Book Description
A facsimile edition of the original book, published in 1888. "The object of this work is to deal with Mr. Lincoln individually and domestically; as lawyer, as citizen, as statesman."--William H. Herndon, Springfield, Illinois, 1888.
Customer Reviews:
Great Personal Recollection of Honest Abe.......2006-02-26
Book is true of facts and shows the true Abraham Lincoln. One of the best books on honest Abe. Takes you back to a time long passed and puts you in the mind of one of the true patriots of America.
The True Story.......2005-06-19
I had long wanted to own a hardcover edition of Herndon's famous book on Abraham Lincoln and the purchase of this one by Digital Scanning, Inc. fulfilled my desire perfectly.
Everyone with a serious interest in Mr. Lincoln's life should read this book. Originally published in 1888, it is one of the main starting points for all subsequent works devoted to understanding this complex man. It remains a great book for reading after all of these years.
REVIEW OF WILLIAM H. HERNDON'S LINCOLN BY JOHN CHUCKMAN.......2005-02-25
With a certain group of American historians, largely those concerned with preserving images of America's founders and luminaries as saintly figures in white plaster togas, this book remains controversial.
In fact, it is perhaps the greatest biography of an American historical figure ever written. It is recommended highly to all lovers of good biography. It is indispensible to serious students of American history.
The official defenders of America's Civic Religion dislike this book because it captures some raw and awkward aspects of Lincoln, but Lincoln was rather raw and awkward and self-taught. It is the rise of such a man to such heights, plus his great natural eloquence, that make Lincoln remarkable.
Such historians love to cite this or that relatively insignificant error (in a 500-page book replete with details) to discredit Herndon, but Herndon's own detail and sense of honesty make him the best argument against such foolishness.
No one was better qualified than Herndon to record the life of Lincoln, having been his friend and business partner for many years. Herndon also conscientiously compiled a large archive of letters and memorials after Lincoln's death.
Herndon focuses on the personal Lincoln, and it is especially his observations about Lincoln's religious skepticism and family life that so disturb those who would have Lincoln embalmed like Lenin. Herndon gives us a vivid Lincoln, and if you like good biography, you will be impressed. The book was clearly a labor of love, and that fact still comes through more than a century after it was written.
Interesting Perspective of Lincoln.......2002-10-25
You know its funny to be writing a review about a book that was written so long ago, but I think this review may help encourage others who haven't already been acquainted with this wonderful book to take a look at it. It offers a very human view of Lincoln before he became the president of the United States. I agree with the fact that it doesn't reveal a lot about the civil war, but you know what, that was the authors intention. William Herndon, Lincoln's Law partner for about 20 years, knew that other people were going to focus on the war years far better than he could (Like John Hay and John Nicolay who worked for Lincoln in the White House) therefore, his focus is to reveal Lincoln as he was as a young man, but mostly during his years living in springfield, illinois. Its really quite entertaining, and at times comical to read how quirky he was back in those days. Sure, Herndon has been criticized about his biography over the past 100 plus years its been out in circulation, particularly his whole take on the Ann Rutledge affair and attitude on Mary Todd Lincoln. Regardless of that, I think he honestly attempts to provide an accurate portrayal of Lincoln without holding back any details. He wants to reveal Lincoln the way he viewed the man through his own eyes--as an ordinary man who had faults like anybody else--who went through tough, turbulent, and dark times--had a sense of humor--had insecurities--but in the end remained an honest to goodness human being who struggled to make his mark in this world. Trust me folks, this is a fascinating read. You will have a difficult time trying to stop reading.
One and Only.......2002-10-07
There are, it is said, more books about Lincoln than there are about anybody but Jesus. Every man setting out to write about Lincoln has an idea of him, a shadow to look for Lincoln in and the huge weight of tradition and history on his back while writing. Even Nicolay and Hay, his secretaries, and authors of the voluminous collected papers which are probably the best source on the Presidency, only knew the man in office, once he had enfolded himself, if you will, inside his great ambition. Herndon knew the man. He shared his office with him, a law practise which consisted of Lincoln throwing the case notes and money into his hat before putting it on to his head, and splitting all the money down the middle. Herndon also went around talking to everyone who knew Lincoln while he was alive before they died.
