Queen The Books

This is just the cutest book that I've had to read to my daughter at least 3 times a day! We love the style of writing that's teamed with precious illustrations. I also like the extended use of vocabulary throughout the story. A favorite!

A tale told in clever rhyme that lots of fun (especially to read aloud.) But as much as I enjoyed the tale of an incredibly hard-to-please queen, it's the collage of ingenious illustrations that make me giggle. This is the kind of book you read to your kids, then pour over the illustrations after thay have gone to bed! A wonderful book....I can't wait for more.

Based on exhaustive research of Biblical literature, this book expands the legend of the romance between King David and Batsheva. The second half of the book introduces us to Queen Berenice in her historical setting involving the Roman Emperors, Vespasian and Titus. The broad aspects of the story expose us to the complexities of Imperial might as mirrored by this last queen of Israel and her involvement with the mighty rule of Rome. The setting has both historical validity and romantic expanse. It is both gripping and tragic.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. The plot's structure is inspired by the Biblical Story of the great King David and by tales of the provacative Queen Berenice, the last Queen of Israel. It sizzles with romance and the passions of these great, but tragically flawed rulers. Believe me, these are not the stories you were taught in Sunday School. (Panush never crosses any lines of propriety,however.) This book brings the ancient world alive. If you are a fan of historical fiction and enjoy reading some my favorite authors of historical fiction, such as James Mitchner, Pearl S. Buck, and Howard Fast, this is a book for you. I would also recommend this novel to book clubs, because it easily lends itself to stimulating discussions.

This early chapter book was just right for my daughter (8 yrs). I read it after she did, because she told me it was great and I wanted see what kind of books she liked. It was cute. I especially enjoyed the kid giving himself a "cootie shot" and Ivy's creative book report ideas. The kids' relationships and the school stuff was funny and realistic. My daughter and I recommend this book.

As a child, I avoided all forms of public speaking like the plague. For me: Oral book report day = do your best to get out of it day. Consequently, I grew up to be one of those adults who's afraid of public speaking. Public speaking is often cited by adults as their number one fear. This book is amusing, but it also gives subtle hints about how to speak in public. My daughter kept coming to tell me something funny that just happened in this book as she read it, and she and her friend nicknamed themselves Ivy and Holly after the main characters. But I think she absorbed the message about how to speak in front of a group as well.

Until very recently, I had associated "conservatism" solely with "neoconservatism", a line of thought espoused by the likes of National Review and The Weekly Standard. I generally preface "neoconservatism" with adjectives such as "pernicious", but the purpose of this review is not to bash neoconservatism, but rather to point out how the modern notion of "conservatism" differs from its historical precedent. Self-styled "conservatives", as well as lefties who can't see past the likes of Hannity and Goldberg, would benefit from reading John Hinde's "Jacob Burckhardt and the Crisis of Modernity".

Jacob Burckhardt is mostly known as an art historian (his The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance in Italy is considered a seminal work) although his historical expertise extended far beyond the realm of art (he also wrote books such as The Age of Constantine the Great and The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy.) Less known are his political writings. The title of this book is a bit misleading: I was expecting something similar to Spengler's Decline of the West, but Burckhardt's critique of modernity is only a small part of this book.

Much of the book is dedicated to showing the unique historical circumstances that affected Burckhardt's thought: the rise of nationalism, industrialism, mass culture, historicism, and the deep-rooted iconoclasm present Burckhardt's home town of Basel, Switzerland. Three concepts are key to Burckhardt's thought: Bildung, Kultur, and Amtsethos. These loosely translate to "general cultivation" (the pursuit of inner knowledge and development of self in the spiritual sense), "culture", and "sense of ethic or duty". Of these three, Bildung is perhaps the most important: to Burckhardt, the pursuit of inner knowledge and self-mastery represented the highest and best of the human spirit.

While Burckhardt held civic duty in high esteem, he had little but disdain for modern forms of "patriotism": during the "Basel Unification Festival" in 1892, Burckhardt wrote that it was "senseless" and that he will be "completely satisfied only if the whole pathetic fraud passes without incident." (p. 131-132). Burckhardt thought such crass displays of "patriotism" were little more than "food for the masses": historian David Gross states that Burckhardt viewed such events as "the sort of culture - perhaps kitsch is a better word - [that] was manufactured for the majority.. designed merely to titillate, not to elevate. It was a pseudo-culture without soul and led to what Burckhardt called `universal falsification'." (p. 132).

