Prose Books

Inspiration can sometimes be difficult to find. If it is, look in quiet places. The brave are not always found in the spotlight, nor are they typical. They're the ones that see the cup as half full.

It is all, perhaps "one art" - mastering loss, mastering grief, self-mastery. Cheng has a familiarity with loss. She is blind and physically disabled, the obstacles she's had to endure enormous. Through years of physical pain during her childhood, she never lost her zest for life. The largest threat to her happiness was a system that wanted to separate a child from her mother. Juliet Cheng lost custody twice in America because she disagreed with the doctor's recommended treatments. "This would have ended my young life," Shirley says(52 Cheng). "They took me out of her loving arms and trapped me inside their gloomy hospital rooms in order to force the unwanted, harmful treatments on me" (52 Cheng).

Shirley Cheng cone again gives rise to and quickens reader's thoughts. Waking Spirit, Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings' combines her story with empowering poetry. This book matters because it reminds us to pay attention to the simple gifts of life. All we need is a little inspiration from the brave who've endured extraordinary hurdles, and then whisper the secret to how they did it. That is what readers will find in this book. Warm, luminous, and an easy pleasure.

Shirley received Honorable Mention in the poetry category of the New York Festival Competition. She has also been a finalist in the national Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards.

If you enjoy reading the thoughts of someone who has confronted her own mortality, pain, and flawed body at a young age to emerge as a spiritual champion who "sees" the beauty around her, you'll love this book. One of Shirley Cheng's inspirations is that there are always those who have more problems than she does. If you draw from that lesson, you'll be counting your blessings all day long . . . and seeing the spiritual beauty of life, as well.

In the essays in Waking Spirit, Ms. Cheng recounts her spiritual journey in a way that would move a boulder to dance.

Her happiness is so pervasive that you may at first not be able to tune into it. Through a combination of essays, aphorisms, poems and haikus, you'll find yourself moving up in spiritual blessedness from this uplifting volume.

Here's one of my favorite inspirational aphorisms:

"Don't live each day as though it is your last; live each day as though it is your first."

Here's one of the haikus I found lightened my mood:

"Upon white bellies
Into waters penguins slide
Dressed in tuxedos"

Some of the proceeds from the book go to Christian Blind Mission International and Be the Star You Are!

So do yourself and those charities a favor by buying and being buoyed by this delightful book.

Shirley will grab your heart with the first pages of this wonderful book and keep you involved with the way she has with words. She is one of those angels that tip toes up behind you and just says "hello." You will not be sorry you picked up this book, you will be purchasing it for gifts for your friends and family. Inspiration is what makes the world go round and she has plenty to share with everyone. Thank you Shirley for sharing your gifts with all of us.

WAKING SPIRIT is a winner of the prestigious AVATAR AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN SPIRITUAL LITERATURE! As a member of the award committee I had the pleasure of reviewing Shirley's book. Shirley is a shining star in a world in need of light. Her writing is straight forward,inspirational and uplifting. To read Shirley's writing is to dance with life. For her, there is truly no mountain high enough. Rejoice in her poetry, essays and insights for her writing is a gift from whatever you call the Universal Spirit of Love.

Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings is an emotional journey into the heart of a young woman who has faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet has risen far above them in courage and perseverance. A combination of thoughtful, emotional prose, sweet poetry and spirited haiku, this book can't help but make the reader feel powerful.

Waking Spirit begins with a foreword by Cynthia Brian, a New York Times bestselling author who met Shirley during a radio interview. It then takes you through a delightful concoction of stories and poetry, interspersed with "A Moment with Shirley"--an inspirational message for the reader.

I was drawn to the stories most of all, to that rare insight into the mind of an author who "dances" with joy in her heart. The stories of her relationship with her mother are compelling, although I know that they suffered many tragedies together and were separated for lengths of time by government policy. But they have conquered all! And that is what this book is really about. Conquering disease and not allowing it to hold you back. Overcoming obstacles of every shape and form so that one can reach his or her dreams.

Certainly each of us could learn from Shirley Cheng, a young woman who is blind and suffers from severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She may be confined to a wheelchair in body, but her spirit soars far above, free and unhindered by negativity or pain. I have had the honor of calling her a friend for a number of years, and although we have never met in person, she has truly touched my life by her old-soul wisdom, which is far beyond her years. Shirley Cheng has delivered another work that is sure to inspire all ages, nationalities, whether abled, disabled or ultra-abled. I recommend Waking Spirit for anyone who needs a boost of encouragement or hope.

