The nature guide to New Zealand native orchids

Book Description

Completely revised and updated, Let's Go: Britain amp; Ireland is your comprehensive guide to the British Isles. Our forty-five years of travel savvy guide you to the islands' classic places and faces, from Stonehenge to Shakespeare's Globe, and fresh coverage of hikes, bikes, and treks exposes the modern Britain beyond the crumbling castles and literary legends. This edition features all-new coverage of the Channel Islands, as well as a focus on pop culture and where to find it. Travelers who want to get their hands dirty will find ample listings for opportunities to participate in agricultural work or archaeological digs. So, whether you'd rather browse antiquarian volumes in book-crazy Hay-on-Wye or scale the rugged peaks of the Scottish Highlands, Let's Go's intrepid researchers will give you the latest on how to get there, get around, and get busy.

Customer Reviews:

Best ever.......2005-10-17

Went to England with this guide book in hand, the insides marked out with places my husband and I wanted to visit --- sights, restaurants, shopping. Reviews were very detailed. With practically everything so expensive in Europe, this was a real godsend -- it led us to the best deals wherever in England we chose to go. Our hosts had just as much fun as we did, "discovering" new places, and telling themselves they'll definitely come back again. When we left, they asked us to leave the book with them. Need I say more?

Go UK!.......2005-09-17

You're going to LOVE BRITAIN! I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits all together.

Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet your exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)

Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide

MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for pubs, hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the underground and the double decker buses. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the city centre. When you get to be an old London hand, remember that the classic Londoners guide will always be an A to Z (zed) map and guide. If you want to go a bit beyond the central core of the city (perhaps to Windsor, Hampton, or further away) you really need the proper AtoZ to be able to find exact routes and streets.

Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!

Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.

Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.

Frommer's
These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise (depending on what the guide is known for), if your main concern is that the guide has very little old or outdated information, then this would be a good guide for you.

Rick Steves' books are not recommended. They may be an interesting read but their helpfulness is very poor. They don't do well on updates, transportation details, or anything but the first-time-tourist routine and even that is somewhat superficial on anything but the mega-major sites.

Essential reading for students and seniors who travel.......2005-03-23

If you're visiting the U.K. and Ireland, especially on a shoestring budget, "Let's Go - Britain & Ireland 2005" is a great choice. It focuses on budget travel, plus cheap & free destinations. It's a superb resource for hostel reviews, and tells you exactly where the best pubs, clubs, and night spots are. If you're a student who enjoys travel, the "Let's Go" series is practically required reading.

Because this book covers so much territory (literally), don't expect as many details or as much advice as more specialized guides. If all you need is an overview and important travel tips, this is the one to buy.

Frankly, if your schedule is flexible and you have a little extra cash for touring, you can go to the U.K. and Ireland with just this book. Pick up tourist brochures for each area when you get there, and plan your day-by-day activities as you travel. Like many "Let's Go" guides, their Britain & Ireland 2005 guidebook makes travel fun and easy.

This book is an excellent reference for informal travel. It includes good maps, common sense advice, and the kinds of practical information in each chapter that can spare you hours of getting lost while looking for the bus stop or a place for a good, affordable lunch.

Oh, if you're traveling with small children or want a guidebook that reviews the better hotels and B&Bs, "Ireland for Dummies" is probably a better choice. But, if you favor hostels and want to eat where the locals do, this Let's Go guide is worth throwing into your backpack or suitcase as you head to the U.K. and Ireland.

I recommend "Let's Go - Britain and Ireland 2005" most for students and adventurous seniors, and this book will be in my own suitcase when I'm visiting the U.K. and Ireland.
--reviewed by Eibhlin Morey, editor, "All Info About Ireland" and "All Info About Literary Britain"

the new 2005 edition.......2005-01-17

Just in response to one of the other reviews, I'd like to point out that they may refer to the 2004 edition of B&I. I am currently studying in Britain with the sexy new 2005 edition and I'm happy to report that, yes, the prices have been updated and, in the case of trains and buses, they tend to list the highest possible price so you may even find things cheaper than the guide says. There are guides with more extensive coverage, but none cover Britain with nearly as much style: if anything, this is certainly the coolest of the Britain travel guides.

