into his own world. That is why reciting the Koran purifies the heart, for you remember the prophets and their states. The form of the prophets comes together in your spirit and becomes its sitting companion."
What they experienced in their mutual company transcended the secret-of-secrets of anyone but themselves. Rumi sung in verse: "The whole description of Godhead in Shams of Tabriz transcends any notions concerning free will and ordainment." While Shams: "This was a cask of Divine wine, its lid caked with grime. No one was aware of this. The cause of this cask being opened was Maulana. Whoever seeks to understand this must be aware that the cause has been Maulana."
We do not know what befell Shams when he finally disappeared. After Rumi's death, Fakhruddin `Eraqi (his contemporary poet-mystic) would often speak of Rumi; he would sigh and say, "No one ever understood him as he should have been understood. He came into the world a stranger, and left it a stranger."
When one reads a translation cum introduction by a scholar, one doesn't want to "read" the ego of the scholar between the lines. One doesn't want to be put on sidetracks by speculative claims that serve nobody but vain academia. Far from such limitations, I think Chittick has done a thorough scholarly job. This book is a must-own for anyone seriously interested in Islamic Sufism (or any tradition for that matter) in general, and (auto)biographies of mystics in particular, even though this autobiography forever remains: advanced reading.
"I'll not put you in the heart or you'll be wounded,
I'll not keep you in the eye or you'll be lowly.
I'll give you a place in the spirit, not the eyes or the heart,
so you'll be my companion at the least breath."
"Even if it be after a thousand years, these words will reach those for whom they're intended."
"They're all seeking the benefit of knowledge. You should seek for good deeds, so that you may obtain good from the Companion. This is the kernel, that is the husk."
Book Description
Over South Carolina's capitol dome fly three flags: the United States flag, the flag of South Carolina, and the Confederate battle flag. This unique distinction among American capitols has led to its fair share of controversy. The battle flag often evokes as strong emotions today as during the War for Southern Independence. Many other flags have represented the state and its citizens, however. After five years of locating, measuring, and determining the historical significance of more than one hundred flags displayed during the War Between the States, the author presents-for the first time anywhere-every known South Carolina Civil War flag in existence today. These include: the Lone Star and Palmetto Flag, the first Southern flag hoisted over Fort Sumter; the Charleston Depot battle flag, carried by the French-speaking Lafayette Artillery; and the naval Jack, flown only on a ship of war when in port. Much more than a historical examination, The Flags of Civil War South Carolina stands as a tribute to the men who bore these colors . . . men who were the heart of the regiment, the soul of the battle line, and the focus of the enemy's fire.
Book Description
The story of Private Charles Whilden, a hapless South Carolinian whose bravery at the Battle of Spotsylvania in 1864 prolonged the Civil War for the Confederates
For forty years, Charles Whilden lived a life noteworthy for failure. Then, in a remarkable chain of events, this aging, epileptic desk clerk from Charleston found himself plunged into the brutal battlefields of the Wilderness (May 57, 1864) and Spotsylvania Court House (May 820, 1864). In an astonishing act of bravery, he wrapped the flag around his body and led a charge that won critical ground for the Confederates, changing the course of one of the war's most significant battles.
Gordon C. Rhea combines his deep knowledge of Civil War history with original sources, such as a treasure trove of letters written by Charles Whilden, to tell the story of this unusual life. Growing up in a prominent family that had fallen on hard times, Charles received a good education, and his letters reveal flashes of intelligence. But he failed at the practice of law in his home state and in his endeavors elsewhere, including copper speculation, real estate ventures, and farming. After the attack on Fort Sumter, Charles returned to Charleston to enlist in Confederate service, only to be turned down until the rebellion was on its last legs. Even then he saw only a few weeks of combat. But in that time, he discovered a bravery within himself that nothing in his former existence suggested he had.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-08-03
Rhea - his trilogy was excellent but this book is exquisite and is highly recommended.
A private changes the course of an entire war.......2006-10-09
A General or a Colonel certainly has the ability to alter the course of
history or make his name well-known to his countrymen through actions.
But does a common private lost within the ranks have the same ability?
Gordon Rhea answers this question brilliantly in this book about a
middle-aged Confederate private set amongst two of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
Charles Whilden went from obscurity to fame at a place called the
Bloody Angle, a key position on the battlefield of Spotsylvania Courthouse, where he carried a tattered battle flag in front of a desperate charge that eventually led to a Confederate victory and prolonged an already endless war. Without Whilden's heroics, the Confederates wouldn't have rallied for victory and would likely have been crushed, along with the Confederacy itself. Does this make Whilden a hero or a villain? After all, the 'victory' that he initiated was only short-lived, and only led to more death and destruction. This is one of the questions that may come across a reader's mind amidst the awe and respect for the common infantryman that develops over the course of this book.Another question is this: How many other Private Whilden's are there scattered about America's short, yet war-ridden, past? Was there a Private Whilden at San Juan Hill, or Iwo Jima, or Saratoga? Rhea's ability to shrink something as grand as war into something as familiar as a common man fighting for a cause has a way of reminding us that wars are not fought by generals. Not only that, but his descriptions of the two brutal campaigns of The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse would make any Civil War buff foam at the mouth.
