Product Description

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Customer Reviews (395)

Really shows how the right-wing was caught the working class' attention
Really shows how the right-wing was captured the working class' attention, and deceived them into voting against their own economic interests by pursuing virtually unattainable goals in hot button culture war issues.

Pathetically illogical and self-serving.
This book is based on a terrible error. It is an error in logic with a related failure to provide empirical evidence.

No book better represents the conceptual weakness and moral shallowness of the American left than this book.
Thomas Frank has a shockingly weak premise and from that weak, unproven premise he can not logically arrive at a valid conclusion.

His book wildly claims to explain why so much of America votes to further policies that are detrimental to their well being. The assumption is that conservative policy is "detrimental" to voters. That is only an assumption. Its no better than a guess, or a wish. Frank, and anyone who agrees with him, needs to prove that conservative policy is detrimental to people's interests before they conclude that voting for conservative policy is detrimental.

The weak premise of this book takes some major indoctrination to miss. Conservative economic policies like tax cuts, deregulation, school vouchers, and welfare reform have enjoyed success. If it could be shown that these conservative policies are actually in people's interests, then Frank's conclusion is invalid.

Frank has made an assumption, and totally failed to back it up with evidence. Thus he is committing an elementary logical fallacy.

That fallacy is just the beginning of the self-righteous and thoughtless egotism of this book and its main theme. As liberals become more and more desperate to explain why the public rejects their policy, they will naturally result to insult. They can try to prove that liberal policy works, or they can claim that people are bad for rejecting their policy. Frank and those on the left/Democrats in general are afraid to be open-minded and self-critical- the very attributes that they insist everyone else display. They fail to practice what they preach, and as a result they increasingly become shrill and isolated, caught between their failed policies and their illogical narrative about the public. This book is the bitter complaint of political losers. They will lose more, and complain more, this November.

great but still misses the boat
Great insights but he still misses the boat: at heart it's about ethnicity/religion, not ideology or class.The real Americans, as they see themselves, have never forgiven the non-real Americans for coming here. Franks' theories are interesting and useful though, and I think he may actually agree with my theory but it's not politically correct for him to do so publicly.

Ignorant or Innocent?
What's the matter with Kansas?Thomas Frank has done a good job of explaining it.Take decent God-fearing, hard-working people who want to believe that their country and their religion are the best you can get and who have little or no intellectual curiousity, and you have some easy pickings for a savvy manipulator. Just wrap yourself in Patriotism and Family Values and tell 'em Jesus Is Your Savior.Do it often enough and it won't matter that your "family values" are such that you told your cancer-ridden wife you were dumping her for something more babe-alicious, or that you were caught with your pants down in the men's room at some Ohio airport. Or that you are responsible for virtually everything negative in the life of the poor schlub that voted for you, from starting some war that killed his kid to the deregulation of banks and Wall Street that caused his pension and any hope of a decent old age fly out the window.

Tell the folks that you are the one who really loves God and Country and the other guy...the one who wants to give the voter decent and affordable health care, protection from abuse by Big Business,and who wants to hold banks and lenders accountable when they screw over the ordinary joe...is anti-American and doesn't respect Jesus. Do it often enough, give the campaign a catchy "Sun Swept American Morning" title, and play the Star Spangled Banner underneath your radio and tv ads. Bucko, you just got yourself a Red State. Have we already forgotten what Michael Deaver bragged openly about doing for Reagan?

When people are not suspicious of the message and the messenger, you get Kansas, a state where the working population votes for tax cuts for the rich, where a guy who isn't leaving anything but medical bills to his kids gets all het up over the cruel Estate Tax, and where a guy who's driving a ten year old hoopdie was waving his fists for the repeal of the yachting tax.

Long story short, What's the Matter With Kansas is gullibility. My Uncle Stanley used to say "If you believe a politician, you're a jackass. If you believe him in an election year, you're the jackass those other jackasses send out to buy the beer."

Every year, worker production goes UP and worker's pay goes DOWN.Want figures? Between March and June 2009, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, wages increased by about 0.5 percent; productivity was up by 2.8%. These figures pretty much held true over the course of the last decade. I didn't research beyond that.(Interestingly enough, several partisan right-wing websites have story after story, quoting politicians but citing no credible sources, that the American Worker is now richer than Croesus, getting raises and bonuses galore at the expense of those poor Wall Street types who are having a hard time floating a loan for a loaf of bread. Gollee, I love those boys over at Heritage.)

If We The People are content with bread and circuses, so be it. We--and Kansas--are getting what we deserve. All it takes to fix things is the backbone to look behind the curtain...even when the curtain is Red, White & Blue. As long as we are willing to remain intellectually benumbed, we'll continue to be fodder for the Billionaire Boys Club that is the Republican party.

Right Trends and Analysis; Wrong Recommendations
Frank is a classic liberal, without great self-awareness.He will annoy many readers with his biases.Nonetheless, his analysis of the typical Kansas voter remains on-target in 2010.The typical Kansas voter is NOT joining the Scandinavian progressives in Wisconsin/Minnesota or aligning with the aging New Deal/union group in Kansas City or St. Louis.Some are following the individualist western/Colorado voter, while most are following the Texas/Oklahoma Baptist convention.As Frank notes, the historical class based loyalties are done.He attributes this to blue-collar ignorance rather than to growing middle class incomes and the appeal of classic individualistic American values.Frank clearly outlines how conservatives have redefined the political playing field, making cultural issues supreme for working and middle-class voters.He also outlines the highly effective conservative strategy of marginalizing high education, profession and income liberals.In the end, Frank does a good job of describing how conservatives have redefined the political playing field to their advantage.He does not have constructive advice for classic liberals or more recent third way, progressive centrists to advance their positions. Liberals and progressive centrists can use this analysis to understand their competition and attempt to reposition their policies in terms of both individual free enterprise and fairness, equity and justice.
... Read more

Product Description
In a book that has been raising hackles far and wide, the social critic Thomas Frank skewers one of the most sacred cows of the go-go '90s: the idea that the new free-market economy is good for everyone.

Frank's target is "market populism"--the widely held belief that markets are a more democratic form of organization than democratically elected governments. Refuting the idea that billionaire CEOs are looking out for the interests of the little guy, he argues that "the great euphoria of the late nineties was never as much about the return of good times as it was the giddy triumph of one America over another." Frank is a latter-day Mencken, as readers of his journal The Baffler and his book The Conquest of Cool know. With incisive analysis, passionate advocacy, and razor-sharp wit, he asks where we?re headed-and whether we're going to like it when we get there.


