English Books

but very minimal. Not adequate for a serious student of the scriptures. I have tried to look up many Jewish words, both in English transliteration, and in Hebrew, and have been very disappointed.

I would like to find a good Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew dictionary with transliteration. This dictionary is a good start, but that's all it is, a start.

This book is not a comprehensive introduction to Judaism, and it won't be of much use to non-Jews. It is essentially a glossary, lists of words in alphabetical order, with short translations, definitions, and explanations. It is an excellent resource for those of us who have forgotten the exact meaning of common ritual terms and prayers, or for those who are just starting to learn and are having trouble remembering which holiday or prayer is which. The index has some handy categories of words: for example, Rosh Hashanah will refer you to the book listings that are associated with that holiday. The book does not have an Orthodox orientation, but will be useful for some Conservative, all Reform, and for
new, Jews.

Updated and revised to add new words, terms and expressions is the handy DICTIONARY OF JEWISH WORDS, an easy A-Z reference defining words from Hebrew and Yiddish and offering a paragraph of definition and examples for each. Any collection strong in Jewish history, culture and language should have this easy reference: its coverage is quite extensive.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

What a delight to have a book that picks up where so many of my deceased relatives left off in my Jewish education. A straight-forward, easy-to-read book that is a valuable resource to every Jewish home, every partially Jewish home or any wanna-be Jewish home!

Orthodoxy and rabbinical scholars almost assuredly will be familiar with most of these terms. The authors freely admit that they compiled the terms from their own upbringings - "modern, American, liberal, matriarchal, and from Conservative and Reform backgrounds." Thus, many of the rituals discussed are from that perspective.

For instance, a minyan is a gathering of ten men, the minimum required for a religious service. In this text in this book, the word "people" is substituted for men, but the bottom of the entry explains that traditionally that number only referred to men.

For those who grew up without a Jewish background or for those whose knowledge of general Jewish vocabulary is lax, this is a wonderfully written book. The words are arranged alphabetically. A dictionary of Jewish words could include potentially hundreds, if not thousands of pages, so the authors narrowed down the scope to include words that one might hear in daily life in the USA. The words are drawn from Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, and Ladino. It would be ideal for non-Jews who simply want to figure out some of the words in conversations that their Jewish friends use!

Since all words have to be transliterated, different spellings with Latin letters are cross-referenced to the entry which tells where the definition will be given. This is invaluable since many words in the USA are spelled a variety of ways, such as Chanukah, Hanukah, Hannukkah, and Hanukkah.

The definitions are clear and concise. Words used in definitions which are bold-faced are also entries in the dictionary.

What many may find especially helpful is the category lists in the back of the book. For instance, there are lists for objects found in a synagogue, for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the Jewish calendar, food, Pesach, and many more.

"The Jewish Word Book," by Sidney J. Jacobs, published in 1982, contains more entries. However, I prefer this book by the JPS because the words are explained more in-depth with many examples of words given. Unless one is extremely well-versed in Judaism, this book is very helpful without seeming overwhelming.

Wow! I'm so glad this book is still a hit. I still have the one that was issued to me in 1975 in ninth grade English. I have used it ever since, including for my bachelor's and two master's degrees. The spine is faded pink from sitting in the sun on my reference bookshelf for the last 33 years. This book is single best source you can find for grammar specifics; language structure; expository writing; or tweaking your writing for the essay section on the SAT or a back-to-school paper. A true treasure that is as useful today as it was long ago.

This book was issued to me in my senior year in high school in 1976. I have kept it by my side, has helped me through my college years and then with my children, and now that I have decided to go back to school and am studying translation, I have taken it out of the bookshelf once again because the books we were assigned do not even come close to the perfection (in my idea) of this book. It has traveled with me through the different countries that I have lived in. It is truly a jewel of a book as far as how it is organized, explained and the exercises are very helpful to reinforce what you are trying to learn.

I have the 1965 (!) version of this book! I used it in GRADE SCHOOL. I used it as a reference in HIGH SCHOOL. I used it as a reference in COLLEGE. I used it as a reference in GRADUATE SCHOOL. My daughters used it (as a reference) in GRADE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE and now GRADUATE SCHOOL. My son is now using it! During homework, there was always a call for "Dad, can I borrow that red English book?" There isn't anything else like it, not today. It explains, illustrates and gives practical examples of English like no other textbook. it's built as a REFERENCE TEXTBOOK, something few books do today. Textbooks used to be like this once. I was on Amazon and wondered by chance if it were still available, I'd like to get an updated copy. I was stunned to not only find one, but find that every single reviewer felt that same way about this book! You absolutely MUST have this as part of your personal reference along with you home medical books and such! When your child asks, "So, dad, mom- is it "lay" or "lie?" - you'll go running for this book, I guarantee!

