Short Stories Books

This book includes one of my favorite works by Melville (or anyone, for that matter), "Bartleby The Scrivener". It tells the story of the document copier (or scrivener) Bartleby as narrated by his increasingly perplexed, unnamed employer. Unlike Mobey Dick which is so symbolic and philosophical, I gave up on page 13 or so, this story is strangely accessible and contemporary. The alienation that Bartleby feels for his job, his fellow employees, and the narrator is, at once, sad and humorous. Today, when it seems a job can easily become interchangeable with who we are, the fact that Bartleby is, at first, reluctant to do what's asked of him and later would "prefer not to" do anything at all is a bitter, if accurate, portrayal of the kind of ever-threatening psychosis that nibbles around the edges of the world of work from time to time, whatever it is we do to make a living. What's the word? Yeah; there's an existential quality to this tale that fits just as securely in 2007, as it does in the mid-19th century, the story's actual setting. Like Bartleby, I sometimes find myself fading away before the tasks I am asked to perform on the job; "I would prefer not to..." comes to mind pretty often, but, of course, I push on because at the time it all seems to mean something. And it does....Doesn't it? Melville was on to something.

a great collection! when it comes to Melville, i usually prefer annotated editions, but, this particular version does not include either 'The Confidence Man' or 'Moby Dick', thus, i believe i will be just fine. If you've already read 'Typee', 'Pierre', or either of the two above mentioned titles, then this collection may just be for you. It's worth it alone just for 'Billy Budd'. My one complaint? The cover artwork depicts ol' Herms to be a distant relative of Leonardo da Vinci, and while ol' Herms was a genius (although not on Leonardo's level), i think Perennial could have offered a better looking picture than the one they chose to use... talk about your old man and the sea...

This edition of Melville's short fiction is, I think,
the best...certainly a real bargain at this price.
In this one volume, the reader gets all of Melville's
short fiction -- plus the novella, *Billy Budd, Sailor*
(the Harrison Hayford/Merton M. Sealts, Jr. "definitive"
Reading Text published by the Univ. of Chicago in 1962).
The collection is edited and has an excellent
"Introduction" by Warner Berthoff.
The selections are each preceded by a very informative
"Note" which tells you when the piece first appeared
and in what periodical. Berthoff also supplies in each
"Note" delicious suggestive context insights...which
help the appreciative/analytical/interpretive process
begin to percolate.
The 1st selection is "The Town-Ho's Story" (a
chapter from Melville's novel *Moby-Dick*). But
this chapter was printed in *Harper's New Monthly
Magazine* in October 1851 (according to Berthoff's
"Note")as a portion of a work-in-progress.
The collection presents the pieces in the CHRONOLOGICAL
order of their publication in various magazines.
But it also contains "The Two Temples," which
Berthoff says was rejected for publication. So,
the collection contains all of Melville's "short"
fictional pieces, including prose pieces meant to
accompany poems. These pieces in the collection
include: "The Marquis de Grandvin," "Three 'Jack
Gentian Sketches,'" "John Marr," and "Daniel Orme."
The collection concludes with *Billy Budd, Sailor."
All of the *Piazza Tales* are in this collection
along with "The Piazza " piece, itself.
This is a fine collection. The Northwestern/
Newberry editions of Melville's works are nice,
but expensive. And you would have to get 2
separate volumes to also get the *Billy Budd,
Sailor* which you get included in this one
volume.
However, what the N/N edition of Melville's
prose pieces gives you which this collection by
Berthoff does not (their title is: *The Piazza
Tales and Other Prose Pieces: 1839-1860*)are:
"Fragments from a Writing Desk" (1839),
Melville's inspired essay of idolatry and
insight, "Hawthorne and His Mosses" (17 and 24
Aug. 1850), many other uncollected pieces,
Melville's reconstructed lectures from his
stint as a public speaker/"performer" (Yikes!)
"Statues in Rome," "The South Seas," and
"Traveling." There are also copious notes,
scholarly information, photo facsimiles,
and other helpful items in the N/N edition.
But, unless you are a scholar, a Melville
fanatic, or financially unfrugal, BUY this
edition by Berthoff and published by the
Perennial Library of Harper & Row.
* * * * * * * * *

This is worth buying if only for the masterpiece that is Bartelby the Scrivener. One of the all time great short stories, it tells the story, narrated by an employer in a Wall Street Law office who finds a peculiar scrivener called Bartelby in his employ.

