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by David G. Campbell
ISBN: 039571284X
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 288 pages
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. EX LIBRARY copy with library markings, in a good condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Brilliant
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-12-12
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Modern day botanist Dr. Campbell's account of thirty years in this remote Amazon rainforest is both a captivating read of adventure and more importantly a daunting paradigm of what has happened to this esoteric land.
Every molecule of the natural, physical and anthropological world is magically transformed with zesty and passionate prose. The author's own escapades with jaguars, caimans and deadly snakes, to legends of tribes with tails and spirits with backward feet leaves the reader mesmerized.
Blend historical blunders of rubber exploitation, cattle farms, slavery, the Trans-Amazon Highway, etc. with the resulting decimation of native populations by disease and dilution of heritage, this book is a soothsayer of how humankind has not been so kind.
Everyone and everything loses from self-righteous and mindless practices such as occurred here. The outcome are ghosts with haunting apparitions from the past.
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One month later Still waiting for the book
Rating  (1)
Date: 2007-10-09
0 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I wouldn't mind reviewing this book but I still haven't recieved it yet. It's now a month since you posted it, perhaps you could please chase it up. Thankyou
Paul Lightfoot
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AMAZING TRAVEL AND SCIENCE WRITING ON THE AMAZON
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-09-08
6 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
Though there are many books that describe nature in the Amazon, David Campbell definitely is among the top writers on it. In this book he offers, from start to finish, a very interesting mix between storytelling with lyrical qualities and scientific analysis with social commentary.
He is a scientist, focused on botany, and his knowledge of all aspects of science related to the forest are outstanding. We learn about the strategies employed by frogs to reproduce, or by snakes to identify prey, or by trees to attach polen to beetles. While learning about the science behind such activities and how they evolved, the author leads the reader through his travel log, meeting people and species and learning much about the history of the region he is visiting.
Besides all the interesting science, the author also provides a very deep character description of the people who live in this remote frontier. The stories range from rubber tappers left over from a period of abundance, to old indians who became westernized, to occupants moving there from the south due to government incentives. Each has a story and a way to deal with the challenges of the forest; some have a way to prosper in the exact same circumstances in which others fail. Some characters are presented as integrated in the forest, some as aliens beaten by the forest, some as leaders beating the forest.
Most amazing than all the history, social aspects and science however are the narrative abilities of the author. The book is a work of art, as it becomes clear that every word has been hand picked and every metaphor was chosen to provide the reader with the correct image, texture, taste, sound and smell of the forest. Reading is an experience of immersion and is to be savoured as very few books provide such a deep experience. It becomes quite clear to anyone reading the book that the author has a deep connection with his subject, much beyond science.
This book is the very best description of the Amazon I have encountered, written with gusto. It is the kind of book you will wish you had written. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the region, in nature writing or in popular science.
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Richly textured
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-07-13
7 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book delivered much more than I expected. The author is a scientist, not just a traveler. Each observation went several steps deeper into the biology and history than typical with this kind of book. The story was made much richer by these details.
It is true that the vocabulary was a bit advanced. However, I never bothered to check the dictionary, and it didn't hurt the narrative.
Highly recommended.
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Excellent!
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-07-05
7 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Land of Ghosts is a splendid journey through Amazonian Brazil. Infused with enlightened historical, ecological, and anthropological perspective, Campbell stands alone in his ability to fuse eloquent science writing with a tale of adventure. At times haunting, this book reveals the deep causes of rainforest destruction in the region. However, this book presents these causes in a unique way, and, at least for me, marks a new style of conservation advocation. Indeed, a refreshing one. If you have any interest in tropical ecology, and like works by such authors as David Quammen or Tim Flannery you will love this brilliant work.
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by Anna Politkovskaya (Translator: Arch Tait) (Foreword: Scott Simon)
ISBN: 1400066824
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 400 pages
Condition: New
Comments: Sold with pride. Brand new copy with publisher mark on the bottom.
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Customer Reviews
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"The main problem is that while collapse is inevitable, we will not see it in our lifetime."
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-11-13
On 7 October 2006, the journalist Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated. She was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building in an apparent contract killing. It is very important, I think, to bear this ending in mind while you read A Russian Diary.
