William King Books

Petersen's "One Year Book of Psalms:Devotionals" is an enjoyable read. It takes the appropriate amount of time with each Psalm. The shorter ones are given a day, while longer ones are broken up so that one really gets a chance to get into it. This can be used for personal reading and it could also be shared and done with a group. I highly recommend it.

If you are like me and find reading the bible sometimes too daunting a task, pick up this devotional and you get a little dose of spiritual blessing every day and in a format that you will relate to.

I love the book of Psalms and this is a great little devotional book. There is so much comfort and guidance in the Bible and I like the fact that this breaks Psalms down into bit size pieces to chew on all day long. I do wish the book was spiral bound though to make it stay open easier for my devotional study.... but then again I wish ALL books were spirial bound.

Not only do you get to read the psalms... but a nice explaination with each one as well. Very well written... it's worth a lot more than I paid for it!

Peterson's Book, 365 Days in the Psalms is excellent filled with good illustrations from ancient days as well as modern. Peterson does a fine job and I highly recommend this book for those who want to know God better.

Ann Everitt

Both as an academic teacher and as a researcher I have used Jenkins's edition regularly for nearly twenty years, and continue to marvel at the wealth of scholarly material - factual and interpretative - which it offers. I consider that no other edition of *Hamlet* is remotely as useful, though I frequently find myself in disagreement with this great editor.

Jenkins's text is eminently satisfying: sensibly and responsibly based, and scrupulously and intelligently modernised, even if one prefers (as I do) e.g. "solid" to "sullied".

His introduction is informative and well-considered, though I must admit I find his interpretative view of the play, both there and in several of his longer notes, at times less than penetrating. I feel he idealises Hamlet too much, misjudges the failure of Hamlet's play-within-the-play, and is less than openminded when it comes to making sense of e.g. the sexual elements in Ophelia's dreams (which are hard to interpret decisively, but certainly more significant than his cursory view suggests). On the other hand his information on ghosts, for example, is highly valuable and useful.

His shorter notes, explaining many difficult words and contemporary concepts, are always illuminating, frequently "spot on", and usually helpful even if one disagrees, in that he provides most of the information which one needs even if one ultimately arrives at a different judgement from his.

If banished or imprisoned and allowed only one edition of *Hamlet* I'd take this one. Not only because it is the best, but because it would help me in spending many weeks, months, or years on this riddling, frustrating, but endlessly fascinating play. Jenkins's edition is a monument to late twentieth century scholarship, and will undoubtedly continue to be recognised as such. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

An excellent version of the play, a balanced and comprehensive introduction, and extended notes about subjects of controversy or interest -- if you want to buy a copy of Hamlet this is the edition to get.

Most people have not read many versions of the play; nor have many people read most of the hundreds of books and articles on this play. For whatever strange reason, i have made it through much of the Hamlet criticism. And, i think i can fairly recommend this edition.

As you may or may not know, there are essentially three different versions of the play that have survived, the first (or bad) quarto, the second quarto, and the folio. Jenkins wisely relies primarily on the second quarto, but is not afraid to supplement or modify it with the folio and even the first quarto where it is appropriate.

But differences in the text of the play between this and other editions of the play is not the reason to buy this book. The reason is that there is so much more here than just the play. First, there is the 150+ page introduction, which is as balanced a review of thought on Hamlet as you are going to find. Next, the text of the play has the standard array of footnotes to explain various word meanings or relevancies. Third, at the end of the play there are longer notes that discuss in depth issues that the text raises which are beyond the scope of a normal footnote. These longer notes are great with an in depth discussion of hundreds of issues including whether a nunnery refers to a house of ill-repute and how old Hamlet is.

When Henry James sat down to write on his Venetian travels for what later became the Italian Hours, he began with a disclaimer: "It is a great pleasure to write the word; but I am not sure there is not a certain impudence in pretending to add anything to it." Turning to Shakespeare, we might amuse ourselves by writing on, say, Hamlet, but can anything be said that's not already been said, and better, a dozen times, by superior critics and closer readers? In the appropriate spirit of humility (and in utter submission to the Bard and his great gift to civilization), I offer a few thoughts on the Arden 2nd Edition of Hamlet, and not on "the greatest work in the history of literature."

Hamlet is by far the longest of the Ardens at 574 pages. It breaks down thusly: the prefatory material of editor Harold Jenkins - one of the Arden Series general editors and a Hamlet authority of great renown - alone takes up 164 pages. Three-quarters of this is bibliographical and historical. In his 40-page critical introduction, Jenkins addresses many of the plays thorniest problems, with the Talmudic attentiveness of the closest reader. Then comes the play itself, spread over 264 pages (in terms of sheer length relative to the Bard's other plays, the text is a monster, coming in at more than 3800 lines). Each page of the Arden includes an average half-page of Jenkins' detailed, argumentative, authoritative, and uncommonly helpful footnotes. The final 146 pages consist of longer (end)notes that Jenkins simply could not physically fit onto the bottom of a page. Many of these are short essays (including an appendix that glosses an earlier discussion on the dating of the play).

