Edward Norton Books

I just finished this book tonight. I laughed and cried and couldn't put it down. Every family in todays society needs to read and reread this book as it is all about character and goodness. I am a better person because I read this book. I will read it to my kids immediately!

This book was read out loud to me when I was a 4th grader and it stayed in my mind from then on. It is a true story about a boy whose father dies and how mostly he, but also his mother, and siblings get along after the father's death. The boy is nick named "Little Britches" and earns money to survive in many ways, mostly being a cowboy on Colorado ranches. I have purchased this book for my son as a 5th grader and given it to his friend in 6th grade. The whole series is very interesting, this book in particular.

The book that captured my imagination the most when I was a child. My grandson loved it also.

This is a wonderful look into how life was... I found myself thinking about the work load on children back then and thinking "and I worry that unloading the dishwasher and keeping their bath clean is too much to ask?!?" Well not any more. A great "classic"

I've read this book twice. Once alone and now aloud to my 4 children. It is such a gift to find books that burrow down deep inside and make themselves part of you. Make you a better you!
Little Britches is such a book. Ralph Moody had an uncanny way of using the sparsest of prose to convey the grandest of meaning. Every emotion is felt in this book and you just become a part of the Moody family and experience. The relationship between Father and Little Britches is humbling to read, honestly. And the way Ralph Moody could write about it 40 years later with such clarity and distinction is a real tribute to the men that they both were. I cried both times. More this time actually. You'll never forget the words "And I became a man"

THANK YOU Ralph Moody.

I also recommend "THE DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE"

Everyone should read ee cummings, even non-poetry lovers will love cummings whimsy and clever wordplay. He has also written the most beautiful, most romantic poetry of anyone in the English language.

It really is a great collection of e.e. cummings - certainly everything I wanted.

But what's to review - it's e.e. cummings, it's great

Now I must get back to my toboganning into know

Enjoy.

P.S. e.e. cummings was emphatic about his name being in lower case, so I do have to criticize the Editors of this book for putting his name in caps

One of the great poets of the 20th century gets a nice treatment here. A few of my favorites were not included (disappointed!!), but all in all this is a solid, representative anthology.

This is not a review. It is a complaint about the review I just read critisizing the editors of this fine collection. E.E. Cummings HATED that his publishers put his name in all lower case. He was not emphatic about it. He thought it was gimicky and exploitive of his publishes.
Whoa, when'd this horse get so high. ooop
S.

This review is from a strictly prose guy, as poetry usually goes right over my head. In my efforts to understand poetry, I have discovered that the work of e.e. cummings breaks through the stylistic barriers that make many people shy away from poetry altogether. cummings' use of bizarre spacing, punctuation, and phrasings keeps the reader away from the "sing-song" routine that tends to damage the credibility of many a poem, and cummings uses the art of style to say many things and make many points in just a few words. The most fascinating aspect of cummings' work is letting the small number of words in a poem really sink in until you gain many insights. This book usefully arranges cummings' most noteworthy poems into categories so you can more easily dwell on his major areas of subject matter. cummings did not live the hard life of many noteworthy poets, so a good number of his poems are musings on abstract concepts like life, love, mythology, and mortality. However, his much sharper observations on war, prostitution, politics, and the dark side of urban life can be truly shocking once you delve into their deeper meanings. Contemplating the title of this review, which is also the first line of the poem on page 181 of this book, will help any poetry-fearing reader to dive into cummings' world.

The only reason this book got 4 starts instead of 5 is the slight anti-American tone at times (for example, the US inquiries are treated as a almost a joke) and something in this much detail could not help but be tedious at points (the discussion of "port" and "starboard" lights comes to mind),but it is extremely well-done, leaves no point untouched, examines minutely any evidence in Lord's favor, and comes to the point of the matter- he saw what he knew "might have been" distress rockets and did nothing- and really, that is the end of it.

I think you should not only read this book, but the other side of the story to get a full picture - A titantic Myth. I think Lord is given too much blame. He was the scapegoat, and he was not given his full rights when the US interviewed him. That is without a doubt a fact. However, I can't help but believe he could have done more. However, he wasn't the one who hit an iceberg, nor the one who lost members on his ship.

