M. R. James Books

A beautiful little book for the elementary school set (illustrations by Louis Slobodkin are wavy and whimsical). The story concerns the princess Lenore, who is ill from "a surfeit of raspberry tarts." To make her well, the King offers to get her whatever she desires. What Princess Lenore desires, however, is the moon. The King and his advisors scramble to fulfill her wish, and then to preserve the illusion once they have given her the moon. It is Princess Lenore herself who comes up with the solutions to both problem, out thinking the worldly, wise advisers.Thuber's storytelling style is quite wonderful here -- the language is fairly simple, and there's a nice cadence of repetitive elements that kids will enjoy. A beautiful, funny and satisfying story.

I read this book many time to my daughter, since her age of three-four, she still enjoy it much. It is a beautiful, funny, and well written story. It is my definitely one of my favorite. It teaches you that what the world is after all it is what we think it is. What a lesson for the half-empty fellows! It is written in a crescendo on this theme until the end: the eye blinking moon. Beautiful.

The princess wanted the moon. Her father, the king, demanded it be gotten for her. As you can imagine, this causes problems for the king's servants. The Royal Wizard, Mathematician and the Lord High Chamberlain have done many near-impossible feats for the king--but getting the moon? It's out of the question! But the Royal Court Jester thinks not. (Is this another one of his jokes?) A funny story.

A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

Illustrations are sketched and mostly pastel colors are utiilized. After reading each detailed page, the pictures don't seem to do much for the imagination. Good ideas are behind the words, but this book is extremely wordy at times and could've been shortened while still making the same point known. I enjoyed how the King, who was in search for the moon for his sick daughter, continued to ask his smartest men to figure out a way to get his daughter the moon only to find out that the court jester was the wittiest of them all. The daughter helps solve her own problem without realizing it and comes to a wonderful conclusion about how she can have the moon in her hand and also see it in the sky.

Despite Rosemary Thurber's reassurances in the introduction to the reillustrated edition that a "new artist's point of view could be exciting," this new version is very disappointing. Louis Slobodkin's weird and wiggly drawings tinged in red and aqua have been replaced by Simont's conventional watercolor illustrations. While they are attractive, they are not, as Booklist describes them, a "bright, refreshing interpretation." Simont duplicates many of the scenes from the original, such as the doctor and king at the bedside of the princess or the princess skipping rope in the garden-though the text does not mention a jump rope. In the original, as the Lord High Chamberlain lists all the things he has gotten for the King, Slobodkin has the items frame the page as the Chamberlain unrolls a scroll in his hand; Simont does the same thing. When the Chamberlain says that the moon is bigger than the Princess's room, Slobodkin places the room inside the moon; Simont does the same thing. A scene-by-scene comparison reveals that Simont simply updates most of the original drawings. The two-page layout of the Princess holding her thumbnail up against the moon viewed through an arched window is an exact duplicate of the 1943 edition. Even the text on the two pages differs by only two sentences. I just do not accept the validity of this so-called "new" interpretation. Simont's literal and conventional depictions of the characters and setting actually move the story to a more ordinary level, while Slobodkin's strange squiggles keep the story in the realm of the imagination and give the tale a dream-like quality. Stick with the original.

Kevin Sheehan has simplified the great qualities of important leaders and placed them in an entertaining text. A gift which I have passed on to my dearest friends, this book is both inspirational and educational. My highest recommendation.

Poignant, powerful stories. Beautifully written with a distinctive and important design. This book's not to be missed--by you, your friends, your business colleagues. Bravo!

Within his book A Leader Becomes A Leader, Kevin Sheehan delightfully illustrates the essence of true leadership. He poignantly definies a diverse group of past and present leaders; while exploring their life events and characteristics of greatness. Encourage your friends, family and coworkers to read this motivational book!

The author does a phenomenal job of breaking the topic down into small manageable and inspiring readings; also covers a great cross-section of leaders and the characteristics that made them successful. I ordered a dozen copies as executive and motivational gifts.

J. Kevin Sheehan presents a celebration of what's possible in his biographical snapshots of great leaders. By focusing on the unique character traits of outstanding leaders the author transforms the mysteries of leadership into something very real. He answers the question "what made them great?" in an extremely concise and inspirational style. Great as a corporate gift or graduation present. My children have used it for school projects and I have found inspiration for my own business. No home or school library should be without this most valuable tool.