Each of the Arden Hamlet's three sections might merit separate publication (after a modest bit of repackaging), but as a totality, Jenkins' edition must be the greatest value on the Shakespeare market. Jenkins' ruminations on the provenance of the story and the many sources Shakespeare might have drawn on, the "Ur-Hamlet" that might have come from the quill of contemporary Thomas Kyd (The Spanish Tragedy), the complexities of determining an authoritative text, the drama's inconsistencies and unanswered questions, the import of the great soliloquy of III.i (which is emphatically NOT, insists Jenkins, a deliberation on whether to commit suicide), Elizabethan revenge dramas in general, and so much more make this a truly indispensable, illuminating, even breathtaking volume.

We think we know this play well. We have read it, and seen performed on stage and in memorable or hideously forgettable films. Many of its greatest lines are embedded in our hearts. The beginning of true understanding, however, resides in a superbly annotated scholarly edition. The Arden is one of several choices you can make and is for me the one to own, equally suitable for students, scholars, actors, and mere Bardolators. It will - provided, of course, you are not already a scholarly specialist in Elizabethan drama - knock the scales from your eyes. And until the 3rd edition now in preparation under Ann Thompson is published, this Hamlet will stand as the epitome of the Arden Shakespeare's greatness as a series.

Definitely the best Hamlet version to but. comprehensive notes both adjacent to the reading and longer notes in the back of the book. Informative yet dry introduction. BUY THIS VERSION!

We do not guild the lily by proclaiming this to be the most comprehensive edition of the greatest drama to come from any pen in history. The book is absolutely bristling with textual elucidations, notes and marginalia and a stunningly detailed, if somewhat dry, introduction. Moreover, no other edition I have used (and I have read Hamlet more than fifty times since the summer of my seventeenth year, including this edition over two enriching days during the past week) so clearly lays out the textual divergencies of the various versions of the canon, Q1, Q2 and F, as does Arden.

Than being said, it is the text itself which shines through in this (and any other) edition -- let us not mistake the husk for the grain.

Hamlet (as Harold Bloom argues so persuasively) more than any other play is surely Shakespeare's life work -- a work which he poured more of himself into over a longer period of time than any other. Written in its final version just months after the death of the playwright's only son, Hamnet, and his father, it represents Shakespeare's personal triumph over adversity and darkness.

Lear starts his tragedy with a lie. He has divided his kingdom into one larger and two smaller equal parts and promises to give the larger part to that of his daughters who vows the strongest love for him. Yet after Goneril speaks he immediately awards her one of the smaller parts, instead of listening to her sisters and then deciding the fate of the largest bounty. He thus negates his word and turns the auction into a formality for his pre-arranged plan of giving Cordelia the largest part and her sisters the two smaller parts. The whole scene is crass and the king is doubly crass (once for the auction, once more for the lie). He gives his word on the auction on line 52, breaks it on line 69 and forgets about his lie on line 193 where he rages at Kent for urging him to renege on his allegedly never broken word.

Lear starts his tragedy a crazy man. Cordelia's attempt at expressing that she "obeys, loves and most honors" the king only earns her being disowned half a page later. This precipitous fall from being the favorite daughter slated to receive the largest part of the kingdom to the one who "better ... hadst not been born" is incredible.

Most of all, this is a tragedy of detachment. Lear and Cornwall obviously do not have a relationship with their children and know nothing about their children's true feelings for them. Lear does not hear Cordelia and Gloucester does not try to hear Edgar out. Both have to face devastating atrocities before they see their children for who they are. "To willful men the injuries that they themselves procure must be their schoolmasters". They both suffer when they feel unloved by their offspring, they both die before they can enjoy their children's love. The suffering of the two old men is unrelenting, and in this sense "Lear" is as heartbreaking as "Macbeth" is macabre and "Othello" is insidious.

The balance of power, 4:4 (Cordelia, Fool, Kent and Edgar against Gonereil, Reagan, Edgar and Cornwall, with Lear and Glocester in the middle and Albany largely on the fence), is tilted towards the higher ranked evil four. In a game of chess, the former four would have been pawns, knights and bishops and the latter queens and rooks. In the end, Kent and Edgar, a knight and a pawn, save the day.

And yet, the end of the play offers no redemption. The two old men are dead. All those devoted to them are either dead or despondent. The Fool, his spirit giving out as he urged Lear to go back to the two evil daughters and ask their blessing, disappears from the play without a grace. Kent is preparing to follow Lear into the world of shadows. Cordelia is murdered and Edgar predicts an uninspiring future for himself and the young that remain. There is no consolation for dead or living.

This Shakespeare play was a more difficult story line to follow. There were a lot of seperate plots happening at once. i did enjoy it however because Shakespeare keeps it interesting with lots of humor and violence. Shakespeare's fundamental elements of hidden identities and deception run rampant in the twisting and turning story line.

