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Renowned naturalist and author of children's books on wildlife successfully blends information and entertainment in his book about birds, among them saucy Jenny Wren, Redwing the Blackbird, Melody the Wood Thrush, Spooky the Screech Owl, Creaker the Purple Grackle, Downy the Woodpecker, and other feathered friends. 32 black-and-white illustrations.
American Strategy in Vietnam
"A masterful analysis of the strategy, or lack thereof, in the Vietnam War … a book that every policy maker in Washington should absorb." — Max Cleland, Atlanta Journal ConstitutionRequired reading at The National, Naval, and Air War Colleges, as well as other high level military institutions throughout the United States, American Strategy in Vietnam has become one of the most-well-respected investigations of the strategic and tactical policies of the U.S. Army during the twentieth century. Crackling with keen insight and clarity, this invaluable resource has renewed the study of strategy and its vital relationship to the art of war.Drawing heavily on the brilliant theories of the great Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, this is the definitive politico-military assessment of the Vietnam War. Instead of merely examining the individual strategic flaws of the conflict, the book embraces a larger scope: how the weak relationship between military strategy and national policy led to the Vietnam War's unpopular and faulty definition–and eventual failure. Particularly relevant today, this important exposé stresses the futility of any military action without the full support and involvement of the country's people.
Confucian Analects, The Great Learning & The Doctrine of the Mean
Central to the study of Chinese civilization at its widest extension is the thought of the great sage K'ung, usually known in the West by the Latinized form of his name, Confucius. His works form the core of more than two thousand years of Oriental civilization, and even today, when he has been officially discarded, his thought remains important for understanding the present as well as the past. Yet Confucius is the property of not only the Orientalists: his ideas stood behind much of the rational social thought of the European Enlightenment, as great philosophers from Leibnitz on seized with delight "the perfect ethic without supernaturalism: that China offered them.The present edition of the wisdom of Confucius is certainly the best edition ever prepared in the West. The results of many years of study in China by the great Sinologist James Legge, it contains the entire Chinese text of the Analects (or sayings) of Confucius in large, readable characters, and beneath this Legge's full translation, which has been accepted as the definitive, standard English version. The book also includes The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean.In addition to the texts and translation, a wealth of helpful material is offered to the reader: countless notes embodying textual studies, commentators' opinions, interpretation of individual characters, disputed meanings, and similar material. More than 125 pages of introduction cover the Chinese classics, the history of the texts in this volume, and the life and influence of Confucius. Most useful, too, is a complete dictionary of all the Chinese characters in the book, with meanings, grammatical comments, place locations, and similar data. Subject and name indexes enable you to find material easily.
The Autobiography of Margaret Sanger
"A moving story of action — direct, forceful, and plain-spoken.…It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this autobiography." — Saturday Review of Literature.While working as a nurse amid the squalor of New York's Lower East Side in the early twentieth century, Margaret Sanger witnessed the devastating effects of unwanted pregnancies. Women already overwhelmed by the burdens of poverty had no recourse; their doctors were either ignorant of effective methods of birth control or were unwilling to risk defying the law.Sanger resolved to dedicate her life to establishing birth control as a basic human right. Her battles brought a world of troubles — arrest, indictment, and exile among them — but ultimately she triumphed, opening the first American birth control clinic in 1916 and serving as the first president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in 1953.A fascinating firsthand account of an early crusade for women's healthcare, this autobiography is a classic of women's studies and social reform.
The Crowd
One of the most influential works of social psychology in history, The Crowd was highly instrumental in creating this field of study by analyzing, in detail, mass behavior. The book had a profound impact not only on Freud but also on such twentieth-century masters of crowd control as Hitler and Mussolini — both of whom may have used its observations as a guide to stirring up popular passions. In the author's words, «The masses have never thirsted after the truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.»Although the volume focuses on crowd psychology, it is also brilliantly instructive on the effects of the generally accepted beliefs of a nation's citizenry on the processes of history. Among the topics covered here are general characteristics and mental unity of the crowd; the crowd's sentiments and morality; its ideas, reasoning power, and imagination; opinions and beliefs of crowds and the means used by leaders to persuade; classification of crowds, including criminal and electrical assemblages, as well as the functioning of criminal juries and parliamentary assemblies.A must-read volume for students of history, sociology, law, and psychology, The Crowd will also be invaluable to politicians, statesmen, investors, and marketing managers. «Any study of crowd behavior, popular psychology, fascism, etc. would do well to begin with Le Bon's work.» — Anson Rabinbach, Professor of History, Princeton University.
