A Time Well Spent: A Biography of Jerome Brody

A Time Well Spent: A Biography of Jerome Brody
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A Timwe Well Spent by Laurence S. Freundlich

A wonderful surprise

A Time Well Spent: A Biography of Jerome Brody
Lawrence Freundlich
Manufacturer: Welcome Rain
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1566491738

Book Description

An amazing story of how one man and his handpicked team took Restaurant Associates from a failing cafeteria chain to the highest levels of dining luxury setting. At the pinnacle of RA's glory, on account of a divorce, Brody's in-laws, who controlled its stock, dismissed Brody from RA. Almost instantly Brody created a restaurant empire of his own.

Customer Reviews:

A Timwe Well Spent by Laurence S. Freundlich.......2001-07-10

A TIME WELL SPENT "BY LAWRENCE S. FREUNDLICH IS THE STORY OF A GENTLEMAN WHO APPEARED T O "HAVE IT ALL" ONLY TO HAVE TRE PROVERBIAL RUG PULLED OUT FROM UNDER HIM. HIS STRENGTH OF CHARACTER, THE LOVE AND LOYALTY OF HIS WIFE MARLENE, AND HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS HELPED HIM TO RISE TO UNPRECEDENTED HEIGHTS.

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF JERRY BRODY WAS KEPT TO A VERY COMFORTABLE LEVEL WHILE LETTING THE BOOK CONCENTRATE ON THE MAN. THIS INDEED MADE FOR MUCH MORE PLEASURABLE READING. THERE IS A DELECTIBLE MIXTURE OF NEW YORK LIFE AND SOCIETY CONNECTED WITH HIS RESTAURANT SUCCESSES INCLUDING THE FOUR SEASONS, GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE AND THE GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR. HIS ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUED IN THE "BLACK ANGUS" CATTLE BUSINESS WITH WINNING AWARDS FOR MANHATTAN GAL AS NATIONAL BLACK ANGUS HEIFER AND PATRIOT AS NATIONAL BLACK ANGUS BULL JERRY BRODY'S BELOVED FARM "GALLAGHER'S STUD", WAS REPSONSIBLE FOR BREEDING A MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPION RACE HORSE, ALLEZ-MILORD, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER NEW YORK BRED WINNING THOROUGHBREDS. ONCE AGAIN MR. FREUDLICH WEAVES IN ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE FASCINATING LIFE OF JERRY BRODY.

ANYONE WOULD ENJOY READING THIS STORY WHERE MANY LIVES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS AND THE NOT SO RICH AND FAMOUS WERE TOUCHED. HIS LOYALTY NEVER WAIVERED AND HIS BRILLIANT MIND NEVER STOPPED WORKING. THERE IS A LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS BIOGRAPRY - THAT SHEER "STICKTUITIVENESS" AND FOLLOWING A LIFE'S PASSION AND DREAM MADE HIS "TIME WEELL SPENT"

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IN IT.

BY BARBARA MONKMAN

A wonderful surprise.......2001-04-26

A dear friend in the restaurant business recommended this book to me, and I was a bit skeptical not being an advid reader of books devoted to restaurant themes. However, I found the book delightfully surprising.

The behind the scenes story of the hardwork and hardship required by Jerome Brody to create such legendary dining establishments as The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Grill were insipiring and honest. Freundlich brilliantly wove personal antectodes through a buiness oriented biography, although more information on certain personal subjects (such as his children) would have been appreciated. However, today it seems so many writers include intimate personal information not necessarily wanted by readers, that the lack of graphic details gave me respect for Freundlich's decision to only include bits of personal information, therefore not divulgeing confidential information about famous acquaintances and friends such as Michael Ondaatje.

Overall, the book appealed to a wide range of audiences and dealt with everyday themes such as dealing with terrible inlaws, something many of us can relate to! I've recommended it to several friends as well as my mother who seems to be enjoying the book, and I'll be sure to pass it along to others.

Dean's Domain: The Inside Story of Dean Smith and His College Basketball Empire
Average customer rating:

nice companion piece to Smith's memoirs

As a life long fan, the greatest book I've read.