I purchased this book to add to my library after reading several reviews on Amazon. The book has some valuable information, but you can obtain most of the same information from Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style."

I picked up this book after it was recommended by Stephen King in his book "On Writing" pages 121-122 (hardback). Mr. King was right, this is a good book and it has everything you need to become a good writer. I have not reached that point yet, but I know I will eventually get there with the help of this book.

If you haven't read Regeneration, you are making a big mistake if you read The Eye in the Door before Regeneration. Regeneration sets the stage for The Eye in the Door and provides much background information that you need to appreciate this book.

Those who liked the first book in the Regeneration trilogy, Regeneration, will absolutely adore The Eye in the Door. The characters from Regeneration return, and you have a chance to find out the consequences of the treatments they received from Dr. William Rivers in Regeneration. Pat Barker builds on the tensions, damage, doubts, and despair of mid-World War I to show how much more desperate matters were for the British by the spring of 1918.

In developing these themes, Pat Barker does a masterful job of explaining how a soldier has to operate both by emotion and by objective distance in order to function. From there, she helps us use the crucible of war to see how that duality is important to everyday functioning for all people.

As the title indicates, the book builds on a central metaphor of everyone being under observation as doubts build about Britain's ability to win the war. Those on the margins are most under pressure and at greatest risk.

I thought that the portrayal of Lieutenant Billy Prior was brilliant. He comes across as the kind of complex, interesting character that can help us learn a lot about Ms. Barker's messages for us. The eye metaphor is nicely developed in the context of Billy's life.

Brava, Ms. Barker!

People existing against a war background-normal people doing normal things whilst shouldering the burden of their experiences, their fears and societies norms and expectations.

A lovely book that always has the lightest of touches in the darkest of moments. Nothing is simple and nothing is complicated, but everything is ambiguous and dwarfed by "the front" and what is expected.

The writing is always simple, but the ideas, concepts and dilemmas dealt with are complex and impossible to resolve. Class and duty are themes; the most interesting theme in my opinion is that of being a pacifist, a father figure to your men and a violent war hero simultaneously. (By the nature of things, war heroes are violent.)

My one regret is that I have only just realised that this book is part of a trilogy and that I have read it out of sequence... although on the positive side it means I have two more books to explore. I would strongly recommend this book; I have just gone and bought one of Sassoon's books as a direct result of it awakening school hood poems by him and Wilfred Owens.

THE EYE IN THE DOOR is the second installment in Pat Barker's marvelous Regeneration trilogy. In this volume the principle characters of Dr. Rivers and Prior have left Criaglockhart War Hospital and are now living in London. Although Dr. Rivers has taken a new position treating shell-shock soldiers who have returned from the front in France, he continues to keep in touch and treat his former patients from Criaglockhart, especially Prior. Amidst the bombing and blackouts of wartime London, Prior continues to suffer from war neurosis as he embarks on solving a mystery that involves his childhood friends and acquaintances. He is confronted by England's societal fixation with fear and scapegoating of those who are believed to deter from the war effort (mainly war deserters and homosexuals). Individuals are often forced to hide their true attributes from society during this time of societal finger pointing and blaming. As in the previous volume of this trilogy, the characters of Prior and Dr. Rivers are well developed and nuanced. I continually enjoy reading about their trials and tribulations, and look forward to reading the third and final volume in this trilogy.

THE EYE IN THE DOOR (spoilers)

Ms Barker's epigraph, a quote from Stevenson, sets the tone: "It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man. I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both."

I am hampered in critiquing the trilogy, since I've read only the first two works, REGENERATION and THE EYE IN THE DOOR. The first of these concentrates on the relation between the enlightened, humane Dr Rivers and the war hero/war protester Siegfried Sassoon, who has been labeled a war neurotic ("shell-shocked") in order to avoid confronting his rational case against the war. Both Rivers and Sassoon are historical characters who the author effectively fictionalizes (their dialogues, etc).

The second novel focuses on the relation between Rivers and Billy Prior, a relatively minor character in the first. The book is set on a wider stage than REGENERATION, which was confined to the (real) mental hospital of Craiglockhart in Scotland. Here we are in London, during the crisis produced by the initial success of the Germans' spring offensive in 1918. As happens during defeats, the search is on for scapegoats seen as undermining the war effort, groups like pacifists and ... who are seen as destroying the nation's "moral fiber." Ludicrously, the leading anti-... crusader, lays the blame on the Germans, who are said to have sent homosexual agents over before the war to corrupt English youth.

Billy Prior, on medical leave from the front, works for a counter-intelligence agency, but his loyalties are divided, since his earliest friends are pacifists and "conchies" (conscientious objectors). The result of these divided loyalties is a split consciousness, where the fugue state ("Hyde") takes over at times, doing things that the "daytime" Billy is not aware of, but whose consequences nevertheless he must face. It is this split consciousness that Rivers must deal with-and on one occasion, he deals directly with "Hyde," who speaks of Billy in the third person.