Bartelby is initially a quiet and efficient copyist, but when asked to undertake extra work, he deflects it with the simple rejoinder 'I would prefer not to.' He repeats this mantra, over and over, calmly and without malice. 'You will not?' thunders his employer in frustration, 'I prefer not,' says Bartelby. And with that simple 'I prefer not', Bartelby strikes a blow on behalf of all the inconspicuous millions who find themselves wasting their lives, their creative human potential, in drab, workaday office jobs, counting down the months of their lives staring at a computer screen, the sterile hum of life passing them by. All the tedium of office life is in Bartelby - anyone who has worked in such an environment will recognise the compulsive snacking, the drab natureless view out the window, the modes and systems of the company affecting the consciousness and behaviour patterns of the staff. Bartelby, simply and effectively, questions all of this with his quiet actions, heading off in another direction from the common herd, unpicking the knot at the end of the string that binds all corporate paperwork together. Hurrah for Bartelby, whose quiet, tragic existence unravells the whole rope, and hurrah for his legacy - for without Bartelby there would be no Camus, there would be no 'Something Happened' by Joseph Heller, no 'And Then we Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris, the masterful debut office novel published this year.

To read Bartelby, to devote a valuable hour of your life to Melville's pioneering existentialist story, is to momentarily glimpse a chink in the darkness, a sense of what might and could be, instead of the living death that a great many people trudge through, like the dead in T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Wasteland', trudging over London Bridge on their way to work.

This is the beginning of American literature. And these short works I think tell the tale more clearly than that confusing (though still great) big book Moby Dick. Melville wrote from an outsiders perspective and he was an outsider as perhaps all Americans were because we did not yet have an identity as a people. Melville explores our institutions of justice and our ability to comprehend life through them in Billy Budd in the way a foreigner would examine justice and understanding in a land whose logic he was unfamiliar with. He seems to ask "how will our sense of justice be different than France's or England's and therby make us a different nation than theirs?" or even more simply "Is real understanding(of ourselves, or others) ever possible?" Melville is very much the anti-idealist in a work like The Piazza in which one valley dweller imagines existence on the upper slopes to be grander than his own only to travel there one day and be made aware of the opposite. So there is no dreaming colonist in Melville, in him we have a measured study of ourselves as we were in his day, and perhaps still are, a dreaming people,a restless people with only the vaguest notions of what life and its true nature is. The strangest story in this collection is Benito Cereno which is perhaps the work which most defines a democratic nation's uneasy alliance of peoples and points of view. In that work there is no one defining perspective, only differing views of one event that remains disturbingly unclear as all of Melville's worlds are. In Melville we have an author defining what we are or perhaps more importantly what our problems will be in the future. Interesting short works full of that rare kind of insight that does not seem to be trapped in its time but somehow seems to have seen what is to come. There is the idea that a new nation has of itself and a confidence that in the works of Melville is challenged. The mystery in these works is the mystery at the heart of existence and life remains inscrutable even here in this new land with its new ways. In Moby Dick the innocent Ishmael is the only one spared, in Billy Budd(Melville's last tale) the innocent is the one sacrificed. Melville's vision is not a comfortable one. The strange Bartelby,the Scrivener is a tale where personality is consumed by an impersonal system. The story strikes an odd alienated tone which will later be taken up by Kafka and Pynchon and countless others.

I love all the fairy books by Andrew Lang (red, orange, olive, crimson, grey, yellow, blue,etc). They are well written, exciting, and captivating. If you like fairy tales at all you must try one of his books.