Hard Core UNC Fans will find new information

insider's view which will interest Heel fans as well as ABC.

inside look on the greatest basketball program ever

Dean's Domain: The Inside Story of Dean Smith and His College Basketball Empire
Art Chansky
Manufacturer: Longstreet Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Basketball | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Going Home Again: Roy Williams, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and a Season to Remember

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Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina: Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops

Accessories:

NBA Live 2000

ASIN: 1563525402

Book Description

Up-close, behind-the-scenes biography of the winningest coach in college basketball history.

Customer Reviews:

nice companion piece to Smith's memoirs.......2001-05-20

Nice companion piece to Smith's own memoirs ("A Coach's Life"). A less complete portrait of Smith's inner life and interests off the court than the autobiography, but a more complete, and in many ways a more compelling, account of his public life as coach/power broker of what amounts to a multimillion dollar franchise. In this sense it is more entertaining than Smith's book -- a more open treatment of the recruiting process (including the ones that got away), the management of the Nike contract, the rivalry with Duke etc.

Like the Smith book, it at times gets bogged down in season by season recapitulations of win-loss records. It also includes some material (such as a few paragraphs on the murder of Michael Jordan's father) which presumably are worth mentioning, but don't really fit into the thematic or narrative flow, and seem to be inserted in a kind of obligatory fashion. But these are quibbles.

Unfortunately, the book ends with Smith's retirement and the installation of his hand-picked successor, Bill Guthridge, and, as a consequence, misses the surely interesting story of Guthridge's resignation two years later, and Smith and Guthridge's apparent inability to again stage manage the selection of the next long-run leader of the Carolina men's basketball program. Nevertheless an interesting and worthwhile read.

As a life long fan, the greatest book I've read........1999-10-06

I have been a tarheel fan for my whole life, I met "THE MAN" as a kid. He is just as portrayed in the book. This was a book that I could not put down. The best book I've read. Great work Art.

Hard Core UNC Fans will find new information.......1999-05-29

I recommend this book to true, long-time dedicated UNC fans. Probably no one else could read the whole thing. You will remember each game from your own perspective but Chansky gives you the details from behind the scenes. Many tid-bits and juicy morsals to satisfy your curiosity about the program and about the man. If you like Smith, this book will affirm your respect for him. If you don't like him, this book will not change your mind. Smith is presented mostly sympathetically, but his flaws are too numerous to hide, yet for the true fan, they are expected and when seen within the contaxt of his life, they are forgivable. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Also, I recently read "Playing for Keeps" about Jordan. There is no redundancy here.

insider's view which will interest Heel fans as well as ABC........1999-05-26

Art Chansky has been a close associatr of the Carolina Basketball program for yaers. He gives in depth background about many situations I had always wondered about. This in no way a book which sugar coats UNC. I love Carolina, but it shows a that Coach Smith is human like the rest of us. Reccomended reading for any TRUE basketball fan.This book gives you a sense of what it took to become a long term success and what were some of the events that defined the program.

inside look on the greatest basketball program ever.......1999-03-04

Inside look on the greates basketball programs eve

Book Description

Often dismissed as 'High Concept' or 'popcorn', movies, this most popular of contemporary genres can and should, this book asserts, be taken seriously on its own terms. In doing so, questions of aesthetics are foregrounded and evaluative criteria are explored. This volume investigates relations between contemporary action cinema and television, cartoons, comics, special effects, and Theme Parks as well as the connection between related types of cinema such as neo-noir and the serial killer film.

This first in a new series of Sight and Sound Readers includes case studies of such key figures as John Woo and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a wide range of articles that focus on some of the most successful films of the 90s (Speed, Jurassic Park, Titanic) and some of the most important directors (Cameron, Spielberg, Bigelow, Tarantino, Mann).

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Look at a "New" Genre.......2002-08-12

This book is a collection of essays and reviews from SIGHT AND SOUND that cover the Big Loud Action Movies of the Nineties. There is some repetition, and some of the pieces fail, but on the whole, I enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed it because it offered intelligent commentary on movies like "Last of the Mohicans," "Heat" (with DeNiro and Pacino), "Silence of the Lambs," "Titanic," "Hook," "Saving Private Ryan," etc. In other words, movies that I had seen. I appreciated that someone found something intelligent to say about these films, instead of acting as if the only Nineties movies worth seeing were Iranian.

