Product Description
Born in Missouri in 1927, Bishop has lived in Paris since the 1950s. One of the most sensitive lyrical abstract painters, he has devoted the last three decades to small paper works that are transparent, compact, fluid and spatially ambiguous. Herein, works on paper since the 1960s and several paintings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The quiet but powerful art of James Bishop
James Bishop was part of the nineteen seventies group of minimalists that included Brice Marden, Robert Mangold, Robert Ryman and Agnes Martin. His paintings from that time were subtle and austere examples from the period. This book focuses on the small paintings on paper that broke him apart from the artists mentioned above. He still lives and works near Paris and,since the seventies, has produced beautifully subtle paintings on paper that sometimes measure within ten to fifteen inches(or less). The pieces recall Giorgio Morandi, Cezanne and early Renaissance masters in their sense of space and scale. This is a great introduction to his work and the essays are also outstanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Book is great, however...
We already owned a copy of this book when I decided to order another one as a gift.The book is designed to help children see that God made all people of all colors and it takes all of us to make up this world.It shows how dull the pictures would be if only one color is used.The only problem I had was that the description of the item # I ordered from Amazon.com didn't specify that I wasn't ordering another copy of the book - I was ordering a 5 pack of Crayon Kingdom Coloring Books??

Crayon Kingdom more than a colorful book!
When I first opened the Crayon Kingdom, I thought it was a beautiful book full of interesting characters like the Veggie Tales but as I started to get into the story, I found it to be much more. Teaching our children aboutdifferent cultures and how we all work together to make a beautiful worldso is important and this author does a wonderful job of doing just that! The book is easy to read and is suitable for the child to read by himselfor for a parent to read to the child.The working parent will like theappreciate this book as it can easily be read in just a short period oftime and teach values that will last a lifetime!Recommend you pick up acopy soon!

Great Read!
I thought the book was easy to read and understand.I liked how the author used crayons as her subject.Crayons are something all kids love!I liked how she showed how the crayons can get along even tho they are different colors.Just like how people can get along no matter what colorwe are!I would recommend this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Share in the installation of Bishop Martin J. Amos as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, in this photographic record of the ceremony held at St. John Vianney Church, Bettendorf, Iowa. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Most amazing book
I read this book back in high school and it quickly became my favorite book.

I bought an out-of-print copy off Amazon a few years ago and I am now in search of another copy, as I have read mine into the ground.

I really connect to Alma/Paisley as a character and the strength of Libby after her divorce. It's a great read, through and through...I just don't know what else to say except READ THIS BOOK!

Surprisingly enjoyable
I found Unicorn Mountain to be an enjoyable book, but it wasn't quite what I thought it would be. Part fantasy, part more general fiction, it is a story of life and death and coming together. It's a story of conflicting cultures, of facing fears, and of finding out what really matters.

The cover proclaims Unicorn Mountain to be a fantasy novel, but I'm not sure that's quite it's primary genre. True, there are fantasy elements, namely the unicorns, but they actually play a very small role in the novel. The other elements that could be considered fantasy are actually spiritual elements from the Ute traditions, and I personally would not dream of demeaning their religion by calling it fantasy.

My other problem with calling this a fantasy novel is that I'm not sure which sub-genre I would put it in. It takes place in (relatively) modern times, but it's not an urban fantasy. I don't think that rural fantasy is a sub-genre.

Personally, I think that this would best be classified as simply fiction.

Instead of filling the book with unicorns as I had expected, Bishop uses the mystical creatures to bring his main characters together and to highlight their stories. The unicorns gave them all something to fight for and a reason to stay around each other and learn to accept each other's differences.

Unicorn Mountain was written and set in the mid 1980's, at the beginning of the widespread AIDS epidemic in the United States, and it dealt with that in a surprisingly dignified manner, given the time period in which it was written. I thought that Bishop did an admirable job conveying Bo and the people he interacted with, covering the entire spectrum of reactions. Though it was rather obvious to me that Bo was created for that reason, I still liked the character, because he was far more than just a gay guy with AIDS, which is part of what the book was about.

I did find the bits about people being overly upset by condoms and condom advertising to be amusing, because that was before my time, but it fits in with the timeframe and adds a little extra to the book, even if it does date it a little. In this case, though, I think that dating is good, because it will help people place the attitudes about AIDS and gays in context as well.

