France Books

A wonderful book, with beautiful and inspiring pictures. Always a pleasure to go back again and again at its pages.

Gardens are meant to be paradise on earth. The idea of paradise as a garden has a long history, even before the Garden of Eden was presented in the Bible. What the paradise looks like, there is hardly specific description. The description of the Garden of Eden was not very specific either, yet it gave the garden designer some ideas.

In every culture, garden designers seek paradise through their own creative ways. Penelope Hobhouse, one of the most talented garden writers of our time, started her tour of paradise on earth in Asia: the serene naturalistic gardens and symbolism in China, and the Zen gardens and tea gardens in Japan. She then took us to continental Europe: the hilly regions of Italy where lavish gardens are balanced with the use of axes and symmetry, and gardens in Germany, Netherlands and Russia, as well as the climax of formal gardens, the French gardens.

Penelope Hobhouse's next stop is England. She discussed in detail the naturalistic Landscape Gardens, the Cottage-style Gardens, and the Eclectic Gardens. She also explored Mediterranean gardens and gardens in America: European influences and naturalistic gardens.

Last but not least, Penelope Hobhouse discuss today's gardens: water in gardens, gardens and nature, selecting right plants for right sites, reclaiming and revitalizing, and roof gardens, etc.

To Penelope, an ideal garden is "at the balance point between human control and untamed nature."

"Great Gardens of the World: In Search of Paradise" has 240 pages and many beautiful interior color photos. It is a fine garden book that every garden lovers should have.

The ideal garden we are given to understand is a paradise - "a haven of comfort, abundance, and beauty." Many of us try to achieve that paradigm in our own way, as have countless others before us. Now gathered in one gorgeous volume are the results of those endeavors gleaned from diverse cultures and climes.

We begin our armchair tour with "Gardens Through the Centuries," a journey covering four thousand years beginning with the earliest gardens alive in the deserts of the Middle East. The first Mughal Emperor Babur (1483 - 1530) had a number of gardens including the Garden of Fidelity which was divided into four parts with a central pool.

Of course, the gardens designed in China and Japan expressed a respect for nature, evidenced in vast areas where the placement of each stone had meaning. Places for contemplation, stroll and moss gardens were found in Japan.

For this reader what can compare with the gardens of Italy? Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli boasts open porticoes, enclosed atriums, fountains, basins, statuary. It is a wonder. La Mortola on the Italian Riviera is a place for dreaming with a steep slope to the sea rich in agaves, aloes, white roses, salvias and citrus trees. A virtual Eden on earth.

Ms. Hobhouse continues our tour with a look at modern garden design as represented by such designers as Roberto Burle Marx, Fernando Caruncho, and Beth Chatto.

"In Search of Paradise" holds 240 pages and 200 illustrations all in glorious color contributed by the world's foremost garden photographers.

The is a volume to be savored and returned to again and again.

- Gail Cooke

Don't miss this one. Cover price is $75 and worth every penny. Now available on the Amazon Marketplace for just a few dollars. All of Van Gogh's best work with hundreds of full-color plates.

This is a very useful book. If you are interested only in the reproductions (good drawings as well as paintings), you will enjoy their high quality--and the breadth of Vincent's work that they cover. If you are interested in primary resources about van Gogh's life--newspaper articles; letters and reminiscences from friends, fellow artists, relatives--this volume is a real treasure. Between the excellent reproductions and the extraordinarily fine collection of biographical materials, this must be the best one-volume source on van Gogh. A great shame that it is out of print. Get one NOW!

This book is a georgeous table top or reference work , with comprehensive plate coverage and great colour resolution. What a shame it's out of print all ready!

This book would be an interesting read by anyone interested in history, Paris, public health, disease, medicine, waste disposal, hygiene, sanitation, etc. It tells how things went from bad to worse, in 1880 when there was a garbage and sewage crisis in Paris.

In late summer of 1880 odors began drenching Paris from its sewers, and residents feared an epidemic would follow. Fifteen years later another Great Stink occurred - this time with little fear of resulting disease. Historian Barnes considers the evolving science of public health in Paris between the 1880s and 1890s, blending history, culture, science and medicine with a review of how public health policies changed during the era. A work of impeccable scholarship, The Great Stink of Paris and The 19th Century Struggle Against Filth and Germs is highly recommended and informative reading for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of modern medicine, as well as 19th century French history.