I simply had to have this book. I have started on a creative writing career hoping to specialise in supernatural fiction. So who better to read than the acknowedged doyen of the genre? MR James was an absolute master of the craft. Many years ago the BBC dramatised one of his short stories every Christmas Eve and continued the practice for several years. Even as a mature adult these plays used to scare me witless! Michael Hordern's wonderful depiction of paralysis in sheer terror at the end of "Whistle and I'll come to you my lad", is indelibly engraved in my memory. But the television can only depict one man's interpretaion. Believe me, the imagination does so much more. So the stories are infinitely more enthralling. This volume contains all the greats: the nightmarish Count Magnus, Whistle.., Number 13, the haunting Mezzotint and perhaps the most chilling ghost story ever written, A Warning to the Curious. The thing about MR James was that he wrote so well and with such a sensitivity for how to make the supernatural thriller "work". Apart from the inevitably dated settings, it is entirely possible to imagine the events he relates as a plausible part of one's own daily experience! This volume contains a very useful essay (Explanatory Notes)by the author on the elements of the most effective ghost stories. The valuable insights offered therein are alone worth the price. This volume contains a representative sample of his best known work and I am compelled to recommend it in the highest terms. But a warning to "the curious": this is potent story telling. The reader who having once picked it up, will not be the same when they put it down again; if they can (heh, heh, heh,heh).

I bought this book in Paris. It was the cheapest most interesting book in English, so I grabbed it for the flight. It's one of the best book buys I've ever had.
This stuff is genuinely spooky. There are images here
that will stick with you for a long time, and this guy puts in a lot of interesting historical details that make
the stories seem all the more plausible. Can't
recommend this book enough.

O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad;
O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad;
Tho' father and mither should baith gae mad,
O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad.
(Burns.)

Over the last Twenty years I've purchased many books and got rid of many (After reading them then donating them to charity shops), but this is the only one I've repurchased.
I could never get the scenarios and characters out of my head, the way M R James succinctly describes a scene or a, "terrifying agent of supernatural malice" have resided in my head as much as I would have liked them to leave.
If lots of Gore is your thing you may be disappointed by these stories, but for those of us who like a well written story told with panache and subtlety, then these are for us.
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For several years in the early 70's when the BBC made "A Ghost Story for Christmas" it was always the M R James stories that disturbed me the most. But even though I was disturbed by them I was always too fascinated to switch the TV off, and whilst the BBC interpretations were good they never quite captured the atmosphere of the written page.
Most of the "Heroes" (For want of a better word) of these stories are intellectuals from the dusty halls of some Academy or other, who are afflicted by intellectual pride or the even graver sin (In M R James stories)of curiosity! They investigate things that should be left well alone.
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My personal favourites are "The Mezzotint", and "Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to you, my Lad".
The endings of a few of these stories are not completely resolved, and it's because of that, they stay in the mind longer.
It has always amused me that some of the most creepy and ungodly stories ever written in the English language were written by this most devout Christian of men.
For maximum effect to be read late on a stormy night, and by candlelight!

More than at any other time since the era of the gladiators, entertainment in America today seems obsessed with murder, mayhem and gore. The Chainsaw Disembowelment Scene has been used in so many movies that it's almost a cliché, and I'm so jaded with seeing cadavers that I refuse to turn-on my TV.

How different are these stories by M. R. James. There are no monsters such as in H. P. Lovecraft, and the spectres which do appear never get to perform any injury - it's always a close call.

The focus here is on suspense. Not, though, that there are any surprises. We know that the strange old tome will yield its dreadful secret; that room 13 of the inn will be infested with demons; that the druid slide-whistle will summon some ghastly phantasm.

The pleasure of reading the work of M. R. James lies in his pretty writing - the lost art of the English language in its perfected form. Reading these stories is analogous to listening to a great musician perform florid music which is always in a minor key.

M.R. James is the quintessential, literary ghost story writer. His stories begin with such dark innocence, the reader wanders along, enjoying the prose, while the atmosphere thickens with the macabre. He is very Victorian in his approach, his paragraphs are skillyfully crafted. The only trouble the novice reader will encounter is adapting to his scholarly attention to detail. His prose is magnificent but heavy. The thrill is in the patient reading of his stories. Think of reading M.R. James in terms of drinking port... you sip port, you linger with it, you appreciate its aromas, its texture. You wouldn't think of knocking back a beautiful glass of port? No...Pick this book up, indulge yourself slowly with these stories and soon enough, ghostly memories will fill your imagination. The moods he casts heightens the pleasures of both the mind and the spirit.