This is just another of Andrew Lang's fairy books. It is a perfect book if you want to read to your child, or if you just like to read fairy tales. The book contains 59 black and white illustrations, and 35 short stories, ranging in length from a couple pages to about 20. The fairy tales include: The Impossible Enchantment, The Story of Dschemil and Dschemila, The Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles, The White Wolf, Bobino, The Sunchild, The Unlooked-for Prince, annetella, Prunella, and many more.
I loved it

Andrew Lang could be decisevly one of the forefathers of fairytales for his many renditions of the fairytales we all love so much. His books have kept many fairytales in popular culture today, for instance the tale of Donkeyskin. Donkeyskin, in its hayday, was a tale that as many fairytales do, undermined and inforced ideologies of it's days. It spoke out against arranged marriages and demonstrated the cruelty and moral incorrectness of incestuous affairs. These ideals were new to the day, and hence such ideas as one might have noticed are still held by many people most likely due to this books influence. Yet, the concepts of a womans role and how a woman should be subservient was reinforced by the tale, but it would seem the story's life force has still been held by Lang. In short this colage of fairy tales is one of great importance and one that should be on everyones books shelves

Amazon's rating of the "Reading level: Baby-Preschool" is not correct.

Young people should be exposed to the beauty of good stories and art because it helps them to appreciate the finer thing. This series is a perfect tool to do this.

"The Grey Fairy Book" is a marvelous collection of tales from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Islamic countries. Once again we get to visit, the horrible, fantastic world of the fairy tale, complete with amazing drawings. These are the *unknown* tales that Disney ignores, but are beautiful in their own right. This is a must have for any collector or anyone who still needs their fairy tales. Who can outgrow these things?

"Hell's Bottom, Colorado" benefits from sharp, focused writing and real-life details, which make the stories ring true. Though each story stands alone, there is the connectedness of family saga as we are introduced to distinct, evocative members of this modern-day ranch family. A truly pleasant read.

Pritchett evokes the vivid images of landscape, ranching and families in the West. Set along Rocky Mountains, these stories show the beauty and sometimes messy reality of farming, ranching, and living. When writing in her clear-eyed prose, Pritchett has perfect pitch: all of her charcters and stories ring true. Highly Recommended.

This is an outstanding book! Pritchett' interconnected stories are a matter-of-fact and essential portrayal of the contemporary American West. Pritchett's characters are vivid in spite of (or beause of) her simple prose. Through the characters you get a feel for the beauty and stark reality of raising cattle, and families, in the Intermountain West. A refreshing read among the usual clutter of literature today.

Hell's Bottom is a poignant collection of short stories that chronicles some of the watershed events in the lives of a Colorado ranch family. It's quite enjoyable on several levels.

I especially appreciated the attention to detail about life in modern rural America. This book chronicles ranching activities in an accurate manner- one can tell the author is familiar with this way of life. I don't believe that an outsider could have presented such an honest portrait. This realistic backdrop helped the already interesting characters become even more alive for me.

Hell's Bottom is an excellent read. I look forward to more by this author.

Pritchett's short stories are psychologically insightful into life's sometimes painful details and hidden triumphs -- expressed within the framework of everyday existence. Hard to find writing like this -- definitely worth your time.

Every single story has a link between the eastern U.S. coast and the western U.S. coast. Ingenious. And superb writing.

As all of Domini's work, this is a rolicking good read. He is the master of character, and he captures with a great ear and deft hand, the mood of our time and place. I recommend him highly for anybody who is alive and kicking.

Domini has done it once again. This time, Domini spills more than the usual fanfare of guts and glory as he winds us down the road toward fantastic character development and edge-of-your-seat tales. This wonderful opus is a must for any reader who enjoys escape into fantasies that unlock imagination and emotions. Truly a joyous read!

THis is a great book to escape into. Losers and unsettled types lead the reader to self evaluation. Through their struggles with the tribulations and the moral implications of the decisions they make, we face our own issues.

Lots of short stories with a lot of great imagery - enjoyed the rea

I first heard of David Skal from the Universal Classic Monster series of DVD's. David was on the accompanying documentary and did the audio commentary for Tod Browning's 1931 classic, Dracula. If you own the set and have run the documentary and, particularly, the commentary, then you've already experienced about three chapters of this book. What remains is a rich mine of details about every aspect of Dracula, the book, movies, and culture. And what a lot there is.