At the crisis of the novel, Billy's alter ego betrays his closest friend, something that the daytime Billy at first denies doing, but which he finally comes to suspect he has actually done. Rivers treats the psychological phenomenon by making Billy see that it is basically Oedipal, that he actually wished to kill his father, who had, in Billy's sight and hearing, beat and abused his mother. One manifestation of this hatred is "Hyde's": punching the agent provocateur Spragge, who looks like Billy's father. To complicate the issue, his father is a socialist/pacifist, a fact which may contribute to Billy's ambivalent attitude to his pacifist friends, one of whom he helps, as he betrays the other.

Sassoon make another appearance here, having gone back to France (partly at Rivers' suggestion), and once again been wounded (by friendly fire). But Sassoon's appearance doesn't seem to contribute to the plot of this novel, tho it may have a role to play in the trilogy as a whole. (Maybe his divided consciousness is relevant, since he was very effective at killing Germans, but at home becomes a "dove") Another seemingly extraneous thread is Manning, one of Billy's sex partners.

But basically a rich novel, recalling a key point in Western history. In many ways, WWI was more traumatic than WWII, since it occurred after almost a century or relative peace in Europe. And, as Barker makes clear, WWI was harder on soldiers than was WWII.

Trivia: Why were French troops show on the covers of the paper editions of the first two novels? They play no role in the novels themselves (tho they played the major role on the Western Front).

After reading "Regeneration", the second novel of the trilogy "Eye in the Door" expands in terms of characterization and plot complexity. Whereas Regeneration is superb in its exploration of the consciousness of Siegfreid Sassoon and his psychiatrist, Dr. River; Eye in the Door expands the character of Billy Prior to become one of the most psychologically well developed and complex characters in English fiction.

Billy Prior , a bisexual, has both male and female lovers in this novel. These relationships are embedded in the homophobic atmosphere of war torn London. Prior, suffering from "shell shock" struggles with his identify of war hero and pacifism. He struggles with childhood trauma in a society where repressesions are let lose in a war charged atmospher.

The book is beautifully written. Whereas Regeneration explores Sassoon's struggles to brng meaning into a meaningless situation, Eye in the Door explores more of the societal struggles with the war and individual reactions to the pressures of a war time society.

I loved this book and would give it 10 stars if I could.

This is our favorite kid's fall book. My children love the story and laugh at the tree's silly attempts to change colors. We have also enjoyed Marty Kelley's winter and summer books (along with his very silly book, "The Rules"). I hope Kelley comes up with an equally creative book about spring to make our collection complete.

I have read this book to hundreds of children and adults. I have shared it with my own kids and have read it to children in my first grade class as well as to children in the Storytimes that I have done at the library. I have also highlighted it when doing literature presentations for other teachers. The reaction is always the same. The audience is quiet at first and possibly thinking, "Hmmm. Not very interesting." But then as the tree begins her struggles (I like to think of her as a girl!) there is side-splitting laughter that increases as each page turns. As soon as the book is over a chorus of, "Read it again!" begins and of course, I do! This book is a gem and sharing it each year is one of my favorite things about fall!

Great childrens book. Mr. Kelley was the 2nd grade teacher for both my girls and they loved all his books and still do.. I would recommend this book to all parents.... Keep writing Marty

I read this book to my pre-k kids and they asked to hear it again right after I finished it. The illustrations are comical and very well done. The words flow together wonderfully. Great book to have for your Fall Book Collection.

I taught 4 year olds for 8 years. I can't remember when I first bought this book but it became an instant favorite. The children will ask to have it read to them many times a day and laugh hystericaly after each reading. By the end of October I was ready to put this book away but my class was not. My copy is getting worn out! This book is an all time favorite with 4 year olds.

I agree with jt from New Jersey. I picked up "Far Cry" based on its review in the NY Time Book Review in 1986 (front page coverage). If you simply accept Mrs. Hawkins at face value you will fall in love with the setting, the time and Mrs. Hawkins approach to life.

Perhaps the book has a special place in my heart because I read it in a hotel bar overlooking the Arno in Florence while my pregnant wife was resting upstairs. I still reread the book and remember the bar. Funny.

I enjoyed "A Far Cry from Kensington" and recommend it. It's an entertaining story about an overweight young editor who matures in many ways (weight loss, new romance) over the course of the novel and exhibits strength of character in overcoming various tribulations. When she puts down a toadying literary hanger-on, this unpleasant person becomes something like a stalker. A good yarn; the last chapterlet is bang-up. It's one of those novels, which I think are pretty rare, where the last two pages are the best part.