Reade's book certainly puts quite a bit of blame for the tremendous loss of life on the Titanic on Captain Lord. But it must be kept in mind that even if he had fired up his boilers and navigated safely through the ice to the area where the Titanic went down, he still may not have been able to save many lives. The loss of the Titanic and the 1500 people must be blamed on Captain Edward J. Smith. Why didn't the passengers on the Titanic take the mattresses off the bunks and use them as rafts? Maybe they would not have had enough bouancy to hold someone.

No matter what your view is on this particular aspect of the Titanic tragedy, you cannot help but be impressed by this book. This is, without question, one of the best-researched Titanic books ever written. If you happen to come across this rare gem don't hesitate to pick it up, because it's likely that you won't see it anywhere else!

One may wonder why a book like this should have to be written. Clearly Lord is guilty as sin! On that cold April night he just didn't want to be bothered with a strange ship firing rockets in the distance. It was easier to do nothing, hoping everything would go away. But it wasn't so easy or comforting to deal with the blame that fell on him. How dare we blame such a responsible captain? But the facts are there. Reade goes through them step by step like a first class lawyer. This must be done because many still feel that Lord did nothing wrong. Like OJ Simpson's defenders, they believe what they want to believe. My only fault with this book was that it was not the thriller other Titanic books have been. It tended to bog down in jargon and nautical language.

The edition of Edward II I read was the New Mermaid Series one, which had a very good and informative introduction, and has the spelling modernized. The spelling modernization extends to place names as well as general terms. I am not sure how I feel about spelling modernization, as it is nice to see how the work was originally spelled, but it made the work very easy to read. The play itself is amazing, very engaging even though it is a history, and is mostly based on things that actually happened. The language is not as flowery as Shakespeare, but is lovely nonetheless. Some of the characters of the play are very fickle, and seem to suddenly change as you read the text of the play. (Queen Isabella goes from devoted and self-sacrificing wife to cunning adulteress.) It makes more sense on stage, and after seeing this play, it was easier to see how good it is.

Marlowe's final play is also his masterpiece. To be sure, the dramatic events in this play really did happen, but Marlowe shows himself at his best when he paints the picture. At first, Marlowe masterfully allows us to detest Edward for undoing all the fine work of his father Edward Longshanks. We also are able to feel sorry for Mortimer and Isabella. (the eventual villains). Isabella feels neglected and Mortimer can not stand to see the fine work of Edward Longshanks undone. Later, we come to have some respect for Edward II when he shows himself to have some of his father's fine qualities and he crushes the first rebellion against him with courage and intelligence. When the second uprising successful, we no longer are lead into any feelings of admiration for Mortimer and Isabella. Once they have power they are more vile and disgusting than Edward II ever was. By Act 5.1, Marlowe gives Edward II moving soliloquies and does not allow our new won pity to slack for a moment. The final scene of this play when Edward II's 17 year old son Edward III flips the tables, crushes his corrupt mother, has Mortimer put to death, and offers prayers to his murdered father is a scene that is almost unsurpassed in literature. To be sure, this did actually happen, but Marlowe not only tells us what happened, but colors it with his superb mastery of the language.

Edward the second, or to give it its full title, 'The troublesome reign and Lamentable death of Edward, the second king of England, with the tragical fall of proud Mortimer', is famous for being an Elizabethan 'Gay play', but this is only one of the subjects contained within the play. Politics, cruelty and the Feudal System are all important themes in this, one of the great masterstrokes of Elizabethan literature. The play itself is a history play, set in the 14th century featuring Edward and his previously basished lover, Gaveston, who returns after the death of Edward's father. This return enrages the barons, who were sworn to Edward's father that Gaveston would never return. This is the catalyst for a plot that races around like a cheetah on speed, culminating in one of the most excruciating deaths ever portrayed on stage. "Shakespeare? Who? Marlowe was far better!"

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564¯1593) has faded into the background over the centuries, little remembered by the common man, unlike his contemporary William Shakespeare. But, in his own time, Marlowe was known as one of the greatest of playwrights.

This play tells the story of King Edward II, who ruled England from 1307 to 1327. Edward shocked medieval England with his openly bi-sexual relationship with Piers Gaveston, and his barons rose up against him in a series of wars, finally culminating in Edward's death. (Rumor having it that he was horribly murdered by having a red-hot iron thrust up through his rectum!)

