English Classics Books

With nonfiction being so popular nowadays, it's sometimes difficult to choose who and what to spend your money on, but with this anthology you get a taste of several different authors. My favorites are Bauer, Bain, and Beard (the B's win hands down, I guess), and I went on to read Beard's book too which is great. I love not only how personal these essays are, but also how heartfelt they are--I didn't feel the aloof stance of the observer that I sometimes feel in nonfiction--I felt like these were genuine people trying to make a connection by telling their stories. It's an excellent book.

Prairie Schooner is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary journals in the United States. It has been in continuous publication for 75 years and has been called one of the best magazines in America and was named one of the "Nineteen Magazines That Matter" by Writer's Digest. I think they got it right. Best of Prairie Schooner provides the reader with some of the best personal essays from critics, novelists, and poets such as Wright Morris, Maxine Kumin, David Haward Bain and Nancy Willard. These essays are personal in that they connect with the reader in personal, almost intimate levels, letting the reader see"...what makes their stories, what makes their poems, what makes their lives." This is a wonderful anthology that will provide the reader with delightful, insightful, worthwhile reading that is as advertised, the Best of Prairie Schooner. A good job by the Univ. of Nebraska Press.

E T A Hoffmann was no ordinary man. He started life as a composer and then moved to writing stories. There are several of his sketches reproduced in this book and these show flashes of great talent too (you can see one on the cover). Hoffmann's influence is enormous in the musical world (Tchiakovsky, Delibes, Offenbach, Wagner all drew inspiration from Hoffmann). And there is something timeless in these stories even into the 21st century - there are psychological puzzles, studies of behaviour and myth, stories of automata that Philip Dick, Cordwainer Smith or Isaac Asimov would have been proud of, there are links not surprisingly into the world of music (you mustn't miss 'Rath Krespel') and the world of art (see 'Tobias Martin, Master Cooper'). Somehow Hoffmann makes ancient technologies and methods fresh and exciting - barrel making, sailing, alchemy, mining. Unfortunately the most famous of Hoffmann's stories (Nutcracker) is one of the weakest for me, and the one with the greatest reputation ('The Golden Flower Pot') suffers in this anthology by a translation that didn't engage me as well as those of other stories. My favourite stories are 'The Sand-Man', 'Rath Krespel' and 'Tobias Martin'. Here's a brief quote from 'Tobias Martin' that appealed to me especially: 'It sometimes happens that the deepest sorrow, if it can find tears and words, dissolves into a mild melancholy, so that perhaps even a gentle shimmer of hope begins to beam faintly through the heart.' Hoffmann is often sentimental but this is more than offset by an unpredictable exoticness.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm - he changed his name in honour of Mozart, and music was his first and possibly greatest love. He was a brilliant critic, a talented painter and caricaturist and, by all accounts, a very serviceable composer. All these elements - music, the pictorial sense, and the critic's sharp probing intelligence as displayed in the present review - feed into the stories, which perhaps is why they turned out to be his most lasting achievement. The ten in this collection are tales of the fantastic (Hoffmann is also credited by some with inventing the detective story with "Madame de Scudery", not included here, which predates, and may have influenced, Edgar Allan Poe's pioneering efforts in the genre) and include the four which provided the basis for Offenbach's opera. The style, like Mozart's, is bright, energetic and often comic; the substance, as with caricature, mixes the bizarre with the mundane in a fashion quite unlike that of anyone else you've ever read, even among Hoffmann's batallions of readers, followers and imitators. The general effect is strikingly original, often disturbing, sometimes hilarious and, not infrequently, loony - not at all what one would expect from the last of the German Romantics. This volume also boasts several illustrations scrawled by the author, a helpful introduction by E F Bleiler, and Dover Books' usual robust construction and reasonable pricing. Like Lord Dunsany, Hoffmann has been prized more as an influence than a writer. His work has certainly had an incalculable influence on modern fantasy fiction, as well as the detective story, science fiction and the 19th-century "novel of ideas" (Dostoyevsky noted Hoffmann's psychological insight as an influence on his own). But his own best work falls into none of these categories, inventing them all in the service of the author's vision - the mark of a true original, and the best possible reason to read Hoffmann for himself.