From the Trade Paperback edition.Amazon.com Review
After nearly a decade of bull markets, Americans have come to equate free markets with democracy. Never one for mincing words, social critic Thomas Frank, editor of The Baffler and author of The Conquest of Cool, challenges this myth. With his acerbic wit and contempt for sophistry, he declares the New Economy a fraud. Frank scours business literature, management theory, and marketing and advertising to expose the elaborate fantasies that have inoculated business against opposition. This public relations campaign joins an almost mystical belief in markets, a contempt for government in any form, and an "ecstatic" confusion of markets with democracy. Frank traces the roots of this movement from the 1920s, and sees its culmination in market populism as a fusion of the rebellious '60s with the greedy '80s. The overarching irony is the swapping of roles--suddenly Wall Street is no longer full of stodgy moneygrubbers, but cool entrepreneurs "leaping on their trampolines, typing out a few last lines on the laptop before paragliding, riding their bicycles to work, listening to Steppenwolf while they traded." Meanwhile, "Americans traded their long tradition of electoral democracy for the democracy of the supermarket, where all brands are created equal and endowed by their creators with all sorts of extremeness and diversity." Frank's close reading of the salesmen of market populism nails such financial gurus as George Gilder, Joseph Nocera, Kevin Kelly, and Thomas Friedman. Their writings, he contends, have served to make "the world safe for billionaires" by winning the cultural and political battle--legitimizing the corporate culture and its demands for privatization, deregulation, and non-interference. Frank's incisive prose verges on brilliant at times, though his yen for repetition can be exasperating. In either case, his boisterous reminder that markets are fundamentally not democracies is worth repeating as the level of wealth polarization in America reaches heights not seen since the 1920s. --Lesley Reed ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

Another God that failed
In this brilliant deconstruction, Thomas Frank uncovers the real interests behind the free marker evangel, which was sold as a pillar of democracy by partisan media and aggressive advertisers.

The market evangel
Free marketeers pretended that a free market is a more democratic system than an elected government and that free markets and democracy are identical. Markets give people what they want. The laissez-faire way is the most committed to the will and the interests of the people. Governments have no rights over markets.

The heart of the market matter
Markets are interested in profits, and only in profits. The logic of business (corporations) is monopoly, market share, revenues, margins and profits.
Markets are fundamentally not democratic: what good is for business (the few), is bad for workers (the many). Markets reward those companies which downsize (cutting costs by massive lay-offs).
Higher prices and fat commissions are the only interests of mass participation in the stock market.

Management gospel, advertising, brands, media
In a patently false language of euphoria, corporations were sold as superhuman democratic creatures, giving people what they wanted. Consumerism was explained as the perfect expression of human liberation. Brands were hailed as models for personal life. Advertising combined brands with social justice (Benetton & anti-racism).
In the media, critical judgment was replaced by `laudatios' for the free market. In the meantime, massive consolidation created media conglomerates which were and are a threat to democracy.

Social inequalities
The free market evangel resulted for the many in stagnant or declining wages, a rollback of the social network and casual employment without healthcare and only elementary workplace rights. Those who had work, toiled under an omnipotent threat of instant firing.
Free markets didn't democratize wealth, they concentrated it obscenely in still fewer hands.

Crash of the market and its ideology
The hubris of the free market apostles created a monstrous crash. The infinite stock price ratios crashed to zero.
The crash discredited the vast con game that distorted the way people should think about employment, work, business, government and society in general.
The fully blown balloon of massive language abuse that masked repugnant enrichment for the few and degradation for the many, exploded and left the market emperors naked.

Thomas Frank wrote a formidably brilliant analysis of the real face of free markets: vast hypocrisies, extreme self-interests and obscene corruptions in word and deed, which were sold in the name of democracy.
This book is a must read for all those who want to understand the (business and financial) world we live in.

Provocative, but a bit overstated
Thomas Frank's idea that the notion of free markets have essentially became a religion is a provactive one. It explains on a certain level the blind faith in the free market and on a certain level the de-regulation that has occurred. Many people had blind faith that markets could take care of themselves, and decided they didn't need to be regulated.

The main problem with this book isn't that Frank can't support his claims: he can. Instead, the problem is that after awhile, the book becomes a bit repetitive. Frank establishes the point of blind faith in free-markets, and even how it occurred in a fairly short period of time. After a while it gets a bit tedious reading essentially the same thing over and over.

While not bad, the book could have been better if it was more concise and had fewer case studies. This book is worth reading; however I did not consider it as good as What's the Matter with Kansas.

Totalicorporatism
This book was published in 2000 as an up-to-date expose on the then-ascendant corporate bubble which had not yet crashed and burned. Now the book is an informative history of the roots of a politically ruinous American epidemic - regular folks believing that the interests of the privileged classes are the same as their own. Thomas Frank is very adept at finding the nonsense and contradictions of the American political scene (especially in the much better "What's the Matter with Kansas" a few years later) and he provides a great amount of insight into the forces that turned us into worshippers of the same power players who destroy our livelihoods. Most of the book deals with the 1990s, when corporations graduated from villains in the eyes of the public to bastions of democracy. This was accomplished with relentless rhetoric in the press and politics about the unassailable greatness of markets, and the widespread ignorant use of the epithet "elitist" for anyone who disagreed with corporate dogma, regardless of whether the critics were regular citizens or the targets were influence-buying and job-destroying plutocrats. We have let it happen by falling for hogwash about how corporations think they represent the people and how the incorruptible market will lead us to utopia.

But aside from these great basic insights, overall this book is too polemical for its own good, as Frank's goal was clearly to rile up the masses. Unfortunately he falls into sarcasm and proselytizing far too often. A related issue is the book's massive repetitiveness, as Frank piles on point after point that merely regurgitate the main thesis that was advanced believably long before, while the chapters on academia and journalism are somewhat useful but stray pretty far from the main narrative of corporate hegemony. (As a graduate student who has been forced to digest cultural studies, and as a media researcher, I can also say that Frank's tirades against those subjects are pretty narrow, though I tend to agree with them in principle.) Most annoyingly, Frank often makes his points by merely deconstructing large numbers of ridiculous and obscure books that are even more outdated than this one.

It's totally easy for the thinking American to agree with Frank's polemics whole-heartedly and to demand more equality in the political and economic spheres. But this book makes its main points early on and then simply beats them to death. And one major component of Frank's argument is completely missing - why have thinking citizens let this happen? We can blame the corporations and politicians for spouting nonsense, but that nonsense will go nowhere unless people swallow it voluntarily. [~doomsdayer520~]

revealing
although it seemed a bit repetetive at times, this book was right on.i guess it seemed that way to me because everything was so intertwined.Many thanks to pbs for bringing this author to my attention.