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a freelance journalist, book reviewer and the author of three mystery novels set in Canada--Divine Intervention, The River and the bestselling novel Whale Song.

I loved this book; and I cannot tell why. For me it was one of those disturbing reads that I could not put down. The imagery is pointed; the themes uniquely universal. I say uniquely because this story grows out of its setting, but is imaginable in Durban, Gaza, Burma, or Sarajevo (of the last century).

Mr. Mda is an inspiration. This novel, like all his other works, are addictive reading.

WAYS OF DYING is one of the most fascinating novels that I have read in years. The book is set in South Africa during a period that seems to span the end of the apartheid regime and focuses exclusively on the lives (and deaths) of poor South African Blacks in rural villages and urban shanty towns near what I suspect is Durban. Fans of Marquez will feel very much at home here in a world of "magical realism", yet while Mda may have been influenced by novels like 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE he has a voice that is uniquely his own, and one that I sense is profoundly rooted in Africa. Mda's "hero" is a self-declared Professional Mourner, who ekes out an existence at the edge of society. Some aspects of his life are almost grotesque in form, and the deaths that surround him are often truly horrifying, yet somehow I found this a profoundly optimistic and human book. In spite of the worst that the world can throw at him the Professional Mourner is able to transcend mere existence & by the end I was shamelessly rooting for him. I should add that I used this book in a course on the Turn of the Century, and one of my toughest-case students, whom I had failed to excite with anything else, came into my office today saying "I just LOVE Mda" You will too,

This book is simply great, it was a lot more than i had expected...i recomend it very much to anyone who is looking for an intersting piece that explores what the end of of one of the darkest times in south africa

Recently i had the pleasure of reading material from one of South Africa's most celebrated black authors, Zakes Mda. An Oxford University Press published book titled "Ways of Dying", this is a South African fiction selection. Being a fiction, it is wtitten in a very creative manner that i could hardly associate with any of the books i had read before.

This is a story of love written with expectation of one's imagination to take over. The wording, grouping, style and context of this book make it so. It is mainly based on two characters and the way they live their lives. Toloki is a man consumed with the profession of mourning the dead whilst his love Noria has lost immensely through life, still has the ability to show Toloki how to live.

There are various different characters in this novel, which make it as interesting. Even with their differences, they jell well together making the story line easily readable and understandably creative enough to follow. The vast lines go from Toloki who grew up as the ugliest boy in the village and people taking no note of him to the same character turning into a man who is widely respected for his chosen profession in the city outskirts where it was the only place he found recognition. In the village where he grew up Toloki had a friend who had the identity he wanted. Her name was Noria. Toloki hated and loved her with the same heart. Noria was everyone's favorite in the villafe; she had her mother's beauty and brought all the boys and towns' man attention and had the most amazing laugh that made all the village people happy whenever they heard it. When she was sad, everyone was too.

The writing style used in this book is that which is very easy to follow. There are no bombastic (big) words used nor are there times where you could lose the story. Every word flows into a paragraph that combines to others that make this a brilliantly written story.

One of the other things that make this an interesting read is the humor infused.

This is a brilliant written book that everyone with a sense of adventure and imagination will enjoy.

With the advent of industrialism, most of us don't follow the footsteps of our fathers and don't work in the same field. Also we leave our fathers' houses as soon as we are off to college.

This has led to the demise of the tradition of learning from your father where a child would learn from his father as they both worked on the family business.

On a personal side, when my own father was visiting me, he found this book on my bookshelf and liked it a lot. Now he is about to pass away and I am reading this book to get a handle on this situation.

Joe Kita's book is an oyster overflowing with pearls. I harvested this one slowly, because it is clear how precious each one of them is. Wisdom of Our Father's does what other books try to do: it delivers on the promise of its title. Kita's essays about heroic men, deeply personal insights about his own father, and his courageous claims about what he knows team up with beautifully edited and organized information from fathers of all walks of life. And the true beauty of it is that the messages are universal. If you don't get this for your own dad for Father's Day, get it for yourself. Or your mom, wife, friends... Wisdom of our Fathers succeeds. It is a pleasure to read from endpaper to endpaper.

~~ Mark Clement, Author of The Carpenter's Notebook

All around great book. I highly recommed it. I lost my first copy and had to buy another. This and Jimmy the bartenders book and a great combination.

Every once in a while you read something that has a profound inpact on your life's perspective. This has got to be one of those reads. The questions here are those that you never ask but wished you had. I bought this for my father and many other men in my life, because after I read this I realized that, These are the questions that you should ask but few ever do. It's well worth the price.