The other characters were equally engaging. I particularly liked Paisley/Alma, though I wish that Bishop had spent more time with her, and that I had been able to learn more about the Ute culture and rituals through her. That I think was the one thing that I felt was really lacking element-wise from the book. I didn't feel that Sam and Paisley were developed as well as they could have been, because a lot of the Ute culture was glossed over so that I didn't really learn anything.

Unicorn Mountain surprised me. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought that I would, particularly after I found out how different it was from what I had been anticipating. It was, however, surprisingly enjoyable, and I'm glad that I read it.

Magical Realism
I don't usually just unconditionally rave about a book, but this one deserves 5 stars and heaps of praise.The human relationships are drawn so well, the strains of Native American culture still surviving in modern society are sensitively and convincingly depicted, and we get a well-rounded portrait of an AIDS victim drawn when the disease was still somewhat new . . . all these things are wonderful, and that's not even counting the main character and the magical unicorns.Also, the device of the TV broadcasting channels from an alternate dimension -- sounds like a silly convention, but it works, as does just about everything in this marvelous, affirming book.I must find more by this author!

It haunts me still
I read this book when it was first published.I only read it once because my copy vanished.Over the years, the book haunted me - but I couldn't remember the name!Then today I thought I'd search for it using "Unicorns" and "Aids" only to find that it's gone out of print!How can that be?It's such a long time since I read the book that I can't honestly remember how well written it was - and Aids was so new in those days - but the unicorns still resonate...

If you want this book try ebay
There is a copy of this book for auction on ebay, a great place for out ofprint books.Amazon has several out of print books in their auctions too. ... Read more

Product Description
Bishop and Trout here present a unique and provocative new approach to epistemology (the theory of human knowledge and reasoning). Their approach aims to liberate epistemology from the scholastic debates of standard analytic epistemology, and treat it as a branch of the philosophy of science. The approach is novel in its use of cost-benefit analysis to guide people facing real reasoning problems and in its framework for resolving normative disputes in psychology. Based on empirical data, Bishop and Trout show how people can improve their reasoning by relying on Statistical Prediction Rules (SPRs). They then develop and articulate the positive core of the book. Their view, Strategic Reliabilism, claims that epistemic excellence consists in the efficient allocation of cognitive resources to reliable reasoning strategies, applied to significant problems. The last third of the book develops the implications of this view for standard analytic epistemology; for resolving normative disputes in psychology; and for offering practical, concrete advice on how this theory can improve real people's reasoning. This is a truly distinctive and controversial work that spans many disciplines and will speak to an unusually diverse group, including people in epistemology, philosophy of science, decision theory, cognitive and clinical psychology, and ethics and public policy.

"All of this material is fresh, original and exciting.It might even be right!But right or wrong, I think it is a safe bet that it will attract a great deal of attention, and that Bishop & Trout will be recognized as two of the most interesting and innovative people working in the area where philosophy of science, epistemology and empirical psychology come together." —Stephen Stich, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University

"Bishop and Trout have written a wonderful book.  Their goal is nothing less than a radical reorientation of contemporary epistemology.  Rejecting the analytic enterprise of explicating our concepts of justification and knowledge, they instead seek a return to an epistemology which would provide rules for the direction of the mind.  Empirically informed and philosophically sophisticated, this is a lively and challenging book." —Hilary Kornblith, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"This is a brilliant and useful essay integrating theoretical philosophy and empirical psychology to the benefit of both disciplines.  The essay is a paradigm example of how a philosophical perspective can bring order and new insights into scientific practice.  The authors are perhaps uniquely suited to the task as they are both academic philosophers and practicing behavioral scientists.  The book led me to reorganize my understanding of research on judgment and decision making and its implications.… And, best of all, it was fun to read." —Reid Hastie, Professor of Behavioral Science, University of Chicago

"This book should be read by anyone interested in the foibles and fallibility of human reasoning, and in how an empirically informed view of human knowledge and understanding may help yield not only good philosophy, but also improved policy, better thinking and greater well being."—Eldar Shafir, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Epistemic Solutions and Wishes
This effort is a good offering for naturalistic epistemology as it wishes for the impossible (reasonable and practical modern epistemic outlook). Bishop & Trout begs the moral question as they assert that improper reasoning leads to bad results forasmuch as "bad" presupposes a standard that the authors, as naturalists, cannot provide. Epistemic tests to determine good or bad presuppose a fixed moral ground.
They offer fine critical judgments on a variety of epistemic approaches and if one doesn't guard one's pre-commitments too closely, one will be converted to their view.
This is an enjoyable read, even for non-philosophers, and it will expand anyone's epistemic horizons even if one disagrees with their rational (empirical) approach.