Helpful guide for your trip.......2004-09-16

I used this book to plan a trip originating in London, then traveling to Dublin amd finally to Galway. This book was very helpful in the planning stage of the trip. It definitely made the trip a lot smoother and less expensive. It includes maps, advice, and other information to give you ideas on accomodation, dining and sights to see. I recommend it.

Let's Go 2005 Ireland (Let's Go Ireland)

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Let's Go 2005 Ireland (Let's Go Ireland)
Inc. Let's Go
Manufacturer: Let's Go Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lonely Planet Ireland

ASIN: 0312335512
Release Date: 2004-11-18

Book Description

Completely revised and updated, Let's Go: Ireland is your must-have guide to the Emerald Isle. Let's Go's forty-five years of practical savvy tell you all you need to know to navigate Ireland's loughs and valleys, and brand-new coverage of festivals, profiles of Irish saints and heroes, and expanded listings for volunteer and work opportunities increase your exposure to Irish culture. With updated listings on everything from cozy cafes to raucous raves, and with pub crawls in Dublin, Belfast, Donegal, Cork, and Galway, Let's Go has the lowdown on what's going on in contemporary Ireland. So, whether you dream of following the tracks of Joyce and Beckett in literary Dublin or meeting the king of Tory Island among the ruins of an ancient monastery, Let's Go can lead the way.

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My favorite

Just Finished

Someone up to no good

Judge For Yourself

A Rare Touch Of Brilliance

UNDERSTANDING WEST POINT, LEADERS OF CHARACTER, and THOMAS JEFFERSON: What Cadets Must Do at West Point and Why ... ; (New 2006 Edition)
Norman Thomas Remick
Manufacturer: RPR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point

National Geographic - Surviving West Point

Modern Marvels - West Point (History Channel)

The Spirit of West Point: Celebrating 200 Years

Duty, Honor, Country: A History of West Point

ASIN: 0967487919

Book Description

"WEST POINT: Thomas Jefferson: Character Leadership Education" is author Norman Thomas Remick's successor to his pioneering book, "Mr. Jefferson's Academy: The Real Story Behind West Point", the one and only work that identifies and proves a heretofore secret Thomas Jefferson-West Point connection. This book is the penetrating account of a ten year search by Norman Thomas Remick, four years at West Point that tells you the way it is inside those fabled gray granite walls, and six years inside the research halls of libraries to uncover and decipher the code of archival facts that have brought to light a special historic relationship between Thomas Jefferson and West Point. Remick also details how this historic college produces leaders, why it does so the way it does, why America has a West Point to produce Officers when there are easier and cheaper ways to do so, and why Thomas Jefferson founded West Point in the first place. The secret behind why Jefferson founded West Point informs the contemporary controversy over whether America still needs a West Point at a cost of hundreds of millions per year in taxpayer dollars.

The book is not only unique in breaking new historical ground but it is also unique in its innovative presentation of true and accurate history. By employing creative nonfiction and the choice of a dramatic dialogue as narrative vehicle, the author gives us something here that is quite different and refreshing as he takes us on a journey through history and philosophy that winds its way from Ancient times to post American Revolution times to show us how the great moral stories of the world shaped Thomas Jefferson, and in turn, America and West Point.

The book is also an education, a special kind of education. Because the journey through history uses as its sources the same books Thomas Jefferson himself read that are in his famous library, when you read this book you are learning the same things that he learned. By cleverly converting the difficult history and philosophy contained in Jefferson's books into ordinary language and American vernacular, and weaving together hundreds of wonderful poems, anecdotes, and unusual scenarios, Remick has produced a timeless gem on West Point and Thomas Jefferson and leadership and character that will be an enjoyable and engaging and educational experience for years to come and for people of all ages and educational levels, not just scholars.

As an added bonus: Those who cannot visit West Point will enjoy the sixteen pages that the author has nicely blended into the storyline, including 24 full color pictures, that takes you on a virtual tour of West Point.

Customer Reviews:

My favorite.......2006-03-27

A few words to pass along how much I enjoyed this book. Not written for scholars, though there's a fantastic amount of research and overview kind of education, but an everyman type of book that 99% of the rest of us can enjoy and understand whatever your age or education, as long as you can read. The book does what author sets out to do (if you read the intro. and cover), and somewhat brilliantly. If you judge a book by the author's intent, this is five star and my favorite of all the West Point books.

