Distribution Books

This is a fantastic book of all you ever wanted to know about weeds! I am sure that the editorial information already written tells you far more about the specs of the book than I would ever wish to type. Weeds are so diverse, and there is so much to know---what exactly IS a weed? This book is fantastic for its huge amount of important minutae and its vast amount of time devoted to research. Fascinating, so fascinating. There is so much important info here on all kinds of plants.

if anyone's listening,grab this up.we don't know what becomes a Crass rarity but a pamphlets a good bet.A Political pamphlet from Pacifists Crass,as gooD as their recOrded material I'm sure.Just get This,don't regret this..

A friend got me into this band, and since then, there's never been a day that they haven't graced my playlist. This is quality! Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer introduced me to the power-pop genre. I hadn't even heard of it until I heard of them; which, to me, makes them the precedent against which all other power-pop bands will be viewed.

The bad news is... I don't think any of the other bands stand a chance...

This book greatly improved my knowledge of North American glaciation and how glaciation affected the distribution of fishes. I especially enjoyed the way the chapters of the book are divided by drainages. This book is very informative and a must for those who are trying to explain the distribution of certain fishes in North America

More of a mystery than some of the others, as entertaining as the rest. A must read for anyone who wants to know the whole story (movies are great fun, but the books are the backbone of the tale).

This is so far in my opinion the best Harry Potter book, together with the number 3, after the rumbles that the fifth one was, it was really refreshing to see a Harry more focused and centered, the history goes with no annoying moments, and it was one of the quickest to read so far.

OK, more in detail then:
The conflicts between the characters remain, which is great, the bad characters begin to give light that there is something else in them besides the urge to be opposite of being good, an common error in children's books these days, the duality good vs evil, in this book, you see persons with no choice having to do wrong, despite their wishes, a knowledge much harder to grasp for 11-years old, a book for the fans that kept growing.
I haven't read the 7 yet, and am going to keep it at bay for some time, but must say that the ending is really forcing me to find out how the seventh one starts.

Bottom Line:

Great Book, between the 2 best of the Series, great history, great ending, prepare for something shocking, Harry much more mature, Just the title, that has some connection to the book, but to me felt more like the name of a Chapter of instead the name of the book, but go wonder. In the end it certainly made more sense, but still, not enough.

Enjoy a great read.

Nothing I can say more that hasn't been said alrady. Highly recommend. A must read in the series.

Finally, a book devoted to everyone's favorite bad guy.
Severus does not disappoint in this book.
Another knock out punch from J.K., The Half Blood Prince, has everything we've come to love about the Potter books.
An amazing story, action, and drama to the extreme, "Prince" doesn't let go until the last page.
Yet another brilliant page turner from Rowling and one of the finest in the series.
Highly recommended.

Slow, slow, slow........That's what this book is, If it hadn't been next in line, I probably wouldn't have read it. Probably the worst of all the books.

This is not the best of the Harry Potter series, but it is certainly a wildly entertaining and fast read. It is a must read to continue on to the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Goblet of Fire, which are both excellent along with the remainder of the series. The movies are also good, but they never do the books full justice.

Who knew if the first Potter book would end up being just a blip on the literary map?
The Chamber of Secrets was a make or break book.
If this book had not done well, the Potter Empire never would have been.
Too bad for all the naysayer's out there, the second book was even more brilliant than the first.
A crucial book for the series and Rowling absolutely destroyed everyone's expectations.
From first page to last, an instant classic, and a more than worthy follow up to The Sorcerer's Stone.
I refuse to give away any of the story so I'll sum it up like this; a lot of action, a lot of drama, a creepy atmosphere, pretty much everything that made the first book so much fun to read except everything is turned up ten notches.
J.K. Rowling delivers another must read book.
Highly recommended.

This was the best Harry Potter book by far! It has TONS of action. If you hate it then I don't know what to say except that we all have our own opinions (Okay, that sounded really cheesy but it was the only thing I could think of.). Overall, it is a pretty AWESOME book. Oh, and to all you people that say that it is too violent, then you have probably have never read any of the Maximum Ride books. They are really good, but they make the Harry Potter books seem like books on how to plant flowers.

husband and I bought before we had kids and are addicted. Adults should give it a chance. FANTASTIC

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (year 2 at Hogwarts) is a fitting follow-up to the first book. It succeeds at continuing the mystery-solving, tongue-in-cheek good humor of the first story, which makes it fun to read, and yet it also begins to introduce many of the central themes and elements of the series as a whole. Several very memorable characters are introduced to the series here (Mr./Mrs. Weasley, Dobby the house elf, Lucius Malfoy, Fawkes, etc.) It is also where we begin to learn about Voldemort's past.

