Literature in Art Books

I absolutely love this book! The designs are beautiful and unique. The author gives great detail on how to do the projects and great ideas on how to make them great. I made a scarf using some patterns from the book that I personalized for my own creation and added the fleece lining on the back like the author suggests and it's my most favorite scarf. I never thought of adding fleece which helped the scarf to hold the shape and not roll even with the purl stitch. I'm working on a matching hat now and will continue with other ideas in the book. I hope the author writes many more books with her wonderful designs for people like me who copy patterns well, but have trouble coming up with creating my own design. I hope she will include more wonderful ideas and tidbits on how to make the projects great and I'd love to see something with a cycling pattern :-) Amazon shipped the book very quickly and provides lots of feedback from other knitters. The book is fantastic. Buy it today! Cristin

This is a wonderful book. I know you will enjoy the stylish and attractive designs.

Let me just say right off the bat, I love this book!

A basic pattern for a blanket, hat, scarf or mittens is presented, followed by detailed graphs of 16 multi-colored designs, each based on a different nursery rhyme. The words are knit right into the accesory, and fleshed out with corresponding design details like flowers, fish, trains, or other animals.

General make-up directions are presented as well, including two different ways to finish the hat - either as a stocking cap, or as a four-pointed hat with tassels. The blanket, scarf, and mittens are all meant to be lined, and the lining instructions are clearly presented as well.

All of these projects are made up in fingering or sport weight yarn, working on 0,1 or 2 needles. The hat and mittens are knitted in the round, scarves and blankets on straight needles. Because of the lightweight yarn and small sized needles, these are not projects you are going to bang out in a weekend, but planning ahead to make a special item that is sure to become a family heirloom is a fine idea.

The designs themselves are what makes this book worth the cost. The patterns are extremely clever - picking up on the theme of each rhyme without being obvious or cloying. And I loved the color choices - many of these patterns would suit a boy or a girl equally well - no washed out pastel pink and blue baby blankets here!

For intermediate knitters, a little too much to tackle for a beginner I think. But if you have experience with, or want to learn fair isle technique, I can't think or a better way to start. Despite the small needle sizes, these kid sized projects will not require a huge time commitment, and I can only imagine the look of gratitude on the face of a lucky recipient, pint-sized or adult, of an item from this book.

Mary Beth Temple is the writer/editor of the web site All Info About Knitting.

This book is a must have for knitters that want to add unique knitting designs for their adorable ones. The author provides designs on making garments using the nursery rhymes on mittens, hats, and scarves. The designs are cute and adorable. The instructions are colorful and clear. Your darling angels will love their hats, mittens and scarves!!!

I am very excited about this lovely book! The watercolor illustrations and beautiful photos show the clever designs off very well. A special chapter on color work is particularly helpful. The graphs are large and clear. The color palate is sophisticated and charming. My only problem is how to decide which to knit first!
Nell

This is an excellent and extremely useful resource for those who know some Sanskrit and want to keep working on it. Very well produced.
We are indebted to the author.

In addition to the other reviewers I would like to say something about the general set up of the book.

The core of the book is the text of the Ramopakhyana. There is one page (sometimes two) for each verse. Apart from a high quality Devanagari text of each verse you get:

A transcription of the Sanskrit text in the Latin alphabet.
The resolution of the sandhi used, with an interlinear annotation giving the exact grammatical classification of the word in question (for instance: "third person, dual. active, perfect" in case of a verb).
A glossary, containing all the words that appear in the verse, including the complete derivation (compounds, nominal derivates etc.).
A Sanskrit prose paraphrase.
Grammatical, textual, contextual and other notes.
An English translation.

It would seem that you need to be a Sanskrit scholar to be able to appreciate the book, nothing is less true. If you are only able to decipher Sanskrit from a text presented in a Latin transcription, maybe using some grammar and/or dictionary and want to go ahead "doing something", this is your book. If you want to practice reading Devanagari, this is your book. If you want to practice resolving sandhi, this is your book. If you ... , well, there is a chapter in this book called "Suggestions for Use", anyway, this is your book!

Apart from the text there is an extensive Introduction covering all kind of aspects connected to the text.

The Devanagari text contains some typos. The most obvious one is on page 71, the title page of the text part. The "o" has changed into an "a", resulting in "ramapakhyana" instead of "ramopakhyana". As up to now, this is the only typo I found I don't expect the text to be overloaded with them. Because there is also a latin transcription and a resolution of the sandhi, typos will not be difficult to detect and resolve.

