Corbin Reviews

Since 1933, the Eranos Conferences have gathered the world's leading scholars of religion and mythology. This set consists of Joseph Campbell's selections of the best papers from that conference. This is Volume 2, "The Mysteries". The fourteen papers include: Paul Masson-Oursel, "The Indian Theories of Redemption in the Frame of the Religions of Salvation" and "The Doctrine of Grace in the Religious Thought of India"; Walter F. Otto, "The Meaning of the Eleusinian Mysteries"; Carl Kerényi, "The Mysteries of the Kabeiroi"; Walter Wili, "The Orphic Mysteries and the Greek Spirit"; Paul Schmitt, "The Ancient Mysteries in the Society of Their Time, Their Transformation and Most Recent Echoes"; Georges Nagel, "The 'Mysteries' of Osiris in Ancient Egypt"; Jean de Manasce, "The Mysteries and the Religion of Iran"; Fritz Meier, "The Mystery of the Ka'ba: Symbol and Reality in Islamic Mysticism"; Max Pulver, "Jesus' Round Dance and Crucifixion According to the Acts of St. John"; Hans Leisegang, "The Mystery of the Serpent"; Julius Baum, "Symbolic Representations of the Eucharist"; Carl Jung, "Transformation Symbolism in the Mass"; and Hugo Rahner, "The Christian Mystery and the Pagan Mysteries."

Since 1933, the Eranos Conferences have gathered the world's leading scholars of religion and mythology. This set consists of Joseph Campbell's selections of the best papers from that conference. This is Volume 4, "Spiritual Disciplines". The twelve papers include: Heinrich Zimmer, "On the Significance of the Indian Tantric Yoga"; Erwin Rouselle, "Spiritual Guidance in Contemporary Taoism"; Theodor-Wilhelm Danzel, "The Psychology of Ancient Mexican Symbolism"; John Laynard, "The Malekulan Journey of the Dead"; Carl Kerényi, "Man and Mask"; Martin Buber, "Symbolic and Sacramental Existence in Judaism"; Friedrich Heiler, "Contemplation in Christian Mysticism"; Maw Pulver, "The Experience of Light in the Gospel of St. John, in the 'Corpus hermeticum', in Gnosticism, and the Eastern Church"; Fritz Meier, "The Spiritual Man in the Persian Poet Attar"; Rudolf Bernoulli, "Spiritual Development as Reflected in Alchemy and Related Disciplines"; Carl Jung, "Dream Symbols of the Individual Process"; and M. C. Cammerloher, "The Position of Art in the Psychology of Our Time".

Since 1933, the Eranos Conferences have gathered the world's leading scholars of religion and mythology. This set consists of Joseph Campbell's selections of the best papers from that conference. This is Volume 3, "Man and Time". The twelve papers include: Erich Neumann, "Art and Time"; Henri-Charles Puech, "Gnosis and Time"; Gilles Quispel, "Time and History in Patristic Christianity"; Louis Massignon, "Time in Islamic Thought"; Henry Corbin, "Cyclical Time in Mazdaism and Ismailism"; Mircea Eliade, "Time and Eternity in Indian Thought"; Carl Jung, "On Synchronicity"; Hellmut Wilhelm, "The Concept of Time in the Book of Changes"; Helmuth Plessner, "On the Relation of Time to Death"; Max Knoll, "Transformations of Science in Our Age"; Adolf Portmann, "Time in the Life of the Organism"; and G. van der Leeuw, "Primordial Time and Final Time."

Russian banking is 'inventing' a new Russian social process for individual and small group entrepreneurial pioneering and providing people with new pathways for economic growth. Every decisive step in the history of economic development ha been the result of deliberate decisions to open up space and enable people to pioneer. This deliberate incubation of the free enterprise of ordinary people has always worked to produce great results. This is not nostalgic, not romantic, not greed. It is the simple principle of applying "opportunity" to the great driving hunger of millions of people to transcend their inadequate past

A far better description of the actual situation in Russia than what is available in the U.S. or Russian Press, or other alternative sources. Opened my eyes to what I should be aware of.

I found this book provided a clear description of possibilities for collaboration and cooperation with Banks in America. Our methods and practices differ but Dr. van de Waal-Palms explains the common denominators.