I am a big Muriel Spark fan -- I mourned her passing earlier this year -- and was very interested in a book that is generally accepted as a companion novel to the brilliant "Loitering with Intent", one of my favorites. I was particularly intrigued given the reviews on amazon. So I want to caution prospective readers that there's no way that this is up to Spark's best work. It simply doesn't have the resonance or mysterious allusiveness that some of Spark's other books have. It's kind of a throwaway, in fact. So I think some of the reviewers below are getting carried away and overpraising the novel. Open it with reasonable expectations and you have an entertaining, intriguing tale ahead of you.

Muriel Spark's A Far Cry From Kensington (1988) is the bookend companion to her 1981 classic, Loitering With Intent. Both novels share a common theme, and like the earlier novel, A Far Cry From Kensington is largely autobiographical and takes place in virtually the same setting and time period: the literary world of early Fifties London. Both are explorations, via reminiscence, of the banality of everyday evil, taking place among the workaday, routine lives of the lower middle class. Less scathing if no less hilarious than many of its predecessors, the relatively unsung A Far Cry From Kensington is the most realistic and humane novel among the twenty-odd Spark has written. It is also exceptional in that it is the single Spark fiction in which a love affair blossoms into a successful relationship of duration.

The story of the universally respected though immensely overweight Mrs. Hawkins, A Far Cry From Kensington follows two divergent threads in her daily life: the mounting sufferings of a rooming house neighbor who is being anonymously threatened, and the problems that stem from her own continuous encounters with Hector Bartlett, a manipulative sycophant who hopes to use her footholds in the publishing world to advance his nonexistent literary career.

While Loitering With Intent can be read as something of a tactical combat manual, A Far Cry From Kensington is instructive in the art of deduction: caught up in a spiraling series of mysterious and increasingly serious coincidences, Mrs. Hawkins, short of both hard facts and physical evidence, actively unravels the odd events that are taking a toll on both the lives of her friends and her editorial career. Fully realizing she is as prone to misjudgment as anyone, Mrs. Hawkins, utilizing her intelligence, intuition, and instinct, nonetheless proceeds confidently and assertively to pierce the veil of secrecy and quiet conspiracy engulfing her. Spark is at a creative peak as she reveals the subtle turns, nuances, and moment to moment impressions in Mrs. Hawkins' mind as she forms her cautious conclusions.

Unlike Spark's finest novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), in which a significant portion of the mystery of human existence is shown to exist on a partially transcendent level, A Far Cry From Kensington eventually grounds that mystery in the knowable everyday. Though the author was to return to something of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie's vision in Symposium (1990), here she seems to be expressing that at least the mundane truths of human life can be ascertained by diligence of method, applied intelligence, and a fundamental willingness to be believe that some people are unabashedly predatory, unscrupulous, and ethically coarse at best. Another message of the novel is that the weak, the foolish, and the vacuous are among the most potentially dangerous individuals one can become involved with.

Upon its release, a number of critics publicly objected with pointed distaste to some of Mrs. Hawkin's behavior, she who enjoys "a puritanical and moralistic nature; it is my happy element to judge between right and wrong, regardless of what I might actually do." For exhausted with Hector Bartlett's elaborate attempts at manipulation, unhypocritical Mrs. Hawkins calls him a "Pissseur de copie" to his face when she encounters him in a public park, and continues to do so, to the detriment of her publishing career, throughout the novel. "It seemed to me," she says, that he "vomited literary matter, he urinated and sweated, he excreted it." Far from keeping this observation to herself, Mrs. Hawkins loudly shares it with authors, editors, and publishers, and since Hector is protected by best-selling author Emma Loy, finds herself fired from one job after another. But Mrs. Hawkins is without regret: "I can't help it. Sometimes the words just come out and I can't stop it. It feels like preaching the gospel." Thus in this and other passages, A Far Cry From Kensington supports speaking one's perception of truth under certain circumstances, regardless of consequence, even if that truth represents an enormous breach of upper class WASP manners and social decorum.

In Spark's vision as expressed here, building relationships of any kind solely for personal gain, manipulating others through callous, self-interested `networking,' and general toadyism are high crimes, all of which Hector Bartlett is guilty of in the extreme. In fact, Hector is one of Camille Paglia's "court hermaphrodites": "red hair en brosse, brown corduroy trousers, tweed coat with leather patches on the sleeves, a yellow tie and a green shirt: this was gaudy in those days, and Hector Bartlett was always dressed in bright colors. He was tall, with a pronounced stoop of the shoulders, which made him seem older than he was - I imagine at the time, he would be in his mid-thirties. His face was round with a second fat chin. He had a small but full baby-mouth as if forever asking to suck a dummy teat." Though many critics have felt otherwise, no amount condescending liberal piety can excuse Hector's routine aggressive subterfuge, moral mediocrity, and parasitic nature. It's unlikely that Spark chose this character's name randomly: "hectoring" is exactly what this he often does to those he encounters, and `Bartlett' suggests his "pudgy," pear-shaped physique.

