Chambers Books

I felt sheer rage in trying to read Loiterature. It's a wonderful title for a wonderful project: examining the literature of digression, of loitering, of digressive and discursive paths through the world and the word. I love some of the literature Ross Chambers (the "Marvin Felheim Distinguished University Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan"-even his title is a long and winding road) examines in Loiterature (University of Nebraska Press). I love Tristram Shandy, I love Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog (Bulgakov perfectly captured the slinking, conniving, petty criminal, canine character in his brillant comic fable), although Professor Chambers leaves out the great classic of eddying, loitering, idleness: Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov. Still, I liked-at first, anyway-the fact that Professor Chambers opens a section of Loiterature called "Learning From Dogs" with what seems at first like a hilarious parody of an academic deconstructing Barbara Bush's Millie's Book-the work she supposedly co-wrote with her spaniel. "One's doubts about Millie's `authorship' grow more strongly when one looks more closely at the front matter," Professor Chambers (parodically? solemnly?) informs us before concluding (I believe in all seriousness) that Millie's Book is evidence of the imperialist thought-control project of the hegemony. Teaching people to read (the profits from Millie's Book go to the Foundation for Family Literacy) is a way of inculcating "a suitable sense of one's inadequacy with respect to the hegemonic model."

Here is where the sheer rage comes in. At the fact that this "Marvin Felheim Distinguished University Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan" (no trace of the hegemony in the way he presents himself, huh?) seems to take this sentiment so seriously that he can actually proceed to somehow link the depiction of Millie the poodle to the slogan over the gates at Auschwitz: "Arbeit Macht Frei." "It's a bit hard," the Marvin Felheim Distinguished etc. tells us, hard "on Barbara Bush and the Foundation of Family Literacy, I know, to draw a parallel between Millie's Book and the gates of Auschwitz ..."

No, it's not merely hard; it's ridiculous if not meant as self-parody. If it's meant seriously, it makes the Distinguished etc., into just what he, in his habitual overkill, calls poor Millie "a complete, unmitigated, totally uncritical dope."

But I am grateful to Loiterature for the title, for the conception of a literature of loitering-and for the sheer rage its silly, jargon-clotted execution inspires.

Simply wonderful! One of best works written for orchestra. All Vaughn Williams fans needs to check this one out.

Lost Worlds of Space and Time edited by Steve Lines was published by Rainfall Books in the UK in 2004, and is a collection of almost all newly published works based on or inspired by the works of Clark Ashton Smith. It is a handsome trade paperback, I think with the typical feel and look of small press publications these days. The cover art and interior art is also by Steve Lines; at least the cover is based on works by Clark Ashton Smith. It is an interesting depiction of two aliens and some weird plant like things suspending human skulls. Attractive but no wow factor. I enjoyed the interior art; it added to the overall quality of the book. There is a brief introduction by the editor and a few authors' notes after some of the stories. Otherwise there is no description of the authors', minibios or their thoughts about CAS. Page count is 205, so I thought it was a generous sampling of stories and poetry.

Contents:
Introduction by Steve Lines
Pegana:
The Empress Ygloriane by Robin Reed
Atlantis:
The Departure of Malygris by Steve Lines & John B. Ford
Hyperborea:
The Fear of Liqoimkh by Laurence J. Cornford
The Pool Above Nraqlommbeth by Simon Whitechapel
In the Court of the Crystal Flame by James Ambuehl
Star Spawn of Hyperborea by John Fultz
The Exorcism of Igsat by Joseph S. Pulver Sr.
The Forgotten Ritual of Mnar by Joseph S. Pulver Sr.
Fire by Randal D. Larson
Averoigne:
The Circumstances of Ghostly Cats by Mike Minnis
The Butcher of Vyones by Mike Minnis
Unhallowed Ground, Unholy Fetish by James Chambers
The Passing of Belzevuthe by Simon Whitechapel
Unknown Realms:
The Sorcerer Returns by Richard L. Tierney
The Oldest Dreamer by Walter C. DeBill
Rescue by Michael Fantina
Castle Keep by Michael Fantina
The Silver Cup by Michael Fantina
Villanelle of the Necromancer to His Love by Michael Fantina
Dream Lover by Michael Fantina