I look forward to futher Sight and Sound genre volumes, and I wish that Sight and Sound were more available in the USA.

Book Description

A photo-essay book in praise of the ancient art of tattooing as an expression of the sacred in the contemporary world. Exploring new potentials of the skin art that has risen out of the popular tattoo culture of the streets, The Alchemy and the Agony takes the tattoo experience beyond the obvious and popular. This tatouage is transpersonal, even universal, an experience of transformation both primal and sublime. This is the natural alchemy that results when sacred images are emblazoned on the canvas of the human body.

Customer Reviews:

Explores the connection between tattoos and spirituality.......2005-08-08

Agony & Alchemy: Sacred Art And Tattoos explores the connection between tattoos and spirituality. A practice that goes back at least 5,000 years and is evidences among tribal cultures around the world, religious tattoos have entered the mainstream of American and European popular culture. Whether Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, or secularist, the common denominator among those getting sacred tattoos appears to be an urge for a closer relationship to the sacred element of their lives. As author M. Young notes, this is an urge that is an ancient one and represents a felt need for a closer relationship with the archetypes that extend beyond any single religious or cultural tradition. Along with an informed and informative commentary, Agony & Alchemy features an extensive collection of black-and-white photos of sacred tattoos, and is enhanced with tattoo artist interviews and an extensive bibliography. This is a unique 206-page coffee table book that is particularly recommended for academic and community library collections, as well as anyone with an interest in the interconnection with human body art and spirituality.

Learn Chess, Vol. 1: A New Way for All First Principles, Second Edition
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Learn Chess, Vol. 1: A New Way for All First Principles, Second Edition
C. H. Alexander , and T. J. Beach
Manufacturer: Cadogan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0080320678

Learn Chess: A New Way for All VOLUME ONE. FIRST PRINCIPLES
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Learn Chess: A New Way for All VOLUME ONE. FIRST PRINCIPLES
C. H. O'D. Alexander ann T. J. Beach
Manufacturer: Pergamon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NMKCYY

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Learn Chess: A New Way for All First Principles (Pergamon Chess Series)
C. H. Alexander , and T. J. Beach
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0080320511

Learn Chess: A New Way for All, Vol. 1 First Principles (1963)
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Learn Chess: A New Way for All, Vol. 1 First Principles (1963)

Manufacturer: Pergamon Press Ltd., London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ELXZK2

Product Description

First appearance of this classic chess instructional manual.

Learn Chess: a New Way for All: Volume One First Principles

Average customer rating:

Learn Chess: a New Way for All: Volume One First Principles
C H; Bewach, T J O'D Alexander
Manufacturer: Pergamon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HWB4B0

Average customer rating:

Learn Chess: a New Way for All: Volume One First Principles
C H; Bewach, T J O'D Alexander
Manufacturer: Pergamon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NQ1IOI

Average customer rating:

Learn Chess: A New Way for All - Volume One. First Principles
C. H. O'D. Alexander and T. J. Beach
Manufacturer: Pergamon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NPNZB8

Book Description

Get the scoop on recession-proof online strategies

Packed with e-commerce survival stories, best practices, and resources

Get the information you need to thrive online — even in todays economy!

Today is a great time to launch an online business - the competition is less, the technology is better, and Internet use is at an all-time high. This thoroughly updated guide shows you how to dive right in. From fine-tuning plans and setting up a high-traffic site to marketing, customer service, and security, its just what you need to succeed!

The Dummies Way

Explanations in plain English
"Get in, get out" information
Icons and other navigational aids
Tear-out cheat sheet
Top ten lists
A dash of humor and fun

Customer Reviews:

Buy the latest version.......2007-09-16

This book is useful when you are just starting an online business. Just make sure you buy the latest version so that some information is not outdated by the time you are ready to set up your online business.

Worth it's weight in gold if you're going online!.......2007-08-18

I just got this book last week and I'm not even done with it and have gotten so many 'nuggets' that it has more than paid for itself already! It's well written, easy to understand, organized extremely well for easy reference and full of helpful resources.

The section on 'Keeping it legal' saved me great error already (I was going to buy a domain name that could've infringed on a copyright) and I have found several free web builders online that are 10x's better than what I had been using. There's so much practical information in this book that I no longer feel guilty for buying it new.