The story follows the life of King Lear who makes a some what bizarre decision to split up his kingdom between his three daughters before he dies instead of after. He then banishes his youngest and favorite daughter for disagreeing with him and divides his land between his two evil daughters. Shakespeare tries to get the audience to have sympathy for Lear yet it is hard to do being that he brought all of the trouble he goes through upon himself. Overall it was a very intriguing story about regrets and decision making and i enjoyed reading the play.

Betrayals, romance, and death: the book King Lear has it all. This book is written by William Shakespeare, who is a famous author of his day and still is well-known throughout the world. William Shakespeare writes during the Renaissance period which he fully lived up to. He could be said to be philosopher by saying his thoughts of life, love, justice, and other morals of man through his works of literature. My opinion is he expressed his opinions of love and justice in the book, King Lear.
In this book, there is a king named, King Lear, who was old and ready to retire his wealth to his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Before King Lear gives everything to his daughters, he wants to see how much each daughter truly loves him. Goneril and Regan have been waiting for their inheritance from their father for a long time. They love him very much, but they do not care about their father. They just want his land and gold. On the contrary, when asked to express her love for her father, cordelia says she has no words to describe her love for her father because she truly means it. Surprisingly, King Lear gets furious with her, and she runs off to marry the King of France without her father's blessing. After King Lear discovers the plot of his eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, he goes crazy and runs out to the fields to deal with his grievances. Ironically, it was during a storm which symbolizes the thoughts going through his head at the time.

Meanwhile, an elderly noble named Gloucester, also has family problems. His [...] son, Edmund, is jealous over the fact that Gloucester's legitimate son, Edgar, will inherited most of their father's wealth. This will mean that Edmund may get a small amount of gold and a few acres of land. Therefore, Edmund, consumed by greed, tricks Gloucester into believing Edgar is planning to kill him. So, Gloucester creates a manhunt for Edgar who disguises himself as a crazy beggar named, Poor Tom. While Poor Tom hides in the fields, he meets King Lear. The two men form an alliance to set things straight. Here is where the plot twists and turns from plots of murder, to wives who are cheating, and to rescue attempts.
After reading this, many thoughts run through my head. How should a child express their love for a parent? What is the normal reaction of a parent when a child expresses their love? I will probably never know the answer to the questions until I have experienced what it is to be a parent. Another question stems around if my friends or family ever abandons me for a simple action like robbing bank, should they forgive me or should they hold a grudge to the grave. The way Shakespeare puts his thoughts is a whole other story in itself. It could take years probably to really understand the concepts of man throughout this book. Can man truly be this evil and corrupt in the world with few who do good? I guess these are questions that lead us to the meaning of life.

This was one of my favorite Shakespeare tragedies because despite Lear bringing the misfortune on himself, the reader truly does feel for sorry for him. When Cordelia could not declare her love to Lear like her sisters did, he takes this as a lack of love for him. Of course it wasn't, but Lear's desperate neccesity for admiration from those around eventually becomes his downfall.

While all of that action is going on, Gloucester's illegitimate son, Edmund is on the rise to power, hoping to overtake his brother. King Lear is obviously a tragedy, but there is one aspect of it at the end that is truly rewarding to the reader. Though none of Shakespeare's plays are, read this one and you definetly won't be dissapointed.

I recently re-read KING LEAR prior to attending The Denver Theatre Company's performance of this play. Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote this emotionally-moving tragedy between 1603 and 1606, and it was performed for the first time in 1606. With its insights into the nature of human suffering and kinship, and its theme of human blindness, it is regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.

KING LEAR is based on the legend of King Leir, a king of pre-Roman Britain. It tells the story of King Lear's decision to abdicate the throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. In a moment of vanity, Lear decides to divide his lands according to how much each daughter demonstrates her love for him. Because Cordelia refuses to engage such a contest of flattery with her elder sisters, Lear divides his kingdom between Goneril and Regan, banishing Cordelia. Despite her disinheritance, the King of France marries her. Soonafter abdicating his throne, Lear discovers that Goneril and Regan's feelings for him have grown cold. Meanwhile, Goneril and Regan also have a falling out with one another while defending Cordelia's army from France, sent to restore Lear to his throne. Goneril poisons Regan, then stabs herself.

In a subplot, involving the Earl of Gloucester two sons, Edmund concocts false stories about his legitimate half-brother, Edgar, who is forced into exile. Edmund then aligns himself with Goneril and Regan, and his father is blinded by Regan's husband. Edgar, disguised as a lunatic, finds his blinded father out wandering in a storm, trying to find his the way to Dover.

In Dover, Lear, who has gone raving mad, is reunited with Gloucester, Edgar, and Cordelia before the battle between Britain and France. When the French lose, Edmund orders the execution of Lear and Cordelia. Edgar, still in disguise, reveals himself to Edmund before killing his evil half brother. Although Edmund stays the execution of Lear and Cordelia, unfortunately, the reprieve comes too late as Lear enters the scene carrying Cordelia's dead body in his arms. Then he dies.

As a tragedy, KING LEAR is appealing for its nihilistic conclusion that human existence is essentially meaningless, and that life is devoid of a true morality.

