Amazon.com
This is a libertarianist anthology of (mostly) original stories that, depending on your tastes, can be too narrowly focused or wonderfully concentrated. The "Free Space" in the title is just that: a loose federation of space habitats that has no central government. Free enterprise rules, and the editors let 20 authors ranging from William F. Buckley Jr. to William F. Wu have their way with it. The result is mixed, but on the whole successful, and it definitely makes for interesting reading. Several of the writers are winners of the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Award.Book Description
These are stories of the men and women of this new Free Space era, visions of adventure, social speculations, and downright arguments about freedom and responsibility. Free Space fiction, from Hugo and Nebula Award winners such as Poul Anderson, Gregory Benford, and Robert J. Sawyer, and particularly from winners of the Prometheus Award of the Libertarian Futurist Society, such as Victor Koman, Daffyd ab Hugh, and L. Neil Smith. Free Space is a big, rich, varied compendium of politically-engaged science fiction adventure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Free SF Reader
This anthology shows that good libertarian SF stories written by Prometheus award winners are pretty thin on the ground. A very ordinary collection. Don't get it unless you are super-keen on the theme.

Free Space : Crisis in Space - William F. Buckley Jr.
Free Space : Nerfworld - Dafydd ab Hugh
Free Space : Day of Atonement - J. Neil Schulman
Free Space : No Market for Justice - Brad Linaweaver
Free Space : Kwan Tingui - William F. Wu
Free Space : Madam Butterfly - James P. Hogan
Free Space : Early Bird - Gregory Benford
Free Space : Tyranny - Poul Anderson
Free Space : The Killing of Davis-Davis - Peter Crowther
Free Space : Demokratus - Victor Koman
Free Space : The Hand You're Dealt - Robert J. Sawyer
Free Space : If Pigs Had Wings - William Alan Ritch
Free Space : A Matter of Certainty - L. Neil Smith
Free Space : Planet in the Balance - John DeChancie
Free Space : The Performance of a Lifetime - Arthur Byron Cover
Free Space : The Last Holosong of Christopher Lightning - Jared Lobdell
Free Space : Between Shepherds and Kings - John Barnes


Soyuz defection

3 out of 5


Laser launch job.

3.5 out of 5


Jewish Liberation hologram revelation.

3.5 out of 5


Departure diatribe.

2 out of 5


Family explanation.

2.5 out of 5


Asteroid bootleggers blinded.

3 out of 5


Repayment refly refry risk.

4 out of 5


Freedom infiltration.

3 out of 5


Bridge redeal time.

3 out of 5


Groundhog day vote.

4 out of 5


Copshop finds incest foretold.

3.5 out of 5


Reading escape.

3 out of 5


War reasons.

2.5 out of 5


Terraforming, nanoforming, don't think so.

3 out of 5


Disease execution.

3 out of 5


Ship war.

2 out of 5


Writing problems.

3 out of 5

Not just a book of libertarian stories...
This is a book of some of the BEST Sci-Fi stories ever.With such authors as Poul Anderson, James P. Hogan, Ray Bradbury, Gregory Benford, L. Neil Smith and Dafydd ab Hugh you can't lose.The stories don't just focus on freedoms and rights, but also deal with time travel, murder and some are in the form of poems.So, come, visit Free Space and enjoy the future of mankind.Just make sure to leave your hang-ups behind and bring lots of money!

Thanks for holding out!
This book combines two things I really love:short stories and science fiction...with an added bonus - libertarian themes!Stephen King once said that if novels are like long romances, then short stories are like a briefkiss.'Free Space' gives you tongue. ... Read more

Product Description
This CD contains the complete set of Calvin's Commentaries and Matthew Henry's Commentaries on the Whole Bible, unabridged. In addition, it contains Barnes' Notes on the New Testament and several other one-volume commentaries on New Testament books. A complete list of contents is available. This CD is the perfect tool for in-depth study of a Bible passage with these commentaries. Not only will it save you hundreds of dollars over the purchase of the included books, it will also save you time and several feet of shelf space!

