Classics Books

I have an inexplicable attraction to the Modern Library hardbacks. Inevitably, if a Modern Library hardback version of some book that I want exists, I'll end up buying it. I really don't know why. Anyway, case and point: Edgar Allan Poe.

The benefits of this edition are evident:

a) All the short stories--yes, even the uproariously funny ones that most paperbacks leave out, as well as Poe's bizarre "hoaxes" and inexplicably contrived "articles" that don't really pass very well as stories

b) All the poems--including poetry written in childhood as well as posthumously discovered

c) ...and a couple of essays--most importantly, "The Rationale of Verse."


However, the book still lacks most of Poe's criticism and other essays. I suggest you purchase Dover's little paperback _Edgar Allan Poe: Literary Theory and Criticism_ (kind of a "Greatest Hits" collection of Poe's critical work which, in reality, spans over 1500 pages) to complete your library. There you will find the great classic "The Philosophy of Composition" accompanied by dozens of ingenius (and at times ascerbic) reviews of books you may know from elsewhere. It's an invaluable resource.


Moreover, the same Modern Library problems afflict this edition--thus, herein lies another reason I cannot explain why I must keep on buying and reading Modern Library hardbacks:

A) There is no textual or intertextual editing, nor are there any critical footnotes. Moreover, there is no critical introduction by a Poe scholar. This bytes.

B) There is no margin room. There never is in a Modern Library hardback. This gets really annoying when you're reading "The Fall of the House of Usher," and you're trying to tie together pieces of evidence (all part of Poe's perfect conceived "totality" of content) to form a of cohesive, critical interpretation of the story with about a centimeter of margin room in which to write! Your handwriting will quickly show itself illegible, and your hand mercilessly cramped.

C) Modern Library hardbacks are customarily printed on cheap (although smooth and aesthetically pleasing) paper. Thus, when you write in your book, the ink is very likely to bleed over onto the converse page. Also quite annoying.


However, however, however--I must not forget that the goal of Modern Library is not to print the best book possible, but the best _affordable_ book possible. And at $18.00, this 1000 page hardback is hard to beat.

So, if you have the money, do actually buy _the best_ edition: the Library of America edition. ISBN 0940450186. It's over 1400 pages, is printed on paper that will last forever, and is edited by a prominent Poe scholar--but it's almost $40.00!


But, more importantly for those of us on budgets: This edition is in direct competition with both the DoubleDay and Castle editions of Poe's collected stories and poems. Under no circumstances would I recommend the other two editions due to their typesettings. I know that may sound ridiculous, but a humane typesetting has a lot to do with the pleasure and utility that a book can and will proffer its reader. The print on the other two editions is inordinately overloaded (too much packed on each page) and serves to burden the eyes. For sooth, the Modern Library version is packed too--but it's a huge improvement on the other two editions.

If you've got $40, get the Library of America edition. If you've only got $20, get this one.

I've always had a liking for Edgar Allan Poe, with his tales of horror, mystery and suspense, done in the atmospheric prose of a master writer. Since I live close enough, I've even made some trips to his gravesite, a place that is always surrounded by a sense of sadness.

Poe was a tormented genius who died young, under mysterious circumstances, and at the time of his death he wasn't deservingly popular. Certainly his work was not cute romances for the masses -- he explored the darkness of the human heart, love, satire, and the earliest whodunnit stories. And "Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" brings together all of his poetry and writings in one book.

Poe's fiction writings include short stories and novellas, which tend to be rather weird -- a treasure-hunt and a golden insect, a ship caught in a whirlpool, a hypnotized man talks about the universe, and stories of despair, madness, and occasionally beauty. There is also his trilogy of Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin stories, which were the first to feature a brilliant detective solving an impossible crime.

Most people know about "The Raven" (which even has the Baltimore Ravens named after it) but Poe actually wrote a lot of poetry, most of which readers never heard of. Sometimes dark, or whimsical, or even both. "By a route obscure and lonely/Haunted by ill angels only/Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT/On a black throne reigns upright..."

And, of course, the horror. This is what Poe is best known for, including such well-known stories as "The Fall Of The House Of Usher." But there are also lesser-known gems -- tales of a plague invading a party, being buried alive, a portrait that siphoned the life out of its subject, and a nightly visit to an Italian crypt leading to madness.

Don't read "Complete Stories and Poems" all at once. It's too intense. It's better to soak it in a little at a time, so that you can get a better feel for the different kinds of writing that Poe did, and how he excelled at pretty much everything he put down on paper. Most great writers can't boast of that much.

Poe's writing is what makes even his least story or poem come alive -- he brought a gothic, misty vibrancy to his stories, and could make his quiet dialogue seem utterly chilling (" "I have no name in the regions which I inhabit. I was mortal, but am fiend..."). It's not hard to see why he was an influence on authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and Franz Kafka.

"Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" is a must-have for anyone with an appreciation for great literature and beautiful, dark writing.

Poe is one of the world's finest writers and this collection of stories is what he's all about. This book contains the best of his tales, with many others for you to explore on your own. It has his poems and short stores. Its contents is very close to being unabridged except, for it missing a few poems and stories that aren't very good anyway.

Poe's tales contain all the excitement of a novel, in around 10 pages. I recommend this collection because it offers hours of enjoyment. The only thing you might need is a large vocabulary because he tends to have an advanced word choice. Get this book and have fun!

'Horror,' as it is broadly understood, is defined by two essential elements: the active presence of decay, some 'abnormal' manifestation of nature, or a combination of both.

One hundred and fifty-seven years after his early death, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), who made horror the dominant theme of his creative work, remains the American master of the weird tale. Poe's work has had enormous worldwide influence: French poet Charles Baudelaire was an early champion and translator, Poe's 'William Wilson' (1839) haunts the pages of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), and several stories look presciently ahead to work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe (1992), which also includes humorous pieces ('The Devil in the Belfry' is a hilarious tribute to the father of American literature, Washington Irving), detective fiction (Irving's 1838 story-cycle 'The Money-Diggers' stirs fluidly beneath 'The Gold Bug'), and early examples of what would come to be known as science fiction, brings together most of the author's important work.