One man can change the course of history. This book will teach you
that if nothing else. But, more important, it also teaches that the common soldier, no matter what side he fights for, is driven by a courage that should at the very least be honored and always respected.
Great for buffs, and raises questions..........2005-09-04
For anyone wanting to learn the specifics of two major battles between Grant and Lee, this book is excellent. I am always glad to see books that resist glorification by detailing the horrendous conditions of some of the most brutal fighting of the war, which is saying a lot. SPOILER--But the author couldn't resist talking about Whilden's actions as heroic and how the day was won for the Confederacy as if it were a truly noble outcome. Now look at it another way: if Whildon were shot down and the Rebels didn't have a rallying point to successfully rienforce the earthworks, then Grant would've plowed through, cutting Lee's army in half and most likely defeat them. With this outcome, you would not have had the endless series of massacres throughout central Virginia, no siege of Petersburg, no Cold Harbor. With the war over, you probably wouldn't have Atlanta and Colombia in ashes and the atrocity of Sherman's March. Just food for thought-Discuss...
AN UNLIKELY HERO.......2005-04-15
The author, Gordon Rhea, notes in the INTRODUCTION that "....books about privates are rare" and continues "None tell a story half as fascinating as that of Charles Whilden...." The text is a brief account of Whilden's life stating that his first forty years were characterized by mediocrity and failure. However, Whilden's brief fifteen minutes of glory came at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania Court House where he vividly demonstrated the capacity of an insignificant player "to alter the course of history."
Chapter 1 gives a short review of the 1864 strategic conditions in central Virginia which "By most estimates, 1864 loomed as the war's decisive year." In March 1864 President Lincoln made Grant commander-in-chief whose aim was the destruction of the Confederate armies, not to capture territory. The author observed "Thus the stage set for the Civil War's decisive campaign....The campaign would be a duel to the death between Grant and Lee, the best generals either side could field. The prize was the fate of two nations." Chapter 2 presents a concise account of pre-Civil War Charleston, S.C. stating the source of Charleston's wealth was rice and that the city's affluence "rested on the back of slaves." The author gives an interesting review of the area's concern about a slave rebellion and continues "As the Carolina Low country's slave population grew so grew the white minority's unease about servile insurrection."
After a unsuccessful brief career as a lawyer, Charles moved to Detroit where his lack of success continued to plague him.He left Detroit in 1855 and accompanied Colonel Grayson to Santa Fe, New Mexico as the colonel's personal secretary. In Santa Fe his mediocre success continued. When the Civil War commenced, Charles began the long trip home to Charleston. The ship he was on heading for the Carolina coast was badly damaged; and his health was compromised; for the rest of his life he suffered from epileptic seizures. In Charleston he tried to enlist a number of times; but due to his epilepsy he was unsuccessful in enlisting. By January 1864, Confederate manpower shortages were critical; and at age 39 Whilden was at last able to enlist as a private in Company I of the 1st Carolina at Orange Court House in February 1864.
Author Rhea uses Whilden and the 1st Carolina as the narrative vehicle for an interesting account of the battles of The Wilderness and at Spotsylvania. Whilden's unit was "destined to the worst of the campaign's carnage." Whilden received his baptism-under-fire on May 5 in the Battle of the Wilderness, had not run and was appointed as flag barrier when the flag barrier was wounded. Rhea observes "The post of flag bearer was important, not only for sentimental reasons but for practical ones as well." Charles career as a color barrier was off to a bad start as Union General Hancock troops overran Charles's unit. Only the last minute arrival of Confederate General Longstreet on May 6th saved the day. On the night of May 7-8 Grant's and Lee's armies moved south to the vicinity of Spotsylvania Court House where Lee erected sophisticated earthworks. The text briefly narrates Grant's fruitless efforts over the next three days to break through Lee's battlements.
Lee had erected a salient, nicknamed The Mule Shoe, and Grant had selected it for a massive attack by Union General Hancock on May 12. Union troops soon overran the pickets and the outer earthworks including the high ground, referred to as "the angle", to the Confederate left. The author gives a chilling account of the gruesome, bloody chaotic fighting as the Confederates fought to regain the angle and survive. Lee ordered General McGowan's brigade into the Mule Shoe. Charles, "still wracked by seizures" clearly understood the situation and fixing his eyes on the angle, carried the flag never expecting to reach the angle alive. When the flag was shot from its pole, Whilden wrapped the flag around his body. Behind him followed a "motley band of rebels." By ten o'clock in the morning Charles led his fellow Southerners to take over the Bloody Angle thus saving the battle for the Confederates. The butchery of May 12 was horrendous with the two armies suffering approximately seventeen thousand causalities. While Lee had won another battle, "the war in Virginia settled into a siege that would last ten months....but Grant had won the campaign, destroying the Army of Northern Virginia's offensive capacity."