There are flaws to this book. Herndon drank, so Lincoln didn't take him to Washington with him. This book tells you nothing about the war, about Lincoln's policies, or even a great deal about Lincoln's debates with Douglas, say. But. And it is a great but. This is the only book that gives you a smell of the goofy, tall, funny, awkward, galumphing and generally likeable oddball that emerged as the greatest leader this country ever had. This is the only book I would advise an actor to read if he was going to undertake to play Abe Lincoln. All the other books describe a monument. This one describes a man who went on dates, told dirty jokes and had a funny way of laying his legs across the desk and reading upside down. The rest is second hand.
Product Description
Includes black and white photo frontspiece of President Lincoln and 13 other historic photographs.
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Abraham Lincoln;: The true story of a great life,
William Henry Herndon
Manufacturer: D. Appleton and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 United States
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ASIN: B0006AHFR0 |
Product Description
Belford, Clarke & Co.. Condition: Good. Hardcover. pages. Three Volume Set. Cover: Extremities worn, corners bumped and soil on all three volumes. Slight cocking on all three volumes. Volume 3 has severe wear and fading on front cover and small
Product Description
Biography
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Correspondence of Spinoza
Benedict de Spinoza
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0766136655 |
Book Description
The letters of the great philosopher and theologian Spinoza, translated and edited with introduction and annotations by A. Wolf. Goethe says, "His correspondence is the most interesting book one can read in the world of uprightness and humanity." It presents a pageant of the leading types of 17th century mentality. It affords contemporary glimpses of important scientific researches and discoveries. The letters contain things of first-rate importance for the correct interpretation of the philosophy of Spinoza, and, above all, they help one to realize something of the greatness and strength of his character - one of the greatest in the whole history of mankind.
Customer Reviews:
A fine translation of the Ethics........2000-06-11
This volume is a fine translation of Spinoza's _Ethics_ together with some other writings that help to illuminate it -- namely, the _Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect_ and some well-chosen passages from Spinoza's correspondence.
Aside from its presentation of Samuel Shirley's clear and readable translation, this volume includes two additional helpful features. Seymour Feldman's workmanlike twenty-page introduction provides an overview of Spinoza's thought and of the main themes of the _Ethics_; and a translator's preface includes a list of twenty-four possibly confusing features of Spinoza's terminology with short explanations/clarifications. The TIE is of interest in its own right, and the items from Spinoza's correspondence are well selected to illustrate or elaborate some of the features of his more formal wriitngs.
For Spinoza Fans........1999-03-14
Invaluable are the Introduction by Seymour Feldman and also, the Translator's Preface by Translator Samuel Shirley which gives lucid explanations of key Spinoza termsone of which is:
From Page 23, Note 5 G-D(Deus)
"Although Spinoza gives repeated warnings that his "Deus" is far from the anthropomorphic conception of God prevalent in the theology of his time, the reader will find it difficult to bear this constantly in mind. It is not until Ethics 1, Prop.14, that God, by definition, is shown to be identical with the infinite, all-inclusive, unique Substance, and thereafter it is all too easy to lose sight of this, as the religious overtones of the word "God" keep asserting themselves. So Spinoza's frequent use of the phrase "Deus sive Natura"God, or Natureis intended as a salutary corrective. For Spinoza God is all Being, all Reality, in all its aspects and in all its infinite richness."
Book Description
Also contains Ethics, Correspondence, all in excellent R. Elwes translation. Basic works on entry to philosophy, pantheism, exchange of ideas with great contemporaries.
Download Description
[4] (1) By sensual pleasure the mind is enthralled to the extent of quiescence, as if the supreme good were actually attained, so that it is quite incapable of thinking of any other object; when such pleasure has been gratified it is followed by extreme melancholy, whereby the mind, though not enthralled, is disturbed and dulled.