Two general narrator (or protagonist/character) types emerge. The first is meticulously rational, calm, and 'objective'--like Dupin, the amateur sleuth who coolly solves the mystery of 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue.' The second, best represented by Roderick Usher in 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' is psychically haunted, deeply subjective, acutely sensitive in every pore, and barely able to repress the hysteria--at best--simmering just beneath the surface of his consciousness.

Both general types are isolated and obsessive in their own way--the first perhaps imagines he has found salvation by holding the world at a kind of hard cerebral remove, while the second surrenders his will in increments and sinks obliquely into emotional, spiritual, psychic, and physical fragmentation. The second type (found in 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' 'Berenice,' 'The Black Cat,' 'The Pit and the Pendulum,' and 'William Wilson,' among others) dominates and defines Poe's work.

Poe occasionally offers readers a combination of both types, as in 'The Imp of the Perverse,' in which the narrator, after a lengthy, meditative, and 'objective' discourse on the self-destructive aspects of human nature, briefly tells his own story: compelled to commit a pointless murder, he then finds himself equally compelled to publicly confess it.

Fatalism and perdition are key characteristics of the author's work: death may await everyone, but, in Poe, death impatiently reaches forward into men's lives, sickening, exhausting, and corrupting them, thus hastening fragile humanity's end. Poe's protagonists are once healthy, now dire, everymen surrounded on every side by hostile, malevolent, and destructive forces which dominate every plateau, division, and category of existence that man has methodically--and rather naively--mapped out. Human instinct proves to be 'red in tooth and claw'; the senses betray; the mind collapses; the borders and boundaries of civilization are violently breached; the natural world reveals a harsh, predatory, and incomprehensible face; physical laws prove unreliable; loving relationships sicken and fester; all agents of stability prove false and slip away.

Most of Poe's work suggests that there is no escape for anyone (--"dead to the World, to Heaven, and to Hope!"), and, as several of the tales underscore, including 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and 'Ms. Found in a Bottle,' even the cessation of life may bring no solace for some. However, reprieves are possible: the narrator barbarically tortured by the Spanish Inquisition is freed by the arriving French army at the conclusion of 'The Pit and the Pendulum,' the sailor who experiences 'A Descent Into the Maelstrom' survives to tell of his ordeal, and the vengeful dwarves in 'Hop Frog' apparently escape at that story's conclusion.

Remarkably, because of the skill with which he illustrates his view of man's utter lack of genuine choice or ability for self-determination, Poe manages to make most of his characters likeably human, despite their illnesses, eccentricities, and perversions. Though the tales team with toxic bloodlines, incestuous relationships, premature burials, rioting lunatics, marauding plagues, 'tormenting' doppelgangers, parasitic spirits of the dead, animated corpses, "ghoul-haunted woodlands," and a fair variety of additional supernatural tableaus, Poe remains is a remarkably rational, balanced, and economic storyteller, since the ultimate horror lies not in the external threat, but in the narrator's realization that what he is experiencing is the genuine nature of life itself.

Poe's tales suggest that, if all of mankind lives within a perpetually collapsing, cannibalizing universe, the most one can hope for is that, in the present, it is collapsing on someone else.

Poe is one of the best horror writers ever to have lived. I have read all of his works. Some of his best stories are The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of Red Death, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontaiado, The Pit and the Pendelum, and The Tell-Tale Heart. His great poems include-The Raven and The Bells. Poe is a fantastic author, and his creepy tales of the dark side of life should be read over and over.

This is a very well-written, fast-paced, factually-based book. Chapter twenty-four, starting on page 155, about four-year-old Tidbit being used as gator bait by Clay Derby and his friends was especially enlightening (or sickening).

Title: Copper Sun
Author: Sharon Draper
Publisher and Date: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006
Flesh Kincaid Reading Level: 6.6
Pages: 302
Genre: Historical Fiction

Copper Sun is the story of a 15-year old girl named Amari who lives in an African village named Ziavi. She enjoys spending time with her eight-year-old brother Kwasi and her boyfriend Besa. She is very happy with her life until her village is invaded by pale-skinned men accompanied by warriors from another African tribe, the Ashanti. Her village is burned down and many of the villagers are slaughtered, including her whole family. All the while, Amari is astonished that people from her own land could be helping the pale strangers destroy her village. She sees the shame in her boyfriend's eyes as he is shackled and taken aboard a slave ship. She experiences a feeling of intense loss as she realizes her family has been taken from her and now she is being sold into slavery. She deals with abuse and cruelty in numerous ways, and at times feels as if all hope is lost. However, Amari is a fighter and she endures all of the cruelties of slavery without giving up.

The story follows Amari as she is captured, taken on a ship across the Middle Passage, and brought to America as a slave. When she arrives in South Carolina she is auctioned off and sold to a plantation owner as a birthday present for his son. While at the auction, the plantation owner also buys a young, white indentured servant named Polly. Polly imagines her life as a servant in the main house of the master and is disappointed to find out she will be working with Amari in the fields and living in the slave quarters. Polly initially is prejudiced toward Africans, but over time she and Amari become friends. They also build close relationships with the plantation cook, Teenie, and her son Tidbit. Teenie helps Amari through the difficult times on the plantation, including being abused by Clay, the plantation owner's son.

Clay's stepmother is the only white person on the plantation who shows any sympathy for the slaves. Soon Amari finds out that she has a relationship with one of the slaves. This begins a plot twist with so many surprises that I do not want to spoil it for you! Soon Amari, Polly and Tidbit get a chance to escape from the plantation. The last third of the book follows them on their journey to find Fort Mose, where there is a community for runaway slaves.