Just Finished.......2006-03-12

I just finished with several West Point books and want to take a minute of my time to plug Mr. Remick's book as being far and away the one that has had the most time, effort, original thought, and educational information put into it over all of the others. And, he made it fun to read. If you can't afford to read them all, choose this one.

Someone up to no good .......2005-12-11

When someone takes the trouble to try to discredit the many honest and intelligent adults who have read Mr. Remick's book and written positive reviews, and what I, as a West Point Dad, know to be the thousands of people who have found this book to be everything the five star reviews say it is, you know that the someone is up to no good. I know of many people that this book has helped. I always recommend it to both youth and adults who are interested in West Point, or in Thomas Jefferson. It was recommended to me by Admissions and the Athletic Association. The recent negative review shocked me into writing this because the book accomplishes the very things the negative review says it doesn't, and I have verified that the book does not say what the review clearly intentionally misquotes it as saying. All I can say is that I fully subscribe to everything in the review dated Aug. 25, 2005, "Judge For Yourself". That is my suggestion to everyone. Just read the book and judge for yourself.

Judge For Yourself.......2005-08-26

I was so impressed with this book that I feel compelled to debunk the previous spiteful review. All the things it said are twisted. True, the author had the guts to present his wealth of research information in a very unique, creative, and easy-to-read way. That's what makes the book great. It seems all pioneers who do something new and wonderful are bashed by the opposition these days. I wonder why? If you buy the book and read it, you'll see what I mean. Judge for yourself.

A Rare Touch Of Brilliance.......2005-07-29

A brilliantly conceived and researched book that is an education on traditional America, Thomas Jefferson, and West Point and how they are irreversibly connected. I can't imagine any fairminded person of any age group being disappointed.

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A cursory Understanding
Blinkered Author
If you could read one book on Jefferson, don't choose this one!
Better title-Understanding Jefferson's sex history
A Different View of a Founding Father

Understanding Thomas Jefferson
E. M. Halliday , and E.M. Halliday
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060957611
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Amazon.com

Thomas Jefferson's life seems to be riddled with contradictions: he wrote "all men are created equal" yet owned hundreds of slaves; he feared mixing the races yet fathered children with a partially black slave. Joseph J. Ellis took this Jefferson-as-enigma approach in American Sphinx, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997. E.M. Halliday, however, argues that "the 'sphinx' approach tends to mystify rather than enlighten" and attempts to reconcile some of the contradictions in Understanding Thomas Jefferson.

Halliday starts off with a comprehensive sketch of Jefferson's life, from his father's death when he was 14 to his own death on July 4, 1826. Halliday describes Jefferson's college days, his passionate marriage, his trip to Paris, and, of course, his relationship with Sally Hemings, his slave and concubine.

Halliday's analysis of the Jefferson-Hemings affair is refreshing, given that many biographers have felt Jefferson lost all interest in sex after his wife's death (or, to quote Nick Nolte, who played the man in Jefferson in Paris, "The historians like to think that after Jefferson's wife died, his dick fell off"). Halliday lays out all the evidence, also noting that "most biographers have paid insufficient attention ... to the probability that some of her traits, of both appearance and character, were reminiscent of her half sister, Jefferson's greatly beloved wife." He then criticizes the "blinkered historians" who ignored or dismissed ample evidence of the affair--that is, before DNA testing proved that Jefferson fathered at least one of Hemings's children.

A series of related essays follows the biography, including a clear-eyed view of the relationship between history and fiction. Throughout the book, Halliday writes in a chatty, almost gossipy tone, noting the Marquis de Lafayette's "formidable expanse of forehead," describing Jefferson's "tall, lean but muscular figure," musing that "September in Paris, while less celebrated in love songs than April, can be a wonderfully sexy time of year." Entertaining, informative, and eminently readable, Understanding Thomas Jefferson will leave readers feeling that they do. --Sunny Delaney

Book Description

Recent biographies of Thomas Jefferson have stressed the sphinxlike puzzles of his character—famous champion of freedom yet lifelong slaveholder, foe of miscegenation yet secret lover of a beautiful slave for 30 years, aristocrat yet fervent advocate of government by the people. E. M. Halliday's absorbing and lucid portrait recognizes these and other puzzles about this great founder, but shows us how understandable they can be in light of his personal and social circumstances.

