Authors Books

This was a great collection of stories. I feel that the first stories were the strongest and the last stories the weakest but even at it's worst these were wonderfully crafted stories. The writing style never fails to make you sympathize or in some cases, even empathize with the characters involved. Great to get you started in the always colorful, probably with gore, Punktown (Paxton to the socialites). Great stuff. Highly recommended place to start for all P-Town related books. Move in to Monstrocity after this and find out how bad things in the city REALLY are.

All I can say to this new author is...WOW! What a great compilation of stories. Interesting, well written, imaginative, and absorbing; you won't want to leave Punktown once you submerge yourself into its seedy depths.

On the planet of Oasis, an Earth established colony is formed called Paxton, but is known to everyone on Oasis as Punktown. In this colony, people from many different worlds and cultures live crowded into the apartments and streets, the colony overflowing with teeming life forms from the native Choom to the strange L'leweds and Antses and Waiais and of course the Humans.

Although each chapter is a separate story, they all blend into each other as a single fully developed tale of the colony itself, and the lives that carry out their existence there. When I read the first two chapters, I found myself being a little disappointed that they seemed to end rather "unfinished", like there should have been more wrap up to that particular tale. But as you read along, this feeling will fade because you realize that the overall concept of the book is that "life goes on", and you begin to feel the continuum of Punktown itself; as an entity comprised of individuals and not the individuals themselves.

My favorite chapter has to be the first one, "The Reflections of Ghosts", about an artist who clones himself to make artwork out of his creations, twisting the helix here and there to cause mutations according to whatever specs his customers wish. He calls them "Starfish" because of their complete lack of intelligence, but his narcissistic captivation with his "art" will be his downfall. Wait till you read about his "wall piece". Yuck.

Next, in "The Flaying Season", we follow a human woman named Kohl who lives in the Antse part of the neighborhood, and cannot seem to let go of her past even though it has already been erased.

"Wakizashi" is a very strange tale, introducing us to the L'lewed, one of the strangest residents Jeffrey Thomas dreamed up for Punktown. This chapter gives us a reason to ponder just how far does Tolerance extend when you are dealing with such diverse cultures?

"Precious Metal" is a new look at "Man vs Machine", a rather interesting tale that would be at home in Asimov's "I Robot". (Yes, it's that good!) Mob bosses and a robot jazz band and beautiful women make this tale a tasty and satisfying addition to this collection.

"Heart For Heart's Sake" is a beautiful tale of love conquering both evil, and artistic desires. Teal has created the perfect piece of art, his best work ever, and his girlfriend Nimbus does the performance art within his creation. But what price could possibly be worth such a treasure?

"Face" is a different kind of love story; the unconditional love of a parent for their child. This chapter is not about the conquering power of love, but the gut-wrenching pain that familial love can cause, and just how far one will go to never let go of their love. Or avenge it.

"The Palace of Nothingness" is a short, futuristic Haunted House story.

"Immolation" is an interesting and sad tale of a "Culture"; which is a clone specifically created for work. Would these "Cultures" have feelings? Love? Anger? Would there be room in their "brain-drip educated" minds to feel friendship, affection, or perhaps even seek vengeance?

The last chapter in the book, "The Library Of Sorrows", is about a cop named MacDiaz who has a photographic memory chip installed in his brain. This proves to be great for solving crimes and tracking killers, but just how many grisly scenes can he handle having total image recall of? At what point does one grow weary of the carnage?

This is the first book I have read of Jeffrey Thomas's, and I must say it is absolutely wonderful. I loved the world he created, and the different aliens. His descriptions of the strange beings bring them out into flesh without teetering over into boring repetitiveness or patronizing "you should know what I'm thinking" prose. The characters are well though out, believable, and likeable; and the scenes they wander through flow like mind candy past the eye. Punktown is a fast read, which is good, because you will want to stay up reading this one. Enjoy!

"Punktown" is a collection of short stories of the futuristic city of Paxton (a.k.a. Punktown).

This collection is Thomas at his best (and if you have read his works "Monstrocity" or "Letters from Hades", you know this is high praise). Speaking of "Monstrocity", it is a novel also set in Punktown and is highly recommended as a follow-up to "Punktown".

