Journals Books

I have a few different Paperblank journals and all are very well made. I had to read the description a couple of times to make sure I was purchasing the journals with lined paper. The paper itself takes ink well.

Some of the journals have pockets on the inside flap and all seem to lie flat when open for easy writing. The Book of Kells series is amazing. I find something new each time I look at the cover. Basically, I'm a sucker for pretty journals.

This book was a great gift, my dad liked it.

A great series of four journals. I wish there were 4-8 more design covers!
These journals have provided great inspiration for my own journey.
A couple of technical advantages to this journal:
1. The memory pocket is perfect for storing cards, letters and other miscellaneous items collected on the journey.
2. The handstiched pages allow the book to lie more flat and are more durable.

This series is my favorite set of journals. The hard bound cover holds-up to a beating, the stitched sections allow for the book to lay flat when open, the paper is of high quality and the pocket in the back is invaluable. I highly recommend this product.

I'm a dreamworker and am always looking for beautiful journals in which to keep my dreams. Paperblanks are the best. The paper is non glare and archival, lined, but not obtrusively so. The covers themselves are works of art. The Book of Kells is an especially beautiful journal with a unique, lay flat stitching. I look forward to writing in its pages.

I bought this "address book" with the specific purpose for cataloging my own recipes in alphabetical order, how I want. The ring-binder allows you to add pages to a letter or move things around, and that was perfect for me who needed blank pages where I could write down my own recipe for pumpkin pie, for example, and file it under "P". Not only are the letter dividers sweet, but the pages are blank besides the rule lines (it doesn't say: name, address, telephone), so it's perfect for writing what you'd like. The book itself is a good size; not too small that it's difficult to read or write anything in there, and not too big to be clunky around the kitchen where I need it. It's a great cookbook!

I am very pleased with my address book. I looked for several months for an address book that would fit into my small brief case and this one works great! Lots of room to add more addresses & extra pages. Very Pleased

This address book is lovely, with country home drawings, and good quotes to brighten your day, and nice little details everywhere. I like its size, not too small, not too big--it fits nicely in my desk drawer and hand. Best of all, the space for addresses isn't labled for telephone, email, etc. Which means I can fill it in the way that is convenient for me. That is important, since many addresses take up more than the traditional three lines alloted by most address books. There are five lines per entry, spaced like a college ruler notebook. There is an extra lined page at the beginning of each letter of the alphabet, for personal notes. There are plenty of refill pages, and space for notes at the end. The only drawback for me, is that there is no pocket to insert loose notes or cards. All in all, a very good buy.

I, like all the other reviews before me, love this book. No need to duplicate
all the highlights already mentioned, but I do want to add that I love the
spriral bound option. Great for taking pages in and out, and moving around if needed.
Love it.

I bought this address book because of the the wonderful reviews and I was not disappointed when I received it. I am not good at keeping up with my address book so I thought a very pretty and heartwarming address book might fix my problem. The address is a great size. It's portable enough to carry to the post office and will easily fit into a desk drawer. There are plenty of blank pages for addresses and enough lines to include e-mail address, fax nos. cell phone nos. etc. There is even a section for frequently called numbers. The book itself is warm and endearing with great sketches and verses. Not only did I buy the address book, but I would up with Autumn from the Heart and it is wonderful, too. I highly recommend this item.

This is an excellent book for straightforward and concise help in reconnecting with yourself; aiding in the transformation and renewal of your aims, while simultaneously enhancing creative expression in your journaling.
Encouraging and insightful, you can only benefit from the experience this book provides in Eldonna's guiding examples of balance and creativity amidst the chaos of inner and external disturbances.
Provided here to us with detailed clarity and inspiration, this book is truly a gift from the heart.

This book has already given me much needed insight into myself and I am still learning as I go. This is the best tool for journaling that I have seen yet, and I've been looking for a while, let me assure you. There is no way you could get more for less money with a therapist or psychiatrist. Eldonna knows just how to help you get started and encourage you to keep going.

When I open a wordless book and stare at the blank page, I often feel overwhelmed. How do I go about filling it? What do I say? I am not naturally creative, I am in the process of growing into my creativity. In "Journaling from the Heart," Eldonna Bouton addresses my problem by providing a guideline to follow. The guideline helps me begin my writing journey while gently guiding me back to my feelings and emotions. Thanks, Eldonna. Finally I feel like I can get started and keep progressing in my journaling efforts without feeling overwhelmed and giving up way too soon.

