Best Selling Books by James Bernard

This fact-filled volume, which reflects the most current scholarship, examines the history of New York State’s government structure from its earliest roots to contemporary leaders. • Topics addressed include early native governments and leadership, an explanation of the separation of powers, levels of state and national government, and what it means to be a good citizen. • Includes the biographic information for notable New York State leaders. • The book is richly formatted with full-color photographs as well as primary source documents that help bring the evolution of New York’s government into the spotlight.

The African Foreign Policy of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger outlines in clear, comprehensive terms the details of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger''s foreign policy toward Africa and how that policy related to other aspects of his global viewpoint. For the first time, editors Hanes Walton, Jr., Robert Louis Stevenson, and James Bernard Rosser bring together a diverse collection of public documents, speeches, and congressional presentations for critical analysis and in-depth discussion. This book presents an intellectual evaluation of governmental sources to determine the kinds of foreign policy proposals and programs that Kissinger developed for the various crises and problems which were under way in Africa. The essays demonstrate how Kissinger used his brand of shuttle diplomacy to set up delicate negotiations to ease the new international tensions and the power-rivalry. The African Foreign Policy of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger offers important insight that will stimulate debate and be a lively read for those interested in international politics and political science.

Although many modern philosophers of law describe custom as merely a minor source of law, formal law is actually only one source of the legal customs that govern us. Many laws grow out of custom, and one measure of a law''s success is by its creation of an enduring legal custom. Yet custom and customary law have long been neglected topics in unsettled jurisprudential debate. Smaller concerns, such as whether customs can be legitimized by practice or by stipulation, stipulated by an authority or by general consent, or dictated by law or vice versa, lead to broader questions of law and custom as alternative or mutually exclusive modes of social regulation, and whether rational reflection in general ought to replace sub-rational prejudice. Can legal rules function without customary usage, and does custom even matter in society? The Philosophy of Customary Law brings greater theoretical clarity to the often murky topic of custom by showing that custom must be analyzed into two more logically basic concepts: convention and habit. James Bernard Murphy explores the nature and significance of custom and customary law, and how conventions relate to habits in the four classic theories of Aristotle, Francisco Suarez, Jeremy Bentham, and James C. Carter. He establishes that customs are conventional habits and habitual conventions, and allows us to better grasp the many roles that custom plays in a legal system by offering a new foundation of understanding for these concepts.

In this first book-length study of positive law, James Bernard Murphy rewrites central chapters in the history of jurisprudence by uncovering a fundamental continuity among four great legal philosophers: Plato, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, and John Austin. In their theories of positive law, Murphy argues, these thinkers represent successive chapters in a single fascinating story. That story revolves around a fundamental ambiguity: is law positive because it is deliberately imposed (as opposed to customary law) or because it lacks moral necessity (as opposed to natural law)? These two senses of positive law are not coextensive yet the discourse of positive law oscillates unstably between them. What, then, is the relation between being deliberately imposed and lacking moral necessity? Murphy demonstrates how the discourse of positive law incorporates both normative and descriptive dimensions of law, and he discusses the relation of positive law not only to jurisprudence but also to the philosophy of language, ethics, theories of social order, and biblical law.

An award-winning ecology writer goes looking for the wilderness we''ve lost, providing an eye-opening account of the true relationship between humans and nature.

The need for protection from uncontrolled fire in California was identified by Abbott Kinney, Chairman of the State Board of Forestry, more than 75 years before the construc-tion of the Riverside Forest Fire Laboratory. With the organization of the USDA Forest Service the need for an effective fire protection organization became apparent. In response, a somewhat fragmented research program got under way in the 19 10''s. Although the research was successful in reducing fire damage undermost conditions, severe fire years still made it clear that a strong cohesive fire research effort, headquartered at an adequate laboratory was necessary. However, the Fire Laboratory did not "just happen." It was the result of considerable organized public and private support. During the 50 years prior to the dedication of the Laboratory, and the 25 years since, there has been an effort to balance a pragmatic approach toward dealing directly with the fire manager, and also maintaining scientific excellence. There are currently six research projects at the Laboratory with emphases on fire management and the beneficial use of fire, forest recreation, effects of air pollution on forest ecosystem, and watershed management

This is the resource book for vegetarian travelers. -- Healing Retreats. This is a terrific and much-needed guidebook that makes traveling easy and worry-free for vegetarians. It lists and rates vegetarian restaurants and also reports on the best places to find produce. -- Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. ... a handy way to eat well on the road... celebrates the pleasures of good and healthful eating.... Frost is an engaging writer, as interested in history as in food. -- Physician''s Travel & Meeting Guide. ... well researched... -- ForeWord magazine. It''s a meaty guidebook for the meatless. -- National Geographic Traveler. Traveling vegetarians no longer have to make do with salads and pastas. -- The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. The full guide covers all of the United States and is the WINNER OF THE LOWELL THOMAS BRONZE AWARD FOR BEST TRAVEL GUIDE, sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. This excerpt, however, focuses on New York & New Jersey, along with several key elements from the larger book. The ultimate tool for mobile vegetarians, vegans and travelers looking for a good, healthy meal. Many restaurants are described, with some featured in great detail and reviewed using a unique rating system. Food stores and markets serving the vegetarian community are also listed, as well as facts and interesting tidbits that health-minded individuals will appreciate. You''ll find everything from hamburger joints with a superb garden burger option to gourmet raw foods restaurants that adhere to strict vegan standards.

Dave Marsh has been an editor and columnist at Creem and Rolling Stone. His books include Born to Run, Behind Blue Eyes: The Story of the Who, Glory Days, and Louie Louie. This virtual Methusaleh of rock critics currently serves as a music critic at Playboy and as editor of Rock and Rap Confidential.

''A wonderful introduction to history''s most influential scribblers'' – Steven Pinker What is truly at stake in politics? Nothing less than how we should live, as individuals and as communities. This book goes beyond the surface headlines, the fake news and the hysteria to explore the timeless questions posed and answers offered by a diverse group of the 30 greatest political thinkers who have ever lived. Are we political, economic, or religious animals? Should we live in small city-states, nations, or multinational empires? What values should politics promote? Should wealth be owned privately or in common? Do animals also have rights? There is no idea too radical for this global assortment of thinkers, which includes: Confucius; Plato; Augustine; Machiavelli; Burke; Wollstonecraft; Marx; Nietzsche; Gandhi; Qutb; Arendt; Nussbaum, Naess and Rawls. In each brief chapter, the authors paint a vivid portrait of these often prescient, always compelling political thinkers, showing how their ideas grew out of their own dramatic lives and times and evolved beyond them. Now more than ever we need to be reminded that politics can be a noble, inspiring and civilising art. And if we want to understand today''s political world, we need to understand the foundations of politics and its architects. This is the perfect guide to both.

Adhering to the most current research, this book shows the years after the American Revolution when New York underwent a period of growth. • This engaging book provides information on the events that made New York such an invaluable part of the United States. • Discusses many influential writers, inventors, and leaders who provided valuable contributions to the growing state and newly formed country. • Text is supported by primary sources and images from the period, as well as maps.

Founded on the most up-to-date research on New York State history, this volume addresses the diverse peoples and cultures who call New York home. • From the first Native Americans to the immigrants of today, this book delves into the history of immigration in New York State and the different cultures that have helped shape the state. • Thoughtful text is supplemented by primary source documents and photographs that show New York in the past and as it is today.