This book is best suited for someone who has at least some Sanskrit, but for the student who has the basics, but is weak on vocabulary, this is an excellent text. The layout is similar to Sargeant's edition of the Bhagavad-Gita, but S gives a more complete syntactic overview and each verse has a prose retelling (in devanagari only), which is quite good for the intermediate student to practice vocabulary, grammar, and reading.

With over 700 verses, this is an extensive text. There are some typos, but they should not trouble the average student.

Readers, scholars and admirers of the Indic epic "Ramayana" and students and scholars of the Sanskrit language must offer profuse thanks to Prof. Peter Scharf, for putting before us a "Labour of Love" in his publication : Ramopakhyana, the Story of Rama in the Mahabharata. The work comprises chapters 258 to 275 of the Aranyaka Parvan of the Indic epic "Mahabharata". But apart from the Ram saga, the book serves as an independent-study resource for students who have completed a basic survey of Sanskrit grammar. Following in the linguistic traditions set forth in the bench mark publication of Sargeant Winthrop's, The Bhagavad Gita, Dr. Scharf provides a liguistic apparatus that
will delight and amaze even the most astute of Sanskrit scholars.
The Devanagari and Roman fonts and the layout of other materials is simply superb on each page. The press of RoutledgeCurzon must be congratulated for bringing forth such a finely edited text. Needless to add such a massive work must include some typographical errors, notably an outstanding one on page 71, but the typographical errors may actually serve to sharpen the astute thinking of students and readers alike. I have no doubts this work will serve as a standard reference source for many years and I hope and pray that other Indic and Sanskrit scholars will emulate this work, to provide in a similar format the entire translations of the the four Vedas, the Mahabharata and the 18 Mahapurans.

Scharf's fully annotated edition of the storey of Rama is just mind-blowing and endearing work.He seems he has not spared anything.He gives you Sanskrit script and then with transliteration and the tanslation and lengty explanations.
After finishing this book I will continue with Bhagavad Gita published by Suny Series.

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ORDERED IT.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT IS I LIKE TO READ ABOUT ANAKIN SKYWALKER/DARTH VADER! I CAN NEVER STOP LOOKING AT IT! AUTHOR WINDHAM IS THE BEST BECAUSE THIS BOOK HE WROTE IS SO POPULAR!

They did it! Lucas actually allowed The Star Wars Holiday Special to be mentioned! That is the greatest variety show ever to be conceived!! And.. that's not saying much. But I love the holiday special, it rocks, and, oh, by the way, we here at x-play give it a five... out of five!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greatings, to everyone!
What can i say! I am a big fun of STAR WARS and i was looking to buy anything that ivnoles IT.Luckily the book was very intresting about the world of star wars in everything.I learn about the characters,wipons,etc.That's why i bought another book:The movie storybook. So,that are you waiting for!BUY IT NOW!!!!!!

This brilliant glossy "Revenge of the Sith Scrapbook" is a fascinating sneak preview of the most anticipated movie of 2005. It's full of stunning teaser photos, colorful graphics and many titilating factoids & antidotes about Episode III, plus several Classic Trilogy insertions. This book was available at Toys 'R Us on April 1st 2005 and DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS - The planet section offers a brief, concise breakdown of Mustafar, Utapau and Kashyyyk (Chewbacca's homeworld), and there is also personal information about actors Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, etc.

Instead of purchasing this book for $8, why don't you go to starwars.com, click on the link at the bottom of the page for the RotS souvenir guide and then...buy it?

It's a worthy cash exercise (the souvenir guide), if you're a fan of this movie. Granted that you do not know if you are already, but if no mental deficiencies, then you will be.

Anyways, (back to) the scrapbook is alright, but it's nothing the die-hard or even casual adult fan won't know; it is great for a child, especially if a parent wants to forego the more graphic side of the movie. In fact, if you have more than 15 posts on a SW board, then you may have been able to make this book yourself (minus the photos, which aren't all that unique).

Although the book gave me a similar feeling that the storybook did (another RotS product you could go without), it is not arranged chronologically: so if you want an outline of the movie, you should remember that this is a scrapbook.

Want the nice spice? Get the Visual dictionary.
Want more coverage and interviews? Get the souvenir guide.
Want to just get through the story quickly on paper format? Get the comic book.

