Best History of Hinduism
Fully revised with forty thousand new words that take the reader up to present-day India, John Keay’s India: A History spans five millennia in a sweeping narrative that tells the story of the peoples of the subcontinent, from their ancient beginnings in the valley of the Indus to the events in the region today. Yet, observes historian John Keay , most historical work on India concentrates on the period after the arrival of Europeans, with predictable biases, distortions, and misapprehensions. Keay traces the growth of subsequent states and kingdoms throughout antiquity and the medieval period, suggesting that the lack of unified government made the job of the European conquerors somewhat easier--but by no means inevitable.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Some interesting topics I liked are VERY LONG history, Aryanization process, LONG secularist traditions practiced by empires until British started muddying the water in early 20th centuries( which continue to burn even to this day), origins of the so called Hindu religion. Leaving aside those minor issues, I recommend it for people who enjoy the history from sidelines or wants a different perspective."
"This one volume history of India offers a great perspective on the 3500+ years of known history (plus the 1000+ additional years of archaeological history) by focussing equal attention on equal periods of time, roughly speaking."
"Good overview that seems to be pretty well empirically researched but is also still readable for the non-academic reader."
"Complex and in depth, India beckons."
"If you are as much in the dark about India as I was before reading this book you will find India: A History a very interesting and readable book about an immense subject."
"It is a worthwhile read, since there is a lot of information that is not often taught or discussed and certainly should not be forgotten, but the development of India, the entity and the people, was not always clear to me. If I had not already read many other books on India, I doubt that I could have pieced together an understandable view from this book."
"Having read this book, I already knew most of the superficial details about various sites as the guide was describing them, which was nice."
These psychic force fields, known as the seven chakras, emanate energy from within, and by unlocking their power one can reap the benefits of a healthier mind and balanced life. What the chakras are and how they work The locations of the chakras and their various uses Steps and strategies on how to awaken your chakras Balancing the chakras How to heal damaged chakras Applying these strategies to enhance your life And much, much more! Through his journey towards enlightenment and peace of mind, Michael has developed clear and easy-to-follow guides to understanding the benefits of adopting Buddhist methods and ideas into one’s daily life. He finds great joy in sharing the clarity of an open mind with others and seeks to empower readers to explore the realms of elevated thought and action in their own lives.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"i llike this book alot it gives you a lot of information."
"Got this as a gift and she absolutely loved it!"
"Love the book, quick easy read with plenty of knowledge."
"Great intro book for anyone wanting to learn more about the chakras."
"This is an easy read to jump start your healing through chakras."
"Great beginners book."
"Great book, so much information."
Zinovia Dushkova , Ph.D. , is one of the few living people who has gained access to the million-year-old manuscript widely known as the Book of Dzyan . Written in the language of the Gods, called Senzar , it is secretly hidden in the heart of the Himalayas, accessible to only a chosen few over the course of human history, including Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Pythagoras, Plato, and Helena Blavatsky. Interpretations of various parts of this secret manuscript, presented in different lights, can be found in all religions and philosophies. Now, for the first time ever, Dr. Dushkova has presented a never-before-seen excerpt from this ancient sacred text in The Book of Secret Wisdom . To facilitate your understanding of this profound and poetic text, the book contains a comprehensive glossary gleaned from the supreme sources of wisdom. The all-embracing and undistorted Truth presented in this book was once accessible only to the privileged initiates of ancient civilizations who spent much of their lives seeking it. "It reads beautifully like a storybook, feels like a fable, and reveals valuable lessons of love for this lifetime." The prominent concept here is to awaken humanity to the unmistakable, undeniable fact that it is our destiny to become beings that are able to love and to know what Love is." It puts the ultimate power to control human destiny in the hands of love." "All of Zinovia Dushkova's books are addressed to those who ponder the spiritual destiny of human beings and question their place in the evolutionary process. "Right now, in this difficult but crucial time, the literary works of Zinovia Dushkova are extraordinarily important, carrying the light of great humanistic truths and of love, heartiness, and great tolerance with regard to each other -- the light that helps a human being to become a true human being."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"“The Book of Secret Wisdom” is a glance at the Earth beyond Time, beyond Space, beyond Distance, conveying in simple phrases the past, present and future history of humanity. To be honest, my mind could not fully understand what was written, but the heart realized the whole Magnificent Mystery of Life on our planet and trembled in time with the words on the page."
"If readers are interested in previous translations of the stanzas, here is a history... A first in modern times, Helena P. Blavatsky revealed nineteen stanzas of The Book of Dyzan in two parts entitled, Cosmogenesis and Anthropogenesis. Also, Alice A. Bailey included translations of twelve stanzas in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire published in 1925 that apparently continued the stanzas that Blavatsky translated."