I could spend a great deal of time complimenting this book for its wit, humor, and overall enjoyability, but suffice it to say that it is a fun read--and a quick read, which cannot be said for the latter portion of the Harry Potter series. The only major "gripe" that I have (and I may be the only one) is that in this book, the believability of the adults/teachers in the story--already dubious in book 1--takes a turn for the worse. I personally find it hard to believe that so little action would be taken in the face of potentially fatal attacks. This is consistently the case throughout the series, however, and is probably necessary on some level: Harry would never get to solve anything if the teachers managed to collectively have more brains than a teenager.

Not much more to say really, I definitely recommend this book.

Book arrived in good condition and in a timely manner. Excellent rating for seller. Would purchase from seller in future.

No matter what age you are or what genre of book you usually read, this is a terrific work of art. Everyone should take a rainy afternoon off to sit back, relax and read one of the greatest novels ever published. (And all other novels in the Anne of Green Gables series is just as exceptional!)

My niece loves this book. She was gifted them for past christmas. She says she has read it several times now. Great story for the almost teen.

Anne of Green Gables is about an orphan who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. It takes Anne awhile to adjust to life in the elegant Green Gables, and gets into some pretty funny mishaps, like accidently giving her friend Diana too much raspberry cordial, for example, but in the end finds her way. Anee's point fo view is hilarious and very entertaining. This is a wonderful read for girls everywhere and is a classic that is not to be missed.

but my whole family loves this book along with the whole series. L.M. Montgomery's style of writing brings you right in with Anne. She makes the reader feel like a kindred spirit.

A girl who is accidentally chosen to be adopted winds up being the best thing that ever happened to Green Gables. Lots of fun and excitement is the only thing that can describe the life of Anne.

First time I saw this film was on the big screen during it's 10th anniversary re-release in 1969 when I was 12. Couldn't take my eyes off it! It has everything a 12 year old kid wants in a film: action, adventure, visual splendor and even an emotional story that you can learn something from.

We all know the story about two childhood friends, one Jew, the other a Roman, caught up in the turbulent times of Roman imperialism only to be split apart as adults due to their own ideology and becoming bitter enemies. The full title suggests A Tale of the Christ, which is not necesssarily true. The Christ figure serves more as metaphoric backdrop, referencing Jesus' teachings of brotherhood and it's impact on a common man, Juda Ben Hur.

This is what seperates Ben Hur from most other Biblical epics. It carries a highly emotional human drama despite all the visual splendor. Lessons on humility and redemption are delivered with a sledgehammer.

The film was a make-or-break gamble for MGM, who was on the verge of bankruptsy at the time due to the increasing popularity of television. No expense was spared by producer Sam Zimbalist bringing in two time Academy Award winning director William Wyler along with several writers like Gor Vidal and a $10 million dollar budget. With the odds against MGM, the film still ended up being one of the most successful films in history bringing in a record 11 Academy Awards, a record that was held for almost 40 years until Cameron's Titanic tied it.

This DVD set does the film justice for many reasons. First and foremost is the restoration of the film itself. Great care was taken to bring more vibrancy to the picture quality. Previous prints had some color desaturation due to age and poor handling. The most noticable was during the famous chariot race where a tint of yellow was clearly visible on the right side of the screen. That and the usual grain and other artifacts have been eliminated bringing us the best picture this film has had since it's release. As for the sound, it's pretty much the same as the previous DVD release done in 2003, I really don't think there's much improvement that can be made given the technology at the time. But it still sounds great, especially during the crucifixation scene when the thunder really thunders giving your sub-woofer a real workout.

The extras are plentiful highlighted by the inclusion of the original 1925 silent version which that in itself looks great in terms of production, storytelling and restoration of the film as well. Other extras include the previously released documentary narrated by Christopher Plummer (love his voice!) and a new documentary focusing on the impact the film made on contemporary filmmakers. We get interviews with Ridely Scott, who did the heavily Ben Hur influenced Gladiator, and good old George Lucas on the inspiration the film had on Star Wars. Funny thing is, when I first saw The Phantom Menace, I instantly knew Georgie boy modeled the pod race after Ben's chariot race! And I was right! Other extras include some screen tests by other actors (like Detective Frank Drebin auditioning for the role of Masala!), production stills and the like.

