English Books

Having worked in the Printing & Publishing industry for 45 years, I can recommend Chambers. The old 'Proof Readers' of Fleet Street along with Newspaper Editors always kept the latest version close to hand.
BPW

When I tried to find a replacement for my old editions of Oxford Concise and Cassell's (both printed and edited in the UK), I unwittingly bought a version of the americanized Oxford. Shocking! Full of pictures of sports stars & actors with some definitions interspersed. It's adequate for a high school student, but I'm glad I discovered Chambers. I adore it - just lots and lots of words. So, if you love English and don't have enough dough for the big OED, buy Chambers for a fraction of the cost.

Clearly printed, with loads of useful extraneous information. At last I have the definitive dictionary to allow me to finish my crosswords!

The Chambers Dictionary (10th Ed.) is truly an outstanding dictionary especially with the updated words added.I owned an older edition and was really glad to get this edition.I also bought the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary(11th Ed.) and I can safely that it cannot compare to the Chambers.

By far the most comprehensive dictionary I have bought. Very pleased with it.

This book makes a complicated machine like computer very easy to understand

The best thing I love about this book is the writing style of Prof. Freedman and how easily and clearly it can crystallize, the otherwise complex computer terminology, components and concepts. The explanations used here are vivid. I have owned a copy since 1997 and I have never been disappointed with anything that I needed to look up, for instance 'kludge' is described here as - "Also spelled 'kluge' and pronounced 'klooj'. A crude, inelegant system, component or program. It may refer to a makeshift, temporary solution to a problem as well as to any product that is poorly designed or that becomes unwieldy over time."

It will be hard to obtain better explanations than they are written in here.

There are several other similar Encyclopedias around which I have never looked at, because I had no need to look for another Encyclopedia.

Unlike most other computer dictionaries/encyclopaedias in its class, the inclusion of a companion CD-ROM gave this "Computer Desktop Encyclopedia" a comfortable jump-start in the superiority contest.
The book (and its attached CD-ROM) covered, in the most definitive way, all the important terms and acronyms that apply to today's computer and networking technologies. Hardware, software, and allied peripherals were adequately represented.
It is descriptive and well-illustrated, and included all the commonly used file extensions. With over ten-thousand terms and definitions, its scope is rich: in comparison to what exist now.
This computer encyclopedia ranks among the best currently on sale. However, potential buyers may be frustrated (at the moment) by its limited availability.

And too bad it's out of print. While this book will not teach you how to use a PC, it will define every computer related (and often electronics) term you can imagine. I was surprised on some of the really obsecure terms this book contained that I didn't expect it to mention. I got this book used and after reading over some of it, I'd say this is a must have on any nerd's desk as the it compares up there with as good as an internet search for explanations of PC related terms.

I work people whose computer knowledge varies from very little to a serious computer user. This reference manual is one book that all levels can benefit from. This book is the perfect manual to answer the questions in an easy to understand format without all that technical jargon.

The book is over 1100 pages and is loaded with pictures and figures to give a visual representation of the definition which makes is easier to understand some of the concepts covered. There is computer definitions, vendor breakdowns, and certification analysis and application definitions.

Some of the topics covered are networking, computers, MACs and applications. Some of the technologies included are CISCO, CompTIA, ATM, FDDI, Ethernet and token ring. Also included is a cd-rom which has over 5000 more definitions not included in the book. Overall a great addition to my technical library.

Adrianne Byrd has taken me to a whole new level with her book "Controversy". She takes you on a wild journey of a sister who is a known prankerster and is familiar with overnight stints in jail for some of her pranks. Now she is ready to celebrate the divorce of her husband with her sisters. Which in turn lands them in some very wild type of situations. Lies and Love....does it mix??? There's an off the hook twist in the novel. Let me tell you, when I say my mouth hit the floor, it hit the FLOOR!!!! LOL Adrianne also uses some unique names for the Adam sisters. Michael (main character), Sheldon, Frankie & Peyton. Yep, ALL FEMALES!!!