As you can see, the stories are grouped together by the particular realm of CAS in which they are set or that inspired them. Right from the get go the editor acknowledges the one problem for this collection that cannot be surmounted. That is, all of these stories are written in the incomparable shadow of the prose of Clark Ashton Smith, an inimitable master. Anyone who tries to adopt his style can end up reading like a bad mimic. I have A Rendezvous in Averoigne, the hardback by Arkham House as my basic Smith collection. I urge all readers who have not done so to seek out this volume. It has a cherished place of pride on my bookshelf. Of course there is the Nightshade books 5 volume collection of Smith's fantasies that is slowly being released. If it is anything like their William Hope Hodgson collection, then it will have all of CAS' works edited in the context of the most up to date scholarship, in utterly beautiful hardcover editions. However the subscriber price is pretty expensive. Lost Worlds of Space and Time is not the first such CAS inspired anthology. There is The Last Continent, in a gorgeous hardcover edition by Shadowlands press edited by John Pelan. It has stories set in Zothique. I had read 2-3 stories in that when I loaned it away; it is now next on my reading stack. Rainfall Books, publisher of this volume, has an interest in CAS inspired fiction and releases a few chapbooks per year devoted to such stories. I am grateful for collections like this packed with brand new stories of weird and wonderful fiction. Overall I was favorably impressed with this book. Note that many of the authors here have also witten Lovecraftian and Yello Sign fiction.

Minor spoilers may follow.

The Empress Ygloriane by Robin Reed - Enjoyable tale of an empress who maintains her power and youth with noxious magics, and whose downfall is plotted by her servitors. Meanwhile a patient, unaware and indifferent sentience takes no notice of her comings and goings.

The Departure of Malygris by Steve Lines & John B. Ford - A strange and nicely creepy tale of how the ennui of an ancient sorcer is finally overcome, not to the betterment of the surrounding city. Very engaging read.

The Fear of Liqoimkh by Laurence J. Cornford - Never underestimate a magician! A bold and scheming bandit overlooks one of the basic maxims of being an evil overlord and leaves his enemy alive to gloat at him. An engaging read.

The Pool Above Nraqlommbeth by Simon Whitechapel - Forlorn love story, with hope and love intermingled with death and dispair. Another good read.

In the Court of the Crystal Flame by James Ambuehl - I have read this before and this time around I enjoyed it even more. It is a sequel of sorts to the well know story by CAS of Satampra Zeiros' adventures in the temple of Tsathoggua. If REH, Fritz Leiber or anyone else had created such a marvelous thief, they would never have just used him in one story. He simply cries out for his own series of tales. So James Ambuehl takes up the gauntlet. What really set this story into its proper context for me was the author's note, acknowledging the more appropriate antecedents of REH and Sword & Sorcery as opposed to CAS. Vivid and fun to read.

Star Spawn of Hyperborea by John Fultz - this owes as much to HPL as CAS, as a little band of adventurers tries to prevent Cthulhu from gaining freer access to our world. Perhaps the canvas is too broad or the story too long. Also owes more to REH than CAS. Still a decent read.

The Exorcism of Igsat and The Forgotten Ritual of Mnar by Joseph S. Pulver Sr. - I think these 2 were supposed to be like brief excerpts from the Book of Eibon. They did nothing for me.

Fire by Randal D. Larson Excellent story! A sorceror reaches into our time to find an ally.

Averoigne - This whole section was highly superior, moving from strength to strength, with great plotting and prose. I won't go into details but all 4 of these were outstanding, and probably had the most CAS-like feel, particularly the story by Whitechapel. I am also a big Mike Minnis fan.

Unknown Realms - This was all poetry. I think writing poetry is terribly difficult. In school we are weaned on the best the English language has to offer. Thus I mostly don't enjoy mythos poetry. Maybe someone else will like it.

So in summary a terrific anthology. Reasonably priced, with good production values, I found it a great way to while away some hours lost in worlds created by CAS, a true master. I heartily recommend it to all readers. Best of all, it is volume 1.

This is a great book for pre-teens starting in magic. It contains a great variety of tricks, plus excellent advice. The artwork and photography are first class. Now here's the bonus: If you are a working, grown-up magician looking for equipment to add to your act, just build sturdier versions of the tricks in this book. There is even a stage illusion! You will save A LOT of money building some of this items, and they are good. Just the production tube alone is worth the price of the book, I've built some for my twin nephews, and my wife was fooled when I tried them out on her.