Chapter's alternate between Amari's perspective and Polly's perspective which gives the book an interesting twist. Although the book may seem long for some young adult readers it has so many plot twists and surprises that it will keep you reading. Draper's story provides a detailed and realistic description of life during slavery with fictional characters that draw you in and a fast-pace that makes the story readable for any young adult, whether studying slavery or not.

Hello Everyone...I am an 8th grade English teacher and I just finished reading Sharon Draper's "Copper Sun." I almost don't have words to describe how amazing it was. If you are a teacher, you will accrue many cool points from your students if you read this book with them. It is action packed, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Please read this whether you have children/students or not! It has completely enriched my life, and made me even more proud of the African American race's diligence, determination, and strength.

This is a story about a slave girl named Amari who was torn from her family and her homeland and forced to become a slave in america. there she meets a girl named polly who is an indentured servant, they eventually break free and make a run for the spanish colony hoping for freedom but constantly being hunted.
I have to admit I was bored during the 1st chapter, but as I kept reading I got more and more intruiged untill I just couldn't put the book down. Copper sun is an amazing book, and very insightful into the horrors of slavery and the ignorance, arrogance, and cruelety of white slave owners. I highly recommend this book

There has never been a better book about slavery than Copper Sun, though you go through some disgusting times with Amari you find the most painful thing is that actual people were treated like that! Draper is so wonderful in her writing, telling us exactly what it was like for Amari and I really felt like I was standing right next to her through the whole experience. Speaking of whole experience that's exactly what it is...the book starts in her home in Africa and we travel with here through the capturing of her and family members, the trip over seas, the slave action and her new home and ***spoilers (sort of)*** her final desicion! Great book HIGHLY recommend it to anyone.

All the other reviews have said it all. The book is touching, sad, funny and so timeless. DO get the audio version if you can, its soooo much nicer to hear it from louie himself.

An excellent book! Delivery was prompt and the book was in very good condition as promised.

Then this book is for you. Louie's description of growing up in a large family with an alcoholic father is both touching, sad and funny. It is possible to emerge from such a family fully intact with a sense of humor and to make something of your own life despite the bad parenting you received. To quote Louie, "we're all crazy people, raised by crazy people who were raised by crazy people." Whether you are a fan of Louie or not, this book is thoroughly enjoyable and a cover-to-cover read. One of my all time favorites! Thanks Louie!
Signed, A Big Fan

Louie Anderson is my all time favorite comedian. I never thought a book by him would bring me to tears, but it did. Fortunately, I did not grow up with an alcoholic father. However, I did battle gross obesity from elementary school through high school. I understand the pain behind Louie's fat jokes, and that pain is really brought out in this book. This book helped inspire me to lose 150 lbs. And, 14 years later, it still inspires me to battle my lingering demons. This book is a must read for anybody who has suffered psychological abuse as a child, whether it was the result of an alcoholic father, personal obesity, or any other reason.

This book was not only funny but really hit home for me. Louie, are you sure we weren't from the same family? Anyone scarred from a dysfunctional family due to addiction of any kind, will find this book very healing. I found that talking about your traumatic childhood helps you as an adult. I buried by memories of my father's drinking for many years, til my kids saw him once very intoxicated at my doorstep begging for money. I had him arrested and soon after sought Al-Anon for help with my guilt, shame and all other feelings I was carrying around. The sooner you talk about the past the better you will feel about yourself. Get this book. Makes you know that you are not alone. Thanks Louie.

This is a very black, dark book. This is not a book for kids, nor is it a book for people who haven't read anything by Ellison previously. Harlan Ellison is one of those rare writers that can finish a story so powerfully, that you'll feel like you've been literally stabbed in the heart. Like many of Ellison's short story collections, he deals with a specific theme. In this book, he writes short stories about gods, in all their myriad shapes and forms. Gods of machines, pain, rocks, speed, revenge, among others. Of the 19 stories in this collection, let me tell you what I consider to be the best. THE WHIMPER OF WHIPPED DOGS: Ellison's award-winning retelling of the Kitty Genovese incident. Never heard of Kitty Genovese? Don't worry, after reading this chilling tale, you'll make sure you remember. BASILISK: A traitor to his country comes home and finds that he is not welcome. A little confusing at first, but you'll soon get the hang of it. PRETTY MAGGIE MONEYEYES: Don't let the strange title deceive you. This is Ellison in TOP form. Ever wondered what gods reside at the casinos and what they have in mind. It's not PRETTY, I can assure you. ERNEST AND THE MACHINE GOD: An easy-to-visualize story about a girl in a car-accident and her meetings at a gas station. ADRIFT OFF THE ISLETS OF LANGERHANS . . . : Another award-winning story about a man trying to find the geographical location of his soul. THE DEATHBIRD: Still another award-winner. This one is Ellison's retelling of Genesis. This story has a very innovative structure to it. You'll see what I mean, when you buy this book.

While I typically associate Harlan Ellison with Science Fiction, I'm somewhat hesitant to call all of these stories SciFi... they are more like Twilight Zone episodes. They are 19 short stories that involve individuals getting caught up in all sorts of fantastic situations. While there is a general underlying theme of the stories involving "Gods", I found that the main uniting feature was the fantastic nature of the stories.

Some sample reviews from the collection:

ALONG THE SCENIC ROUTE(1969)***** - Ellison published this tale of "Road Rage" way back in the late 60's. It is definately a classic, and one of the more SciFi-esque stories from this collection. Richard K. Morgan recently tried to do a modern "Road Rage" novel, MARKET FORCES(2005)***, which takes ideas from ALONG THE SCENIC ROUTE, but ultimately falls flat.

O YE OF LITTLE FAITH(1968)**** - A young man of no faith in any god, is accompanying his mid-30's girlfriend back from a quick Tijuana abortion, in this pre-Roe vs. Wade world (Roe vs. Wade was decided in late 1973), and finds himself transported to a world populated by gods nobody believes in any longer.