Very Worthwhile
If you want to know how the economy really works and who is really in charge, read this book. You don't need to agree with all of the author's conclusions, but the the facts and arguments presented are very compelling. ... Read more

Product Description

Thomas Edward Frank points out that the dominant paradigm of many contemporary books about church administration reflects an underlying “theology of progress,” a distilling of the gospel into self-worth, a conflation of basilea with market growth. According to Frank, good fortune and blessing are confused; praise and good feeling are identified. This paradigm of success and progress, however, fails to account adequately for the vision of the believers’ presence in the world as ecclesia. “The soul of the congregation,” argues Frank, is a way of being and being-in-the-world, and not didactic or productive.

Every congregation is a unique culture comprising the artifacts, practices, values, outlooks, symbols, stories, language, ritual, and collective character that makes it particularly itself. This culture--or soul--is an outgrowth of the life together of a particular mix of individuals, families, ethnic and community forms that have connected in a certain place over time. By carefully observing congregational culture, leaders and participants can deepen understanding and appreciation for the congregation as it has endured, and recognize possibilities for ministry derived from the congregation's values and strengths.

In a series of delightful letters and engrossing reflections, Frank invites us to practice this art of discernment, of seeing, listening, paying attention, and spinning webs of connection with experiences, memories, traditions, and ideas that have gone before. Rather than reach for some newfangled church marketing or growth paradigm that does not feed the soul, he urges us to lean on what we already have among us. In so doing, we will rediscover the soul of the congregation of which we are already a part.

Customer Reviews (2)

Connecting the Pastor's Heart with the Congregation's Soul
In a sea of books focusing on church growth to megachurch proportions, "The Soul of the Congregation" reminds us of the human element - the individual - that is an integral part of all churches.Dr. Frank presents episodes of real life congregations to which all pastors can relate.He provides a model for pastors and church leaders to connect their stories with those of the congregation - thus finding the soul.The pastoral voice of the book can renew disilliusioned young ministers as well as revive persons who have served many years of ministry.

More personality and less soul
Frank's book is interesting, insightful and even helpful for those who find their vocation in the church. However, the title of his work is very misleading. Rather than writing about the soul of the congregation, he spends his energy discussing a congregation's history and personality...which is still helpful, but not a discussion of the soul. For those looking for a book to dig more deeply into what makes their local churches tick, this volume will provide a good resource. However, those seeking a discussion of the corporate soul (as in Acts 4) should look elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
How to Write the Story of Your Life shows writers how to mine the depths of their experience to write an engaging and saleable memoir. Frank P. Thomas gives readers the instruction they need to write the stories of their lives, including: The five Rs essential to the completion and publishing of a life story; research, remembering, 'riting, reading and reproduction Hundreds of memory sparkers to get readers started Organizational techniques for developing a writing plan and how to work with photos and documents Memories and the author's expert guidance are all writers need to leave a legacy for generations to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent book
Extremely helpful book in helping you to write about your own life.Helps you to organize your thoughts, etc.

Easy Read
Still reading, but, it's a pretty easy read. Was recommended by my Uncle who used this book to help him write his own life story which has been published. After reading my Uncles book, I was really impressed in how he put it all together, and he attributes it all to reading this book, which gives me the confidence to do the same. After all, we all have a story to tell, do we not?

No one can write your story like you can, Write it!!
Everyone needs to write the story of their life.My parents did not write their's which makes me sad because their story will never really be told.But by writing my own story, I was able to write some of theirs from my perspective and how they influenced my life and helped make me become who I am.As a new author, myself, I was cautioned about including a section at the end of the book, about the story of my life.I can tell you that I receive as many comments about "my story" as I do about the content of my book, which is a business book.Ask yourself why is reality TV so popular?Write the story of your life using the easy techniques outlined so well in this book, the loved ones you leave behind will appreciate it!

Rebecca D. Turner author of "Tattoo" a business book, read it-grow your business-enjoy your life!!Tattoo

A Dated "Memoir Writing for Dummies"
Had Thomas written this a decade or so later, it would have been a great inclusion in the "For Dummies" series. He uses lots of lists and fills his chapters with idea starters for anyone interested in documenting his or her own life for posterity. Given that many who seek to write their own memoirs will not have any real writing background or training, Thomas provides a good range of basic writing hints as well.

The author includes literally hundreds of questions that would be good joggers for those having difficulty thinking of anything "worthwhile" to write about themselves and could also be a resource for anyone seeking to learn more about their own family's oldest generation. Unfortunately, the book's sample memoirs and even some of these questions seem dated (not surprising, given that the book has been in print over 20 years!). Of even more concern is the lack of updating to current technology; computers are essentially non-existent, so his hints on things like first drafts and final format for publishing are irrelevant.

For the price, this is a good book to have just for the idea starters, but it will need supplementing with more recent texts for anyone interested in writing memoir from start to finish.

Well organized; great prompts
This is a great read for those interested in writing their life story.Mr. Thomas goes from early childhood through retirement, so having been born in the 1970s, some of the information did not apply personally. However, it is still well worth the reading.He has specific prompts, and works with small "chunks" of life.Entwined are guides to good writing, and other aspects of writing a great story. ... Read more

Product Description
Virtually every structure that Wright built is represented in this extensive survey of his life's work.His genius at architectural design enable him to work out extremely complex buildings in his head and translate them on to paper in a matter of hours, as the famous story of his design presentation of Falling Water illustrates.His work continues to draw great admiration and interest to this day.His often tempestuous and sometimes tragic life and career are given full coverage in this book.Hundreds of photos, both archival and recent chart his amazing work and influence on all who followed.Thomas A. Heinz is a noted Chicago area architect as well as a writer and leading authority on the work of Wright.Among other works, he has written FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT INTERIORS AND FURNITURE (1994) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright
This book definitely lived up to my expectations!The photography is lovely.And the buildings that I most wanted to see are included.It is big and heavy.But it is perfect for sitting on the couch and spending time.

FLW Survey
I recently went to NYC and decided to visit the Guggenheim Museum.Upon arriving from the subway, I had the unfortunate experience of seeing the entire Museum enclosed in scaffolding.However, I went in anyway and on the way out stopped by the gift shop and looked thru the FLW collection of books and discovered this book for less than $14.I thought the book was mispriced.How could such a beautiful book be so inexpensive in NYC?I had to have it.

