In the eighth volume of their Story of Civilization, the Durants explore the apex of European civilization to that time, the years 1648 to 1715. It is the era of the "Sun King," Louis XIV, one of the most powerful rulers in Western history. It is also the pinnacle of Dutch culture, the heyday of Vermeer and William of Orange, later King of England. All this forms the backdrop for the Durants' real focus: the intellectual character of the age. Encompassing Newton and Leibniz, among others, THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV marks a momentous transition: the passage from superstition and intolerance to science and philosophy. This is the period on which the foundation for modernity rests.
"Informed and highly readable ... eloquently partisan for the dignity of man and the decencies of life." (Saturday Review) Views: 830
Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves") is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.
The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima.
This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.
Hagakure was featured prominently in the film Ghost Dog, by Jim Jarmusch. Views: 827
A new collection of distinctive writings from the pen of Kahlil Gibran, rendered into English by Joseph Sheban, also a Lebanese living in the United States. From the wealth of poetic prose left behind by the latter-day prophet of the Middle East, Mr. Sheban has selected some of the most meaningful, yet unfamiliar. The volume is prefaced by a biographical study of Gibran, including the women in his life. Views: 825
"...he could imagine the Dust spiraling in corners, plotting en masse an elaborate offensive upon those who sought seclusion from the outside Universe. The Dust: it was older than Time, bound by its allegiance to the Tangible—to the very Physical Substance of creation— to make pointed attacks fueled by conspiracy upon its bitter rival, the amorphously-composed Intangible Will.." (p.202)"...and as the other cell doors swung open and inmates filed out to make their way to the Yard, Bunnu now envisioned them: these surly gray fibrous masses beyond his door, in the spaces between walls, trolling the depths of the building itself—hunched, faceless amalgamations of loosely-configured men, leaking abrasive Matter upon the hard surface of the floors when even the slightest breeze whistled through their cavernous bristled epidermis. He imagined them: these husky, ashen Beings, scurrying in droves through damp, uninviting corridors, nestled back against the wall, lingering behind corners, lying in wait for even the smallest squeak of his door hinge, so that they may swarm inward upon him and the bristles that comprised them could unravel and twirl in his direction, skimming from ceiling to floor, scraping against the walls and curving in through the crevice to creep along the shivering mass of cells upon his exterior and cover the body whole. His hand would freeze upon the door knob and be shattered to splinters of flesh as he, in defiance of this coarse invasion, struggled to break free of their grip: to no avail. Gray fibers covered with loose granules of cosmic dust—similar in consistency to incense ash—would plunge through every orifice in search of alveoli to stop the breathing at its source. He would then be flooded with this strange, granular matter and made to respire by proxy as the invading agent would not allow him the benefit of self-respiration, as it was too selfish and far less efficient than the sort of respiration that could be achieved through mutual means.Bunnu shivered as he broke into a cold sweat.The very anticipation of this process was, for him, horrifying, for he could imagine the Dust spiraling in corners, plotting en masse an elaborate offensive upon those who sought seclusion from the outside Universe. The Dust: it was older than Time, bound by its allegiance to the Tangible—to the very Physical Substance of creation— to make pointed attacks fueled by conspiracy upon its bitter rival, the amorphously-composed Intangible Will. This conflict, too, was older than time: one that had always existed and one that continues perpetually between the abstractions of Tangible Form and those of Intangible Will, the two locked in eternal combat for they could know no other state than to oppose the infringement of each upon the confines of the other. The tangible, however, was more resolved—more given to complicity—for without this, there was no hope of overcoming the tenacity of something so refined. Accordingly, there were many natures to such Dust, many inclinations that Bunnu was impelled to delineate—for the sake of convenience—by arbitrary color. For example, red dust, though it wasn’t truly red, came as a result of an incredible shift in