Politkovskaya is not objective. This is not a personal diary. You will not find charming anecdotes about her personal life interspersed among the political commentary. She often sounds like that friend you had at college who would not stop ranting about her conspiracy theories and the fact that the world is going to heck in a handbasket. Except that she ends up dead for her ideas. A good reminder not to confuse Russia with the West.
Politkovskaya is angry, passionate. She refuses to stop caring. She refuses to be objective, because objectivity comes too close to numbness. This is a partial book (in several senses)-- think of it as an act of witness. She writes her rage at what Russia has become day by day.
She is very smart, and often funny-- albeit in a dark way. I had the feeling I would like her. And I hate how her story ended. It isn't an easy book to read. I still think as many as possible *should* read it. Decide for yourself.
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So much hate in this book
Rating  (2)
Date: 2009-09-19
1 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
When I read the back of this book I was intrigued. A Russian Diary is a non-fiction work by a journalist who lived, worked and was murdered in Russia. As Russia is not a place that I know too much about I was eager to learn more of its history and politics.
This work was set up in the form of a diary. However, once you start to read it its clear that this is no actual diary. While I wasn't expecting any fluffy words along the lines of 'had tea with Aunt Svetlana today' I was expecting more real time entries. This was not the case. Its clear upon reading this 'diary' that the information recorded under each date was added long after the fact and events that happen later are often mentioned before their time.
As I mentioned I was eager to read this book. In the end though I was only able to make it through the first 100 pages before calling it quits. And just getting through those pages was a chore. Politkovskaya may have been a journalist but she tossed out any objectivity that she may have had out the window when writing this book. What I managed to read was filled with such hate against President Vladimir Putin and his regime that it was almost impossible to separate the facts from Politkovskaya's personal beliefs. To read her version Putin almost single handly ruined all that was good about Russia to serve his own needs.
Politkovskaya's may well be the way things really happened but I just couldn't bear to read the venom that was in her words. As much as I would like to know more about Russia and her history I think that I will have to search for another book to learn it from.
In the end, this book was filled with too much bias and hate for me to be able to enjoy myself. It was hard to separate the facts from the authors beliefs.
[...]
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A Russian Diary
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-12-17
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
A "must read" for anyone truly interested in the political climate in today's Russia. A combination of the author's knowledge, her writing skill, and her predictable, tragic end make this book a "thriller" to read as well as an accurate compass in describing the unfortunate direction in which the "New Russia" is headed today.
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Russia's conscience recorded
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-07-08
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
the forward starts off "(she) could have left russia--remember that as you read these journals." what comes across initially as anna's relentless account of putin's rise to autocratic dominance is more of an alarming and disheartening account of russia's systematic devolution where democracy, freedom of press and the semblance of a worthy society were fleetingly promised as they were taken away. incredible heart-wrenching accounts of the moscow theater and beslan school massacres as well as the two chechen wars.
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Superb !
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-07-06
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
A must read for anyone who wants to understand the "new" Russia. One hopes others will have the courage to take up Ms. Politkovskaya's crusade in exposing the corruption so rampant in Putin's (and now Medvedev's)Russia.
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by George Roche
ISBN: 0916308898
Binding/Media: Paperback - 368 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No publisher marks, no shelf wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Cultural damage control and renewal
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-05-06
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
George Roche, President of Hillsdale College, wrote this book 20 years ago, and it is even more relevant today. It is a wide-ranging, engaging, eye-opening book, the kind you want to start re-reading immediately after you finish it. Roche begins with a discussion of heroism - what it is, and where it seems to come from. He then explores why heroism cannot be fit into the culturally dominant, linked philosophies of naturalism, determinism, scientism and logical positivism which together he refers to as "materialism". Materialism is the "anti-heroic" philosophy, which states that the natural world is all there is, that everything in it is determined by natural laws and can be explained using scientific method. Roche then traces its roots from the late middle ages to its intellectual flood tide in the 19th century with Darwin, Marx and Freud, and its cultural flood tide in the 20th (now 21st). Materialism today dominates our institutions of education, entertainment and journalism, even after new scientific discoveries, notably Einstein's, destroyed the framework on which it is based. (Roche doesn't dwell on Nazism and communism, but does show how they sprouted from materialism.) Roche ends on a bright note. The good news, he says, is what DIDN'T happen. Materialism says that man must of necessity, and inevitably would give up his belief in God, but he has not. Faith, Roche says, is integral to a whole and integrated "heroic" understanding of what man is. Roche pleads for a better-informed, more humble understanding of what science is, and can do, and a wiser philosophy of man that understands him as a created being capable of free thought, free action, and....heroism! This is an important and challenging book that deserves wide reading by those who care deeply about our culture and the state of man today. It is rich in the history of science and philosophy, and for those who love the ongoing verbal battle of ideas, this book will make you more knowledgeable than you were. It might even change a few minds about where we are, how we got here, and how we go forward.