Want a better way to spend $8? Get the Anakin on Mustafar action figure when it comes out. You'll be glad that you did.

I can confidently echo for you the praise the other reviewers on this page have granted The Virgin of Flames. It is the lyrical, grotesque, ecstatic, outcast story of a Los Angeles that simmers unknown to many of it's own citizens-migrants and natives alike. Chris Abani's imagery of Black, Iggy, Sweet Girl, Bomboy, Ray-Ray, Rio L.A. and East L.A., among others is quite reverential and even more than the pictures and qualities he conjures, they are brave.
As a resident of L.A. and it's environs I enjoyed those references to neighborhoods (yes, L.A. has neighborhoods), bridges, restaurants (Thai Palms-Thai Elvis) and the like that told me Mr. Abani walks these places and sees the faces and grafitti, decay and sublime magnetism that propels many of us here. He captures the mystery and possibility of Los Angeles in the radical expressionism of Black's identity experimentation, Iggy's underground venues and physical risk, Sweet Girl's bold sexuality and paralyzing trans/pro-gression. As well, the Catholic blood that run through the dusty past of Los Angeles and California, the WEST, in all it's harrowing, piercing pain. Abani's vision of a modern martyr, his many attempts at acceptance and expression reminded me of Leonard Cohen's Beautiful Losers. The artist living his life as a work of art, challenging the dominate modes through as many of his avenues of existence as possible.
Some favorite passages:
"It seemed, though, that those with a clear sense of the past, of identity, were always so eager to bury it and move on, to reinvent themselves. What a luxury, he thought, what a thing, to choose your own obsession, to choose your own suffering. Him, he was trying to reinvent an origin to bury so he could finally come into this thing he wanted to be, and he knew that if he didn't find it soon, it would destroy him, burn him up." (pgs. 123-24)
"This River was alive, this River was here before anyone knew this was a River, before anyone saw it and said, River. And its personality shaped this city. Was this city." (pg. 135)
Referring to the L.A. Mission, downtown: "It had long since lost out to Six Flags fun parks and Universal Studio's theme park. It looked sad, not in the way of a rejected wallflower, but more in the commonplace shame of a community center. A place kept open by a grudging love." (pg. 155)
Mr. Abani expresses one of the prime enigma's of Los Angeles life: "In LA we are always becoming, and any idea of a solid past, as an anchor, is soon lost here. And I mean any, that's why there is no common mythology here, that's why people come here, to get lost or to be discovered, makes no difference. It's the same coin. Other cities, like New York, have an overwhelming myth, and there is no you, as it were, without this-shall we say-New York state of mind. But here, there is none of that bulls**t, there is just you and what you see and imagine this place and your life in it to be, moment by moment. If you can't change, if you don't embrace it, you destroy yourself. The only landscape in this city is in your mind. It's very Zen..." (pg. 207)
"Ambivalence is the heart of this town. Not in spite of, but because of." (pg. 207)

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Abani's works.

This was a great read, start to finish. Daring and unexpected. Highly recommended.

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. Abani's characters leap from the page. It's a stunning book and I can't wait to go back and read some of Abani's earlier novels.

The Virgin of Flames is odd, complex, and accomplished. We find many of Abani's earlier themes: lost, found, and created identities, violent acts and defered release and the consequences of both, surreal consciousness, sublime sexuality and abhorent flesh, choices, imperatives, the absence in the human condition of objectivity - all ignited on the page into an escalated blaze that can keep you up nights. Abani's writing is not for those invested in happy endings. The suicides of his protagonists speed up the inevitability of a death most of us strain to delay. Yet, this is fiction, and, if you give youself over to it, The Virgin of Flames reads as a unique, disquieting voice, an extended prosepoem which will leave you changed. What other is the purpose of art?

In the Virgin of Flames Abani gives us a lyrical, daring portrait of a city and its inhabitants struggling to find their place between darkness and the sublime. Black, a mural artist, is a modern-day Hamlet searching for answers to the riddle of his past, fighting to create a whole from its fragments. This conflict is mirrored in the topography of Los Angeles, where the holy and grotesque combine in a city that reflects the struggles of post-9/11 America. Abani does not provide easy answers to any of this. Instead, he shows us characters that navigate violence and despair but retain the ability to truly care about one another and a city where, despite its urban malaise and constant veil of smoke and ash, people sing joyously in the streets. From its vivid dreamscapes to its gritty realism, Abani's novel will leave the reader breathless at the beauties and complexities of life.