I read this book in the early 90's and it still remains one of the best books I have read! It is a shame that this book is out of print and did not do better when first published. The story is so interesting and character development was done with such skill and finesse. Unlike a lot books I have read lately, my interest in the story and characters never waned. It took me a few months to finish the last few pages because I didn't want the story to end.

The book was very hard to put down, and more interesting than any tv show could ever be. It wasn't one of those types of books that was slow in the begining, interestings in the middle, but then ends in a way that doesn't make sense. This book is interesting from front to cover.

I found this book in a relatives book collection and now I refuse to return it. This is the first and only book that I have been able to read more than once and I can honestly say that I am anxious for a sequel.

A BOOK SUCH AS This One is very important.it's ashame the way History is Taught at Many Schools especially when it comes To Black History Month? a Book Such as this Reflects Strong Contributions by Many NEGROES.it's a Must.Very Informative.

This book is filled with information about African-Americans and their accomplishments that every person should know. Do you know which U.S. President established the Office of Minority Affairs? Who was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D.? What state east of the Mississippi was the first to give African-American women the right to vote, in 1913? These are just some of the questions you'll find in this volume. I especially liked having each set of answers on the same page as the questions. The author also includes a helpful bibliography for further study. Highly Recommended.

Outstanding in the way it is put together. Must reading in general for all African-Americans and specifically younger African-Americans. Excellent job, way to go!!

Corbin's Fancy is about another of the great Corbin son's. With Miller's usual Humor, romance and intrigue this story will be one of your favorites for years to come.

Corbin's Fancy is the second book in the Corbin series and I loved it. I really liked Jeff in Banner O'Brien and even though I gor really mad at him at times in this one, I still love him. Fancy is a delight and totally turns the Sea Captain's world upside down! She is just what he needed to help him get over Banner and I almost cried when he realizes he truly loves Fancy and....her big white rabbit and the dress with the stars on it. Read it!

If you like Linda Lael Miller and even if you didn't like "Banner O'Brien" you'll absolutly love this book! It's sweet, sensitive and it'll make you cry. Jeff is such a manly man, but has a sensitives side that women long for. Fancy is so sweet and you just want her to get everything she needs. The book is wonderfully humorous! A must read!

Resume writing is a daunting task I've hated for years. Determined to make this a positive experience by tackling the task in new and creative ways, I spent one and a half hours looking through dozens of books on the subject. I chose this one first. But, not until I had looked through dozens more did I come back to THE EDGE and sit down to take a cautious look at its content. At first glance, this is a book packaged to sell and, afraid of "hype-stuff," that made me not trust it initially. (It includes inserts of four-color resumes on real stock inside that, later, I came to find extremely useful.)The authors of the book practice what they preach.

I read THE EDGE in its entirety in one sitting, and discovered that after 22 years of being in the job market there were still a few things I didn't know. I reccommend it highly. Even if you find THE EDGE a bit extreme, the strategies presented in it are practical and relevant to today's job market. (One small section includes tips on scannable and electronic resumes. An extensive appendix includes worksheets you can photocopy.) You can aim between THE EDGE ideas and conventional ones, and still come out ahead.

Creative resume-writing is often the only thing that gets an applicant noticed. This book is a creative resume writing almanac! Authors Corbin and Wright show hundreds of creative resume examples that can be adapted to almost any situation. Creative use of graphics, icons, and paper create a visual image that is sure to resonate with the hiring authority. Especially great for lawyers, teachers, tech jobs, and professionals.

This book helped me out so much I couldnt even fit in this box. But the ideas that suggestions that they make are priceless!

Gone are the days of ploughing through endless brochures and guides in order to plan a holiday to Barbados. This wonderful CD includes everything the holiday-maker ever wanted to know about the island - from background information, attractions, history and culture to hotels, villas, restaurants, car hire, shopping and sports. And it's so easy to use - its intuitive search facility enables you to find out exactly what you need to know at the click of a mouse.

Moreover, the video clips enable you to literally take a step inside the hotel rooms you are considering, and you feel you're on holiday before you even get here thanks to the steel pan music in the background.

A frequent visitor to Barbados, I thought I knew all there was to know. But the beauty and accuracy of this CD still stunned me.