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Prescient Text
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-06-25
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is an underrated classic. You'll understand why postmodernism has led to a cynical view of heroes and why that's not a good thing. As Mr. Roche points out, a country and it's citizenry need heroes to inspire and bring out the best in us. As Roche writes: "Greater love hath no man... Risking or laying down one's life to save another is heroism laid bare. It is a purely sefless and beneficent act. There is no more striking example of our unique human contact with an Eternal Good."
We are living in an age of anti-heroism and it's why our culture has been eroding before our eyes. This book may be 20 years old, but its message is vital, now more than ever.
Give it a read.
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by (Editor: Steven Biel)
ISBN: 0814713467
Binding/Media: Paperback - 422 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with moderate reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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COULD HAVE USED SOME NON ACADEMIC WRITERS
Rating (2)
Date: 2009-09-09
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is an edited book with chapters on the Chicago fire, the San Francisco Earthquake, the Challenger disaster and others that have impacted US history. The idea was to look at how these tragedies have impacted American culture and psychology. How have they helped shape who we are as a nation? It is not a bad idea for a book at all. It's just the subject most likely to be written about by academics, and one that desperately needs non academic contributers.
The primary problem is that academic writing is as dull and dry as writing can be. It never addresses the issues of the common man or puts itself in the reader's shoes. Instead it relies on analysis of quotes and a few publications. Often the authors don't appear interested in their own material. Steven Biel, for instance, in his chapter says the Titanic was no more memorable than any other event! He critizes other writers of popular history who "reduce complex processes to single dramatic moments". But what is life if not single dramatic moments? This book could have used a few, as most of the chapters are quite dull. The article on the Galveston storm, by Patricia Bixel spills most of its ink on flood wall politics, ignoring more interesting aspects.
Another problem here is extreme left-wing bias, another weakness of academia. Kevin Rozario contributes a chapter on capitalism and disasters that insists the capitalists actually want disaster so they can make more money rebuilding. As he describes it, capitalism is actually a destructive, not a constructive force. Business leaders must like nothing better than to see their buildings go up in smoke. One would think the average shop owner would love for a youth to put a rock through his window. But the worst chapter in this regard is by Ralph Savarese on the Air Florida crash in DC. Savarese is a marxist made distraught by the fall of the Soviet Union. He blames the plane crash on, well, 'commodity capital'. In fact the chapter, one of the longest in the book, says little about the crash itself and focuses instead on the faults of the Reagan administration in fostering an inegalitarian society. Savarese links the accident to the firing of the PATCO air traffic controllers, even though the plane crashed due to icing on the wings! It is hard to respect someone who puts out such nonsense.
Of course a few chapters are fairly good. Ted Steinberg shows how San Francisco leaders sought to downplay earthquake risk after 1906, blaming the fire for all the damage. The most interesting chapter by far was by Andrew Hazucha. He describes the 1977 Chicago L train crash. Although not a truly major disaster, he brings it to life and shows how it shook Chicago in a special way. Unfortunately, though, such chapters are the exception, not the rule. Perhaps that's why so few have read this book.
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by (Editor: Rupert Wilkinson)
ISBN: 0064388778
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 384 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with moderate reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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by John Frederick Burke (Foreword: Sir Arthur Bryant)
ISBN: 0002113597
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 349 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No publisher marks, no writing. Moderate shelf/ reading wear.