I really love this book. It has real photos of the plants making them easy to identify. Gives a nice amount of informations and something you can do with each plant. Plus which season to find the plant in!

Heather mama of 5

This book is a delight for children of ALL age! For those just exploring the magical world of nature to those young at heart. The beautiful photography and illustrations along with the wondrous style of writing is enchanting. This is a marvelous addition to any library, full of information from the practical and medicinal uses of herbs to a beautiful introduction to the wheel of the year and cycles of nature, with glimpses into ancient folklore of various cultures.

This is definitely a must have book for any family who does herbal medicine- Pagan or not! I was so excited to see the Wheel of the Year described. Each description is in very easy to read language for the children, yet offers valuable information. Plainly put, the author trusts the children's intelligence, and doesn't dumb it down for them. Many simple recipes for remedies and treats are included in the descriptions, as well as lore. My only problem with this book is that there aren't more pictures of each plant in various stages. Some of the pictures offer only a flowering shot of the arial parts. Still, with a parent's help the children will have no problem seeing that they are indeed the plants from the book. The pictures offered are full page beautiful shots. So, it's not really much of a complaint- more of a suggestion in case there are any future editions. :) BUY THIS BOOK!

Kids ages 5-10 and their parents will find Walking The World In Wonder an inviting survey of the medicinal and magical uses of over sixty common herbs. Each herb introduces itself and talks about its uses, with activities reinforcing the lessons on basic herbal skills, along with simple recipes kids can use.

The author begins with some good information on practices of collecting, use and identification, and then proceeds with a nice introduction to the Wheel of the Year complete with the popular festival names (Samhain, Yule, etc.)

My kids (boys, ages 5 and 8) love the full-color illustrations of easy-to-find herbs. This is truly written to be used by a child (though adults will find it enchanting as well) which is exactly what I needed. I have plenty of my own adult versions of herbals and wanted something that my children could call their own and use on their own.

An interesting twist is the organization of the herbs. The herbs are grouped into four seasons, the season they would most commonly be found, and the chapters begin with Autumn, the start of the Wheel of the Year. Living in Florida, we are less likely to be finding that exactly useful; but we do enjoy seeing how they are usually found in the more northern areas of the nation and will enjoy that feature on our travels to visit family.

The junior version of Patricia O'Conner's WOE IS I, the best-selling grammar guide for adults, is written in a witty, fun manner for elementary to middle school grade levels and provides a lively series of examples covering both good and bad grammar. From confusing look-alike words to plural verbs which help multiply subjects, WOE IS I JUNIOR is an excellent survey adding life and fun to the topic of understanding English.

Who knew grammar could be such a good time? I like this version even better than the one for 'grown-ups'! This is a truly entertaining, informative and enriching read.

Being a father of 2 girls, the younger 7 and the older 9, bedtime stories continue to be a compulsory nighttime ritual. I usually end the day with something from the "kids section" of the bookshelf that consist of books that I purchased when they were, erm...4 and 6, so as you can imagine, I was recently on Amazon ordering updated books for my daughters.

That's when I ran across this gem of a book.

It's a grammar book! But it's funny and doesn't get boring! Serious!

Now, granted, I'm the kind of dad who reads childrens books with wild enthusiasm, facial contortions, wide vocal range, the appropriate silly remark, sound effect or armpit tickle, but despite my whacky delivery, this book managed to keep my daughters interest focused on the prose itself! Not only that, but due to its interactive format, my daughters were even yelling out answers to the enticing questions which succeeds the seemingly impossible task of melding academics and entertainment in the dreary subject of grammar...a subject, which is about as delicious as unsweetened oatmeal.

Now there's some food for thought!

This is a terrific book to help the younger set realize that good grammar is not only important - it can be fun, too. Ms. O'Conner writes this one with the same wit and cultural relevance demonstrated in the 'adult' version. Her references to characters today's kids know and love provide an amusing and entertaining means of getting her message across - that using good English is easy ... and can be mastered without tears and fear. As a mom and a professional librarian also, I'll be recommending this book over and over.

Jr. is every bit as funny and useful as the original. Although it is written for a younger reader the large print and witty illustrations (both the drawings and written explanations) also make it perfect for a Sr. reader who needs a quick reference. For example, I can never remember whether to italicize or use quotation marks for book titles. But I simply check the index under italics and quickly find my answer on page 93. What a great help! I wish I were the author (see page 56 - Wishful Thinking: Was or Were?).