All in all, this a great package to have of one of Hollywood's most legendary classic epics. If you love action, adventure, romance and raw emotional storytelling, this is it.

This movie is long, and those weaned on MTV might find it overly long. However, the story takes you away to another world, the story arc interweaving a revenge epic with the Christian tale. The wonderful thing about it is that the Jesus story is not forced and interweaves naturally with the plot. Charlton Heston is at his best here, and this movie would count among the best ten ever made.

"Ben-Hur" ranks amongst the true giants of cinema and for good reason. The term epic can barely describe the feel of this film. First of all, the acting is good and Heston did an excellent job as the title character. I must say though that Jack Hawkin's relentless Roman Consul may have been the most memorable character. This film just has so much; the nativity, a grueling galley scene, a naval battle, a Roman triumph, a spectacular chariot race, and Christ's crucifixion. The chariot race has itself become the stuff of legend and must rank as one of the best stunt/action scenes ever put on film. Christ's passion is well done as well with the healing of Ben-Hur's mother and sister. Personally, I thought the book did a better job at those though the film's chariot race likely surpasses that in the book. The film has a number of historical errors, but they don't detract from its artistic merit. There is some violence so parents may want to be cautious about very young children seeing the movie. Overall, I heartily recommend this film.

Ben-HurThis movie is becoming an older classic movie these past years! Charleston Heston,,,was perfect for the role! I recall first seeing this movie when it came out as a child;and waited in long lines with folks in happy anticipation or wonderment!
It is very worth viewing !! ;and highly recommend it to all! A true classic one needs to have in their home collections!!

This is a wonderful movie containing everything. The acting is wonderful. The adoption of Ben Hur by the Roman patrician which saved him from slavery,the miracles of Jesus, the lavish sets with the never-excelled chariot races between Stephen Boyd and Charlton Heston all combine to promise a fine few hours of entertainment. Hollywood can no longer afford to make movies like this. If you have never seen this, buy it!

Leo Tolstoy combines philosophy and history for one of the best fictional stories about a historical event that I have read. The plot is captivating from the beginning. A glimpse at the high society of Russia in the early 1800's followed by the story of the lives of the families at that gathering. The story of the Rostov's captures all the human emotions. The excitement of Nikolay at his first battle, only to be overcome by cowardice. The maturing of Nikolay into a courageous soldier. To see the same cycle beginning in his brother Petya. The life and death experiences of Prince Andrey and Pierre that shed light into the character of men. But throughout this story, Tolstoy inserts his cynical view of historians and government. Tolstoy does not love Napolean or think of him as a great commander, nor does Tolstoy give him credit for leading the French army to victories. Additionally, he criticizes the actions of government officials and military leaders for their brutality to their citizens and soldiers. I can only begin to describe the plot and the multiple story lines in War and Peace, but I assure you this novel will captivate you. The brilliance of Tolstoy is demonstrated in this novel and I highly recommend it.

This review is broken down into two segments, a Descriptive Summary and two Evaluative Summaries, one each for the Garnett and Dunnigan translations. If you're already very familiar with the story of "War and Peace," you may wish to skip directly to the latter facets of my review which are essentially the critique of both the Constance Garnett and Ann Dunnigan translations. Since Amazon does not differentiate between the two translations, I've had to post both reviews at this single site.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Austria to expand his European empire. Russia, being an ally of Austria, stood with their brethren against the infamous Emperor. Napoleon prevailed and a treaty was ultimately signed at Tilsit. In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, again in an effort to expand his empire. The end result of this tragic war was that Napoleon's army of about 600,000 soldiers was reduced to roughly 60,000 men as the defamed Emperor raced from Moscow (which he had taken), back across the frozen Russian tundra in his carriage (leaving his troops behind to fend for themselves) for Paris. That encapsulizes the military aspect of this work.

But the more intricate story involves both the activities and the peccadillos of, primarily, three Russian families of nobility: The Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Bezukhovs. The continual thorn of "The Antichrist," Napoleon, really just provides the wallpaper for this story of romance, riches, desolation, love, jealousy, hatred, retribution, joy, naïveté, stupidity, hubris, and so much more.

Tolstoy has woven an incredibly intricate web that interconnects these noble families, the wars, and the common Russian people to a degree that would seem incomprehensible to achieve - but Tolstoy perseveres with superb clarity and great insight to the human psyche. His characters are timeless and the reader who has any social experience whatever will immediately connect with them all.