gravitational force, perhaps from an explosion of a vast star in a distant galaxy. The particles of dust traveled and accumulated through void, attracting each to the other by sheer weight of their micro-gravities as they fused with hot gas to form masses, which would loom in stasis for many billions of years and later crumble to their constituents in vast explosions, sending each particle off again upon its own distinct immaculate trajectory. These particles carry with them their memories in aggregation of them with their associates and of their associates with their collection of foregone associates, allowing them by means of interconnecting social networks to seek old members of former almae matres (i.e. one particle of red dust recognizes another that he had once been fused together with to form a rock on the surface of a distant planet and seeks to relive old glories together. The particle, in question, however, is wedged between the teeth of a beached whale, and thus the alliance-seeking granule, must seek to merge with the whale itself in order for this reunion to become a reality)..."-p. 202-204, Don't Forget to Breathe Views: 824
Annette runs away from her finishing school but learns more than she bargained for in the real world beyond; the fierce and melancholy Rosa is torn between two Polish brothers; Peter is obsessed by an indecipherable ancient script. This is a story of a group of people under a spell, and the centre of it all is the mysterious Mischa Fox, the enchanter. Views: 815
In 1977, two extraodinary spacecraft called Voyager were launched to the stars. Affixed to each Voyager craft was a gold-coated copper phonograph record as a message to possible extra-terrestrial civilizations that might encounter the spacecraft in some distant space and time. Each record contained 118 photographs of our planet; almost 90 minutes of the world's greatest music; an evolutionary audio essay on "The Sounds of Earth"; and greetings in almost sixty human languages (and one whale language). This book is an account, written by those chiefly responsible for the contents of the Voyager Record, of why they did it, how they selected the repertoire, and precisely what the record contains. Views: 814
Sarah's been plagued with strange dreams her whole life. Except there's one problem - they aren't dreams. Everyone thinks she's mad - and none more so than the strapping Lieutenant Karax.He's convinced she should be kicked out of the Academy.There's one problem: Sarah isn't mad. In fact, she holds the key to one of the most powerful technologies in the Milky Way.Sarah's been plagued with strange dreams her whole life. Except there's one problem - they aren't dreams. Everyone thinks she's mad - and none more so than the strapping Lieutenant Karax.He's convinced she should be kicked out of the Academy.There's one problem: Sarah isn't mad. In fact, she holds the key to one of the most powerful technologies in the Milky Way. If Karax can't find out what's going on, Earth will fall. And if he can't find a way to save Sarah, everyone will lose…….Fractured Mind is a thrilling four-part serialization that takes you on a breakneck battle for planet Earth. Join Sarah and Karax as they struggle against bounty hunters, mercenaries, and, ultimately, time itself. Views: 811
Carl Sagan, writer & scientist, returns from the frontier to tell us about how the world works. In his delightfully down-to-earth style, he explores & explains a mind-boggling future of intelligent robots, extraterrestrial life & its consquences, & other provocative, fascinating quandries of the future we want to see today. Views: 811
Mary has a crush on Daniel and Daniel has a crush on her, they can't be together because they are taking advice from the wrong people.Can they live happily ever after or will the writer of this book make it long and boring.Read this book which is not a bestseller because it's free.Mary has a crush on Daniel and he has a crush on her, the only thing keeping them apart is the fact that no one knows how to talk to the other, they each ask advice from the wrong person.Mary asks advice from her sister who hates her, so she feeds her with the worst advice ever.Daniel is too cool and needs help on how to talk to uncool people, his only aid is someone who has a crush on him.Will the two come together or will the writer of this story make the story boring and stupid.Did I forget to mention that there is a lot of laughs to take you through, a lot of twists and turns, a lot of what you love about any teenage humor story. Please this is a short story and so it is not expected to be long, please comment and rate it so I can be encouraged to write more, a sequel depends on your reactions to this one. This is not a bestseller, in fact no one has even heard about this book.Please review after reading so I can know how Good or Bad I am. Views: 809