A comprehensive review of political managerial and economic issues of canal irrigation including; impact, managing proffessionals, operational management of schemes. An excellent text, should be read by any proffessionals related to irrigation, however neglects to cover comprehensively life cycle costing, agronomic or drainage management. Although the analysis is in Asia, the text and ideas are transferable globally. Well written, clear text from this excellent author.

Markets in Mexico: Location and Logistics, Fourth Edition continues to improve with each edition! This fact-packed reference book contains statistics on economic conditions, demographics, trade, investment, labor, consumer profiles, public services, infrastructure, business opportunities, investment incentives and also the cost of living in all Mexico's states and their major cities. I enjoyed this edition immensely because the charts and graphs were very easy to understand, the information was current and reliable and it was written in both English and Spanish. This book is wonderful for investors or anyone looking for facts about Mexico.

This book was fun to read with my children. They enjoyed the adventures of Marky and his friend Jack with the school's rat over the Christmas holidays. It was funny how they worked together with Marky's sister; we enjoyed how Marky and Missy (the brother and sister) were REAL, with a little bit of tension between them, but willing to work out their differences and be a team in the end. I will read this book over and over again with my children, ages 3 and 7. My older child can even read it with my younger child for a fun experience for both of them.

The book Martin Luther King by Robert E. Jacoubek and Nancy Shuker demonstrates the amazing struggle Martin Luther King, Jr. and the black community went through to gain the independence and free will their ethnic group deserves. This book is a very good learning device because within the book there is a leadership essay by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. which clearly states what leadership is and how it affects the world. This essay helps you understand what America was like during Mr. King's lifetime.

The authors didn't write much about Martin Luther King's personal life. Instead, they talked about what conflicts he faced and what specific important things he accomplished. This way of writing allowed the reader to learn more about his heroic tasks. The authors wrote in a very factual manner. They gave many examples of what Mr. King accomplished by talking about his conflicts and then explaining the resolution he came up with.

The authors also used a story-telling technique in their book. They told most of the story in a "third person" view. To do this, they properly fit many actual quotations from Mr. King's speeches into the story. This way of writing allows the reader to learn more from the story that is told. The following quotation from the book is one example of this story-telling technique: "King told the crowds at that night's mass meeting: 'Now they know that an injunction will not stop us.'"

This book is great for all ages. The way the authors wrote helped me understand what a hero really was and what characteristics Martin Luther King had to produce such an advancement and to make the world more equal. The book makes you think of questions that influence what a hero really is. When I read the book, I thought of questions like: "Do leaders lead by force or by persuasion" By command or consent?" Raising these basic questions makes you think about the passage and what it really means.

I would recommend this wonderful book to everyone. It expressed Mr. King's story in a very logical manner which made it much easier to read. It showed how hard Martin Luther King worked at helping his ethnic group succeed in life with segregation and mistreatment surrounding their lives. The book taught me never to give up, no matter how difficult the task is and some day you will get what you deserve and worked hard for. In the end, after all the crime and mistreatment that had taken place, Martin Luther King finally pursued his dream and his people are set free.

This book is the product of exhaustive research based on original sources discovered, catalogued and examined by the author. Mary Somerville was known as the "queen of 19th Century science" and is noted for being a primary seminal force in dissemination of science knowledge in the English and European communities. Dr. Patterson's efforts in bringing this important figure of science and woman's studies are a model of academic rigor and accomplishment. Readable, enjoyable, yet comprehensive, Dr. Patterson brings the world of 19th Century European science to light. Mary Somerville and Dr. Elizabeth Patterson's work has been important in science education today and even in such novels as The Difference Engine by William Gibson, which features Mary Somerville and her friend, Ada, Lady Byron Lovelace.

Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance is a lovely example of the vernacular story in traditional Chinese Literature. Written in stunning verse interspersed with prose, the story chronicles the seemingly ill-fated love affair of the scholar Chang and his love, Ying-Ying. The pair endure many of the same hardships as modern couples: miscommunication, forbidding mothers, and family influence among them. In addition to the lovers' travails, the story includes intrigue, an attempted attack by rebels, and deception, all told lilting verse and clever prose. The characters are well rounded for an older piece of Chinese literature, and story flows easily. Despite being several hundred years old, this piece from the 12th century has endured time and is still a lively, interesting and relatable story today.