David's writing, like his speech, is precise, educated, and loaded with literary allusions. While no dilettante, I consider myself well read and was still left with the occasional "what the hell is talking about?" moment. The language is rich and occasionally reminds me of the mental images drawn by Anne Rice at the height of her powers. However, David is no snob and is not merely parading his impressive intellect - it's just that he knows so darn much about the subject.

And if I had any criticism of the book that would be it - David seems driven to exhaustively document every possible aspect of Dracula's existence. The detailed (and seemingly never ending) battles between Florence Stoker and the makers of "Nosferatu" is described in such detail that I wanted to scream "OKAY!! We get it! Nosferatu was a Dracula rip off and Flo didn't like it!!" But eventually the tale moves on and sets the stage for intricate negotiations between the Stoker estate and Universal. In retrospect (and considering how handsomely the studio profited) it's interesting to see that Universal bought almost unlimited use of the vampire for the paltry sum of $25,000.00 and is still making oodles of money hand over fist today. David covers all aspects of vampire lore from Byron's "The Giaour" (1813) to Mel Brooks' "Dracula, Dead and Loving It" (1995). And everything in between. Trust me, if it can be construed to be in any way connected with Dracula, it's in this book.

If you have any interest in gothic culture, or the movies that spawned it, this is a must have. Reading it is like enjoying an evening of conversation with a much beloved, if slightly eccentric, old friend, preferably over brandy in front of a glowing fireplace on a cold, cold night.

Down deep, we all agree with the fly-eating Renfield. That's why we can't get his Master out of our system. David J. Skal's book Hollywood Gothic explains a lot of the reasons why.

Hollywood Gothic is like David Skal's Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture. Hollywood Gothic and Screams of Reason both take horror motifs we know mostly from movies and trace them back to literature, where they originated.

Screams of Reason looks at the mad scientist figure in fiction, from central European vivisectionists like Dr. Frankenstein to postwar American A-bomb scientists. Hollywood Gothic is more narrow - - it covers Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the plays adapted from it, and then the movies inspired by it - - F.W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu, then the Universal and Hammer horror films.


Skal goes into detail about Bela Lugosi's career as Dracula on stage and film. He also digs up a lot of interesting information about the Spanish-language Dracula made simultaneously with the Bela Lugosi movie by producer Paul Kohner and cinematographer George Robinson - - who was responsible for the look of later Universal horror films like Dracula's Daughter and House of Dracula.

Kohner fell in love with and married the real star of the Spanish-language Dracula, Lupita Tovar as Eva - - the Mina Harker character - - and who could blame him. Skal calls her a "truly ingenuous ingenue." In Mexico she could barely go out in public without being mobbed.

Except for Bela Lugosi himself, almost everything about Kohner's Spanish version is better than Browning's. (That's my opinion from watching the movies, not just reading Hollywood Gothic.) Skal quotes people who worked on Tod Browning's Dracula that Browning was barely paying attention to the movie he was making.

For instance, when Dracula welcomes Jonathan Harker to his castle from the top of the staircase, in the English version a huge spider web is off to the side behind Dracula, but in the Spanish version Dracula is framed in the center of the web. We see Dracula rise from his coffin in the Spanish version where Browning just shows him suddenly standing there. (Seeing Christopher Lee rise from his coffin, or be destroyed in it, was always a high point of the Hammer movies for me.) Every night Kohner's director George Melford looked at the film Browning's crew shot during the day and improved on it for their version.

But there was (and is) something in the idea of the vampire that makes readers and audiences forgive hack storytelling.

If you haven't seen them already, you should watch the films before reading Hollywood Gothic. The Universal Legacy Collection of Dracula contains the Lugosi film, the Spanish-language version, Dracula's Daughter, and Son of Dracula. (There's more, but those are the best. Universal's release of the Legacy Collections of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man are the only good thing to come from the marketing of the movie Van Helsing.)

