Charles Williams Books

Fourteen writers who knew and loved the incredible William Maxwell have written beautifully about him in this fine collection of "memories and appreciations." In addition to the editors, Charles Baxter, Michael Collier and Edward Hirsch, other writers included are John Updike, Donna Tartt, Alice Munro, Shirley Hazzard, Anthony Hecht, Richard Bausch, Paula Fox, Alec Wilkinson, Benjamin Cheever, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and Annabel Davis-Goff. There is also a previously unpublished speech of Mr. Maxwell's. It is almost as if these writers read each other's notes since they express practically the same sentiments with only minor differences as they each see him through the prisms of their own experiences. They describe him as loving, generous, kind, gentle, modest, dignified, thoughtful, tremendously interested in the lives of other people, never glib. The superlatives go on and on. Born in Lincoln, Illinois, in 1908, Mr. Maxwell apparently had an idyllic childhood until he lost his mother to influenza during the horrible epidemic of 1918. That single event, which he wrote about again and again in both his fiction and other writings, shaped the rest of his life. According to Mr. Wilkinson, when Mr. Maxwell's mother died, he "gave up any belief in a god who protected human happiness. No sensible person can fail to be astonished by creation, he thought, but the idea of an old man watching over individual lives, a being who judged, kept track, and intervened, who favored one person over another, a figure from a story-- such a version had no meaning for him." Ms. Davis-Goff says he believed in love, not in God, and that he wrote about the redeeming nature of love. Edward Hirsch in one of the most moving essays in the collection-- that made my eyes burn-- reminds us that Mr. Maxwell's religion was literature. He was happily married to his wife Emily for many years and died at the age of 92 only 8 days after her death. As an editor for THE NEW YORKER for forty years, Mr. Maxwell published many fine writers including Eudora Welty, John Cheever, John Hersey, John Updike, Vladimir Nabokov et al.

These for the most part are beautiful essays-- John Updike's contribution is a poem-- written about a most beautiful man. Many of them should cause those of us who already adore William Maxwell to reread him or introduce him to a new generation of lovers of literature. One is reminded again of the difference between fine literature and popular fiction and why Updike and Tom Wolfe should never be discussed in the same paragraph.

There are many wondrous sayings of Mr. Maxwell included here: that all he asked of life is the privilege of being able to read, that the the only part he would miss about dying was that he couldn't read Tolstoy, that either you retire from life or you advance to meet it, that when he first read Yeats' early poetry he "felt as if fairy dust had been sprinkled on him." And you have to love someone who says that "every writer has a lifetime ration of three exclamation points." In addition to the Maxwell quotations, many of the writers discuss at considerable length his works, particularly his novels. The most successful of the essayists, rather than analyze them, let Mr. Maxwell's works speak for themselves. Shirley Hazzard describes the last year of Mr. Maxwell's life, with his wife slowly dying of cancer, when he reread Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE. "He said, 'It is so comforting.' We rejoiced together over certain scenes, not 'discussing' or dissecting them but paying, simply, the tribute of our delight." That's the best way to enjoy this extraordinary book. Just pay tribute with your delight.

I bought this book even though I eat dairy free and egg-free because of allergies. This book has amazing pictures and even more amazing recipes. I can at least cook them for my husband:)

Readers interested in The DaVinci Code and the landslide of conspiracy theories, secret histories and occultic exposes that will inevitably accompany it may want to discover this lost (and recently reprinted) classic. Williams published this the same year as The Descent of the Dove: A History of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and it would seem at first that these books cover two sides of the supernatural, but it's not quite that way.

Williams is unique, among other things, for his skepticism, as summed in the epigram, "Believe and doubt well." His take on witchcraft isn't based on believing or not believing in it but in looking at it in history and in relation to the rest of his ideas. To understand his approach, consider his credentials and the accidents of when he wrote. He was a member of A.E. Waite's Order of the Golden Dawn, a mystical society whose members included Evelyn Underhill, author of Mysticism, and poet W. B. Yeats, known for his poem, "The Second Coming." No doubt he derived much of the local color, as it were, and ideas for his novels from this involvement.