This book is zero fluff, tons of examples and free or very reasonable resources, and lots of food for thought. The table of contents is so detailed that it makes for a quick reference (does anyone read a book like this cover to cover?) Greg Holden's writing style is personable and to the point and very easy to understand.

I truly don't understand all the reviews that say this book is no good, not sure what they have been reading, but I have no less than a dozen books of this nature, and this is one of the few that isn't 75% fluff. I'm somewhat of a website newbie, starting about a year ago trying to do my own website. It's alot harder (for me)than I originally thought and have tried no less than 6 different hosting accounts, 4 different online web builders, and 6 different web editing software trials (Expressions, dreamweaver, publisher, coffee cup, page spinner and frontpage). One of the best discoveries in this book was that Firefox offered a FREE...quality...web editor!

This is the 2007 edition, maybe people were referring to the earlier version of the same title. I have gotten way more out of this book than I thought I would. I guess I must be a true "Dummie". It's definitely worth your time checking it out if you are new to the online business world, you can always resell it on Amazon and recover your moola.

this one really is for dummies.......2007-08-05

One of the worst "For Dummies" books I've ever read. Normally, I'd rate for dummies books a 3 or 4.

Not worth it.......2007-04-19

You could do an online search and find more information than this book gives you. I did not enjoy and I returned it. It is broad and never really gives you step by step instrucions on how the webite actually works and how to create it.

very rudimentary, broad overview.......2007-04-14

People who use the internet regularly will not get much out of this book--it's no joke when it says "for dummies". Greg Holden does give a broad overview of the many aspects to starting an online business but even then the information is outdated and at some points, simply not accurate making you wonder where this guy gets his facts.

In an environment that is not only competitive but also changes rapidly it is important that you are equipped with the most up to date information. This book however, still proclaims AOL king and web sites using tables and frame "advanced". Although the book was published in 2006 (and in its 4th revision), it feels more like it belongs to the 90's.

So even if you are new to the internet and need a place to start I recommend you find yourself a different book.

Book Description

All things must pass. In an understatement of historic proportions, quite a few things have passed since the end of the last millennium. Some of the history-making events include the election of George W. Bush, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; spectacular images from probes in outer space, medical advances and debate, and many new scientific discoveries on Earth; a devastating earthquake in Iran and the deadly tsunami in Asia; the downfall of Enron and the comeback of Apple, not to mention the dot.com bubble burst and whatever happened to the budget surplus?. Whew! A new era has taken shape, and The Handy History Answer Book records it. A concise guide to all things historical, Handy History addresses people, times, and events in a wide-ranging and comprehensive manner, complemented by nearly 200 illustrations and, for those who like their history instant, a chronology of major events. Beginning with a section on historical eras, this popular reference source tracks history with obsessive zeal and tight editing. The Handy History Answer Book organizes information in thirteen specific subject sections ranging from politics to war to science to religion. It tackles exploration and settlement, technological advances, legal fireworks, financial and business events, social movements, natural and man-made disasters, medicine and disease, and art and culture. Along the way you’ll meet a cast of thousands, including Socrates (an early advocate of the question-and-answer format) and Plato, Elvis Presley, and Thomas Edison, four guys who’d be real fun together at a dinner party. The Handy History Answer Book is a fingertip, time-traveling guide through the pages of history.

Customer Reviews:

given as a gift.......2007-01-18

book was recommended by my nephew as a great resource for crossword puzzles, among other things. it was purchased as a gift for my daughter's boyfriend. recipient said he enjoyed it.

History Made Easy.......2006-11-10

This really is a handy reference that reads easily. I reccommend it as a must have for all households and especially for ones with students.

STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL I: OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE: VOLUME I
Average customer rating:

A GREAT MONUMENT, NOT YET FORGOTTEN

Disappointing. Where is the "history"?

A fairly good read, but looses me in some sections.

