Ireland Books

Brian Desmond Hurst was a soldier (a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign), a film director (his best remembered effort being the Alistair Sim version of "A Christmas Carol"), and, in the end, equal parts dreamer, grifter and raconteur.

We meet up with Hurst well into his twilight years. Journalist Christopher Robbins is sent to meet the openly gay (and still quite frisky) Hurst, who is searching for a fresh young talent to pen a screenplay about the events leading up to the birth of Christ. A chance encounter of the luckiest sort. Together they travel to Morocco, Ireland and Malta. The friendship that develops, and is so lovingly documented in these pages, is obviously life changing for Robbins. Hurst understood well the business of living in the moment; and though he may have been a bit of a schemer, he opened up a new world of discovery, adventure and infinite possiblities for Robbins.

The years pass, the script gets written and bandied about, but the film is never produced (neither is Hurst's promised autobiography). What remained were the author's copious notes detailing, not only their shared adventures, but many of Hurst's ribald and hilarious stories reported seemingly verbatim. The man was the Irish Scheherazade. Along the way we are introduced to a rogues' gallery of eccentric characters, some royal, some famous, some criminal, some perverted, but all colorful and brilliantly remembered. This volume is often laugh out loud funny. However, Hurst's memories of growing up poor in Ireland, of his family struggles, and the absolute horror of his war experiences, are told with a poignant and shattering clarity.

This has proven to be one of those rare books for me. I never wanted it to end. There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to adequately discribe this uniquely rendered memoir. Once read, I defy anyone to forget Brian Desmond Hurst or "The Empress of Ireland."

The Empress of Ireland is the kind of book you don't want to finish, you feel a stab of sorrow when you realize you've passed the halfway mark. This memoir of the author's relationship with the Irish film director Brian Desmond Hurst reads like a novel. You are fully engaged with the characters and have entered another world. It is hilariously funny, deeply moving and the kind of book you will either read again or skim to reread favorite passages. The best book I've read all year.

I love it. Until I opened the book the name of Brian Desmond Hurst would have rung only the dimmest of bells, but apparently he was a figure of renown in the British film world of the 1940s and 1950s, and had a hand in dozens of films, most of them unreleased this side of the Atlantic, and you get the picture he was no Carol Reed over there. (He did discover Roger Moore.) But he was the funniest raconteur you'll ever read about, and we are lucky that young Christopher Robbins was right there catching all the quips and the bonhomie, and that he wasn't too shocked by the older man's rapacious homosexuality to write it all down for posterity. I haven't laughed out loud reading a book all year, and this one had me doubled over, nearly in pain. On every page you'll find something to cherish, and something to remember.

Some parts have the glory of utter bad taste. Teasing Michael Redgrave about his penchant for bondage (of a particularly painful sort), Desmond Hurst explains to Christopher, "There are a few in jokes about Sir Michael in our circle. 'Sir Michael Redgrave, I'll be bound!' and 'Sir Michael is unable to come to the phone now, he's all tied up.' Do you understand?" Christopher though straight-identified shares his patron's love of gossip and scandal. Besides naming names, Robbins also plays discreet and shrouds some of his best stories as blind items. He doesn't reveal the identity of the popular star with a drug problem that made him impossible to work with, but he gives you lots of clues. The name "Richard Dreyfuss" springs to mind.

Beyond the fun and the frivolity, there's a lot of heart in the book. Hurst's memories went way back, to childhood in Belfast, the city where much of the Titanic was built. "Brian's father proudly took him to see the great ship launched. 'When the news came back of the ship's sinking, a tidal wave of grief struck Belfast. There was not a street in either North or South Belfast that didn't have a house in it with the blinds down, because there were some four hundred technicians from the town on that maiden voyage.'" And just a little while later, World War I was launched, and Brian was sent to Gallipoli, the most heartbreaking of all WWI battles. His clear-eyed and incredibly detailed memories form the best account I've ever read of that awful siege.

Late in the book is a sort of defense of Hurst's films; Robbins makes a case for the best of the war films, but the truth is, he is an unlikely figure to be re-examined. THEIRS IS THE GLORY sounds like a truly odd movie: it's the story of the Battle of Arnhem (later immortalized as A BRIDGE TOO FAR) made shortly after World War II as a "docu-drama," in which every actor you see on the screen, and every technician you don't see behind the screen, had to have fought at Arnhem. Could it really be good? I guess it's possible. History has a way of finding the good inside the bad, and happily Christopher Robbins shares that propensity.

