The Laws Penguin Classics

The Laws (Penguin Classics)







Authors Plato, Trevor J. Saunders (Editor, Translator, Introduction), Richard Stalley (Preface)

>> more details..





Product Description
In The Laws, Plato describes in fascinating detail a comprehensive system of legislation in a small agricultural utopia he named Magnesia. His laws not only govern crime and punishment but also form a code of conduct for all aspects of life in his ideal state—from education, sports, and religion to sexual behavior, marriage, and drinking parties. Plato sets out a plan for the day-to-day rule of Magnesia, administered by citizens and elected officials, with supreme power held by a Council. Although Plato’s views that citizens should act in complete obedience to the law have been read as totalitarian, The Laws nonetheless constitutes a highly impressive program for the reform of society and provides a crucial insight into the mind of one of classical Greece’s foremost thinkers.

Product Details
# Paperback: 560 pages
# Publisher: Penguin Classics (June 28, 2005)
# Language: English

>> more details..

Reviews


Plato believed in reincarnation and the law of karma. For example he felt that the death penalty is a blessing in disguise for incorrigible criminals since it prevents them from contaminating their souls with even more evil.

Atlantis was a utopian society at first and it seems that for all of his life Plato was trying to recreate this ideal society. But I doubt that he could have imagined the information that came out in the 1900s from the great Edgar Cayce (Osiris). Sometimes when people see flying saucers those are our ancestors from Atlantis travelling through time.

I feel this book shows the influence of two things that were very important for Plato; his belief in Atlantis and the books in the old testament of the bible that talk about the details of those laws that were given from on high. These two things were always there deep in his thoughts.



It is not a coincidence that fate chose Plato to preserve the legend of Atlantis for future generations. He was there on Atlantis himself at the very beginning.

The Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers [Hardcover Edition]







Authors Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay


>> more details..





Product Description
The Federalist Papers server as the primary source for interpretating the United States Constitution, and are an outline behind the philosophy and motivation of this newly proposed government system. Being a series of eighty-five articles, they advocate for the the ratification of the United States Constitution. This edition of The Federalist Papers is highly recommended for those interested in the history of the founding of the United States government system and also for those who are scholars of the United States Constitution.

Product Details
# Hardcover: 668 pages
# Publisher: Filibust (December 16, 2007)
# Language: English

>> more details..

Reviews


Certainly they were standing up for their opinions and beliefs and of course they understood (and supported) the fact that not everyone would agree with their proposals, but something that we have today that they couldn't experience is hindsight. The fears of a civil war for the reasons articulated came true almost to the number, the reasons why and how and what the ultimate end-result would probably be. The warnings against abusive state and federal governments have, time and again, been bled out with remarkably accurate assumption.

I am amazed at how relative it is to the argument today of the Constitution being abused. The writers of The Federalist Papers were exceptional men who truly cared about Personal Liberty, States Rights and the role of The Federal Government. An insight I will appreciate always! This version works well for students, and I purchased it after already owning a small paperback copy. This particular book has bright paper, strong enough for taking excessive notes, and the margins are sufficiently large. I am also finding the larger page sizes are helpful, and I can see more content without flipping back and forth so often.

Switch How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]







Authors Chip Heath, Dan Heath (Author)

>> more details..





Product Description
The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

Product Details
# Audio CD
# Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (February 16, 2010)
# Language: English

>> more details..

Reviews


They are passionate and it shows through their clear writing and well researched book. They direct readers to simple (but not easy) steps to improve and change whatever it is that needs change. The book will give you insight into how to change things whether they are in your work, family, or personal life. Like their previous brilliant book, "Made to Stick", they boil down their advice to steps that can be quickly remembered and thus considered. In "Switch" they advise readers to consider three elements for change. The three factors are the "Rider" which is the rational side of individuals. Second is the emotional "elephant" and finally you have to "clear the path" for the change to succeed.

The book is filled with story after story illustrating the concepts. I found it refreshing that the book presents new stories. It seems that so many modern business book rehash stories already told in other books. These authors are clearly involved in multiple organizations and have contacts that allow them to gain insights others have not seen before - or at least insights that have not before been collected into one pair of minds.

My favorite section of the book was the Direct the Rider section. I found the concepts clear and have a better idea of how I can find the bright spots (what's working), script the critical moves (provide clarity of expectations) and point to the destination (establish an end goal).

The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto (Oxford World's Classics)







Authors Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, David McLellan (Editor)

>> more details..