Halliday takes readers deep into Jefferson's private life—exploring his childhood, his literary taste, and his unconventional religious thinking and moral philosophy. Here, too, are his adamant opinions on women, the evolution of his ideas on democracy and freedom of expression, and fresh insights into his relationship with Sally Hemings.

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"PerfectBound e-book extra: My Head and My Heart (Jefferson's Letter to Maria Cosway; Paris, October 12, 1786) Recent biographies of Thomas Jefferson have stressed the sphinx-like puzzles of his character -- famous champion of freedom yet lifelong slaveholder, foe of miscegenation yet secret lover of a beautiful slave for 30 years, aristocrat yet fervent advocate of government by the people. E. M. Halliday's absorbing and lucid portrait recognizes these and other puzzles about this great founder, but shows us how understandable they can be in light of his personal and social circumstances. Halliday takes readers deep into Jefferson's private life -- exploring his childhood, his literary taste, and his unconventional religious thinking and moral philosophy. Here, too, are his adamant opinions on women, the evolution of his ideas on democracy and freedom of expression, and fresh insights into his relationship with Sally Hemings.

Customer Reviews:

A cursory Understanding.......2007-07-08

Written shortly after DNA testing seemed to "prove" Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one (possibly all 6) of slave Sally Hemings's children, Halliday has sex on the brain. Purporting to be about all aspects of Jefferson's personality, Halliday keeps coming back to the Hemings thing over and over. Obviously intended for a popular audience, the book seems shallow and unconvincing. There is no doubt that Jefferson was an enigma, a contradiction in many things (one who could, for example, espouse that "all men are created equal," but declare that blacks were inferior and should not intermingle with whites), which Halliday admits, but Halliday seems fuzzy and speculative on issues of Jefferson's religious beliefs and "Romantic" (capital R) impulses. Also many of Halliday's judgments seem tempered by 20th-century principles and prejudices that he then levels against Jefferson's 17th-century background. He is critical of past Jefferson scholars (Dumas Malone, Merrill Peterson, and Joseph Ellis) as being too determined to defend their hero Jefferson (especially against the Hemings charge), but he nowhere shows the same insights and scholarly perceptions as these biographers. Disappointing, all in all.

Blinkered Author.......2006-07-03

I do not criticize this work because it dwells chiefly on Thomas Jefferson's personal life; it seems to me that that is a perfectly legitimate topic of scholarship. If reading about the lives of "great men" (or "great women") ought to be good for anything, it ought to help us examine how they dealt with the contradictions and difficulties of every human's life. But I do criticize this book because I think the author himself becomes what he calls a "blinkered historian," especially when dealing with Jefferson's relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings.

Unlike many historians, whose gyrations to avoid the idea that Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Hemings he points out, E.M. Halliday accepts the liason has having occurred. However, even he cannot comfortably accept that Jefferson must have begun the relationship with Sally when she was only 14-going-on-15. To avoid having to feel that Jefferson seduced this very young girl, who was dependent on him and without recourse, Haliday too resorts to contortion to justify the future president: Sally must have seduced HIM in order to achieve a better and more secure life. And, he thinks, her mother might well have put her up to it.

This is a distinction without a difference. Even if the young Sally DID seduce Jefferson for the motives Halliday speculates about, the choices she made (if indeed she had any) were made in the context of the fact of her slavery. No matter how you slice it, it was the institution of slavery that shaped Sally's life: either Jefferson directly took advantage of her, or she was forced by her condition to use her wits to improve her lot as best she could. In either case, Jefferson, who knew all too well the evils of slavery, cannot be absolved of his self-indulgence.

