Bailey Books

This is a great book! I think this book would help express Bailey's feelings about getting used to living without parents and drinking (if he were real).

I have not read this book from cover to cover, but I have read enough of it to be deeply impressed by how masterfully and impartially these authors present complex and somewhat controversial subjects. Technical books this well written are very rare. This one is so good it can make you feel smarter than...well, smarter than you probably are. You suddenly think: "Whoa! I can't believe they found words that allowed me to understood that!" ...A feeling to relish for a few minutes before falling asleep. And then, if you are lucky, you have lofty thoughts to savor during the morning commute.

This book is out of print. I ordered a used copy. When it arrived, it had a stamp on it stating that it had been discarded from a large public library in Texas. It made me wonder what book was so important that this one had to be discarded to make room? Oh well. Texas' loss was my gain.

This book is essential in the library of all Native Americans and Non-Native Americans alike. Forget the old stereotypes, this work based on the intense research of Francis LaFlesche, an anthropologist and Native himself, blows all pre-conceived notions of Native thought and society. The intense and complex cosmological musings harken back to the Greek philosophers and Eastern Taoism and Confucianism. Finally something that truly shows the complexity and diversity of the original peoples of this continent.

I love this collection. Chip has a great premise. Pirates on the moderen seas. Yet they are still flea-bitten. I love the cast of pirates.

I hope that Chip will soon come out with another.

Well, perhaps not definitive London, but a good collection nonetheless. Like most modern histories of London, the books pays only cursory attention to the period prior the Norman Conquest; there is a simple reason for this -- not much exists text-wise to give account of life, history, etc. prior to this time. The Oxford Book of London, edited by Paul Bailey, is divided into three sections: Part I, Twelfth to Eighteenth Century London; Part II, Nineteenth Century London; and Part III: Twentieth Century London.

Part I includes observations and rememberings of monks, poets, diplomats, clerics, and royals (being the major divisions of literate people during the 12th to 18th centuries). Included are visions of Chaucer and Shakespeare, Nashe and Donne, Jonson and Herrick, Hobbes and Pepys. The texts include passages from person diaries and newspaper headlines such as 'A Whale in London' circa 1658. All sides presented, as a perusal of headlines will show: "A Revel! A Revel!' balances 'An Absolute Hell on Earth'. Here you will be introduced to (or reminded of) Wat Tyler, Moll Flanders, John Boswell; you'll walk the streets as seen by Mozart and Haydn.

Part II narrows the focus a bit, and when most people think about 'Old London', it is in fact this period of time to which most of them harken back. The nineteenth century saw London's explosive growth and true development as an imperial world city. In 1834 Thomas de Quincey published 'The Nation of London'; excerpts are here. Wordsworth and Blake wrote of London during this period, as did Keats and Thackeray (his 'How to live well on nothing a year' is wonderful). This is also the London of Dickens and Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the two visions of London that endure most. The rise of popular press also took hold during this period -- the true miracle here of this section is that it does not go on for a thousand pages.

Part III is a similar miracle. London is established, in many ways a city of unparalleled urban blight (Jack London--hmmm, where do you suppose he got that name?--called it a 'vast and malodorous sea'). Shaw's post-Victorian London images remain firm in our minds, as does E.M. Forster's; T.S. Eliot describes London as an 'Unreal City', yet, for the fire wardens during the war, the city was far too real, and far too flammable.

One is inclined to agree that London is in many ways the 'Capital of all Capitals', to quote Steen Eiler Rasmussen (1937), and yet, while there is hopefulness in the latest visions of London, there is also a sadness and an underlying fear that perhaps the best days are behind.

This book is the best one I have ever read for using sexual and execretory references for effective satire. The optimal reader is probably a boy aged 8-13 who loves to explore the world from this perspective already. Older readers will enjoy the social commentary as well, but may not revel in the means of the commentary unless they like extensive references to bodily functions.

The use of the humor in this book is like slapstick is to comedy, its most outrageous and least restrained form.

No one can stay grumpy while reading this book. It may be the only literary solution for depression ever developed.

Obviously, if you can read French, it is even better in the original.

Many people will choose not to read this book because of the earthy nature of the language. That is probably a mistake, because those who make that choice are suffering from the unattractiveness stall, not seeing the swan in the ugly duckling. Earthy humor can be a great way to communicate, in the appropriate circumstances. You owe it to yourself to learn how a master, Rabelais, does it.

As a tip to the reader who has more sensitive tastes, I suggest you skip through to the end of sections that are bothering you. The very next section may well be one that leaves you in uncontrolled laughter, irresistibly lightening your mood.

Have a great laugh!

If you have yet to see the series Black Books or maybe only know Bill as the twin cops in Hot Fuzz, you don't know what you're missing. This is the audio version of Bill's stand-up (not sure why it's in books, as it's the Hammersmith performance), and a lot of what is missing is the visual gags (usually at the expense of, for some reason, Chris DeBurgh of "Lady in Red" fame).

Highlights? West Country accents in Lord of the Rings and Bill's failed audition, even though he's from there. Portishead doing "Zip A Dee Doo Dah." Bowie on banjo. Catastrophic failure of the Edge's effects during a U2 show (hence the review's title) and the finale where Bill is joined onstage by two members of Kraftwerk for their version of the "Hokey K/Pokey." The whole thing is genius. I'd try finding it through Amazon's UK site as $50 for the CD here is ridiculous.

Signed,
epsteinsmutha

Here's the summary of this vintage fiction: The eternal conflict between wealth and love. Jerry, the idealist who is poor, loves Mimi, a beautiful, spoiled society girl.
This was made into a motion picture.

Great book to carry along on your weekend camping trip! Directions for getting there, things to do, what's nearby, and which campsite is the best for whatever you like to do. Phone numbers for advance reservations, and (did I mention!) campsite numbers so you know what to ask for! We carry it along and add our own campsite comments for return trips. Any one who camps the state parks of Pennsylvania will not be disappointed with this book!

In the cynical 1990's, a work like "A Pessimist's Handbook", a synthesis of Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy, would seem to be an ideal handbook for life. But this work provides as much food for thought today as it did in the 19th century. It seems to compel us to appreicate the freedoms this life has to offer, and for all of us the liberty to pursue our strengths. All else is transient and temporary. It rages against materialism and vanity, finding it a waste of our precious lives better spent in more fitting pursuits