This book is great for architects or non-architects.It goes thru his entire career without the winded explanations of each of his works.Each surviving work is photographed in color and identified by its original owner with a short highlight of what Wright accomplished.I enjoyed reading this book.
My greatest surprise was finding out that part of the Imperial Hotel was reconstructed else ware in Japan before it was demolished.Heinz took "color" photographs of it!

Okay but several photos are reversed
Several photos are reversed in the paperback edition sold here. Very sloppy if you asked me (but it is cheap.) Otherwise some nice photos.

Heinz Gets It Wright...
This is a nice big photographic tribute to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright by Thomas A. Heinz, who is one of the leading Wright observers and commentators.The collection of photographs is gorgeous and the biographical information is up to the minute in accuracy and detail.

At over an inch think and with well over 400 pages, this is a good basic resource for "seeing" all of Wright even if you cannot hop on a plane, train or automobile for the up close and personal experience.Wright has to be shown in color--indeed, the Europeans who were influenced by the black and white photos of his work in the early 20th century might have gone in a whole other (better) direction had they had Heinz's photos--which are a mere sampling of his vast and varied personal collection of everything Frank Lloyd Wright.Heinz knows the people and their stores and shares them in a way that is engaging and effective.

It would be a shame not to mention the excellent step Heinz makes in this book, by correcting the many mistaken notions other writers have perpetuated about Oak Park Studio employee Isabel Roberts.Unlike almost every other Wright biographer and Prairie School architectural historian (who call her the secretary or bookkeeper),Heinz presents a valid summary of Isabel Roberts' work while in Wright's employ, saying, "She was an architect in her own right and her talent and position in Wright's Oak Park office has been largely ignored and underestimated." (Pages 120-141)We hope Mr. Heinz will do a book devoted specifically to Isabel Roberts and her contributions to architecture both in the Oak Park years, and thereafter with William Drummond and in Central Florida as partner of Ida Annah Ryan.Until then, Wright scholars would be wise to consult research done by John Dalles presented in his article, "The Pathbreaking Legacy of Ryan and Roberts", in "Reflections", the journal of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Summer 2009; pages 8 and 9.

Another poor title from Mr. Heinz
Many rave reviews of books by Mr. Heinz seem to be "ringers", perhaps written by the publisher or Mr. Heinz himself. How can you tell a "ringer"? Just by clicking on the reviewers name (like "Dave Anderson" below) and discover that the only review he has written in seven years is for Mr. Heinz's book! Coincidence? Another favorite is to plant one from "a reader". Be wise, people! ... Read more

Product Description
An out-of-print collector's item since 1986, the definitive account of the development of Disney animation explains what made Disney's style unique and features original sketches and drawings revealing the origins of Mickey and the rest. National ad/promo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (75)

Item never received
I can't review this item, because it was never received.The seller has not replied to 3 emails.Item purchased from the seller thru Amazon.com.

Gift for Art Student
The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
I purchased this book as a gift for my granddaughter who was graduating from high school.She loved it.She will be attending college next Fall and tells me this book is used as a textbook by the school.She loved the beautiful pictures and explanations.She is planning a career in animation and her dream is to work for Disney.

best Disney book I know of
This book is a masterpiece.I have several impressive Disney books of this style on my shelf, and this kills all of them.

My version was printed in 1981.This means is has nothing later than "The Rescuers," although I see from Amazon's site that there's a "revised 1995" edition floating around.I think that's merely a reprint, and does not substantially rework the text to include animated features released since 1981.

It's huge, about the size of an unabridged dictionary.If you're looking to learn about cell animation and how the Disney animators got around several thorny problems, go no further.Also hundreds of incredible glossy pictures, including conceptual sketches, background paintings, line drawings, and a whole lot else.

A book any animator will love.
I bought Walt Stanchfield's "drawn to life" books earlier in 2009, and They were good, but after reading this I appreciated Stanchfield's books so much more and understood the idea behind the "magic of Disney" so much better. After just the first 50 pages of this HUGE book you see what made Disney so special, and how involved Walt truly was in the process, and bringing his dream to 'life'. Your also introduced to some of the special animators that came through Disney's doors, and even down to personal 'gags' they pulled on each other.

It may not be a how-to book, but whether you want to get involved in animation one day, or just enjoy the history behind it/info about, I can't imagine you NOT reading this book. There are parts of it they are how-to, persay. the realization of squash and stretch, and that they have to make their characters think and have 'weight'.

WOW I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE BIBLE OF ANIMATION!
I HAD HEARD THIS BOOK REFERRED TO AS THE BIBLE OF ANIMATION! IF YOU HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR DISNEY ANIMATION THIS REALLY HITS SOME GOOD TOPICS AND EXPLAINS CERTAIN THINGS AND GIVES BACKGROUND(HISTORY) BEHIND THE CHANGES ETC. GREAT IMAGES AND THE TEXT IS REALLY LARGE AND THEIR IS EVEN FLIP BOOK IMAGES LOCATED IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER OF SEVERAL DISNEY CHARACTERS WHO CAN BE PUT IN MOTION. I"M REALLY HAPPY WITH IT! ... Read more

Product Description
Contains carefully worked-out solutions to all the odd-numbered exercises in the text.Part One Corresponds to Chapters 1-11 of Thomas' Calculus, Early Transcendentals, Eleventh Edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great product/seller
This book was in perfect condition no problems and fast shipment definitely would do business again

a good help for the serious student
solutions are a bit sketchy, but clear if you're willing to dig in and work with them.A valuable reference for serious students who want to excel in calculus.Also a helpful guide for tutors and instructors, to save preparation time and energy. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the most comprehensive revision of Thomas' Calculus in 25 years. The new edition of Thomas is a return to what Thomas has always been: the book with the best exercises. For the 11th edition, the authors have added exercises cut in the 10th edition, as well as exercises and examples from the classic 5th and 6th editions.The book's theme is that Calculus is about thinking; one cannot memorize it all. The exercises develop this theme as a pivot point between the lecture in class, and the understanding that comes with applying the ideas of Calculus.In addition, the table of contents has been refined, introducing transcendentals in the first seven chapters. Many of the examples have been trimmed of distractions and rewritten with a clear focus on the main ideas. The authors have also excised extraneous information in general and have made the technology much more transparent.The ambition of Thomas 11e is to teach the ideas of Calculus so that students will be able to apply them in new and novel ways, first in the exercises but ultimately in their careers.Every effort has been made to insure that all content in the new edition reinforces thinking and encourages deep understanding of the material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Quick Delivery, Excellent Product
The book came within a week and the product was just as it was described.

college calculus
Helpful if you plan to take calculus levels one and two. It has a lot of material.