If you could read one book on Jefferson, don't choose this one!.......2006-05-09

I started out very excited by this book. Based on my readings, I was convinced that Jefferson had had a liason with Hemmings, unquestionably based on the circumstanital evidence. (I did not know about the DNA testing at the time). I was looking forward to this book because I knew Halliday thought it to be fact, and I didnt want a biographer who masked over real history. It started out as an easy read. It quickly disintegrated into a book of sleazy guesswork and disjointed facts. I knew more about Jefferson's sex life than I did his presidency. I cant remember EVEN ONE mention of who his vice president was. Did he even talk about the election? Not that I recall. I do remember Halliday speculating about whether Jefferson masturbated. (forgive the image but you get the idea now of what Im talking about). The time chronology is all over the place, nothing is in order. The tone changes chapter by chapter. One minute he is talking about Hemmnings, the next chapter is spent degrading all the other authors who have written about Jefferson, of course none of them have it right according to Halliday. I have never seen an author so unprofessional to spend an ENTIRE chapter (entitled "Blinkered Historians) on why the other biographers were wrong. In retrospect, even if David Ellis did have it wrong about the Hemmings affair (which he did), I feel my time would have been spent much more wisely reading him, even if it is a little harder to read. I also fealt that Hallidays own personal beliefs and interests seeped into the book. Because some parts of the book were not credible, I wasnt sure what to believe. Examples, the specuations about the sexual details. Another example was when he claimed Adams believed that government and power should be intrusted to the aristocratic and the rich families of America. That is really not true, while Adams did belive that the federal gov't needed certain powers, he did not believe in elite rule. He was criticized for being a monarchist in his time, but that was really nothing more than politics, he believed in a multi-faceted gov't. Okay so that was a tangent, long story short, I fealt that I walked away much less enlightend about jefferson than I had hoped.

Better title-Understanding Jefferson's sex history.......2005-05-18

This book is a very easy to read seemingly well documented work but it will not provide the reader with Thomas Jefferson in historical context. If your interest is in what Mr. Jefferson accomplished during his life and the many great achievements that he participated in on behalf the formation of the United States I would pass up this work. If your interest lies in his carnal side and his personal sexual history this might be more your speed. Had I known this was the piece of fluff that it turned out to be I would not have wasted my money on this work. This book would probably be a good basis for daytime TV couch potato fare. It is hardly a good work of historical content and most likely would have been rejected by any Masters level thesis committee. Most of this book could be condensed into one chapter.
On a number of occasions Mr Halliday lets his own personal political bias color his image of Mr. Jefferson pushing this work even further from the vein of relevant history.
I picked up this work based upon the recommendations on the inside cover. I have always been impressed with the historical works of Mr. Ambrose but I believe that there must have been more to his review.

A Different View of a Founding Father.......2004-12-15

A word of warning from the get-go: E. M. Halliday's "Understanding Thomas Jefferson" is not your standard biography of our third president. It does not fawn, nor does it marbleize Jefferson as some untouchable, unknowable, walking mystery so impenatrable that none but the most scholarly of biographers dare touch him.

What you come away with from this book is a sense that you know Jefferson just a bit better or, barring that, you at least have had a light shown upon areas of his life not heretofore illuminated for fear that doing so might "cut him down to size", make him merely mortal.

Halliday takes us through just about all the phases of Jefferson's life, from his youthful years, through his marriage, his various relationships with the three main women in his life (outside of his daughters): his wife, Martha, Maria Cosway and Sally Hemings. He shows us Jefferson's stormy relationship with Alexander Hamilton while the former served as Secretary of State and the latter Secretary of the Treasury in Washington's cabinet.

He unsparingly comments on previous, "god-like" biographers of Jefferson, including Dumas Malone and Merrill Peterson, pointing out their (to him) flaws and blindnesses (especially on the subject of Sally Hemings). He steers the reader in other directions of thought that these men did not see fit to address, which failure, as Halliday would have it, presents an incomplete picture of their celebrated subject and cheats posterity of a history which is "meaningful".

There are blunt discussions and speculations upon the nature of Jefferson's sexual development, both before, during and after his ten years of relative marital bliss with Martha Wayles Skelton. If you are someone who just cannot abide the thought that Jefferson had a sexual and, apparently, long-term and loving relationship with Sally Hemings (despite acknowledged DNA evidence to the contrary), or who thinks that after Martha Jefferson's death, her husband turned off his sexual desires like one turns off a kitchen faucet and became an emotionless stone statue, then perhaps this book might not be your cup of tea.