PRETTY MAGGIE MONEYEYES(1967)*** - A sad story of two people's fateful encounter via a Slot Machine in a Las Vegas Casino. One is a pretty poor girl, who turns to prostitution to claw her way from the ghetto to Beverly Hills; the other is a long-time Vegas loser, who is down to his last dollar, and who's luck is about to change, but is it for the better?

CORPSE(1972)**** - A Latin American Studies professor from Columbia University, a man of some faith in Christianity, begins to see the emergence of a new type of god - the Automobile God, but ultimately fails to realize the inevitability and make the transition to the new faith.

SHATTERED LIKE A GLASS GOBLIN(1969)***** - A Marine, recently back from Vietnam, enters and becomes consumed by the varied pesonalities and drugs in a 60's "Party House"... reminds me of an old house my recently graduated high school buddies rented in San Diego, CA in the 70's (and which was slated to be razed along with the adjacent drive-in theater, to make way for a new shopping center). Like O YE OF LITTLE FAITH, this story is notable for the snapshot it gives of a Beatle's White Album-era America. Indeed, having just said that, I just realized that the title of this story SHATTERED LIKE A GLASS GOBLIN(1969), seems to be a play on the title of the Beatle's White Album song LOOKING THROUGH A GLASS ONION(1968).

This book has recently been republished by the SFBC in December 2005, as part of the third set of books in the SFBC 50th Anniversary Collection.

Harlan presents some stellar stories here about what modern gods might be like in what one would call a pessimistic, cynical outlook. He moves through such milieus as sci-fi, high fantasy and even urban fantasy through this book.

The best stories are very hard-hitting and emotionally affecting. These include The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, a retelling of the Kitty Genovese episode about the alleged god of New York City, The Basilisk, where the most terrifying aspect of the story is how a small town treats a returning POW and Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes where a manipulative woman continues to manipulate even after death. There are some other good stories, such as the road rage tale, though not as emotionally hard-hitting.

The problems in several of the stories stem from an abundance of cleverness. Rather than letting the story take the forefront, Harlan chooses to favor style over substance in an attempt to showcase his virtuoisity in the various methods of writing. This lessened some of his stories for me. He is most successful doing this in the titular tale, The Deathbird, but it was still distracting even there.

A very good collection though, despite the flaws. It is unapologetic and uncomprimising demanding you take the stories on their own terms.

For those fans of Ellison, you will not be disappointed, for those of you not familiar with Ellison, this one will have you hitting the used book stores in a vain hope of finding more fodder for your mind. (Don't bother looking, I already hit every book store myself.) Reading this book is like seeing Mohammed Ali box or Stevie Ray Vaughn play the guitar, you get the feeling of seeing the best at his best. Every story in this collection is a gem, some more than others. "The Whimpering of Whipped Dogs" is a classic in and of itself. "The Deathbird" is the most amazing story ever created by a fantasy writer and I say this with no hyperbole. Go out and get this book . . . NOW! It will change the way you view the world and yourself. Other books make this promise, Deathbird Stories is the only book I've ever read that actually delivers.

I read this book because, in the acknowledgements his wonderful novel "American Gods," neil gaiman said this book burned itself into the back of brain when he was still young enough for something like that to happen.

Well, how can you resist an endorsement like that? So, I raced up to the nearest library that had this book (an hour or so away, I'll have you know) and checked it out. And befoul these modern gods if it didn't blow my mind. At least, parts of it did.

Most of the stories - "the Whimper of Whipped Dogs," "Shattered Like a Glass Goblin," "Basilisk," and "Ernest and the Machine God," just to name a few - are really brilliant. They will twist your mind around like only certain versions of certain myths can. They will smack your conciousness around until you think there really are gods in the engine of your car and that traitors really are the high priests of Aries. They will, as Niel Gaiman says, burn themselves into the back of your brain.

Others, however, are not so brilliant. A few simply repeated ideas put forth in other, better stories. Some were simply not as interesting as the others, and some were both uninteresting and sordid. But please note that "some" could and should be read as "one, two at the outside." The majority are amazing.

On the whole, however, this is a wonderful book. I am shocked and dismayed to find that it it unavailable. I think anybody who is into mythology should read this book, just for some of the ideas expressed in it. So should anyone who read "American Gods" and thought it was cool, too. They should have a good time pointing to certain stories and saying, "Neil Gaiman lifted that, that and that." I recommend this book highly. Even with the few faulty tales herein, it is definately worth the time.

In the late 1860s Prussia, led by Kaiser Wilhelm and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, engaged the French government headed by Napoleon III in heated negotiations over the throne of Spain and the sovereignty of the Low Countries. The dispute grew as France looked for a fight.

France declared war in 1870 but was ill prepared to fight the ensuing Franco-Prussian War. Poorly equipped and incompetently led, the French soldiers were badly used. The result, from the French point of view was a catastrophe. At the battle of Sedan the Prussians captured over 100,000 French troops and Napoleon III himself. France was forced to cede Alsace-Lorraine to the Germans. In the immediate aftermath of the war, a left-wing rebellion erupted in Paris. It was suppressed with brutal rigor.

Like Tolstoy's War and Peace, Zola's The Debacle is a historical novel in which the facts of the war are very accurately described, and then well-drawn fictional characters are inserted. The story is told with verve through the eyes of two soldiers. The events of the Franco-Prussian War are extremely complex, yet Zola never lets the reader get lost. The story is engrossing and compelling. This is one of the great books of French literature.

To the reader who comes to this review by way of my history of the Tour de France, this book is related to the Tour rather obliquely. Tour founder Henri Desgrange wrote extensively in the sports newspaper L'Auto, which also owned the Tour de France. Desgrange tried to model his own writing style on Zola's.
-Bill McGann, Author of "The Story of the Tour de France"

As a big student of the War of 1870-71, I was a bit skeptic when I saw this was a historical novel, especially one that was a political commentary. Well, my skepticism was destroyed after about 15 minutes of reading this book. Not only is the author a veteran of the war, his style is SO engrossing I didn't stop reading until I finished the entire book!