Great book for learning to look at journaling beyond just a venting tool. Great and easy ways to get started.

I purchased this book because of all of the positive reviews and found it to be as good as the rating. One of the things that wasn't mentioned in the previous reviews was that this book consists of daily "assignments," in which the author gives you a topic to write on and you take the topic and personalize it. The books consists of 3 parts with 25 assignments in each part, 75 assignments total.

One of the things that I really liked about this book is because I am fairly new to journaling, this book can be used as a way to ease into the idea of beginning journaling. I am currently working through assignment 3 (having received the book yesterday) so I cannot mention what I think about every part of this book, however, I think it will be very useful for someone (like me) that might need prompting in order to write about issues that may be more difficult to write about without this book. This book is also different from the other journaling books that I have purchased in the past because it does not go into detail about the different "styles" of journaling but really engages you to use your own style to answer the assignment topic presented.

At last, a diary and calendar that's spiral bound so it lies flat when you write! The photographs from around the world are great; some can even be looked at and studied for as long as it takes to fill a page with text. What's good, too, is that the quotes and so-called inspiring texts are not from Oscar Wilde and other masters of the ironic one-liner but words that go deeper than that. OK, some of the photo and text combinations are obvious. It shouldn't always be necessary to match so literally. But of the hundreds, indeed thousands, of calendars on the market, this is in the Top Three.

Like so many people in these unsettled times I long for a sense of stability and certainty. What is solid and unchanging if not our love of life and nature and the inspired word. That is why I recommend 'Journeying through the days 2002' with beautiful photography by David Hay Jones. The book is a rock upon which to rest our weary and battered souls.

At last, a diary and calendar that's spiral bound so it lies flat when you write! The photographs from around the world are great; some can even be looked at and studied for as long as it takes to fill a page with text. What's good, too, is that the quotes and so-called inspiring texts are not from Oscar Wilde and other masters of the ironic one-liner but words that go deeper than that. OK, some of the photo and text combinations are obvious. It shouldn't always be necessary to match so literally. But of the hundreds, indeed thousands, of calendars on the market, this is in the Top Three.

Journal-writing is a liberating exercise in so many ways. We are freed from the notion that other people's "truths" will save us, freed from the dogma of accepting 10-point programs to salvation. Although 'Journeying' is published by a Christian outfit it resists the temptation to point a fundamentalist finger at us. Instead, we are encouraged to listen to our inner voice, reflect on the beauty of our surroundings and use the thoughts of others, such as Martin Luther King, to enlighten our minds. Thankfully, too, the pitfalls of New Age "anything goes" are avoided. At last, Christianity has understood the meaning and content of humility! The photographs by up-and-coming European photographer David Hay Jones are sufficiently subtle and atmospheric to match this sensitive approach to spirituality. They are rarely obvious, certainly not commercial. Rather, they encourage us to look at the world and find our own truths, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, New Age or agnostic.

The publishers of 'Journeying through the days' have come up with a winning concept: creative nature photography; inspiring texts; and space for your own daily journal entries. Each day of the year has a short bible passage and each of the many color photographs is accompanied by a beautiful and insightful text. The photography and text complement each other, with many of the photographs being atmospheric and suggestive rather than bland reflections of "the world out there". Writing a daily journal is not only a way to record personal development, the ups and downs of life, but also a path to deeper understanding. I recommend this book very highly. It is a magnificent piece of work.

I absolutely loved this collection of her letters, journal and diary entries, as well as letters by suitor and future husband John Love, and her friends. It's at times a very emotional read. You don't want the book to end and you definitely are itching for more info about their life together after they were married at the book's end. Author John McPhee, who wrote the forward , mentioned I believe that more of Ethel Waxham Love's writings exist and are still unpublished. Hopefully they will be published soon. Check out McPhee's Rising From the Plains which is a combination history and geology exploration centering on John David Love, John and Ethel's son. He was home-schooled by Ethel, Yale-educated and became a preeminent geologist of the Wyoming and Rocky Mountain region. There is quite a bit of info on John David's early years growing up on the Love Ranch in Wyo. and further info on his Mom and Dad's life after marriage. It's an interesting blend of geology lesson interspersed with J.D.s personal and family story. J.D. shared his mother's letters and such with McPhee and his book was the first time they were published- though he used only a small portion of what was available to him. Then Lady's Choice was published about 10 years later if I'm not mistaken. Director Ken Burns and Co. then later featured excerpts of the Love's story in their PBS series and book, The West.