Thomas' Calculus, Early Transcendentals, 10th edition

I discuss this book within my review of James Stewart's Calculus: Early Transcendentals where I compare Stewart's approach and the approach of this edition of Thomas' Calculus in their discussions of limits and continuity. I rate Stewart's at 1 star. I think this book, this edition, is a clear, well organized, and even paced introduction to calculus. I am very curious about the latest edition, Thomas' Calculus Early Transcendentals (12th Edition).

great book
this book's in good condition, the same as its description when i first purchased it.it arrived on time, which was the most important thing that i needed when i bought it on amazon.

Horrible Book
I am new to Calculus and I find this book to be extremly difficult to understand.When given pratice problems, there is no material in the book that will at least provide you with an example of how to do the problems.There are examples shown how to solve a problem, however most of the pratice problems do not have an example.I find that learning from this book is a extremly difficult task. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a state-by-state guide to all the homes and buildings designed by probably the 20th century's most prolific and influential architect. Also includes an informative introduction, a section on Wright's interior designs, a list of demolished buildings, and a chronology. Illustrated with over 300 full-color photographs.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Oh, if this were 12" x 11" or larger!
Finally, someone gets it right, every full color photo page is exactly that, full page, no interruptions.There's a 6 page introduction and a 5 page short descriptive paragraph regarding each page.Meanwhile, the book shines with it excellent mix of close up photos of exterior shots, interior and some detail photos such as stained glass and one of a chair in a room.Man, if this book was large, whew doggy, it'd be what I've been looking for all along while I've been building my big FLW photo book collection with inexpensive purchases.I can't find one of the large books where main content, like this book, say 4/5's of the pages, are dedicated to color photos that take up the entire page and 17 are 2 full faceing pages of one big photo mostly interior shots.That is the way to go with this subject.Let it shine.This is a total 5 star masterpiece if it's twice the size.As it is, it's well worth owning for the high quality photos and how they completely take over the pages.It's a shame the binding prevents a full flattening of the photos, a minor complaint.I'm glad I own it.chrisbct@hotmail.com

The First of the Best
There are some of the best of the photos of Wright's work in this book, After seeing this work, Edgar Kaufmann, jr. hired Heinz to take the photos for his Fallingwater coffee table book.

Aparently the Reader from California has copied this review on to several of Mr. Heinz's book pages. This review does not seem to be appropriate to this book. This can easily be determined by simply looking at the three wonderful photos of the Hollyhock house. None of them are upside down. None of the 100 photos are mis-identified. These are wonderful photographs and this may be the first of Mr. Heinz's 20 some books, all are delight to have and look through.

Mr. Heinz, we want more of your work, keep at it. ... Read more

Product Description
Frank Furness is unquestionably the most unique and prolific American architect of the 19th century. An apprentice in the atelier of Richard Morris Hunt, Furness in turn became a mentor for Louis Sullivan, who brought Furness's distinctive style to the Midwest. Furness permeated Philadelphia architecture, ultimately shaping the present "Philadelphia School" centered around Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi.

Frank Furness: The Complete Works is the only exhaustive monograph on Furness's work. More than 640 projects are presented through over 600 photographs and drawings.

Customer Reviews (3)

Overlooked No More
An absolutely brilliant book about a phenomenal, vicacious architect, by a phenomenal, vivacious author. This work captures and depth and breadth of one of America's great architects and is the seminal work on a truly remarkable man.An absolute must for anymore interested in Victorian architecture and the evolution of taste and culture in America's past.

Quantity over Quality
I picked up this book on a recent visit to Philadelphia.After seeing Furness' magnificent Academy of Fine Arts and U of Penn Library, I felt the need to get to know the architect and his seminal works better.

Although there are some scholarly essays in this book and it may be the best source available on this master architect, I must say I am disappointed that the authors chose to feature "more than 670 projects through 700 drawings and photographs".Does the student of Furness really need to know every single building the architect completed regardless of its design merit?Or would others and I be better served seeing his more seminal, and perhaps lesser-known quality buildings in a more in-depth manner?The book tantalizes the reader with 14 color plates, and then presents ALL of the architects work with old, grainy photographs in an often times confusing catalogue.Even the seminal works don't have the depth (plans, sections, details, recent photos) that would benefit the reader.This book is a missed opportunity.

THE Architect for Victorians
Obviously you enjoy architecture or you wouldn't be thinking of reading a review of this book.Think no further, buy the book.Frank Furness has been overlooked way too long and this book shows why in pictures and a nice overview of text why this mans work, and what is left of it, should be escalated to the heights of the finest. ... Read more

Product Description
Experts from NYU Stern School of Business analyze new financial regulations and what they mean for the economy

The NYU Stern School of Business is one of the top business schools in the world thanks to the leading academics, researchers, and provocative thinkers who call it home. In Regulating Wall Street: The New Architecture of Global Finance, an impressive group of the Stern school’s top authorities on finance combine their expertise in capital markets, risk management, banking, and derivatives to assess the strengths and weaknesses of new regulations in response to the recent global financial crisis.

• Summarizes key issues that regulatory reform should address
• Evaluates the key components of regulatory reform
• Provides analysis of how the reforms will affect financial firms and markets, as well as the real economy

The U.S. Congress is on track to complete the most significant changes in financial regulation since the 1930s. Regulating Wall Street: The New Architecture of Global Finance discusses the impact these news laws will have on the U.S. and global financial architecture. ... Read more

Product Description
The Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide provides the first complete visitors' guide to all of Wright's buildings in the United States and around the world. This new, single-volume edition is written and compiled by architect and Frank Lloyd Wright expert Thomas A. Heinz, AIA. In a highly readable and informative style, Heinz presents each building page by page, providing brief histories and background details, information on accessibility and viewing, and driving directions. Every entry is accompanied by a photograph and location map. Buildings are arranged geographically. A cross-referenced index enables each building to be easily accessed by location or client or building name.

" Complete listing of nearly 500 buildings worldwide
" Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates given for each building
" Easy-to-read, easy-to-carry, lightweight
" Comprehensive volume which combines a completely new eastern region section with updated sections from the original, three-volume field guides

... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

FLlW International Field Guide
Excellent book!The easiest place to find out where Wright's gems can be found.Very brief descriptions, and (like any book such as this) sometimes out of date, but the most complete book like it I've seen.