Burckhardt articulates a common concern among intellectuals at this period in his distrust of both the degenerate aristocracy and Mass Man: Burckhardt held both Bismarck's demagoguery and democracy in equal disdain. Hinde writes that "[Burckhardt] worried about the rise of mass democracy, which, he believed, would lead to socialism and the despotism of the masses... to his way of thinking, the triumph of democracy in 1874 in Basel was just the first step towards the despotism of the masses, and possibly, the destruction of cultural life through the leveling effect of mass opinion and mass culture." (p. 129-130)

Despite his resentment of the "universal leveling" caused by mass culture and democracy, Burckhardt had no illusions about being able to return to a prior era, as change was inevitable. Rather, he stated that we should be suspicious of notions of "universal progress", and not confuse material progress with moral and spiritual progress. Hinde writes that "The meliorist vision of society offered by liberal philosophy was nothing less than self-deception or delusion... it was a sign of spiritual or intellectual bankruptcy, of the triumph of a crude, destructive materialism." (p. 116) In a particularly witty passage that even foreshadows some contemporary environmental concerns, Burckhardt wrote that "We resist illusions - first of all, the illusion that humanity had been eager and longing, in the highest degree, to get out of the Middle Ages... in a large view, the Middle Ages may have been a time of salutory delay. If it had exploited the earth's surface as we are doing, we would perhaps not be around at all. (Would that be a loss?)" (p. 116) The idea of the modern age as one of "moral progress" was "supremely ridiculous" to Burckhardt: neither spirit nor brain has "demonstrably developed in historical times". How far removed is this from the spirit of neoconservatism, which would have us impose our "morally superior" consumer society on the rest of the world through force?

Burckhardt's believed that modern scientific principles were insufficient for explaining history. History was more "poetry" than "science", and Burckhardt held those who viewed history as a mere collection of political dates and names with disdain; this was especially true in art history. "Art, with the exception of poetry, is the spirit which does not talk, but builds... it is the unspoken as such, that which consequently lives in forms and tones because it is not able to live in words." (p. 235). Art communicates through "mysterious vibrations which are communicated to the soul. What these vibrations release is no longer individual or temporal but immortal and of symbolic significance." (p. 235). In his historical work, Burckhardt always strove to uncover the "eternal" and not to fall sway to the prejudices of his time.

While his views on modernity were pessimistic, Burckhardt believed that "...a new existence, built on old and new foundations, will arise out of the storm... our destiny is to help rebuild after the crisis is past." (p. 200). While Burckhardt became disenchanted with Christianity at an early age, he nevertheless retained a highly spiritual outlook: despite the corruption inherent in the world, individuals of excellence can nevertheless strive for self-mastery (Bildung) by adhering to timeless spiritual principles. Hinde writes that Burckhardt sought to preserve a "'spiritual continuum', demystify the crisis of modernity, rehabilitate the past, and to secure future cultural renewal... he and his audience had to be active participants in the reconstruction of historical meaning." (p. 201).

In close, this book is highly recommended to all serious students of philosophy or political history.

This book is meant to be read slowly and inwardly digested. But it will stimulate the mind of anyone who is seriously interested in the fate of history and art in the modern world. Jacob Burckhardt, the great Swiss historian of the Renaissance, is one of nineteenth-century Europe's most perceptive and prophetic conservative cultural critics. Professor Hinde offers us the first scholarly book-length study in English of a key theme in Burckhardt's work.

For Burckhardt, history is a product of our creative imagination, poetry rather than science. Artistic intuition directs every step in our historical thinking, sorting out facts and interpreting those aspects of the past that appear significant to us.

The purpose of history, as of art in general, is to cultivate the human spirit and yield a universally valid wisdom. Burckhardt contends that state support for art threatens its integrity. For the state requires art to serve economic, social and political needs that often clash with those of the individual person. Burckhardt also anticipates and fears the growth of a mass, unsophisticated cultural market that would commercialize and commodify art.

Even those readers who find themselves in disagreement with Burckhardt will find his arguments to be original and thought-provoking. Hinde is a trustworthy, fair-minded guide.