This is one of the best books I've ever read and the subject matter is really interesting and engrossing. It's much more than a bunch of dry letters and diary entries that's for sure.

The book was compiled and edited by two of the Love's grandaughters, Barbara Love and Francis Love Froidevaux, with a forward by John McPhee.

I love stories of women in the American west. Ethel's limited diary entries are insightful and often funny. I also loved the letters from her varied group of friends, most of them educated women who were pursuing the only career choice available to them: teaching. John Love's determined, romantic letters to Ethel were poignant and irresistible. As her options narrowed, his steady offer became more and more attractive, but unfortunately, he could not deliver on many of his promises. I could have read much more about her life after their marriage! If letters and writings exist, I wish another collection could be published. For me, this book was a page-turner.

If you are looking for a book that captures the real-life essence of the hardship and romance of the American West, look no further; this book has it all. A wonderfully written story of the lives and loves of the ordinary pioneering people who made America great.

This collection is truly wonderful. Ethel Waxham and many of her correspondents are of such intelligence, perceptiveness, spirit, and wit that they are, as John McPhee says of Ethel Waxham in the Forward, irresistable. The jounal entries and the letters make it clear that the story of Ethel Waxham's journey from Wellesley to the ranch on Muskrat creek just south of Moneta was deeper and more complex than the story of the PBS series. The endnotes are particularly good -- a story in and of themselves. I do wish there were more pictures of the ranch itself and its surroundings (even from today), "where the gray hills lie, Eternally still, under the sky," and the people, and I wish that I could know more about Ethel Waxham and the authors of the letters. I also wish that the unpublished sources were available -- as they are by "EPW" and J. D. Love, both of whom are of indisputable eloquence, they would make wonderful reading. And finally, as stated by McPhee: "I will wait impatiently for the sampler" -- the collection ends in one sense where the adventure just begins, and I long to see more of the correspondence and hear more of the story of the life at the Ranch on Muskrat Creek.

When John McPhee published his now-classic RISING FROM THE PLAINS, he introduced Ethel Waxham Love in the first paragraph. All through the rest of the book he interwove her story with that of her son, Wyoming geologist David Love and the geology of the Great Plains. When fan mail came rolling in, readers wanted to know more about the "slim young woman" who stepped down from a train in Rawlings, Wyoming one fall morning in 1905.
LADY'S CHOICE is Ethel Waxham Love's story. Her granddaughters, Barbara Love and Frances Love Froidevaux, have collected her writings -- journals, letters, poetry, essays, stories -- present them in combination with letters from her friends and classmates as well as from the man she would marry.

Her story begins in the Fall of 1905. She has graduated from Wellesley and spent the Summer working as an assistant to her doctor father in Denver. When she gets the opportunity to teach in a log cabin schoolhouse in Wyoming, she accepts the offer. Her first journal entry describes her journey into the wilds of Wyoming by train, stage coach and wagon. With a sure pen and a sympathetic eye she records her impressions of the land, the people and events. Her observations are those of a sharp mind (she had earned a Phi Beta Kappa key at Wellesley, specializing in Greek, Latin and French), her descriptions are those of a major literary talent.

Of one acquaintance she writes, "Mrs. Butler. . .is a little war-horse of a woman, with a long, thin husband. I'm telling you about her because she has been improving him for twenty years and it is beginning to tell on him."

Her year in this community is surprisingly eventful, considering the isolation and the seeming lack of resources. But Ethel is a resourceful person, full of imagination, the kind of person who makes things happen. She visits friends, attends church services and "sociables," and dines in local restaurants. There are dances and suppers and school entertainments. And there is John Love, the man she will marry after the five-year courtship that is recorded here.