Great job Adrianne!!!

This is by far one of the best books I have ever read!!!!!!! The end was simply amazing!!!! Go buy the book......You will not be dissapointed!!!!!!

The cover of this book totally hooked me. Handcuffs and a sexy black man! But this story was so well written and so unexpected! Adrianne Byrd has written a winner! In Controversy, we find Michael Adams, the queen of revenge schemes, is in trouble. The police think that she killed her ex.
Police detective Kyson Dekker knows the last thing he should do is get involved with a suspect. But there is a difference in knowing what's right and wrong and doing the right thing. There are more twists in this book than a wild ride at Six Flags. And just when you think you got it all figured out--BAM--another twist. Giving it away in this review would do a disservice to everyone because this book is a MUST READ!

With each book Ms. Byrd get's better and better. In this one we meet another Adams sister. We meet Michael who is newly divorced a slighly bitter and wants to get back at her husband but of course it's all talk or is it? And this is where the funny, hot and crazy story begins and Ms. Byrd takes you on this ride and leaves you wanting more. Did I mention funny. Those Adams sisters can get themselves into some mess LOL! And of cours there a point where Ms. Byrd tries to get you with the tears. You get to catch up with the rest of the Adams clan and meet the sexy dective Kyson. Definite recommendation!

What can I say that hasn't been said already?!! It's NEVER a dull moment with Ms. Byrd. She pulls you in from the first page and takes you on an EXTREMELY thrilling roller coaster ride 'til the end. I read this book in 5 1/2 hours. I love this family, they are HILARIOUS! This book had me LMAO and often reaching for a KLEENEX (wiping away tears of joy and sadness). And as usual Ms. Byrd added just the right amount SPICE to this intriguing tale! The chemistry between Michael and Kyson set the pages of this book on FIRE! And just when you think you know what's going to happen, she SURPRISES you with some unexpected, but pleasant twists. If you're looking for some great entertainment, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book (the whole series). You will NOT be disappointed! Way to go, Ms. Byrd!

I am 56 and have been reading sci fi/fantasy since, oh, about 10. This is one of the best collection of stories I have ever read. You'll be glad you read it. The fact of the color of the writers is interesting, but not important. I have read so much sci fi, and even taken a writing course. The bottom line - this is great science fiction.

I've long suspected there were more writers of color out there besides Octivia Butler and Samuel Delany. Ms. Thomas introduces a rich collection spanning decades. My only question is when will volume 2 be published? If you love SF, add this brilliant work to your collection.

A huge sci-fi and fantasy reader I am also getting ready to be a high school teacher of special ed, reading & English. This is a book that will go on my list of books to write lesson plans about and to make sure my students read. The one complaint I have about this book is that I'd read the Butler, Delany & Saunders already. Couldn't we have gotten new stories for this historic anthology? But other writers were a revelation to me.
A great book! Nalo Hopkinson's story about a (...)gone amuck, Tannarive Due's story about the very human side of cloning and Steven Barnes' chilling almost apocalytic picture of a modern African state after a coup are all terrific reading-- and why my students -- and you -- should be excited!

Writers of African descent have played a long and important role in the history of speculative literature, even though that's not always recognized, either in the past or today. But this book opened my eyes to how much wonderful talent has gone underappreciated until now. Often raw, but always colorful and deep, many of the stories in this collection have the quality to be compared with the masters of the past and present. As both a reader and a writer, this collection inspired me greatly.

I highly recommend it to anyone who's a true officianado of speculative literature.

This is a collection that the literary world needed badly. Typical 'speculative fiction' (encompassing sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other literary persuasions) often features humanity uniting against common enemies or disasters. But for people of color, the alternative present or near-future utopia/dystopia in any speculative story probably won't be so rosy. Technological advancement, alien contact, or astronomical disasters probably won't eliminate prejudice and inequality, as the writers of African descent collected here show us in consistently hard-hitting ways.

