Clarity, Thoroughness and Excellent Selections
928317
It has been three years since I read this book, but I cannot imagine a better presentation of various philosophical positions. Pojman explains all of the major views with care and unpacks the strengths and objections to various positions. In addition to this, he includes a healthy dose of selections from the actual philosophers that introduced these perspectives.

This book chronologically covers logic, schools of thought in ancient Greece and even the rise of Post-Modernism. Pojman gives an excellent presentation of Western Philosophy, but another text will be needed if one wishes to touch upon eastern thought.
3960163
This book is a wonderful, comprehensive collection of essays covering a wide variety of topics integral to an understanding of the "art" of negotiation.  As a litigator, I find myself spending a large amount of time in negotiations.  I picked up this volume because it came highly recommended by a friend of mine who has been involved in the field of negotiations for several years now, and I can only echo my friend's recommendation.  The book is organized into topical chapters, all of which can be read independently from one another and are written in a manner that makes the information, research and theories easily accessible even for relative newcomers to the field of negotiations.  Most importantly, this book is geared towards giving readers not only the tools to become better negotiators, but also to explain why and how these tools are successful - information that I believe is critical to one's ability to effectively implement negotiating techniques based on the specific situations and people one encounters.  Of particular interest to me were those chapters that deal with the more psychological aspects of negotiations, such as importance of gender, emotions, identity and culture; topics that are key to an understanding of interpersonal relationships and all too often are either ignored or only superficially touched upon.  I highly recommend this book to everybody interested in educating themselves about the topic of negotiations - and becoming a better negotiator along the way.
2176762
I am a huge fan of the Delphi series of collected works of classic authors, and this collection lived up to what I have come to expect.  First, it is well-formatted which is essential for me in buying works that are in the public domain on Kindle.  The Complete William Blake has a working and easy-to-read master table of contents that lists all of Blake's major published works.  When you click on one of the works, the link takes you to another table of contents of all the poems or pieces in the work, which makes it very easy to get around.  In addition, the important divisions are bookmarked on the progress bar so that you can jump through the book using the directional pad.  In addition, the individual poems I have read (full disclosure: I have read much but not all of this book yet) have been well formatted so that there is no extraneous indentations, uncalled for line-breaks, or strange bolding that can easily happen when text documents are casually converted into Kindle format.  Finally, the numerous illustrations have been carefully inserted so that they are readable on the small screen and are natural and useful.  This may seem like something to be taken for granted, but it is actually harder than it looks and is a sign of a carefully put together Kindle book.

Second, the content of this William Blake collection is excellent.  I am not a Blake expert, so I cannot fully comment on technical completeness (all the Blake poems I expected have been here and many, many more), but there are many Blake works that are less commonly heard of.  In addition to the Songs of Innocence and Experience, there are also such intriguing works as "America, a Prophecy" and "The Book of Thel".  The full list of the works included is as follows: Poetical Sketches, An Island in the Moon, All Religions are One, There is no Natural Religion, Tiriel, Songs of Innocence, The Book of Thel, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, The French Revolution, Visions of the Daughters of Albion, America a Prophecy, Europe a Prophecy, The First Book of Urizen, Songs of Experience, The Book of Los, the Song of Los, the Book of Ahania, The Four Zoas, Milton a Poem, Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion Songs and Ballads from Blake's Notebook (1793), Satiric Verses and Epigrams from Blake's Notebook, Uncollected Works.

In addition, the editors have included numerous illustrations and color plates (since Blake was also a major illustrator and printer).  For instance, in the Songs of Innocence, every poem is followed by the image of Blake's original, with his illustrations and his type-set.  It really is quite marvelous.

Finally, the editors included two different public domain biographies of William Blake, one by Irene Langridge and the other by Charles Gardner.  I have not read them yet, but I expect that they will be interesting and useful for the casual poetry enthusiast, if not for the Blake scholar (who may still find them useful to understand Blake's reception in different ages).

In short, this is exactly how collections of classic literature should be presented on the Kindle, and is a wonderful portal to a delightful poet.
4352992
I have posted a review for the Vol. 1 edition of All The Best and I want to reiterate my same recommendation for Vol. 2. The four-part notated vocal parts are great to have instead of just leadsheets with a melody line. There is a great variety of songwriters represented in both books and the arrangements are concise and consistent. For most middle of the road and blended worship settings, this book is a terrific resource.
1454016
I have been impressed by the clarity of the presented material and the intelligent choice of the various examples that are found in the text.  One rarely finds such a well connected presentation of knowledge.  This book gave me the capability to further expand my exploration efforts in this very interesting subject.
127705
This selection is expansive and comprehensive! An excellent cross section of some of the best hidden, and not so hidden gems, of the time.
293228
Very thorough and in depth analysis of music and harmony theory as developed in the Classical and Romantic schools. The information is very clear and well integrated. It is apparent that Mr. Piston has refined his analysis and presentation through years of study and teaching. There is no wasted space in this book. Every page has pearls of wisdom clearly explained, with examples. Can't recommend any other texts or treatises on the topic as much as this one, although Mark Levin's Jazz Theory makes a great companion from that perspective. I am told the fourth edition is the best one to have, and I found a used copy of it in excellent condition. Thank you Amazon for making this available. Couldn't be happier!
4573359
This is a wonderful collection of entries, handling concepts from Wesleyan denominations like the Church of the Nazarene and African and Asian holiness churches to sociobiology and evolution. The contributors really do cover a wide variety of issues relating to theology, and always tie in how Wesley and/or the Wesleyan tradition has handled that issue.