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by Patti Waldmeir
ISBN: 0393039978
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 303 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Book in good condition with minimal reading wear. EX LIBRARY copy. Library markings present but no further markings or imperfections.
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Customer Reviews
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Great Book so far
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-10-06
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Anatomy of a Miracle: The End of Apartheid and the Birth of the New South Africa
This book came on time and was delivered directly to my place of residence within two days. So far this book is worth more than just an assignment for class. This book also helps me to see another side of conflict that most people may never see in their life time; unless they live within a collective culture where group needs are put before the individual self.
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A Great History Book
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-02-15
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
Anatomy of a Miracle is one of those history books you never forget. It does such a good job putting you there. You feel like you are at the meeting between Mandela and DeKlerk. This is history at its best. Anyone interested in Current Events or the History of South Africa and its transformation from Apartheid and White Rule to One Man One Vote and Democracy needs to read this book. I had no idea that Mandela and the South African government had been in negotiation long before Mandela's release. I also had no idea how well Mandela used his ability to speak Afrikaaner and his knowledge of Afrikaaner History to while negotiating to end Apartheid. You see the challenges DeKlerk, Mandela, and all of South Africa had to overcome. And they did. This is a short book, but after reading this you will become an expert on the events that led to the end of Apartheid and the beginning of Democracy in South Africa. This is a great book.
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Insightful and dramatic!
Rating (5)
Date: 1998-05-18
12 out of 13 customers found this reveiw helpful
Reads like a cloak and dagger thriller at times. This is a riveting account of the end of apartheid and the birth of democracy in a society that should be, by all rights, engaged in civil war at this time. Instead, Ms. Waldmeir gives us the reasons, historically and diplomatically, as to why this amazing transition took place in relative peace. She tries to give a fair representation of the roles of all the major players in this incredibly complex real life drama. I found the writing to be very insightful as an academic work while at the same time it was told as the dramatic, tension filled drama that the story truly is.
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Spellbinding and authoritative
Rating (5)
Date: 1997-04-24
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is surely the most informative book to have been written on the subject of South Africa since the end of the white regime. Ms Waldmeiris a superb writer, with a perceptive and self -deprecating wit.May she write heaps more.
Dermot Ros
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by Roger Williams
ISBN: 0789494310
Binding/Media: Paperback - 208 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No publisher marks, no writing. Minimal shelf wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Great Travel Guide
Rating  (4)
Date: 2010-06-27
I always buy the DK Travel Guides. They have the perfect amount of history, maps, and photos; sometimes more info then what you will receive when at the tourist spots...
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Lavish photos, poor information
Rating (1)
Date: 2005-10-06
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
I've been born in Barcelona and I am an enthusiastic traveller all around the world and a travel guide collector. It is true that the visual standard of the Eyewitness travel Guides is topnotch (oh, that beautiful DK design...), but the lack of really useful information is certainly a problem of these guides. And here, with the Barcelona guide, that problem is even more evident than in others. Yes, it is good for the top visits you need to do during a week-end, but it lacks the necessary info for a long-term stay (that Barcelona is certainly worth) or for a trip to be planned on your own. What about low-budget hotels and restaurants? Not even one. What about information about timetables, trains, buses? Where are they? The Lonely planet / Rough guides may be less lush, but certainly more useful concerning such matters (with good reviews concerning hotels/ restaurants/ services... for all budgets). Not to mention the lack of detailed information about gastronomy/ history/ culture. It is painful.
So, it seems that the Eyewitness travels are aimed to customers with their trip arranged in a circuit... staying about one night or two in Barcelona and who need a minimal information for their stay.