Now, this play is not entirely historically accurate. The theatre of the day did not specialize in accurate historical portrayal, but strove to entertain. However, that said, this play does do an excellent job of telling the story of Edward and his reign, in an entertaining and informative manner in a mere 25 scenes.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting read, and I couldn't help but wonder why I have not heard of it being played today. It is still very entertaining, and you would think that modern play producers would want to put it on. This is an interesting play, one that I do not hesitate to recommend.

(By the way, just in case you didn't realize, this Edward was the effeminate son of Edward I, Longshanks, in Mel Gibson's movie Braveheart. That portrayal of Edward was well done by actor Peter Hanly, but was even less accurate than this play. I suspect that the character Phillip was based on Piers Gaveston. Longshanks did indeed hate Gaveston, but certainly never threw him out of a window!)

+++++

(Note that this review is for Dover Classics "Edward II" published by Theatre Communications Group in 1999.)

This play in five acts or twenty-five scenes, written by Christopher Marlowe (1564 to 1593, born the same year as Shakespeare) is a history play that chronicles the reign of Edward the Second. The actual name that Marlowe gave his play was "The troublesome reign and lamentable death of Edward, the second King of England, with the tragical fall of Mortimer." (Mortimer is Edward's nemesis in the play.)

The precise date of this play is not accurately known, but it is generally thought to have been written circa 1590.

Marlowe condenses, omits, elaborates, and rearranges actual historical events in order to gain dramatic effectiveness, and to bring out Edward's character and the results of his weakness. So the action in the play covers a historical period of just over twenty years (near the end of the fourteenth century) even though such a period of time is not suggested by the play itself.

Marlowe effectively succeeds in giving a true, as well as a powerful picture of the character and fate of Edward the Second. This play masterfully shows the delineation of character, the construction of plot, and the freedom and variety of the mostly blank verse.

Readers of Shakespeare's plays (especially "Henry the Eighth" and "Richard the Second") should find it quite easy to read this relatively succinct play. Even those not familiar with Shakespeare's plays or even Elizabethan drama should have little difficulty with this play. Footnotes are minimal.

Unfortunately, this play has been labeled a "Gay Play." This is not quite accurate. Edward was bisexual because he had a queen who he had a son with (the future Edward the Third) and, as well, had a male partner (named Piers Gaveston). Gaveston too was bisexual since he was not only attracted to Edward but also to Edward's niece! Edward's queen is heterosexual because she is later attracted to Mortimer after Edward starts ignoring her.

Sexual orientation is actually a small part of this play. The play is about a king who loses control of his kingdom. Edward's brother says this early on to Edward: "My Lord, I see your love to Gaveston / Will be the ruin of the realm and you."

Finally, the last scene of the play is truly magnificent as Edward's son, now King, gets revenge for his father's murder.

In conclusion, this is a great play that can be enjoyed by those who are heterosexual (like myself), bisexual, or homosexual. Also, in my opinion, this history play closely rivals Shakespeare's history plays.

(this book first published 1999; play written circa 1590; 95 pages)

+++++

As an avid reader of WWII fighter pilot first-hand accounts, especially from the Pacific Theatre, this is one of the very best available. Edward is concise, a powerful wordsmith, and you will be hooked after reading just the Introduction (one-third page) and the first couple pages of the first paragraph. He was the typical WWII Army Aviation cadet, and fell in love with his Bell P-39 Aircobra. He starts, "Nanette was an airplane. That should be made clear right at the start. She was not a very good plane; actually she stank. But she did a lot for me, I realize, as I look back on her. All the planes of that old war had distinguishing looks and personalities. The P-40, the Warhawk, was knobby and arrogant, a tomboy. The P-38, the Lightning, was lean and coltish, a rich debunte. The P-47, the Thunderbolt, was massive and dull, a peasnat girl. The bombers had their distinctions, too, but I didn't know much about them. Of all the fighters, two could really excite a flyer. One was the P-51, Mustang, lovely to look at, honest, efficient, hardworking and dependable. In those days she was thought of as a wife, and I know men who married her, back then, and are still inlove with her. The other was the P-39, the Aircobra. It was slim, with a gently curved tail section, a smoothly faired in air intake, and a perfectly rounded nose cone with its ugly, protruding cannon. But the Aircobra was lazy and slovenly and given to fits of vicious temper. It was a sexy machine, and rotten. Nanette was like that, and I was a little queer for her." You can find a lot of books by fighter pilots, but you won't find many better to read than this one.