When planning our trip to Barbados, and having never vacationed on the island before, we wanted to find an all encompassing travel guide to help in our decision making. Much to our delight, we found Gateway to Barbados. Instantly we were wisked off to the island via the exceptional video footage, still images and the traditional Caribbean steel pan background music. The Hotel and Villa sections are incredibly comprehensive, and gave us an excellent idea of where exactly we wanted to stay during our vacation. We decided on a lovely Villa on the West Coast of the island, and were delighted to find that the Villa was every bit as beautiful as portrayed. The guide was invaluable when planning our activities and picking restaurants. This is the first time we were able to find such a comprehensive guide to aid us in our holiday planning. Gateway to Barbados is 100 travel guides in one. If your planning to visit the island, than Gateway to Barbados should be your first stop.

Having been to Barbados several times, I was quite skeptical of my need for a travel guide when a friend loaned me her copy of the CD-ROM Gateway to Barbados. Immediately I fell in love with it. The steel pan music put me in the holiday mode before I left home. I found the section on the Villas of particular interest. There are movie clips of about 100 privately owned luxury villas that you can rent. I had no idea how beautiful many of the island homes were. The guide showed us through the hotel we had booked to stay in, a far more accurate representation than just a photograph. The section on sights was also useful to us. We were able to plan ahead the things we wanted to do. Not once were we disappointed in the information we got from Gateway to Barbados. I wish more travel guides were as much fun to use. I would recommend this to anyone planning a holiday in Barbados and even for those who aren't. Everything is covered, from airlines and car rentals to festivals, restaurants, hotels and anything a tourist could want to know about. Now that we are back from our vacation we use it to show friends where we were and what we did!

     Windows 98 is alive and doing quite well despite government and competitor attempts to block its full implementation. It is standard on new computers systems worldwide and its impact has been breathtaking. Although a number of books have been written on this new operating system to help users, several standout as being among the better ones available. The Windows 98 Bible written by Fred Davis and Kip Crosby is one of them. This single book offers one of the most detailed examinations of Windows 98 on the market.      This comprehensive guide will provide readers with in-depth understanding of desktop controls, including the start menu, fonts and font use, display settings, multitasking, the use of pointing devices, installing software programs, installation and use of printers and other hardware devices, multimedia tools, system tools, network operation, the use of other languages, and upgrading computers. Readers will learn how to use Internet Explorer and Outlook Express included with the operating system.     The authors provide readers with an explanation of the improvements and advance features of this new operating system that will greatly enhance their computing experience. The most useful features of this book in my estimation are the coverage of desktop interfacing with the Internet, multitasking among programs, and file management that are so important for business use today.     Another feature of this book that will appeal to more advanced users is the coverage of the Registry, the file database that stores all the information about one's computer, installed hardware, and software programs. While most users will not require immediate information about this important system feature, it is available at hands' reach when such times may arise!     As readers make their way through this nearly 1,000 page book they will gain more than adequate knowledge about Windows 98. In fact, companies that depend upon this operating system will do well to read up on it and familiarize themselves with what it can accomplish for them. This friendly book, laced with wit and wisdom, offers loads of helpful instruction, some in the form of tips, tricks, and tweaks, to make the most productive use of it. This book is highly recommended for intermediate and advanced users!     Best quote from the book: "What's this Windows 98 thing?!" It's what Windows 3.x never could have been. It's what Windows 95 always should have been. It's what will come pre-installed on your next computer. And because Windows 98 is all those things, it's also what we wrote this book about. We hope you like it. - from the foreword

What an enjoyable read is this book! Most books on such technical subjects are mostly re-telling what can be found in the manual or on-line help. This book really takes you inside Microsoft's operating system and pulls no punches while offering both praise and criticism of everything from Microsoft's attitudes to its system tools. Along the way, details emerge that I haven't found in any other source including a wonderful glossary called "Microsoft's Networking Vocabulary" that offers even a breakdown of what T1 stands for, not just the speed it represents. It's the attention to the details that sets this book apart from the rest. I can't imagine a better resource to have; why the index alone (almost 40 pages) is worth the price of the book!

I run a small business and I depend on computers every day - but that doesn't mean I know everything about them. The Windows 98 Bible was written for people like me, especially because Microsoft doesn't bother to write manuals any more. I guess it would cost them too much :-).