The settings and themes of these short stories are uniformly fascinating and thought-provoking for any intelligent reader. As with any collection of works from various writers, the quality of the stories varies a bit, and this book does have a few bumps in the road that deserve the thumbs-down for heavy-handedness. Examples include the predictable melodrama of 'The Woman in the Wall' by Steven Barnes, or the poorly-plotted conspiracy theories of 'The Space Traders' by Derrick Bell. However, these are minor quibbles, and even these stories contribute to the sheer fascination of this book as a whole.

My favorites include the supremely moving Jazz Age vampire story 'Chicago 1927' by Jewelle Gomez, an outstanding look at the human costs of cloning in 'Like Daughter' by Tananarive Due, the creepy erotic thriller 'Ganger (Ball Lightning)' by Nalo Hopkinson, and the heartbreaking dark fantasy of 'Gimmile's Songs' by Charles Saunders. Of historical interest we have 'Aye, and Gomorrah...' from the master Samuel Delany, the groundbreaking 'The Goophered Grapevine' from way back in 1887 by Charles Chesnutt, and the very chilling 'The Comet' by W.E.B. DuBois (I had forgotten that DuBois wrote fiction, and his important stories are ripe for rediscovery). Kudos to Sheree Thomas for creating this hugely important, haunting, and illuminating anthology. [~doomsdayer520~]

After wanting this book for along time and being a somewhat hard core Edward Gorey fan, I finally ordered and received this book. I sat with it and experienced an intimate glimpse into his private world and found myself feeling and learning so much about this man and our times. I seriously laughed and cried and everything in between by the time I finished my first page-though. The rich content of the images took me on a journey through his home and collections that touched many familiar and unfamiliar bases. I not only gained insight into the man, but into a window in time in the art and collecting world that was very familiar to me as a baby-boomer aged art/literature/theater type. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in Edward Gorey and the late 20th century arts milieu. I was/am profoundly moved by this book and know that I will revisit it often.

This is a beautiful book of photographs and text that allows the reader an intriguing view of the home in which Edward Gorey lived and the collections of curious objects, books, and cats he filled it with.

The photographs are large and beautiful - haunting even - and there are lots of them. There is just the right amount of text to cast some light on the man behind the house and his elusive character - anecdotes about his life, his work, his friends and the things that inspired him.

If you are fan of Edward Gorey, or of eclectic interior decorating and design, and displaying collections of antiques, this book will be a treasure in your library.

That's really all I can say. I have been waiting for this book for a long time, and it was the most incredible thing. Amazing photos. Read up on Gorey first, though. The details are some much better when you get the little visual jokes Gorey set up in his day-to-day life.

This book wouldn't mean much to anyone who isn't already a Gorey fan. I own (and love) the compilations 'Amphigorey', 'Amphigorey Too' & 'Amphogorey Also', so have a head start. I also have the auto(?) biography 'Ascending Peculiarity', which is almost a necessary co-requisite to this book - it helps explain the cats, and many other Gorey details. Now that the individual books are available again, I'm tempted to get them too, because they are such nice objects - but only if the kids promise to share with me!

If you are an Ogdred Weary fan...this is a truly wonderful book. Photographs of the exterior (peeling paint and kind of saggy porch) and the interior rooms of the house on Cape Cod in Gorey lived and worked, along with his cats and figbashes, piles of thousands of books, assorted rocks and oddish things, and the expected miriad of curiosities. Alas, or delightfully...just the environment one would expect of the eccentric Edward. A cabinet of curiosities...a delight!