Hollywood Gothic has a lot of illustrations, many of which are theatrical and film ephemera from Skal's personal collection. (Yesterday I saw The Aristocrats - - Penn Gillette's documentary about the world's filthiest joke - - and one of the comedians was wearing a T-shirt with Dracula's face from the cover of the first Modern Library edition of the novel. SIDE NOTE: See The Aristocrats - - it's about how to tell a story and keep an audience hooked as much as it is about the history of blue humor.)

Reading Hollywood Gothic made me finally read Bram Stoker's novel. Because I've seen so many movies that tell the story I never read the book. While the writing style isn't great, at least it moves along, and you're introduced to Dracula right away.


I read over half of the 600-page novel The Historian - - apparently foredoomed to be a bestseller and a blockbuster movie - - and the character Dracula still hadn't made an appearance. I skimmed to the end and read the climax, but I was disappointed. When you build Dracula up as such a powerful being, it's hard to destroy him in a way that doesn't seem anticlimactic. (That's one of the reasons Kim Newman has given for why he started writing his Anno Dracula series - - if Dracula is such a terrible force, how could he be tracked down and killed so easily by an insane Dutch doctor and three upper-class twits who belong in the Drones Club with Bertie Wooster?)
And why do characters in The Historian struggle to find copies of Bram Stoker's novel at university libraries? It's been out in paperback all over the world since the early 1900s. Go to any W.H. Smith.

Filmmakers who've told the Dracula story understand something novelists sometimes don't - - Dracula shouldn't be just a menace offstage, he's the protagonist of the story. Dracula is the hero. He's the one we want to see - - and be. That's why our mothers were displeased when they caught us watching monster movies on TV when we were kids. Mom knew what we were thinking. The reason Stoker's novel works at all is because we're introduced to Dracula at the beginning, when Harker comes to Translyvania. What makes the novel disappointing is that we hardly see Dracula again after that.

But Skal reminds us that "La sangre es la vida." Dracula isn't going anywhere.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION: Check out Vampires: Los Muertos (see my review), the sequel to John Carpenter's Vampires, and an underrated movie. To me, it's a vampire movie that shows the monster as a Third World victim of globalist Van Helsings. (A rich white American woman can get the medicine she needs to stay alive (un-undead), while the brown vampire, stolen from her peasant family by a rich landowner, has only one way to get the sangre she needs. (I also like vampire movies that show how vampires might experience time differently than mortals - - Queen of the Damned also does this in an interesting way.) There's a scene of slow-motion slaughter in Los Muertos that the monstrous child in me responded to. Los Muertos also has the most sexist line I've every heard in a vampire movie, but you still identify with the female master vampire.

David J. Skal is as readable as ever is this newly revised edition of the definitive Hollywood Gothic as he covers the history of Dracula from his creation by Bram Stoker to the various and multiple version on screen and stage. The thrust of the story is, of course, on the novel and the iconic Bela Lugosi movie, with an additional nice, but smaller, chunk on Nosferatu. The author is particularly effective in combining, in an interesting fashion, the creative, financial, and legal elements. His analysis is always clear and interesting and will definitely send the reader on a viewing frenzy. Vampire movies seem always to be streaming forth from Hollywood and Dracula is and always will be the most tempting of the bunch. This book brings this fascination to life, as it were. A very good job.

In "Hollywood Gothic" David Skal tells the story of "Dracula" that came after the classic of gothic horror was published in 1897. It's a fascinating, fact-filled tale of colorful personalities, legal battles, Hollywood politics, and a culture still captivated by the King of Literary Vampires. The book's seven chapters begin with author Bram Stoker, end with the Count's recent incarnations on stage and screen, and include the most insightful analysis of "Dracula"'s origins that I have read in the course of my minor obsession with the novel.

Chapter 1 explores "Dracula"'s literary and theatrical predecessors before moving on to discussion of the intellectual and sexual climate into which the book was published in 1897, the life and elusive character of its author Bram Stoker, and how the novel was received in its own day. David Skal does an impressive job of pulling together the relevant details, from diverse perspectives, of the novel's birth.