While each story in this collection can stand on it's own, they are best when read together. There is a continuity present throughout these stories, and as a whole, they create a collage of a fantastically creepy city. Thomas delivers in creating a world like no other, and he does it well.

In the realm of the concave of space, in the infinite palette of stars, we experience this broad brush of great talent in Mr. Thomas's aspect of his eye. He is brimming with imagination, almost choking the literary world with this book's essence and flair. I thoroughly enjoyed this series of stories of the incredulous, and can't wait to read more, and to stoke my memory with the imagery it hangs in midair like a surreal Dali freakout. Suspended by sheer imagination, this book is a complete work by itself, evenly charged with bountiful prose that guts even the most mundane of human boor's soul, peels it back, and hoses out the insides. Bravo!

Jeffrey Thomas' is a grim, grimy, and enthralling world. A genre-busting collection, Punktown has cyberpunk and horror (even a touch of splatterpunk) in its lineage, and a compelling collection of tales merging a smattering of species on a faraway planet with the gritty, crumbling, degraded desperation of life in a huge megopolis slowly suffering the unstoppable enfeeblement of its advancing age. A future noir in its own vein. Thomas' stories bring life and death, excess and blight, triumph and failure to Punktown with a clear, sharp writing style. Punktown is not to be missed.

I've been using QuickTime for nearly ten years, and have often been frustrated when trying to explain to people that it is not just for video and sound any more. The frustration stems from the lack of examples and explanations to use these powerful features for non-programmers. This book changes that. It explains clearly and wittily how to use QuickTime to enhance your website or CD-ROM, and take advantage of over 10 years of cutting-edge digital media technology for free.

[Full disclosure - I work for Apple on the QuickTime Engineering team, and know the author - believe me I wouldn't endorse this book if it wasn't great]

This book is a must have if you plan on working with QuickTime to make multimedia content available! I call this book 'a rare find', as it is great for beginner through master, leaving few questions unanswered or stones unturned. The text is a good mix of "how to" information combined with "tips and tricks" to get your implementations to work.

I purchased this book for its material regarding steaming content over the Internet, and learned a great deal in the process. The chapter on QuickTime VR answered my "how do they do that?" questions, and has led me to explore the use of this technique for my upcoming projects.

The QuickTime VR chapter is a good example of the depth of knowledge used to develop this text, as it gives in-depth information on photography techniques that only a mid- to experienced photographer would know.

My only criticism of the book is that it only begins to explore about half of the knowledge needed to set up your own streaming web server, but I can hardly fault the authors for that -- it says right on the cover "A Hands-On Guide for Webmasters, Site Designers, and HTML Authors." It says nothing about being aimed at System or Network Administrators. If your main interest in this book is the setup of streaming servers, you might want to consider another book (or better yet, purchase this book along with another to round out your knowledge).

With the ... QuickTime Pro included, I can say without reservation that this is one of the best computer book values I have ever purchased. The book paid for the rest of the cost by showing me how to trick Microsoft Internet Explorer / Windows Media Player in such a way that it will not try to open your .mov files (great in a Windows-dominated environment)!

Highly recommended, even if you have only a passing interest in QuickTime.

This is an important resource for anyone who is serious about maximizing the potential of Quicktime. At Rayhawk.com we have been using this book to enhance our web productions and the results have been noticable, not only to us, but to our clients (KFC, Taco Bell, BMW, Porsche).

The book is full of useful info and the author is fun and helpful. He assumes we have little prior knowledge with either QuickTime or HTML and by the end of the book, he teaches us how to produce some amazing content.

Mastering QuickTime is essential to quickly and easily building exciting, dymamic and interactive web sites. This book (QuickTime for the Web) is essential to mastering QuickTime for the web. It has saved me more time and energy than any book I've bought in the last two years.