Aleister Crowley, the self-styled "Great Beast" tried to wrest control of the Golden Dawn. Whatever one thinks of "Mr. Crowley" as Ozzy Osbourne sang of him, he seems to be the model for a certain type of magician who appears in Williams' novels. Williams delves briefly into the events surrounding the dark history of the Malleus Mallificarum, the witch trials, the mysteries associated with the Knights Templar, the Illuminati and the "secret histories" which these days are so much in vogue in contemporary fiction.

As in The Descent of the Dove, he often suggests alternate explanations, one being that in eras when the established church seemed to be on the side of the oppressors, by whatever political machinations, people would naturally look for some other power to invoke or side with satan (which means "enemy") whom Milton depicted as warring in heaven 'gainst heaven's matchless king. If the Knights Templar took pot shots at crosses on church steeples, Williams suggests, it might be for no darker device than to improve their skill as archers.

As Williams himself writes, this is not the book for followers of Crowley; it doesn't tell how to conjure the Ape of Thoth or guide the reader through the Necromonicron (a sort of magic in which Williams probably did not believe). As an editor at Oxford University Press, Williams was one of the most widely-read men of his generation (and far more than most in ours). Unlike the recent revisionist "histories" and fictionalized reversions, Williams presents an brief overview of mostly unkown history and as with all his books, his ideas seem increasingly relevant.

this book examines how free speech in this country intersects with assaultive speech.it challenges the thought that all speech should be protected, and engages you to examine the intent behind many words that we take for granted.

matsuda is known as a constitutional scholar and passionate inquisitor into the blurry intersection of race, gender, the law, and language. whether you agree with her views or not, this book and the ideas put forth will challenge you to examine your own beliefs and expectations of what your civil rights are.

Strunk's work is a solid baseline for grammar, punctuation, and composition. If your workplace tends to create its own standards for linguistics, it might be valuable to keep this readily available.

It is somewhat limited in terms of all the possible usages of punctuation, and admits as much in its first pages. While this is a valuable reference for most scenarios, it can't stand alone.

The book is great, I mean it's a classic but this version looks like it came right off the photo copier of the original print for 100 years ago. It's horribly fussy and the copy spacing is poor. I suggest finding a version by a different publisher.

As an author, I struggle with my style of writing to gain an oridance. this book was suggested to me by me Editor, and an instructor from a grammer free proof reading class I took. It has put great perspective on how I should write.

I received this book in very good condition and arrived on time as expected. I am very happy with how my purchase was handled. About the book, it is a very good reference for anyone who wants to be a good writer.

William Strunk's book "The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by an American friend, whose linguistic abilities I value very high. I ordered the book immediately and was surprised, when it arrived, by how thin it was. It turned out to be a compendium, which would best be memorized (I am not joking!). This American English writing style guide was written in 1918, but has not aged at all. The most important rules of American English, and the ones most commonly forgotten (like the use of Saxon Genitive of commas), are gathered here. I found the collection of frequently misspelled words very useful, too (although I though of some I could add, for example "receive", which I see misspelled more often than not). For me, the most helpful part was the discussion on brevity and omitting then unnecessary words - I still struggle with long sentences and too many adjectives and adverbs. This small volume is a must-have for anyone who wants to write correctly in English!

Cute book to add to my table of Christmas Stories. Will make a cute addition this Christmas.

I ordered 30 copies of this Dover Thrift Edition of A Christmas Carol and used them as stocking stuffers at work.

This is a great item for the price, lower than some greeting cards, and I suspect appreciated a tad more than the usual overflow of candy around at holiday time!

Everyone has their favorite version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Make this dramatic retelling yours. At about 2 hours, its perfect for listening in the car while running around during the holidays or on your MP3 player while putting up Christmas lights. I plan on listening to it every year from now on. Patrick Stewart gives voice to every character, including the narration, and gives the kind of performance which I have come to expect from an actor of his immense talents.

I saw this script produced at the Castle Museum in York during its first run. It's the most faithful adaptation I have ever seen of A Christmas Carol, which is one of my favourite novels.