The amount of details that are in the narritive can only come from someone who participated in the historical events that are narrated. Zola's characters are easy to identify with, and anyone can pick one character and say "yeah, that's me" as they read the story.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the F/P War or French/European culture/life of the Second Empire. Vivé Napoleon III!

Emile Zola's La Debacle, the 19th of his 20 volume Rougon-Macquart series, describes the crushing defeat of the French armies at the hands of the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. During Zola's lifetime, this novel was regarded as his masterpiece. History has decreed that it would be Germinal that would be more enduring, but this is still an outstanding novel. All the stories in this series are linked with recurring characters and interwoven plot lines. Like Germinal, this is a story of destruction and rebirth.

This novel is divided into three sections. In Zola's typical style, each section is focused on a period of several days, with several weeks or months between sections. The main character of the story in Jean Macquart, a character from an earlier novel (La Terre) in the series. Macquart is an enlisted soldier marching to the front with his comrades to face the Prussians. Zola, never a soldier himself, describes well the lot of Jean and his comrades. Lots of marching, fatigue, boredom, and grumbling about the leadership. Hanging over the story, and unbeknowst to the characters, is the coming whirlwind. The Emporer himself (Napoleon III) makes an appearance, but it is rather tragi-comic.
The second section is focused on the battle of Sedan. There are several story threads designed to explain the action of the battle at different times and from perspectives. The descriptions are quite graphic and detailed. Ultimately, the French Army is totally destroyed, the surviving characters become prisoners of war. In the third section, Jean is reunited with his comrade Maurice in Paris at the height of the Commune. The primary theme of this novel is to describe the `rot' of the Third Empire, and how its destruction gives the survivors hope for a brighter future.

The Oxford World Classics translation is outstanding. It contains detailed endnotes to explain topical or historical references that would be lost on modern English speaking/reading audiences. There are several maps and a detailed list of characters to keep everything straight. This edition also contains a well written introduction to allow the reader to place the novel in historical and literary context.

I have several thoughts about this novel that potential readers may or may not find interesting. First, this is an outstanding novel, whether one likes war novels or not. Zola is one of the greatest novelists ever to put pen to paper, and this is arguable one of his best works. The characters in this story are detailed and realistic, the dialogue outstanding, and the plot complex and compelling, but easy to read. Anyone who is afraid of approaching Zola because of past experience with the 19th century English `greats' should not be concerned. Zola has none of the pretentiousness or Victorian puritanism of his English contemporaries, and his writing, while often gloomy, is not ponderous.

Second, with the exception of a few small tweaks for poetic license, this book is an outstanding example of historical fiction. Beyond an enjoyable novel, this book will also provide the reader a history lesson of the first order. In particular, I would highly recommend this book to American readers who know little or nothing of French history of this era. I think that the events of the Commune would be most surprising to many Americans. Certainly the Franco-Prussian war was one of the defining events for the French (and Germans), much as the Civil War was for Americans. The outcome of this war had long lasting political, economic, cultural, and military implications that affect us today.

Third, if I had one complaint about this book, it would be that the author's knowledge of the outcome of the battle weighs over the entire novel. I would almost argue that this novel is defeatist. This is definitely an antiwar novel, but no real sense of imminent destruction covers the Prussian soldiers as it does the French. That is, this is an antiwar novel from the French perspective, but not really from the Prussian. It strikes me that the message conveyed by Zola (probably inadvertantly) is not antiwar in general, but antiwar only for the losers.

Overall though, this is an outstanding novel, one of the best ever written. Highly recommended.

In this novel, as in all of his greatest works (Germinal, La Terre), Zola achieves the wide-ranging scope of a sweeping, romantic epic, without romanticizing the details of his settings or the emotions of his characters. As a result, we get an in-depth examination of the effects of war, on both national and personal levels. Zola thoroughly outlines the movements of troops and supplies, the political intrigue happening within the French government, and the diplomatic relations between nations, yet he never loses sight of the individual.
The narrative focuses on the friendship between Jean Macquart and Maurice Levasseur, two French soldiers from contrasting backgrounds who are brought together by the war. Jean Macquart, who previously starred in Zola's novel The Earth (La Terre), is an experienced soldier and a sturdy, dependable, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. Maurice is a novice in the military, was raised in a privileged background, and has an emotional, introspective, and fragile nature. In addition to these two players, Zola presents myriad perspectives on the war. The multitudinous cast includes an emperor and a king; generals, grunts, and officers in between; farmers, shopkeepers, industrialists, doctors, and their wives. The combatants in this war range from highly-skilled military men to peasants with guns thrust into their hands, from the privileged elite to penniless beggars. The chaos of war ensnares them all in a series of events beyond their control or understanding, pushing them to the climactic tragedy of the Battle of Sedan.
Throughout the book, Zola condemns the futility of war in general, and the ineptitude of the French commanders in particular. The book is not totally pessimistic, however, as he does include some romantic concessions to the glory of patriotism, the strength of friendship, and the heroism that can arise when ordinary men are thrust into extraordinary circumstances. This is one of Zola's greatest works, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially those who enjoy classic literature or historical fiction. It is both intellectually challenging and emotionally moving. I would caution the reader that it does help to have some knowledge of French geography and happenings in French history around the time of the Franco-Prussian War.

This was an amazing story about the Franco-Prussian war, but it could have been about any war and the destructive influence it has on men and women, and on all human relationships. Zola tells the story, in vivid, sometimes gruesome but always very compassionate and heartbreaking detail (most of the plot is based on real historical events), of the absolute disaster that was the Franco-Prussian "debacle" of 1870-1.

For anyone interested in French history, it is required reading. This was an absolutely pivotal event in the formation of the Third Republic and the death of the Second Empire, an Empire which Zola had already suggested in his previous novels was rotten to the core. Writing twenty years after the event, Zola was describing a memory still vivid in the minds of most of his readers.