Long Overdue
An extremely good book that describes what epistemology could be, as compared with the tedious academic exercise it has unfortunately become. As it stands, if traditional epistemology disappeared tomorrow, nobody outside of its small group of practitioners would notice or care.

Bishop & Trout's argument for a reorientation of epistemology is based in the "Aristotelian Principle" that in the long run, poor reasoning tends to lead to worse outcomes than good reasoning. That simple assertion licenses empirical testing of the relative goodness of competing reasoning strategies. It is also "a necessary precondition for the practical relevance of epistemology," because if better reasoning doesn't lead to better outcomes than bad reasoning does, then it wouldn't matter how we arrive at our beliefs, and epistemology in any form would be a pointless enterprise.

Reliabilism is the theory of epistemology that holds a belief to be justified if it results from some process of demonstrated reliability, one that has been shown to yield true beliefs. The purpose of this book is to make the case for something the authors call Strategic Reliabilism. SR is an epistemological theory that defines epistemic excellence as (1) efficient allocation of cognitive (reasoning, problem-solving) resources (2) to robustly reliable strategies, (3) applied to significant problems.

The goal is a more prescriptive, reason-guided epistemology, relevant to problem solving in the real world by offering practical recommendations about how to reason better and thus achieve better outcomes. It would be based in empirical research on the limitations and foibles of human reasoning and how to avoid or compensate for them. Strategic Reliabilism is not a theory of justification; its focus is on comparing reasoning strategies to identify the better ones so they can be used instead of ones that are less good. The importance of this effort can be seen in the enormous costs connected with poor reasoning. A patient with a positive result on a diagnostic test for cancer or AIDs needs good information about the likelihood that he actually has the disease. In fact, one study showed that only 18% of faculty and staff at Harvard Medical School were able to reason to the correct interpretation of a positive diagnostic test; the average estimated likelihood was 28 times too high.

"Ameliorative Psychology" is Bishop & Trout's term for the empirical discipline that searches for better reasoning strategies and, from the results of empirical tests, makes normative recommendations about how to reason better. The specific techniques described that have so far been found to improve reasoning include: Statistical Prediction Rules; thinking in terms of frequencies vs. probabilities in Bayesian problems; and recognition of common sources of bias and error (overconfidence, the interview effect, the generalized attribution error, lack of comparison in causal attribution, regression effects, leaping to plausible but ungrounded causal fictions for rare events). The many examples of these common problems in reasoning are highly interesting and troubling, especially as they show up in professionals who you assume would know better.

Traditional epistemology (referred to SAE: Standard Analytic Epistemology) emphasizes knowledge defined as justified true belief. But it provides no guidance about how to arrive at that worthy goal. SAE emphasizes a priori intuition as the method of evaluating clever examples involving strange hypothetical situations. B&T argue that these word games make little contact with real-world problems, that such intuitions are not, in fact, a priori, and that there is no evidence that the intuitions of philosophers produce trustworthy judgments about epistemic matters. SAE has failed to deliver.

This is a terrific book, one that offers a meaningful future for epistemology, joining it with scientific psychology to create a specialty with something of real value to offer the world. Whether it will be received that way by philosophers is another question entirely, although one can always dream.

Great book!
Great book! I am what the authors call a "Standard Analytic Epistemologist", and I'm finding it hard to escape their arguments. The book is intelligent, fair, and beautifully written. It is also funnier than most philosophy books (not very hard to do, I know). Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment is not written to preach to those already converted to naturalism. Rather, it is an honest experiment in naturalism, in all of its multi-disciplinary splendor. In developing their version of naturalistic epistemology - called strategic reliabilism -- they expose contemporary epistemology for the insular field that it is. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Augustin Verot preached vehemently on behalf of slave rights, but nevertheless used his pulpit to defend slavery as an institution. This is a biography of this controversial figure and the impact he made at a critical juncture of the histories of Florida, the Catholic Church and the Civil War. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Model Biography of a Colorful Bishop
Michael Gannon, the dean of Florida historians, produced yet another excellent work in "Rebel Bishop," a biography of Bishop Augustin Verot. Readers looking to know more about the histories of the Catholic Church, the South and Florida will enjoy this biography of an interesting man. Gannon traces Verot through France, Maryland, Georgia, Florida and even Vatican I in Rome. Digging through primary sources in a number of different languages, Gannon is able to show the many sides of Verot: educator, theologian, political commenter, defender of slavery, church administrator, recruiter of priests and nuns, and circuit rider. Verot had a very strong personality and Gannon shows how this lively man shaped a number of different parts of the world. While this is one of the best biographies on an American religious leader I have come across, I was surprised by how global the work was and how Gannon is just as good on clerical matters in Rome as he is in covering local matters in St. Augustine. Gannon may be one of the best Florida historians but, as this book shows, his ability and interests are not just confined to the Sunshine State.