Written in the plainest language possible but poetically conceived and executed, A Far Cry From Kensington belongs, with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Girls of Slender Means (1963), The Driver's Seat (1970), The Takeover (1976), and Loitering With Intent, among others, with the very best of Spark's work.

This is one of those books that cannot described in a nutshell. If you had to hazard a guess at a description, you'd have to place it firmly in the comedy/ tragedy/ drama/ mystery/ romance section, or simply file it under Spark: Muriel in the Classics section.

Narrated by the once round and central character, Agnes Hawkins (a.k.a. Mrs. Hawkins or Nancy), the story revolves around her experiences as a young widow living in furnished rooms in a semi-detached building in South Kensington. She colorfully describes her neighbors and acquaintances, and gives us tantalizing glimpses into their little secret worlds, in which she is a trustee and confidante.

Despite the mysterious black boxes and the lurking threat of enemies, known and unknown, our heroine manages to keep her head above water, remains a pillar of strength and finds true love among the rubble. Thanks to her diet plan (freely given to the reader as a bonus for purchasing the book), she gains new self-respect, and reinvents herself in a new country, a far cry from her humble beginnings.

A simple classic by an inspired writer.

Amanda Richards

I picked up a copy of Muriel Sparks, "A Far Cry from Kensington" on a friend's recommendation, and I loved it. Mrs. Nancy. Hawkins, the main character is a woman that everyone depends upon and needs to talk with. She has that certain way about her that summons trust and understanding. The fact that her figure is zaftig and that she is a widow lends credence she believes to her trust factor.

Mrs. Hawkins tells her story from a 30 year distance. It is 1954, post World War II, and she is living in a furnished room near Kensington. She has several neighbors of interest and Milly the landlady, was one of the more interesting. She was also a widow and was
Known as an organizer, She was able to organize everyone and everything. Basil and Eva Carlin were a quiet couple and lived on the first floor. Wanda Podolak lived next to them. She was a Polish dressmaker. Kate Parker lived at the end of the hall. She was a district nurse and suffered no germs at all- she was constantly cleaning. On the attic floor, lived a medical student William Todd.

Mrs. Hawkins was an editor at a publishing house and in due time she lost her job and went on to several others. She was excellent at her job, and, of course, everyone confided in her. She knew everything that was going on with everyone. Like the rooming house she lived in, Mrs. Hawkins spent her days and evenings giving advice. The rooming house becomes involved with Wanda and her anonymous letters that turn into blackmail and eventually into big trouble. Along the way, we meet Hector Bartlett, a charlatan who turns many lives upside down.

Mrs. Hawkins gives advice to many and one day she looks in the mirror and discovers that she is too obese. She resolves to lose weight, and by eating only half portions and then quarter portions, she does just that. Her fine bone structure is revealed, and her new body structure also attracts many men. She finds herself in a relationship with William Todd the medical student, which eventually turns into a marriage. Thirty years later,
Mrs. Hawkins, so wonderfully happy with her life in Italy, "a far cry from Kensington",
looks back at her life and continues to offer us advice.

Muriel Sparks has been called "Britain's greatest living novelist", and she was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1993 and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 1996. She lives in Tuscany, Italy. An outstanding story, told by a wonderful novelist. prisrob

I first read the Faraway Tree Stories when I was eight years old and I completely fell in love with them. These are such beautifully written, wonderful, enchanting, and imaginative stories for children. I would definitely recommend these stories to any parent of young children. The language is simple, and the books are broken up into small chapters with a little adventure in each one, which means they'd be appropriate for a wide variety of ages.

The only reason I am giving this version four stars instead of five is because of the updates made to the book in the name of political correctness. The other commenters are pretty much spot on with what they have said. I think a simple conversation with children explaining the differences in the time the book was written(the names, Dame slap, etc) would be much better than changing the stories themselves. I would still recommend picking up this version if you can't find an older one. There's no reason to miss out on these wonderful stories!

This and many other Enid Blyton books where read to me and I also read as a child, I bought this and others for my grandchildren who absolutely love them. The stories are very imaginative and if you have even a spark of imagination the characters are so real you can make up all sorts of stories based on the characters after you have finished the book. When you have finished reading it the kids always want more!

I read this chapter book as a bed time story to my then 5 year old twins.
They really liked the different worlds at the top of the tree.
It was one of my favourites as a kid.

Short, self-contained, well-written chapters keep my children's attention. There are many characters for a young children's book, but the characters are very well described and each have their own special kirks. Great for reading aloud to young children.

I agree with Veronika that it is a shame that the book was changed. I am a teacher and read the original to a class and every child wanted the book. I ordered them copies from Amazon in the UK and the children were very disappointed with the new names, etc. They loved the book, however, and most of them read their copy many times and/or their parents read it to them. The four stars is for this edition, not the original. If you can get a copy of the original (used) I highly recommend it. There are some things in the original that I would recommend discussing. An example of this is Dame Slap and why we, hopefully, wouldn't see her slapping a student today and why.