A nice insightful look into the life of a working class umarried mother of the late victorian period who copes with her misfortune of falling in with the WRONG PERSON and struggles to rise from the situation towards her self redemption. Everyone can identify with this main character.

It is cold and unsentimental. Very Victorian in its writing and very very real in its view. Absolutely unflinching in its view.

I got this novel to give me insights into the period. I found more than I was looking for and am very very well pleased as will anybody who cares to sit down and read this delightful novel.

Good look for the student of history interested in Victorian England. A joy for anyone interested in the life of women. And a very good moral novel that anyone will enjoy reading.

George Moore was an Irish landowner who received his indoctrination into the world of art and literature in France. His encounter there with the realist movement led to the first three truly realistic (defined as against the prevailing moralism and/or melodrama of Victorian fiction) novels in English literature proper: A Modern Lover, A Mummer's Wife and Esther Waters.

Of the three, Esther Waters is the most fully developed and it is certainly the most engaging for a modern reader. In it, a woman has a child out of wedlock, and not only survives (through a variety of trials that are dispassionately but unflinchingly depicted) but in a manner of speaking prospers (Compare this for example with Elizabeth Gaskell's *Ruth*, written some 40+ years earlier).

A great read. An important milestone in the transition from moralism to realism in English fiction. An Irish writer who played an important role in the Irish literary renaissance in the early years of the 19th century.

Well worth the read.

An unsentimental (nearly unemotional) survey of poverty’s crushing dehumanization. Born impoverished, the title character is nonetheless raised with a carefully defined sense of morality and self-respect. This is wrung out of her over years of economic exploitation and casual sadism by the moneyed class. By the end of the novel she’s accepting the most degrading misfortune as almost a birthright.

The Victorian writing requires careful reading. The paragraph where Esther has premarital sex is so opaque that it’s uncertain what exactly happened until later when the pregnancy is revealed. And certainly the word ‘pregnancy’ isn’t used (“Yes Ma’am, I’m 7 months gone”).

Finally a pet peeve about phonetically spelling dialects. Reading dialogue like " ‘e went ‘ome to see ‘is wife, but she locked ‘im out o’ the ‘ouse. " gets mighty tiresome.

As I read "Everything Irish" once more, I literally and figuratively shiver with joy, sadness, laughter--with everything that is deep and poignant and true about it. It moved me tremendously in many ways as I read the various poems and moods of the book. This work is a wonderful, significant, powerful cultural and coming of age achievement. The author evokes the spirit of a proud and complicated people, and seamlessly unites the past, the present, and the future. The harmonies of this book are the written counterpart of Irish bagpipe tunes and haunting Celtic melodies as well as Irish jigs! Nancy Zak

Wells' poems are wonderful vignettes and moment-in-time, telling about the Irish experience in America, with glimpses of Ireland itself. Although they are easy to read, and will often make you laugh, they also have depth and poignancy. A "good read" that you want to keep going back to read again.

Judy Wells said: "To be an artist is to embark on a lifelong spiritual quest." In "Everything Irish" Judy joined poet Dale Jensen on a trip to dig up her Irish roots. She makes the reader feel the harshnes of the brutal land. She puts your face up against the moist stones. She saved and dreamed about her trip. And then one summer her dream turned to green. The book is divided into three parts. Part One is "Everything Irish In a Nutshell." It recounts her Catholic girl upbringing. I related strongly to this litaney because of my parochial school days at St. Mary's Catholic Elementary School. I remember we were required to attend confession once a week. I din't commit enough sins to earn my regular penance of five Our Fathers and five Hale Marys so I invented sins. I claimed to have poisoned the city drinking water. I declared that I planted bombs on random perambulators. Judy recreates the days when the nun loomed tall in her habit. I remember nuns walking down the hall with rosaries the size of bicycle chains. "Waking the Dead", part two is the molten core of the book and carries green waves of Irish history. "Warp Spasm" evokes the hero Cu Chulainn who knew the secret language of poets taught to him by his foster father & poet Amairgin. Judy mentions the Goddess Briget who in the literature of early Ireland was the goddess of poetry and wisdom. "The Cliffman" takes us back to the "father" of the documentary, Robert J. Flaherty who shot his movie "Man of Aran" on a barren island off Ireland's west coast. Part Three is "Hunger". It deals with her return to Berkeley and her job as Academic Counselor. After three summers in Ireland Judy took a vacation in Hawaii. She writes in "Antidote" that she wanted the sun to "penetrate my bones". She wanted to "scoop sweet, succulent orange flesh from the papaya instead of opting for a baked potato one more time so I could drink the antidote of my own green culture." The last poem describes an Irish wedding in America. The couple plan to call their first child Shasta. "The trees and grass are green and fertility is in the air". This poem concludes her Irish experience, the rerooting of Irish culture in America to the point that the parents name their chlld after a mountain in California. "Everything Irish" traces the influences on Judy Wells that combined to shape her into the great Berkeley poet she has become. It is a personal and universal journey into the heart of self discovery. Her life and work are a continuous spiritual pilgrimage.