His epilepsy making him unfit for service Charles returned to Charleston in August 1864 and was discharged after only eight months of duty. On September 25, 1866, during an epileptic seizure he fell facedown in a mud puddle, and drowned. While there are no monuments to Charles Whilden, his heroic action on May 12, 1864 at the Bloody Angle lives on as a tribute to the potential of an insignificant player who altered the course of Civil War history.
Gordon Rhea has done considerable research on the campaigns of 1864, having previously written several books on these campaigns. This is an easy book to read. Civil War buffs who want a brief/limited account of the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court and a private who won his fifteen minutes of fame in 1864 at the Bloody Angle, will find this book interesting.
Delightful and Informative.......2004-10-08
"Carrying the Flag" is a gem of a little book telling the story of an otherwise anonymous Confederate Private who found 15 minutes of fame in 15 hours of improbable glory. While Private Whilden's exploits at Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle were unique in their specifics, one can only imagine hundreds, if not thousands, of equally heroic deeds over the course of the war by similarly obscure infantrymen.
Private Whilden's battle experience was limited to the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Accordingly, much of author Rhea's book details just how unexceptional Private Whilden was. The material, which seemingly holds little promise, in fact makes for an appealing window on the "middle class" antebellum South. In the end, if you can't applaud Private Whilden's take on the world and his place in it, you can surely understand it and, perhaps even applaud the depth of his commitment to it.
One of the most attractive features of the book, for me, is the compelling way in which Private Whilden's two battles unfold. There is the usual blood and gore, but more important, the narrative, complemented by just one map of each of the battlefields, is as clear as any I've read. The tactical story is the focus, but the operational and strategic context is cogently sketched in as well. Indeed, I would recommend the two battle sequences as among the best, most comprehensible short summaries of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania that I have read.
A very nice, very readable addition to the literature; highly recommended.
Book Description
How did Pol Pot, a tyrant comparable to Hitler and Stalin in his brutality and contempt for human life, rise to power? This authoritative book explores what happened in Cambodia from 1930 to 1975, tracing the origins and trajectory of the Cambodian Communist movement and setting the ascension of Pol Pot’s genocidal regime in the context of the conflict between colonialism and nationalism. A new preface bring this edition up to date.
Praise for the first edition:
“Given the highly secretive nature of Pol Pot’s activities, the precise circumstances and manoeuvres that propelled him to the top of the heap will perhaps never be known. But Kiernan has come impressively close to it. . . . And he has presented it in a wide perspective, drawing interesting comparisons with communist movements in Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and India. . . . Incisive.”—T. J. S. George, Asiaweek, “Editor’s Pick of the Month”
“A rich, gruesome and compelling tale. . . fascinating, well-researched and measured. . . a model of judgement and scholarship.”—Fred Halliday, New Statesman
“[Kiernan’s] capacity for dogged research on three continents, and his mastery of every ideological nuance. . . [are] awe-inspiring.”—Dervla Murphy, Irish Times
Customer Reviews:
Scholarly but Relatively Narrow Focus.......2006-01-31
The secondary title of the first edition of this book was A History of Communism in Kampuchea, 1930-1975. This is perhaps a more accurate description of the nature of this book. Kiernan presents a careful reconstruction primarily of the politics of leftist-communist movements in Cambodia, focusing in the later part of the book on how Pol Pot and his associates came to dominate the Cambodian Communist Party. This is not really a history of the Cambodian independence movement and while a very valuable book for understanding the events leading up to the Khmer Rouge accession to power, is not really a narrative/analysis of that phenomenon. Kiernan undertook the difficult task of reconstructing the internal politics of the Cambodian Communist movement and placing this in the context of leftist/nationalist movements in Cambodia from 1930 to the Khmer Rouge victory. In many ways, this is the story of how circumstances and the ruthless efforts of a small group of determined ideologues, mainly though not exclusively of relatively privileged background, conspired to allow this clique to dominate what was originally a relatively broad based nationalist/revolutionary movement. Because of scanty documentation and the deliberate efforts of the Khmer Rouge to obscure their history, this is quite a difficult undertaking which Kiernan carries off well. Kiernan covers the history of nationalist and leftist movements in Cambodia, the emergence of the Cambodian Communist movement, the internal struggles within the party between Vietnamese influenced communists and the Pol Pot group, and how the events of the civil wars of the 60s and early 70s allowed Pol Pot's group to dominate.