A 1935 view of history

ONE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST

STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL I: OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE: VOLUME I
Will Durant
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 067154800X

Customer Reviews:

A GREAT MONUMENT, NOT YET FORGOTTEN.......2007-08-21

Will Durant's STORY OF CIVILIZATION is such a monumental achievement that, like a monument, it is easy to overlook and underestimate. Its eleven volumes, published from 1935 to 1975, sit on the shelf in many an American home, having been purchased for a few dollars as an introductory offer to some forgotten book club and mostly left unread. Scholars tend to pass the title by, no doubt regarding it as mere popular history. Yet crack open the cover of any one of its heavy tomes and you will find within a narrative written in the high style, with an omnivorous hunger for facts and analysis, a delight in depicting the details of everyday life (the streets, clothes, housing, money, speech, labor and laws of every society), a determination to recover and explain all the main battles and events, a progressive approach to social issues (with special attention to women and the contributions of slaves), a sumptuous pleasure in recounting the attainments of the arts and sciences, a remarkably free handling of the gods and their religions (their social service and rapacity not passing without comment), an enthusiasm for broad philosophical speculations, a heartfelt tribute to each of the great thinkers and doers and the heritage they left us, and through it all an indulgent irony that, given a different turn, would bespeak of a world and a humanity as senseless and doomed, yet ever striving, as the dark horror of Joseph Conrad. I know of nothing else in American arts and letters to match it, and, though dated, it is far from obsolete. Reading it today, one can build a broad foundation of knowledge and perspective for more up-to-date and less grandiose offerings.

How did he do it? It is hard to imagine, but judging by his lists of sources, it would appear that for each historical unit (a period, society or people) he assimilated a half-dozen or more studies, such as the CAMBRIDGE ANCIENT HISTORY, and used them as guides for the basic exposition, peppering his account with relevant materials drawn from his prior erudition, such as the works of German philosophy or English literature, classical architechture or Christian doctrine. He also visited historical sites and museums so as to see things with his own eyes and acquire a personal touch. Some pages, like those on ancient Egypt, read like reports from a sightseer just returned home. And finally he ran his drafts past renowned scholars, so as to gain their insights and corrections. For many a page, however, where diverse facts, skills and sciences are brought together into a harmonious synthesis, it was plain hard work.

OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE, the first volume in the series, begins, appropriately enough, with the author's definition of civilization, not essentially different from that of Samuel Huntington and his CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS (1996), and then reconstructs, with a ready admission of fantasy, its probable origins in prehistory. The history proper begins with Sumer in a solid, but somewhat routine account, and moves on to Egypt, only recently opened up to the West at the time of his first publication (1935). As the excavations of great tombs were still fresh in memory, the account here can be read in the spirit of "what we know now." Moving on to Babylonia and the Code of Hammurabi, Durant hits his stride: we begin to see, hear and feel the society in our mind and imagination, as in the "trial by ordeal" or the "lex talionis" (the law of an eye for an eye). With a retelling of the great epics of Ishtar and Gilgamesh we are uplifted, then hear the moan of a proto-Job and the lament of a proto-Ecclesiastes, prior to witnessing the fall of Nebuchadrezzar and the crumbling of Babylon. The chapter on Assyria follows as a stunning masterpiece, not just a chronicle of massacres, eye-gaugings and tongue-extractions, but a meditation on cruelty and culture, empire and decadence, revelation and madness, glory and transience. Next comes Judea, with its gods and prophesies, where Durant, with his Jesuit education, is completely at home. For the first time in my life I have seen the order and context of the Old Testament. Durant's breakdown of Yahweh I and II, Isaiah I and II, and the Ten Commandments today might be called a deconstruction, but it is wonderfully clear, supremely knowledgeable and wisely both devastating and humane. If only history had been like this in high school and college, how much I would have learned!

As for the rest of the volume--Persia, India, China, Japan and "a motley" of other nations--I assure the reader: You can't go wrong. If you can't sail around the globe yourself or take a time machine to the past, it is worth the time to read this story and carry on your bit of civilization. As Durant writes: "Sumeria was to Babylonia, and Babylonia to Assyria, what Crete was to Greece, and Greece to Rome: the first created a civilization, the second developed it to its height, the third inherited it, added little to it, protected it, and transmitted it as a dying gift to the encompassing and victorious barbarians. For barbarism is always around civilization, amid it and beneath it, ready to engulf it by arms, or mass migration, or unchecked fertility. Barbarism is like the jungle; it never admits its defeat; it waits patiently for centuries to recover the territory it has lost."