For awhile I've had a fascination for the air war over New Guinea during WWII. To help me with this, I was visiting the website PACIFICWRECKS.COM looking for more material to read. In reading thru their listing of books I discovered this book; Nanette: Her Pilot's Love Story by Ewards Park.

Nanette tells Edwards Park's story as a young airman in WWII and his time spent in the South West Pacific flying Bell P-39 Airacobra. In telling his tale, Mr. Park focus's on his aircraft and it's temperament rather than on specific battles. We get to read about Mr. Park's training in the US (interestingly, he ground looped three times and was still made a fighter pilot), his trip to Australia, preparation for combat, and then flying in New Guinea. Once in New Guinea, Mr. Park is assigned to a P-39 squadron near Port Moresby. While there (and other locations in New Guinea), Mr. Park tells us about flying P-39's. Rarely does he focus on this opponents, rather he focus's on his temperamental aircraft that seems to have life of it's own. We learn how Nanette will do anything to avoid aerial combat (the only aerial engagement he describes was when he was flying a different plane), bucking, stalling, starving itself of gasoline. Instead, Nanette lives to be at low altitude, not worrying about the Zero's and Oscar's the Japanese fly.

Nanette is fabulously written! When I first got this book, I was reading another book. After sampling a few pages I became engrossed in the book. Mr. Park's writing still is first rate, his love of his saucy strumpet is shown by how clearly he descriptions her. I can't imagine having that great of a memory where I could remember every fact of how my plane performed. Because of this, I'm certain that Nanette was his first love. This book is great for those interested in P-39's, what it was like in New Guinea in WWII, or reading people's stories about going to war, this is a great book. For those wondering, I give this one a solid 5 stars!

I am a veteran of New Guinea through the eyes of Edwards Park. I am seasoned and wiser for reading it. I bought Nanette in 1977 as a wild eyed 19 year old WW II aircraft fan. I found that Nanette was the first time I could relate to a story personally about WW II. Mr. Park's point of view in the book was not an aged veteran. He wrote as a young man fighting in terrible conditions while showing all the confusion, bravery, machismo, fear, and honor that a boy would have so far from home. Who knows if Mr. Park was a great pilot? But I have read books from great pilots who couldn't write. Mr. Park will make his experience your experience because he is a great writer. I wrote a letter to Mr. Park about the book back then. He even wrote a cordial reply to my questions. I have read this book at least a dozen times in almost thirty years and had to buy another copy to keep the original from falling apart. Nanette is easily one of my all time favorites. Easy reading and easier to relate to. I wish I could give it ten stars.

"Nanette- Her Pilot's Love Story" is distinguished from many WWII pilot memoirs by the superb writing of Edwards Park. His vivid, often wry prose truly takes you into the world of the WWII fighter pilot in the Pacific as he focuses not only on the heroic but also the mundane, the frightening and, sometimes, the downright unpleasant.

But for all its worth as a detailed glimpse of the pilots' war, the real story here is the growing love of a young pilot for his first fighter aircraft. "Nanette", a P-39 Airacobra, is nondescript, skittish, often dangerous- and enlessly fascinating to her pilot. Anyone who has ever formed a bond with a machine which, inexplicably, transceded flesh and metal will find this book a superb read.

My fascination (or should I say obsession?) with the Bell P-39 and the air war in New Guinea in WWII is fueled by the pages of Edward Park's "Nannette."
Park's likening of his tour of duty as a P-39 pilot to an affair with a strumpet named Nanette is a can't put down read for any aviation buff.
While short on historical details such as dates and statistics, the human drama and personal feelings of a pilot and his squadron mates come alive much as Nanette did for Parks. Life, death, and reason for being are examined through the eyes of a reluctant combatant and pilot.
My favorite all time aviation book.

The books written by Edward Whittemore are not for everyone but his style appeals to me and the humanity in each of the five books are as beautiful as they are heart breaking. It is a shame that this author passed before he could continue writing.

Google the web for "Edward Whittemore" to find out about the reprints from Old Earth Books.