During a recent trip to China in 2001, I passed fields fertilized with human waste, and saw toilets which were made by laying wooden planks across a small stream of water. In other words, the problems of human stink and poor sanitation are not only of historical interest, circa Paris 1880. In this book, the author gives a ripe account of the public outcry when the Odor of Paris turned from an almost-amusing bother to a public health emergency. He traces the change in belief about the health dangers of stink, weaving sociology and the history of science together, and gluing it firmly with an authoritative and believable re-telling of the ups and downs of local French government as it tried to serve the public, incorporate the recent discoveries of Pasteur, and educate the public in the basics of sanitation. Intended for scholars rather than the masses, this book contains a well-researched, thoughtful and complete record, which is surprisingly warm and lively, of this period in human olfactory history.

Reading Proust's "In Search of Lost Time is like listening to Wagner's Ring in several ways. Both works are pinnacles of artistic creation, very long, entrancingly beautiful, and make overwhelming demands on the attention of the audience. Amazon's sales ranks display something of the difficulty. "Swan's Way," the first and most popular of Proust's six volumes (as of 4/18/2008) ranks 6,586; the second, "Young Girls in Flower," ranks 40,389; and the third, "Guermantes Way," ranks 62,649. The numbers soar into the stratosphere for the remaining three volumes.

The sustained cognitive effort needed to read Proust (or listen to Wagner) quickly overcomes good intentions. The difficulty is not that the books are long. Many contemporary best sellers are themselves weighty tomes. For Proust character and setting take precedence over action. Sentences and paragraphs are long, convoluted, and like many Wagnerian melodies, go on forever. However, as with all great literature, each element of the text is essential. If skimmed, the meaning is elusive. Slowly digested, the words unfold into ideas of great originality, wit, and amazing beauty.

Reading the series is worth the effort. The books describe the development of an increasingly sophisticated person. "Swan's Way" revolves around a young boy's attachment to his mother and a flirtatious playmate. "Young Girl's in Flower" describes the awkward yearnings of an adolescent for a pretty girl. "Guermantes Way" dwells on a young man's infatuation for a society doyenne, Mme de Guermantes, who rules the exclusive Fauberg St. Germain. "Guermantes Way" is both a guide for climbing into fashionable society, and a cautionary tale of inevitable disappointment.

Social deities project a glittering irresistible allure in the mind of an aspirant. However, having made the ascent via a path of rigid conformity, once actually in an exclusive salon, at an elegant soiree, or at a stylish dinner party, these luminaries unmask themselves as not much different from the middle class citizens they disdain, not more intelligent, more sensitive, or more interesting. Aristocracy is distinguished only by its wealth, exclusivity, and generations of inbreeding. Proust's luscious satire of the Fauberg St. Germain at the opera, and their trite opinions about Wagner, demonstrates no less. Here, as elsewhere in "Lost Time," an eagerly desired liaison rests on delusion and fails to produce imagined happiness.

I've come to Proust quite late. I tried to read Remembrances many years ago but couldn't get my head around the extended sentences liberally convoluted with parenthesis. Recently I took another plunge and a different approach. I realized that to read Proust is a consuming commitment. The reader has to relinquish the comfort of the customary literary narrative. If you do this then the world of Proust will first entice you then become an obsessive pleasure into which you will eagerly immerse yourself.

Having said this now comes the question of which translation to read. I've read the first English translation by C.K. Scott Moncrieff published by Random House in 1927. I've also read the new Penguin translation of The Guermantes Way by Mark Treharne. The Penguin translations are "easier" to read and cater more to a 21st century sensibility. To my mind the restructuring of sentences at times, unfortunately, sacrifice the poetics of Proust's language in favor of adherence to modern grammatical convention. Montcrieff also had the advantage of doing his translation closer to the time in which Proust actually lived and worked; the flavor of this early translation feels more "authentic" and contemporaneous with the period. An example: The first sentence in Montcrieff's The Germantes Way reads: "The twittering of the birds at daybreak..." Treharne's reads: "The early-morning twitter of the birds..." Does this matter? It's your call.

Read the Penguins if this gets you into Proust. But don't discount earlier translations. Just read Proust...you'll be happy you did!