Anarchism and Other Essays
In the 1890s and for years thereafter, America reverberated with the name of the «notorious Anarchist,» feminist, revolutionist, and agitator, Emma Goldberg. A Russian Jewish immigrant at the age of 17, she moved by her own efforts from seamstress in a clothing factory to internationally known radical lecturer, writer, editor, and friend of the oppressed. This book is a collection of her remarkably penetrating essays, far in advance of their time, originally published by the Mother Earth press which she founded.In the first of these essays, Anarchism: What It Really Stands For, she says, «Direct action, having proven effective along economic lines, is equally potent in the environment of the individual.» In Minorities Versus Majorities she holds that social and economic well-being will result only through «the non-compromising determination of intelligent minorities, and not through the mass.» Other pieces deal with The Hypocrisy of Puritanism; Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure; The Psychology of Political Violence; The Drama: A Powerful Disseminator of Radical Thought; Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty; and The Tragedy of Woman's Emancipation. A biographical sketch by Hippolyte Havel precedes the essays.Anarchism and Other Essays provides a fascinating look into revolutionary issues at the turn of the century, a prophetic view of the social and economic future, much of which we have seen take place, and above all, a glimpse into the mind of an extraordinary woman: brilliant, provocative, dedicated, passionate, and what used to be called «high-minded.»
Celtic Mythology
This classic study by a distinguished scholar recounts the ancient tales of Ireland and Wales. Written in a highly readable style, it will delight neophytes as well as those well versed in Celtic folklore with its lively tales of romance and love, of war and carnage, and of deeds both noble and villainous.Illustrations from rare sources enhance this treasury of lore and its stories of the strife and mythic powers of the gods, their loves and aid to mortals, and of famous heroes, pagans, and Christians of antiquity. John Arnott MacCulloch, a former canon of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and author of several books relating to the Celtic culture, discusses the coexistence of paganism and Christianity and their influences on each other, particularly in regard to the heroic cycles of Cuchulainn, Fionn, and Arthur.
The Concise History of Freemasonry
Written by an eminent Masonic historian, this authoritative survey is considered one of the most well-rounded accounts of Masonry in all its stages. First published in a series of volumes from 1882 to 1887, it chronicles «the Craft's» development and movement throughout Europe and to the Far East, Africa, and the Americas. A monumental work culled from many years of research, it spans the vast range of Masonic history from ancient to modern times, including Medieval Operative Masonry, English Laws of the Middle Ages, the Story of the Guild, Legend of the Craft, Early Scottish Craft, the Great Division in English Masonry, Operatives and Guilds throughout the World, and the Grand Lodge of England. Studied for over a century by members of the order and neophytes alike, The Concise History of Freemasonry was revised and updated at the turn of the twentieth century, and remains an important testament to Freemason history. No serious inquirer can get a more powerful feel of the levels of Freemasonry, or be freshly inspired by the order, without first reading this epic work. This edition includes 16 illustrations from the original publication.
The Cloud of Unknowing
An exploration of the nature of reality, mysticism begins with the individual struggle toward a clear vision and culminates in a transformed consciousness. This marvelous guide to the contemplative life originated with the reflection of an unknown fourteenth-century priest who believed that a «cloud of unknowing» separates people from God. This cloud, he maintained, cannot be penetrated by intellect —only by love.The Cloud of Unknowing offers an approach to contemplative life that finds holiness at a level deeper than physical experience and beyond language or image. The author advises placing all thought and mental imagery behind a metaphorical «cloud of forgetting» while seeking to love the divine. Hidden from the infinite consciousness by a «cloud of unknowing,» divine love can be reached through monologistic prayer — a single-word prayer, like a mantra, that assists in abandoning all extraneous thought. Seekers can thus attain an inner silence, where they may «be still and know the sacred.»The author's spiritual gifts, combined with his humorous and straightforward approach, offer a view of divinity that never loses the common touch. Written in everyday language and edited by a popular authority on mysticism, this venerable work can be understood and appreciated by any reader.
Animals in Motion
"The dry plate's most spectacular early use was by Eadweard Muybridge." — Life"A really marvelous series of plates." — Nature (London)"These photographs have resolved many complicated questions." — Art JournalHere is the largest, most comprehensive selection of Muybridge's famous animal photos — more than 4,000 high-speed shots of 34 different animals and birds, in 123 different types of actions. Animals are shown walking, running, leaping, flying — in typical actions. The horse alone is shown in more than 40 different ways: galloping with nude rider, trotting, pacing with sulky, cantering, jumping hurdles, carrying, rolling on barrels, and 36 other actions. All photos taken against ruled backgrounds; most actions taken from 3 angles at once: 90 degrees, 60 degrees, rear. Foreshortened views are included. These are true action photos, stopped in series, taken at speeds up to 1/2000th of a second. Actions are illustrated in series, with as many as 50 shots per action. Muybridge worked with the University of Pennsylvania for three years, made more than 100,000 exposures, and spent more than $50,000. His work has never been superseded as a lifetime reference for animators, illustrators, artists, and art directors.