The Franco-Prussian war was truly a debacle. Not only had Napoleon III provoked the French into a doomed war with the Prussians, who with their superior artillery and military tactics ended up invading France and slaughtering and starving thousands upon thousands of men, but he ultimately set the French against each other when, at the end of the war, some Frenchmen and women wanted to surrender the hopeless cause-and some wanted to fight to the death-their deaths-on principle. Many of the French showed amazing bravery and refused to surrender, even after Napoleon III was taken prisoner and a new French government acted to conclude the war.

In a famous and tragic episode, after the war was lost and many French were working to effect a surrender, political radicals staged a hopeless but heroic last stand in Paris, electing an independent municipal government-the famous Paris Commune-and holding the city. Eventually other Frenchmen were finally set against their brothers to force them to wave the white flag. In their determination to not yield one inch of the soil to the Prussian invaders, in one of the most powerful and haunting scenes in the novel (and in history), the Commune sets Paris on fire and Zola describes the entire city of lights roaring with fire, gone up with smoke and having turned the sky red.

If you've ever been in Paris it's a compelling scene and you'll remember all the places he mentions if, like me, you've spent some time there. It's odd to think that the Pere Lachaise cemetery, where so many of us go to see the graves of Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Jim Morrison or Abelard and Heloise (a site featured on an episode of America's Next Top Model no less!) is where thousands of French radicals-and uninvolved Parisian civilians as well- were lined up against the wall and shot point-blank in summary executions-by their own countrymen-something that Zola and others would never forget. I think it's very important that Zola dealt with these crimes in his novel.

Although Zola doesn't pretend that some of the Communards were not, in fact, war profiteers or criminals, he has much sympathy with some of them and their sincere political committments; as a man of the left he cannot help but find common ground with some of their arguments or with their feeling of betrayal by their own government. He is also disgusted, as so many French were, with the brutal way in which they were liquidated.

The hero of the story is Jean Macquart. You definitely don't have to have read any of the other books in the Rougon-Macquart series of twenty novels (!) to appreciate this book, however if you have read La Terre (The Earth) you will already like Jean for his general kindness and sensible nature. He is a sweet man who has an unlikely friendship with Maurice, the young radically-inclined soldier who ultimately joins the Commune. The introduction to my book was a bit heavy handed, (I suggest reading it after you've completed the novel since it gives all major plot points away) claiming that they represent the two "eternal sides of France", but there's a real human relationship here.

By today's standards this friendship would seem over the top and overly sentimental, but taken in the historical context it's quite a beautiful friendship. More than anything we get a sense of the senseless slaughter of a pointless war, the deep fraternal divisions it causes, and these are embodied in two very appealing characters, Jean and Maurice. Zola makes it clear that it makes sense, obviously, that Maurice would be furious and feel betrayed. I'm a pacifist, but if the invaders are at your door-which they literally were in this case-it's hard to know how you would feel.

On the other hand Jean's view is portrayed with sympathy-he's endured tremendous suffering due to this ridiculous war, and like Maurice he's shown tremendous bravery and courage, like so many Frenchmen did at that time (take that everyone who makes fun of the French tendency to surrender-I wish all of you had to read this book!) but he is an ordinary person who would like to get back to ordinary life-which really is a normal emotion to have. He also hates to see Paris burning-it's the epitome of craziness to him, and to us, even while we also see Maurice's view, that no one should care anymore, France is dead and defeated.

At the end, when Jean perseveres and goes on to build a new France, we're hopeful for him. But we can't help feeling the looming shadow of two World Wars to come, and it's also a sad book, reminding us of the vast physical and emotional wounds war leaves behind.

An absolute masterpiece!

I really said it in the title. The copy I have is hard cover. I ordered four copies and received 2 hardback, used and 2 paperback, new. These are gifts, so I will be proud to give them.

What a gift it is to find the words that fit, the words that calm or quicken or clear or connect as needed! This is what I receive as I regulary use A Diary of Private Prayer morning and evening.

After reading other books by John Baillie, I was endeared to his Scottish Prayers, based on his Scottish Presbyterian Thelogy. As a gift from a daughter of one outstanding Presbyterian Pastor and Father, I noted the Greek inscription from Luke 18:1, "That men ought at all times to pray and not faint."

Each Day of Morning and Evening prayer followed the same format:
"Almighty and eternal God, Thou art hidden from my sight:
Thou art beyond the understanding of my mind:
Thy thoughts are not as my thoughts:
Thy ways are past finding out."

This became familiar to me as the Fourth Day for each Month. It was followed by yet a longer version of related Baillie Prayer. In the third place, there was another prose prayer with excerpts from Psalms, such as 17, 36, 57 and 91, In this Fourth Morning Prayer he concluded with a more personal and intimate prayer, beginning: "O Thou who alone knowest what lies before me this day, grant that in every hour of it I may stay close to Thee." There lies his wee touch of Scottish Theology.

From this first example I always linger over his final sentence:
"Suggest, direct, control every movement of my mind; for my Lord Christ's sake. Amen."

Nearly every day followed this same format with exceptions for the 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th Days, he altered both style and paragraphs. Yet that hardly ever affected his sustained interest in my daily Prayers.

Another poignant beginning prayer comes on 16th Morning: "With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early; for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the earth world will learn (your) righteousness." Many are longer yet equally intimate... Retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood "Barbara377" (Fayetteville,GA United States)

This is one of the best books, for individuals to learn not only how to oray, but its also good for those who are wanting to become
prayer warriors. I use this book to teach Christians the process of daily prayiny to become a life stile through there walk in life. Great Book

Baillie has the rare ability to put into words the hopes and failings of Christian hearts and lives. I frequently give this book as a gift to friends,and most make it a part of their daily devotion. Even though Baillie uses the language of the King James Bible, he has a command of the language that is beautiful, compelling and inspirational. The thirty days of morning and evening prayers become more meaningful with repeated readings.

Got turned on to this from some firends who were talking about it and it was absolutely worth the read. Hope he comes out with another book soon.