Great book for its intended purpose
The real value of this book is the detailed locational information, GPS coordinates, and information on how one can see the structures without tresspassing. If you are looking for historical info or pretty pictures, this isn't the book. But if you want to see as many of Wright's buildings as possible when traveling this book is the one to have so you don't waste your time travelling to places where the structures are completely off limits. Fantastic.

great gift for architecture buff
I bought this for my dad who's building a prarie-style home and is the biggest FLW fan I've ever met.He loved it and said that he'd never seen anything like it.He's planning a future business trip around seeing some of the houses listed in this guide.I was surprised at what a hit it was.

Seeking Wright
A friend recently used this book as guide to search out homes in the mid-west and found it to be accurate and very helpful.A must have for all Wright enthusiasts.

Not your typical Wright book
This is not your typical Wright book filled with beautiful pictures for your coffee table. This is a Field Guide for the Wright aficionado who wants to see the buildings "in the flesh." It is meant to be kept in the glove compartment of your car or as a permanent part of your luggage. Maybe you should get one for both places. The star ratings indicate not only the quality of the design but also how well you can see the house from the street without treading on private property. In other words... it helps you decide if the trip to this site is worth your time and effort. The photos are generally of what you can see from the street, so that you will know you are in the Wright place! The descriptions that accompany each site are not just about the building, but usually more about the owners and their occupations and connections to other Wright clients or interesting people. You will not be able to find this historical information elsewhere. Other sites that will be of interest to the purchasers of this book are ones associated with Wright, like the Auditorium by Adler & Sullivan in downtown Chicago and some buildings that were built after Mr. Wright's death based on archived drawings. When the second edition comes out it should have a spiral binding. ... Read more

Product Description
Most people remember the youth counterculture of the 1960s, but Thomas Frank shows that another revolution shook American business during those boom years. He shows how the youthful revolutionaries were joined--and even anticipated--by such unlikely allies as the advertising industry and the men's clothing business. Halftones & tables.Amazon.com Review
In his book-length essay The Conquest of Cool, Thomas Frank explores the ways in which Madison Avenue co-opted the language of youthful '60s rebellion. It is "the story," Frank writes, "of the bohemian cultural style's trajectory from adversarial to hegemonic; the story of hip's mutation from native language of the alienated to that of advertising." This appropriation had wide-ranging consequences that deeply transformed our culture--consequences that linger in the form of '90s "hip consumerism." (Think of Nike using the song "Revolution" to sell sneakers, or Coca-Cola using replicas of Ken Kesey's bus to peddle Fruitopia.)

This is no simplistic analysis of how the counterculture "sold out" to big business. Instead, Frank shows how the counterculture and business culture influenced one another. In fact, he writes, the counterculture's critique of mass society mimicked earlier developments in business itself, when a new generation of executives attacked the stultified, hierarchical nature of corporate life. Counterculture and business culture evolved together over time--until the present day, when they have become essentially the same thing. According to Frank, the '60s live on in the near-archetypal dichotomy of "hip" and "square," now part of advertising vernacular, signifying a choice between consumer styles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Shedding New Light on 60's Flower Power
Impressive background knowledge of the 60's and in manipulative advertising. Frank lays before us a paradigm of how the 60's movement was propelled by advertising and marketing in a most unsettling way. Liberation had a price ......tag on it.

triumphant materialism
America does have a lot of culture though whatever culture you may find, it in all probability isn't *counter* to the culture of business. And take a second glance if your being told otherwise. We are a business run society -- You can't emphasis that enough. If you want to be hip with what's going on, study the business world and advertising. The cool crowd claiming disinterest in consumption or even opposition to capitalism and all it represents just leads the rest on the way to the mall with their credit cards in hand, regardless of how unintentional they may be. Cultural politics has gotten us nowhere really.

Anyway, I heartedly agree with those that say Thomas Frank is one of the greatest writers around and this book is essential reading for...well, I'd say YOU probably. Are you interested in our history as Americans? Do you enjoy reading fascinating books that challenge stale, conventional narratives of our shared social history? Are you interested in that era forever known as the 60s? You want to learn about culture and consumerism?

How do you co-opt a revolution you invented?
Being familiar with Thomas Frank's cultural criticism of the 1990s (see his brilliant _One Market Under God_, along with the two _Baffler_ anthologies), when I saw the title of this volume I immediately assumed it was yet another expose of how the culture industry co-opts the trends and fashions of genuinely cool youth. I was completely wrong -- what Frank has done is far more fascinating.

In this volume, Frank goes back to the "template" of all modern stories of revolution, the 1960s, and takes a look at things from the point of view of the corporate executives. What he finds is shocking: executives weren't trying to co-opt the counterculture language of revolution, they were actually there first! They genuinely believed in shaking things up and continued to promote these ideas even when the public wasn't into them.

Growing out of his dissertation, the book is a little more dry than some of Frank's other work, but his brilliant prose shines through the academic form. Through meticulous historical research, excerpts from period documents and books, and interview with the players involved, Frank reconstructs the story of the generation, telling the tales of ad executives who quit The Organization to pursue their creative whims and the fashion planners desperate to kill the gray flannel suit. The result is a book that changes the way you think about the generation.

Be Wise, Be Meaty, Be Frank
For those who occasionally wonder 'what are they thinking?' when confronted with the effulvia of advertising, Thomas Frank provides a cogent and often hilarious explanation that is spot on from beginning to end. It is hard to imagine a better reference for those hoping to understand the 'mind' of the businessman, whose thankless task is to penetrate the cacaphnous clutter of the affluent society (even as its affluence groans under the incubus of credit card debt and shrinks in the vise of job loss). Of course the ingenius solution is to associate the supernumerary product with the alienation of the customer, and thus is born the 'we're hip and we're on your side' approach that has been bombarding viewers every four minutes for the last thirty-five years, and whose prototypical consequence is a herd of middle class vagabond children gaily emblazoned with Coca Cola logos.

For those with a lingering romantic idea of human potential, the concept of rebellion through consumption may seem every bit as transparent as a USP, but the truth about advertising seems to be identical with the truth about television and is embodied in the Seinfeld Principle: if you run it long enough people will buy into it.

Meanwhile, those of us who are alienated (or baffled) by the inanities of our age have Thomas Frank for solice. Apparently still in his thirties, Frank has written three of the most entertaining and insightful books of the last twenty years, and while the other two (One Market Under God and What's The Matter With Kansas) have made him personna non grata among toadying intellectuals, even they have been unable to find fault with this one, which a person can safely read in public without coming in for special scrutiny as a potential security risk.