With this highly-illustrated nonfiction text, Dickinson intends to prove the existence of dragons: gigantic, firebreathing, flying reptiles. Through popular and historical descriptions of the beasts, he theorizes everything from dragon lifecycles, to dragon slaying, to the necessary connection between a dragon's form, firebreathing, and flight. He often draws on quotes from his sources, and Anderson's illustrations provide visual interest and help depict the mechanics of the dragon body and flight. Although Dickinson's arguments are often circular and his evidence is self-serving, the straightforward writing and novel theory make this an interesting and thoughtful read. Although neither fiction nor fantasy, it is also entertaining. This book is faulted, but I still recommend it.

Along with the book's good and bad traits, it was also, personally, a piece of nostalgia. I read this book as a child, and it withstands the test of time: Dickinson's theories are logical, fairly presented, and well-evidenced, and sound reasonable even to an adult reader. Pulling from everything from ancient Chinese myth and the story of Beowulf to modern authors such as J.R. Tolkien and Ursula K. Le Guin, Dickinson pulls his description of vampire behavior and ability direct from historical myth and popular culture. He then uses these excerpts to build and to prove the mechanics of the dragon, everything from lifecycles to flight. His theories on dragonflight (the chemical reactions of dragons blood produced gas, which were stored in huge internal chambers, allowing for flight; dragons belched fire to expel excess gas) is of course the highlight of the book (and the only similarity between the text and the movie of the same name). It is also the most reasonable, scientific, and convincing argument in the book. Here, Dickinson shines: he is well-researched, scientifically-minded, and very convincing.

Unfortunately, these qualities are not universally present. Often, the evidence is selected to fit the facts, or else the arguments are sustained by other arguments, not by evidence. Dickinson discards descriptions that don't fit his theories, instead justifying only what he can reasonably justify, and arguing that the rest is impossible--but never justifying the fact that his sources seem to be both reliable and unreliable in a single breath. He relies heavily on limited, specific sources. In a book of this length, he does not have the space to go into detail assessing any one source, making his choices seem arbitrary. In all, there are various faults and in the research and the proof, and Dickinson's theories are by no means factual, or provable, or even solid.

But what matters in this book is not what Dickinson fails to do, but rather what he manages to achieve. He brings dragons alive: not my vivid descriptions, not by stunning visuals, but by thought, reason, and research. Even though he fails to prove the existence of dragons, he succeeds in proving the possibility. This makes for a fascinating and, in many ways, invigorating read. Dickinson appeals to both imagination and rational thought, and he does so through a text that is easily readable and convincingly argued. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this book, despite all of its faults.

I am nine years old and i think this book is COMPLETELY cool. Even though I suspect it was meant for older kids (or even adults) I would definitely reccomend getting it, even though it's expensive. This books has lots of interesting theories and puts a lot of imaginative ideas in your head. In addition, it has amazing pictures! My favorite part is when they use a diagram of dinner plates and bricks to discuss a theory of how dragons flew. I have more to say, but must restrain myself to only two words: "must buy". Ben Z.

This phenomenal book from 1979 attempts to show how Dragons could really have existed, and sets about solving all the "fantastic" issues surrounding them through "scientific method": breathing fire, flight, caustic blood, why no remains have ever been found. It's a good companion volume for Faeries by Froud/Lee, Gnomes by Hugen/Portvleit, Dwarves by an author I cannot recall cause it's been out of print so long. The information in this book is the source for the excellent video, Dragon's World, by Discovery, as well as much of the content of the recent Dragonology series.

This book breathes new life into the world of fantasy. It is a compelling read, but backed with scientific evidence and explanation to make it credible. Also, it is a beautiful book with lots of full-color pictures and illustrations. Whether you believe in dragons or not, The Flight of Dragons is interesting and a wonderful conversation-piece. The book deserves more recognition than it has gotten in the U.S., and I consider myself extremely lucky for having found it in a second-hand bookstore and picking it up there. I had never heard of it before, and have never seen another copy, but I haven't been disappointed. And, by the way, I am NOT interested in selling mine!