This book is a must have! From how to create VR with interactive sounds and sprites - to getting your video or photos streaming on the web - this book shows you how. As a web master of a site with over 100 different Virtual Reality and QT movies, I found this book (and the free tools and interactive sprites for my use) to be invaluable. I reccommend it without hestitation. Luke Wonderly, Web master - vrbakersfield.com

This is one of the best pop-up books I've seen. I found illustrations absolutely gorgeous and the pop-ups extremely detailed, but delicate. My daughter (3 years old) loves the book. The story is not long and is fun and easy to read. The the pop-ups though is another story, they kept both my daughter and I captivated for ages.
This book is a must for young readers.

My kids, ages three and five, absolutely love the book and listen to the whole thing beginning to end with no problem. They love the story and the pictures both.

The story is very sweet; Raggedy Ann and Andy set off to rescue a doll and also end up rescuing a little boy, all with the help of a good fairy, of course.

The pop-ups are delicate enough that I wouldn't leave the book lying around the house in case my one year old might find it. But an older child can be taught to open and close the pages with care.

"One day Raggedy Ann and Andy were walking in the deep, deep woods when they met their friend, the Camel with the wrinkled knees..." is not a quote from this book despite its appearance at the top of this page.

No, this book is far better written than that and is a great bit of foundation to lay for children who will one day, sooner than their parents think, be reading real literature. Furthermore, Moerbeek's pop-up interpretations of the original pictures are stunning little masterpieces, sure to delight for years to come.

True, it doesn't offer the knock-your-socks-off prose of The Pop Up Mickey Mouse (see), being sweet and nostalgic rather than sharp and scrappy. But it is still quite a good read with its engaging characters and wry humor. And though most of the jokes will admittedly be lost on the little ones, they do keep it fun for the adult doing the actual reading.

The original text appears to have been edited a bit - probably for brevity's sake - but the story does seem to be fairly well intact (though the ultimate explanation of how the mischief-maker flew away is now missing and must be inferred from the pictures).

Despite the editing, reading this book aloud will take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and kids jaded by too much TV may not have the patience to sit through it. However, my own daughter asks for it frequently, and seems to think it is time well spent. I must say I agree with her completely.

This is one of the best pop-ups in my collection. Very detailed, and fun, pop-ups, and the art work is very much in keeping with the original Raggedy Ann books. A must for young and old collectors.

THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE! THE COMPLEXITY OF THE POP UPS WAS AMAZING. THE GIRLS AGES 4 AND 6 LOVED IT. WE ARE KEEPING IT AWAY FROM THE 1 YEAR OLD. I WOULD RECCOMEND IT FOR ALL CHILDREN'S LIBRARIES.

A very intense story of a family's history. The author told everything, she did not hide any of the family problems. It was very hard to put this book down once I started to read it. What it was like in Alaska before any real public services were available. The depth of drinking and diseases that came with the white man. And the other social problems that existed because of no government or social structure to help the people deal with these problems.

All I can say is that it was hard to put down. I enjoyed learning about her life's experiences and her "coming of age" as a Native in the "modern" culture. Highly recommended read.

This is Velma Wallis' third book. Her previous works, "Two Old Women" and "Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun," deal with traditional stories told by the Gwich'in people of Fort Yukon. Her latest, "Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" is an autobiographical account of her growing up in Fort Yukon, Alaska. The book offers a very open and candid look inside not only the community of Fort Yukon, but also into the intimacies of her immediate and extended families.

For thousands of years, the Gwich'in people lived semi-nomadically along the Yukon, Porcupine and Black rivers until, within the course of two generations, they found themselves settled into a static community surrounded by evidence of modern day life. Wallis represents this "lost generation" caught between wanting to move forward into the modern world and yet yearning to retain the traditional ways of hunting, trapping and other forms of traditional knowledge. Through her, an outsider can see the struggle within the village and it's people as they are forced to adapt and evolve to the new ways.

The major issue that strikes the reader squarely between the eyes is the epidemic of alcoholism in Fort Yukon. It is not something that only affects the adult community, but as Wallis points out, teenagers and even children in some cases. One paragraph in particular brings the issue home:

"After days of drinking and fighting came the slow, painful task of sobering up. My mother's swollen face would gradually heal. My father's face would go blank as if nothing had happened. That was an emptiness about our cabin as in the aftermath of war - a war no one had won." (p. 107)

As a result of her parents' almost continual drunkenness, Wallis and her siblings were forced to quite literally raise themselves as best they could. Relying on their ingenuity, and each other, she and her fourteen siblings managed to make it to adulthood (a fifteenth child had been killed in a tragic accident).

"Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" paints a fantastic story about growing up in bush Alaska. Descriptions of children cutting firewood, hauling water by the bucket from the river to the cabin, and even the family outhouse hold the reader's attention and keep the pages turning.

Wallis herself paints a picture of being a self-reliant, rebellious individual who, right from the start knew that she would have to take on the world on it's own terms. Somehow she managed to avoid many of the pitfalls through her own tenacity, and win. In the end, the book is obviously an attempt to deal with not only her past but that of her people as well, to begin the process of breaking away from the demons and healing the wounds of alcoholism.

I can't really say anything else. Just Thank You. My mother grew up during the "Great Depression" here in the USA. She raised several children alone. Your story is very much like hers. My oldest sister doesn't "read books" (????!) but I made her read the book jacket on this book, and she cried.

Oh the trials and tribulations we go through as human beings. And all the feelings we share. I look forward to more stories from you, and THANK YOU AGAIN, lovey. Thank you.

This story reminded me of my own growing-up years, not in Alaska, but on a reservation, nevertheless. It is a powerful book and reminds me of the strength our people have to survive, despite the odds, and interference of another culture. Velma, thanks for sharing in an honest and sensitive way, and letting us know we were not alone.

What a great read, just a pleasure to read the works of Sigurd. His stories give a real feel for what it is like in nature and gives a desire to enjoy the outdoors! His writing style is inviting and detailed, Truly a classic!

Every small story in this book seems to bring us peace & serenity. Sigurd brings out the part of a person that is called to nature and is connected with the earth. Every time we read from the book it seems to recenter us and put us back on track for better more fulfilling living.
The only semi-negative comment would be that his writing is very male dominated. This is not totally surprising since it is written in the early to mid 1900's.

This book consists of 28 essays, each a few pages long. The essays discuss general themes related to the outdoors, with reference to the North Country from Minnesota to Alaska. Olson is a marvelous writer, and the essays are captivating.

The book is divided into three parts: "Primal Heritage," "Search for Meaning," and "The Imponderables." The first group of essays ruminate on themes such as nomads, hunter-gatherers, silence in the woods, and the implications of these themes for modern life. The second group on meaning concerns one-word themes such as harmony, aliveness, beauty, and simplicity. These essays would provide an excellent basis for discussion in a book group or a classroom setting.

The third group is the least successful, and moves to a poorly-developed religious climax. In earlier essays in the book, Olson revealed himself as a Christian who sees the beauty of God's creation in the great outdoors. In the third part he moves toward a more synthetic position, finding common ground among many religions. That's fine, but it leads him to two essays on an "emergent God," which don't really work. He is a nature writer, not a theologian, and it shows.

Though many of his themes are timeless, such as the need for people to discover their true nature away from their urban lives, Olson discusses many anachronistic practices. When he would arrive in camp, his chores might include cutting pine boughs for a mattress, chopping down a tree for firewood and tent poles, and other destructive practices. Those are no longer possible.

Olson also reveals himself as a man living in a patriarchal time. He would disappear into the woods for weeks or months at a time, leaving his family behind. In this book, he mentions his son Sig several times but never mentions his wife, who presumably raised Sig and managed other household chores. Olson also sings the praises of his canoe-makers, and the joys of simple food in the backcountry such as rice, beans, and meats, but he does not raise any of that food himself. This reveals him as being connected to a wider economy and to people such as farmers who cannot disappear into the woods as he can.

Would Olson have been able to live his life in the woods without his wife, farmers, canoe-makers, and others living their lives in a house? The thought never crosses his mind, but we should ponder it.

This is the best book ever written on wilderness.

This book compiles some of Olson's best writings. In it, his last book, Olson further explores the concept of self-reflection and self-discovery through wilderness solace. His writing will be of interest to anyone who enjoys the outdoors (especially canoeing), but also readers who enjoy general contemporary philosophy.