Chapter 2 details the legal battle waged by the Bram Stoker's widow, Mrs. Florence Stoker, to suppress the first cinematic adaptation of her husband's novel, 1922's "Nosferatu", the unauthorized German production directed by F.W. Murnau, now recognized as a masterpiece of silent cinema. Chapter 3 sees Mrs, Stoker finally authorize an adaptation to British dramatist Hamilton Deane, whose wordy, plodding "Dracula" play nevertheless achieved great financial success, attracting the attention of American theatrical producer Horace Liveright. Liveright enlisted journalist John Balderston to rewrite the play for Broadway and make it a smash hit on this side of the Atlantic.

Chapter 4 moves to Hollywood for the protracted negotiations over "Dracula"'s film rights. "Dracula"'s path through the early 20th century was mined with legal battles, and it is a credit to author David Skal that he is able to make interminable and constantly mutating negotiations into absorbing drama. Chapter 5 follows the winding road to the production of the first Hollywood "Dracula", the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, which, although made cheaply and lazily, was the first horror talkie and a financial life preserver for Universal Studios. Happily, Skal has dedicated Chapter 6 to the superior Spanish language version of "Dracula" that was filmed simultaneously, on the same sets, as the English version of the 1931 film, but with a different producer, director, cinematographer, and cast.

Chapter 7 tells us what became of the principle person's associated with the two 1931 films. Then it follows the legacy of "Dracula" from the 1930s forward, through its incarnations in film, plays, musicals, ballets, and other performances. Appendix A is a list of notable stage performances of "Dracula", 1897-2003. Appendix B is a list of about 200 films, 1921-2004, which feature the "Dracula" character or name. Thankfully, there is an index.

In outlining the contents of "Hollywood Gothic", I may have made the book seem dry. But the story of "Dracula"'s continuing life in film and on stage is as lively as the novel that inspired it -and it is written a good deal better. David Skal's tireless research and engaging style never fail to impress. "Hollywood Gothic" is an absorbing literary and cinematic history that "Dracula" fans shouldn't miss.

I read this book years ago. It's good to see it's coming back into print.

Skal charts the history of Stoker's book, beginning with early drafts extant, following the tangled film history, including the legal battles over Murnau's "Nosferatu", Universal Studio's struggle to get the rights for the Lugosi pic, and everything that happened after.

It won't change your life, but its fascinating stuff. Skal's style is quick, clean, and to the point. This book is a lot of fun, giving insights into publishing, film, theater, and the audience reaction to and participation in all of those mediums. A must for all vampire buffs, film students, and those who are curious about the inner workings of popular culture.

I remember reading this book to my children a few years ago. It's a fun, imaginative book. The sparse illustrations are perfect for the tone of this book.

Harry is such a cute, lovable little character. You will fall in love with him and his horse. Highly recommended.

Also recommended: Willow King, Moon Shadow, The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley, Cowboy Ned and Andy

I'm glad to see this book is still in print. I don't have anything to add to other reviewers' details about it. I enjoyed it many years ago with my own children. I certainly recommend it.

Timeless story, heartwarming message, beautiful pictures - yeah, it's a bit outdated (Little Harry wearing his little tie while playing with his little blocks), but my 5-year-old loves it and reads it again and again and again...

My granddaughter learning to read loved this book. She's a horse lover, and has imaginary friends, so putting the two together was fun for her. She read it with help from me for only one word, horse. The rest she knew. I'm always looking for books for her to read.

This book is very helpful for beginning readers. Most of the words are on the Dolch sight word list of words which should be recognized instantly in order for reading to flow smoothly. The quiet nature of the story makes it appropriate for a bedtime story or for developing reading skills.

My daughter loved this book as a toddler when I got it from the library and she still loves at 7 yrs old. So much so that she put it on her Christmas list because she doesn't want to borrow it from the library anymore. Cute illustrations and great easy to sing additional versus to a classic song.

I love this book and my daughter does too. We have a lot of Iza Trapani books and I'm on Amazon to buy another. This is the hardest one for me to sing in places but the story is so sweet and it teaches kids about doing nice things for others. The first few times I read it, it really did bring tears to my eyes. I get tired of reading a few of the Trapani books after enough days in a row but I may never get tired of this one.

iza trapani is the best. she's got wonderful imagination. every page is beautifully painted to take little minds and hearts out of this world. my son loves and remembers all her rhyme books since he was 3.