If you are an actor or want to know what it takes to become a great actor, this book is a must read. I have not found any book on acting that has kept me interested and intrigued as this book. It is a wounderful read for all seriously interested in acting.

What I enjoyed were, in addition to notes on the role, the notes on what it was like to be an actor in England after growing up in apartheid South Africa. Good to meet some of the greats of theatre: "Trevor Nunn", "Chris Hampton" etc as well..

As a studying actor, I could relate to some of the mental processes that Antony Sher revealed in his book "Year of the King." Through this journal, I was able to see how Sher prepared to play the role of Richard III, his thoughts when confronted with a problem, and in what places he looked to find the answer. This book showed me the importance of keeping a record of my own progress during a production. The only thing I wish from "Year of the King" is that a video had been included to allow us to see Antony Sher's end result!

I first read Year of the King 6 years ago while studying in London. I fell in love with the works of Antony Sher on stage and was thrilled to find this book. Its been a source of inspiration and admiration since and has opened my eyes to what a different world actors live in. I am now that much closer to understanding the intricacies of performance through the words (and sketches) of Antony Sher.

This is the best book I have ever read on the process of acting. It should be required reading for every actor! It details the process that Antony Sher went through in developing the character of Richard III. It's a "fast" read because you are so eager to find out what he will do next. Highly recommended.

As with his previous works, such as FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE and THE INNOCENT EYE, Roger Shattuck manages to cover many topics in his new book. There is no thematic link between the essays--it is enough that Shattuck writes well about each subject. Shattuck is, along with William Pritchard, Denis Donoghue, and Andrew Delbanco, one of our most perspicacious and eloquent critics, as he is equally adept at analyzing a writer's words (such as in his essay on Mallarme's poetry) or a social phenomenon (such as in his essay "Radical Skepticisim and How We Got Here"). The clarity of his writing prompts one to question the value of the opaque prose produced by many academics in our age.

ýCandor & Perversioný collects nearly forty of Roger Shattuckýs previously published essays on a broad range of topics in education, literature and the arts. Nearly all of these essays were published after 1985, predominantly in ýSalmagundiý, ýThe New York Review of Booksý and ýThe New Republicý. It is an outstanding collection of essays by a scholar of wide-ranging, thoughtful and sober intelligence.

The collection is divided into two parts. The first part, ýIntellectual Craftsmanshipý, contains a series of polemical essays that deal with topics generally subsumed in recent years under the term ýCulture Warsý. In this part, Shattuck stakes out his position clearly in a number of essays dealing with the proper role of education and the importance of the canon. Thus, in the essay ýNineteen Theses on Literature,ý Shattuck states that, ýwe have brought ourselves to a great deal of perplexity about the basic role of education.ý This perplexity arises from the question of whether educationýs proper role should be ý[to] socialize the young within an existing culture and offer them the means to succeed within that cultureý or, in the alternative, ý[to] give to the young the means to challenge and overthrow the existing culture, presumably in order to achieve a better life.ý Shattuckýs response is in favor of the former, choosing a conservative view of educationýs role. In doing so, he essentially resolves this question consistent with a position he articulates in another of his essays, ýEducation, Higher and Lower,ý where he states that, ýsome of us have come to believe that it is possible, even necessary, to be liberal in political matters and conservationist in cultural matters.ý

These polemical pieces on the role of education are followed by a number of essays that explore such topics as ýThe Spiritual in Artý, ýHow We Think at the Moviesý (where he explores, among other things, whether thinking is possible without language), ýLife Before Language: Nathalie Sarrauteý (where he examines Sarrauteýs attempts to capture, in fiction, mental life as it exists before it ýgets caught and stifled in the rough net of conventional languageý), ýMichel Foucaultý, and ýRadical Skepticism and How We Got There.ý In all of these essays, Shattuck explores, with erudition and balance, a range of topics that have been prone in recent years to irrational polemics.

The second part of the collection, ýA Critics Job of Work,ý contains essays that are best described as literary journalism. In a series of essays under the broad title ýTracking the Avant Guard in France,ý Shattuck explores the biographies and artistic significance of a range of artists and writers, including Marcel Duchamp, Hans Arp, Sarah Bernhardt, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau. The most telling of his essays in this part of the book is titled ýFrom Aestheticism to Fascism,ý where Shattuck calmly proffers the lineage that ran from the ýantinomian, decadent aestheticismý of the ýart for artýs sakeý movement to the ýirrationalism, racism and nationalism that produced the most vicious and destructive aberration of modern timesý in Germany and Italy.