"War and Peace" is a fictional, lengthy novel, based upon historical fact.

In his double Epilogue, Tolstoy yields us a shrewd dissertation on the behavior of large organizations, much of it by way of analogy. It's actually an oblique, often sarcastic, commentary on the lunacy of government activities and the madness of their wars.


EVALUATIVE SUMMARY (Garnett):

The Garnett translation has probably come under more fire than any of the others, purportedly for inaccuracies of what Tolstoy supposedly actually said. This is possibly true, but as I do not speak Russian, I can neither confirm nor deny this allegation. But I will point out that there are two types of translations -- the one is rigid and runs word for word correctly, and the second type focuses more upon manifesting the essence of a story... The Big Picture, so to speak. The Garnett translation falls into the latter category.

I can make one particular and certain observation regarding this volume: Garnett's handling of the more poetic and epic events in the novel is masterful. Even if her translation is not word-for-word correct, I'm sure that she was very plugged into the vision which Tolstoy was trying to convey. You'll see this actuality blossom in the following places, for instance: "Petya's dream"; the view of Moscow on the morning of Napoleon's approach; the "mirror-scrying" episode between Natasha and Sonya; the wolf hunt... and so on. I think it's "The Woman's Touch," coming through, which is a good thing.

Constance Garnett published her version of "War and Peace" in 1904, so this was one of the early ones. Other translations into English include:

Clara Bell (from a French version) 1885-86
W. H. Dole 1889
Leo Wiener 1904
Louise and Aylmer Maude (1922-3)
Princess Alexandra Kropotkin (abridged, 1949)
Manuel Komroff (abridged, 1956)
Rosemary Edmonds (1957, revised 1978)
Ann Dunnigan (1968)
Anthony Briggs (2005)
Andrew Bromfield (2007), (translation of an early draft, approx. 400 pages shorter than other English translations)
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (2007)

Wikipedia cites this information about Garnett [edited]:

"She was initially educated at Brighton and Hove High School. Afterwards she studied Latin and Greek at Newnham College, Cambridge on a government scholarship, where she also learned Russian (partly from émigré Russian friends such as Felix Volkonsky [Rubenstein]), and worked briefly as a school teacher.

In 1893, shortly after a visit to Moscow, Petersburg and Yasnaya Polyana where she met Leo Tolstoy, she was inspired to start translating Russian literature, which became her life's passion and resulted in English-language versions of dozens of volumes by Tolstoy, Gogol, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Ostrovsky and Chekhov. The Russian anarchist Sergei Stepniakpartly assisted her, also in revision some of her early works.

By the late 1920s, Garnett was frail, white-haired, and half-blind. She retired from translating after the publication in 1934 of Three Plays by Turgenev. After her husband's death in 1937, she became quite reclusive. She developed a heart condition, with attendant breathlessness, and in her final period had to walk with crutches."

In summary, if you happen to end up with a Garnett translation for your first reading of "War and Peace," I would say that you have been lucky. Some English translations yield the French entries (2% of the book) as Tolstoy entered them, with the English translation of the French following in footnotes. Garnett translated the entire work, with a very few minor exceptions, as a direct read in English, so it's easy to read.

EVALUATIVE SUMMARY (Dunnigan):

To date (7-'08), I have read the following translations of "War and Peace": Louise and Aylmer Maude (1922-23, which I've read twice), Pevear and Volokhonsky (2007), Briggs (2005), Garnett (1904), and now, Dunnigan (1968). I'll be reading the Dole translation (1889) next and then Edmonds (1957, revised 1978), Weiner (1904), and Bell (1885-86) after that. I'm going to read the two abridgements (Kropotkin, 1949; and, Komroff, 1956), as well as Bromfield's "alternative version" (2007, from an early Tolstoy draft), but I want to read all the standard English translations first.

Dunnigan's translation is particularly suited to Americans on the go. I call it the "doctor's office version" because the softcover binding and the size of the book (4" x 7" x 2 1/4") makes it convenient to take along wherever you go.

Ann Dunnigan was born in Hollywood, California and died in 1997 at the age of 87. In addition to Tolstoy books she also translated works by Chekhov and Dostoyevsky.

Dunnigan's work represents the only contemporary "American" English translation of "War and Peace". Thus the American reader will appreciate the straightforward slant on Tolstoy's writing, especially when they encounter phrases such as where a girl, "...plumped down" [on the floor].