Highly recommended.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMER i HAVE EVER HEARD. MR. STEWART BRINGS TO LIFE THE COMPLETE STORY. MAKING THE STORY MR. DICKENS INTENDED GO RIGHT TO YOUR SOUL.
I HAVE PUT IT ON THE LIST OF THINGS WE ARE DOING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY, THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AND TO SIT DOWN AND LISTEN TO THIS GREAT STORY.
YOU WILL NOT BE UNHAPPY WHEN YOU BUY THIS CD.
THE HALLEY FAMILY

A simple but a great story that explores some very important issues. Do you wonder why God is silent while people suffer and die? This book explores that issue, and I think it does offer some worthwhile insight.

The book was in great condition and arrived promptly to my door. For me, the typeset was a bit small, but the book appeard to have been brand new. Silence has been very thought provoking. A must read for anyone of Catholic background.

As author stated in the preface of "The Life of Jesus", he is for "Japanese readers who have no Christian tradition of their own and who know almost nothing about Jesus"
1. Two Roman Catholic priets/missionaries from Portugal crossing dangerous oceans to reach Japan. Then giving up everything:Pride,
faith, freedom, and love(?)
2. Courageous Native Christians. Accepting their martyrdom with silence.

There is no balance between these two. There is no reality.

This is a book written by a Japanese for Japanese readers.

When this book was selected by my book club, I did not want to read it. Christians being tortured in 17th century Japan. Also, it seemed very Catholic to me and I am not a Catholic. It just didn't sound good. When I finally overcame my reluctance and started to read it, I found myself mesmerized by the beautiful writing, the sense of time and place and, surprisingly by the story itself. By the time I finished the book, I found myself profoundly moved and forever changed by the questions and conclusions it posed. A book that I did not want to read has become one of my all-time favorite books. I suspect I will still be thinking about it until the day I die.

How proud is God? How should God's people uphold his honor? How exactly should the gospel transform human society?

These questions lie at the heart of Silence. Written in the wake of World War two by the Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo, Silence tells the story of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth century Japan.

Although proselytizing efforts by Francis Xavier had been successful in the previous century, the 1600s brought about ecclesiastical quarrels between Roman catholic and protestant missionaries. These squabbles often went hand in hand with political and military shenanigans between competing European powers in Japan. Japan's leadership came to view Christianity as an essential part of this distasteful western mess, and severe persecution quickly became standard fare for the newly budded Japanese church.

Endo's protagonist, the young Portugese priest Sebastian Rodrigues, enters Japan secretly in the midst of these persecutions, along with a monastic colleague, Francis Garrpe. They encounter crude but strong faithfulness among the Japanese believers, who undertake great sacrifice in order to protect the padres from the authorities.

Eventually, however, they are betrayed by a weak-willed Japanese Christian, and their trials begin in earnest. Rodrigues's faith is tested to limits which comfortable modern western Christians may never be able to properly understand. His captors torture him psychologically in order to make him renounce his faith. This is not a simple temptation or test of honor; it is not Rodrigues's mere conscience at stake. If he submits to the authorities by trampling on Christ's portrait, his peasant flock goes free. If he does not, they will be tortured to death.

This test is one of the most soul-churning passages of literature I have read. What will Rodrigues do? Will he apostatize? How important is his honor? How important is God's? As the pastor of these simple peasants, is it better to renounce his faith to save their lives, or better to embrace martyrdom and doom them?

Initially, I found myself cheering for Rodrigues's perseverance and martyrdom, but by the novel's end, I was shaken and unsure. In the West, Christendom has a long and hallowed tradition of persecution stories, from the early believers in Jerusalem, to the church in Rome, and in various places throughout the centuries. Although Christ gives approbation to those who are persecuted for his sake, human sinfulness, such as it is, can even distort the meaning and value of martyrdom. Even the brightest lights in Christian history sometimes succumb to an unspiritual triumphalism. With the benefit of time, we often come to see some of Christendom's triumphs as accreted with sin and pride.

The first believers in Japan did not have this cultural background narrative to inform their consciences. They had only an immediate pagan background confronted with the fresh, non-accreted startling news that God has suffered, endured shame and humiliation, and forgiven their sins. This gospel surely would have motivated them to endure great persecution, but at the same time, the gospel is the story of a man who suffered in order to release his friends from condemnation. In that light, martyrdom for its own sake is dubious at best.