There are many merits of the dictionary, I'll offer a few highlights: 1) the wide variety of entries, 2) the diversity of contributors, male and female, and from all over the world, 3) extensive internal and external cross referencing, 4) each entry has a shirt bibliography with many great Wesleyan sources on the topic, and 5) it is incredibly readable, both because the entries are well written and because the font is not as small as in many dictionaries.

Overall, this book would be a great addition to any library, but is an essential addition for Wesleyans. It is well-written, broad, well bound and sturdy, and thoroughly Wesleyan!
114869
CLarity of writing, breadth of material, selections from actual works and contextualizing each woman in the history of her time make this a book to have on a bookshelf for multiple readings and points of reflection.
4476004
This is a superb collection!  It contains first-class performances by first-class artists of the complete works of Beethoven.  That's a tall order, but it's fulfilled.  CD's appear to lend themselves to complete editions, such as this.  There is also a complete Mozart and a complete J. S. Bach.
One may argue that some of the performances may not be the best performance of that particular work, but even conceding that (which I'm not necessarily prepared to do), there is no arguing with the consistently high quality throughout this vast, complete collection of Beethoven's compositions.  Further, knowing that it's all here, well-packaged, well-organized, and that you have missed nothing, is quite a valuable consideration.  You don't have to buy your fourth copy of the fifth symphony because it also contains the only available recording of something you are missing.
If one intends to build a significant music library, this is a major building block.
3486802
I've assembled four of Alexander's method books into a set of progressive daily practice exercises. While there are many good single method books, in general these must be one size fits all players. The beauty of Alexander's series of books is the variety of the focuses and levels at which each is cued. There is a feast of material with a true depth of understanding about the applicability, whether rock, blues, jazz, or a combination. Others have described in detail the contents here and in his other books. My observation is limited to being able to use Alexander's recognized skill in writing, in clear immediately useful language for a range of skills and techniques that i am pursuing. Roughly speaking, the books can be used as a sort of curriculum in a school of music, in one's home. My hope is that Alexander will recognize the value of creating an over view of his library that would place the many volumes in suggested sequences and similar levels. With so many appealing titles, this could serve potential students with easily accessed information on how one's own skill set might fit with various books.
4849923
Very good choice of selections.  Glad I found it.
3995533
I was very impressed with this book.  It is hardcover, and, therefor, durable.  I loved the many different ways you could look up songs:
"List of Metrical Psalms and Hymns Based on Psalms" or
"Index of Authors, Translators and sources of words" or
"Index of composers, arrangers and sources of tunes" or
"Alphabetical Index of Tunes" or
"Metrical Index of Tunes (with sample meters attached to each one)" or lastly
"Index of Biblical References and Allusions".

I am my congregation's chorister and choir director.  I found this book quite helpful!  It also contained a book mark in the binding.  Also, I found that it easily stays open when on a stand so I can use both arms when conducting.  But, it would be great for any person or family wanting to have a beautiful, thorough edition of hymns in their home.
413828
As a uke fanatic, I have trawled the internet for songs, downloaded heaps, and bought many books.  This collection has the best selection of songs, ranging from very easy to difficult jazz and blues. I am recommending that each member of our Ukulele group purchase this book as it contains the chords, the melody line and the lyrics.  There is also a good section on basic uke playing, including chord charts, strumming patterns and transposing tips.  The cute historical photos of various uke players add more interest. The binding on it is perfect for staying open on music stands or lying on a table.  The print is large enough to see easily and the pages are matt - all thoughtful details to make uke playing even more joyous! Thanks Liz and Jim - this is my favourite uke book.
1890484
Great read, attractive format and exquisite clarity! Very informative. Covers a wide array of content and has many samples to support content
4360841
I discovered the existence of this book when reading a review on the Penguin guide which by the way is far from being a reference because it omits countless invaluable interpretations by great conductors "of the past" and is too often British biased but this is another story.
Most of these great "conductors of the past" and their famous interpretations are back here and it is often practical to find a classification between historical and more recent performances. When available, recordings on period instruments are also listed apart. It is true that some composers would have deserved a few more pages (Bruckner !) compared to what some modern ones get but I also suppose the choices of the editor have to be respected. We have to remember this guide is the sum of reviews from 50 or so contributors (whose names are listed at the beginning of the book) and we have to suppose some might have felt more inspired than others !

The content of this guide makes me think about another big book (+ than 1.800 pages but smaller than Third Ear) that I have and enjoy above all others including the one reviewed here : "Les Indispensables du Disque Compact Classique" by Jean-Charles Hoffel & Piotr Kaminsky written in 1995-96. For those who can read French this is a must have very pleasant to read and objectively written guide really worth the money but now hard to find (ISBN-10: 2213592853). I do think both guides are complementary.

Overall although reviews could have been presented more attractively and therefore easier to find and read this book deserves a 5 star note and this is mostly because of its precious content which still helps you find and buy the best recordings even several years after its publication.
565759
When I began reading this book, I knew it was a textbook and expected the normal dry, wordy textbook in which information is buried under an avalance of prose.  I was delighted to find a work that was clear, complete, informative, and interesting to read.  I found that I looked forward to each chapter and subject.  The information is presented in prose, lists of important topics, and highlighting of certain need-to-know material in such a way that cross-refencing and finding previously studied material are amazingly accessible.  Added bonuses are the quotes before each chapter and the personal experiences at the end of each chapter.
The suggestions about organization, multitasking, and people management are so original and all-encompassing that I heartily recommend this book for everyone -- not only those interesting in planning events.