Back in 1990 on a rainy night (or maybe it wasn't) I happened across a book in a bookstore entitled: Puzzles of the Black Widowers. I thought it looked interesting...it was! In fact, it was awesome, and so are any of the Black Widower books you can lay your hands on.

Tales of the Black Widowers
More Tales of the Black Widowers
Casebook of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers
Puzzles of the Black Widowers, and now
The Return of the Black Widowers

Each story follows the same outline. A monthly meeting is held in a private room in an exclusive New York Restaurant. The members take turn bringing a guest. Over dinner a mystery is revealed. The members of the club try to work it out, but in the end, their faithful waiter, Henry, solves the mystery. Does the formula ever get old? Never! These are incredibly well written stories, each one being very different and unique. There are 12 stories per book. This book "The Return" is a posthumous volume. Asimov died in 1992 leaving only 6 unpublished Black Widower stories. These are collected here and grouped with 10 of his all-time classics. Also included are two, paying homage to Asimov. Although the book is paperback, it is larger in size than the standard paperback and a screaming buy at $10.

This was one of my favorite series when I was younger, as I have a thing for short mysteries. The last of the Black Widowers books, this one was a good as any I've read. A must-have for any true Asimov or mystery fan.

Of course I had to buy it! I love Asimov, I love his style and wit. He passed away in 1992, but that only slowed his output without stopping it.

There are 11 stories repeated from previous collections, six stories gathered for the first time, one Black Widower story by someone else, and an hommage to the Black Widowers also by someone else. There's an essay by Asimov and Harlan Ellison's forward.

Ellison's forward is the first thing wrong with the book. Asimov was famous for refusing to have anyone else write introductions to his books. In his story collections he also appended miniature essays to each story, often about how he came to think of a particular plot; obviously these essays are missing here. Further, the two stories by other writers just didn't belong in an Asimov collection, they're intruding. Finally, a few of the last stories were written when Asimov was dying and they are simply no good. I read and enjoyed them for sentimental reasons only; they would disappoint readers new to Asimov or the Black Widowers.

So if you are already a fan of the Good Doctor's fiction, indulge yourself and enjoy. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and pick up another of his 400+ books.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Being an avid fan of Issac Asimov my whole life, I have read many to most of his fictional works including the casebooks of the Black Widowers. But this particular edition and its highly intense forward by the Doctor's dear friend is the best mystery collection by far. Any Issac Asimov fan will love it as much as I do and any reader of the genre will be highly gratified by the intelligence and plot twists the dear Doctor ingeniously supplies in his stories.

The Return of the Black Widowers


The Return of the Black Widowers (2003) contains:

The Acquisitive Chuckle

Early Sunday Morning

The Obvious Factor

The Iron Gem

To the Barest

Sixty Million Trillion Combinations

The Wrong House


The Redhead

Triple Devil

The Men Who Read Issaac Asimov

And some previously uncollected stories,including:

Northwestward

Yes, But Why

Lost In a Space Warp

Police at the Door

The Haunted Cabin

The Guest's Guest

The Woman in the Bar

The Last Story, by Charles Ardai

And an Afterword on the Birth of the Black Widowers







The Foreword by is by Asimov's Friend Harlan Ellison

If you've enjoyed The Black Widowers before or if you just enjoy a good mystery short story, I highly recommend this book.


Please be advised, it might be hard to put down.

Gunner April,2007

This book starts off with a bang. Lucy Roseman, mother of Hollie, 8, Joshua, 7 and Lisa, 4 takes a drastic step with Hollie. Her oldest child has severe autism and is incontinent and nonverbal. Her destructive behavior, while never willful is taking a major toll on the family. After taking a less than successful stand with the local special education authories, Lucy steps up her quest to find a good residential school that will meet Hollie's needs.

This book is full of unique plot twists and some expected curveballs, such as an affair Lucy has with a delightful attorney who is involved with her legal case for Hollie. An odious barracuda named Paula and an equally unpleasant doyenne who is running for mayor add to the intrigue.

Poignant parts abound; Lucy's palpable delight at the prospect of making a dollhouse with her younger daughter shows her understandable longing to enjoy normal milestones with her child. Lisa and Joshua equate Hollie to Pinocchio and ask when Hollie will become "a real girl" the way Pinocchio became real. The younger children, their interests and needs which must also be considered is a major part of this story.