Contents
Bible translations: NRSV, KJV

Barnes, Albert
Notes on the New Testament (unabridged, 11 vols.)
Berkhof, Louis
Introduction to the New Testament
Bullinger, E.W.
Commentary on Revelation
Calvin, John
Commentaries (unabridged, 45 vols.)
Chadwick, G.A.
Gospel of St. Mark
Henry, Matthew
Commentary on the Whole Bible (unabridged, 6 vols.)
Johnson, B.W.
The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John
The People's New Testament
Leupold, H.C.
Exposition of Genesis
Lightfoot, John
From the Talmud and Hebraica
McGarvey, J.W.
The Four-Fold Gospel
A Commentary on Acts of Apostles
Moffat, James
The General Epistles: James, Peter, and Judas
Nave, Orville J.
Nave's Topical Bible
Newell, William R.
Romans Verse-by-Verse
Ramsay, W.M.
The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of stories from a master of modern sf, this volume will include a number of original stories alongside stories which have appeared in Asimov's and Amazing magazines but have never before appeared in book form.All the stories are hard sf or intelligent future extrapolation.Several of the published stories have received Nebula nominations and were published between 1987 and 1990. Barnes describes some of the stories as predictions for the end of the world - hence apocalypses - and others as apostrophes, speeches addressed to a non-existent being or to something which cannot understand speech.All are genre expanding, intriguing and thoroughly entertaining. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of John (Allen) Barnes, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3292 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
The sequel to A Million Open Doors and Earth Made of GlassSpecial agent Giraut Leones, betrayed by his superior and closest friend, swore he would never work for the Office of Special Projects again--but now he must. A new movement on Earth seeks to use the recorded personalities of the dead as helpless virtual reality playthings, and to the worlds of the Thousand Cultures--where the reborn are accepted as normal citizens--it's a monstrous crime. If Giraut cannot stop Earth from ratifying its plans, the tenuous structure of interstellar human civilization will collapse.Complicating matters, Giraut's brain now hosts a second consciousness-the revived mind of his long-dead friend Raimbaut. Together, Giraut and Raimbaut must confront their shared past while struggling with a deadly present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Weakest entry, but necessary setup
I read this book some time ago, and didn't write a review because existing reviews already covered this book's flaws well enough - Half the book is vignettes about Giraut's youth, largely unrelated to the plot, which is pretty weak this time around.But now the sequel is out, Armies of Memory.Having read that, I can tell you that what plot there is in Merchants is a direct setup to events in Armies, so don't skip this one - it will ultimately be well worth the read.

Very weak entry in the series
This is the third in the series, and the weakest entry so far. It begins immediately after the end of the second book, with the OSP having to deal with the political ramifications accompanying the shocking loss of an entire world, and with Giraut having to deal with being used by his friend and boss, Shan -- although Giraut seems to react pretty emotionally for an intelligence agent. In fact, only the last third of the book contains any amount of action or plot. The first two-thirds is divided between back-story -- how Giraut acquired his close group of friends in boarding school, plus a series of isolated anecdotes (mostly involving his wife, Margaret) set in the decade between the first and second books -- and a deep psychological dissection of what it's like to have a dead friend's personality living in the back of your brain for a couple of years while his cloned body is grown and made ready for his reoccupation. Barnes also uses the rather thin ostensible plot -- protecting these "canned" personalities from commercial exploitation for entertainment purposes -- as an excuse to explore Earth's own society, and to show that it's just as bizarre as any frontier world in human-occupied space. While all this is fascinating in itself, it doesn't make for much of a story. And when the real action begins, with a very public assassination, the plot that unfolds turns out to have had nothing whatever to do with anything we were told earlier in the book. Talk about left field!

Another Noble Barnes Effort
Another wonderful read by John Barnes.His books are always enjoyable and fun to read and never take themselves too seriously. ... it was quite good and told an interesting story, although I will say the ending was a little too silly for me.Don't read this book without first having read, "A Million Open Doors" and "Earth Made of Glass", in that order.These books introduce us to the world of the 1000 Cultures and Giraut Leones, the first person protagonist of all the novels.They are also enjoyable stories, set in a very believable futuristic world.

Anyone who doubts Barnes "predictions" for Earth 900 years from now, just has to watch a kid play X Box or talk to those people who live in their role playing computer worlds.Barnes just takes this desire of people to want to live in a fantasy world to its logical conclusions.I enjoyed this book very much and can't wait for the next one in the series.

A very human story
Unlike the other reviewers of this book, I found the obviously deeply personal involvement in the plot of this book to parallel the attitudes and observations of our hero, Giraut.There is a deep synergy, to me, between the writing style, the character's emotions, and the plot of the book.Very different from the first book of the series and similar in style to the second, I was amazed at the depth and clarity provided by the dual personalities in the main character and the time spent reviewing what made the protagonist who he was.Certainly not typical sci-fi, it may be hard-to-swallow for a person looking for futuristic adventure.As existential fiction, however, it seemed right-on.