Try it anyway. Mr. Halliday makes his case rationally, calmly and gradually, debunking a few things and confirming others along the way, for example, rendering the supposedly "long-lasting" passion of Jefferson for Maria Cosway (the married English lady with whom he flirted - and we really don't know what else - while he was ambassador in Paris) much shorter than it actually was, primarily because ... well, Maria was apparently a bit of a fluff-head. And you can well imagine that Jefferson, of all people, with his love of learning and books and education, could not long have endured a ditzy female.

If you had read nothing about Jefferson, and wanted to use this as a first introduction to the man, I'd discourage it, recommending that you read at least one other "mainstream" conventional biography before reading E. M. Halliday's work in order to see the sharp contrast between the two resources. If you approach Thomas Jefferson in that fashion, then Halliday's honesty and open style, as well as his obvious desire that history consider all aspects of its subject, no matter how unthinkable or "forbidden", will become, I believe, quite appealing.

You will find this book a refreshing look at one of the most respected figures in American history, no less so because he is examined unsparingly and who, while found wanting in some aspects of his life, emerges less of an enigma and more of an "every man" than most biographies of Jefferson would have you to believe.

Understanding Thomas Jefferson: Studies in Economics, Law and Philosophy

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson: Studies in Economics, Law and Philosophy
M. L. Burstein
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson. (book reviews): An article from: Southern Economic Journal

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson. (book reviews): An article from: Southern Economic Journal
Tyler Cowen
Manufacturer: Southern Economic Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00092XU38
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Southern Economic Journal, published by Southern Economic Association on October 1, 1994. The length of the article is 719 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: Understanding Thomas Jefferson. (book reviews)
Author: Tyler Cowen
Publication: Southern Economic Journal (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 1994
Publisher: Southern Economic Association
Volume: v61 Issue: n2 Page: p542(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Thomas Jefferson,: The serene citizen from Monticello who gave us an American way of thinking and who gained worldwide renown by his noble understanding ... republic of which he was one of the founders

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Thomas Jefferson,: The serene citizen from Monticello who gave us an American way of thinking and who gained worldwide renown by his noble understanding ... republic of which he was one of the founders
Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson
E. M Halliday
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA9H5K

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson
E. M. Halliday
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF5SF8

Understanding Thomas Jefferson: Studies in Economic Law and Philosophy

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Understanding Thomas Jefferson: Studies in Economic Law and Philosophy
M.L. Burstein
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTA76E

Book Description

Winner of the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir

Jeffery Smith was living in Missoula, Montana, working as a psychiatric case manager when his own clinical depression began. Eventually, all his prescribed antidepressant medications proved ineffective. Unlike so many personal accounts, Where the Roots Reach for Water tells the story of what happened to Smith after he decided to give them up. Trying to learn how to make a life with his illness, Smith sets out to get at the essence of--using the old term for depression--melancholia.

Deftly woven into his "personal history" is a "natural history" of this ancient illness. Drawing on centuries of art, writing and medical treatises, Smith finds ancient links between melancholia and spirituality, love and sex, music and philosophy, gardening, and, importantly, our relationship with landscapes.

Customer Reviews:

unique approach to much-discussed subject.......2004-07-04

Like many sufferers from depression in my experience, the author reached a point where his medication abruptly quit working. Others did not produce the desired result of the first, and instead of continuing playing med roulette, Smith stopped his and began the examination of his disorder that is recorded here. The author has no personal vendetta against the Western therapeutic institution, nor does he spend much time lingering on the disappointment of having the meds fail him. Instead, he takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of mood disorders from familial, historical, literary, and Eastern angles, to name a few.

He also describes what he learned from the mental health clients he works with, as well as his girlfriend. Smith does not shy away from describing several incidents that do not put him in the best light, and this paradoxically made me like him as narrator more.

Although some authors of depression memoirs have explored their moods from a historic or literary viewpoint, this one is the first I have read that weaves it into the narrative so richly.

Great Writing, Great History, Bad Psychology.......2004-01-12

AS a psychologist who works with truly treatment-resistant depressives who have had abusive childhoods or horrible adulthoods, as an educator of psychology grad students, and as a person who has suffered from lifelong clinical depression, I plunged into this book as hungrily as the roots of the title. The writing is terrific. The scholarship on the "natural history" of psychology, the philosophy and history of the disease is terrific, and I learned a few things that I didn't know, even though I have taught history and systems of psychology. The descriptions of episodes of depression ring true.