She is enchanted by her surroundings. "The color of the white hills against the pale of the blue sky is most exquisite i the world. The cedars are gray with snow, the sagebrush white clumps of crystals. Where a long way off the sun touches the tops of the snow-covered hills there are shines a streak of silver. A whole white world was there, rising around us, as far as we could see; there did not appear to be such a thing as direction. Everywhere the whiteness, everywhere the hills. Where the stubble of the fields of the range rose above the snow,there was a shading of gold over the white. . .and when the full moon shines out of the deep dark night sky, the hills are like shining silver."

You, too, will find a lady to love in these pages. Her journal begins as she stands on the threshold of her life, emerging from the chrysalis of a protected girlhood toward the challenge of womanhood. Here she records a land, a people, a life, a love, welcoming them as unequivocably and eagerly as only the young do.

LADY'S CHOICE eclipses others of its type. It not only showcases the lady's life and the choices she made, it reveals a true literary talent and a rare human being. Wallace Stegner (ANGLE OF REPOSE, SPECTATOR BIRD, CROSSING TO SAFETY)once spoke of the "inextinguishable western hope" expressed by writers of history as they look at the world and at humanity's place in it. Ethel Waxham Love's letters and journals provide a major contribution to that hope as well as to the history and the the belles lettres of the American West.

(c)2002 Sunnye Tiedemann
(Ruth F. Tiedemann)

This book gave me hope when I had almost lost it. I came to the end of my seminary education and I was ready to throw in the towel. Once you're on the inside of the church, once you necessarily lose all those false illusions about what ministry is really about, you may find you don't have the stomach for it. I look at the church, and how slow things change, and I wonder if there is any hope at all. Niebuhr honestly lays out his own transition from green seminarian to seasoned pastor of hope and grace, radical, but real. It was a breath of grace and peace...just what I needed.

Reinhold Niebuhr's small book, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, is perhaps his most famous and popular book. It has informed and helped to shape the lives and ministries of seminarians, educators, ministers and other prophetic and ethical people since it was first published early in this century. Niebuhr recounts with astonishing honesty the difficulties facing those who would do ministry, and act ethically, in the church today. His criticism is not held back from any sacred topics.

`I make no apology for being critical of what I love. No one wants a love which is based upon illusions, and there is no reason why we should not love a profession and yet be critical of it.'

Niebuhr talks about the shock of coming to realise the limitations of his ministry, going from being a fresh-from-seminary full-of-grace minister to a person confronting another person in the 'real world'. He talks about

`...the difficulty of acting as priest. It is not in your power to determine the use of a symbol. Whether it is a blessing or a bit of superstition rests altogether with the recipient.'

This real world also presents problems. Parishioners tend to ask practical questions, rather than theoretical ones. They ask, Why won't Jesus heal me? Didn't he heal others? It is in the Bible, after all.

`I do believe that Jesus healed people. I can't help but note, however, that a large proportion of his cures were among the demented.'

He talks about the practical limitations of doing ethical ministry and prophesy for the average pulpit preacher.

`I am not surprised that most prophets are itinerants. Critics of the church think we preachers are afraid to tell the truth because we are economically dependent upon the people of our church. There is something in that....'

Finally, Niebuhr comes to have realistic expectations of the church and his own ministry in it.

`The church is like the Red Cross service in war time. It keeps life from degenerating into a consistent inhumanity, but it does not materially alter the fact of the struggle itself. The Red Cross neither wins the war nor abolishes it.'

Niebuhr in this small work has given great insight. Barely 150 short pages of his journal from 1915-1928 as a parish minister--although he became much better known as a philosopher in later years, this book is most likely his best seller, and the one with the most profound day-to-day impact for his readers.

A must-read for anyone with a calling to ministry; a should-read for anyone in a helping and caring profession. It gives insight into how to remain human and fallible in the face of a congregation's (and one's own!) expectations of holiness and godly perfection.

I am a HUGE Niebuhr fan, and I strong suggest that anyone interested in politics, economics, social philosophy and/or theology should pick up as many of his works as possible. This book was a real treat for me, to get into peer into his mind in those oh so important formative years as a pastor in Detroit, WOW!