If I had to send a single book to space martians, it would probably be Anna Karenina, the most concise powerhouse ever written. But as for sheer reading experience and linguistic ability, Proust is the grandmaster. In Search of Lost Time is the most staggering human achievement ever produced. Many of his famously long sentences contain more beauty than most people's complete bodies of literary work. I marvel that a human being was able to so beautifully and succinctly articulate, by using himself, the whole human experience. Proust's only rival in terms of felicity of language is Charles Dickens, but the former's subject matter is inarguably just so much more sophisticated than the latter's. I wish I could speak French just to read this masterpiece in its original language. I don't know if this translation is particularly better or worse, I just know the voice that comes through is unmistakably Proust's, and that's plenty. I am thrilled that I still have four volumes left to read, but I'm also greatly discouraged that no one else is reading them with me. Each time I tell people that I'm reading Proust, they either think I'm kidding or say, "you must be the only person in America to be doing that." Knowing that a piece of art like this is perennialy ignored in the museum while the line goes out the door for Thomas Kincaide's sugar packets is enough to make you want to hang yourself.

brilliantly researched and exquisitely written - one of the more readable and enjoyable academic texts i've ever had the pleasure to devour! a necessary tome for anyone mesmerized by the times, be you a serious scholar, a history-phile, or someone looking for an intelligent and very readable great book...!

As the now definitive scholarly work on Buibert of Nogent, Rubenstein's delightful insight into Nogent's life is a well-written and thoroughly researched book that deserves a place on any scholar's bookshelf.

An impressive work of erudition. Rubenstein has written the definitive work on Guibert of Nogent. I would recommend this work to specialists and non-specialists alike.

I found this book in the library. I gave it to my mom to read. My mom is sacard of horses when i gave her this book to read a week later when she came to pick me up from horseback riding lessons she helped me wash the horse! THIS IS A GUIDE FOR THE PARENTS OF HORSE CRAZY KIDS!!!

I am not a parent, but a horse crazy adult, and I found this to be one of the most practical, informative, and entertaining books on horse ownership and all that goes with it that I have ever read. It is a crying shame it has gone out of print, as this book belongs on the bookshelves of anyone who is contemplating first time horse ownership, be it for their child or themselves. FIVE STARS!!!!!

Most informative book I have seen on horses and in every day language, peppered with entertaining real life stories & examples. Great for the parent who knows nothing. I now feel like an expert. THIS BOOK SHOULD NOT BE OUT OF PRINT!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS WONDERFUL.

When Jim Yoder, a waist gunner aboard a B-26 during World War II, accidentally tumbles out of his plane and parachutes into Nazi Germany, he quickly realizes the gravity of his situation. Though fluent in French, he doesn't know German, so how will he communicate? Worse, he doesn't have any money or even a weapon to protect himself. Trapped in a German cell and realizing he'll need a miracle to survive and escape, he turns to the God he rejected after his mother's untimely death and begins a suspenseful and adventure-filled trek across enemy territory.

After his initial escape, which is amazing in itself, Jim begins a cross-country journey not for the fainthearted. Wearing a German soldier's uniform, he avoids roads, sleeps in barns, and catches rides on empty train boxcars. He stumbles across Jews hiding in the woods and crosses paths with both friends and foes. All the while, he wonders if he'll ever escape and fondly remembers life back in Indiana and a certain young lady who captured his fancy. A new worry surfaces: will Margo wait for him or date other Christian men (and perhaps get married) before he returns to the United States? This anxiety makes his escape even more urgent. It also compels him to depend more on God to keep him safe and to show him the way home.

I especially like how Barry wove in a clear picture of God-dependence throughout Jim's journey. Add to that a suspenseful, action-packed, and meticulously researched tale that never lags in pace or tension, and Gunner's Run is a powerful Christian novel not to be missed. I was intrigued when the plot progressed from tense and sometimes humorous episodic predicaments to Jim's sobering discovery that the Gestapo is hot on his trail. This ratcheting up of tension and suspense kept the pages turning as I wondered how Jim was going to escape, especially when his situation only becomes more dire. Don't miss this action-packed story of faith and survival.

Set during World War II, Gunner's Run is a novel for Christian young adults following nineteen-year-old Jim Yoder. The call of duty takes Jim far away from his home, his nation, and his attractive friend Margo, thrusting him into mortal peril in Nazi Europe. To survive, Jim must learn to trust the God that he used to disbelieve. Rife with historical detail, Gunner's Run brings both history and faith alive and is especially recommended for church reading lists for young members.

Great story, lots of suspense and I feel it would make a great movie. Sharing it with my friends, so far...they love it too!