I must say that this is one of the most interesting books I've read so far concerning the experience of everyday (Soviet?) socialism. By reconsidering such an important subject through a solid (and novel) theoretical lens and providing high quality ethnographic data, Yurchak does what every good ethnographer should do: (laconically speaking) bring something new. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in (post)socialism. Last but not least, it is very fun to read.

This is a very good ethnographic account of some important aspects of everyday life in the later years of Soviet Union. It is interesting, well written, the quality of the research is high, and the account is truly enlightening. As a researcher actively interested in East European ethnography I woud very much like to recommend it to readers looking for interesting and non-banal accounts.

The anthropological account of post-modern society offered in this book is certainly one of the best I encountered in recent years. By brilliantly and engagingly analyzing the late soviet society, the author provides us with original analytical insights into the peoples' relations with ideology, discourse and ritual. A perennial social laboratory for all kinds of cultural experiments, Russia in its soviet phase served A. Yurchak as an empirical field whereby to conceptualize the paradoxical, non-dichotomous and multi-layered post-modern social condition. Moreover, Yurchak joins the exclusive club of genial authors who succeeded in touching the intangible uniqueness of the "soviet experience" - i.e. everyday life, way of thinking, forms of language and power, performance of dream and fake. Thus, this reading is necessary for both the favorites of lively intellectual reading and for everyone who pretends to understand something about "Russians", even if they are already post-Soviet and therefore similar and close on the one hand, but different and inconceivable on the other.
As anthropologist and Russian by origin, I try, in my everyday experience, to explain to my colleagues and friends the world I came from and to show how relevant this world is to any cultural and intellectual account of contemporary life. Yurchak's book is a great contribution to this challenge.

I bought this book after reading "...Brigadier Gerard," by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which was based upon the life of this
man, Baron de Marbot. I'll have you know that I found it every bit as entertaining and fascinating as the "...Brigadier Gerard" book...even moreso for knowing that this fellow de Marbot really existed. When I read "...Brigadier Gerard," I was thinking how amazing some of the adventures were, or how fortunate he had been in this situation or in that one, but when I read about de Marbot, and of his incredible exploits, I was truly mesmerized. The coincidences..the simple twists of fate, the turns of fortune, the moments of chance...Hard to believe that this fellow experienced such awesome adventures... And all the while, amidst these adventures, we are kept abreast of the latest military tactics, the conditions of the land, the townsfolk and the soldiers, of all ranks during a period that seemed not to rest from battle... I tell you it is just a breathtaking piece of work (and for a female to say that is something indeed! )

When I read this book I swear it felt so real that I could easily imagine the sounds of voices or of artillery fire, or of horses hooves pounding or sabres clashing...Even scents came alive..The scent of a grassy knoll, or of a smoldering fire, or even that of the decaying flesh of men and animals...I could see the uniforms becoming more and mroe soiled and tattered with wear and with time...I could see troops moving silently through shallow streams in the dead of night; the moonlight spread across the ground like a sheet...I could see men's breaths when the air turned cold, and I could feel their struggle within when they knew that the end was near, but dared to keep the field.

This book simply pulls you in and doesn't let go. But that is quite alright. You won't WANT it to let go. It is every bit as much of a page-turner as "...Brigadier Gerard" was, and it gave me a sense of history that I failed to find in any of the books
I studied in college. Marbot so intimately describes his friends, enemies, family, and fellow soldiers, that they became not only real to me, but almost familiar to me.

Additionally, It did me well to remember a time when battles were fought in a much different manner than they are today... When words like Honor and Integrity and Duty and Loyalty were of paramount importance, and had substance,...They were not merely breath with sound.