Excellent biography
This is a well-put-together biography of Augustin Verot, third Bishop of Savannah, Ga., and first Bishop of St. Augustine, Fla.The book shows Verot was a character, as the author says in the best sense of the word.One does not get the idea that he was episcopal timber from reading about his career as a teacher in Maryland, but from Apr 25, 1858, (when Archbishop Kenrick consecrated him as Vicar Apostolic of Florida) on, one cannot but be impressed with the self-sacrificing and devoted way he performed his arduous tasks.Putting up with what he did must have been what enabled him to play such a tough and outspoken role at the first Vatican Council, where, inter alia, he called for the rehabilitation of Galileo--which was finally accomplished during this pontificate.His discourses at the Council, which seem to have been quite numerous and frank, cannot have been very persuasive but contained a lot of common sense.One wonders how he could fail to be cowed by the scene, being, as he was, a very minor bishop from a poor diocese.It was during the Council that he was appointed Bishop of St. Augustine.This is great work on a great bishop. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Meta-fiction and parody: a horror novel
Bishop takes us for a wild ride in this book. Combining meta-fiction (making the text of the book self-reference itself) with outrageous parody of the horror genre (it gets awesomelly surreal!), he comes out with anabsurdist comedy that manages to be scary at the same time.

The story infew words: Writer and recent widow Stevie Crye's electric typewriter breaksup, leaving her without the tool of her trade. She gets her machine fixedby a creepy thecnician, and she gets an unexpected extra oomph when thetypewriter begins typing by itself. At first, the machine transcriptsStevie's nightmares. Gradually, it CONSTRUCTS her nightmares, and providesher with hallucinations that taint her waking hours. (Or are thehallucinations the real thing?) When Stevie reads these compositions, theyare the chapters of the book, verbatim.

If you read the Animal Man comicsduring Grant Morrison's run, you might have an idea of what to expect onthe matter of trippiness. If you didn't, suffice it to say that you mayexperience the same confussion as Stevie when Bishop reminds you that allyou're reading is just fiction, and yet the ficticious characters fight toshow their free will within the constraints of plot. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1918, the Right Reverend Edward T. Demby took up the reins as Suffragan (assistant) Bishop for Colored Work in Arkansas and the Province of the Southwest, an area encompassing Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and New Mexico. Set within the context of a series of experiments in black leadership conducted by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas in the early decades of the twentieth century, Demby's tenure in a segregated ministry illuminates the larger American experience of segregation disguised as a social good.

Intent on demonstrating the industry and self-reliance of black Episcopalians to the church at large, Demby set about securing black priests for the diocese, baptizing and confirming communicants, and building schools and other institutions of community service. A gifted leader and a committed Episcopalian, Demby recognized that black service institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and orphanages, would be the means to draw African Americans back to the Episcopal Church, which they had abandoned in droves after emancipation as the church of their former masters.

For more than twenty years, hamstrung by white apathy, lack of funds, jurisdictional ambiguity, and the Great Depression, Demby doggedly tried to establish the credibility of a ministry that was as ill conceived as it was well intended. Michael J. Beary skillfully narrates the shifting alliances within the Episcopal Church and shows how race was but one aspect of a more elemental struggle for power. He demonstrates how Demby's steadiness of purpose and nonconfrontational manner gathered allies on both sides of the color line and how, ultimately, his judgment and the weight of his experience carried the church past its segregationist experiment. ... Read more

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The author of this book is of no great importance—only its message, which speaks honestly and candidly of a time that must never be forgotten.

This book has been written for those who died in 'Nam and also for those who survived, if only to experience another kind of dying. Returning home with the scars of battle safely concealed in their minds and hearts, many became peacetime casualties, accelerating the death toll far beyond what has been recorded on The Wall in Washington D.C.

These walking wounded who, like the author, have suffered with the debilitating after affects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), all have their own stories to tell. Every one recorded here is true. Only the names have been changed to ensure their much needed privacy.

So great they were, these comrades in arms—all scattered now, with their bad memories and haunted lives. Having survived 'Nam, they returned to fight the hardest battle of all, a battle for sanity and peace, in a world that did not understand the nature of their pain.