Kiernan is not, unfortunately, a gifted writer. His method is primarily to present a narrative with primary reliance of provision of much of the primary data. This can lead to a losing sight of the forest for the trees effect. He also does not produce much formal analysis, tending to make his interpretations implicitly. In some ways, the best piece of structural analysis in the book is the brief overview in the Introduction.
All of that said, there are quite a few compelling aspects to the book. There are multiple, often cruel ironies. In the second half of the 50s, Sihanouk, in an effort to divide the left, actually provided patronage for the urbanized intellectual leftists like Pol Pot who later became the most bitter opponents of his regime. Kiernan shows that the virulent nationalism of the Khmer Rouge in some ways had more in common with the bizarre nationalism of the corrupt and incompetent American client Lon Nol than with their Vietnamese-influenced competitors. The Nixon administration's bombing campaign in 1973 probably saved the Lon Nol regime but also allowed Pol Pot's group to consolidate their grip on power. Khmer Rouge success in 1973 would probably have resulted in a less brutal regime. This is an important book, though not easy to read.
Indispensible.......2003-02-16
This is THE book on the history of Cambodia in that era and the Khmer Rouge. There are very few Western scholars who know the Khmer language and are therefore able to do serious research. Ben Kiernan is one of those few. His book is well documented, an excellent introduction with many suggestions for further reading.
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Desert Passages: Encounters With the American Deserts
Patricia Nelson Limerick
Manufacturer: Univ Pr of Colorado
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0870811754 |
Book Description
This lively book traces the development of American attitudes toward the desert using case studies from the writings of John C. Frémont, William Lewis Manly, Mark Twain, William Ellsworth Smythe, John Van Dyke, George Wharton James, Joseph Wood Krutch, and Edward Abbey.
“Patricia Nelson Limerick is an original, learned, passionate writer. Everything she writes about the history of the American West deserves attention.”—Larry McMurtry
“Patricia Limerick is simply one of the best writers alive—and the astonishing thing is that she thinks as clearly and logically as she writes.”—Garry Wills
Traces the development of American attitudes toward the desert using case studies from many writers over the years.
Customer Reviews:
The Literary Desert.......2001-01-03
*Desert Passges,* Patricia Nelson Limerick's first book, surveys a cast of American characters who wrote about their encounters with the deserts of the American Southwest. Her subjects fall into two broad groups: those who hated the desert, and by extension wanted to redeem it by settlement and irrigation, and those who -- however conditionally -- loved it, and by extension wanted to preserve it. The turning point between these two groups fell in the later nineteenth and earlier twentieth century, when the railroads and the obliteration of independent Native American cultures had rendered the desert a scene out of the carriage window, traversed in ease, instead of a horrible wasteland waiting to destroy the naive traveler.
Limerick's subjects range from the famous -- Mark Twain, whose reaction to the desert inspires some of Limerick's sharpest prose -- to the famous in their own day but now obscure -- like William Ellsworth Smythe. She's pretty hard on almost everybody she treats -- especially Edward Abbey, who comes across as something of a charlatan -- except William Manly. Manly survived a harrowing trek in 1849 through Death Valley to California; he recorded his adventures in sincere and plain prose that repays reading today.
This book is a revision of Limerick's Ph.D. dissertation, and suffers from some of the faults of the genre -- for which it would be entirely unfair to blame her! Her choice of subjects left me somewhat puzzled, especially the omission, until the very end, of the most important figure in working out our relations to the desert: John Wesley Powell. Powell is a big figure, famously treated in Wallace Stegner's massive biography (the last chapter of Donald Worster's *Rivers of Empire* makes for inspiring reading too); no doubt Limerick felt he had had enough attention, and it was time to turn toward less well-known, but arguably important, persons. Yet his ghost hangs unacknowledged around the text, and the story of America's relations with its arid West just isn't complete without his tangled, contradictory presence.
Much of the material and indeed many of the same authors treated in *Desert Passges* recur with a somewhat more literary bent in Peter Wild's *The Opal Desert,* which appeared in 1999. A third edition of *Desert Passages* has been announced but hadn't appeared as of this writing.
Books:
- Memories of a Catholic girlhood ; How I grew ; Intellectual memoirs, New York, 1936-1938
- Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary
- Morgan: American Financier
- My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage with Gypsy Rose Lee
- Nothing But an Unfinished Song: The Life and Times of Bobby Sands
- Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett, 2006 Literary Edition
- Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest
- Paul: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
- Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman
- President Kennedy: Profile of Power
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Rumi's World: The Life and Works of the Greatest Sufi Poet (Shambhala dragon editions)
The Masnavi, Book One (Oxford World's Classics)
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