A personal view of East-West relationship built from real life experience and filtered via the interpretation tools of Mimetic theory of Rene GirardYasmin Naylor should be happy. She had a wonderful summer. She is joining the Varsity cheerleaders this year, and her boyfriend, David, is a true gem. Unfortunately, Yasmin is anxious about this year and about life. She's trying to control her fears, but she can't help but think things are going to fall apart.Nicole Lawson is pretty unhappy. Though she is a parent's dream, she feels alone. She enjoys spending time with her best friend, Yasmin, but sometimes that isn't enough. Nicole wants to be known, liked, and befriended by her peers. She wants a boyfriend and the teen life she sees on TV. Now that she's officially sixteen, Nicole is allowed to date. She has her sights set on Kenneth, but she's much to shy to approach him. Can Nicole be the person she wants to be?Anya Dorn is bored. Her family moved to Virginia from Florida. Though her stepfather is alright and her new stepsister is adorable, Anya is nervous about being in a new school and a new place. When Anya meets David, the attraction is instant. Unfortunately, David has a girlfriend. Anya, never one to back down from what she wants, decides to go after David. Will she be able to break Yasmin and David up? Views: 805
David Lurie learns that all beginnings are hard. He must fight for his place against the bullies in his Depression-shadowed Bronx neighborhood and his own frail health. As a young man, he must start anew and define his own path of personal belief that diverges sharply with his devout father and everything he has been taught....
From the Paperback edition. Views: 803
In this best-selling new book, his first in seventeen years, Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, takes us on a poignant and passionate journey as mysterious and compelling as his first life-changing work.
Instead of a motorcycle, a sailboat carries his philosopher-narrator Phaedrus down the Hudson River as winter closes in. Along the way he picks up a most unlikely traveling companion: a woman named Lila who in her desperate sexuality, hostility, and oncoming madness threatens to disrupt his life.
In Lila Robert M. Pirsig has crafted a unique work of adventure and ideas that examines the essential issues of the nineties as his previous classic did the seventies. Views: 802
"Children of a Sunless Land" is the first installment in the "Deaf Swordsman Series"."Children of a Sunless Land" is the first installment in the "Deaf Swordsman Series".Told in serial form, the Deaf Swordsman Series is a collection of stories featuring the fantastical deaf swordsman, Vohro Vahllenu. These set of stories is a sprawling epic of good and evil, bringing together the supernatural and weird, featuring dark fantasy adventures sure to resonate with both the hardcore and casual reader of dark fantasy literature.The stories begin and end in chaos, promising the reader a wild ride through the darkest bowels of the imagination while offering moments of deep reflection. Here are the terror-inducing tales of children clad in beastly armor, of people consumed by their own shadows, and of dark nights spent under the auspices of an angry moon.Embark on perilous journeys into unknown places like an abandoned asylum floating in the open, midnight sky, or an eerie forest characterized by the continuous sounds of echoing whispers. These are some of the places you'll venture into, following a fierce avenger armed with nine of the deadliest blades known to mankind, as he rides from the seen into the unseen, where hope and doom are bound only by the thinnest threads of humanity.Series No. 1: Children of a Sunless Land: 8,000 words (the equivalent to 30 paperback pages).*Includes illustrations. Views: 798
"Potok writes powerfully about the suffering of innocent people caught in the cross-fire of a war they cannot begin to understand....Humanity and compassion for his characters leap from every page."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
As the Chinese and the army of the North sweep south during the Korean War, an old peasant farmer and his wife flee their village across the bleak, bombed-out landscape. They soon come upon a boy in a ditch who is wounded and unconscious. Stirred by possessiveness and caring the woman refuses to leave the boy behind. The man thinks she is crazy to nurse this boy, to risk their lives for some dying stranger. Angry and bewildered, he waits for the boy to die. And when the boy does not die, the old man begins to believe that the boy possesss a magic upon which all their lives depend....
From the Paperback edition. Views: 795