Great Book
An excellent examination of consumer culture and the way that corporate America has tried to deal with, understand, and co-opt youth culture (or did youth culture co-opt advertising?) Frank gets to the bottom of it all in an always entertaining look at advertising from the Madison Avenue years through the sixties. His examinations of various ad campaigns - such as Volvo who insisted in their ads that their cars were ugly and at least not as filled with defects as the cars they used to make - are insightful and well researched. In fact, this book is a necessary primer for anyone doing research on youth culture. It helped to change the way that I think about these issues and has become a text that I refer to often. ... Read more

Product Description
Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park are home to the greatest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings in the world. 96 of Wright’s structures, chronologically presented from the master architect's earliest designs through more modern structures, are explored in 450 gorgeous color photographs and lively essays, along with a separate appendix highlighting the beach houses on Lake Delavan. In 1887 Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Chicago and began his work as a draftsman, eventually starting his own firm in 1893. During his enormously productive Chicago years (1887–1909) Wright developed and refined the ideas that would form his "Prairie Style." Frank Lloyd Wright's Chicago is a comprehensive guide that features the buildings Wright designed during this 22-year period—culminating with the iconographic Robie House, built in 1909—as well as others designed and built later in his career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Frank LLoyd Wright's Chicago
I am a big fan of FLW and I have enjoyed looking thru this book many times.The photos are great and the homes are arranged very well.This is one good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Frank Lloyd Wright is not only synonymous with architecture, his name is also synonymous with the American house in the twentieth century. In particular, his residential work has been the subject of continuing interest and controversy.Wright's Fallingwater (1935), the seminal masterpiece perched over a waterfall deep in the Pennsylvania highlands, is perhaps the best-known private house in the history of the world.In fact, Wright's houses-from his Prairie style Robie House (1906) in Chicago, to the Storer (1923) and Freeman (1923) houses in Los Angeles, and Taliesen West (1937) in the Arizona desert-are all touchstones of modern architecture. For the first time, all 289 extant houses are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses is an event of great importance and a major contribution to the literature on this titan of modern architecture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Interesting houses
Just read the novel of his life and found the houses described a big part of the story

disappointing
This book has many eye-catching photos, but lacks floorplans or other drawings that would assist in really understanding the development of wright's houses.I know he designed a large number of houses, but the ommissions of several key ones is dissappointing in a book that is attempting to be all-encompassing.The text is well written, but the photos, while of high quality, are more suited to a coffee-table book or magazine, not a scholarly volume on wright's houses.It is strange that an architect of such acclaim has so little by the way of documentation of the work, while many lesser known architects have exhaustive publications of every project, drawings, etc.

A Beautiful Tribute
After reading Loving Frank, my daughter asked for this book for Christmas. When it arrived and I looked through it, I knew she would love it.It is truly a collector's item.Thephotos and text are captivating.I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is even slightly interested in Frank Lloyd Wright.

Gift for Dad
I bought this as a gift for my dad.No clue why he wanted it, but he and my whole family loved looking at it all Christmas long.

In awe at first sight
This book amazed me from the moment I held the box it came in.
Truely a mastermind at archetecture from the late 1800's, this man must've amazed his clientel with his fantastic abilities to take his imagination to paper, drawing what to the average mind seems impossible to achieve. Viewing the photos in this book will take your senses on a joy ride. From the beauty of the woodwork, to the mathametical puzzles of his angular structures, you'll feel as though you have been living in a simple world until you share a short part of Mr. Wright's. By far, the very best book I have ever bought, and will recomment to anyone who can appreciate a man that has passed on. His works all over the country will continue to show us what an amazing icon he was.
Everyone should page through this book at least once! ... Read more

Product Description
With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank here turns his eye on what he calls the 'thirty-year backlash' - the common man's revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment. He charts the Republican party's success in building the most unnatural of alliances: between bluecollar Midwesterners and Wall Street business interests; between workers and bosses; between populists and right-wingers. Taking the state of Kansas as a paradigm, Frank describes how a place famous for its radicalism became one of the most conservative states in the union and, writing as a native Kansan and onetime Republican, seeks to answer some broader American riddles: why do so many of us vote against our economic and social interests? And whatever happened to middle-American progressivism? Frank reveals the true story, showing how voters have been persuaded to elevate 'values' and down-home qualities - lavishly attributed to the current occupant of the White House - above hard questions of policy. A brilliant analysis, and funny to boot, What's the Matter with America? - published in advance of the US Presidential elections - presents a critical assessment of the state of America today, while telling ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Indeed, what is the matter with America?
As far as I understand, this is the European edition of Thomas Frank's book "What's the matter with Kansas?". Since this is the edition I've read, I'll review it rather than the US edition. But I suspect both editions are pretty similar.

The author Thomas Frank attempts to explain two things. First, why do American workers and other low-income people vote Republican rather than Democrat? Indeed, the most extreme Republicans are usually more plebeian than the moderate ones. Second, how come that US radicalism, which was usually left-wing, become right-wing during the Reagan years?

These are two very interesting, indeed decisive issues. However, the author never explains them. He cannot say what's wrong with America. Or Kansas for that matter.

True, the book is entertaining in a sense. The author describes his childhood as a low-income earner in a upper class neighborhood. He gives the bratpack a couple of verbal lashes. I don't doubt that they deserve it. The author also heckles conservative columnists who stereotype "blue staters" and "red staters", pointing out how these stereotypes fly in the face of reality. Frank interviews politicans and activists in Kansas, describes the situation of both native and Mexican workers, and even interviews a strange cult that claims to have elected an anti-Pope.

While all this is funny, it doesn't really explain what the hells wrong with the US of A. When all the chips are down, Frank has simply written a mostly-liberal lamentation over his home state.
... Read more

Product Description
Thomas' Calculus Media Upgrade, Eleventh Edition, responds to the needs of today's readers by developing their conceptual understanding while strengthening their skills in algebra and trigonometry,two areas of knowledge vital to the mastery of calculus. This book offers a full range of exercises, a precise and conceptual presentation, and a new media package designed specifically to meet the needs of today's readers. The exercises gradually increase in difficulty, helping readers learn to generalize and apply the concepts. The refined table of contents introduces the exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions in Chapter 7 of the text. KEY TOPICS: Limits and Derivatives, Differentiation, Applications of Derivatives, Integration, Applications of Definite Integrals, Transcendental Functions, Techniques of Integration, Further Applications of Integration, Conic Sections and Polar Coordinates, Infinite Sequences and Series, Vectors and the Geometry of Space, Vector-Valued Functions and Motion in Space, Partial Derivatives, Multiple Integrals, Integration in Vector Fields. MARKET: For all readers interested in Calculus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Worst calculus book ever.
This book is the equivalent of that arrogant professor that assumes his students are stupid. I have taken Calculus several times (picky colleges won't accept Calc credits.. UM, UA, HU) and eventually I even taught Calculus. Texts like this are the reason why people hate math. The examples are nothing like the practice questions, the warm up (early questions) have very complex answers and the text itself overuses mathematical jargon to further complicate things. Even the equation and trig reference charts are crap. Calculus is designed as a basis for higher level math. If you make it ugly and confusing from the beginning, it spawns entire classes of students that have a weak foundation and end up more confused and frustrated later on. When the semester ended, my copy sat in the fireplace. At least it was useful for keeping warm, because it certainly was no good at teaching math.