Smart stuff. I found this book especially lucid because it nicely integrates "theory" with sharp textual readings of Asian American texts. And it's just not some static application of race or gender theory that Bow uses. She instead makes original use of different ethnic contexts, psychoanalysis, political history to bring AsAm lit into a wider theoretical context.
This book is big help in thinking about what I want to do this year (my senior year!) for my thesis.

"Betrayal and Other Acts of Subversion" is a daring book. Beginning with its forceful and extended introducton, the book unsettles received expectations about cultural and literary politics. Bow argues that betrayal, like subversion, cuts both ways. What we take to be subversive (such as the works of Asian American literature she later interprets or the claims to Asian American identity themselves)might also be betrayals to principles based on *American* democracy and subject positions based on sexuality or ethnicity. And what we might take to be a betrayal of one sort of cultural identity may also work to signal strict adherence to a different sort of cultural identity.

She situates her complex yet lucid readings within wide historical frames. She talks about Wendy Law Yone to initiate a wider commentary on human rights and democracy; she reads "Farewell to Manzar" to theorize the links between sexuality and citizenship; she interprets "Fifth Chinese Daughter" in ways that gesture to a larger commentary on Americanization and the Cold War. In short, I found her readings elegant. The book deploys exemplary textual readings to undertake investigations of nationalism in transnational economies (e.g. her reading of Fiona Cheong's "Scent of the Gods"), feminine sexual identity in patriarchal economies, and literary narative within academic economies indebted to the positing of resistance.

J. D. Fleeman has left us a hefty 2-volume set of incredible value to some people, but perhaps not to many. It's an extremely comprehensive listing of various editions of Johnson's works, both as sets and isolated volumes. The date range is from original editions when Johnson lived (18th C), up to recent times. Some of what is here is surprising - - such listings of Johnson's Dictionary in foreign languages, which initially caused me surprise (but were understandable with more thought).

I have used it on occasion in placing bids on eBay (it has helped me understand editions such as a 1970's facsimile reprint of the 1st edition of Johnson's Dictionary), as well as when buying 19th C editions of his books over the Internet, and helped take some of the guesswork out of what I was purchasing. It's told me more about some of the editions I already own. It has also helped me anser questions from visitors to my Johnson website.

I imagine that this set is very valuable to the specialist, but I imagine that even the specialists would prefer to borrow it from their local library than to buy it. While this is a monumental achievement, and deserves all five of the stars I've given it, at $460 for the 2 volumes together, I think most people's uses for this would be limited.

Scholarly books have become absurdly and prohibitively expensive. This volume, and its companion, vol. 2, covering the years 1760 to 1816, exemplify this unfortunate trend. However, occasionally, a book comes along that warrants, if not justifies, the expense. Such is the case here. Johnson studies has been blessed with excellent scholars and editors, commencing in its modern phase with the efforts of the Victorian GB Hill (whose 1905 edition of the Lives of the Poets still holds sway), and continuing majestically through he 20th century with the excellent Yale Johnson, the Yale treatment of the Boswell papers, Redford's splendid edition of Johnson's letters, and so on. Fleeman's magnificent contribution, however, stands forth even from this rich tradition.

The meticulous care that Fleeman has introduced into each entry is matched only by the monumental largeness of his his scope. These 2 volumes, which Fleeman's premature death unfortunately prevented his seeing through to publication, exemplify textual scholarship--an art undervalued in modern literary studies--at its Olympian height, and will remain a mainstay of reference for Johnson scholars for a very long time. Yes, they are absurdly and prohibitively expensive, but they are a must-have for the serious Johnson scholar.

Toyota's recently-aired television spot featuring two male middle-schoolers and an adult technician at a crash-test facility strikes my limit when it comes to horror: i.e., mere children bullying an adult. The follow-up was even more outrageous. Thus, though not a fan exactly of gothic literature and film, but one who's aware of its pervasive (and persuasive) influence on popular culture, I keep an eye peeled. That's how I come to Jack Morgan's gem of a study. His insights into the nature of gothic make a difference, make one take it more seriously. Moreover, the actual biology is substantial and, finally, Morgan's sound scholarship and lucid prose (no slack anywhere) recommend it highly. Lucid prose.