“On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every first born, both men and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the Gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague wil touch you when I strike Egypt.?Exodus 12:12, 13 NIV)

Author's Note: And the people obeyed God. They killed the lamb and spread the blood on the door posts and went inside, and when the Death Angel came through the city, all were spared who were in that place, for the angel had passed over them.

I too am a first born, and while being battle-scarred, wounded, and near death, I was passed over by the Angel of Death. Was it because of the blood that had already been shed as a sacrifice, or was it simply not my time? For years I have wondered, why was I spared? Perhaps for this time, and this book. Perhaps. MJB ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

WAKE UP
This book should be required reading for all active military personnel,families, Viet Nam veterans and their families.The book has the ANSWER toall of our problems, both past and present.As a Viet Nam vet, this bookaddressed my hidden problems that I have been denying.Life is better forme now.All vets need to experience this awakening.MUST READ

Micheal J. Bishop Death Angel
This story tells the true horrors that these young men have gone through and still go through even after the war. The fact of the matter within the book is the story of one mans struggles with life before, during, and afterthe war. If only the real story of the life of a war VET was easy. Howeverthe war is never over in there minds.Maybe some day he will find thepeace that he needs to live a so called normal life. This book had me onthe edge of my seat I couldn't put it down.

A chilling yet sympathetic tale
One probably still can't imagine what it was like to serve time in VietNam even after all the high budget Hollywood attempts to bring some understanding of that war home. Mr. Bishop brings us closer however than any war movie could with his brief yet poignant memoir of his time "InCountry" He states early on he is not a writer but this serves himwell as his emotions ring true and heartfelt. One hopes this book providesthe author the catharsis he seeks as well as for any Vets who read it whostruggle to this day with their service to their country. I heartilyrecommend it. ... Read more

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Product Description
Manageable text focuses on the fundamental aspects of network engineering rather than an unwieldy reference on all the specific issues. Concentrates on the engineering perspective of data communications. Paper. ... Read more

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Imagine waking up in the morning to discover that every human being on Earth has been randomly relocated somewhere else: When Lawson wakes up in Seville, Spain instead of his home town of Lynchburg, Tennessee, he realizes that the chaos of mob rioting has brought modern civilization to its knees--and the same thing must be happening in every other city in the world. He wonders if he will see his wife and daughters ... or the world he once knew ... ever again. Hugo Award Nominee, Locus Poll Award Nominee, Nebula Award- Winner ... Read more

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Not Free SF Reader
A Fantasy Fiction Story

Babel scattering.


3.5 out of 5 ... Read more

Product Description
Significant advances in geomatics and geomorphology are changing the way in which scientists study complex mountain environments. This book provides a critical treatment and evaluation of these recent developments. With the advent of advanced satellite sensors, high resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation models enable quantitative analysis and modelling of the landscape. It is becoming ever more important for geoscientists to integrate geomatics into their scientific investigation. This book is a "must" for any researcher actively working in geomatics, geomorphology and mountain systems. It will also be valuable to geologists and resource planners interested in the role of surface processes in complex orogens and resource assessment and sustainable development. ... Read more

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Seventeen of writer Michael Bishop's favorite stories were handpicked from his previously uncollected works to create this compelling collection, providing an excellent overview of a career that includes award-winning science fiction, horror, fantasy, satire, space opera, and mystery. In "A Tapestry of Little Murders," a murderer attempts to escape along a literal road to self-destruction. A medical missionary, tortured by government thugs, reveals her dying wish in "With a Little Help from Her Friends." In "The Procedure," an operation to remove a tumorous growth will hopefully excise from the patient's mind and body all tendencies toward faith and superstition. From futuristic mystery and Vietnam-era dark fantasy to theological speculation on Christ's death, a variety of lyrical voices speak through these haunting stories. An essay by the author divulges the genesis of each story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For anyone who enjoys a deftly written short story
Brighten To Incandescence is an impressive anthology of seventeen short stories written by Nebula Award-winning author Michael Bishop. From a heart-touching piece on the life of a Hollywood B-movie actor; to a brutal murderer's self-destructive path and ultimate end; to a conversation with Mary Shelley's ghost, these involving, adroitly written stories-with-a-twist, are gathered largely from small-press publications and anthologies, are so good that it's extremely difficult to read just one. Brighten To Incandescence is highly recommended reading for anyone who enjoys a deftly written short story in general, and to the legions of Michael Bishop fans in particular! ... Read more