Inane, thin and predictable
John Barnes can do better. Rambling plot threads, links to concepts in previous books not explained for a new reader to this series. I was unable to connect to the characters, and thus finally gave up at page 200 (out of 400) after many attempts to pick it up again, threw on the fire. Sorry John ... Read more

Amazon.com
Art Held Hostage reveals the messy inside story about the most infamous world-class art museum that you've probably never heard of.The saga begins with the life and times of Albert C. Barnes, a Philadelphia business magnet who, after making his fortune during the Depression, becomes one of America's most important collectors of impressionist and post-impressionist art.The collection includes famed paintings by such luminaries as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, and Renoir. Barnes became well known for his harsh personality and instigated a problematic invitation-only policy to his museum, located in a Philadelphia suburb. Strangely, even after Barnes' death the museum continued to become embroiled in financial, legal, and community disputes.The story gets uglier during the 1990s with a series of lawsuits for the foundation's high-profile president, including a racial discrimination suit and eventually near-bankruptcy for the collection. Author John C. Anderson, a contributing editor of The American Lawyer magazine, spares no cynical detail in his investigation into this truly American tale of power, litigiousness, and boardroom antics. This is a book for those interested in the dark underbelly of the business side of the art world. -- J.P. CohenBook Description
The battle for control of America's greatest private art collection.

This is the story of how a fabled art foundation in a wealthy Main Line suburb of Philadelphia became captive to the roiling ethnic, racial, cultural, and political crosscurrents of a great American city.

The Barnes Foundation is home to the world's most important postimpressionist art collection (including more Cézannes than all of the museums of Paris combined). So rich is the collection that it is valued at more than $6 billion, yet today the Barnes is virtually broke. Its fate has been shaped by two men: Albert C. Barnes, who emerged from the Philadelphia slums to become a turn-of-the-century patent medicine king, and Richard Glanton, who escaped poverty in Georgia to become a wealthy and influential lawyer. Born almost a century apart, the two men stamped their distinct personalities on the foundation: Barnes as its iconoclastic founder, Glanton as its president during the turbulent decade of the nineties. 16 pages of illustrations, including color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Art as Pawn
...One of the most telling, not to mention amusing, lines in Art Held Hostage is uttered by Richard Glanton, the Barnes Foundation's former president and the litigious centerpiece of John Anderson's story.In an indignant letter to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Glanton wrote:"If you intend to do what you have done in the past, endeavoring to besmirch my reputation and cast doubts and innuendoes about my leadership, you shall be held to the same standard you are held to when you write about other cultural institutions in Philadelphia."Glanton, neither an artist nor art professional, may have fancied himself a "cultural institution" - he once even said "I was the Barnes Foundation" - but he was hardly that.As even the snippet above reveals, Glanton, a lawyer, comes across as a bully, an egomaniac, a conniver, and a shameless self-promoter - someone charming to his friends and dangerous to his enemies.It is not even clear he was especially interested in art.But in John Anderson's detailed and engrossing account, Glanton, who also described himself as "the best politician you'll ever meet," was interested in power, and the Barnes as a means to that end.As Glanton himself stated when asked what the politicking at the Barnes was really about:"About who controls four-and-a-half billion dollars worth of art."

That, indeed, is the story of the Barnes even today, in the wake of Richard Glanton's departure:who will control the art, and where will it reside.While all this makes for terrific reading, it is also sad that some of the world's greatest art should become a pawn in what is, at bottom, a petty power struggle.

A Fascinating Read about An Amazing Collection
Anyone familiar with the Barnes Museum knows the inherent irony of the collection - some of the greatest works of art housed in what amounts to a converted residence, with no logic to the pattern of display other than a sheer "wow" factor over seeing Cezannes, Matisses and other masters shown matter-of-factly. This priceless assemblege, and the battles that have been waged over its ownership and rights of management make for one terrificly enjoyable read.
Outside of the art world, few people even knew of the Barnes's collection until the latter part of last century, when battles, both in court and in the news blew its cover. Struggling financially, and with management consisting of (overwhelmingly) less than capable minds, the foundation which owns and manages the collection approached bankruptcy and battles began over a touring show of the pieces. The very ugly underbelly of this battle made headline news for months, and spilled over into relations with neighbors of the museum, Philadelphia area politicians, art students and lovers, and the wishes of a very private man who appreciated art, but underappreciated the legacy he bequeathed a small minoirty college in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
John Anderson does a great job profiling the players in the battle (his take on Richard Glanton, a lawyer with political aspirations who was a key player in the battle) is dead on. Often times, the characters in this true story seem larger than the paintings and legacy they are battling over - Anderson gives the various egos at work here more than enough room, which makes the book both entertaining, and troubling (particularly when the reader considers that these people are battling over one of a kind masterpieces).
Its hard to imagine an art collection, a minority college, a strong willed educator and a power hungry lawyer, in a buccolic rural setting could make for such a great stroy - its a tribute to Anderson's writing skills that he captures the intensity of the parties, and their absolute believe in their position in the many legal battles that accompained the Barnes collection in such a breathtaking passion.
The collection is back in court again these days, and the emerging details (undisclosed audits, suburban vs. city politicians...) make clear that sequel material is being developed to this day - I hope Anderson is sitting in the courtroom and editing his notes nightly. ... Read more