Morgan provides persuasive readings of a number of classic and lesser-known books and films. While the book is theoretically informed, a non-specialist audience as well will find it a pleasure to read. Any fan of horror or the gothic ought to read this book.

Its a classic from a relatively unknown literature from part of the world that is still in our heartland. Extremely moving and beautiful stories about universal themes, with a poetic style of great writing. The translator does it justice.

Themes of these stories are the opposition eros/thanatos, old/young, jealousy, the prime impulses of humanity.
His scenery is the Polish countryside with its noblemen and peasantry.
His technique is modern, mingling past and present with flashbacks.
The Birch Grove, for instance, relates in violent terms a live-and-death struggle of two brothers for a girl.
Surprising work.

I found this to be an excellent resource to help locate books with black boys as main characters. This book is divided into different sections --- preschoolers and upward --- which helps you select age appropriate titles. Wonderfully detailed descriptions and opinions of books are given as well as publisher information, etc. Books are of a great variety (educational, entertaining, etc.). Certain authors are highlighted with a biographical sketch. Also highlighted are real black boys of various ages who briefly tell of there favorite book. I never new that 90% of these books existed.

I purchased the book relating to boys and found it to be an extremely helpful resource in locating books that depict black children in the stories. The book entries are categorized by the age of the child reader from newborn to teenager, and is accompanied by a thorough description of its contents, as well as background information on the authors. I know I will return to this resource time and time again as my grandson enters each new phase of growing up.

This is a one-of-a-kind resource written by parents for parents. 500 books are reviewed and categorized by age and reading ability. The descriptions are uniquely kid-focused and include key indicators such as "contains Carribean dialect" or "use of the 'N word'"). This book would make a great gift to friends with African American children or a school library. Even those with an extensive collection of books featuring African American children and adults will find something new and promising.

Excellent book for fine children's literature with African-Americans.

For busy parents, this is an excellent reference book. There are many lists which to choose and select books.

The book has separate categories by age. Wonderful.

Each reference of the book, the author lets you know if the book has received any awards such as the Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, Newbury, Reading Rainbow.

What a great idea!! The authors have done all the research for the busy parent who wants to buy fine literature for their kids.

I want to thank the authors!!

Scholars should give this book an A+ for breadth of coverage and depth of analysis . . . but as a lay person in the field of academe, I celebrate its honesty and passion. While the chapters are uneven, each portrays a working writer who, for one reason or another, claims her Appalachian heritage as foundational in her life. By connecting with the rootedness of these widely-varying women, my own life --and spirit-- are immensely enriched. This book adds a unique perspective to the "spirituality of place" genre that includes such popular writers as Kathleen Norris and Thomas Berry. Take a chance -- read it! If it touches you as it did me, it may change your life.

It's amazing how much work the women in this collection have done, with so little national recognition. Dyer points out that none of them is represented in the new revision of "The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women," for example. Prejudices about Appalachia have prevented many readers from realizing what a gold mine (coal mine?) of literature the region offers. Hats off to Joyce Dyer for helping to bring this literature to the prominence it deserves. P.S. Also a very valuable read for anyone interested in writers and where writing comes from.

The sending, receiving and collecting of postcards as a major part of life in Edwardian Dublin, where there were six mail deliveries a day and one on Sunday, so it's fitting that Niall Murphy has gathered a fine representation of over two hundred postcards posted in Dublin during 1904 to display the messages and interests of ordinary people of the time. More than just a display of vintage cards, A Bloomsday Postcard pairs postcard images and messages with a re-creation of everyday life; thus earning a place as literature, social commentary, and art history all under one cover.

The sending, receiving and collecting of postcards as a major part of life in Edwardian Dublin, where there were six mail deliveries a day and one on Sunday, so it's fitting that Niall Murphy has gathered a fine representation of over two hundred postcards posted in Dublin during 1904 to display the messages and interests of ordinary people of the time. More than just a display of vintage cards, A Bloomsday Postcard pairs postcard images and messages with a re-creation of everyday life; thus earning a place as literature, social commentary, and art history all under one cover.