I cannot say enough positive things about this book, and to keep at it here would be like beating a dead horse. Let me just say this: If you are ever at a point where you just can't seem to decide on which direction you would like to go in with your next good read, try this one while you are working it out... More likely than not, when you are done, you will kick yourself for not having gotten it sooner. ( And try "... Brigadier Gerard " too! I have reviewd this as well...!! )

All the history I've read about the Napoleonic Wars was a bird's eye view of grand maneuvers, but it's very difficult for a 21st century person to fathom what life must have been like in the inscrutably proper world of musket lines and lace. In this memoir, we find that the bygone culture of peasants and nobles fighting with sabers, muskets, and horses could still very much be populated by human beings not much unlike ourselves.

Marbot's memoirs consist of two components: one is his own research into the events of the war, and reads much like a normal history book. Of much greater interest to us, however, is his personal recollections and stories, which is much like meeting the man in person over a beer and having him spew his opinions and experiences to you. Unfortunately, this edition does not retain as much of this personal flavor, instead choosing to retain the drier historical stuff that can be "ascertained". This is a pity, as there is a great deal we can learn about the times from Marbot's stories and rumors, inaccurate as some may be.

The proper tone of this book masks from the reader the horrors that we read in today's memoirs, so it is left up to your imagination to grasp the full meaning of what "despair" or a "piteous sight" might refer to.

The original is much less dry and bursts with period detail, although, much like what you might hear in a bar, is more suspect in its accuracy. It was also translated by a deeply biased Englishman, who is so fierce when he "corrects" every mention of English conduct in the footnotes that you begin to wonder just how trustworthy his translation might be. Being from another century, you will also encounter fierce anti-Semitism in a grand total of about 4 of the book's 700 pages, along with a derogatory remark slur on blacks, but this is to be expected reading a book from a less PC century.

I'm a Napoleonic novice,and many things in this book are completely foreign to me, but this narrative gallops right along. This edited version makes me long for the full version. The author appears to write with both candor and a very dry sense of humor (I find myself wincing and laughing-I hope not inappropriately) about incredibly brutal battle exploits as well as about the behind-the-scenes politics. The author's sense of practicality, tempered with his sense of honor makes for a very appealing perspective on the events of the era. Further, it's truly amazing what the soldiers of that era had to deal with, just in terms of physical hardships (at least by today's standards). This book has served to seriously whet my appetite to read and to learn more about this period in history.

We took this out at the library. We read this book, I loved it, as well as my 5 year old daughter. Wonderful lesson of helping others, beautiful illustrations, and wonderfully happy ending. A must have! I'm ordering my own, for me!

This story is about a wood cutter who is given a wish by a faerie for saving his life. The wood cutter returns home with the wish only to find his family at odds over what he should wish for. In the end the wood cutter finds a way to make everyone happy. I like the story, but it is not one of my 3 year old's favorites.

The Faery's Gift is magnificently illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli and features a beautifully written story by Tanya Robyn Batt. A poor woodcutter rescues a fairy in the Forest and is rewarded with one wish. Trouble is each member of his family wants him to make a different wish. You'll be eagerly turning the pages to find out how the woodcutter solves his dilemma. I was completely charmed by this story.

Preston McClear, ...

There's something irrepressible about a wedding of royalty. Even the most jaded of us is capable of maybe an 'awww' or two as we get to see a bit of a fairy tale come to life. There is pomp everywhere, from the fabulous gown and jewels that the bride is wearing, the wedding cakes and favours, to public displays of the wedding gifts.

This handsome little souvenir album is to commemorate an upcoming wedding anniversary -- that of England's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who will have been married for sixty years, in November 2007. It is also a look at how Royal weddings have changed and evolved from fairly private ceremonies that were witnessed by close family members and courtiers, to now what is a spectacle watched by millions on the television and launching a flurry of books, magazines and various souvenirs from the pleasant to the grossly tacky.

The five weddings themselves occur in a period of time that spans just over a century, from 1840 to 1947, with the criteria that either the bride or groom would be a monarch of the United Kingdom.

The first wedding is that between Queen Victoria and her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in 1840. Victoria had been Queen of Great Britain for two years when her wedding was celebrated, and public curiosity was intense as to who she would choose to be her consort. With the rise of new printing techniques, there were now ways that the public could observe, albeit from a distance -- there were special prints and panoramas that were printed to feed the curiosity about the event.

About twenty years later, the next royal wedding occured, this time between Victoria and Albert's eldest son, Bertie, the Prince of Wales and the future Edward VII, and his fiancee, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, 1863. Now there was the art of photography to add to the documents; some of these were hand-tinted to create a nearly painting like quality. The gifts were also more opulent, and this time, were described in a special magazine that supplied all of the details from what the guests were wearing to engravings that showed various aspects of the wedding service itself.