What is true religion? The bible maintains that true religion consists in looking after orphans and widows in their distress, and keeping oneself from being stained by the world. Those two mandates, it seems to me, should never be at odds with one another. If Rodrigues had refused to trample on the fumie (the term for the sacred image of Christ), he would definitely not have been looking after orphans and widows, but rather sending them to certain doom. However, would his simple act constitute "being stained by the world?" Would he be a Judas and an enemy of the gospel? There is a prominent strain of Christianity, very much in the tradition of the western theology of glory, which says "yes". Endo's answer, more in tune with the theology of the cross, is "no".

I am inclined to agree with the latter.

My aim is to cover shakespeare this year with my 9th grader (I home-school). I purchased this book along with "Twelfth Night". I am so happy I did. The whole original text is included along with a translation of the play in todays english. At the end of the book there are MANY, MANY exercises and tests for the student to complete to ensure they have understood what they read. With this book, you can literally give it to your child and leave them to it. Obviously, you may need to give some guidance along the way, but it will be minimal. A homeschooler's dream because there is very little lesson prep. I will definately be buying other titles in this series!

"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare proves to be an amazing read if one thoroughly enjoys the challenge of deciphering the selective form of writing and occasionally complicated dialect. This classic play is based on the true, factual account of the assassination of Julius Caesar as it truly took place in 44 B.C. Of course, Shakespeare has completely made the story his own through the use of comic relief, characterization, and wonderful original composition. Julius Caesar, the ambitious and prideful dictator of Rome, has returned home from a victorious battle against his fellow Triumvirate, Pompey. As he celebrates and relishes his absolute power, little does he suspect the growing opposition of conspirators, some of whom he would never expect. This read is certainly worthwhile if one has a good taste for tragedy and does not mind a challenge.

The Arden Shakespeare series is the best, for either the beginning of scholarly research, the average needs of the English student, or as a resource for the informed theater professional. My only note of caution is for a casual reader who may find the extensive footnoting more of an interruption than a help. Love this book, love them all.

Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar in about 1599. The play was the first of three Roman plays. Shakespeare based the source material for the play on a translation of a work by the Greek philosopher and biographer Plutarch, called "The lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans". Shakespeare, like Plutarch, praises and criticises the actions of the main characters in the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, the historical events in the play are fairly accurate, although the playwright sometimes changed the sequence and timing of events and added his limitless imagination to produce a timeless play that has been enacted and enjoyed by millions of people worldwide over the centuries.

The play is set in a period of political instability in Rome. The people of Rome celebrate Caesar victory over Pompey, their former leader. However, there are officials that are concerned about Caesar's growing power. The Romans were then aware that absolute power is open to abuse (there are people today who still do not know this simple fact). Among those concerned about the growing power of Caesar are Cassius and Brutus, who are both followers of Caesar.

Cassius persuades Brutus that something needs to be done to thwart Caesar's growing ambitions. Brutus has a problem with his conscience but ultimately decides that it is in the best interests of Rome that Caesar is eliminated.

Caesar receives warnings about the impending danger. During a festival that Caesar attends, he is warned "Beware the Ides of March". Caesar, however, dismisses the Soothsayer's warnings. When the Ides of March arrive and while Caesar is due to go to be crowned, warnings in the form of storms, bad omens and his wife's horrible dreams initially persuade Caesar to stay at home. However, Caesar decides to go after being advised that if he did not show up, Senators might change their minds about crowning him emperor. On entering the capitol, the conspirators stab Caesar to death.

Mark Anthony, a very close ally of Caesar, initially pretends to go along with the conspirators but he is determined to avenge his death. When Brutus addresses the confused crowd to drum up support for the assassination, Mark Anthony cleverly and expertly manages to turn the crowd against the conspirators and incites them to riot. With popular support in Rome, the triumvirs Anthony, Octavious and Lepidus plan to fight Brutus and Cassius. Brutus's conscience still troubles him and he sees Caesars ghost. Fighting takes place and Cassius and Brutus are defeated and both commit suicide to save their honour. The triumvirs then seize power after avenging Caesar.