Customer Reviews:
Spinoza's ethics: a unique book.......2000-06-01
This is a well known and widely read book, ever since its first publication, in latin, in 1677. It is an extraordinary example of multum in parvo - much in little: it has earned for its author a first-class position in the history of philosophy. Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677) is unquestionably one of the world's greatest philosophers. In the Encyclopaedia Brittanica he is described as "author of one of the greatest metaphysical systems in the history of philosophy". Bertrand Russell in his History of Western Philosophy (available through Amazon) calls him "the noblest and most lovable of the great philosophers". Karl Jaspers, in his Introduction to Philosophy (again available through Amazon - Way to Wisdom) mentions that "Spinoza is the metaphysician who with traditional and Cartesian concepts expresses a philosophical faith. He is original in the metaphysical mood which he alone possessed among the philosophers of his time. Of the philosophers of his century he alone has followers today". Spinoza's importance in philosophy derives, I believe, from the following points: (i) Spinoza's metaphysical edifice rests almost entirely on reason. Reason (Spinoza tells us that "clear reason is infallible", The Ethics, Part I, Prop. XV) is, in his system, both the source of all knowledge, and also the means of clarifying and arranging all items of knowledge so obtained. (ii) Spinoza identifies God with Nature. Nature is given an all-encompassing, metaphysical meaning and is also called Substance ("Substantia sive Deus sive Natura", "Substance otherwise God otherwise Nature"). Accordingly, Spinoza belongs to the naturalist school of thought, along with most of the presocratic philosophers (Thales, Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Parmenides, Democritus, Leucipus) and the stoic philosophers (Epicurus, Chrysiphus, Seneca, Lucretius). Nature is seen both as an active causal principle (natura naturans) and as the effect of said principle (natura naturata) (The Ethics, Part I, Prop. XXIX). (iii) Spinoza puts forward a logically coherent system of ethics. In fact, he chose so to name his main metaphysical work, and has added the subtitle: demonstrated in a geometrical manner ("Ethica, more geometrico demonstrata"). The Ethics is laid out in the form of definitions, axioms, propositions, demonstrations of said propositions, and scholia. In Spinoza's system ethical values are logically derived from first principles. So much so, that a moral life is identified as "a way of living under the guidance of reason" (The Ethics, Part IV, Prop. XLVI). The moral precepts arrived at, by a process of logical analysis, are as strict as moral precepts based on religious faith. (iv) Spinoza establishes a novel point of view in the age-old question of the existence of good and evil. Spinoza identifies good with knowledge, in particular with knowledge of God, and proceeds to deny the existence of evil. He explicitly states that "God has no knowledge of evil" (The Ethics, Part IV, Preface). Again, "The knowledge of evil is inadequate knowledge" (The Ethics, Part IV, Prop. LXIV). (v) Spinoza transcends logic itself in distinguishing three kinds of knowledge: (a) knowledge from hearsay, (b) knowledge arrived at by logical analysis, and (c) intuitive knowledge. By means of this "third kind of knowledge" we may experience an immediate, intuitive intimation of God ("cognitio Dei intuitiva", The Ethics, Part V, Prop. XXV). Accordingly, Spinoza is both a rationalist and a mystic. (vi) Spinoza's personal character and life was fully in accord with his teaching. He was always honest, truthful, and, in the words of B. Russell, "showed throughout his life a rare indifference to money. The few who knew him loved him, even if they disapproved of his principles". Spinoza's metaphysical system, far from being one-sided and simplistic, has been a constant source of inspiration and reappraisal to many thinkers.
A bit over my head.......2000-05-12
I knew before reading this book that I liked Spinoza's philosophies on God and life, and I was looking forward to a more in depth study on his thoughts. This book, however, was not what I had in mind. The text was difficult to follow. It could be because it was published originally in 1883 and translated from Latin. For beginners, like myself, I wouldn't recommend it. For me, this book was too mathmatically formulated. Also, there were so many references throughout the book to other paragraphs that it was distracting. All in all, good ideas but not a fun read.