I own this book. I bought it in 99 when they did the first printing. Since then I have given out over 50 copies to my friends families and new fathers I know. I am 30 now, it is 2008 and I just gave out another copy to my new father in law.

This book is still the best book I have read by far and will continue to be until I pass. Joe Kita was an amazing writer for Mens Health but this book is his best work I believe. The insights are amazing and the writing top notch. This book is a must buy.. for fathers, sons, and men in general.

Charles Simic, The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990)

Charles Simic won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The World Doesn't End, and it is blessedly easy to see why. This collection (which, despite its subtitle, is mostly prose poems, with a few "regular" poems thrown in for good measure) could easily be a primer for the aspiring poet on exactly how to write a prose poem. (Would that more who attempt it had read this!) In the days when prose poetry has fallen so far from the poetic tree that a new subgenre, "flash fiction," had to be invented for the mass of the unpoetic claptrap, Simic gives us a book full of wonderful tall tales, flights of fancy, and utterly poetic language, all without ever once straying from the idea that what he is writing in these small pieces is, in fact, poetry.

"The dog went to dancing school. The dog's owner sniffed vials of Viennese air. One day the two heard the new Master of the Universe pass their door with a heavy step. After that, the man exchanged clothes with his dog. It was a dog on two legs, wearing a tuxedo, that they led to the edge of the common grave. As for the man, blind and deaf as he came to be, he still wags his tail at the approach of a stranger." --untitled (p. 40)

The World Doesn't End caused me to re-evaluate my ideas on what poetry is. Perhaps it is not, as Eliot would have it, language elevated; perhaps, instead, it is language as it should be. The standard as opposed to the elevation, the diction we should be striving for in our daily lives.

The finest book of poetry to cross my desk since Reznikoff's classic By the Waters of Manhattan half a decade ago. Must reading for poetry fans, and engaging stuff in prose form for those who don't do poetry. Just think of it as the best flash fiction ever written. In any case, whatever you have to do to convince yourself to do so, read this book. *****

It hardly seems worthwhile for me to review this book since literally every blurb of it I've read here has been a 5-star rave. Nonetheless, I felt like I should add my $0.02US.

I may be unfairly biased, as this slim volume was my first introduction to Mr. Simic's work. Maybe if I'd read, say, "Walking the Black Cat" I would feel the same way about it, but be that as it may, I can safely say that "The World Doesn't End" is one of the best books I've read in any genre. I clearly remember the experience of reading it for the first time. Mr. Simic's tone is so direct and intimate that he immediately draws you in and then, when he's got you where he wants you, he proceeds to completely take you apart. The ground slips from under your feet. Tiny bombs explode in the foundational tissues of your cortex. Realigments occur.

My only regret is that I can never have the same experience again because... I've already read the damned book! Will someone please figure out a way to erase my memory so that I can go back and do it again? Simic. Are you working on this?

A truly original mystical poet. Reading this book was expensive for me, leaving me no choice but to order numerous, Charles Simic books.

The World Doesn't End surprised me in many ways. It was unlike any other volume of his work I have yet read. I was so enthralled I read it cover to cover twice in the first week after I received it. I would have to say that this volume and Simic's "A Wedding in Hell" are two of my favorite volumes of poetry by any poet. Simic has a gift for combining the grotesque/bizarre with the everyday and condensing them down into compact poems that evoke the experience of lucid dreams. I highly recommend this small book!

In a time when many critics despise the prose poem, brushing it aside, refusing to accept such work into the usual canon of lyric poetry, Charles Simic defies all boundaries, combining prose form with a lyrical quality often absent in accepted "lyric" verse.
Simic's world of fantasy and surrealism don't come off as dreamy as one might think. If anything, he is somewhat of a journalist, reporting on events, images, people, animals, gypsies, etc., but from a purely personal perspective, a perspective we all can identify with because we see the world in similar fashion.
There are few poets more intimate than Simic. When looking through his eyes, which have seen and survived much, one can't get closer to one of contemporary poetry's strongest voices.

Great book. I'd recommend it to anyone who want to write interesting free flowing articles be it stories or anything. This book offers you with knowledge you'd need to write a good essay, story or book. I love this book it has really helped me improve my writing skills. Writing Creative Nonfiction

The book was well known before I ordered it. It is all I looked for and it is on my principal bookshelf.