Great explanations, illustrations and exercises
My experience with this book has been very satisfactory. I used this text to follow MIT OCW's 18.01, Calculus I, and I recommend it for a number of reasons: the explanations are clear and concise, the graphics are unbetterable, and the exercises are graded, so you can focus on building technique, understanding theory or working applications. The proofs are clear and where the math needed is too advanced, Thomas clearly states so, so when you do take more advanced courses, you'll know what gaps you need to fill in.

This is a great book for AP Calc or freshman calculus in the sciences and engineerings.

poor quality
It was printed that the quality of this product was "good."Far from it, not only was the cover of the book hanging by a thread literally but the spine of the binding was completely detached.For the price I paid for this product I was expecting something that wasn't being held together by a rubber band when it arrived.Duct tape, gorilla and super glue have become permanent parties of this book.

Never received item
It is now September 28 ten days after estimated receiveing date. I have never received the item nor have I received any communication from the seller despite 4 emails. I am working with my credit card company to reverse the charge.

Good Analysis Book
This book should be called "Analysis" rather than the old name of Calculus, because it covers more than the classical Newton /Leibniz Calculus. I am impressed that the book starts right from the begining Chap 2 on rigourous epsilon-delta Analysis, and it explains to undergrads epsilon-delta is not to find Limit but to rigourously prove its existence. It would be ideal to write a section or a note to explain why Newton / Leibniz Calculus was not rigourous, hence the 'invention' of Cauchy /Wierestrass epsilon-delta analysis.

Unfortunately it does not use the same epsilon-delta to define Continuity of Functions, but uses a weaker approach with "Limit". This is not the Cauchy-Wierestrass original rigourous definition of Continuity.

I understand the author writes this book for engineers (MIT is engineering university), but the rigor of Math cannot be compromised at the expense of practicality.

... Read more

Product Description
One hundred sermons that display the victorious, although sometimes painful, historical and spiritual pilgrimage of black people in America.A groundbreaking anthology, Preaching with Sacred Fire is a unique and powerful work. It captures the stunning diversity of the cultural and historical legacy of African American preaching more than three hundred years in the making. Each sermon, as editors Martha Simmons and Frank A. Thomas reveal, is a work of art and a lesson in unmatched rhetoric. The journey through this anthology—which includes selections from Jarena Lee, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Gardner C. Taylor, Vashti McKenzie, and many others—offers a rare view of the unheralded role of the African American preacher in American history.

The collection provides new insights into the underpinnings of the black fight for emancipation and the rise and growth of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Sermons from the first decade of the twenty-first century point toward the future of African American preaching. Biographies of the preachers put their work in the cultural and homiletic context of their periods.

The preachers of these sermons are men and women from a range of faiths, ancestries, and educational backgrounds. They draw on a vast and luminous landscape of poetic language, using metaphor, rhythm, and imagery to communicate with their congregations. What they all have in common is hope, resilience, and sacred fire. “Even during the most difficult and oppressive times,” Simmons and Thomas write in the preface, “the delivery, creativity, charisma, expressivity, fervor, forcefulness, passion, persuasiveness, poise, power, rhetoric, spirit, style, and vision of black preaching gave and gives hope to a community under siege.”

This magnificent work beautifully renders the complexity, spiritual richness, and strength of African American life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great Historical Information on Black Religion & History
I have not completed the 600+ pages. I have found it full of information on the History of Black Relgion in America and Africa. It gives significant information on the thinking and preaching skills of Black Preachers from many denominations beginning in 1750.
Recomended for Ministers, Preachers and Black History seekers.

Amazing anthology of sermons
This is a book any one who has a sense of history should read.It is amazing how through the various periods the same message resonated.There is really power in the word.It changed America.

A Monumental Collection of Great American Preaching
This book truly is a "unique" and "historic" accomplishment and, as a journalist for more than 30 years, I don't use those terms lightly. Thanks to the two co-editors of this volume, who spent years researching, collecting and obtaining permission to publish these sermons, this new book really is a monumental gift to readers. "Preaching with Sacred Fire" will stand for years to come as the greatest collection we've got from 200 years of great African-American preaching. I can't imagine anyone duplicating this publishing feat.

There's also a very important way that readers can participate in the future expansion of this nationwide effort to preserve the heritage of black preaching. At the end of this book, you'll find a section devoted to other great preachers, men and women whose work is not represented in this particular collection. The most common reason they weren't included in this collection is that their manuscripts can't be found any longer. The editors of this collection invite readers to sift through that long list of "missing" preachers and help in the nationwide effort to unearth any dusty remnants of their work that may have been overlooked to date.

If you're a preacher or hope to become a preacher, or you're simply someone who wants to improve preaching, this is a book you must read. It's a book that should be in the personal library of anyone interested in American religious life.

Your excitement in turning these pages will depend, to some extent, on your experience with African-American preaching. If you're African-American yourself or if you've had any experience with some of the nation's great black preachers, you'll get goose bumps flipping these pages. I'm a tough, skeptical old journalist and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I read sermons by such giants as the Rev. C.L. Franklin, the Rev. Charles Adams, the Rev. Howard Thurman, the Rev. Fred Sampson, the Rev. T.D. Jakes, the Rev. Vashti McKenzie and on and on. Of course, I've heard many of the greatest black preachers of the 20th century and their voices will forever resonate for me.

Great work!
This collection of sermons is a must have for any preacher or person interested in preaching.

Important Part of Amercian History!
These anthologies of church sermons from 1750 to the present highlight the savagery of the slave trade and slavery and relate directly to issues of freedom and liberty for all. While Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X may be the most familiar names, the work of dozens of others is not overlooked. Preaching with Sacred Fire is a compelling study of important American history. ... Read more