But in the end the book disappointed me. Smith included bipolar disorder as well as unipolar clinical depression in his discussion of various aspects of melancholia, without noting that there are significant major differences between the two. While claiming to have "treatment resistant" depression, Smith showed his depression was really existential and situational after all, not truly biochemical and treatment resistant; the fact that it went away when he found the love of a good woman, found religion, and returned to his true home, shows that his depression was his heart's yearning for meaning and home, not his neurotransmitter receptors crying for the right dosage of biochemicals. For truly treatment-resistant depressives, even finding home, God and love can't keep the darkness away for long, and the ending of his book seemed too pat, too Hollywood simplistic to me.

Although I hope he is really cured of his depression, if Smith writes another book in a few years about how his melancholia returned in spite of finding home, love and God, then I think he does really have treatment-resistant depression. In the meantime, this book about a man who grew up surrounded by love, who had a happy childhood in a wonderful environment, had a good education and lots of choices, who chose to move away from that original home, and chose to work at jobs that were meaningful but supposedly "lower" than he was capable of, shows that even excellent drugs cannot overcome choices we make that do not meet our deepest needs. In cases like his, the optimum treatment for depression is to answer the heart's callings and make the right choices, not expect drugs to fix us. I don't think this book makes that point clearly enough - almost, but not quite.

Helps you understand.......2003-09-07

I think this has been one of the touching books I have ever read. My friend of 4 years just drifted away from me in his own bout of depression. The storm rolled in quickly and slowly. I don't know how to explain it, and he doesn't either.
Jeffery's book helped me to understand. And for that I am forever grateful. I pray that he comes through the other side.
Touching, saddening, inspiring. You must read this if someone you love is going through this.
I would love to thank the author. Maybe he will check these comments.

My favorite book about depression.......2003-06-27

As a depressive who has been on antidepressants for four years, I felt it was time to begin researching about this condition. I read at least a half dozen books, such as William Styron's memoirs, Richard O'Connor's self-help book, Joseph Glenmullen's anti-drug "Prozac Backlash," Kathy Kronkite's collection of conversations with famous depressives, and Andrew Solomon's excellent and comprehensive work "Noonday Demon." Jeffery Smith's book, "Where the Roots Reach for Water," is by far my favorite.

Weaving the history of melancholia with intimate personal narrative and rapturous nature writing, Smith constructs a rich landscape of depression. Fascinating even for those who do not suffer from the disease, the book is -- if you will excuse the word -- inspirational for those who do suffer from depression. Since antidepressant drugs do not work for Smith, he has to find a way to accomodate depression into his life.

"What does your depression want from you?" his therapist asks. Your depression isn't going anywhere. Even if you are currently in remission, it's likely to recur. So what does it want from you -- what do you need to do in order to live with it?

This question is profound, and Smith doesn't answer right away. Nor does he give a how-to list of steps to take to overcome depression. Indeed, the point of the book is that depression isn't something to be overcome, because that task may prove to be impossible. It is something you learn how to cope with, and even how to live your life fully and joyfully despite -- or perhaps in concert with -- your depression.

Who would want to read this book? Nature lovers will delight in the beautiful and sometimes surprising descriptions of landscapes. Historians who are interested in the evolution of "melancholia" into "depression" will find a very readable and entertaining overview. And anyone looking for insight into the experience of depression will find both a historical and a personal, individual perspective on the condition.

From Someone Who's Been There.......2001-10-10

Like the author of this book, I've struggled with depression for years. I was drawn to it in a particularly dark time. Reading Smith's account was like hearing a friendly voice in the darkness. Smith validates the experience of anyone who has experienced depression, but he does more: he shares a personal account of one who has actually developed a relationship with his affliction. The possibility of this was a completely new insight for me and has changed my outlook on depression both as a phenomenon and as a personal experience. Things shifted for me as I read Smith's book and let the ideas sink in. I suspect the shift is permanent, because I haven't experienced depression the same way since then. It's a book I strongly recommend to others. I'd say it's one of the most significant mental-health books I've read in my life.

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