Disappointing. Where is the "history"?.......2007-04-16

I recently found this first book of Durant's impressive-looking multivolume history set at my local library and was instantly enraptured at the thought of a comprehensive tour down through the ages of our known history. Unfortunately my expectations were soon dashed as I began to read. Instead of history, I found one man's opinions and a lot of rank speculation. While admittedly much of history is guesswork because, well, we weren't there, this author stretches that license beyond what is reasonable.

"History" as that term is normally defined means a narrative of what happened, when it happened, where it happened, and to whom it happened. In several hundred pages I learned very little to answer these fundamental questions. What I found instead were rather strained conclusions and sometimes quite enormous logical leaps about cultural characteristics and mores of ancient peoples, often based on the scantiest of evidence. For example, the discovery of cereal grains in a non-native environment is interpreted to mean that a people "must" have already developed agriculture. What about the possibility of trade? What about the possibility that, at that time, the cereals in question were, in fact, native to that area? Large numbers of these types of sweeping conclusions, in my opinion, left me with little confidence in the credibility of what I was reading. Another example is the author's unabashedly Darwinistic bent that leads him to place far too much weight on the reliability of the "Peking Man" and similar fossil evidence. Even he uses words like "may" and "possibly" in describing whether these are, in fact, human remains. However, the extreme sketchiness of this and other evidence doesn't deter him from making rather dogmatic statements about presumed developments during the paleolithic period.

Similar to that were the author's repeated interjections of his own opinions about the development of culture, morality, social norms, etc. Again, as a student of history I want to know what happened, not the author's opinion about what happened. Yet when I read statements about how clothing developed as the result of a regressive cultural movement away from the "paradise of primitive nudity," quite frankly I just wanted to yak up my lunch. Puh-leeze! Can we leave the half-baked sermonizing to those who at least don't pretend to be scholarly? The author also seems to seize frequent opportunities to take jabs at the opinions and conclusions of other researchers. It was almost as if I were sitting in on one side of a petty squabble between a couple of petulant children.

In short, the flavor I got of Will Durant's master work in the first several hundred pages left me deeply disappointed. I was very much looking forward to reading the whole set, but now I cannot see the point of wasting any more time on even the first volume. Just because it's big and old, that doesn't mean it's great.

A fairly good read, but looses me in some sections........2005-12-30

Will Durant's "Our Oriental Heritage" is the first volume in his eleven volume "The Story of Civilization". I picked a leather bound copy of the massive book from Easton Press. My initial expectation, not having read any substantive previews, was that the book would discuss primarily political, military, economic, and social history. After having completed the first volume, my expectations proved incorrect, to a certain extent. While these topics are covered, I felt a greater emphasis was placed on philosophy and religion. Of course, these two weighty subjects dominate many of the ancient civilizations discussed in "Our Oriental Heritage". Shame on me for having false expectations and not doing my homework.

I found the first half of the book more enjoyable and readable than the latter half. The chapters covering the Near (Middle) East, specifically Sumeria, Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Judea, and Persia insightful and interesting, especially in today's world-wide political and social climate. Durant's coverage of these early civilization helps the 21st century reader frame some of today's long-standing disputes in the region and their historical backdrop.

Durant lost me in his chapters on India. Perhaps this was due to my relatively little previous exposure to Indian cultural, history, and civilization. Or, as another reviewer has mentioned, perhaps this is due to the fact that the book was written in 1935 and western civilization was just learning about this ancient civilization. His coverage of China was somewhat more engaging and interesting to me. Durant closes with a review of Japan's civilization up through the gathering storm of World War II. Here, he was able to recapture my attention and interest.

In all, a fairly decent read about civilizations that we in the United States are barely taught about in elementary school, middle school, and high school. He may have been better served by dividing the book into two volumes, one on the Near (Middle East) and another on East and Southeast Asia. However, I still plan to move on to volume II of "The Story of Civilization: The Life of Greece".

A 1935 view of history.......2005-01-08

"Our Oriental Heritage" is the first volume of the eleven-volume history of civilization by Will and Ariel Durant.

It is worth the five stars; yet it is dated (1935) and things change. So does the history's we learn as we extrapolate the new knowledge; things will change. The basic information in Will and Ariel's book is still sound. In this volume they cover Egypt, the Near East, India, China and Japan. This is to the present day. However you do not have time to track down all their great references to economics and morality. This book is packed with references and if you do not watch out, you will forget to come back.