G. Merritt

I loved this book as a little girl. My brother and I used to make our older sister read it to us over and over. I'm sad to see it's out of print. Much better than The Littles or other stories about tiny dwellers amongst us.

A friend and I were discussing books that we pick up over and over again throughout our lives and of course I thought of this one. I loved this book so much that my copy is falling apart at the seams. What a wonderful story, so descriptive, and so imaginative. I watched my dollhouse like a hawk for years. Anyone would love this story, my brother even loved it. I wish it were in print so I could get a copy for my god daughter.

I'm a 31 yr old mother of two and need to find this book! I can't tell you how often I have thought about this story. When I was a little girl, I would read it over and over again. A little girl discovers a royal family living in her dollhouse! The book is so descriptive when it comes to explaining all the miniature items the King, Queen, and the Peanut Butter babies used in their everyday life. It's been over 20 years and I have not forgotten about this book! I hope my children can one day read it.

This truly is a wonderful book. Although my son is only 19 months old, I am trying to locate a copy to someday share with him. He might not love it the way I have, but I will enjoy re-reading it with him!

Opening sentence: "'Oh, drat!' said the tiniest voice in the world."

Ellie has a dollhouse in her room, but "The house seems real, and the dolls didn't, so I put them away." She awakens one morning to find new tenants, real ones. King Borra Borra, who stands about 6 inches high, has moved in with the 11 royal babies. The Queen is off on adventures, leaving the homebody King to care happily for the babies. Despite the Queen's wandering ways, the King and Queen have a wonderful relationship, and Ellie is delighted to provide the family's daily fare of peanut butter (for the babies), and raisins and cookies (for the royal couple).

It isn't really a doll story, because these are living beings, albeit tiny ones, and the King has some things to teach Ellie, not only about housekeeping ("I happen to enjoy housekeeping, and I like to see it done well") but also about friendship, change, and how to attend to the needs of others. This is an especially strong story for imaginative daughters, loving fathers, and liberated mothers.

I am so glad this book is still in print (it was first published in 1904, I think). My original copy was second-hand and it would be awful to think I couldn't get another! Bradley is so illuminating on Shakespeare's intentions, and on the characters of his great tragic figures. If nothing else, read his brilliant discussion of Macbeth - it will convince you that, for a perspective on human nature, for conceiving a dramatic character whole, Bradley was as great a critic as Shakespeare was a playwright. Don't miss him!

Bradley offers some of the most eloquent, complete, and balanced criticisms of the tragedies that I have yet read. Unlike so many literary critics of today, Bradley does not disdain to view Shakespeare's characters as actual people, which lends his view of the works a sense of import and meaning which so few critics manage to convey. These lectures are necessary reading for anyone at all who wishes to understand Shakespeare's tragedies better, actors, directors, and academics alike.

A.C. Bradley wrote these lectures in 1904, and the book has gone through at least 26 printings. It is significant that the Folger Shakespeare Library has republished these lectures. They are hugely important and vibrantly written. I am sure my father read these in college, and I know my son did, too. I'm glad I finally got around to them! You will be, also, for all the reasons that other reviewers have noted.

(Amazon should spell Macbeth's name correctly - not as "MacBeth"!) This has for almost a century been, and continues to be today, one of the most important books on Shakespeare's best and most popular tragedies. For much of the time since around 1930, it has been severely criticised: on the grounds, chiefly, that the author is too much inclined to respect or have sympathy for the heroes (which he is), and that he treats them too much like "real" people (which he does, and which they aren't).

Yet, for all that, Bradley's approach to the heroes as though they were characters we all know has revealed a great deal about what Shakespeare has made those characters, and those who see the characters as complex and psychologically worth exploring identify a more significant aspect of Shakespeare's interest in humans and his art than do many of Bradley's opponents. Moreover, the detail of his examinations of the texts makes it possible to probe much with him, even if one continues to question or quarrel with him on the way (and he is not infrequently demonstrably wrong). Thus this remains a work of criticism which is inspirational and searching even if at times quite wrongheaded; and every serious reader of Shakespeare (including actors and directors) should read this book and own it. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

In his opening chapter Bradley defines for us the essence of Shakespearean tragedy. He points out that Tragedy involves the fall of a great hero, but that this fall does not come as random event or as willful act of God , but rather through the results and consequences of the action of the hero himself. He points out too that the effect of this fall is not to leave us in despair or depression, but rather to leave us with a sense of the wonder, mystery and greatness of life i.e. that paradoxically Shakespearean tragedy has an effect on its audience which is uplifting. And this though the hero invariably is killed at the end.
Bradley points out also that the death in tragedy is not the slow crawling death of an illness, but comes out of a sudden violent effect of the action. This too sharpens our sense of wonder and mystery.
The heroes of tragedy and their stories somehow give us a feeling of life and its terrible end which magnifies our feeling of 'greatness' while somehow leaving us more humbled.
I do not know if the paragraphs written above translate Bradley in a completely accurate way.
I do know his writing is inspirational, moving and uplifting. The criticism of the plays makes you want to know and read the plays more.
This is the kind of Literary criticism which is great literature in and by itself.