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The chief works of Benedict de Spinoza
Benedictus de Spinoza
Manufacturer: Dover Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Ethics & Morality
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ASIN: B0007HJ0WK |
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Correspondence of Benedict De Spinoza
Abraham Wolf
Manufacturer: Frank Cass & Co
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0714615730 |
Book Description
Most writers on the emotions and on human conduct... attribute human infirmities and fickleness, not to the power of nature in general, but to some mysterious flaw in the nature of man... -from Ethics Considered a rationalist in the ranks of Descartes and Leibniz, Benedict De Spinoza was so unorthodox in his philosophies that his writings, published in 1678 just after his death, were immediately banned in his homeland of Holland. The spreading influencing of his thinking could not be stopped, however, and Spinoza overarching contention-that human happiness could be achieved only through a reasoned understanding of the universe-remains provocative and significant today. This collection, translated from Latin by R.H.M. Elwes and published in 1901, brings together Spinoza's best known work, Ethics, in which he postulates that God and Nature constitute one deterministic system, a single divine machine, in which humans are a vital part; his treatise "On the Improvement of the Understanding," in which he discusses the very nature of the mind itself; and a selection of his correspondence that elucidates his reasoning. AUTHOR BIO: BENEDICT DE SPINOZA (1632-1677) was born in Amsterdam to a prosperous merchant family. He also wrote A Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, which he never completed, and A Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being.
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- Great resource
- Dementia other than Alzheimer's
- One of my "Must" readings for caregivers
- Great Resource
- An updated handbook packed from cover to cover with tips
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What If It's Not Alzheimer's: A Caregiver's Guide to Dementia
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 1591020875 |
Book Description
Not all that long ago, dementia, or a deterioration of mental ability, was considered a natural part of aging, but with increased knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and improved diagnostic capabilities, any time an older individual misplaces car keys or forgets an appointment, family members are quick to conclude that their loved one is in the throes of Alzheimer's. Although today the public all too often associates dementia symptoms with Alzheimer's disease, the medical profession can now distinguish various types of "other" dementias that also undermine cognitive abilities, often with onset at a younger age. WHAT IF IT'S NOT ALZHEIMER'S is the first comprehensive guide dealing with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), one of the largest groups of non-Alzheimer's dementias. The contributors to this book are either specialists in their fields or have exceptional hands-on experience with FTD sufferers.
Editors Lisa and Gary Radin divide their highly accessible reference work into four parts. Beginning with a discussion of the medical facts, part one defines and explores FTD as an illness distinct from Alzheimer's disease. Also considered are clinical and medical care issues and practices, as well as such topics as finding a medical team and rehabilitation interventions. The essays in part two focus on managing care and examine daily routines, including nutrition, exercise, socialization, adapting the home environment, and behavioral issues. Part three centers on caregiver resources, and the contributors identify professional and government assistance programs along with private resources and legal options. Finally, the chapters in part four stress the need for caregivers to take care of themselves as well as their loved ones with FTD.
This much-needed resource work, the first of its kind, provides a wealth of real and practical information to both healthcare professionals and caregivers of someone suffering from frontotemporal dementia.
Customer Reviews:
Great resource.......2007-05-13
I have found this book to be very helpful with alot of information regarding FTD.... It has been a great help
Dementia other than Alzheimer's.......2007-03-25
I wish I had found this book over a year ago. Statistically the largest portion of people diagnosed with dementia are diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. The sad truth is that many people diagnosed as having Alzheimer's are mis-diagnosed and don't have Alzheimer's but some other form of dementia. Dementia is not a disease itself but a symptom of something else going on. Just like pain is not a disease but caused by other things. Many things can and do cause dementia: brain tumors, metabolic conditons, trauma, fluid on the brain, nutritional issues, alzheimer's, frontotemporal lobe, lewy bodies and on.