EVERYTHING about Windows 98 is in this book, and it's clear, logical, easy to read, and sometimes even funny. Unlike some of the Windows books I've read, it's not entirely pro-Microsoft, but Microsoft will like it anyway, because it will convince people to upgrade from Windows 95. It's convinced me; I'm going to upgrade as soon as I can buy the software.

If your passionate about learning the law of contracts or simply want to have a secondary legal resource for contracts at your finger-tips - this is the book. Very well-written, but very long, this book has been a valuable resource and guide for me.

This is the seminal multi-volume work reduced to a single volume. As all law students know, Corbin is one of the great masters of contract law; his multi-volumn work is often quoted by courts. This single volume is an excellent overview of the concepts embodied in his expanded treatise. Practicioners beware, the single volume omits entire sections of the multi-volume work, and leaves out virtually all of the case citations and footnotes so important for writing legal documents. All in all the single volume is a good quick reference, but you will need the multi-volume work for the more in-depth treatment required for everyday legal work.

Carolyn Corbin's: Great Leaders see the Future First: Taking Your Organization to the Top in Five Revolutionary Steps, balances practical how-tos (in just about every paragraph) with great stories. Her bottom line: if you don't change from being what she calls a Level 1 leader (reactionary, always busy, focus on gathering & analyzing information, sacrifice innovation to pursue continuous improvement) you will be obsolete by 2010! To survive you must be moving to Corbin's Level 2 (strategizing, focusing on the whole person, leading at warp speed, improve through innovation).

Most of the book covers a quick way for moving from a level 1 to a level 2 leader by applying the following 5 steps:

1) Orchestrate a 360 degree worldview (use strategies to be "tossed" high in the air to see 5, 10, 25 years into the future)

2) Order the chaos (by controlling it)

3) Use a blend multiple organizational models (like for-profits, nonprofits, universities, military, religious institutions - because one will not longer do)

4) Engage the whole person (meet employee's physical and spiritual needs like day care, elder care, and providing work-place Chaplains)

5) Ignite innovation (via creativity, remove inhibitors, add humor)

You might think that 214 pages would go fast. But the book had an uncanny ability of slowing me down as I focused on my own style of leadership, my own organization's shortcomings. Every page is packed with something to move the reader from Level 1 to Level 2. For example, in the chapter 6 on "The Role of the 21st Century Leader" ideas included crafting an organizational mission statement in 10 (5 is preferable) key words, really listen to workers and act on their requests, understand other cultures, and move from a 20th century leader to a 21st century leader by changing from being:

boss --> coach
authoritarian --> participatory
tough --> tough and tender
informs --> listens
status from position --> status from working harder

Late in the book Corbin asks the reader to spend time going through two self-assessment exercise: 1) exploring your soul and 2) assessing your preferences and core competencies. My only critique of the work is the lack of more of these kinds of reflective exercises earlier in the book.

Although Great Leaders may not be as holistic as Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which deals more deeply with all aspects of one's personal, business and professional life, I do recommend it for any leader who influences the future of their organization. I recommended it to two of our Human Resources personnel after they gave a "How to Managing Our Institution's Way" seminar.

Dave Harmeyer
Pepperdine University doctoral student (Ed.D. Educational Technology)

This is the most thought-provoking book on leadership I have read in some time, and it makes a nice connection to the need to lead differently in the face of powerful, irresistible forces that are becoming stronger. The book offers many diagnostics to give you a sense of where and how you might become more effective. Having diagnosed where you need to improve, you will probably have to rely on other books to get you the details you need to make large improvements.

Ms. Corbin's focus is on "great leaders -- those special individuals who have ethical character, care about their followers, and have the courage to lead them into a positive future." She also says that the purpose of the book is "becoming a great leader under a new set of global rules."

Ms. Corbin heads a think tank called the Center for the 21st Century, and she draws on a lot of forecasts to describe important issues for the new century in terms of trends: more freedom, faster transportation, progressive world peace, advancing technology, increasing capitalism, growing world business trade, and more understanding of diversity. These trends will coalesce into four Dyna (her word) forces on the organization of the future: globalization; marketization (market forces determining resource allocations rather than governments); informatization (knowledge from data); and democratization.

The author reports having been very accurate with her forecasts over the last 15 years, so we should probably take her seriously. I have no ability to forecast the future in a similar way, and believe it cannot be forecast so accurately; but I leave it up to you to decide about her forecasts.