"These may be lofty-sounding words for an ordinary person, but it can’t be helped—this is that kind of book."
"While reading The Book of Secret Wisdom, I touched the Wisdom of the Ages."
"It tells of the tremendous battle between the greed of the Dark Forces of the world and the power of Love in combatting such forces.This battle has raged from before the Dark Ages to the present time. It made me feel more optimistic about eventual world peace, and that love and respect among all colors and classes of people will someday be a reality and not just a dream."
Best History of Judaism
But this book is not about the success stories. " Bad Rabbi is a masterful set of finely-tuned scholarship and critical zingers that brings detailed archival history of 'downwardly mobile' nineteenth- and twentieth-century Jews alive through vivid, erudite, and spit-take funny storytelling. "Don't feel guilty chuckling your way through Bad Rabbi as you read about the crazy deeds and commonplace misfortunes of marginal Jews from a century ago. ". "In the staid world of academic Yiddishists, Eddy Portnoy is a live wire, a funny guy, a mischief-maker, what they used to call in the Catskills, a tummler ... Bad Rabbi is a succession of outlandish misadventures, a wild panorama populated by an astonishing array of characters... Yiddish journalists were showboats, garnishing tabloid sensationalism with literary jokes and religious references. "Eddy Portnoy's Bad Rabbi is an extraordinary thing: a gateway to the lost world of Jewish street life in pre-World War II New York and Warsaw. The Yiddish newspapers Portnoy mines were free from piety and light on decorum; instead they present a vast, roiling canvas of human behavior in all its extremes, from comedy to horror, with fiercely unbuttoned characters declaiming eloquently as stoopside choruses annotated their rants.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Still, it's one of the few books available to give you a perspective on the yiddish press.I'm sure the material is out there for a better book than this."
"A unique, often sad and often funny look at the Yiddish-speaking world at the beginning of the 20th century."
"Fasciating view into the notorious Jews of the shtetl."
"My father read the Yiddish newspapers."
"Bashevis loved to recount the careers of Warsaw crooks and connivers, among them the team of Puny Khane and Shimshon Gramophone. Khane mimes an epileptic fit in the streets, and Shimshon, after rescuing her, begs the crowd for money, explaining that she has been hungry for days. When [a suicide scam] trick is exposed, Krochmalna Street takes its revenge: they force Khane to jump or else “we’ll come up there and throw you off ourselves.” Her leg broken in the fall, Khane laments her “tragedy” on the way to the hospital: “Who knows if I’ll ever again be able to earn money as a jumper?”. "While we’re on the subject of suicide, consider this headline from Moment (April 1927): “The Anatomical Institute Returns the Body of a Jewish Suicide Because Her Bones Are Worthless” (17-year-old Rokhl Weinstein, dying of tuberculosis, wanted to will her body to science)."
"Like every ethnic group, Jewry has always had its share of lowlives, sleazeballs, weirdos and raving lunatics--but their stories would be lost to history were it not for being preserved in the almost-never-read archives of the late Yiddish press. Still, a fair number of them comport with popular anti-Semitic stereotypes, suggesting that the bigots had at least second-hand if not direct experience with the sordid underbelly of Jewish society. The stories are fascinating, sometimes hilarious, but one still fears they will play into the hands of bigots even if the squalid, teeming slums of the Lower East Side and of Warsaw, the incubators of all that, are long gone."
Best History of Buddhism
Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the yes of the Buddha himself. The simple style is engaging, leading the reader through events in the Buddha's life while taking care to present and reinforce the central meaning and tone of his teaching.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Book was in fair condition."
"This book is a must read for the spiritual seeker, a devout practitioner, or anyone who simply wants to know more about the core elements of the Buddha and Buddhism."
"I bought this book to "get to know" the Buddha better and learn more about his life and teachings."
"All true but do read more than one book."
"quick service great book."
"As a Buddhist, I really appreciate this biography of the Buddha, though it will work as an introduction to those only getting interested in Buddhism."
"If you are looking for a biography of the Buddha without constant source references (they are provided in the back) or analysis, if you are just looking for the story of his life, you might really enjoy Old Path White Clouds like I did."