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Second place this time
Rating (4)
Date: 2004-07-24
21 out of 22 customers found this reveiw helpful
Usually the Eyewitness series guide for whatever city is an unbeatable guidebook, however this one comes up a little short. It has all the great photos, as always the maps are excellent, the pictures/descriptions of the foods & architecture are very good. It is the same successful formula they use in their series of guidebooks but here they could have expanded some where they condensed. There is nothing in the book about bullfighting, or flamenco; there are 2 pages on Romanesque architecture, 2 pages on Modernism architecture, nothing on Gothic even though Barcelona has one of the most complete Gothic neighborhoods in all of Europe. The first 40 pages are history and introduction, food, flora, art etc.: Only 49 pages on the city sights, 20 pages on the rest of Catalonia. It is as if they rushed to compact everything as they might with somewhere much larger, like New York City. The book could have relaxed and breathed a bit more. The town of Tarragona with its great cathedral and fantastic Roman ruins only gets two columns of ink. There are only 6 pages of detailed maps in the back, Parc Guell is not even on the map.
If you are going to BCN you should get this book, match it up with National Geographic Traveler Barcelona and the Time Out Guide
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Dorling Eyewitness Guide to Barcelona
Rating (5)
Date: 2002-06-26
28 out of 34 customers found this reveiw helpful
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Great Travel Guide, Beautiful Coffee Table Book!Summary:
Every Dorling Kindersley Guide has been a great and interesting book... and delightful to have and use, even if you are not traveling to that location, but are only interested in learning more! The Guides are well organized in a logical and easy to follow manner. They are beautifully illustrated, well developed with accurate information (it is unusual for hotel and restaurant information to be that accurate), have enough history to help the reader understand the people and cultural background, and have a lot of useful travel information and useable maps in the appendixes. The really great attraction to this book is several fold; it is:
............Very complete
............Easy to read
............Beautifully and artistically completed
............Good shopping, safety and other tips
............Gorgeous photographs too numerous to list. Specifics:
The guides are organized as follows: How to use this guide
Introduction to Historical and Geographical information
Geographical Regions
............Introduction Barcelona and Catalonia
........................Intro to Barcelona / Catalonia
........................Portrait of Catalonia
........................Catalonia Through the Year (events, holidays)
........................History of Catalonia ............Barcelona Area by Area, each section includes:
........................Introduction to street by street area ........................Detailed pictorials of area buildings
........................Architectural drawings, pictures, cut-aways of buildings
........................Specific stops, historical monuments, churches, buildings, etc. ........................Barcelona At a Glance
........................Old Town
........................Eixample
........................Monjuic
........................Further Afield ............Catalonia Area by Area
........................Llieda, Andorra, Girona, Barcelona Province, Tarragona Travelers Needs - includes full list with rankings and notes
............Hotels
............Restaurants, cafes, bars
............Shopping
............Entertainment
............Outdoor activities Survival Information
............Practical
........................Tourist info., Etiquete, Personal Security and Health
........................Currencies, Telephones, misc info.
............Travel Information (Getting to Barcelona ) ............Street Maps (Getting Around Barcelona ) ............General Index
............Catalan Phrase Book
............Barcelona Metro and Train Routes (Maps) Discussion:
The book begins with "Introducing Barcelona", including a complete map, a review, the city's history, and Barcelona thought the Year - including events, etc. Areas with an "At a glance" overview, then has subsections of specific blocks, or forums, then specific locations, churches, historical monuments, bridges, galleries, etc. Architectural reviews include various views, and cutaways; given greater understanding and better perspective. They are all attractive, if not works of art - honestly. The travelers' Info. offers good and valid info. on prices, currencies, customs, important words, etc. I have used the reviews on hotel's restaurants and nightclubs, in most European cities, and Dorling has yet to disappoint me. I have found they were useful and accurate, and helpful with my touring and site decisions. The books are so well thought-out that it has multiple maps, with various lookup tables, and the book's flaps are designed to be used as bookmarks for map pages. Traveling to Barcelona Specifically:
Do it! I have never been disappointed with Barcelona, its people, its food, or anything at all. It is definitely one of the better European cities to visit, or spend time in. Also, just south of Barcelona is a little town called "Sitges" which is an absolute Mediterranean gem! Gorgeous, friendly, beautiful beaches, and very comfortable to simple visit and relax in! Conclusion:
Each book in this series is a great help, and beautiful collectible resource. As the President, CEO of an International Meeting Planning Corporation we have many resources and techniques to learn about places we have meetings / groups at as well as the cities and sights. But, as a traveler, this book really is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone going on a personal trip, or wanting to learn about a city, or location. We have used some of these books to augment our research to investigate cities for our groups.