This book talks about other causes of dementia besides Alzheimer's. It focuses more heavily on Frontotemporal Dementia or FTD. There is growing evidence that a large percentage of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's actually have had or do have FTD. This was the case with my mother. So what's the big deal? Both kinds of dementia are debilitating and have no cure right? Well the big deal is when someone has Alzheimer's they can give them medicine that helps maintain memory for about 12-18 longer than without the meds. With FTD if you give that person the Alzheimer's meds because of a mis-diagonosis it can cause severe behavior problems. There is nothing you can give for FTD. I personally witnessed this problem with my mother after being put on an anti-Alzheimer's med. She had to be taken off of it since it caused some severe psychotic behavior. Had I or the doctor at the time know more about FTD there would not have been a false diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Why? It really is not that hard to make a proper diagnosis of FTD if you know and the doctor know what to look for. FTD begins with behavior issues and then comes memory impairment where Alheimer's begins with memory impairment. Plus Alzheimer's tend to affect the Parietal and Temporal lobes of the brain first and FTD starts with the frontal and temporal lobes first. Over time however it is not easy to tell the difference. The best thing when in doubt is knowing the patients background and detailed history, neuropsych testing and a CT or MRI scan to look for where the shrinkage is taking place in the brain first.
Again this book is a great resource and help to anyone wanting more info on dementia and specifically if you wonder is it really Alzheimer's. It is the only book like it out there and it is not just fluff. It is also highly recommended by the Association of Frontotemporal Dementia out of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. All thumbs up on this one.
One of my "Must" readings for caregivers.......2006-04-16
"What If It's Not Alzheimer's" will help all caregivers to cope with the loss of their loved ones as cognitively sound individuals. Whether Alzheimer's, multi-infarct, Parkinson's, FTD, or any of the dozens of other dementias, the perpetual grief and mourning felt by the caregivers will be the same. Dementia is a disease that knows no boundaries. It is blind to the categories in which we usually place our fellow human beings. It can occur at the age of 55 or 85. It can happen to Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, males and females, rich and poor. It has not spared ex-presidents. Tears are shed by husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters-in fact anyone responsible for the care of a loved one with dementia. I speak from personal experience. Dementia did not spare my mother whose 15 year journey into the opaque fog of multi-infarct dementia is told in my own recently published memoir. I recommend "What If It's Not Alzheimer's" to anyone whose loved one is experiencing this terrible disease.
Robert Tell, Author of "DEMENTIA DIARY, A Care Giver's Journal"
Great Resource.......2006-02-23
Knowing nothing about frontal lobe dementia, I found this a great resource in finding out what I can do to make my family member more comfortable, as well as exploring the resources available to me. Occasionally I got bogged down with the scientific reports, but overall it is a very accessible book.
An updated handbook packed from cover to cover with tips.......2004-03-05
While general public knows Alzheimer's best among the many dementias in existence, but Playing The Numbers is the first to address FTD, a specific group of dementias and one of the largest non-Alzheimer's groups. The resources and reference material comprising hat If It's Not Alzheimer's? provides the non-specialist general reader with an updated handbook packed with from cover to cover with tips and information for caregivers and sufferers alike.
Average customer rating:
- It doesn't paint a complete picture
- Not very substantial
- Eat, think, and be American
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We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food and the Making of Americans
Donna R. Gabaccia
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
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ASIN: 0674001907 |
Amazon.com
Donna R. Gabaccia, a professor of American history, explores how ethnicity has influenced the eating habits of Americans and determines that America is "not a multi-ethnic nation, but a nation of multi-ethnics." Can a country that eats bagel dogs and Thai chicken pizza still find ways to preserve the "original" foods of its immigrants? Is this even a worthwhile task, if the immigrants themselves are eager to assimilate into the larger culture, and the food industry is just as eager to co-opt (and, Gabaccia notes, water down) their native cuisine? Through case studies and anecdotal accounts, Gabaccia takes a look at the state of American cuisine and the curious culinary situation that allows SpaghettiOs to remain a venerable lunchtime standard at the same time that many restaurants strive to produce an "authentic" Milanese risotto.
Book Description
Ghulam Bombaywala sells bagels in Houston. Demetrios dishes up pizza in Connecticut. The Wangs serve tacos in Los Angeles. How ethnicity has influenced American eating habits--and thus, the make-up and direction of the American cultural mainstream--is the story told in We Are What We Eat. It is a complex tale of ethnic mingling and borrowing, of entrepreneurship and connoisseurship, of food as a social and political symbol and weapon--and a thoroughly entertaining history of our culinary tradition of multiculturalism.