This book is a bonus and a very realistic look of life raising a child with severe autism and the education system in England. Lucy is a plausible and sensible character; readers keep hoping the family will find a good place for Hollie and respite for themselves as well. Hollie's destructive behavior range from ruining a wedding (albeit unintentionally) when she soils herself; dirties the bride's gown and demolishes the cake. While a disastrous affair, one can't help smiling a bit imagining the whole scene. It takes on a Dick Van Dyke-like pratfall humor, although it could not have been remotely funny to those present.

Still, readers are hooked - one cannot put this book down until reaching the intense conclusion. Ideal companion book to Tilt

From the first page, A Rock and a Hard Place grabs the reader and doesn't let go.
Ms Sutcliffe's style is full of dry humour and genuine warmth, with vivid descriptions which leave you in no doubt that she writes from personal experience.

A very human tale, offering an insite into the joy and pain of living with, and bringing up an autistic child, along with all the usual pressures of normal family life, and the dilema of what you do when a tempting but forbidden lifeline is offered.

The story speeds along taking the reader with it. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys reading and learning about how normal people cope in extraordinary circumstances.

I am sure other readers will ask themselves what they would have done under similar circumstances...

Coralie, Oxford, UK

What a fanastic book giving the reader an insight into life with an austistic child. This story based on Hollie and her family shows just how challenging life can be but always you know that Hollie's family will do their best for her and you can share their high's and low's in this wonderful book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this outstanding book.It is an enlightening and riveting read which I highly recommend.

As a mum, I couldn't believe another mum needing to put their child in boarding school could possibly be the right thing. But after reading this humorous but very moving tale,I completely understood and sympathised with this lovely lady.

This book is very inspiring. I would recommend it to all my friends.

-Terence

"Ruff Poems from the Heart" is a masterpiece from a new and talented writer. The book is collection of poems that inspire and motivate. Ms. Ruff in a "Thoreaun" sense inspires the reader to be all that he can be. Her poems reminds us of things we often think and feel but not able to verbalize.

You learn that "you cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it." That "its what you expect, what you think about that expands." Once you have read the collection of poems you will learn how to avoid all thoughts that weaken you....that you do not have problems---you only think you do.

I short I found her poems to be refreshing, inspiring and highly motivational. I look forward to more and better things from this "new star."

This book is pertinent to all ages and walks of life. The universal content reaches out to anyone who will read it. The refreshing inspirational and comical poems add a new view to the mundane events of life. The true-to-life poems from the author's views are so good, that no one goes untouched. Monica-17 years old.

I am an English professor and I am always on the look-out for short inspirational readings to inspire my students. I had the great pleasure of meeting the poet, Leanora Ruff, at a doctoral seminar in May. It was then that I purchased and read her book of poetry. It reminded me of the qualities of Maya Angelou's poetry, especially "The Roaring River" on page 13 which reminds me of "On the Pulse of the Morning" by Miss Angelou. Leanora's poems speak to her children about her hopes and dreams for them. Her poems are meant to inspire you to overcome obstacles in your life. I am especially fond of the poems that praise God for his glory, presence, and the strength a strong faith can lend to one's life. Purchase this book and it will bless your life!

This book was very inspiring to me. There are so many facets that I can personally relate to. When I read it my mind is opened to new ideas and simple creativity that we sometimes take for granted. Optimism and challenge are words that the author was not keen on holding back. I am encouraged and determined to make this book a guideline for goalsetting.

you can make this as easy or as challenging as you like. You learn words when they keep popping up in the stories

A book of short stories from famous Russian Authors, Half in Russian and Half in english. The book loks intimidating, but the stories are selected to appeal.
The stories were capitvating and all were easy to follow except the cave. I did attempt to read the russian and the layout makes this easy.
I have now been introduced to different Russian authors that I will follow up.

I bought this book as part of my ongoing acquisition of the Russian language. The layout is excellent and typical of these types of book; the stories are well selected and entertaining, with a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical usage.

But...