Even when he's just writing random thoughts on the passing scene, he's a fantastic writer. Here you have a demonstration of Bonhoeffer's views of the true Christian life which must "share in the problems of secular life, and teach all men what it means to live in Christ". You see the greater and greater emphasis on the role of repentence and the way Christ's oh so rigorous ethic acts as a judgment on all human behavior as time goes on. This will all become so important as he turns his mind to writing his great theological and social works in the 30's and 40's.

This book is a fairly easy read, none to technical, and relatively short, you can probably read it in 3 or 4 sittings. Pay attention to the way Niebuhr's doubts about his own position become theological fare, informing the way he thinks about theology and life in toto.

This is a collection of Neibuhrs short essays. Each one stands on its own as a reflection of reality as applicable today as it was decades ago. I like it so much I am rationing it, reading one or two essays a day and stopping to think about the lesson in each one. These are sermons that are not "preachy" recognizing the human frailities and what should be expected of us. A book for the ages in my opinion

This little gem was probably my favorite book from seminary. Niebuhr takes you with him on the difficult journey through the first years of his parish ministry and teaches you how to think theologically about really practical dilemmas that arise as a clergyperson. My favorite thing about the book is that it is not written as a memoir, but in the moment, so you don't have an old, brilliant theologian reflecting on his years in ministry, but rather a young, brilliant pastor who doesn't know all the answers and doesn't pretend to. I feel like Reinhold has become a close friend though the end of seminary and my first year working in the church, because he gives words to and insight into many of the struggles I have had.

Superb Book !!! I agree this book is one of the best books on Richard L. Proenneke life - A+

This book, unlike One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith, gives us Dick's own words. The editor, a friend of Proenneke's, honored his request that, if this part of his journal were ever published, his words and phrasing not be changed in any way. So what you get here is Dick's own phrasing and manner of speech - which is folksy and direct.

Proenneke was disappointed that Sam Keith heavily edited his prose in One Man's Wilderness (which is obvious if you read both books) and he refused to have any more of his journals published without a promise that no editing would occur. If you are a fan of Dick Proenneke, this is the best and most authentic look at his life. It contains an introduction with a brief biography which, although short, is the only such work that we have.

This book is a superb sequel to "One Man's Wilderness" and is excellent reading in its own right. John Branson thoughtfully answers many questions about Mr. Proenneke and provides numerous helpful footnotes tying together people, places, and events.

Mr. Proenneke takes the reader to an amazing, but, as I know from having hiked and camped there, also a harsh wilderness. Through his day-to-day accounts of a life lived simply and optimistically, and in tune with his environment, he presents a compelling model for how to appreciate the world around us, whether a wilderness or a city.

I enjoyed reading a few entries at a time. I look forward to the hopeful release of the remainder of the Proenneke journals.

This guy was amazing. His descriptions are wonderful and really make you feel like you know the guy. If you want to try before you buy it's also available at the NPS site in a PDF (www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/lacl/proenneke.pdf)

This book follows the daily life of Dick Proeneke as he lives in his log cabin in the Alaska Bush. He lives delibertly in the moment and enjoys life and manual labor. He is a gentle man who loves nature and is very spiritual without being religeous, to me he is the essence of Zen ,but he probably has no idea what Zen is. Something in this short little series of notes in this book,is almost like medicine. Something that we desparately need in this society of fame chasers,greedy sychophants,capitalist consumers, a quiet little message ,powerful and direct. Dick Proeneke got one up on us...

No matter what our religious orientation may be, this book helps the bereaved individual work through their feelings by pulling them out and writing them down. Those who had difficulty getting into the book may also have difficulty in connecting with their feelings, which is probably why grief gets buried or glossed over sometimes . . a very damaging kind of denial I think.

When my spouse was taken I found myself entering a deep depression. My life, my very existance was turned updide down. I did not understand the oath taken so many years ago at our marriage - "Until death do we part". Now I do.

My Rabbi gave me a copy of Anne Brener's book and after about a month I started to browse through it. It only took a few hours to realise this book was a friend - it addressed my feelings and has helped me continue my life. I hope that in time I will heal - I know so much more about our relationship now.

I bought Rabbi a half dozen copies so he could give them to others who need this guidance.

Thank you Anne!