The story of successive generations of Americans experimenting with their new neighbors' foods highlights the marketplace as an important arena for defining and expressing ethnic identities and relationships. We Are What We Eat follows the fortunes of dozens of enterprising immigrant cooks and grocers, street hawkers and restaurateurs who have cultivated and changed the tastes of native-born Americans from the seventeenth century to the present. It also tells of the mass corporate production of foods like spaghetti, bagels, corn chips, and salsa, obliterating their ethnic identities. The book draws a surprisingly peaceful picture of American ethnic relations, in which "Americanized" foods like Spaghetti-Os happily coexist with painstakingly pure ethnic dishes and creative hybrids.
Donna Gabaccia invites us to consider: If we are what we eat, who are we? Americans' multi-ethnic eating is a constant reminder of how widespread, and mutually enjoyable, ethnic interaction has sometimes been in the United States. Amid our wrangling over immigration and tribal differences, it reveals that on a basic level, in the way we sustain life and seek pleasure, we are all multicultural.
Customer Reviews:
It doesn't paint a complete picture.......2003-07-05
I picked up this book in hope of mitigating the intensity of reading back-to-back some very tenacious literature and historical fiction. It was a miscalculation. We Are What We Eat, though interesting in the premise, is nothing but a harangue of facts and data. Some cheese were 80 cents to $1.60 a pound. Some 60,000 people in the industry in 1910 produced some 50 million gallons of wine in California. Nationwide, consumers of inexpensive meals spend $29 million in small mom-and-pop restaurants and $23 billion in fast food chains. New Yorkers tend to patronize less on fast food because family values are emphasized more. The facts go on and on.
The book is a tantalizing (well, it really tires) treatise that examines the evolution and identity of our nation through the ethnically diverse food/cuisines Americans intake from colonial periods to the present. The account begins with the "first Americans", namely the first peoples on the continent: the Native Americans, European-Americans, and African Americans. The subgroups of the European Americans formed some of the major food manufacturers and grocery chains that influentially set the so-called American eating-habits (often too ashamed to be known as American cuisine). From there, the book is a tale of mixing and borrowing and intermingling within the recipes and tastes of different cultural groups, between entrepreneurship and connoisseurship.
The book certainly aims higher than it actually manages. While the author substantially focuses on the origins and thus the fortunes of the enterprising immigrant cooks and grocers, the book fails to discuss and pinpoint the crossing between food and culture. Such deficiency is especially salient in the chapter titled "Nouvelle Creole", in which the Asian influence of dining was mentioned in passing over two pages. The establishment of Benihana (which I do not consider an authentic Japanese restaurant) was mentioned and nothing specific from Chinese cooking was discussed at all. And what about Malaysian cuisine that shaped the dining industry in New York? And the Puerto Rican?
The bottomline of the book is really the acceptance or rejection of ethnic foods in America, instead of an objective, fine-balanced, and compendious account on the impact food has on the American culture. While the book discusses in gush details some of the major (especially the well-known ones from the East Coast) food products and brand names that shape the national identity, it completely ignores the minority cuisines and tastes. 2.5 stars.
Not very substantial.......2001-05-10
This book is a moderately interesting discussion of the role ehtnic cuisine has played in the United States through history. I had expected a more focused discussion of specific foods and ethnicities and wider exploration of the interplay between food and culture. This book just doesn't have the depth I had hoped for. The books main focus is on the acceptance or lack thereof of ethnic foods in America. It doesn't explore the impact food has on culture very thoroughly.
Eat, think, and be American.......2000-12-03
The author of this intriguing treatise examines the evolution of our national identity through the foods Americans have chosen to eat from colonial times to the present. Beginning with the first confluence of diverse European, Native American, and African cuisines in the New World, she shows how ethnic foods gradually transformed American eating habits even as the food itself was altered to meet the demands of an ever-changing nation; indeed, our sense of what it means to be an American has been inextricably linked over the centuries to our dietary habits and preferences. Along the way, the author reveals the fascinating history of many familiar food products and name brands that played surprisingly large roles in shaping our national identity. This well-written and informative volume provides a fresh and insightful perspective on American history.
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Profiles in Courage (Perennial Classics)
Jefferson And His Time
Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Abraham Lincoln