This book may not be 100% comprehensive (a tad redundant, perhaps), but if there is any other one out there that has more to offer on addressing the varieties of style, structure, form and the creative nonfiction process, I haven't seen it. Being new to the business in 2003 when I began working on Waiting for Westmoreland in earnest, I found the instuctions and insights illuminating, inspiring and confusing all at once. How to choose?! I felt like Alice on her journey after the rabbit. Still, it gave me plenty of techniques to consider--that would not have been as readily discernible had I simply tried to read every book of actual creative nonfiction I could get my hands on.

Over the past several years there has been quite a controversy as to what exactly is creative nonfiction.
In fact, there are some who even go so far as denying its existence and claim there is no such animal!
If we are from the school that accepts that it is alive and kicking, we must then be able to describe what exactly is creative nonfiction.

Carolyn Fauché and Philip Gerard, editors of Writing Creative Nonficton, perhaps best sum up what it is all about when they state: "creative nonfiction has emerged in the last few years as the province of factual prose that is also literary-infused with the stylistic devices, tropes, and rhetorical flourishes of the best fiction and the most lyrical narrative poetry. It is fact based writing that remains compelling, undiminished by the passage of time, that has at heart an interest in enduring human values: foremost a fidelity to accuracy, to truthfulness."

In order to support their belief in creative nonfiction, Fauché and Gerard have presented more than thirty essays that examine all of above key ingredients inherent in writing creative nonfiction.
Divided into three sections, the reader will receive tips pertaining to such topics as researching ideas and structuring the story, reportage, personal reflection, developing powerful observation techniques, awareness of the filters that put you between yourself and the world, shaping the lyric essay, creating biography, war writing, using humor, and taking yourself out of the story.

What is quite noteworthy about the book is that the reader receives valuable advice from over thirty well- known writers such as: Terry Tempest Williams, Allan Cheuse, Phillip Lopate, Carolyn Forché, and Philip Gerard, all of whom contribute immensely in convincing us that, yes, creative nonfiction does exist.
It may be true that it has undergone many name changes over the years- nonfiction novel, narrative non-fiction, literary journalism, literary non-fiction, and new journalism, however, they all lead us to the conclusion that no matter how confusing it sounds, creative nonfiction is still distinguishable from daily journalism, academic criticism, and critical biography.

The book also offers a primer on the practical business of drafting a business proposal as presented by Stanley Colbert, and a section about what happens after publication.
Finally, as the editors most aptly state: "as a final gift to the reader, we've included the `Creative Non-Fiction' reader offering the companion pieces and other exemplary essays to inspire, delight, reach, and simply to enjoy."

This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site: Bookpleasures.com

whilst one can not expect every chapter to be directly relevant, i found each of them thought provoking. this book has enabled me to view the genre, and my writing attempts, in a new light.

an essential read for anyone interested in writing narrative non-fiction.

Reid Buckley (RIP) has masterfully written an insightful memoir of a family (his own) that, along with many other families, formed the backbone of a once-great Country, a dynamic culture regrettably on the wane.

As one would expect, coming as it does from the Buckleys, this book entertains and informs, amuses and instructs, simultaneously opens the heart and breaks it with reminiscences quite common to us all. Primarily, Mr. Buckley's words address both the individual's and the culture's soul.

If you presume that the Buckley family of the passed and passing generations was comprised of elitist snobs, that presumption will be dispelled; unless, of course, you consider those who place God, Family, and Country (and in that order) first are somehow representative of primordial elitism.

One might ask: "How could one family produce so many creative and successful citizens?" The answer is to be found in the Buckley definitions of "citizenry" and "success." For that you will have to turn especially to Chapter 12: "The Mexican Impact and Its Legacy" and pages 253 and 254 (the Buckley inheritance contraindicating that of materialism). Therein is established a propaedeutic on both concepts.

You will love this book because it exemplifies what is being lost in the present generation of America; you will identify with the Buckleys and you will sense a loss. In doing so, you may be caused to engage in recovering what is being withered away. Reid Buckley, and Bill, etc., have left their fellow-citizens a legacy - a gift. This book is the culmination of their contribution.

Even tho I'm a liberal, many of his concepts ring true. The way the book is presented is delightful.

This is a wonderful book. It shows us the joy,and sometimes sadness,which comes from being in a strong family.It also gives us wise political and cultural observations about what has made the USA great.It portrays the power of love. As WFBsr said, love for "God, Family,and Country in that order".In doing all this, it makes clear the profound good brought to this earth by disciplined,loving parents. It is full of awe inspiring history and stories about this great and hugely talented family. I laughed frequently,experienced sadness occasionally, and was inspired always. WFBjr was one my American heroes since my grad school days in Politics. I own more than 50 of his books and have cherished them all. Reid's new book will be a wonderful addition. I hope it can serve as powerful encouragement to all who love the American family and America itself.