Always celebrated for its beautiful evocative setting in Portofino, THE ENCHANTED APRIL has also to some extent been dismissed as a sentimental trifle. It is not: for all its surface charm, it is also one of the most searching fictional works ever written on the nature of goodness, and its effects upon selfishness and acquisitiveness. Two Hampstead housewives, Rose Arbuthnot and Lottie Hawkins, advertise for two other women to share in the costs so that they may rent an Italian castle for the month of April and escape their loveless lives; when they and the other two women (the dazzling Lady Caroline Dester and the rigid bluestocking Mrs. Fisher) arrive at the spectacularly lovely castle, they begin to discover that not only have their spirits been refreshed but also that their value systems have changed through what amounts to the dispensation of the castle of a kind of secularized grace. Elizabeth von Arnim accomplishes this very probing study of modern British mores through the very subtle and unobtrusive psychological realist use of extended interior monologues. The result is a novel that is not only completely beguiling but actually quite thoughtful. A greatly underappreciated little gem.

In the spirit of the Bronte sisters, this novel delights and entrances. An enjoyable read.

Wonderful! I could read the book and watch the movie over and over! Treat yourself to a vacation in an Italian paradise with real characters and a physical beauty you could reach out and touch. Von Arnim makes this simple plot so magical and warm it makes you want to visit San Salvatore too!

Just got through watching the wonderful movie; not as wonderful as the book, but very good. Have now read this book at least three or four times, and still adore it every time. Has to rank as one of my all-time favorite books. Must rent an Italian castle on the western Mediterranean coast some day. The writing is so witty, and warm, the story so imaginative, the moral so wise. Love is all; just to love, not expecting anything in return. It opens people up. Lotty, Rose, Lady Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher all live in these pages. And the gardens, the flowers, the utter beauty of San Salvatore. The author quite obviously loves flowers. Even the servants are clearly drawn, Francesca and Domenico. Lotty becomes a truly original character. Love, love, love this book!

Well, you've already heard about the story. Just wanted to add that the characters were so real, it was as if I were really there with them. A wonderful turn of events at the end. Caught me off guard. Very enjoyable. Beautiful writing. Now I've got to rent the movie.

I bought the 2200 series first with the answer book with test and I passed them all with flying colors. So I decided to go for the 2600 and passed that as well with flying colors. After that I decided to buy this book and continue, however, I did not do so well with the test as I would've liked. This is still a great book and I only wish that I could write the author a positive review on it; but I think he might be deceased by now. I truly recommend this book, but you must buy the tests with answer key. Don't cheat!!!

I used an earlier edition of this classic textbook in Junior High 28 years ago, and it is EXCELLENT. What makes it unique is the layout which actually resembles a computer based training format with instant feedback. I only wish more instructional books utilized this format. You WILL master english grammer with this book.

You can start anywhere, literally anywhere. Just open the book at any page and go; truly, it is that easy. I came across this book when taking an English Upgrade course in writing at the University of Toronto back in the 1970's - subjunctives, subordinate clauses, adverb clauses, appositives, punctuation, and on, and on, and on ... . My marks went from C's to A's.
The book eventually fell apart in my hands from the constant use and reuse as I referred to it when I needed it. I referred back to it all the time, simply because some of the topics are, to some extent, obscure and not easy to remember without constantly using them. Is your boss picking on you because you can't write? Are feeling out of the game because you can't get a handle on English grammar? - get the book (and use the book) and get your boss of your back and maybe impress your boss's boss as well.
I just ordered a new one, because my wife speaks English as a second language, and she will have no trouble using it what so ever.
It is a gem, a prize, and a wonder.
sincerely

The book enphasis a lot in writing and correct sentence construction. At the begining it may look foolish, but as you use it, you start noticing and fixing mistakes in your writing style.
It has few theory about grammar, but practise a lot the setence contruction.
If you want improve your writing, this is the MUST HAVE book.

This is the best book on sentence structure ever. I wish I had this book when I was in school. I read alot of books on grammar and they never work for me. I usually forgot what I read after a day or two. I am an electrical engineer. Math and science are always my best subject while english is my worse.