We (my husband, my sons and myself) love this book a lot, the story is great (see the other review) and our sons love it when we sing it out. It has became our standard gift for babyshower and small kids' birthday parties, whenever we can.

We felt that this book deserve more "promotions" -- too few people heard of it. Too few bookstores have it in stock -- I could not buy as a gift if I forgot to order it ahead of time. This book deserve to be in every kid's bookshelves. This is the first time I ever write a review because 3 reviews are just too few. I am sure more would give it 5 stars if only they get access to this book.

and the best will come back to you." (Unknown)

A cute little boy wants a doggie but doesn't have enough money. He has saved some money but it isn't enough. (Oh! I wish there were more books on saving money! Kids need them.) The pet store owner shows him other pets he can afford but the boy's mind is made up. He goes home and has a lemonade stand but it rains and he catches cold and can't do anything to make money to buy that doggie in the window. In the meantime, his sister, mom and dad each have a need that he can fill with some of his money and he gladly does so without hesitation. At the end of the week, he counts the money in his piggy bank and realizes he can't afford the doggie. He accepts this (another great lesson for kids to learn--to accept when they can't have something) and goes to visit the doggie just to say, "Hello." How sweet.

Good things happen to that little boy, I think, for the rest of his life with such a kind, giving heart. Thanks, Iza for a very special story with lots of takeaway value.

Soar!

"In Grandma's Attic" is a beautiful book that our whole family enjoyed, from my 5-year-old homeschooled kindergartener all the way up to my 77-year-old parents.

Author Arleta Richardson, herself in her 80s now, recalls stories that her grandmother shared about her childhood. The grandmother grew up on a farm in Michigan around the turn of the last century, so the stories offer a nice glimpse into the past--almost doubling as a history lesson.

Arleta introduces each story with what was happening when her grandma told it to her, whether grandma was sitting down to sew, telling about something Arleta had pulled out of the attic, or entertaining Arleta as the little girl from diphtheria. Readers can learn about day-to-day life from two different periods of history at once.

What I most appreciate is the quaint honesty of the stories. Grandma even tells stories about the mischief she got into as a child! Arleta manages to show that childhood is still childhood, no matter the time period.

We used this book as a read-aloud during school times and at bedtime. I'd say a child with about a third-grade reading level could read it alone. Each of its 23 chapters is short, with about 5 or so pages each. Each chapter tells a different story.

The book has five nice, black-and-white illustrations. It even feels good in the hand, with a nice linen cardstock cover and standard novel size.

If you enjoy the Little House on the Prairie series, you'll enjoy this book. Some of the stories end with a Christian message, such as how prayer brought grandpa a new pair of shoes. All emphasize values, though not at all in a preachy way.

Like grandma from the book, I also grew up on a farm in Michigan, but I think anyone would love these stories.

We read this as part of the Sonlight Core C (kindergarten) homeschool curriculum. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

"In Grandma's Attic" is one of the best character-building books I have come across. These humorous short stories convey history, family life, and lessons learned in such a delightful way. Reminds me of the "Little House" books, but with a greater spiritual emphasis. So glad we were introduced to this series through "Five in a Row" by Jane Claire Lambert, who recommends it be read in conjunction with "The Rag Coat" by Lauren Mills.

What I liked the most about this book was that this girls grandmother told a lot of stories in this one book. It was REALLY good and I liked all the stories. I learned never to put your tounge on metal when it is winter and never touch guns and lots of other great lessons. I would like all of my friends to read this book. I am sure they would love it just like I loved it.
by: Jordan age 7

We read and reread these books to our sons when they were small. Then they read - and reread - them for themselves. Our family laughed a lot over the adventures and misadventures of Mabel and Sara Jane, two delightfully irrepressible little girls who, with the best of intentions, managed to get into all sorts of trouble. Our boys grew up watching Mabel and Sara Jane grow up. These true stories offer a rare and endearing view of childhood as it ought to be and of godliness cultivated through wisdom and love.