An exciting new voice. I can't think of any work in my recent experience that has the unflagging depth and intensity of Diatribe. At times, it is harrowing, but, the author juxtaposes this seriousness with self-depricating humor and wit to examine the trials and tribulations of the unnamed narrator. The author also seems to have uncovered for the reader the passion and rawness of mental illness and life itself. Overall, a gripping, illuminating, and moving work.

I'd call Diatribe one of the most ambitious novel written in a long time. If the novel is not always easy to understand, it is because the world isn't. Bezark has got more of our reality into his language than any other contemporary novelist I know of. This may take a back some readers, but this work really is an amazing achievement. The novel's strategies befit the enormity of the challenge faced by a character trying to identify the locus of his personal and intellectual live in a time of upheaval.

This was a really funny, yet thought-provoking and heart-felt work. An edgy and unique writing style. Worth reading.

This was a really great book. It was surprising in that it was humorous, yet sad and haunting in other parts. The author mixed the flow of these alternating moods quite well and his unique style is refreshing in these days of standard linear (boring) story telling. Very strong and honest.

I just like Brink's stories! It is mostly difficult to have a break once you have started to read his book.

Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Brinks sketches the life of a idealistic man - Ben du Toit that lives his life in Apartheid South Africa on the brink of normalcy until the mysterious death of a black American friend and his son points to government involvement. As du Toit becomes obsessed with discovering the truth he becomes the symbol of Afrikaner conscience struggling to cope with the conflict and alienation that this crusade against Apartheid causes. With Apartheid being woven into the Afrikaner concept of nationhood and religion Ben finds himself not only in conflict with his family or the government but with his own history and ultimately with his own identity and even his soul. du Toit becomes a classical Afrikaner in his stubborn steadfast refusal to sway from his course , irrespective of the consequences, that he believes to be the only just and morally acceptable one.

He painfully exposes the moral vacuum of Apartheid and how it alienates not just du Toit from himself and his family but ultimately the Afrikaner from their fellow South Africans, as well as their own ideas of justice and morality.

The original Afrikaans language edition packs a powerful punch and is beautiful to read. English translation loses a bit of impact and fails to capture the finesse of the master writer in his mother tongue but is never the less worth burning the midnight oil for. It should however be noted that the story is dated and not a balanced portrayal of South Africa, Afrikaners or Apartheid.

Good fiction but not a historical treatise of Apartheid as some reviewers seem to think.

During the 1970's in South Africa, several protests were happening against the apartheid acts and the education of African natives to speak Afrikaans, instead of their chosen language. In Andre Brink's brilliant novel, A Dry White Season, he presents the brutality of the African struggle for freedom from the white leaders by telling the story of one man's effort to clear his black friend's name. When Gordon Ngubene, a janitor at the local school in Johannesburg, finds his son dead without a clue of what happened, he asks his colleague Ben Dutoit for financial help and support. After certain inquiries were developed on Gordon's behalf for his son, Jonathan, he is arrested by the police and is marked by his own "suicide". However once Ben begins to unfold the evidence that leads to what truly happened, he is caught in a jungle of lies, danger, and an atrocious form of racism.

Ben Dutoit was a simple man content with his mediocre life based on his wife, two daughters, and his teaching. Although the Special Branch had become more involved in the town where he lived, he purely continued throughout his basic routine day in and day out. Once Gordon is told by the Security Police that his son has died of "natural causes" while in a severe detention for publicly protesting, it seems that he will stop at nothing to figure out what had occurred the night of Jonathan's death. "If it was me, all right. But he is my child and I must know. God is my witness today: I cannot stop before I know what happened to him and where they buried him. His body belongs to me. It is my son's body."(Pg.49 A Dry White Season). Throughout this time period, whites naturally assumed themselves superior to that of the African race, and ruthless acts were brought upon the blacks daily. Brink vividly described the numerous cruelties aimed at the "inferior race" due to such instinctive racism. The author conjures the understanding of the reader to see how simple it would be for Ben to turn a blind eye on Gordon's tragedy. Yet after Gordon is accused of strangling himself by tying bits of torn blanket together, Ben is convinced that it was torture that killed the prisoner, and Ben just cannot let the case go with injustice. One can sense just how stubborn Ben truly is regarding the truth of his friend's alleged murder, mainly because of the emotions depicted by Brink that the reader can pick up on. Assembling as much evidence against the Special Branch's summary of Gordon's arrest, with the help of taxi driver and informational guide Stanley, Ben attempts to prove that the police are sadistic liars that have crossed the line of racism and have entered a territory of the highest form of hatred. Publicity of his "Negro loving" efforts have provoked such racists to seek ways to harm Ben and his family, such as sending bombs in the mail and shooting through his windows at night. I simply cannot comprehend the motive of someone to physically or mentally abuse another for their own views. However nothing could frighten him from completing what he had started in the first place, not even the terrifying Captain Stolz who had threatened him many times during the case. The thorough detail Brink constructed to picture the startling police officer was amazing, admitting a very clear idea of just how alarming this character must have been. Aware of his immense caution in his own case, he presented one of his old college friends with pieces of information in order to write a biography of Ben Dutoit. Two weeks later, Ben was killed in a hit and run car accident, but fortunately for him, his story would not be left untold. I personally found myself having to read certain paragraphs repeatedly in order to really grasp what was happening in all of the excitement, which I appreciated from the author. The plot was persistently heart pumping, giving off the effect that South Africa's horrifying and unfair history was not given the deliberate attention it deserved.