Well, if you are familiar at all with this type of writing, then you cannot have helped but cross paths with M.R.James. If not, don't expect the obvious skeleton in the closet or the cliche' distant howling at the moon. James will succeed, with your help,in placing you in the empathetic position of strongly identifying with the narrator, or a helpless secondary character in his story. Suspend time and disbelief and be welcomed to his world. You'll be powerless to resist so be well prepared. Turn ALL the lights on and forget a good night's sleep. Not going to happen. Your identification allows James, through masterful writing ,to transport you to the very center of what you instinctively know will be one of the most subtle yet frightening literary experiences of your life. Believe me, you'll be so glad to be able to remind yourself afterward that this is just a collection of "stories". There will be lingering after-effects however and you'll never forget these stories once you've read them. You'll be reached and overpowered on a very primitive psychological level, just as the characters in James' stories have been. The surviving characters recover from their experiences at the end of the stories....but are never again the same. Neither will you be....

Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936), Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge, Director of the prestigious Fitzwilliam Museum, and later Provost of Eton, was possibly the world's greatest authority on medieval manuscripts. He is thought to have studied nearly twenty thousand documents. He also wrote ghost stories.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published in a limited edition in 1904 and reprinted nine times in the next decade. He subsequently published three other collections - More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), and A Warning to the Curious (1926). M. R. James greatly admired the supernatural fiction of J. Sheridan LeFanu and thought of himself as simply a follower in LeFanu's footsteps.

In the interesting introduction to this Dover edition E. F. Bleiler writes that the "evil that dieth not, but lieth in wait" is a common theme in these chilling stories. This evil that dieth not is best left undisturbed. The curious ones, those seekers of forgotten lore, often discover that knowledge comes at a high price. And the reader may find that sleep comes less easy.

I quite enjoyed this short collection and I am sure that it will appeal to any reader of Victorian ghost stories. A few may seem somewhat familiar as undoubtedly the tales of M. R. James have long served as a source of inspiration for later stories and screenplays.

The stories in this collection include Canon Alberic's Scrap-book, Lost Hearts, The Mezzotint, The Ash-tree, Number 13, Count Magnus, Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad, and The Treasure of Abbott Thomas.

The ghost stories of M.R. James (MRJ) are widely considered to be the best supernatural literature ever written. "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" was his first collection of short stories to be published (Arnold 1904) and is a fine introduction to this chilling, scholarly author.

However, you might want to spend a bit more money and buy the "The Penguin Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James." If you completely succumb to the refined but potent horror of this author's writings, only "A Pleasing Terror" (Ash Tree Press 2001) will then do. This book contains all of MRJ's supernatural literature, including story fragments that were never completed, biographies, bibliographies, commentary, and his fantasy novelette, "The Five Jars."

"Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" consists of the following stories:

"Canon Alberic's Scrap-book"--The original title for this story was 'A Curious Book,' and it is one of 'the' classical MRJ invocations of a scholar who unwittingly opens the wrong book and pays horribly for his misadventure. This story and the following "Lost Hearts" were originally read aloud at an 1897 meeting of the Cambridge Chitchat Society, a literary gathering which met for "the promotion of rational conversation."

"Lost Hearts"--This story is unusual for MRJ in that the ghosts participate in an actual physical assault on the villain who had murdered them. It is narrated in the third person by a little boy who is orphaned and goes to live with his elderly cousin at Aswarby Hall (an actual estate in Lincolnshire, now largely demolished). Slowly he begins to realize that there were two other children who had lived with his cousin before him.

"The Mezzotint"--A collector of topographical pictures purchases a mezzotint that shows a view of a manor-house from the early part of the eighteenth century. The picture slowly evolves through a story of murder and revenge from beyond the grave.

"The Ash-tree"--If your Bible falls open to the verse, "Thou shalt seek me in the morning, and I shall not be" do not, I repeat DO NOT sleep in Sir Matthew's old bedroom next to the ancient ash-tree. This story is a unique reworking of the "executed witch's revenge" theme.

"Number 13"--A scholar settles into a Danish hotel to research the town's ecclesiastical history and learns more than he ever wanted to know about a bishop who sold his soul to Satan.

"Count Magnus"--Another story (along with "Number 13") that may have had its origin in MRJ's trips to Scandinavia. Mr. Wraxall, the scholarly hero of this tale dooms himself by reading a forbidden treatise of alchemy and expressing a wish to meet its long-dead (or not so dead) Swedish author. This tale is definitely not for the faint-hearted, especially the scene in the mausoleum of Count Magnus, when the locks start popping off of the sarcophagus.