Sadly, this is the final book in the Quartet. Also, this is Whittemore's last novel. He continues his mastery of language and storytelling right up to last word. The best way to summarize this book and Whittemore himself, is to borrow Paul Auster's quote about Delillo,"To read him is to figure out what it means to be alive in the late 20th century." Though his books cover 150-200 years, they completely mirror our times. We are all better off after having read his novels.

This is one of the best novels you've never heard of. Why Whittemore is a forgotten writer whose books have gone out of print is a mystery to me.

"Jericho Mosaic" is a spy story of sorts set in the historical context of Israel and its neighbors from World War II to the early 1980s. The principal character is the Runner, an Israeli who becomes a deep-cover spy living in Syria and living the life of a prominent and well-respected Arab nationalist. The Runner never quite fits into Israeli society but he finds himself comfortable as a Syrian. The supporting characters include a disfigured old English spy named Bell who lives in a decrepit house in Jericho, the oldest community in the world, and his friends Abu Musa, an Arab patriarch who believes he is 300 years old, and a giant Ethiopian monk named Moses. These odd characters, plus several others of equal color, give a touch of magical realism to the novel.

But the novel and the characters maintain their sanity in the weird world of Middle Eastern politics. "People in this part of the world," the author says, "have always had a thin grasp of reality." Whittemore steers a treacherous path in a political minefield and never once loses his bearings. The novel is neither pro nor anti-Israeli and Arab. Instead, "Jericho Mosaic" is generous and warm in its portrayal of slightly off center people. Whittemore lived in and loved the Holy Land and his descriptions of Jericho and Jerusalem are delicious. The novel moves slowly and the author's fine writing about mood and landscape can be savored.

"Jericho Mosaic" is a much better novel than many which have garnered literary prizes and Whittemore should be rated in the first rank of recent American writers. This edition, rescuing "Jericho Mosaic" from obscurity, includes a lengthy introduction, forward, and afterword and thus we learn a lot about an author who was every bit as colorful as the characters he created.

The poetry of E.E. Cummings is a pure example of the what the modernist period represented in American literature. Having been a volunteer with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps and prisoner of war during World War I, Cummings's poetry resonate his pre-war and aftermath experience as well as the artists and writers that influenced his work, Cubism and Post-Impressionism and Ezra Pound and Carl Sandburg. This is exhibited in one of Cummings's first collection of poetry, Tulips and Chimneys, which is organized in Cummings's original manuscript form with the over 100 poems in tact.

Published in 1923 but revised throughout the years to get it as close to how Cummings arranged the poems, readers will see a display of fragmented and unconventional style of avant-garde prose in their most unusual organization in terms of grammar and punctuation that distinguishes his poetry. Or as avant-garde critic Edmund Wilson once attested, "eccentric punctuation" (xvii). However, the underlying meaning of each poem is comprehensible with the delicacy of eroticism, "--GON splashes sink", benevolent innocence, "where did you go" and sweeping and epic prose, "Epithalamion" and "Puella Mea," which all came from the creative mind of a 25 year old Cummings. And with most works of poetry there is a certain imagery that is conveyed with each distinct poem that resembles a work of art.

All of the poems and sonnets have a significance of their own, but readers may find several that may become their favorites. For those who enjoy reading poetry or the curious, Tulips and Chimneys may be the place to start when encountering the poetry of E.E. Cummings.

This book stands as Cummings' most playful spontaneous ecstatic intimate beautiful poems ever written.

Many of his later collections are too directly philosophical (all the abstractions can really make the poems more of a complex thinking exercise rather than a felt experience) & too syntactically disjointed (disjointed to the point in which frustration replaces giddy enjoyment) in my opinion. however This collection is honestly COMPELLING & practical while maintaining the experimental edge--beautiful & true & honest & surreal & magical & beyond Anything .

The last 30 pages of this book (the '&' manuscript) contain some of the best poems ever written in the English language I'm serious

Having glanced at his work in the past, I didn't think I'd like Cummings' work at all. It seemed 'pastiche poetry', pretty words smattered all over a page with no connecting thread. I couldn't have been further from the truth; even his shortest pieces ("I Am Going To Utter A Tree..") Cummings sometimes archiac style is unmistakably his own. Some of his "Unrealities" blend poetic word salads with ingenious covert metaphor: ("be these haunters of dreams always demurely half smiling from cool faces..") Cummings outdoes the beats with his crazed verbal exhortations to life. Simply reading or glancing at a few pages of his work makes one want to write. Above all, he is fun and certainly beyond imitation.