In his book, The Sun Kings, author Stuart Clark introduces the reader to both the early history of solar astronomy and astrophysics and the reasons why such studies are important today. Clark begins by telling of the events near September 1st, 1859 in which the Earth was bombarded by a huge solar storm. While the effects of this storm were readily observed around the planet, only one person seems to have witnessed the cause, a huge solar flare on the Sun's surface. This man, Richard Carrington, forms the the central figure of Clark's narrative but he is not the only scientist who contributes to the story. Along the way we meet William Herschel and his son John, Warren de la Rue, George Airy, George Ellery Hale and a number of other figures whose work will gradually shed light on (pun intended) the murky physical connections between our world and the star it circles.

As is often the case in biographical sketches of a scientist's work, the story begins before Carrington's contributions and continues after he meets his tragic end in what be seen as a mid-life crisis gone horribly wrong. In this sense, while Carrington may seem like the subject of the book, the bigger theme is how humans came to understand anything at all about an object that could not be touched, sampled or controlled. In presenting this, Stuart does a good job of describing the science and the culture in which it took place without getting bogged down in the technicalities of the work. By presenting the material first with a pair of near catastrophic events, the author engages the reader and then holds on by revealing the events and personalities that shaped the work done. Gone is the sort of inevitable march towards knowledge approach that many simple treatments of scientific topics use. This is replaced by a better tale of false starts, professional (and sometimes personal) disputes and rivalries along with the triumphs and collaborations that are part and parcel of scientific inquiry.

The only quibble I have is that Carrington's personal story is left a bit undeveloped as compared to the larger scientific theme. I would have liked a bit more discussion of the tradition of the British "Gentleman Scientist" and certainly a deeper analysis of Carrington himself as well as some of his actions. Much of this may be lacking due to a dearth of sources available to the author however and I certainly can not find fault with showing restraint and speculating if that is the case. This is a relatively minor quibble. A bit more serious is the lack of a good explanation of why the Sun has a magnetic field and why is acts in the way it does. It seems that if the author can find a way to simply explain differential rotation as he does, more effort could be put into discussing a bit more of the physics behind the observed phenomena.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of the Sun, the history and culture of science or the process of scientific inquiry. Those wanting to know more about how the Sun works might be well served by checking out an astronomy textbook from their local library to supplement the material included here.

It isn't often one finds a book offering readable science along with fascinating portraits of scientists. THE SUN KINGS is an exception that does a truly commendable job of exploring the explosive nature of 19th Century astronomy and the idiosyncrasies of its practitioners. Reginald Carrington's meticulous solar observations and his discovery of solar flares and their effect on the earth are the book's major theme. But there is much more in it about the astronomical greats of that age. The Herschels (father and son), Humboldt, Hale, as well as others whose names have survived attached to various phenomena such as Bode's law, Fraunhofer lines, and the Maunder Minimum figure prominently in these pages. Clark has also sprinkled the tale with intriguing anecdotes--the meteorologist who fired dead chickens from a cannon to test the often-repeated story that tornados had stripped chickens of their feathers, the telegrapher who turned off his batteries during an aurora borealis and powered his line with the magnetic field created during the display, and the first improvised solar cooker, used to fry an egg. The 1860 total eclipse expedition with its first photograph of the event is alone worth the price of the book. Add to that the depiction of the savage infighting among the scientists of that day and the difficulties faced by amateurs and women as they were grudgingly allowed into the sacred circle of academic astronomers--these make current fracases in that field seem minor by comparison. From it all, however, emerged what seems to be a truism today, but a truly major scientific discovery--the relationship of the sun's pulsing heartbeat to events here on earth, springing in large measure from Carrington's observation of a magnificent solar flare.

This book is real history. It is well written, covers the important points of the history being written about, and is very informative. Clark has written a history of the discovery of the nature of the sun, and of how its magnetic field effects the earth. Clark does a very thorough job describing the lead researchers and how they operated. The basic science is discussed very clearly. I learned a lot.

This book is highly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in history.

Although this excellent book's subtitle mentions "modern astronomy", the book is really about the sun and how certain key individuals, the "sun kings", have made important discoveries towards our better understanding of some aspects of our nearest star and how the earth can be directly affected. In particular, the role that sunspots and solar flares play in producing auroras and magnetic storms on earth is historically explored. The author weaves his remarkable tale from the mid-nineteenth to the early twenty first century. Everything is brought together in the last couple of chapters in which our current understanding of solar astrophysics is presented. Also discussed is modern research on the observed relationship between the number of sunspots and the earth's climate - another possible contributing factor to climate change. The writing style is clear, very engaging and quite friendly; this book is very difficult to put down, in part because the author skillfully includes details of individuals' personal lives intermingled with the science that they were pursuing. The book can be enjoyed by everyone since the author was very careful in avoiding scientific jargon and in meticulously explaining scientific matters. I definitely look forward to reading more of this author's books.