"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad"--A Professor takes a golfing vacation on England's East Coast, and agrees to take a look at the site of an ancient Templars' preceptory for an archeologically-inclined friend of his. He scratches around in the ruins and finds a whistle with a Mediaeval Latin inscription on it that can be translated (according to Jamesian scholar Jacqueline Simpson) as: "O thief, you will polish it, you will blow it twice, you will regret this, you will go mad." I think this is the first M. R. James story I ever read, and it terrified me. I can't remember how long I had to sleep with the lights on after reading it.

"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas"--Mr. Somerton deciphers a text from the medieval Latin 'Sertum Steinfeldense Norbertinum,' and an inscription in the painted-glass window of a private chapel, then goes on a treasure hunt to Germany. What he finds, and what throws its arms around his neck while he... All I will further state is that if you should happen upon a German well that has seven eyes carved on one of its stones, under no circumstances should you climb down into that well, most especially not after dark.

If you don't find "horror" fiction frightening, this is for you. These stories scare everyone. This edition also has a very charming cover.

noone could evre make as much out of the traditional ghost story than MRJ. angles, details, objects. by changing one thing, focusing on something else, etc., james shows the potential in the classic elements. he doesn't stretch it too far, and he doesn't have to. he plays around with subtle changes, but his writing is serious. great descriptions, excellent at details, james is considered the ghost story master by a great many. check out how he carries out the details in Canon Alberic with the mysterios book, the descroptions in Ash-tree, the mysterious lurking fear in Count Magnus, or the plot in Oh whistle.....

Honestly, unless you want to pore through every major modern quality system (ie ISO, Baldridge) and amass the details of countless companies (from Ritz Carlton to SSM Health - yes, healthcare!), buy the book.

Once you do, expect a tremendous return on this investment for an up to date, well organized, and thorough look at quality in its practical application. To get the most bang for your buck, get the latest version so your not quoting what the Ritz did 5 years ago.

Long, verbose, time consuming and WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT!

Was an assigned text for an upper level university Management course. Excellent choice. The content made sense, was well written/easy to read, and continually built on earlier chapters.

It's still on my shelf as a reference I refer to often in my business. Wouldn't be without it!

Came quickly with the software package included.
Saved over $20 from school bookstore website!

It is straightforward book. Each chapter has some case study, which is real application of Quality management. I would strongly recommend for students as well as managers to read this book. It has different point of views from various Philosophers like Dr. Deming, Dr. Juran, Crosby and other well-known persons.

I used an older edition of this book in preparing for the ASQ Certified Quality Manager Exam. It is a great reference.

If you can only get one book on rabbits, this is the book to get! Considered by many rabbit breeders, exhibitors, owners to be 'THE' book on rabbits. The authors are rabbit owners/breeders themselves and they know whereof they speak. Easy to read and understand, it includes a history of rabbits, genetics, feeding, housing, breeding, medical care, the merits of rabbits as pets, rabbits in therapy, just about anything you would ever need or want to know about rabbits. This book is well worth every penny of the cost. It's a very modest investment when you want to provide the very best for your rabbit, or rabbits, no matter why you have them.

I just checked this book out from the local library and after skimming through it, marking what I want to go back and read in detail, I am convinced that this is a book that I can't be without! This book has TONS of detailed information, including several chapters on the genetics of rabbits. It is the first book that I have found that just doesn't gloss over rabbits as a whole, but actually gets down to the nitty gritty. There's a lot of detailed information about the diseases, how to have a successful rabbitry (if that is your goal), food guidelines, the importance of vitamins, etc. Do yourself a favor: get ahold of this book!

This reference is an excellent source of information in regards to management systems, feeds & feeding, breeding, production, etc. What I find lacking is how little effort seemed to go into the breed illustrations. Rabbits depicted are poorly posed and therefore make a very unsatisfactory representation of the breeds' description. If you can get past that little bump, the book - for its wealth of knowledge is an excellent resource for rabbit breeders or those considering embarking on that adventure.

This reference (notice I didn't say "book") is incredibly valuable for first timers with no animal experience through long time, large scale producers. When I started out with my first pet rabbit, I used the '96 edition all the time for freak-out moments like a crusty ear or just to satisfy my curiosity. Now that I'm almost done with college and ready to start up my own herd again, the 2000 edition proves twice as useful. Make sure you put your name and address on the inside cover!

This is a classic in raising rabbits commercially. Not the latest edition (the 8th edition is the newest), but still very useable. The main difference between this edition and the newest is that there are no color photos. This book contains practical important information on raising rabbits commercially that simply cannot be found elsewhere. Not a how-to book for pet rabbit owners, but a serious manual for producing high quality healthy rabbits in an economical manner. I would not attempt to raise rabbits commercially without this "bible" on the bookshelf.