American readers also seem to cringe a little when they encounter, in other translations, Russian soldiers calling each other "mate" (Briggs) and when a common response is "Eh?" (Maude and others). Also, with the character Denisov, who clearly suffered from being tongue-tied, Dunnigan gets it right by substituting a "w" where Denisov is trying to pronounce an "r". (Denisov liked to holler out at his fellow Hussar, Rostov... "Hey, Wostov!") In the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, a "gh" is inserted in such instances which makes no phonetic sense at all.

If I have a problem with the Dunnigan translation at all, it's that I find that she is somewhat less poetic than either Garnett or the Maudes. One can pick up on this caveat at various scenes in the work: "Petya's Dream," "Napoleon looking at Moscow from Sparrow Hills," "Natasha's and Sonya's mirror-scrying episode," "The wolf hunt and the subsequent trip to 'Uncle's' home," "The mummer's episode," and so on. But, nonetheless, the overall story is still clearly and coherently conveyed to the reader.

Dunnigan dispensed with all but a very few historical footnotes. She also rendered almost the entire work in English (she retained just a few common French phrases), unlike some translations which maintain the French text and translate this into English via lengthy footnotes. This French text orginally made up about two percent of the Tolstoy manuscript (the period Russian nobility commonly spoke French as a second language, a carry-over practice of the policies of Catherine the Great.) Readers who wish to have the French language maintained within the regular text and who prefer access to plenty of historical footnotes should acquire the more academic Pevear/Volokhonsky translation. When and where it is important or relevant to know, Dunnigan apprises the reader that the original conveyance was in French.

There is a 16-page introduction to the Dunnigan work, written by Oxford Professor John Bayley, a British literary writer-critic and the husband of renowned fiction writer Iris Murdoch ("A Severed Head"). There is also a one-page "selected bibliography" at the conclusion of the text.

Unless you are reading "War and Peace" for academic purposes the Ann Dunnigan translation would be a great choice, especially for American readers and/or those who enjoy reading in bursts to fill dead time.

The Maudes translated WAR AND PEACE in Tolstoy's house, consulting with him. They did a nice, thorough and very readable job. Meanwhile Tolstoy deliberately wrote in a simple, easy way to reach more readers. So while the Pevear translation may be slightly better (scholars have examined this work for more than a century and picked up translation errors here and there) or slightly worse, you really can't go wrong with the Maudes.

I had been putting off reading War and Peace for over 45 years because my early attempts were with terrible translations. After looking at reviews of different translations, I decided to try once more with the Maude version. It is very readable and I appreciate the notes in the back and the character list in the front. It reads like the great novel it is supposed to be. I only wish I had discovered it earlier, but I am enjoying it now!

I held the book in my hands and felt its weight. It looked quite big; not as big as when I first saw it but still big - and had I actually gone
through all those pages and all those letters? Apparently. What now?
What was this feeling spreading in me? was it emptiness? I felt sad. For the first time after completing a book there actually was a possibility that I would never read a better book for the rest of my life. This possibility weighted heavily on me, and the book, still resting in my hands, grew even lighter.
But then, thinking about all the moments in the book, all the characters, all the emotions, all the ideas and images I thought: Well, if this book in fact turns out to be the best book I'll ever read, that would be alright.
And then I didn't feel empty anymore. I was not sad anymore, in fact, I was satisfied, and warm. And I still am.

This is NOT a book I typically would have picked up. But I was sitting in a coffee shop/used book store and saw it sitting there. I picked it up, took a look at the first page, and before I knew it, it was 4 hours later and I was completely in love.

This is an incredibly amazing book. After reading the back, I was not sure I wanted to purchase the book, but decided to do so. From the moment I opened the book, I didn't want to put it down. Sheri Reynolds made this book and religious cult come to life in every page.

This is probably going to be one of my top 10 most favorite books. I loved every single part of the book. The ending was soooooo great!

I liked this book a lot. It was very easy to read, a lot of descriptions to give you a good picture in your head. The story was great.

Nina is a 14 year old girl living in a strict religious community headed up by her grandfather. Naive and innocent, her only experience of the outside world is through school. She is very confused by the meaning of holiness and the impact of her grandfather's religious rules and teachings. When she gets pregnant after getting close to her "prayer partner" whom she is to marry eventually, the whole community turns against her until the baby itself becomes the miracle to save the community.

I found the story interesting, engaging and definitely challenging. It is difficult to understand how people can be so blinded by twisted religion and accept incredible punishments for thing that aren't even wrong. This book will surprise and astonish you, and will definitely make you ask yourself a lot of questions.