It is hard work to grieve. This book and its exercises help on this difficult process. Through 60 journaling exercises, you are asked to express how you feel, based on the belief that painful emotions and sorrowful feelings can't change unless they are expressed. This book helped me in the expression of that feeling. The other realization from this book is that you still have a relationship with the person that is gone. Like any relationship, this one is special (perhaps the most special relationship) and needs work so you don't idealize nor the reverse. It is not necessary to be Jewish to use this book. But do perform the exercises and the rituals (including the Kaddish). My only criticism is that the book should have included complete Hebrew and English versions of the Kaddish and others key prayers. May you find peace.

Get this book. Can be: read out-of-order; in small chunks; worked through mentally or on paper; put down for a few days/weeks while you're processing your grief; appreciated by Jewish folk as well as by the non-Jewish person, by the spiritual as well as those who are not so inclined. In the most difficult of situations, Mourning and Mitzvah offers comfort for the bereaved. The author speaks from her own experience: her sister died in an accident only months after their mother's suicide. Mourning and Mitzvah helped me to cope after the deaths of my father- and mother-in-law (hers was a suicide; both died the same day). I've given copies as gifts to others in my Survivors of Suicide group, to a woman whose brother-in-law murdered her sister by running the sister down with his car, and to a family whose young son was killed in a freak accident while on vacation. Almost all have let me know what a help this book has been. Since I give away my personal copies, I now order two at a time. Please get this book for yourself and/or for your loved ones who are grieving; keep extras on hand. Mourning and Mitzvah will be appreciated much more than any covered dish you could get or give.

Get this book. Can be: read out-of-order; in small chunks; worked through mentally or on paper; put down for a few days/weeks while you're processing your grief; appreciated by Jewish folk as well as by the non-Jewish person, by the spiritual as well as those who are not so inclined. In the most difficult of situations, Mourning and Mitzvah offers comfort for the bereaved. The author speaks from her own experience: her sister died in an accident only months after their mother's suicide. Mourning and Mitzvah helped me to cope after the deaths of my father- and mother-in-law (hers was a suicide; both died the same day). I've given copies as gifts to others in my Survivors of Suicide group, to a woman whose brother-in-law murdered her sister by running the sister down with his car, and to a family whose young son was killed in a freak accident while on vacation. Almost all have let me know what a help this book has been. Since I give away my personal copies, I now order two at a time. Please get this book for yourself and/or for your loved ones who are grieving; keep extras on hand. Mourning and Mitzvah will be appreciated much more than any covered dish you could get or give.

In the title essay of this collection Joseph Epstein takes a cruel, if comical look at what he sees when he emerges from the pool. He looks at his own aging body, and shows sympathy for his wife who has to sleep next to such a body, rather than to merely be 'in it' as he himself is. Age has not been kind, and relatively clean - living has not prevented the various saggings and shiftings of weight which are before him. As with his body so with many other aspects of life Epstein sees with a clear and tough eye many other aspects of reality. The focus in most of these essays is himself, his heart- bypass, his reactions to the for him less than wonderful change in the character of popular - music, the ins and outs of nap-taking, his disenchantment with much modern sport, his way of reading a book to the end now should it be at his age his last crack at reading it. Epstein is both a Bellow- like Chicago tough guy close to the sounds and sights of American life, and an intellectual of the first rank whose moral insights and musings have most often a foundation in solid good sense. He is one of those writers who I find it simply a great joy to read. And he is one of those essayists who like Montaigne in holding a mirror up to himself holds a mirror to mankind in general.
Just the best.

Epstein divides his essays into the literary and familiar. The former examine lives of writers and the lives of their books, while the latter are more personal and introspective along the lines of autobiography.

The recurrent theme in this latest crop is aging and death and I'm unclear on whether Epstein has decided to go gently. In one, he mourns the bodily changes that accompany maturity, in another the discomfort, physical and otherwise, associated with a heart bypass operation. We see him scan the obituary pages and sadly note the passing of friends. Perhaps if I were closer to Epstein's age, I would find these reflections less morbid. As things are, I doubt I can reach his degree of understanding in such matters, or do them justice, without having walked in his well-worn shoes.

There's a brief look at Epstein's friendship with Albert Goldman, who achieved a small bit of fame for his biographies of Elvis and John Lennon. Goldman emerges as a sad type, a hippie liberal still trying to be hip at an age when that word has no meaning. By contrast, Edward Shils, in a moving tribute, is shown to be a man devoted to the fundamental.