Okay, let's set the record straight here. "The Flight Of Dragons" _has no plot_. Some of these reviews are referring to the wonderful characters, amazing plot line, etc. Obviously, these people haven't read the book. This book is a scientific view on how dragons could have actually existed. It gives theories on how they breathed fire, flew, lived, etc., drawing on evidence from story lore and legend. Now, for those of you who are thinking of the _movie_ "The Flight Of Dragons", yes, the movie was based on this book. But it was only based on it in terms of how the dragons were designed. The (very) basic plot and the wonderful characters were taken from Gordon R. Dickson's amazing book "The Dragon And The George". But the book "The Flight Of Dragons" is much different from the movie. For one thing, Peter Dickenson views dragons as lethargic beasts with a dull intelligence. He included a chapter on dragon-slaying, which, to me, was something of the last straw. Also, some of the pictures done by Wayne Anderson are horrific. I especially "enjoyed" the photos in the back of art from around the world----one had a picture of a troll-like "dragon" eating a man's head! . . . Now, don't get me wrong. This is a good book. Some of the pictures are fantastic. And most of Peter Dickenson's theories----especially the one about why there are no fossils of dragons------were really neat. And I love his saying: "Remember. The dragons live. Inside us." It's a decent book. But I spent nearly a year trying desperately to get my hands on a copy, and while it is interesting and a valuable addition to my collection of dragon lore, I was disappointed. But maybe I shouldn't judge something on my own expectations (obviously). But I did want all to understand . . . the book and movie are very different. If you want to re-meet the characters of "The Flight Of Dragons" from the movie, read "The Dragon And The George", an excellent book. And give the book "The Flight Of Dragons" a try. Just don't set your expectations too high!

Woodrell finds the best way of combining pulp fiction with actual literature. This, I think, is his best book so far. The noir feeling is mixed with a sort of Gothic-Faulkner that is incredibly appealing.

Don't get me wrong, though, the pace of this novel moves unlike anything Faulkner wrote. The characters are rich and unique. The reader often feels as if a world unknown (almost a parallel world in the Ozarks) is being glimpsed. I don't know if there are Goomer Doctors in real life or is this is one of the author's creations. Either way, the novel feels authentic in a way I haven't experienced since reading Hemingway.

When our book club chose this book as part of its new author day, I thought "what kind of trash is this." But like a good shot of moonshine, it was revolting enough to leave its mark and tasty enough to make me want more. HOnestly, why hasn't this guy gotten his due? There is more slick writing, quirky characters and raunchy adventure i nthis book then many books twice its length. And with the lead character a sort of hillbilly writer/philosopher (that is not a contradiction in terms!) one has a narrator throughout the book who never fails to make you laugh. THe book centers around the adventures of Redmond Doyle, a hack writer who returns home to the Ozarks from a more "high falutin" environment, only to find out that you cannot escape your past or your roots. As he gets pulled into the inevitable feuds and violence that is part of Ozark lore, he wonders why he ever left in the first place.With plenty of fights, sex, hillbilly weirdness and the ramblings of the main character, the book is liike a canoe ride down the river in Deliverance. It will make you squeal like a pig!

Sublime, just sublime. I can't think of a better writer. Maybe a few equals but no better.
The author was born and raised in the Ozarks and paints fabulous word pictures of what it's like to be part of a clan with a hundred years or more of "intrinsic" patterns of behaviour and grudges.
Doyle Redmond *thinks* he has escaped it all and after leaving the armed services (dishonourably almost of course) ekes out a living as an author.
A family errand takes him "home" and he finds himself involved in the interminable feuds and the unlawful behaviour of the area.
I could go on and on but here is just one example of the descriptive writing--The description of Mr Slager from the liquor store:
"He was a crisp little bantamweight fella, up in years, who affected neomilitary attire. His shirts always sported epaulettes, or else they were camouflage. You could get cheap thrills by sticking his spit-shined shoes under skirts and keeping your eyes on the toes. Slager was a decent old skin, yet he had a wistful air about him, standing in the store window in the uniform of the day, that gave me the impression that he felt he'd unfairly survived a patch of combat back on Pork Chop Hill or some battle of that vintage"
There is a chilling sense of inevitability about what happens. Even Doyle knows it but cannot avoid his destiny. Indeed he is almost proud of it!
Do yourself a favour and read this author.

This guy is that good. Burke, Grisham, Norden, Hegwood, all you southern noir types go home. Woodrell is that good. This guy is a real writer's writer. A-1 on the jukebox and nowhere on the charts I guess. Give Us a Kiss displays a voice and style that harkens back to Faulkner, James M. Caine and Walker Percy. A true gem.

Can't get much better than this Woodrell guy--not when it comes to fusing violence with country living. Dag nabbit, they just go together like spittle on a backy-chewin geezer's whiskers. Woodrell is somethin' fresh and mean and lonesome and true in the land of the hardboiled. He takes you down a crick with Doyle Redmond, his protagonist, all cozied up with 19-year old Niagra, the daughter of Doyle's big brother Smoke, and when them two drift down that flowing water, heat just naturally gets turned up. Cause Niagra has flames lickin' up her legs--her sexy red boots--and Doyle's first look at 'em does him in. He's hooked.