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not up to the usual D-K standard
Rating  (3)
Date: 2001-02-15
49 out of 51 customers found this reveiw helpful
This guide is not up to the usual D-K standard. I like to take pictures for photo.net when I travel and it is very helpful to have the little sample photos of destinations so that one can decide whether or not to invest the time.But D-K Barcelona is very skimpy on details and also on tourist attractions and facilities as soon as you venture out of the Old City. For authoritative restaurant and hotel recommendations, go with Michelin Red. For architecture and art history, get the Blue Guide. For nightlife, try the TimeOut guide. Overall, people say that the Rough Guide is very good. Whatever guidebook you choose, watch your belongings in Barcelona. Pickpocketing is an industry there, esp. in the Old City and on La Rambla. Women should not carry purses. Men should keep money in a money belt or zippered inner jacket pocket. Limit yourself to one camera that you can keep in your hands at all times.
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by President Bill Clinton
ISBN: 0812929136
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 178 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Clinton's vision for his second term shows his grasp for history while still in the process of making it
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-06-27
During his administration of President Bill Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history as unemployment and inflation were at their lowest rates in decades. The book, written with Clinton consultant William E. Nothdurft, is Clinton's second book as he also co-authored the book Putting People First with his running mate Al Gore during his presidential campaign in 1992.
The U.S. was at a pivotal stage during the presidential election of 1996 between incumbent Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican challenger Bob Dole. Clinton had taken office in 1992, inheriting a staggering U.S. economy, a huge national debt, and a country fed up with many of its politicians and demanding change. Third party candidate Ross Perot had received 19% of the vote in 1992, showing how Americans were not satisfied with the two major parties. During Clinton's first term there were successes and failures, but his determination for reform kept his approval ratings high. Through various welfare reforms and economic policies, inflation and the unemployment rate dropped to their lowest numbers in years. Clinton's administration was the first to cut he deficit in all four years since the 1840s, all while strengthening social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and helping finance higher education for many. He fought hard to finally pass a balanced budget. The Republicans won control of Congress in the mid-term elections and spoiled some of what Clinton wanted to get done, but still much was achieved his first term.
As 1996 arrived Americans were in transition, both at home and abroad. The economy was in transition from the old "trickle down economics" system employed by most Republicans to a more progressive system invoked by Clinton and Democrats that started at the opposite end: helping poor people get off welfare, increasing the minimum wage, and providing tax exemptions for middle class families. Many new jobs were created. Social programs were strengthened, not cut. The Internet had begun to revolutionize the way people interacted and received information.
Thought the Cold War was finally over, the world was now becoming globalized -- with the U.S. leading the way -- as countries constantly interacted with one another and borders were opened like never before. Clinton's "global village" also meant protecting people from tyranny, and the U.S. military was engaged in Serbia and Bosnia, as well as Iraq and Somalia, though never becoming involved in a traditional war. Terrorism was a reality Americans were forced to come to grips with as Muslim radicals bombed the World Trade Center's lower floor in 1993, the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by a domestic terrorist in April 1995 killing168 and shaking the psyche of the nation, and a bomb went off in July 1996 at the Olympic Village in Atlanta, Georgia during the Olympics killing one and injuring many. Fighting crime was an issue and many were torn on gun control laws such as the Brady Bill. There was a move to get people involved in their communities and a move to solve social problems such as unplanned pregnancies and drug use. American culture was in transition as well as television programs and movies pushed the limits of what was allowed and political correctness became more of an issue than ever before.
The election of 1996 was a decision by Americans to keep up Clinton's trends of economic responsibility, strengthening social programs, and his vision of a "global village" in the world or to go back to the way things were the twelve years before he assumed office. Between Hope and History describes the accomplishments of Clinton's nearly four years in the White House and cites his values and beliefs about governing and leading America for another four years. President Clinton's vision for America has three primary components. Not surprisingly, these three components also are the titles of the book's three chapters: Opportunity, Responsibility, and Community. "It was clear to me that if my vision of 21st Century America was to become reality, we had to break out of yesterday's thinking and embark on a new and bold course for the future, with a strategy rooted in three fundamental American values: ensuring that all citizens have the opportunity to make the most of their lives; expecting every citizen to shoulder the responsibility to seize that opportunity; and working together as a community to live up to all we can be as a nation" (7-8).