The entire Grandma's Attic Series, and this first book in particular, is one of the most beloved book series of my childhood. I haven't read them in years, but I still can recall most of the stories from each book.

When I was very young, my mother read them to me before I went to sleep. As I got older (6 or 7), I began reading them on my own. The stories were short enough that storytime before bed didn't drag on into the night, and they were also funny and well written. Morals were present in each story (the importance of truthfulness and the value of hardwork being two recurring themes, as I recall), but they weren't preachy or heavy-handed.

I haven't read the books in over a decade, but they left such a lasting impression on me that I have kept a set of the books in my library to read to children who visit. They've been a big hit so far with all the children I've read the stories to.

Interesting collection of short stories. All have themes of progress, industry, and modernization, but in unexpected ways. Well written, but can be slightly overinclusive and disjointed. However, it's well worth reading.

Stewart O'Nan is right to compare Arvin's collection to the early work of TC Boyle. There is a searching intelligence behind these stories and a real concern for how progress effects people. I particularly enjoyed the title story and Commemorating. Take Your Child to Work is heartbreaking. Telescope might be the coolest short-short I've read in years.

Stewart O'Nan is right to compare Arvin's collection to the early work of TC Boyle. There is a searching intelligence behind these stories and a real concern for how progress effects people. I particularly enjoyed the title story and Commemorating. Take Your Child to Work is heartbreaking. Telescope might be the coolest short-short I've read in years.

I normally don't write reviews, but Mr. Arvin's book of stories really struck a nerve for me. His stories, although sometimes a little dark, are unforgettable. His ability to blend historical facts with strange details makes you believe that these stories actually happened. I laughed out loud when I read "Two Thousand Germans in Frankenmuth"....

I teach short-story writing, and I've had my students read this book because it shows that there is still a way to "make it new" in the story form. Arvin's stories, all of them, have nice surprises in form or content. He is not satisfied with cliches or overused word or character packages. His historical pieces don't smack of research, but present a complex world with compelling characters. The stories are not of interest to solely writers; they're compelling to anyone who cares about the human heart. I look forward to reading his novel, Articles of War, which I've heard is coming out from Doubleday in January 2005.

This book is fabulous. I grew up watching these stories come to like on the Jim Henson Hour, and I love having these stories at my finger tips. The stories are very intersting and original. The art work in the book is also fabulous!! They match the television portrail of story exactly. I am so glad that I am able to read and share these stories with my friends and family!

The television series was one of the best things ever to be shown on TV, but it's more than worthwhile to pick up this book just to be able to focus on Anthony Minghella's (yep, he of "The English Patient") way with words. Minghella doesn't just write good narration, he writes good, old-fashioned *story-telling* Like, say, Kipling's "Just-So Stories," Minghella's "The Storyteller" captures the language of the very best tale tellers.

Many years ago my family sat around the television, wide eyed and filled with magic; we were watching the Jim Henson Storyteller series. We waited and waited for it to reappear one day- to no avail. But FINALLY, a book! To be able to relive the "hugs and snoodles" of Hans My Hedghog, the stone soup tale of a "Story Short"- all of it beautifully, and creatively written, with illustrations to match- will take you back to your childhood. I find it hard to believe this has yet to be discovered. Don't miss the videos that are now out, at long last!

Perfection is the TV series that preceded this book. Of course, I must gloat and say that I knew all those many years ago that Anthony Minghella was the most exquisite writer I had ever heard/read. His words coupled with the genius of Jim Henson and company made for the best (no exaggeration) thing ever to be broadcast on television. To be able to read the words from these shows and have them readily available on your bookshelf is heaven. I've been recommending the TV series and this book for years. I still recommend it today.

Just so you know, all 9 episodes of The Storyteller are now out on a single DVD - something many of us have been waiting for for years. This book is, I think, the original screenplay of Jim Henson's Storyteller series because it follows *very* closely to the stories and dialogue seen on TV. The illustrations are also taken from the show and are very nice. The written word is different from television, however, and these stories take on a different light often in one versus the other, and there are some expansions here that didn't make the final editing cuts.

My kid and I love "The Storyteller" series, and this book is a pleasant addition for bedtime reading.