This book show me how to combine simple sentences into compound and complex sentence. How to add adverb and adjective clause into the sentence to make it more meaningful. It show you the same example in many different ways. It is like doing algebra.

This book use a scientific approach. You will learn sentence structure and remember it for the rest of your life.

Are you curious about the life of Carrie Bradshaw before she became the successful columnist with a penchant for designer clothes and $450 shoes? If you answered "Yes!" then you need to read this book. The story of Reality Nirvana Tuttle is, without a doubt, an unintended pre-quel to Sex and the City.

Ignore what the woman from Library Journal has to say! I'm certain that she's the wrong demographic to understand the social relevance of this story. Fabulous Nobodies is funny, earnest, so very New York City in the late 1980s, and, for those of us who were in our 20s during that time, a wonderfully fun trip down memory lane. If you can remember when in was possible to rent an apartment in alphabet city for $350 month and have a tub in your kitchen then you'll appreciate this story. If you can remember scouring Goodwill, Sal's Boutique, and vintage clothing shops with your meager earnings from a club, record store, or underground publication then you'll appreciate this story. If you can remember life before the internet and came of age at a time when local fanzines and arts newspapers were the ruling social arbiters then you'll appreciate this story.

Lee Tulloch's book is a completely captivating snapshot of a place, time, and people who no longer exist except in our scrapbooks and collected memorabilia.

Twentyish Reality Nirvana Tuttle determines who can enter the Less is More Manhattan nightclub though no one, not even she, knows her conditions, which change almost on a whim, but that impulse is inside her brain. It might be an outfit that was in a half hour ago but seems so ancient at this moment. Reality is a pro at what she does as fool "doorwhores'' can match her skill at picking the trendy and tossing the has-beens and wanabees to the street.

However, Reality faces reality when it comes to her one ambition in life as so far she has failed to achieve her goal. She desperately wants to be featured in Hugo Falks' weekly gossip column in Frenzie as a hip woman of power on the move. She enlists her friends, Perfect Woman editor Phoebe, transvestite Geoffrey, and his dog Cristobal Balenciaga to cause a scandal that will turn her from almost famous to famous.

This reprint still retains its sharp acerbic lampoon of the jet set who needs to obtain fame even if it only for fifteen minutes. Reality is a terrific protagonist whose obsession becomes her reality, but never interferes with her selection of who's in and who's polar. Celebrity status takes a beating as Lee Tulloch's satire rips into the cost and inane need to become a known "personality".

Harriet Klausner

Hilarious homage to clothing and finding THE perfect outfit. Reality "Really" Tuttle was born in the late 60's, so if you are in the same genre as myself, you will definitely appreciate references to ghastly 80's attire that she despises as well as the detailed descriptions of her frocks. ...

The writing is masterful, the characters are alive, the story has a compelling mythical power, it should've won a pulitzer. It is wonderful and splendid and shall never perish. It has a deep, soulful message. It has an archetypal power, it shall become a classic. It could be the basis of a great Broadway musical, and we know they are not making great musicals nowadays. Just as My Fair Lady is a great musical, but still consider it now still a Pygmalion. I imagine a animated chorus line of frocks, inhabitated by many the great fashion icons. I would die to see that musical.

Before Bridget Jones, Sex and the City, or Shopaholic, there was Lee Tulloch's "Fabulous Nobodies."

Lee Tulloch was once the editor of Australian Vogue, and she puts her knowledge of fashion and the whole fashion glam scene to hysterically funny use in this little novel. The book opens with a hilarious narrative about the main character's nails of all things.

It's been years since I read Fabulous Nobodies, but it's a definite stand-out in a genre that didn't exist when the book was published in the early 90s. If you're in your 20s, a slave to fashion, any or all of the above, you've got to read this book. You can finish it in a day and you'll spend most of the time laughing at the antics of the main character and her crew. Our 20s are a great time of life (if only in retrospect), because we're no longer teenagers but not quite mature enough to be adults, so there's much goofing off, goofing around, and goofing up to learn from (or at least laugh about). Fabulous Nobodies is filled with all three. Don't miss this one.