Best History of Christianity
Millions of readers have thrilled by bestselling authors Bill O’Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln , page-turning works of nonfiction that have changed the way we read history. The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor led the program to the status of the highest rated cable news broadcast in the nation for sixteen consecutive years. He holds a history degree from Marist College, a masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, and another masters degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There is no writing concerning the actual miracles attributed to Jesus, but they are mentioned in the text as news of them spread into the surrounding area, so the authors appear to make no claim to any authenticity. After that, it's once again news of post death appearances spread by supposed eyewitnesses, with no attempt to state any author belief in whether or not these events actually occurred. Lest I be accused of being some type of sceptic or unbeliever, let me state that, like the authors, I am a practicing Roman Catholic and truly believe that Jesus is who he said he is and that, if I do what is right, he will greet me when I die. I know that there are many people out there who do not like O'Reilly for his political views and will allow that mind set to lead them to give this book a bad review, even though many of them will not have read it."
"The details of the physical affects of the crucifixion were tough to get through but at the same time it increased my appreciation of the suffering that Jesus endured."
"Extremely well written and engaging."
"I just finished the book Killing Jesus by Bill O'Riley."
"Throughly enjoyed this book.The history came alive with the facts presented."
"Their meticulous research brings to life the people and customs of Jesus' time and explains the human side of Jesus, his disciples, his followers, and his enemies. O'Reilly took some criticism for not putting more emphasis on the spiritual side of Jesus, but he made it plain early on that this book is a history of Jesus the man, not a companion piece to the Bible."
Best History of Religion & Politics
This well-researched examination of human moral impulses will appeal to liberals and conservatives alike following the 2016 presidential campaign and election. Beautifully written, Haidt’s book shines a new and creative light on moral psychology and presents a provocative message.”. — Science “A remarkable and original synthesis of social psychology, political analysis, and moral reasoning.”. —Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University. The principal posture in which one envisions him is that of a scrappy, voluble, discerning patriot standing between the warring factions in American politics urging each to see the other’s viewpoint, to stop demonizing, bashing, clobbering. “Jonathan Haidt is one of smartest and most creative psychologists alive, and his newest book, The Righteous Mind is a tour de force—a brave, brilliant and eloquent exploration of the most important issues of our time. This is the book that everyone is going to be talking about.”. —Paul Bloom, Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology, Yale University. This elegantly written book has far-reaching implications for anyone interested in anthropology, politics, religion, or the many controversies that divide modern societies. If you want to know why you hold your moral beliefs and why many people disagree with you, read this book..”. —Simon Baron-Cohen, Cambridge University, Author of Zero Degrees of Empathy and The Science of Evil. “Jonathan Haidt’s absorbing The Righteous Mind should come with a warning label: ‘contents highly addictive.’ Written in a breezy and accessible style but informed by an impressively wide range of cutting-edge research in the social sciences, evolutionary biology and psychology, The Righteous Mind is about as interesting a book as you’ll pick up this year.”. — The Globe and Mail. “What makes [ The Righteous Mind ] so compelling is the fluid combination of erudition and entertainment, and the author’s obvious pleasure in challenging conventional wisdom. [Haidt’s] core point is simple and well-made: our morality, much of it wired into brains from birth, at the same time binds us together and blinds us to different configurations of morality.”. — The Guardian (London). Haidt’s brilliant synthesis shows that Christians have nothing to fear and much to gain from the evolutionary paradigm.”. —Michael Dowd, author of Thank God for Evolution. “The Righteous Mind is an intellectual tour de force that brings Darwinian theorizing to the practical realm of everyday politics. “As a fellow who listens to heated political debate daily, I was fascinated, enlightened, and even amused by Haidt’s brilliant insights. This penetrating yet accessible book will help readers understand the righteous minds that inhabit politics.”. —Larry Sabato, University of Virginia, author of A More Perfect Constitution. “A profound discussion of the diverse psychological roots of morality and their role in producing political conflicts.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Haidt's understanding of human morality and the science of communication and decision making are weaved together into an approachable, beautiful and potentially life changing symphony. You can probably imagine how frustrated I felt when I was consistently unable to win arguments about out-there, government's coming for us-so buy some guns, conspiracy discussions. One of the foundational pieces discussed in the book is the fact that we, as humans, make decisions in the parts of our brain that aren't subject to critical thinking. If you want to sway someones opinion, Haidt suggests, you must first appeal to their elephant (the emotional part of their brain or "why they feel the way they do"). I only wish everyone could read this book, understand their natural decision making process and be aware of what's happening to them when they have disagreements or strong opinions on a subject."
"This book was stressful for me to read because I really wanted to keep not liking the people I don't agree with."
"I lean toward "liberal" idealogies, but this book made me realize the value of a more diverse perspective for the survival of the human race and how my anti-religious viewpoints had incorporated "sacred" elements of their own."
"I've been dismayed and puzzled as to why we liberals and conservatives get so enraged at each other and simply fail to hear each other across the chasm of what seems to be two different truths."
"A great book that methodically develops the differences between the liberal and conservative dispositions and thinking."