Anyone wanting to use this book as a booster to their contemporary Russian language skills should bear in mind that a Russian person learning English would not be best served by heading for the library and taking down Dickens, Tennyson, and Gaskill. Languages shift, change, and evolve and today's spoken Russian is as different from that of Gogol as English in San Francisco is different from that of Thackerey. Arguably the English spoken in San Francisco is fairly nasty ("He was like, that was so totally awsome, and I was like, cool...") because it is imprecise and unfocused and in fact fails to convey much meaning; nevertheless a solid grounding in Henry James wouldn't prepare someone for a close encounter with the local natives of the Sunset District. Likewise, the stories here won't really help you much with contemporary Russian as spoken by a teenage girl in Peter or a xenophobic hoodie near Red Square.

But as a pleasure in itself, this book is a gem and a worthwhile addition to the library of anyone who is just establishing a beach-head in the language.

This book works on two levels: One, these short stories are by the Russian masters of the genre. In English translation, they are powerful, evocative, and moving, on their own. There is a reason why Pushkin, Chekhov, and Dostoevsky are still popular: Those guys didn't write any garbage. They set the bar for all writers as high as it could go. I would especially recommend "Sleepy" by Anton Chekhov. Read it on Halloween night, as I did, for a good old fashioned fright.

Secondarily, for those of us learning Russian, these short stories provide fascinating and very challenging works to translate. Be advised, this is a high level of Russian literature, written for educated and literate native speakers, so it's a big challenge. Pack a lunch.

The short story format is especially beneficial. If you can get through one story, believe me, you are ready for the psychological reward of starting a new story.

Got this book a while ago, its way too hard for me for my level but the good thing is you can work through at a slow pace and still get a lot out of it. Stress marks are very helpful, would have been useless to me without them basically, and the glossary is also helpful although it doesn't include everything (good to have a dictionary nearby). Layout is good, that is, having the english on the adjacent page, makes for very easy reference to the english. Archaic language is usually noted and explained as such, which is useful. Great for reading practice, highly recommendable book for all skill levels (i have only been learning for around 6 months but have still got a lot out of it so far). Good selection of stories and enough to keep an beginner reader going for a long time!

It is entirely possible to read and enjoy Jane Austen's novels without appreciating her standing as a literary pioneer, but you shouldn't. 2004's "Searching for Jane Austen", by University of Wisconsin Professor of English Emily Auerbach reads a bit like university lecture, but what excellent lectures they must be! Auerbach provides an entirely readable and enjoyable survey of the perceptions of Jane Austen as an author and of her pioneering work as a novelist.

Jane Austen's family, in the years after her early death in 1817, went to some lengths to create an image of her as a demure, sheltered, and almost saintly maiden aunt that conformed with then-current standards of lady-like behavior. Some more recent biography has suggested that she was sexually frustrated and unhappy. In fact, as Auerbach documents, both these images are a put-down that hide a fascinating and surprisingly modern person from our literary acquaintance. Miss Jane Austen, in life, was very likely a confident, capable, and ambitious author with a keen and even subversive sense of wit, who, if she was unfortunate in never marrying, managed to carve out a satisfying life nonetheless.

Auerbach initially describes how Austen's image has been manipulated over the years, then plunges into an extended examination of her works. The Juvenalia and each of the published novels are dealt with in the likely order of composition. This approach allows Auerbach to bring out the unique highlights of each individual novel and to emphasize the growth in Austen's literary technique. Auerbach pays particular attention to the heroine of each novel and how their personal growth drives the various outcomes.

The general reader may tend to avoid literary criticism, but Auerbach's is well worth reading. For example, Mansfield Park's Fanny Price is perhaps the least honored of Austen's heroines, but Auerbach establishes her place in Austen's thinking about morality and manages to make her far more interesting as a character. As another example, Auerbach's discussion of the leading character of "Emma" gets well beyond the obvious romantic comedy aspects of the novel to investigate some subtle role reversal.

"Searching for Jane Austen" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen, who will find a vigorous discussion of her literary abilities and some fresh insights into her novels.