I have been fascinated with the Buckley's since I first discovered a copy of National Review at a teenage friend's home in the 1960's. Throughout the succeeding decades I gobbled up anything Buckley. I must admit after reading Reid's book, that they are a different type of Irish American especially when juxtaposed with the Kennedy's of Massachusetts. However when you combine a heritage of Wild West frontier, New Orleans, Swiss heritage, oil money with a big heaping teaspoon of old fashioned Catholicism you get the Buckley's. You'll read this book with a feeling of nostalgia for a time and place that has disappeared forever just as the New York City of my childhood is long gone as well as the parents and grandparents who were once part of that world. Mr. Buckley writes with this nostalgic tone while at the same time still railing and kicking about what is wrong with this modern world. What would his beloved parents think of this non-republic USA, gay marriage, inarticulate President, Brittney Spears et al.? Alas, the Buckley's and their kind s we will see no more and what a treasure they were while these two generations graced our world. Thank you Mr. Buckley for a delightful glimpse of your wonderful world and a description of the family values that made this a great country.

Reid, once again, captures the truth of what our Founders sought. This time, through the personal story of his family, An American Family. What a gift he has given us!

this book was in great condition
it took a while to get here
but we are totally satisfied with the services
thank you so much

Anything you can read by Wendell Berry is better than just about anything else. Like a quiet stream or a peaceful day in the country, away from the madness of what has become of our normal daily life.Thank you Wendell for the resting place.

No words are adequate to describe how Mr. Berry writes. He doesn't give you words to read. He takes you by the arm and gently leads you into another time and place, a place some of us remember when we read his words, but otherwise find too little time to recall. In this book, Mr. Berry once again leads us to Port William. It is winter time. Andy Catlett, the young boy, has the opportunity to go and visit his two sets of grandparents, one set still living on the farm. Andy is embraced by all who live and work there, but embraced in a way that is not coddling or spoiling. He knows his place among these older adults and they remind him in various ways of what that place is. When he goes to his other grandparents who live at the edge of the town, he is part of the same world but in a different way. And Mr. Berry shows us again how the affairs of the world affect these wonderful people, but also how they do not allow themselves to be affected to the point that they lose their place. Near the end of the book, Mr. Berry gives us the type of insight into ourselves that makes us examine, which might allow us to consider life changes, but which for most of us is just a lingering itch in our subconcious. He points out that we worry too much about how much love we have been given in life rather than considering to what extent we have appreciated the love we have received and the love we have extended. Please read this book.

This book is another gift from Wendell Berry which urges us in its quiet yet strong way to remember where we came from and stop and think about where we are going. Looking back through the span of his life, Andy Catlett describes a time when family ties were strong and children were given the freedom to be responsible, to learn the value of work and to watch and grow within that family network.

I was delighted to read the section about the button box, as I was lucky enough to endlessly play with my grandmother's button drawer in her old Singer sewing machine. I am still playing with those buttons with my grandchildren.

"I went to the closet..behind Grandma's chair and took out her button box. Every house I visited as a child had a button box. It has disappeared now from every house I know, but then it was a necessary part of household economy. No worn-out garment then was simply thrown away. When it was worn past wearing and patching, all its buttons were snipped off and put into the button box. And then when something old needed a new button, or when something newly made needed a set of buttons, the button box provided. Grandma's was an old shoe box better than half full of buttons of all sorts. It was a pleasure just to run your fingers through, like running your fingers through a bucket of shelled corn. My old game with it was to paw through it in search of matching sets of button, especially the intensely colored glass buttons that had come off dresses. I sat on the floor by Grandma's chair with the box in my lap and fished out a set of shapely black buttons and lined them up on the linoleum beside me.

And then it came to me that I was no longer interested in button boxes. Maybe it was because I was now traveling away from home by bus, by myself, but I knew suddenly and finally that my time of playing with buttons was past,just as one summer evening a year or two later, when I had found a perfect slingshot fork in the top of a tree, it came to me that I was no longer interested in slingshots, and I climbed down and left the perfect fork uncut."

Andy Catlett, title character, says this of one of his beloved elders, and means it about the entire ensemble of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, family hires, and others in his close-knit world of childhood, a world that also nurtured him into and through adulthood. Nine-year-old Andy's first solo trip the ten miles to Port William is cause for the boy to ponder how best to navigate the expectations, customs, and burdens of the loved ones he visits after Christmas in 1943. Andy, the boy, is joined in his ruminations by Andy, the man already a father many years and a grandfather too, who seasons his recollections of that rite of his youthful passage with the knowledge and wisdom come from time and the bittersweetness of recollecting kin and kith all gone.