"It's an unusually readable academic product of mind-Opening scholarship and, I found, accurate analysis."
"I'm not through with it, but it's well written with sources cited."
"Assumes some group or beehive behavior is evolving within our genes and the rest is unconscious, conditioned behavior."
Best General History of Religion
Millions of readers have thrilled by bestselling authors Bill O’Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln , page-turning works of nonfiction that have changed the way we read history. The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor led the program to the status of the highest rated cable news broadcast in the nation for sixteen consecutive years. He holds a history degree from Marist College, a masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, and another masters degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There is no writing concerning the actual miracles attributed to Jesus, but they are mentioned in the text as news of them spread into the surrounding area, so the authors appear to make no claim to any authenticity. After that, it's once again news of post death appearances spread by supposed eyewitnesses, with no attempt to state any author belief in whether or not these events actually occurred. Lest I be accused of being some type of sceptic or unbeliever, let me state that, like the authors, I am a practicing Roman Catholic and truly believe that Jesus is who he said he is and that, if I do what is right, he will greet me when I die. I know that there are many people out there who do not like O'Reilly for his political views and will allow that mind set to lead them to give this book a bad review, even though many of them will not have read it."
"Over all, it was a delightful book and I enjoyed it thoroughly."
"While this book is written in the dry detective-like style and non-religious manner, it presents certain historical information of the area and era that add to what you would read in the Bible."
"Great reading - really give the historical background and context in which the life of Jesus was lived in."
"The details of the physical affects of the crucifixion were tough to get through but at the same time it increased my appreciation of the suffering that Jesus endured."
"Extremely well written and engaging."
"I just finished the book Killing Jesus by Bill O'Riley."
"I was all set to love this book until he continued the myth that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute!"
Best History of New Age & Mythology
For the first time in 3,300 years, The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day: The Papyrus of Ani is showcased in its entirety in seventy-four magnificent color pages. Dr. Ogden Goelet, Jr. is a Clinical Professor of Egyptian Language and Culture in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Dr. Goelet has divided the bibliographical materials into separate categories that include: general studies of Egyptian Afterlife literature; Book of the Dead studies and bibliographies; production techniques of Book of the Dead manuscripts; comprehensive commentaries and translations; suggestions for a program of self-study for the interested amateur; and a selection of online resources. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction that explains its parameters. Here is a list of changes made to the Plates of the Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Nancy Wasserman restored two small wadjet-eyes on the Djed pillar between Isis and Nepthys on Plate 1b; She added Thoth's reed pen on Plates 3b and 31b. The tree goddess on Plate 16a has been made more visible. Another tiny wadjet-eye has been returned to the prow of the solar bark on Plate 18a. Ani and Tutu's headbands were enhanced on Plate 19a; and the third color of the multicolored mound below the swallow was highlighted on Plate 25a."
"It was a present for my Daughter in law for Christmas and she loved it."
"Great book!"
"Excellent!"
Best History of Ethnic & Tribal Religions
Black Elk Speaks , the story of the Oglala Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) and his people during momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century, offers readers much more than a precious glimpse of a vanished time. (N. Scott Momaday 2013-10-25). “An American classic.”— Western Historical Quarterly.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Neidhardt promoted this book and Black Elk's vision tirelessly until the end of his life and I truly believe it was because he saw the incredible spiritual nature of Black Elk, his life, and visions. Neidhardt left out the ensuing years on Pine Ridge Reservation and Black Elk's acceptance of Catholicism to frame a lost way of life, the sadness and injustice of it, and the greatness and seeming inevitability of Black Elk's vision. The book was not meant to be a biography or history of the Lakota, but to preserve Black Elk's vision and so the purpose of the book was accomplished. Those who want to pick at the book miss the greater impact of Black Elk's life and vision. After reading this book, if Black Elk interests you there are books available on the later half of his life."
"A very interesting read."
"Gorgeous book."
"I have a mint 1st Edition- 😜."
"A great history of a troubled time."
"Needed a new copy."
Best Islamic History
The World’s Religions, by beloved author and pioneering professor Huston Smith ( Tales of Wonder ), is the definitive classic for introducing the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as regional native traditions. Huston Smith's masterpiece explores the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the native traditions of Australia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"in 2009 I wrote a letter to Huston Smith telling him that in my teens I had taken a course on world religions at Boston University and the professor had used as textbook Smith’s “The Religions of Man” (now titled “The World’s Religions”)."
"This book gives a general idea of the religions mentioned in the description."
"A fifty year old book which helps to understand age old religions, and from one mans perspective not a lot of self promoting thought."
"Wonderful synopsis of the world's great religions."
"Great book written from a non biased perspective."