I read this book after hearing Seth Shostak's great interview with Stuart Clark on the SETI podcast. It is a fabulous tale of astronomy in Victorian times, complete with tragic motifs and quirky insights into what amateur astronomers and gentleman scientists thought about the Sun in those times. Great book.

The storyline for this children's version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' is charming and comprehensible, and the illustrations are outstanding, with an almost dreamlike quality.

A wonderful blend of simplicity and Shakespeare. Lynn Bywaters illustrations tug at the reader's imagination. Each page tells it's own story through its colors and glorious details. This is a beautiful book for all ages.

I've loved Shakespeare for years, this amazingly beautiful version of the Tempest is a fabulous work of art on each page. Lynn Bywaters' illustrations are so filled with light and gracefulness, combined with Marianna Mayer's adaptation of a classic make it a joy of the young and their parents or anyone who enjoys a gentle and timeless love story.

Bywaters' illustrations breathe. There is not a dead corner anywhere. A world of such richly realized detail that you easily forget much of it is fantasy.

The illustrations in this adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest are exquisite, a magical realism that tells the tale in simple terms: Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and his baby daughter, Miranda, are abducted and cast upon the open sea in a boat. Thanks to a loyal friend, a bundle of provisions and books on the magic arts are secreted on the craft; Prospero is thereby able to guide the small boat to an island, where he makes a home for himself and his daughter. Twelve years later, Miranda is a young woman, Prospero determined to seek revenge on those who have wronged him. Indeed, as the perpetrators sail near the island, a terrible storm arises, crashing the vessel against the cliffs, Alonso, the King of Naples, his son and Prospero's brother, Antonio, surely doomed to a watery grave.

Miranda begs her father to summon his spells and save the ship and its occupants. To the tender-hearted girl's surprise, Prospero admits that he has caused the tempest, bringing those who have harmed them into close proximity. As Prospero takes counsel from his magic sprites, Ariel, the wind spirit, Caliban and others, all on the vessel are saved, but separated "and the ship, though safe and sound upon the beach, is made invisible". As planned, Prospero brings his daughter and Prince Ferdinand together, keeping the others at bay while Miranda and her prince fall in love. Through the intervention of his spirits, Prospero orchestrates his revenge, which ends in forgiveness of his brother and the King and the happy marriage of his daughter and Prince Ferdinand. Prospero's lands are restored and his sprites released as father and daughter return to the place of their birth.

The text is highlighted in parchment-like squares against the jewel-toned colors of Prospero's island, the deep green of the forest, the azure sky, the sapphire sea. Fairies mix with characters in this enchanted landscape, as Prospero resolves his fate and that of his daughter to everyone's advantage. Shakespeare's fascinating tale is written in a manner that appeals to young imaginations, balancing tragedy and humor, cameo illustrations sprinkled throughout the pages, a rich canvas of foibles and fancies in a world where people and fantasy coexist. This is the perfect pairing of author and illustrator, a book to delight children and adults alike. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

The edition of Edward II I read was the New Mermaid Series one, which had a very good and informative introduction, and has the spelling modernized. The spelling modernization extends to place names as well as general terms. I am not sure how I feel about spelling modernization, as it is nice to see how the work was originally spelled, but it made the work very easy to read. The play itself is amazing, very engaging even though it is a history, and is mostly based on things that actually happened. The language is not as flowery as Shakespeare, but is lovely nonetheless. Some of the characters of the play are very fickle, and seem to suddenly change as you read the text of the play. (Queen Isabella goes from devoted and self-sacrificing wife to cunning adulteress.) It makes more sense on stage, and after seeing this play, it was easier to see how good it is.

Marlowe's final play is also his masterpiece. To be sure, the dramatic events in this play really did happen, but Marlowe shows himself at his best when he paints the picture. At first, Marlowe masterfully allows us to detest Edward for undoing all the fine work of his father Edward Longshanks. We also are able to feel sorry for Mortimer and Isabella. (the eventual villains). Isabella feels neglected and Mortimer can not stand to see the fine work of Edward Longshanks undone. Later, we come to have some respect for Edward II when he shows himself to have some of his father's fine qualities and he crushes the first rebellion against him with courage and intelligence. When the second uprising successful, we no longer are lead into any feelings of admiration for Mortimer and Isabella. Once they have power they are more vile and disgusting than Edward II ever was. By Act 5.1, Marlowe gives Edward II moving soliloquies and does not allow our new won pity to slack for a moment. The final scene of this play when Edward II's 17 year old son Edward III flips the tables, crushes his corrupt mother, has Mortimer put to death, and offers prayers to his murdered father is a scene that is almost unsurpassed in literature. To be sure, this did actually happen, but Marlowe not only tells us what happened, but colors it with his superb mastery of the language.

