Pennsylvania Books

"What makes [Goffman] compelling is not just the aptness of his observations or the rigors of his theoretical scheme but also his considerable gifts for rendering the everyday as bizarre and amusing."-New York Times

Forms of Talk extends Erving Goffman's interactional analyses of face-to-face communication to ordinary conversations and vebal exchanges. In this, his most sociolinguistic work, Goffman relates to certain forms of talk some of the issues that concerned him in his work on frame analysis. This book brings together five of Goffman's essays: "Replies and Responses," "Response Cries," "Footing," "The Lecture," and "Radio Talk."

Of lasting value in Goffman's work is his insistence that behavior-verbal or nonverbal-be examined along with the context of that behavior. In all of these classic essays, there is a "topic" at hand for discussion and analysis. In addition, as those familiar with Goffman's work have come to expect, there is the wider context in which the topic can be viewed and related to other topics-a characteristic move of Goffman's that has made his work so necessary for students of interaction in many disciplines.

The Fortunes of Faust is the third in a series of works on the evolution of the Faust tradition. As a librarian who is an avid reader and collector of Faustian lore and works written about this "historical character," I have found in Ms. Butler's work a most provocative and scholarly study. Her writing style is clear and studied. She takes the readers through the evolution of the Faust tradition and its roots in the practice of magic. Ms. Butler provides details that even this student of Faust found informative - whether it is her insights about the Spiess' Urfaustbook and the German Faust,thoughts on Martin Luther, the variety of hybrid and miscellaneous Fausts up through Goethe's Faust among others. The author views Marlowe's Fautus "the greatest of all the tragic versions the legend has inspired." The Fortunes of Faust is a compelling drama of the role of magic in history through the character of Faust. This is a fascinating read especially for anyone with an interest in the Faust legend

Get this book.

If you have it, or an extra copy, know that there is a market for those who are willing to sell.

The sites listed in the book are good. But even better, the descriptions of the basic elements of the activity are such so that a novice can handle the instruction and grab hold of fossil collecting as a hobby.

I bought an edition that did not turn out to be the latest, and was thrilled to actually learn more about 'old' (read 'lost') sites for fossil collecting.

The best for PA, and I have not found a comparable guide for any other state.

I really liked this book in that it layed the foundation of how Pittsburgh is what it is today.

The Earnests have given us a very readable and gloriously illustrated book with attention to all the recognized fraktur types and many of the most desirable artists. This survey will delight anyone who has an interest in folk art.

Don Hoffman's book gives and accurate description of how this magnificent home came into being from its inception to completion. It discusses how the sketches evolved due to the environmental considerations of the landscape showing how Kentuck Knob was build to coordinate the house and the hill upon which it was built into one organic structure.

It explains Wright's architectural philosophy as to why he makes the decisions he did when building this house.

Visually the book itself is elegantly designed with excellent photographs giving a true feel for the nature of the house and providing some insignt to the wise, artistically minded people whom conceived of and lived in Kentuck Knob so happily and with such a great respect for the environment which the house occupies.

As a child I spent a great deal of time in this house, being close family friends with the original owners, so I would know if there were any inconsistancies with the book and reality and find it most accurately written.

This would be a great gift for anyone interested in architecture, environmnetalism or whom is a particular fan of Frank Llyod Wright's architecture. Also it is so beautifully done that it would just be a pretty coffee table book to keep for yourself or for in a guest room.

This is a book for everybody. The people featured in the short biographies are outstanding human beings who happened to be women, some white, some African American, Native American. Their accomplishments are stunning. Their underlying common ground is the formidable road they had to take to accomplish their destiny, easier for men than women. University of Pennsylvania can be proud of these "daughters" and the role it played in their education. Be prepared, their disciplines are varied and exciting. The author's style is lively, captivating.
This book is an inspiration for all.

This reading of the inner life of Emerson reveals that behind the public face of the simple great optimist, was a complex personality with a real sense of the tragic side of life. Whicher reads Emerson's life and work with great sympathy and understanding. This work is a good introduction to the thought of one of America's most important thinkers.

"Freedom Seeker" is an excellent introduction to the man whose seeking set him on a long journey of faith. In his youth he became a "convinced" member of the Quaker faith. These beliefs and practices made him extremely unpopular with the ruling majority in Britain, including his father. (Happily, they were reconciled before the elder's death.) William Penn suffered much for justice & civil liberties.

Readers will learn that Penn was imprisoned time & again in disease-ridden and rat-infested jails. But these experiences did not scar him as the small pox of his childhood did. He is revealed as a disciplined person who would be a good role model for young readers.

Penn later followed his quest to set aside land in America for other freedom-loving people. He helped the Lenni Lenape natives as well as emigrating Pennsylvanians. While establishment of the Pennsylvania colony was his great achievement, he was able to live there for only a short time.

There will doubtless be some adults reading this book, who use it & the well-chosen bibliography as a 'starting place' for quests of their own. The basic truths of Penn's life and faith are depicted honestly for a wide audience. Some criticism is printed above but does not include a letter refuting it, as printed by SLJ. As for an opinion that "blotchy illustrations detract" we should all take to heart this quote from the late Richard F. Ericson, phD: "We cannot make value judgments for other people" !

FREEDOM IS ELUSIVE. Learning about the sacrifices made for faith will make us cherish our own more; and hopefully, help us better understand the beliefs of others. Reviewer mcHAIKU gives FIVE STARS to the author AND to the students who learn from the life of William Penn.

My research has led me to take freedom seriously. I ordered this book as relevant, but I had doubts about the word "embrace" in the title. I was suspicious that the embrace had to do with some form of sentimentalism. Now that I have begun to read the book, I am delighted to find it is incisive and objective.

An excerpt from the preface (page xiv)--

"In this book, I attempt a radical reexamination of freedom. I rethink the idea of freedom from the ground up, in a fresh and independent inquiry that draws upon the long tradition of philosophical discussion of these issues without drowning the reader in historical erudition or technical philosophical discourse. The book begins with a closer look at some perennial and recalcitrant philosophical debates about human freedom. It seeks to break out of those disputes by showing how they arise from fragmentary conceptions of freedom and from convictions about ourselves and our world that may seem innocent enough but only create confusions that have trapped modern thought in an impasse that seems inescapable. Closer analysis shows that those convictions depend upon assumptions that are both unnecessary and untenable and that each of the partical conceptions of freedom that have long muddled debate has a legitmate place within a more comprehensive understanding of what it means to be free. In the process, the contradiction between freedom and necessity gives way to a discovery of the necessary conditions of freedom.

"Once we understand the necessities of freedom, we must reconceive the relation between freedom and necessity. That means rethinking both the place of necessity in science and the place of freedom in nature. We must confront the neglected question of animal freedom and recognize that freedom is not a peculiarly human privilege. Still, human freedom does differ from animal freedom in ways reflected by the difference between natural evolution and humna history. Symbolism and culture vastly expand the range of alternatives available for human choice. They raise human freedom from the level of immediate options to the level of strategies, norms, and rules. They also lead, eventually, to a self-awareness of freedom that seems lacking in animals. Only human being seem able to establish freeedom as an ideal."

Finding a philosopher who writes about freedom as it is actually experienced, instead of free will versus determinism, is rare. Finding one who writes to human audiences in clear and friendly language is a real delight.