In his chatty way, Epstein treats us to more essays about lengthy books, name dropping, name-pronouncing, and napping. I'm especially fond of the last one, "The Art of the Nap." Albert Jay Nock wrote an essay called "The Art of Snoring," which suggested that the world's problems were usually caused by busy people who could not mind their own busy-ness. His prescription: more naps.

Is Epstein still at the top of his game? I'd say so.

Loved it. Have converted all my friends to Epstein enthusiasts

The melancholy title of this book alone is enough to bring back memories of that bleak afternoon when I read in the pages of my newly arrived copy of the American Scholar that my longtime never-met friend Joseph Epstein would no longer pay his quarterly visit to my home. For months, I could not bring myself to finish the originally published Aristides essay in which he announces his leaving of the Scholar. I felt as though I had been told of the death of a long time boon companion. I later came to realize that Mr. Epstein had, in fact, not resigned but had been pushed out. Curses! Curses I proclaimed upon the American Scholar (those curses, by the way, still remain in effect; I vigorously renew them every change I get). Yet Mr. Epstein, gentleman scholar that he is, has to my knowledge, handled the insult with all the dignity that Mr. Emerson would have wished for in the last true editor of this now ill named journal. He wrote one of the most eloquent and distinctive essays of his career. The entire book resonates with the feeling of this one essay. Perhaps this was not intentional, perhaps it was. Certainly the coming storm was visible on the horizon. One could even say that Mr. Epstein was steeling himself against the opposing armies surrounding his outpost on a literary Masada. Such things can be seen in the distance and the soul can do nothing else but to arm and defend. Mr. Epstein was killed, in the literary sense. His editorial armor was stripped and his body was left for the academic carrion feeders. Yet he survives. Perhaps he will not regain an editorial position; quality does not seem to be in demand in these days of Miss Brown and her ilk. The fact that books of this sublimity, wit, and style are yet published truly astonishes one when the weekly best-seller lists are examined. We can only thank God that Mr. Epstein is still alive, writing, and occasionally published in such journals as the New Criterion, Commentary, and other publications of like erudition and taste. Read "Narcissus Leaves the Pool." Read it with the understanding that it is the last chapter in the life story of a once great journal. Read it with the knowledge that it is not "With My Trousers Rolled" or "A Line Out for a Walk," it more complex than either of those fine collections. Read it with the hope that you will be allowed into the thoughts, both idle and collected, of one of the last great essayists left in the world. You will not be disappointed.