"Searching for Jane Austen" is a wonderful read for any (even casual) Austen enthusiast. My first contact with this work was at a literary festival where Emily Auerbach spoke about her research--and her lecture was so compelling that I read the book quickly, and it encouraged me to learn more about Jane Austen's works.

The book manages to shed light on both biographical/historical/cultural subjects (how the Austen family tried to mute the image of the writer after her death, and how some (male) scholars have denigrated Austen's work throughout the decades) while also discussing interesting themes and interpretations of Austen's cannon. [Each Austen heroine, hero, and villain gets proper time and scrunity.]

"Searching for Jane Austen" is well-organized, with each of the six novels getting its own chapter, in addition to beginning and concluding sections about Austen's life and legacy. The book made me appreciate each of her novels in new ways (even ones that are often underappreciated or not discussed, such as Northanger Abbey), and even though this work is scholarly, it was fun reading. Auerbach dissects her subject fairly, but she treats Jane Austen's works with such admiration and care that you want to read Pride and Prejudice (or Emma, or Persuasion) all over again.

I got this book from the public library, read it, and felt I had to have it, though I already have shelves of Jane Austen materials. The censoring and shaping of Jane Austen and her writings started after her death, and continues today. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Northanger Abbey.

Emily Auerbach may be in danger of being drummed out of academia for writing a book that is so well-researched and so detailed, and yet so readable. Auerbach's concern is the attempts by Austen's relatives and earlier literary critics to present Austen as a meek and mild cardboard saint. There is nothing particularly new in this idea, but it is very well and thoroughly done. While several biographers have made similar arguments, none is a thorough and convincing as this specialized monograph.

Auerbach pays particular attention to the representations of Austen. She seems to feel that the portrait by Austen's sister Cassandra is the only valid image. Well, arguably it is the only portrait that shows her face. Auerbach does not examine other representations of doubtful authenticity. While I see what she is driving at, I think this is perhaps a trifle overdone. Cassandra's portrait is rough and unfinished, and I wonder whether it would have been used prior to some of the aesthetic changes of "modern art", even if JA looked timid and pious. The two most commonly reproduced engravings really don't strike me as such terrible revisions of Cassandra's portrait, with the significant exception of removing the lines around the mouth, and in one case, adding a wedding ring. I don't think the ruffles are a serious distortion: it's not like JA was in the habit of dressing like a man or a particularly no-nonsense Puritan. She may have had ruffles: CA's portrait is too unfinished to assert that she didn't. At least she is still wearing her habitual cap, unlike the portrait that shows her with her hair fashionably dressed. The issues of the lines around the mouth does reveal one tension in the book (and in several recent works about JA): Auerbach is rather annoyed that Valerie Myers describes JA as looking like a peevish hamster in CA's portrait. I would have said guinea pig was more like it, but what if she does? One the one hand, Auerbach seems to want warts and all, and on the other she seems to want to insist that there were no warts. I am not certain what Auerbach is saying about the picture that represents JA sitting by a Hollywood swimming pool talking on her cell phone, but I love that particular picture -- I think it's a hoot.

But, forget trivial cavils. The most important distortions are in the written record; Auerbach has obviously done heroic research and thoroughly supports her opinions about written materials. The critiques that she has made of certain books that I liked make me want to rush back and reread them in the light of her remarks. At one point, Auerbach begins an indepth analysis of the poem from which a quote is taken. I was originally somewhat dubious about this: sometimes when I quote a line out of context, I mean it to be understood out of context, but she carefully show how the quotes throughout the book complement and support one another. I was converted to her point of view.

Auerbach believes in my favorite Jane Austen; almost terrifyingly perceptive and well aware that life is complex and there are few simple answers. Auerbach seems to have a thorough understanding of the literature and was very taken with most of her arguments.

The book has numerous blank-and-white illustrations.

I would recommend this to any Jane Austen collection.

I have read so many essays and articles and books re Austen's works-- talk about searching for Jane Austen. Auerbach's book is not only more comprehensive, but, to paraphrase Elizabeth Bennett, 5 TIMES as spot on as any of them. Really more like 100 times. I feel that for the first time someone really understands her. It is such a tremendous relief and such a great pleasure to read, when I can relax and know I'm in the right hands. Get this book if you love Jane Austen.