Product Description
Critically and textually up-to-date, this new edition of the classic translation (Samuel Moore, 1888) features an introduction and notes by the eminent Marx scholar David McLellan, prefaces written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels subsequent to the original 1848 publication, and corrections of errors made in earlier versions. Regarded as one of the most influential political tracts ever written, The Communist Manifesto serves as the foundation document of the Marxist movement. This summary of the Marxist vision is an incisive account of the world-view Marx and Engels had evolved during their hectic intellectual and political collaboration of the previous few years.

Product Details
# Paperback: 96 pages
# Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 15, 2008)
# Language: English

>> more details..

Reviews


I find myself conflicted over its contents, just as I always find myself conflicted in reading Marx. Marx's analyses of the dynamics governing capitalist society have always struck me as dead on. No one writes more presciently or timelessly about the structures of exploitation that are inherent in capitalism. Nonetheless, I find his positive proposals as to how to transcend capitalism to be untenable, and the post-capitalist world he describes to be undesirable. The best way to express this is that I find Marx the critic to be convincing and impressive, but Marx the visionary to be irrelevant. Marx wrote at a time when the only democratic country in Europe was France. England, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire all had limited franchises and Russia was of course an autocracy. One of the major reforms he battled for was the introduction of democracy. It was his belief that the implementation of his program would flow from that.

This is more than an economics book it is a way of life. It sounds good on paper but makes many assumptions. Instead of worrying about workability, look at the logic that is built on assumptions of that time (written, in 1848). Add this to your library.

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter (Classic Retelling)







Authors Nathaniel Hawthorne

>> more details..





Product Description
HarperCollins UK Audio Classics presents abridged and unabridged readings of the world's favorite literary masterpieces. Among the distinguished readers are Christopher Lee, Derek Jacobi, Simon Callow, Linus Roache, Elizabeth McGovern, Terry Jones, Peter Firth, and Rufus Sewell. Each package of cassettes in the Audio Classics series is beautifully packaged and shrink-wrapped.

Product Details
# Hardcover: 128 pages
# Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) (January 2006)
# Language: English

>> more details..

Reviews


After giving birth to a daughter she names Pearl , Hester is punished with the scarlet letter "A" which she must wear on her breast and marks her as an adulteress. The shame she bears is immense. The village looks upon her with scorn and ridicule. Her husband, Roger Chillingsworth, whom Hester had presumed dead at sea, sent her to Salem, Massachusetts two years previously to await his later arrival, but sent no word after. He appears unexpectedly as she is being publicly displayed upon the scaffolding in front of the church, which serves as a punishment for criminals.

We were uncomfortable enough to have our male English teacher address the topics of this book! All that aside, though, the book is a timeless classic and I hope that it is still on the high school curriculum reading lists across the country. It gives us all something to think about and it does teach us, indirectly perhaps, how to deal with the fall-out of our actions and choices. I have a feeling that a lot of the reviewers expressing negative opinions are malcontent high school students grumbling about a "stupid, boring book" assigned to them for class. I myself had to read it for my junior-year English class, but I am very glad I was forced to do so.

Dracula Book

Dracula (Townsend Library Edition)







Authors Bram Stoker

>> more details..





Product Description
This Townsend Library classic has been carefully edited to be more accessible to today's students. It includes a background note about the book, an author's biography, and a lively afterword. Acclaimed by educators nationwide, the Townsend Library is helping millions of young adults discover the pleasure and power of reading.

Product Details
# Paperback: 428 pages
# Publisher: Townsend Press

>> more details..

Reviews


The story itself is very powerful, but to modern readers it is often perceived as being dense and overcrowded with details. This is typical to Victorian novels, in which the women are always tender and caring and the men brave and intelligent. It seems that these conclusions have to be underlined on every page of the book. Still Bram Stoker succeeds in winning the attention of the reader by supplying an unprecedented richness to the story. The plot is filled with unexpected twists, remarkable action sequences and rather eerie -sometimes almost erotic- confrontations with evil entities. No situation is left unused to heighten the mystery.

It becomes almost a crash course in symbolism, to discover the events as they coincide with the gradual effects of Dracula's presence in London. What Stoker does is a lot similar--and far more effective in its respective medium--to what was achieved in the Blair Witch Project. We see subtle effects and character responses that all point to the villain, but the villain is always just beyond reach, never quite tangible, and more the frightening because of it. In this way, the novel instantly propels itself to one of the greatest horror novels of all time.

"Dracula" is the grandaddy is Lestat and Jean-Claude, but that isn't the sole reason why it is a classic. It's also incredibly atmospheric, and very well-written. Not only is it very freaky, in an ornate Victorian style, but it is also full of restrained, quiet horror and creepy eroticism. What's more, it's shaped the portrayal of vampires in movies and books, even to this day.