I really enjoyed reading this edition of the play. Each scene is proceded by a summary of the secene and followed by commentary on the scene, and there are notes alongside the text explaining unusual words/phrases. As an actor, I have been reading Shakespeare for quite awhile, and I still found this book very helpful. If you are new to reading Shakespeare, I particularly recommend this because you will find it very helpful.

I have read this book twice and enjoyed it both times. I like a story with historical background. The plot was interesting enough to keep me entertained and involved with the characters.

I was born and raised in Savannah, attended Catholic school and graduated from Benedictine. Being a Marine hasn't allowed to get back to town much in the past 10 years so when I heard about this book I thought I'd check it out. I read it a few months ago when in Iraq and boy was I blown away. It was like I was reading somebody's collection of dirty secrets. It's hard to tell where the factual background information ends and the historical "fiction" begins. Being part Irish and having grown up and gone to school with many Irish Catholics I think this book is more akin to the Dragnet tradition of changing the names to protect the innocent -- or guilty in this case. I've gotta sneaking suspicion there's a few from the "Old Fort" that don't really care for this book. Who knows. It's just fiction right?

As a read it was a decent story. I think more in-depth character development would have propelled this work from a decent 400-page book to one of those 800-page masterpieces people would be talking about years from now. Of course, that might have gotten dangerous for the author because I feel like I know who half the characters are in real life already.

Good stuff Dr. Harris, keep it up.

For those of you who enjoy historical fiction, especially about the South, primarily Savannah you will enjoy this book.

Being from Savannah I found this book fairly entertaining. I am not sure, though, how much I would have liked it if I didn't live here. Great art the book isn't. Characters in the book lack complexity. They seem almost cartoonish in how they are either completely good or completely bad. However, it does read very smoothly and tells a decent story. It is predictable in that the good guys win in the end, but I guess that happens in most stories. On another note, the book goes to great lengths to extol the virtues of a certain high school. Being that the school I went to stood in direct opposition to it, I can't say that I agree with the author's portrayal.

Perhaps the delirium here is that Harris, a podiatrist, thought he could write a novel, and that an editor at a prestigious publishing house like St. Martin's Press would publish it, after first being released by a small, private firm. It's not that it isn't a good story, but one of the first things they tell you even in the most elementary writing classes is to let the story tell itself. Here the narrator is so obtrusive with his editorial comments that it becomes a joke after awhile. Still, if you read reviews of this book, there are Sevannah natives who rave over it and others, like me, who wonder how it ever got in print. Perhaps if Savannah hadn't been one of my favorite cities I wouldn't have finished it at all, but after starting it I was determined to finish.

This book really taught me a lot. The only thing I would have liked was a better explanation on how to implement a desktop database (local, not on a server). If you read between the lines you can figure it out, but it would have been better if he had outlined some specifics. The hands-on approach of this book really helps you learn. I wouldn't call this a be-all-end-all book of database programming for VB, but it's a great start and the appendices serve as a more in-depth reference.

Well, I read both of these books and must say that Wrox's Beginnig Visual Basic Database book was more clear and more immediately helpful. It almost seemed as if much of this book was taken from the Beginning Book. While both are good, if I had to spend limited resources on a single one, it would be Connell's book. He is more lucid and anticipates my questions while this book seems to reiterate much of Connell's work but in a more opaque style. However, they are both excellent.

This book does help resolve issues encountered when developing VB6 database apps. While the depth in the examples sometimes leads to some hardcore trial-and-error time, at least you come out of it pointed in a productive direction. I'm working through this book cover to cover, and learning more from it than I have from my entire VB collection. VB-dB programming is my main interest, and this book is the very best I've seen.

Excellent coverage area on build enterprise database app with VB6
I think this is a must have for DB programming developer
and every source code is working !!!!

This book is excellent for experienced programmers looking for a "how to guide". The examples follow a logical flow and are explained in detail. Experienced programmers will find this an excellent guide in translating their functional understanding of another programming language into the functions available in VB6. I especially like the way that the author offers more than one way to accomplish the same task. Database application programmers could not ask for a better program by example guide then this book. I have purchased several books on VB6 and have been disappointed with the layout, explanations, or scope. This book is exactly as advertised. This is truly a programmer to programmer book.