If there is a more delightful creation than the lovely and extravagant Lady Denville, the thistledown mother of the handsome twin heroes of "False Colours," I haven't come across her. In spite of her maddening inability to economize, her sons, the responsible, but totally charming Kit and his brother Evelyn (Lord Denville), who sails nearer the wind, love her dearly. When she is nearly capsized by enormous debts, Evelyn proposes to Cressy Stavely intending thereby to break a trust that limits his access to the money he needs to bail his mother out. But on the eve of a party meant to introduce Denville to Cressy's relatives, especially to her redoubtable grandmother (whose consent is essential), Evelyn is nowhere to be found, and Kit takes his place. How will Kit manage to find his missing brother, keep his flyaway mother from sinking under her debts, and avoid falling in love with Cressy? These questions are answered in a book overflowing with effervescent conversation, Regency humor, and some surprisingly poignant character developments.

(Mild spoiler) The only quibble I have with this lovely book is that a very significant character related to Evelyn never appears, which I found very unsatisfying. In fact the end seems a bit abrupt, partly for that reason. However, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel--almost totally enjoyable.

Kit is a good-looking man, but not drop-dead gorgeous. As a younger son, he is also not titled or unbelievably wealthy. But he is a quick-witted young man, with a terrific sense of humor, a kind heart, a deep sense of loyalty to his missing twin brother and a lot of love and tolerance for his erratic mother - all of which lands him in a scrape, when he takes his brother's place at an engagement party. It was meant to spare Cressy any embarrassment; this lady had gathered all her relatives to meet the Earl of Denville, her fiance. But Denville is missing, so Kit fills in...and then has to continue the masquerade, when Denville remains at large.

In short, Kit is a perfect Beta hero. Cressy is not the best of Heyer's heroines, partly because Kit's mother steals the limelight whenever she appears, along with her snuff-stained and very fat admirer. Not all of the secondary characters are as well-developed as one might wish, so I would not consider this among Heyer's best books, but it is very charming and the resolution of everyone's problems is extremely entertaining.

Eccentric relatives cause all kinds of trouble for Cressy and Christopher, but they use their wits to overcome all. Some clever dialog and a current of humor enliven the novel.
The Sourcebook format makes a more comfortable read than the usual paperback. My only complaint is the impostors on the cover. They are nothing like the Cressy and Kit I have in my head.

It was a delight to find, on my last trip to London, that Georgette Heyer's novels are being reissued in quality paperback form. I snatched up this one to read on the plane going home, glad that the cover--a 19th-century painting of a man in a chair, not your usual "romantic novel" graphic--didn't give me away as a "romance reader." i even tried to get my male companion interested in it, since like so many Heyers, it has a strong male protagonist whose problem is the engine of the story. (Of course my friend was too wary of the "romance.") But also like all Heyers, it had wonderful, believable, lovable characters all around, and a delightfully unexpected resolution. The story takes a while to get off the ground, and I was reminded again of Heyer's tendency toward long involved paragraphs, but I've never minded such "defects" in truly good novels, and in fact, I only wish her books were longer. I love to get to the satisfying ending, but then I want more!

In this delightful romance Ms. Heyer has one twin taking the place at an engagement dinner for his brother who is missing. The problems arise when Kit has to continue with the deception. Naturally he and his twin's fiancee fall in love, with all of the difficulties typical of this sort of charade. The novel is great reading and of course, has a happy ending.

You can't beat the early Rumpole stories. My old paperback of "Rumpole of the Bailey," the first of the books collected in this omnibus edition, had grown so tattered and worn through reading and re-reading that I needed a fresh copy. And the omnibus gives you the two subsequent Rumpole books as well. These early stories really establish all the character traits that make Horace such an unforgettable character, his fearlessness before the bar, his inability to stand up to his wife, his love for small cigars and cheap red wine - Chateau Thames Embankment. The later stories - like those in Omnibus Three, especially -- can sometimes seem flat and tired but here, you get Rumpole in top form. I'm sure I'll read this one to tatters soon enough. Long live Rumpole!