I have shot a bare bow nearly all my life. When I finally decided to buy a new bow with all the accessories, I wasn't sure where to start and how to use all the new stuff. This book was excellent in helping me become familiar with my new bow. The pictures are great and the text very educational. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn or re-learn about the bow and arrow.

This book is great for highlighting many aspects of archery and providing information that is useful for a beginner and experienced archer. It is a nice text that compiles information that would be useful to have as a reference. There are tuning methods, suggestions for shooting form, tips on how to fix your bow and add accessories. A very solid book with plenty of pictures for any archery fan.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was a great refresher since I haven't shot a bow in quite a few years. It also had lots of great information I didn't know, such as paper tuning, in depth information on arrows and arrow selection. I highly recommend this book.

i cant say i have any bow hunting skill whatsoever but this book has taught my what to look for in equipment and to practice my posture. i recomend this for people looking for a vague idea on equipment to buy, but not for the specifics.

EVERYTHING you always wanted to know about Bow Hunting but were too intimidated to ask. Being a woman just picking up the sport of bow hunting at age 37 I would walk into sporting goods and archery stores and be overwhelmed by the amount of information I needed to know before I ever purchased a bow. This book helped me know what equipment I needed and what equipment was just smoke and mirrors. It also prepared me for "target panic" and explained in detail about every other facet that I could have ever thought of and even some I didn't consider. Great for anyone just picking up the sport.

I own the first and second editions of this book. I keep a copy at home, and one at work. It is comprehensive guide to the UNIX operating system. I always look here first for any questions or help I need with UNIX. I would recommend this book for anyone that uses UNIX.

The Bible of Unix. The one (and final) book you need in UNIX. Your search ends with this book. Well defined examples, explanations, notations. Be it a beginner, intermediate or expert you SHOULD have this book, if you are a Unix user.

Finally, a Unix book that is so comprehensive!

Had to give this one four stars, though, instead of five. The chapter on Tcl/Tk and Expect (chapter 20) is loaded with errors - probably editorial in nature (lots of places where parentheses are used instead of brackets "{}" and these WILL cause errors if you try to run the commands.). Otherwise, this is a fine book for learning Unix or going beyond the beginner level. The authors not only know their stuff, but they communicate it well. Highly recommended!

I bought the original version of this book in 1991-1992. It's still the best UNIX "How-to" book on the market. Absolutely no other book in my "UNIX library" provides more useful information on such a wide variety of topics: shells, networking, user environment configuration, mail, etc., etc., etc. It's all in here. It's especially great for beginners, since it covers all of the basics that normally provide stumbling blocks for beginning UNIX users. I highly recommend it.

So I am not sure why all the other reviews say this is great for a hand exam, but it is a fabulous book for any clinician interested in clinical immunology. Great reviews of the immunology behind the clinical diseases. I have to say I am an author of one of the chapters in the upcoming new edition, but I used the second edition extensively when I was a post-doc and needed to learn quickly what was going on in the field. A great book!

This set of books is a great asset to our rehab clinic. We were able to put the information into practice as soon as we got the books. It is an exhausive resource for UE rehab.

One of the most comprehensive textbooks on the market. Includes detailed anatomy reveiw, diagnostic and treatment methods. Provides concise and up to date information about a variety of hand and upper extremity conditions. The "must have" resource for all hand therapists.

Worth every penny!! Used this as my main reference to study for the hand examination.

This book is wonderful.It was worth every penny. This is my main resource that I use when I have a question on any hand problems. The book is very thorough and informative.It is a "must have" for any hand therapist.

The book was given to me as a gift. I cannot tell you how great it was, to start a Sunday Morning out, in such a positive way. Jesse James has a great sense of humor , but still profound. His namesake would be proud.
I hope he does another book soon. I am a new fan. Very impressed!

This is the book to read on monday mornings to get you in the right frame of mind for the week. Read a few pages and go out and face the world knowing you can win.

Rich Fox

This was a very fast and funny read. I hope he writes another book soon. Does he do Motivational speaking? If he can talk as well as he can write, we may have a winner here.

Jesse obviously has a way with words...and an optimistic attitude. If you want a fast, fun, entertaining and thought provoking read, buy this book!!

Totally great reading! I loved it, page to page! Even the Authors name is cool! I bought one for myself and one for Dad, for Father's day! AWESOME!! Just one question though, when is the seminar???