Tulips and Chimneys are poems which begin early in cummings carreer but are stunning in their simplicity, clarity and maturity. His erotocism, imagery and sensitivity to the beauty of nature manifest themselves in the juxtaposition of thought and its connection to his relationship to the physical environment as he has experienced it.

I love his flow of sense as it metamorphosizes through his words. It is never without deliberate meaning.

Tulips and Chimneys is a book to carry with you in bookbag or backpack or car or leave at work or in the bathroom or wherever you have a minute to restore your sense of wonder; of the wonder of what one person's mind can do to delight.

This is a wonderful glimpse into the development of Hopper's paintings. It appears to be a photocopy of Hopper's working journals, which were assembled and maintained by his wife Jo over a period of 30+ years. Jo wrote the text and Edward drew a thumbnail sketch for the paintings. For many of the paintings, the text includes the brand of paint (e.g., Rembrandt, Blockx, W&N), the type of canvas and the priming, the studio in which it was painted, and to whom it was sold. Jo frequently included a description of the place, the people, or the mood portrayed in the paintings.

If you're an artist or a serious Hopper fan, you'll enjoy this book.

The synopsis for this title is incorrect. The text refers to the title "The Poetry of Solitute". THIS publication is a facsimile of Hopper's record keeping journals. It includes mostly thumbnail drawings, paint recipes and sales information for many of his works.

I just want to add the note that this book contains a selection of the Hopper notebooks, not the complete works. However, it is, as far as I know, the only way these are published, and the pages are very interesting indeed. It is amazing to see how fine these little sketches are of his more famous paintings. It was meant to be a record, a simple catalog, but it reminds one that Hopper was an excellent graphic artist as well as a painter. i think it is a brilliant idea for any artist as a way of keeping touch with larger works instead of with photographs.

Edward Steichen: Lives in Photography is a wondrous collection of some of the finest work by one of this nation's finest photographers. The images should prove inspirational to any who aspire to creating art with a camera. Steichen never succombed to the post-modern faux-artistry and its glorification of the bizarre and twisted. This book is simply fabulous.

Edward Steichen had a long (94 years) and storied life, however until now it was difficult to find a book that exhibited his work and gave a clear understanding of both his work and influence on: Art, Fashion, Marketing, War, Curating, Botany, and (of course) Photography. Through the text of this, rather large, book one can learn about an influential and very controversial (as most artists often are) man. Of course this book has numerous beautiful plates (Which is expected in the world of printing today). However, unlike many photo books this one is an interesting read. While, some of the writing may seem exuberantly adoring of Steichen, this can be easily understood after learning of his impact on the art world. After reading this book it is hard to believe that this is the first comprehensive book on Steichen since Steichen himself wrote "A life in photography" in 1963. Overall an excellent book for anyone interested in photography.

The Norton anthology of sonnets includes such great sonnet writers as Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Rita Dove. If you define a sonnet as a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter with limited foot substitution to reduce monotony and a definite rhyme scheme, we find that no sonnets were written by poets born after 1928; and very few of the poems in the anthology are sonnets. Perhaps the title of the anthology should have been The Making of an Almost Sonnet. On page 370 we find out that the Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme is abab cdce efef gg? Out of the 510 pages there were 21 outstanding sonnets. The book is politically correct and totally void of any controversial or brilliant accomplishment that would detract from the current crop of poets, so that it would make a perfect textbook for a freshman English Literature class.

I gave this book as a present to a friend after hearing the authors on the NPR's (WBUR) "On Point", my favorite talk show. She really enjoyed it. I had to test it to make sure that I didn't lose her opinion - whatever it is - of my critical acumen. After sampling it for an hour before presenting it, I found the writers to be bright, engaging, and erudite, and just the list of all the sonnets cited to be worth the price of admission. I will be getting my own copy soon.

Hirsch and Boland have offered wisdom in their own poems and in their writings on poems ...individually. Their teaming to trace the sonnet's history and to provide a sweet gathering of the little songs is stunning. To dance through the centuries on the music of the form is a joy. I love the commentaries. I love the sonnets.