As a campaign document in an election year, Between Hope and History sweeps Bill Clinton from Hope, Arkansas, into the ranks of the Democrat Party's greatest leaders during the 20th Century. In the book Clinton compares himself to both President Theodore Roosevelt and President Woodrow Wilson in their need to lead the nation through a time of change in domestic matters and in foreign policy. He uses some of this book to take to task some of those who have disagreed with his policies. The book portrays Clinton as a compassionate centrist and succeeds in its intention to show the President's purposes as a moderate Democrat, blurring the line between him and the liberal wing of his party. It mixes anecdotes about Clinton's life with boasts about his accomplishments and takes shots at the Grand Ole Party throughout.
The book does not offer much as a literary piece, nor does it intend to. It is a work that was created from many of the president's speeches, and basically outlines the Democratic platform for 1996. It does offer a look inside Clinton and shows what motivates his thinking regarding policy, as well as providing a glimpse into his childhood on up through his political career. For someone studying about the Clinton administration, this book is a good starting point. For someone that opposed Clinton's policies, this book will be filled with things that make them want to cringe. Clinton sees evil Republicanism as a cyclical phenomenon as he compares the 1980s Republican-led "decade of neglect" to the period of G.O.P. prominence in the 1920s that led up to the Great Depression. Perhaps some of his claims are farfetched, perhaps they are not, but I am sure some reading this might think the book's acknowledgments should list Oliver Stone as an historical adviser. Clinton calls for responsibility for all Americans, yet, as the world would see in his next term, he was not responsible for himself and he crippled his chance to push his vision for America.
Between Hope and History offers Bill Clinton's vision of America, as is required of all candidates during an election year. The president can be questioned about a number of his assertions by the other side; however, he clearly articulates his agenda in a style that reminds you of some of his best speeches. Clinton's plans for deficit reduction, an improved economy, environmental protection, expanded educational and training opportunities, and peace and security are worthy of bipartisan support. However, presidents are judged on their achievements far more than on their plans and visions.
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Good book!!
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-06-25
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
The world's busiest man took enough time out of his schedule to give us this excellent book. It's well worth a read. Imagine if W could write and be President at the same time. Hell, he can't even read speeches prepared by others. Bush's arrival showed us just how great President Clinton was, and is.
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A synthesis and distellation of bill clinton's thought
Rating (5)
Date: 2002-02-19
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
this book sums up bill lcintons thought and views on many issues that are important. He has some interesting observations about how we have the power to impove ourselves with our power.it is written in his smooth style and is an easy read. I don't think he used any speech writers with this book. I really felt his passion of his convictions here. I hope he can keep busy now he is out of office. he uses some form of the word "is" 104 times in the book, soIguess he now kwos what the word means.
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This [...] used copy will be a collector's item!
Rating (2)
Date: 2001-08-08
5 out of 19 customers found this reveiw helpful
[ The clever Mr. Clinton knew he could not get the big bucks for simply spouting a lot of earnest policy palaver, as he did in his 1996 "Between Hope and History," reviewing lessons learned in his presidency and offering his vision of opportunity, responsibility and community. The book tanked, and is out of print. [....]][....]
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inspiring
Rating (5)
Date: 2001-07-20
7 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
In former-President Clinton's "Between Hope and History" he discusses topics ranging from crime to globalization to education reform to the pride of being an American and living in the best democratic model of governance in the world. The book is very inspirational. My favorite quote is on page 175; "I believe that America today stands between hope and history---at the edge of a moment when these two powerful forces are as one, when we can embrace the dawn of the new century, drawing strength and guidance from our past, filled with confidence that in this new age of possibility, our best is yet to come."
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by Peter Carrington
ISBN: 0713473126
Binding/Media: Paperback - 136 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Gently read copy which appears in a like new condition, but has an inscription/ writing on the first page.
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