The copyright page carries the disclaimer, "This book is a work of fiction. Nothing is in it that has not been imagined." But as other readers have written, one can also imagine fictional Andy and real Wendell slipping into each others skins with ease. Wendell Berry preserves a slice of World War II rural and very small town life with such loving care and meditative dignity that it is difficult not to think of the slim book as intensely personal.

ANDY CATLETT: EARLY TRAVELS is my first dip into the "Port William series." Thanks to the irresistible thumbnail sketches of so many characters who inhabit the other novels, I'll be dipping into more -- such as HANNAH COULTER and JAYBER CROW. Ironically, because this book serves more as an introduction to the slate of Port William denizens than as a fully rounded novel, it earns from me four and a half stars instead of five. But truthfully, ANDY CATLETT: EARLY TRAVELS is no less a treasure for the absence of high drama. Berry gently sucks at the succulent and nourishing marrow of American values and reminds us all of the truly important things in life. As Andy concludes, "And now, as often before, I am reminded how grateful I am to have been there, in that time, with these I have remembered."

This book is translated by a person named N.J. Darwood. It's simply wonderful. The tales involved are tales of the Persian Gulf, of Bagdhad, Arabia, and tales that we as adults should revisit for some enjoyable light reading that will make us smile and wonder at the old folklore of the Arabian Peninsula. Sinbad the Sailor is in there, as is Aladdin in it's original form, and the story begins of a king who is so upset by his wife's unfaithfulness that he will now only accept virgins for one night and then have them killed. A smart virgin begins her night with the infamous king by telling him stories, and she so fascinates him and enthralls him with her tales that the tales turn into folklore for readers of the ages. I won't tell you what happens in the end to the virgin princess, but you will find humor, enchantment, wisdom and fantasy for those times when stress becomes a factor in your life. I highly recommend the tale of "The Historic Fart" as a both funny and inspiring tale of human nature. Please buy this book and remember to become a nine -12 year old again as you read with curiosity and wonder at the fabulous enchanting, lively stories. I was beginning to wish my children were a bit younger so I could read these to them. Any child would enjoy these stories, and any adult will find them simply relaxing and a reflection of medieval Islam.

This book is a selection of the choicest tales from the Thousand and One Nights. The translator, N.J. Dawood, also translated the Koran for the Penguin Classics series. Dawood explains in the introduction that the first of these tales appeared in a written form around 850 C.E., in a book called, "A Thousand Legends." More tales, of lesser quality, were added over the years until an anonymous editor in Cairo finally codified them in the 18th century. A French version of some of the stories appeared in the 17th century, and was followed by several English versions in the 19th century; the best known adaptation came from Sir Richard Burton, in 10 volumes. The stories are a mix of Arabic, Persian, and Indian tales and appear to have been written in response to classical Arabic literature. The Arabs do not consider them part of the classic canon, and after reading these stories, I can see why. They are aggressive and highly sexualized, and are loaded with sorcery, fantasy, and criticism of authority figures.

Whatever their origins and means of transmission, these are excellent and entertaining stories. I cannot think of one tale in this selection that I did not like. Included in the book is the instantly recognizable Aladdin story, as well as the Sinbad voyages. Other tales are just as interesting: "The Tale of the Hunchback," "The Tale of Judar and his Brothers," "The Porter and the Three Girls of Baghdad," and many others. Many of these stories are cycles; they have stories within stories, as characters in one story tell their own stories. At the end of the cycle, the story is cleverly wrapped up, usually with a happy ending. I do not think I need to go into detail about Aladdin or Sinbad, except to say that I was surprised to see Aladdin described as Chinese. Providing details to these stories would be useless anyway because they are so detailed as to be impervious to summary.

There is no doubt that many of these stories started as oral stories, and retained that shape into the written versions. The best example is the Sinbad cycle. All of the stories in this cycle are framed in the same way. This repetition made it easier to memorize the stories, or at least the basic outline. A good storyteller could take the frame and fill in the blanks with whatever his heart desired. You often see this kind of writing in the Bible.

Social roles and class play a large part in these stories. Women are presented as wily and dangerous, but not always. Several stories show men trying to pull fast ones on the ladies, with the results much to the detriment of the men. Many stories show how the high and mighty come crashing down, or how the lowly are elevated to great status. These movements are attributed to the grace or condemnation of Allah, and the characters all act out their movements with Allah close by.