Smoke's woman, Big Annie, cottons to Doyle in a sisterly/motherly way since he's her beau's brother and also after her daughter. The four of them harvest their dope (i.e., marijuana) cash crop which a pack of nasties, the Dollys, try to weasel in on. Take over, in fact. And, yes, it is a backwoods legendary feudin' thing--the Redmonds vs. the Dollys. The noir-ness of the book is not just this feud; it's Doyle's and Smoke's tendencies to feel things in the extreme.

This is a great read cause Woodrell is a mighty fine writer. He knows how to sling the right words, blend them smooth as you please in an eminently readable way. Most entertaining. A genuine pleasure, if you ask me.

Pick it up and have a dang good time.

Who doesn't like Cliff Notes? We used them to help our kids do several projects for Language Arts class. Teachers assigned a lot of projects and they were difficult...this helped a great deal for different ideas and angles on the story.

This is a book for all ages. Although the book is at a low reading level, it has a universal concept of difference and the effect on the world today, that is better used even as a high school student or adult. The Giver is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read,and it has educated me on how differences are so important, although cliche, this brings a new meaning to conformity and a world without differences. The first word that comes to mind about this book is beauty, although in this case, that comes to me with the unsettling feeling of this perhaps a truth of the future.

I have always wondered what this book was about, and I finally found the time to read it for a LA project. The author used a lot of imagination and was very creative when she formed the perfect world that Jonas lived in. This book has some good morals behind it, but I think it is rather dull and could use more suspense. I was very disappointed with the shortness of the book and the ending. Even though I do enjoy making up endings on my own, Lois Lowry has stopped the book right at the climax. I believe that she should have elaborated and given more information that would help bring the story to a wonderful ending. Over all this book is a great book to read for pleasure.

I like the book it is different, because of the way she uses the different world how they can't make different choices. I thought that she used new words to express the feelings about Jonas and The Giver. I also thought that she used the advantage of them not having choices, because it made them realised that "Elswhere" really exixted.
I didn't like the ending it was making me hang of the edge of my seat. It made me think about the ending and how Jonas got to elsewhere. She needs more of the ending or the sequel to the book. I do agree about the way she described about not having a sequal though.

My teacher read this book to us in English class for a unit. I really liked this book because it makes you think or imagine what could have happened to Jonas and Gabe. I know in my class when we finished the book, my teacher asked us what we thought happened at the end, so we all gave our ideas. Some kids said that he got a job or got married or died. Anything could have happened to them. Thats why I liked this book.

The first and best of a family saga during the mid 1800s in England, when industry changes everyone's lives.

I first read this in 1971, and followed through with all Delderfield's later books. Now, through Amazon.com I can reread the entire series and and my husbands is reading it for the first time and is enthralled!

I have read God is an Englishman 45 years ago. It was a great book to read. I have enjoyed reading it so much that I have read it twice. There is a book 2 that follows this first edition and that too is great. I wish you they whoever can produce a movie of the story. It would make a wonderful masterpiece. Let the author know to produce a movie and let me know because I would be the first to see and then purchise it on DVD.
Thank you for a great site. I will be ordering a copy of this book again in the near future. I strongly recommend this book to all single ladies who enjoy reading a good novel and romantic story. Henrietta Netta, Exeter PA

Adam Swann has followed his family's tradition of military service for long enough to turn 30. He's seen a lot during those years, including a horrific massacre of civilians. When chance places a fortune in rubies in his hands, he's more than ready to make drastic changes. Back to England he goes, the England of a world just prior to the American Civil War, looking for a better way to spend his life. He finds it in two places. First, in a revolutionary business idea sparked by an encounter with a railway official; and second, in a runaway young woman. He marries the woman, factory heiress Henrietta Rawlinson (who's swiftly disinherited by her infuriated father), and he turns the idea into a hauling firm that deliberately fits itself into all the gaps the railway system cannot fill.

That's the bare outline. What makes this novel remarkable, though, isn't its plot. It's the characters, and the way author Delderfield lets them grow naturally out of the time and place in which he sets them. Adam Swann is in many ways a man ahead of that time, disgusted by what he's seen in war and determined to make his way in the world without committing outrages against basic human decency. In fact, he's determined to make a difference for the better while succeeding as a businessman. Henrietta, blessed with her enterpreneur father's sharp mind and quick wits for commerce, grows from a willful, uneducated and thoroughly spoiled girl into a worthy and even challenging partner for Adam in the course of the book's 800-some pages. Nothing seems forced, and none of the details of Victorian England ring false, in all of those pages. Some of the best reading comes from secondary characters who weave in and out of the main story, because each is well drawn and interesting - no matter how brief the appearance.

A tour-de-force, all in all. One of the best "family sagas" around, still, nearly 40 years after its publication.

R.F.Delderfield's "God Is An Englishman" begins a truly riveting history lesson of Britain's Victorian era and beyond. When I first read the book nearly 30 years ago fell in love with Adam and Henrietta Swann and their brood of children. You will, too!