Edward the second, or to give it its full title, 'The troublesome reign and Lamentable death of Edward, the second king of England, with the tragical fall of proud Mortimer', is famous for being an Elizabethan 'Gay play', but this is only one of the subjects contained within the play. Politics, cruelty and the Feudal System are all important themes in this, one of the great masterstrokes of Elizabethan literature. The play itself is a history play, set in the 14th century featuring Edward and his previously basished lover, Gaveston, who returns after the death of Edward's father. This return enrages the barons, who were sworn to Edward's father that Gaveston would never return. This is the catalyst for a plot that races around like a cheetah on speed, culminating in one of the most excruciating deaths ever portrayed on stage. "Shakespeare? Who? Marlowe was far better!"

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564¯1593) has faded into the background over the centuries, little remembered by the common man, unlike his contemporary William Shakespeare. But, in his own time, Marlowe was known as one of the greatest of playwrights.

This play tells the story of King Edward II, who ruled England from 1307 to 1327. Edward shocked medieval England with his openly bi-sexual relationship with Piers Gaveston, and his barons rose up against him in a series of wars, finally culminating in Edward's death. (Rumor having it that he was horribly murdered by having a red-hot iron thrust up through his rectum!)

Now, this play is not entirely historically accurate. The theatre of the day did not specialize in accurate historical portrayal, but strove to entertain. However, that said, this play does do an excellent job of telling the story of Edward and his reign, in an entertaining and informative manner in a mere 25 scenes.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting read, and I couldn't help but wonder why I have not heard of it being played today. It is still very entertaining, and you would think that modern play producers would want to put it on. This is an interesting play, one that I do not hesitate to recommend.

(By the way, just in case you didn't realize, this Edward was the effeminate son of Edward I, Longshanks, in Mel Gibson's movie Braveheart. That portrayal of Edward was well done by actor Peter Hanly, but was even less accurate than this play. I suspect that the character Phillip was based on Piers Gaveston. Longshanks did indeed hate Gaveston, but certainly never threw him out of a window!)

+++++

(Note that this review is for Dover Classics "Edward II" published by Theatre Communications Group in 1999.)

This play in five acts or twenty-five scenes, written by Christopher Marlowe (1564 to 1593, born the same year as Shakespeare) is a history play that chronicles the reign of Edward the Second. The actual name that Marlowe gave his play was "The troublesome reign and lamentable death of Edward, the second King of England, with the tragical fall of Mortimer." (Mortimer is Edward's nemesis in the play.)

The precise date of this play is not accurately known, but it is generally thought to have been written circa 1590.

Marlowe condenses, omits, elaborates, and rearranges actual historical events in order to gain dramatic effectiveness, and to bring out Edward's character and the results of his weakness. So the action in the play covers a historical period of just over twenty years (near the end of the fourteenth century) even though such a period of time is not suggested by the play itself.

Marlowe effectively succeeds in giving a true, as well as a powerful picture of the character and fate of Edward the Second. This play masterfully shows the delineation of character, the construction of plot, and the freedom and variety of the mostly blank verse.

Readers of Shakespeare's plays (especially "Henry the Eighth" and "Richard the Second") should find it quite easy to read this relatively succinct play. Even those not familiar with Shakespeare's plays or even Elizabethan drama should have little difficulty with this play. Footnotes are minimal.

Unfortunately, this play has been labeled a "Gay Play." This is not quite accurate. Edward was bisexual because he had a queen who he had a son with (the future Edward the Third) and, as well, had a male partner (named Piers Gaveston). Gaveston too was bisexual since he was not only attracted to Edward but also to Edward's niece! Edward's queen is heterosexual because she is later attracted to Mortimer after Edward starts ignoring her.

Sexual orientation is actually a small part of this play. The play is about a king who loses control of his kingdom. Edward's brother says this early on to Edward: "My Lord, I see your love to Gaveston / Will be the ruin of the realm and you."

Finally, the last scene of the play is truly magnificent as Edward's son, now King, gets revenge for his father's murder.

In conclusion, this is a great play that can be enjoyed by those who are heterosexual (like myself), bisexual, or homosexual. Also, in my opinion, this history play closely rivals Shakespeare's history plays.

(this book first published 1999; play written circa 1590; 95 pages)

+++++

This is one of the only long stories I've ever read that didn't become boring in even one spot! I enjoyed every page & word in this book. If you have any historical inclinations at all, you'll love it.

Flambard's Confession is great book for history buffs. It gives a detailed picture of the feudalization of Anglo-Saxon England by William the Conquorer.
It is fictionalised telling of the life of Ranulph Flambard, chief tax collector of William Rufus(William II) of England. Ranulph was born before the Norman Conquest to a priest and girlfriend and dies in the early 1100's during the reign of Henry I. Ranulph's was valued royal servant because he was educated and more importantly he was one of the few Normans at the time of the Conquest who spoke Anglo-Saxon.
This is not a historical romance novel, but a good solid depiction of medieval life in Normandy and Anglo-Saxon England in the late 11th century and early 12th century.