You will not go wrong with this book. These are immensely entertaining stories for both children and adults, although you might want to find a toned down version for the kiddies. Why? I am thinking about the tale where a man and some women play "name that body part." My only criticism of this version is that the tale of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is absent. I have no idea why it is missing, but the book loses one star for this grave omission.

A collection of tales mostly of Persian, Indian, and Egyptian origin. Legend has it that Shahrazad, to prolong her life, told these tales to the king each night over 1,001 nights. In the end, the king let her lived as he had fallen in love with her. What a delightful legend!

In reality, these tales are most likely a collection that were handed down over time very much like folk tales in our Western world. They are fantastical stories in many cases involving jinnees and magical islands and far off lands and mysterious animals and beautiful women and enchanted lamps and....well, it goes on and on! There are some common themes: poor, common men become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and eventually become kings, women are (usually) portrayed as deceitful and conniving, and at the center is religion.

An entertaining and fascinating book for children and adults, although there are some stories that might need to be monitored by adults for children - the stories can be a little bawdy! But there are so many good ones here, such as Sindbad and his voyages and Aladin. However, the other stories are just as entertaining, too, such as the hilarious Historical Fart and introspective The Dream. I'm normally not a fan of fantasy fiction, but these are easy to read and easy to follow and allow the read to let their imagination just go to the four winds. Wonderful book!

The stories in the Thousand and One Nights never seem to grow old and captivate readers, both young and old. Dawood's translations are faithfull to the original stories while giving a firm footing in the present. This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in quite a while. If you think you know the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, or Ali Baba from movies then think again. These tales in their original form are timeless!

What a great book. These stories are extremely old from places such as Persia and India with a mostly arabic influence. The introduction gives great historical insight about the various tales. Of all the translated versions of these classic stories, and what was probably much more complicated original prose, I find Mr Dawood's translations simple and fun to read. The stories are rich with adventure and fantasy. Mr Dawood does an excellent job of keeping the stories down-to-earth and entertaining. Those who enjoy cryptic, esoteric literature will enjoy losing themselves in the intertwining stories of this book. With a simplistic style of story-telling, it is still intricate enough to keep one immersed. Those who already enjoy simple stories will be intrigued by the unique storylines and plots. For young, impressionable readers, the tales have no religious overtones or underlying political agenda and women are revered and respected. I first read this book when I was 12, and continue to enjoy and re-read the stories well into adulthood.

"The King's Justice" and "The Bastard Prince" are my two favorites in this series -- fantastic writing; wonderful, well-developed characters; adventure; intrigue; brotherhood; loyality; friendship; sacrifice; and some humor thrown in for good measure. Who could ask for more?

A great book, but a tear jerker. Kartherine Kurtz has always had a knack for making her characters real and loveable, and this novel is no exception. Her character development and description is simply amazing as always.

The story outlines Gwynedd's growing difficulty with their Torenthi neighbor, and the threat that an illigitimate heir to the Torenthi throne poses. The ending is a shocker, especially since Mrs. Kurtz has a goal of always keeping her readers guessing. She has reached her goal yet again. It is my hope that the story will continue even further yet.

This book continues the fine tradition of the Deryni Saga of Katherine Kurtz. Having been hooked on Ms. Kurtz's books for some time, this one was not a disappointment. Although I do not always agree with turns of the plot, Ms. Kurtz always has a surprise waiting for the reader. It is this suspense, and bringing of the characters to life, that makes her books special and The Bastard Prince continues in this tradition. Rhys Michael has been king for eight years, under the tight control of the regents which ruled during his childhood. Faced with a challenge from Miklos, a prince of Torenth, and claimant to his crown, Rhys Michael accepts his challenge. Not only must the young king contend with his rival, but also his domineering regents, and newfound Deryni powers of the Haldane legacy, which must be kept a secret until the time is right. A very good continuation of the Deryni saga. Can't wait for the next one to be published.

I have been a devoted fan of this series since my aunt sent me the Bishops heir as a Christams Present when I 13. I opened that book and saw that this was just the latest in a well established series. Well being just a bit Obsessive complusive about reading things inorder I went and bought the entire series leading up to it, well after a few months anyway it takes a while to get up that kinda money when you don't even have a job yet ;>. I have been hooked ever since...In fact the huges lags of time between books in this series are one of the more fustrating things in life. With each book Kurtz proves why it take so long though, and this was the greatest of them all. I was totally Obsessed with this one when a read it a few years back. When I got the end, I just about cried because the book was that good, and the story that moving, and the fact I was going to now have to wait 4 years + most likely to see its like again. Thankfully Terry Goodkind came along and helped me pass the time somewhat. So basically, if you love fantasy and you read Eddings, Goodkind, Jordan, and Martin read this read the whole thing yo will not be dissapointed.