In the section on "THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK", he expands on possible original purposes of the Ten Commandments. Things that Cecil B. DeMille never told you.
There is a good section on Buddha the legend and teachings. You might want to watch this movie to see how they differ. "Little Buddha" (1994).

One side book to read that will cover a lot of the same ground is The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition (Vol 1), The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition (Vol 2).

I know this is a short review. I intend to review the other books in this series separately. So if I missed something in the big picture feel free to let me know.

ONE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST.......2004-12-25

In this first volume of the history of civilization, Dr. Durant starts at our beginning. Most of us in the West have little idea of the impact the East had upon or civilization. This work changes that and through his wonderful prose, the author gives us a clear insight. The work is meticulously researched and presented in a fashion that is quite understandable. Please do not be put off by the sheer poundage of the book. At first glance, as one review pointed out, it can be quite daunting. I was quite amazed how fast the work went once I started to actually read the thing, rather than stare at it on the shelf. Will Durants multi-volume work should be required reading in all of our schools. Perhaps if it were, we, as a society, would have a greater understanding where we have been, ergo, have a greater understanding of where we are going. Overall, I highly recommend.

STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL I: OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE: VOLUME I & 2

Average customer rating:

STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL I: OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE: VOLUME I & 2
Will Durant
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SQJV24

Book Description

Introducing Consciousness starts with the problem of the philosophical relation between mind and matter, explains the historical origins of this problem, and traces different scientific attempts to explain consciousness. Along the way, readers will be introduced to zombies and Chinese Rooms, ghosts in machines and Schrodinger's cat.

Customer Reviews:

Very good - as expected from the Introducing series.......2007-07-18

Yes, this book explains a lot about consciousness. I own a lot of books from the Introducing-series, and most of them are truly excellent. This books gives a philosophical overview of consciousness. Not a biological or psychological overview. It is a pity that it devotes very little space to SELF-consciousness though. But still: buy it, read it, and read it every year once more.

Excellent intro...with pictures worth a thousand words!.......2006-11-07

I must admit that I'm a big fan of the "introducing" books but the reason that I decided to review this one was because of its particular quality in laying and out and illustrating the main theories discussed.

In "Introducing Consciousness" Papineau skillfully and chronologically weaves the historical quest for consciousness with relevant discussion of the main theories advanced. In this way, Aristotle and DeCartes and Skinner and Dennett are made to jump off the page with words that are just as descriptive of their views as the accompanying artwork is.

Like all generalized introductions, there could be some quibbling on the details like where the mind-brain discussion is alluded to smoke coming from a steam engine (in so describing the phenomenon, the authors inadvertantly tip their hands as materialists) but on the whole this very brief readable 171 page illustrated book is well worth the time.

Nice introduction but would need better illustrations.......2006-07-20

The book is excellent at what it's trying to do : introducing consciousness.
It's a very nice overview of different philosophy and problems relative to the subject, explained in a particularly easy to understand way!
In my opinion, the only little bad point would be the cartoons: they take too much space while not explaining much more than the text most of the time. ..and they are quite ugly!

Good, but just a starting point.......2006-06-01

This book is 171 pages, but much of the space is used by cartoons which don't add much content, so the amount of actual text in the book is rather limited. Since consciousness is a complex and difficult subject (maybe THE fundamental subject), the small extent of the book makes it, at best, only a good preliminary starting point. Fortunately, that's exactly what the book is, since Papineau knows his subject well and makes efficient use of the few words available to him.

If you want to start by dipping your toes in the water, this book should work well for you. However, if you're ready to earnestly dive in, perhaps after reading this book first, you will need to read something considerably more substantial. In other words, if you have even a moderately serious interest in this subject, you will outgrow this book quickly.

Related to A.I. and Mind and Brain.......2006-03-07

I have just finished reading "Introducting Artificial Intelligence", "Introducing Mind & Brain", and "Introducing Consciousness" from Icon books. In reading these back to back, it reminded me that are all different views on the same subject. This was a rewarding experience for me. I recommend that you read these books together if you can.

Sacred Cows at the Public Trough
Average customer rating:
Sacred Cows at the Public Trough
Denzel and Nancy Ferguson
Manufacturer: Maverick Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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