I have read all three Rumpole Omnibuses several times. I ordered an additional set for my mother, a former probate judge. What I find remarkable about John Mortimer's work, is that Rumpole is as engaging at the end of the series as at the beginning. I have also enjoyed Mortimer's three autobiographical books. I read and reread these stories, not as mysteries, but as a series of one act plays, where the dramas are spun out of the interaction of stock characters in the style of commedia dell'arte. Rumpole himself plays the part of the buffoon as barrister: fat, vain, self-centered, addicted to greasy food and cheap wine; but also extremely intelligent, perceptive, and compassionate. As I read more of the stories, Rumpole became less of a stock character and more of actual human being. Unlike Perry Mason, Rumpole does not necessarily win all of his cases. When Rumpole loses, we get to see him go down to cells beneath the Old Bailey, with all of the sounds and smells of prison life, to say goodbye to his former client. The stories are often very funny, but occasionally poignant and even sad.

Finally, John Mortimer is one of the masters of modern English prose. Just read a few paragraphs of any airplane novel (preferably one that has "Code" in the title), and then read a few paragraphs of any Rumpole story, and you will see what I mean. And nobody, including Raymond Chandler, does dialog better than John Mortimer.

Horace Rumpole presents himself as just an Old Bailey hack doing run-of-the-mill burglary defenses and the odd car-heist case. In reality he defends the best in the Anglo-American legal traditions against modern forces (for example, the presumption of innocence) - and this was written 20+ years ago!

Rumpole is the lovable defender of the average man and foe to all stick-in-the-muds. His motto "Never plead guilty." It could just as well be comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Hilarious, warm, human, touching, self-effacing and ever-ready to pierce the pompous gasbag - that's Rumpole of the Bailey. Start with the First Rumpole Omnibus and work your way through the rest.

Guaranteed to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart.

The First Rumpole Omnibus gathers the material from Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole (six short stories each), and Rumpole's Return, a novella. All of those books are now out of print and can only be purchased in this Omnibus form. The first several short stories establish some of the long-term status quo for the series. Characters such as Phyllida Trant join the Chambers while others such as Rumpole's old friend George Frobisher leave. Unlike most series, however, the status quo is much more fluid in the world of Rumpole and people marry, have children, move on to become judges, etc.

The writing in this compilation was a bit uneven. The first group of short stories are reasonably entertaining, but nothing that would cause me to become a true fan. The second group of six short stories rounded into form nicely, though, and the humor was much sharper. I found myself chuckling or laughing out loud fairly often at Rumpole's little asides. Basically, it just took Mortimer a few stories to truly find Rumpole's voice.

Unfortunately, the Omnibus is topped off with a novella that is roughly five times the length of the short stories and the quality drops once again. I don't want to overstate the case, it's not a bad read. But it's pretty clear that Mortimer was used to the tighter plotting of the short stories and things wander a bit as he essentially takes plots that would have made up two or three shorts and spreads them out into one novella.

This was my first experience with Rumpole. I had never seen the TV show or read any of the books. While I may not have become his number one fan, I can say that the best stories are truly excellent and the worst are still pretty good. I find myself curious to read the The Second Rumpole Omnibus (Rumpole) and even more so to try the TV adaptation with Leo McKern. I would recommend the book to others, not as rapturously as the most devoted fans, but earnestly nonetheless.

I certainly don't need to review "Rumpole of the Bailey." You know all about it. So, I'll just mention that he's especially good company when you fly. You can read a well-crafted story in what, 30 minutes? Ideal for airports and airplanes. Do this, sit for an hour, do that, sit for another hour, etc.