Many of Kathryn Kurtz's strengths as a writer shine in this book: realism (hard though it may be for us readers, and properly described as gothic), unabashed romance and violence, and clearly drawn battle lines.

Kurtz does fall into several traps. I do hate to say this book fits the mold--for there are fascinating moments for which I think this book definitely deserves a chance on its own merits--but I probably should. Noble Haldane kings, beautiful ladies in distress, Deryni and humans alike who will do what they have to in order to gain power... The underground Deryni movement seems uninspired in many ways since Camber's death, unable to fight the Regents on any more than a strictly practical level. Maybe that is a reflection of the Deryni presence at that time, a reality that explains a later Camberian Council that suffers from a lack of faith and ideals.

I could wish that young Rhys Micheal were more convincing in some ways, more aware of his unfortunate role in bringing about as well as solving his royal dilemma. Michaela, Rhysel, and Joram show the same lack of development. Kurtz's observations about prejudice and discrimination are obscured at times by her protagonists' disregard for the consequences of their own actions.

There is, however, much to like in this newest addition to the Deryni saga. Queron Kinevan's development is welcome. He comes into his own after all he has passed through. Rhys Micheal is a very engaging character in many ways, and his death, like the deaths of his brother Javan and his namesake Rhys Thuryn, leaves an ache that is part of good storytelling. I liked his solution to the regent problem. Kurtz doesn't pull punches, so you're never sure the bad guys aren't going to win. Many of the deficiencies that may marr Kurtz's characterizations of the good guys are gloriously absent among her villains; the Regents are a fascinating cross section of corrupt humanity. So enjoy this chivalric romance; for all its faults, it's still quite a story.

A great book and great pictures. Berlin has deeply changed in the last 150 years and all this has been documented precisely by great photographers: this the easiest way to show how. Texts are exhaustive too into describing "typical" life of a city.
Maybe Berlin has changed more in the last two decades then ever before: the last chapter of this book could be more fascinating and explorative, including the fact that there are a lot of pictures about it but it'd had took another book, perhaps. Maybe Berlin has changed again yet and is changing again now... so I'm waiting for a second edition.

This is a beautiful book! The photos are not only outstanding but they have zero pixillation. You can discern details such as the company name on the back of a horse drawn cart in a crowd. The turn of the century through the 1930's I thought were the best. You can stare at one and with out much effort find yourself slipping away into the photo.

The National Socialist period is not covered in depth nor do I think it needs to be. There are far an away plenty of books for that on the market. This is a book that can not be digested in one sitting. Take your time and look at each photo. The small details are fascinating.

My only problem with the book is the blue page stock that some of the entries is written on. It made it difficult to read the text. That is a minor quibble, especially in a book like this. If you buy a used copy make sure you check the price of shipping as this book weighs as much as a small childs school backpack.

What a book! My mother as well as her sisters were born in Berlin during and after World War II, so I grew up hearing family stories of this amazing city. This book provided a tremendous visual aid to all these stories. Looking at the images I could picture my grandmother as a young woman, and my aunts and my mother in the postwar years.
If you have any connection to this amazing city, this book will bring tears to your eyes, for all the hardship and challenges it has faced, and with what fantastic grace it reemerged like phoenix from the ashes.

I purchased this as a gift for my little (20 yo) brother's birthday. He was born in Berlin. First of all this book is HUGE! I love that the explanations of the pictures are written not only in English, but in German. What a fantastic masterpiece.

I left Berlin, early in 1937, aged five and a half, not to return until 1983, as a visitor, but I have childhood memories of the city, some of which go back to before I was three. Reinforcing those memories were tales I heard from my parents and the occasional, non-war-related movie. To see pictures of the streets and the faces, the clothing and the shop displays going back to before the First World War has been a source of continuing fascination for me. As is only proper in a book of this sort, the horrors that beset Berlin under Hitler and during the Second World War are also given their proper place in this book, a reminder that even one of the world's most sophisticated cities can be all but destroyed in degeneration and nevertheless, with appropriate assistance, as, for instance, the air lift, be resurected and restored. The photos were excellent, and the commentary, in English, German and French, insightful and instructive. Priced in the mid-thirties, the book sold at a substantially lower price than it did at New York's Museum of Modern Art.