I picked up a copy of this book many years ago. It is one of my enduring favorites! Durham brings her character to life, at a time in British history where the world seems to turn upside-down. Flambard, counselor and scribe to King William II, writes his memoirs while in prison, following King William's death. He has been tried for his crimes, committed in the name of the king and for his own enrichment. He is candid about his life and times, and asks for no apologies. The reader is given a wonderful glimpse at the history of England at this time, along with the changes the Church undergoes. While the book is extraordinarily long, the book flows well, and the reader is unaware of the passage of time, both figuratively and literally. I spent many nights up late, turning pages, enthralled by the skill of writing of this book.

I recommend it highly, and any student of history will love it. Those who are not thrilled by history, will also like it and their knowledge of the times will be expanded.

Flambard's Confession is an absolutely superb book. It is the story of Ranulf Flambard, an important government official under William II (Rufus). Flambard has been identified by Thomas Costain as one of the greatest villains of English history, an assessment which, while not necessarily accurate, is not far from the truth. Flambard's Confession takes the form of a first-person account of Flambard's life, and is abslutely masterful at handling the contradictions and challenges posed by writing the autobiography of someone who is at least villainous, if not a thorough-going villain.

I stumbled on this book, and loved it. I read an enormous amount of historical fiction about the Middle Ages, and did not know whether my feelings about the book were, at least in part, attributable to the fact that few novels have been written about William II and his period. To test this, I passed the book on to several other people, none of whom is a medievalist, and all of whom thought it was one of the greatest historical fiction novels ever written.

I have no idea why this book did not receive more attention when it was written. SOMEONE NEEDS TO REPUBLISH IT. It is a marvelous book, and would sell well with the audiences who read Sharon Kay Penman, Dorothy Dunnett, and all similar authors.

Flambard's Confession is a historical novel of the autobiographical sort, a description of post-conquest England seen through the narrative persona of Ranulph Flambard, a historical figure about whom very little is known except that he (1) collected taxes, and (2) annoyed St. Anselm of Canterbury. The moral of this book: Never annoy a saint.

Despite the considerable heft, this book is thoroughly engrossing, best I've read of the sort since Robert Graves. Part is due to the historical period -- a Chinese observer would call them "interesting times," chronicling the reign of William II. Part is the wealth of characters -- William himself, a flawed and headlong knight of the old school, who loves Cormac, an Irish relapsed monk and sodomite, who maintains an uneasy truce with Ranulph, who worshipped Cormac as a boy in the cloister and starts his secular career as a spy for William's Uncle Odo, a brawling and treacherous Bishop, who wants to place William's besotted brother Robert on the throne, but fails only to see the third brother, slimy Henry Beauclerk (Henry I) succeed instead. Ranulph -- "frail to women from his first day out of the cloister" -- must deal with knight's widow Isabel de Trie, the ditzy love of Ranulph's youth and mother of his arrogant bastard son Martin as well as the love of his life, the Saxon girl Elfgiva. The story is enlivened with cameos by Malcolm MacDuncan Canmore, MacBeth's bane, and his virtuous sister; various brutal and unscrupulous knights, treacherous lords, worldly churchmen, cynical commoners, and the infuriating Anselm, a saintly man somewhat too taken with his own saintliness -- prototype for either Mohandas K. Gandhi or Jimmy Carter, depending on your politics. Ranulph lives and dies as a robust, cynical, almost Rabelaisian cleric (the type was common then) and marvellous storyteller. I read it every few years, and find something new every time.

I love this book!! I am a soldier and I love this book as a retirement gift for friends who are also great leaders!

I loved this book as a child. I read it and re-read it. It's such a wonderful tale of friendship, the importance of teamwork, and a celebration of unique talents. A king who has lost his kingdom acquires six friends, each with a unique ability. If memory serves, one could turn into a swarm of bees, another into a serpent, another a tree, and so on. The king rescues them from some predicament, and they accompany him on his travels. He eventually enters a new kingdom, where a princess awaits a worthy suitor. The king vies for her hand, but must pass several tests to satisfy her father. Each of the six friends' abilities help the king pass the tests.

The illustrations are gorgeous, in a classic style. Each character displays some aspect of his talent in his appearance.

I have spent years trying to remember the title of this book and finally came across it again. It's sadly out of print, but worth the search, as are the other titles from Parent's Magazine Press. My family had several of these books, and they were treasures all. They helped spawn a love of books which continues to this day, leading me to a career as a bookseller.

A fantastic adventure - one of my favorite books as a child! I ordered copies for myself, my brother, my sister, and my mom. It is just as wonderful as I remember. The illustrations are superb, and the story is timeless.

This is a wonderful story, told as a fairy tale, about a king and his friends, each with a unique talent. They help each other using these gifts and are ultimately successful as a team in a situation where any one would have failed. The illustrations are old-fashioned but beautiful. The situations are interesting to children and make this a great introduction to longer fiction.

Probably because it was the longest in our cannon, my brothers and I would ask our parents to read it again and again. The values of cooperation, non-judgement, appreciating a diversity of friends have stayed with me through life. A classic, sadly out of print, as is his equally brilliant "Evenyone Knows What A Dragon Looks Like."