Basically, she is calling for a convergence of forces in a way that will make organizations uncomfortable places for many to work. She sees leadership as being the answer. "Leaders determine whether an organization succeeds or fails." This will require a new model of leader who is more of a strategist, innovator, seer, speeder-upper, and user of new technologies in a more free form environment with mostly project workers involved.

I thought that the book was more of a visionary statement of the ideal, rather than a guide that leaders will specifically follow. For example, it seems to me that a leader could succeed either by creating an environment where these things occur or by actually being the doer who makes them happen. I suspect that the former role will be more prevalent and easier to do. There was not a lot of guidance on the details of what to do. The direction was at about the 40,000 foot level above sea level. That is a good place to see the big picture, but it is hard to connect the dots if you are a leader.

My own work on irresitible forces suggests that the world she portrays is a little too simplified to be helpful for any given organization, yet these are certainly forces that everyone should consider and use to their advantage.

On leadership, my own research shows that the most successful current leaders focus on 2 or 3 roles that are more important to their organization's success than any others, and do those superbly. Perhaps in time, people will be able to do more, but I would be surprised to see widespread expansion of capabilities of leaders occurring very rapidly. I agree with the author that there is more hope in creating free-flowing organizational structures and encouraging everyone in the organization to take on more of their own leadership.

Use your irresistible forces to create chaos for your competitors' organizations by shifting the rules!

The title of this book should not be taken literally. What Corbin correctly suggests is that the most effective leaders are those who recognize, sooner than anyone else does, certain indicators of what often become emerging trends and perhaps even a new industry. Stated another way, they see the possible (perhaps probable) implications and consequences of events occurring now. I am reminded of countless such situations when someone (later characterized as a "visionary") said something like this: "If we can figure out how to pressurize the cabin, an airplane can transport people as well as cargo." Thus is how entirely new industries are developed. Corbin's book is about "becoming a great leader under a new set of global rules....Organizations are recognizing the value in looking ahead. Scanning the horizon for various internal and external trends, global changes, economic booms and busts, and demographic peaks and valleys is part of the regular routine in many enterprises." At least ideally, these organizations develop leadership at all levels, creating what Tichy characterizes as a "leadership engine."

Corbin's objective is to help her reader take her or his organization "to the top in five revolutionary steps." In the first chapter, she provides (Figure 1.1) a "Leadership Level Evaluation Exercise" which poses 22 questions. The respondent is thus able to calculate her or his score and thereby determine at which of two levels of leadership she or he is at the moment. Corbin then shifts her attention to the five "revolutionary steps" to which the book's subtitle refers. They are:

1. Orchestrate a 360 Degree Worldview (Chapters 1-3)

2. Order the Chaos (Chapters 4-6)

3. Blend Multiple Organizational Models (Chapters 7-9)

4. Engage the Whole Person (Chapter 10)

5. Ignite Innovation (Chapter 11)

Each of these steps is explained and then developed in detail. It is important to note that Corbin contrasts dominant characterizes of Level 1 and Level 2 leaders. For example, L1's react, emphasize hard skills, gather information, and manage positions whereas L2's strategize, focus on the whole person, lead at warp speed, and manage people flow. You get the idea. My own experience suggests that what Corbin calls a Level 1 leader is a believer and involved whereas a Level 2 leader is a zealot or evangelist and engaged. I urge you to check out a book which is entirely devoted to Level 2 leaders. Its title is Radicals and Visionaries, written by Thaddeus Wawro and now available in a paperback edition.

One of the book's most valuable chapters is the last, "Trumping the Competition", in which Corbin suggests that the Organizational Chaos Model (Figure 4.1) can help an organization to overcome its competition. "The goal is for your organization to change the rules, structure, and speed of its industry so that your competitors are thrown into chaos....The idea is to confuse the enemy. While the opponent is digging out of the confusion, the organization in the offensive position seizes the dominant position." She lists and then briefly discusses "The Nine Factors of Innovation" which can help to achieve such dominance, in process providing analyses of various industries to illustrate her key points. She concludes with a call to action, urging her reader to "execute boldly, step forward courageously, and lead responsibly as if your organization's prosperity depends on it -- because it does." I join her in wishing "Godspeed, great leader."