Excellent book for anyone who wants to receive and keep a healing touch for the Lord!

My parents and I "team teach" a healing and wellness course, "Healing and Health, God's Way" at a Bible College, using "Handbook for Healing", as one of the textbooks for the healing portion of our class teaching. "Handbook for Healing" gives solid, Biblical principles on healing, with practical tips from the Hunters gleaned through their many years of ministry. Among its many strengths, the book teaches effective ways to minister to various regions of the spine, and easy-to-comprehend diagrams of the spine are provided as a learning tool to facilitate this important training. Frances Hunter has emphasized that the more you know about the spine, the more effective you will be in ministering healing in Jesus' name, because so many ailments have their root cause in spinal problems. The appendix of the book features step-by-step "how-to's" for ministering healing for specific physical problems. "Handbook for healing" is an outstanding companion to the Hunter's classic, "How to Heal the Sick", and it is highly recommended the two be purchased, read and put to use together. The beauty about the Hunter's teachings is that they are effective because they are Biblically-based, yet are very practical and simple, being DUPLICATABLE so practically any believer in Christ can learn how to heal the sick in the name of Jesus.

Brian Tada
[...]

I am currently involved in a healing/prayer ministry at my local church. We, as lay people and leaders, are learning to be equipped with tools needed, whether it be conferences, books, hands-on healing, etc. to do the work that Jesus did. This book is real handy to carry everywhere I go because it is compact and concise and used as a "quick reference". I will surely recommend this book to others in this healing ministry that I'm involved in. Thank you Hunters!

Through this amazing memior, the reader gets a rare insight into the true nature of the mysterious Henry Miller. While most of his books are autobiographical, it's hard to separate fact from fiction. Henry Miller is a much more interesting and complex person than he portrays himself in his books. I highly recommend this book to any fans of Henry Miller as well as anyone who wants to better understand the infamous author of Tropic of Cancer.

This book is a must-read for Henry Miller devotees who want to understand the genesis of this great writer. Written by his close friend Brassai a fascinating story is told about Miller's down and out days in Paris during the 1930's and how his vision of writing developed. It is replete with personal anecdotes about Miller's views of Paris, his hatred (ambivalent as it was) of his homeland and his relations with the women in his life. It more than anything shows Miller as the writer refusing to sell-out by having the essence of his writing edited away by the censorius literary status quo of his day.

Although Miller's books are largely autobiographical, it is sometimes difficult to discern "Henry Miller" from "Henry Miller's world". In reading this book by Brassai, we learn some of the methods Miller used to construct his world-- thus providing a deeper understanding of the man. While this book is by no means exhaustive, it does provide a glimpse into the man. There are numerous descriptions of Henry Miller available, but to get an insider's view, it is essential to read this book written by a man who knew Miller as well as any person can know another.

A very powerful and exquisite book. I recommend this book to all middle school educators. It would do well on a summer reading list. The book is moving and empowering. The hidden children are often an overlooked part of high school Holocaust studies. This book speaks volumes about human nature, from the couple who took him in, a Hidden Jewish child, to exploit a slave like labor, to the people who really helped him survive. Isaac Millman's description of the changes in his life from the perspective of the child that he was during the is moving and informative. This is a courageous book. I recommend it to All.

Also, the artwork is stellar. Very moving on so many levels.

Isaac Millman tells the true story of his youth spent in hiding from the Nazis in a compelling memoir that features his outstanding artwork. We follow young Isaac as he and his parents enter the Free Zone of France, only to find that this is only a respite until the Nazis again intrude. Isaac's father is taken to a "camp", which he and his mother are allowed to visit once; then disaster falls as he and his mother are rounded up for deportation. How Isaac escapes and is placed in foster homes for the duration of the war is told through Millman's sparse writing and his vivid drawings. As with most Holocaust tales, there is no happy ending, but Millman survives and is able to share his journey with us, and that is all we can ask. This is a splendid book that shows how even the youngest victims of the Holocaust found inner strength. We are privileged to know their stories. Recommended.

During World War II over a million Jewish children were murdered by Nazis: survivors were often those who were in hiding. Author Isaac Millman was one of these children, and his story recounts the kindness of strangers, his move from city to countryside, and how he was forced to shed his Jewish identity to survive. After the year he kept his story to himself: fifty years later it's told, in Hidden Child's series of black and white photos and first-person memoir for grades 5-8.