Joseph Epstein is out of step with the times; so much the worse for the times. But you wouldn't expect one of our best essayists to share the hyperkinetic spirit of our quick-cut, crisis-of-the-week, information overload age, malnourished as it is on fast food and fast thought. Epstein's readers, used to his erudite and soothing literary voice, will conclude that he's, square peg or no, comfortable in the world. Epstein is a clear, deliberate thinker and graceful writer who won't be rushed. He knows his way around an idea, an anecdote, a philosophical question. He creates intimacy, interest, and assent without being the least polemical or didactic (see above re one of our best essayists), and demonstrates that as well as being useful, intelligence can also be a sheer joy. Narcissus Leaves the Pool -- the sixth essay collection of Epstein's 13 books - will only add to his reputation. The 16 pieces here repay the serious and the playful mind (if the same mind, so much the better). In his surefooted style -- serious but not solemn, humorous but never trivial, deep but always accessible. Epstein ponders what distinguishes a point of view from a grab-bag of opinions; shows how the role of popular music has changed in our lives; counts the ways professional sports offend these days, ("Watching Monica Seles play Arantxa Vicario, two players who grunt with every stroke, I feel that I am inside a hernia testing center.") and laments how hard it is for one who's loved the games to chuck the increasingly hard to justify habit; praises napping and disparages name dropping. He comes to terms with turning 60 in "Will You Still Feed Me." The title of the book and of the lead essay means to suggest the writer has reached an age where the preening and overreaching are done, where possibilities are relinquished. He's not exactly asking what to make of a diminished thing, but conceding that the future, while still pleasing at 61, is contracted. He's reached the age where when reading a good book he feels obligated to do a good job of it as it's unlikely he'll read that book again. An age where every trip to the doctor's office carries the real threat that the doctor will find what he has been poking around looking for these many years. Epstein admits squeamishness, but denies being a hypochondriac, "..only your normal thanatophobe." He ponders the question of how to maintain dignity in the physician's office. "While respecting what they do and realizing the need for them, I have tried to the best of my ability to steer clear of physicians. I find that, given a chance, they discover things I would rather not know about." Once such discovery led to one of life's experiences Epstein would have as soon skipped, heart surgery. He describes it in "Taking the Bypass." Epstein might not think to label himself a conservative. In part because the breathless clamors that fill political journals -- elections, legislative maneuvering, the routine changes of government -- do not interest him much. He's aware of the overall seriousness of politics, especially where it's very bad. He is friends with people who lost family in Hitler's death camps. But his principle concern is the with the workings of the human heart, not with the routine insolences of office. His skepticism regarding all Big Ideas and his rejection of all causes that individuals must be sacrificed in the name of put him, literary temperament and all, on the right side of the angels. A conservative in all but registration. Not one to diminish literature by hitching it to any ideological wagon, Epstein has no patience with tenured Philistines who flog their agendas with the literary masters. In "The Pleasures of Reading," he nails these villains. "What wide reading teaches is the richness, the complexity, the mystery of life.I have come to believe there is something deeply apolitical something above politics in literature, despite what feminist, Marxist, and other politicized literature critics might think. If at the end of a long life of reading the chief message you bring away is that women have had it lousy, or that capitalism stinks, or that attention must above all be paid to victims, then I'd say you just might have missed something." Epstein takes his reading seriously (though not solemnly, as you'll see). He's amused by profiles of people who list reading as a hobby. "I should as readily list under my hobbies, tennis, travel, and breathing." Epstein notices how few grownups there are these days and parses this matter in "Grow Up Why Dontcha." No accident that Seinfeld and Friends became so popular in the land of the perpetual adolescent. Role models in arrested development come with the substantial tuitions at America's colleges in the person of paunchy professors, certifiably past fifty, wearing blue jeans, hiking shoes, and even in some cases, God help us, backpacks. "In our own day one still sees what are essentially sixties characters in their fifties, walking the streets, tie-dyed, long-haired, sadly sandaled, neither grateful nor dead, waiting for the magic bus to the past." Epstein manages to combine literary insights of the literature professor (Northwestern) that he is -- you'll encounter Proust, Montaigne, T.S. Eliot, and Solzhenitsyn in these pages -- with the acute observations of the street smart Chicago boy he also is. You'll also run across Joe Montana, Mike Ditka ( I did say Chicago), Floyd Patterson, and former welter weight Carmen Basilio. Epstein delights in all precincts of Vanity Fair. Epstein, like your average French desert, is pretty rich stuff and probably is better read an essay or two at a time. Those who've read A Line Out For a Walk, Once More Around the Block, With My Trousers Rolled, or The Middle of My Tether know this already. It probably wouldn't do anyone actual harm to read an entire book of Epstein essays at one sitting. But why take a chance? Larry Thornberry - Tampa LTBerrywtr@aol.com

Are you showing your out of town or out of country friends around NYC?...

Amaze them with this interactive keepsake.

it recommends truly New York places to see, things to eat and addresses to go...
all the while encouraging the user to keep a sketchy journal of their experiences. This book breathes and it is loaded with fun graphics and only gets better when scribbled and collaged while tooling around NYC.

Amongst the masses of sterile and status conscious books, it is such a relief to see this free spirited, heartfelt blend of chaos and opinion. Only a real NYer with true conviction would give you only ONE choice for the best of everything rather than a watered down list by neighborhood of popular top tens. Absolutely intimidating to use as a notebook as each page is a frameable piece of art. More people should let go this much. A true genius in our time is Laurie Rosenwald.

This is a great new idea, stylishly done.
A quick zip around the kind of shops, services,joints and dives that you would only know about if you lived there.
It's like a cheeky pal on the inside.

With room for notes!

I simply love this book. It's a witty mix of ideas, illustrations, photos, and typography. It's unconventional and playful, and every page is a creative and refreshing experience.

A fab guide for fab folk - experience the real NYC and get ahead of the pack. Get your kicks in all the cool spots and get the low-down from a true NY'er. A must-have!