The final essays in the collection are broadly grouped under the title ýAmerica, Africa and Elsewhere.ý Here, Shattuck explores a number of writers, including Mary Settle, Arthur Miller, Octavio Paz, V. S. Naipaul, and Leopold Senghor, as well as the artistic significance of the collaboration between Stieglitz and OýKeefe. These essays are wide ranging, insightful and balanced. The last of these essays, ýScandal and Stereotypes on Broadway: The New Puritanismý, seemingly comes full circle from the opening essay of the book insofar as Shattuck reiterates his culturally conservative position in a stinging review of ýAngels in Americaý, stating that it was a play for which he was ashamed of himself for not having walked out. In Shattuckýs words, the play ýrepresents Puritanism inverted.ý

ýCandor & Perversioný reaffirms Roger Shattuckýs position as one of Americaýs foremost cultural commentators. If youýre interested in the polemics that have engulfed education, literature and the arts in the past decade, I can only say: read this book! You may not agree with Shattuck, but you will find his intelligent and careful reasoning regarding these issues a refreshing change from the often muddled and irrational posturing that characterizes much writing on these very important subjects.

"Candor & Perversion" collects nearly forty of Roger Shattuck's previously published essays on a broad range of topics in education, literature and the arts. Nearly all of these essays were published after 1985, predominantly in Salmagundi, The New York Review of Books and The New Republic. It is an outstanding collection of essays by a scholar of wide-ranging, thoughtful and sober intelligence.

The collection is divided into two parts. The first part, "Intellectual Craftsmanship," contains a series of polemical essays that deal with topics generally subsumed in recent years under the term "Culture Wars." In this part, Shattuck stakes out his position clearly in a number of essays dealing with the proper role of education and the importance of the canon. Thus, in the essay "Nineteen Theses on Literature," Shattuck states that, "we have brought ourselves to a great deal of perplexity about the basic role of education." This perplexity arises from the question of whether education's proper role should be "[to] socialize the young within an existing culture and offer them the means to succeed within that culture" or, in the alternative, "[to] give to the young the means to challenge and overthrow the existing culture, presumably in order to achieve a better life." Shattuck's response is in favor of the former, choosing a conservative view of education's role. In doing so, he essentially resolves this question consistent with a position he articulates in another of his essays, "Education, Higher and Lower," where he states that, "some of us have come to believe that it is possible, even necessary, to be liberal in political matters and conservationist in cultural matters."

These polemical pieces on the role of education are followed by a number of essays that explore such topics as "The Spiritual in Art," "How We Think at the Movies" (where he explores, among other things, whether thinking is possible without language), "Life Before Language: Nathalie Sarraute" (where he examines Sarraute's attempts to capture, in fiction, mental life as it exists before it "gets caught and stifled in the rough net of conventional language"), "Michel Foucault," and "Radical Skepticism and How We Got There." In all of these essays, Shattuck explores, with erudition and balance, a range of topics that have been prone in recent years to irrational polemics.

The second part of the collection, "A Critics Job of Work," contains essays that are best described as literary journalism. In a series of essays under the broad title "Tracking the Avant Guard in France," Shattuck explores the biographies and artistic significance of a range of artists and writers, including Marcel Duchamp, Hans Arp, Sarah Bernhardt, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau. The most telling of his essays in this part of the book is titled "From Aestheticism to Fascism," where Shattuck calmly proffers the lineage that ran from the "antinomian, decadent aestheticism" of the "art for art's sake" movement to the 'irrationalism, racism and nationalism that produced the most vicious and destructive aberration of modern times' in Germany and Italy.

The final essays in the collection are broadly grouped under the title "America, Africa and Elsewhere." Here, Shattuck explores a number of writers, including Mary Settle, Arthur Miller, Octavio Paz, V. S. Naipaul, and Leopold Senghor, as well as the artistic significance of the collaboration between Stieglitz and O'Keefe. These essays are wide ranging, insightful and balanced. The last of these essays, "Scandal and Stereotypes on Broadway: The New Puritanism," seemingly comes full circle from the opening essay of the book insofar as Shattuck reiterates his culturally conservative position in a stinging review of "Angels in America," stating that it was a play for which he was ashamed of himself for not having walked out. In Shattuck's words, the play "represents Puritanism inverted."