James Mason's sister-in-law, Diana De Rosso, was related to this great actor by virtue of the fact that she was half sister to his first wife, Pamela. It's a sympathetic accounting of his life and relationships - far more so that Sheridan Morley's "Odd Man Out." His train-wreck of a marriage to Pam is the focal point of a good deal of the book, and when the divorce finally comes, it's extremely painful and costly to James. As a fan of his, reading this book just increased my frustration with his career choices as I feel he could have done lots more interesting film work had he been better managed or been more realistic about film making in the US. There are a few more juicy personal tidbits, but the man seemed to be basically unknowable. I wish she had gone into more detail about how he prepared himself for some of his more stellar roles. (Her telling of James practicing "counting money" for his role in Five Fingers gave me a chuckle since I had always marvelled at how he could look like he was accurately counting his bills while simultaneously holding a conversation.) This book is an absolute must if you are a fan.

This is an excellent effort at examining the life of the mellifluous-voiced British actor, James Mason. The book is paced well and there is a fair amount of information on his early personal life, especially regarding his unusual first marriage to the ascerbic Pamela Mason. Diana De Rosso undoubtedly knew Mason very well, which was a difficult thing to do, considering he was a remote and rather shy man.

The highlights of the book are the chapters on first wife Pamela. Though Pamela Mason was a loud-mouthed and shrewish adulteress, she was also extremely witty and interesting in her own right. Anyone who recalls her appearences on L.A. TV shows from the 60's and 70's will still chuckle at her endless tirades, usually ending with the predictable sentence, "James was so dull."

This book actually provides convincing evidence that James *was* rather boring. Mason comes off as depressed, rigid, indecisive and inordinately unhappy. at least until he meets Clarissa, his second wife. He makes many poor choices and instead of getting over them and getting on with his life, he broods about the negative consequences of his actions. For example, he moves to Hollywood and instantly detests California and American life, yet he inexplicably continues to live in the States for another 15 years.

It is never explained why James stayed with Pamela for so many years, even when he was miserable in her presence and unhappy living in America. When he finally does divorce her, he ends up shilling out millions in alimony and making a succession of wretched movies in order to pay off Pamela.

Ultimately, the real tragedy is that a man as intelligent, urbane and handsome as James Mason (not to mention his stupendous voice!) handled his career in such a haphazard way. He was a marvelous screen actor, but wasted his talent in many potboilers. This book doesn't really explain these poor choices and doesn't reveal enough about Mason's inner life, probably because he was so unknowable. The chapters on his waning years and death were excellent, however. Because I love James Mason, I'll give this five stars, my bias showing outrageously.

I borrowed the book from a friend and once I started reading the book I couldn't put it down.It's a very colorful book with characters and places that jump out at you.The plot is funny and suspenseful and as my children said when I read it to them kickin.Our most favorite character was the witch she gave you a different perspective on what a witch should be like.My children and myself enjoyed this book immensely so much in fact I'm reading it to my children again.

Reading this book made me happy, and it made me sad. Many life lessons presented with humor, understanding, and an array of results and consequences. Instructive and enlightening for the inquiring spirits and minds of children and adults.

This is a great book. It should be a model of how historians approach the period. It is full of insightful detail such a quotes, vignettes and illustrations that illustrate Parr's life and her impact on society. The book is wonderful in striking a balance between the author's reflections on Parr's life, framing the historical times to give context and historical detail to support her conclusions.

So many books on the women of the English Renaissance seem to be written by little old ladies in Tropesshire, who rattle on about Virgin Queens, duty and stiff upper lips, that sort of tripe. The "see no evil, hear no evil, write no evil" school of history. Susan James's book is a refreshing departure from all that. I can only hope she takes on Elizabeth I as a subject after this book. A really modern, complete book on Elizabeth that has some semblance to historical reality has yet to be printed.

One, small detail, Susan James believe that Parr's daughter, Mary Seymour died before the age of two. She did not. She was placed in the home of another noble family. If she emails me, pfstreitz@aol.com, I'll tell her where Mary went.

This book has everything in it, from pillage and mayhem, royal murders, romance, sex and violence. And besides that, you're learning information never before published about the Tudor royal family. I thought Kateryn Parr was just a weepy widow who married a king and instead she turns out to be Scarlett O'Hara. What a surprise! A strong and well-presented book. Totally fascinating!