Before this misfortune had happened, Ben had been conceived as having a rather introverted personality, spending most of his time alone playing chess in his den. However the demand for real facts about what had definitely taken place seemed to have changed his behavior. Suddenly Ben was actually offering his true opinions back to those that he would not dare before, such as Captain Stolz, no matter how harsh or unsettling. After this unexpected alteration, Ben began to become more aware of his surroundings, more observant of his daily routines that he had developed into over the years. The author made sure to explain Ben's strange emotions in noticing things in his life that seemed unfit to him. "All at once this is what seemed foreign to him: not what he had seen in the course of the long bewildering afternoon, but this. His garden, with the sprinkler on the lawn. His house, with white walls, and orange tiled roof, and windows and rounded stoop. His wife appearing in the front door. As if he'd never seen it before in his life."(Pg.99 A Dry White Season). If you take a considerable amount of time to glance at your own life, as I have done from the direction of this book, you perceive things that might belong to you, though they might seem impossible to be yours. The process is difficult to explain, until you try to complete it yourself. Brink wrote the character as if his own qualities were shifting along to the varied events of Gordon's death case. The author seemed to have used Ben's life as symbolism of how one moment could alter anyone's life as they know it. A calamity such as this could happen to anyone, even I, and this thought makes me wonder. How would the way I act now be changed?

The Soweto protests of the 1970's in South Africa led to many empty lots filled with tear-gas, public shootings, and violent massacres of black citizens. In the novel A Dry White Season, Andre Brink tells the tale of one honorable man that knew too much information for his own good at a time era like his generation, which guided him into a vast land of moral corruption. Ben Dutoit's story has captivated my imagination, gripped my heart, crossed my frustrations, and stirred my tears. This book has taught me, as well as numerous other readers as well, to follow your instincts and never let justice go unserved. "Perhaps all one can really hope for, all I am entitled to, is no more than this: to write it down. To report what I know. So that it will not be possible for any man ever to say again: I knew nothing about it. (Pg.316 A Dry White Season).

i read this while i was a high school student and i can honestly say it has been one of the few books that have made an impact on the way i view society. read it! you'll love it!

Always celebrated for its beautiful evocative setting in Portofino, THE ENCHANTED APRIL has also to some extent been dismissed as a sentimental trifle. It is not: for all its surface charm, it is also one of the most searching fictional works ever written on the nature of goodness, and its effects upon selfishness and acquisitiveness. Two Hampstead housewives, Rose Arbuthnot and Lottie Hawkins, advertise for two other women to share in the costs so that they may rent an Italian castle for the month of April and escape their loveless lives; when they and the other two women (the dazzling Lady Caroline Dester and the rigid bluestocking Mrs. Fisher) arrive at the spectacularly lovely castle, they begin to discover that not only have their spirits been refreshed but also that their value systems have changed through what amounts to the dispensation of the castle of a kind of secularized grace. Elizabeth von Arnim accomplishes this very probing study of modern British mores through the very subtle and unobtrusive psychological realist use of extended interior monologues. The result is a novel that is not only completely beguiling but actually quite thoughtful. A greatly underappreciated little gem.

In the spirit of the Bronte sisters, this novel delights and entrances. An enjoyable read.

Wonderful! I could read the book and watch the movie over and over! Treat yourself to a vacation in an Italian paradise with real characters and a physical beauty you could reach out and touch. Von Arnim makes this simple plot so magical and warm it makes you want to visit San Salvatore too!

Just got through watching the wonderful movie; not as wonderful as the book, but very good. Have now read this book at least three or four times, and still adore it every time. Has to rank as one of my all-time favorite books. Must rent an Italian castle on the western Mediterranean coast some day. The writing is so witty, and warm, the story so imaginative, the moral so wise. Love is all; just to love, not expecting anything in return. It opens people up. Lotty, Rose, Lady Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher all live in these pages. And the gardens, the flowers, the utter beauty of San Salvatore. The author quite obviously loves flowers. Even the servants are clearly drawn, Francesca and Domenico. Lotty becomes a truly original character. Love, love, love this book!

Well, you've already heard about the story. Just wanted to add that the characters were so real, it was as if I were really there with them. A wonderful turn of events at the end. Caught me off guard. Very enjoyable. Beautiful writing. Now I've got to rent the movie.

I have a very early edition that shows a hand on page 418 (West has S-KQ72, etc.) that is ice cold if declarer wins the opening KS lead and immediately leads his low spade. The analysis incorrectly states that declarer will lose 1 spade, 1 heart and 2 clubs. Played correctly, as I indicate, a spade will be available for a club discard regardless of what West returns after winning the AH. This hand would be instructive if analyzed correctly and used as an example of the importance of correct timing.

First, my mother tongue is French, I'm sure you will excuse my style. In the past, I read Mollo, Kantar, Grant... always on a quest to find a great and complete bridge book and never entirely satisfied... too simplistic, too advanced, hard to read, poor teaching skills...
I wanted to find a book that was covering both the dummy play and the defense. Also, I wanted to revisit the very basics, to have a solid start, and then to go gradually into more complex techniques, covering virtually all aspects of the play, including the more advanced techniques. I was looking for the ultimate book: the Bridge Bible written by a brilliant teacher!

When I was not really looking for a book anymore, I finally tried Watson's book. I hesitated at first, because I was told his style is a bit dry and too detailed. EUREKA!!! I regret not having started with this book the very first day I played bridge. This is the ultimate BIBLE! Not only it fulfilled all my above expectations, but it goes one step beyond, he is a genius, each chapter is a revelation. I did not learn techniques; I learned the principles underlying the techniques. It is like being thought secret knowledge by a wise guru, realizing how simple everything was in the first place. His style is clear, concise, and straight to the point, but he covers a lot of material. His summaries are ideal for fast and easy review. I don't have to mention how drastically my level of play changed.

My quest is now over, I found the Grail, I now understand why Watson's book is recommended by most schools around the world. This is probably the only book you will every need about the play of the hand.

Easy to read, well organized, this masterpiece needs to be studied carefully, a must have for any serious player!

I have 40 bridge books. This one teaches you the 90% of bridge, and all the others the rest 10%. Top classic.

There is no other book comparable to this book for learning, improving and reviewing. I bought this book 30 years ago and I still go back and read some of the advanced chapters. Although the book is a little wordy, it pays to concentrate on what Watson is saying, if you are really interested in being a good bridge player.