"Candor & Perversion" reaffirms Roger Shattuck's position as one of America's foremost cultural commentators. If you're interested in the polemics that have engulfed education, literature and the arts in the past decade, I can only say: read this book! You may not agree with Shattuck, but you will find his intelligent and careful reasoning regarding these issues a refreshing change from the often muddled and irrational posturing that characterizes much writing on these very important subjects.

This is a great book that attempts to see through our modern educational and literary theories in order to reach a more truthful and substantial way of thinking about how we educate the mind through reading, writing and literature.

This isn't a perfect book. At times Shattuck relies much too heavily on what I would call "crutch" artists (Marcel Proust and Jean Arp being two of them), and at other times he seems almost guilty of nepotism in his applauding of the work done by close friends. However, the overall success of the book is in opening the reader to entertain less mainstream or popularly-accepted ideas that eventually may bring about a better educational system and more engaging and critical readers of literature in America.

I don't feel the book is quite as revolutionary as the author expects, nor as "anti-pc" or "anti-liberal" as many readers might first suggest.

Instead, the book works best as a tool through which the reader is more fully exposed to the current debates on education, literature, and what it means for something to be "art" or for a person to be an "artist."

I was looking for some books to give my 5 year old daughter that she could do on her own with her 1st grade reading level. Well, these books definitely fit the bill. She ended up not even needing to read what it said, she simply followed the pictures and both her and her 4 year old brother (working with her) were bringing me all types of creative and neat hand animals and odd creatures they came up with their own imagination, all based off of this book. They really like it, it is good independent play time for them and for me as well! And the one thing that I really liked about the book is that if you run out of supplies, they are easy to replace, all you really need is to buy a huge bag of wiggly eyes and you are all stocked up again, or just have the kids draw their own eyes on the animals. So it's really nice that it's a "craft kit" and yet still usable to make more crafts after you run out of the supplies they provide.

My three year old and I could make these animals together all day long. It is fun for me and her. I think my older nephews and nieces would also enjoy this. It's a good buy. Get some extra eyes and pom poms and the book will last you ages.

We love this book. It has 20 different animals/aliens/bugs you can draw all from tracing your hand a certain way. The instructions are helpful and you can easily restock the supplies. All you need is some pompoms and googly eyes, though you can just draw those in if you'd prefer. My 5 year old can do these by herself and my 3 year old needs help. But I think it's fun, they do as well, and for kids who love to draw and/or do crafts, this is a great book to have!

My 8 year-old son and I just bought this book at G. R. Doddlebugs in Danville, California. We came right home and did a couple of the drawings. "It's super fun" he says. The book gives an interesting take on how easy it really is to construct good drawings.

Gerald Wood has written an incredibly inciteful book on this young Irishman who has yet to be fully recognised in his mother country. Mr Wood has guided us through the plays and scripts of McPherson and it becomes very obvious from the moment you read the first few pages that this is an author who has tremendous knowledge of the world McPherson comes from. It came as quite a shock to me to discover that Mr Wood is from the US but his ability to understand the concept of "The Irish Author" is remarkable. I can truthfully recommend this book to all students and professors of Irish theatre. It is a concise and very readable book and does not attempt to suffocate the reader with excessive analytical language. I agree with the above reader regarding "I Went Down." This film is one of the best we have ever seen produced in this country on such a limited budget. Hope to see more from MacPherson and Mr Wood in the near future. Excellent!

I found this book to be an excellent study and introduction to McPherson's work. Mr. Wood's analysis seems to be spot-on to me, and he makes some numerous insightful observations. Indeed, this Liffey Series is very good.

I'll admit that I have always found McPherson's work to be wildly inconsistent. Some of the plays are great (Rum & Vodka), while I always thought that others, particularly The Weir, were overvalued. My favorite is probably the movie I Go Down. This book does a good job of giving an overview of McPherson's work, and has made me better appreciate some of the plays that didn't originally mean much to me. In fact, Wood's book makes me curious about what the future holds for McPherson. I recommend this book highly.

I'm glad to see McPherson's work getting some study, especially in the US. I found this book to be a great introduction to the Irishman's works, and the author, Wood, seems to really know his stuff. Not only that, but the book is really readable. So much scholarship is poorly written, but this book is clear and intelligent without being confusing. For anyone interested in contemporary Irish writers, this book is a must for your bookshelf.