Keeper Martin's Guide to the Fantastical Beasts and Faerie Peoples of Ruin Mist is one of several companion books featuring Robert Stanek's fantasy world. This is a full size 92-page book (8 1/2" x 11") done in color from watercolor paintings. It is beautifully put together with many 2-page spreads and accompanied by notes from Keeper Martin. Any fantasy fan will enjoy this book.

I love this book! Keeper Martin's Guide to the Fantastical Beasts and Faerie Peoples of Ruin Mist is a companion book for readers of Robert Stanek's Ruin Mist books: The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches, In the Service of Dragons, and Ruin Mist Chronicles.

I fell in love with Ruin Mist when I first purchased The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches back in 2002. It's a real joy to see the attention to detail in this creature guide. This book has big, wonderful illustrations in full color and is a great companion to the books. The creativity is amazing and I had a blast looking through each page, savoring all the wonderful paintings.

I can look through it over and over again and never get tired of the beautiful illustrations. The letters and notes from Keeper Martin scattered throughout the book are brilliant.

Kudos, and masterfully done! This is a real treasure!

For anyone who is a steamboat and/or history buff, this is a must book to read. Very clearly written and thoroughly descriptive of these 2 boats from their construction until 1999. Wonderful pictures! An interesting update should be written about the Queen's latest brush with going into oblivion in 2001. This is a part of our American heritage that all too few people know about. If I hasn't already been acquainted with the DQ after reading Mr. Garvey's book, I would have immediatly booked a cruise to find out what it's all about - once aboard that boat, a person becomes hooked on riverboat cruising. Next goal if to visit the DK in Sacramento! GREAT BOOK!!

Author Garvey takes us back in time, initially allowing us in on the construction of two steam powered stern-wheelers built in 1927 in Stockton, California. These craft plied the Sacramento River between San Francisco and the state capital from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. Both - however - served (in grey paint) during World War II

Garvey takes particular care in tracking the various machinations which leave the "Delta Queen" still steaming today on the Mississippi River. By means of the same careful process, Garvey indicates that the "Delta King" is tied up sans boilers or engines pierside right in the middle of Old Sacramento.....as a floating hotel and restaurant.

Commentary, photographs and interviews from the bygone days when these two ships carried passengers (and their automobiles) plus cargo in elegant style are reflected in this charming book which points to a differing pace of life. Included are such variables as fog, change of ownership, schedules, emergencies, piracy, lawsuits and the community leadership which befell this pair of 285-foot, circa 1850-ton displacement vessels.

I was on vacation when I checked this wonderful book out from the California State Library. The book took four delicious days to read and - to an admitted history buff - become touched by the sensitive and insightful look at the way it was on the Sacramento River - steaming at 8 to 10 knots - during 1927 to 1940.

This book examines the 1895 trip of Batswana Chiefs Khama, Sebele and Bathoen to London to negotiate a deal with Minister of Colonial Affairs Joe Chamberlain that would secure their land against seizure attempts by Cecil Rhodes. It relies primarily on archival sources including correspondence, diaries, papers and newspaper clippings and, to a lesser degree, on oral histories. Once the chiefs arrive in London, the book is organized by day and the author provides copious information about that day whether it is significant or simply a matter of who stayed in bed or who purchased souvenirs. At times, it seems that the main narrative will be overwhelmed by minutiae. Yet, Parsons does a brilliant job of showing how the chiefs and London Missionary Society administrator Willoughby used the temperance issue and the Non-Conformist sensibility in general to build a more sympathetic case for their position. He also demonstrates well how the journalism of the times seemed to drive much of the context and sometimes the actual negotiations.

This book will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in turn-of-the-century Southern Africa or for that matter Britain due to the many excerpts from archival sources. Parson's style is quite accessible to the lay-reader with little previous background in the subject though I would recommend he or she read the last chapter first for a framework. It is particularly important for scholars of the region and of Botswana. It addresses one of the central controversies of Botswana history, i.e., whether Botswana's non-absorption into Rhodesia was the result of the chiefs' visit or the failed Jameson raid. (Parson's comes down in favor of the former.) More generally, it is a revealing look at the agency of African colonial elites.

This book does an excellent job of telling the tale of the visit of three great African kings to England in the late 1890s. Provides an accurate portrayal of King Khama and his interaction with Joe Chamberlain and Cecil Rhodes. An excellent, factual, entertaining story of successful African resistance.