Thirty years later, another wedding occured, this time between Bertie's son, George, Duke of York, and his cousin, Princess Mary of Teck, in 1894. This time, celebrations and public notice were high, with various royalties from around Europe visiting to pay their respects. The gifts were put on public display this time, and admission was charged, with the proceeds going to a charity. The bride's trousseau was described in various ladies magazines in lavish detail and illustrations.

The fourth wedding was that of George VI and Queen Mary's second son, Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923. No one really expected them to become sovereigns of Great Britain, and so the celebrations were not quite as extravagant as might be expected. But one notable addition was that this was the first royal wedding to be filmed, and soon there would be opportunity for anyone to see it, all for the price of a ticket to the cinema, and sitting through a newsreel.

The fifth wedding was in 1947, with that of two of Queen Victoria's great-great-grandchildren -- Princess Elizabeth, and Prince Philip of Greece. After the dreary years of WWII, and the troubles of rebuilding, London was ready for a celebration. The outpouring from the public was immense, and it seems that all of England took the day off for a holiday. The marriage proved to be one of the most successful in the royal family, and appears to be still quite solid after nearly sixty years.

Each wedding goes into some detail about the clothing, providing pictures and closeups of the brides' gowns, showing some of the intricate sewing and decoration that went into the making. As was traditional, all of the clothing worn were made from British materials and designers. What I found especially beautiful were the samples of lace and embroidery, often with monograms and special designs incorporated into the designs. A very brief history of the couple is also included, talking a little about their childhoods, and what happened after the weddings. At the end of the book, there is also a listing of what music was performed at each wedding, with a few surprises tucked in.

What may surprise you is what you will not find in this book. There isn't any mention of Lady Diana, or of the notorious wedding of Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson.

For anyone interested in royalty, and how what started as a private celebration soon became an opportunity for public celebration, this is a lovely, well-made and designed book. The photographs and pictures are unusual, many of which I had not seen before, and gave a sense of intimacy.

The author, Jane Roberts, is the Royal Librarian, and has compiled a beautiful little volume on the lore of royal weddings. For anyone interested in the English monarchy, it would be a nice addition to their collection.

Five stars. Recommended.

A wonderful book that takes you back in time for 5 royal marriages. I had a splendid time reading and looking at the photos. I have been watching the "Royals" all my life. I remember the day Elizabeth and Phillip were married, and this little book just made those memories much more clearer than ever before! A "must" for "royal watchers"!!

A wonderful display of that special wedding. It was like the Queen was showing these momentos to me herself.

Our family really enjoyed this book. Darling illustrations, great story and gives you a little history of Irish dance in rural Ireland.

Written by Anna Marlis Burgard and illustrated by Leighanne Dees with aid from the watchful eyes of Irish dance and folklore experts, Flying Feet: A Story Of Irish Dance is a fantastic children's picturebook inspired by a true event - a singularly memorable dance championship that took place when two master dancers tested their talents to determine who was worthy to become the dance instructor of Ballyconneely. A two-part unfolding page reveals the climactic moment when one of the contestants is so entranced in the passion of the moment he appears to take to the skies! The exuberant color illustrations emphasize a celebration and appreciation of Irish dance and cultural heritage. An afterword at the end offers some educational notes about the history of Irish dance.

A brilliant book for the wee ones! The wonderful text and rich illustrations reveal a tale of a dance competition in the west of Ireland that inspires and enlightens.

This is a very good book. If you are a modeller, so buy it. If you, like me, is just interested on this subject, buy it as well. Comprehensive photo material and superb color plates. Unlike in Albatros Aces, this time Mr. Franks has added a good number of accounts, some personal, of the events about the units and the men who fought in and against the famous, although short lived, Fokker triplane, the "Red Baron" included. Excellent.

This is on of the most infomative and accurate books I've ever seen on the tri-plane. The color plates are very good references for avid modelers such as myself. I am more than happy with this product.

Another great job by Osprey. Very good info on the Dr.1 and its pilots. 40 profiles, showing many top views of wings and stabilizer/elevators. Shows a few cowls, also. Good index. Good for the price.

NOTE: There is a great deal of debate over the colors of WW1 German aircraft, because all the photos are black and white! I would say this book chooses some colors that might disagree with the more knowledgeable WW1 aircraft enthusiast. Remember that this book is a basic review of the Dr.1, and it does not spend 10 pages looking into what color Voss' cowl was, whether or not Lothar von Richthofen's upper wing was yellow.

In the last few years I have been searching books offering a general overview of the past, and I have realized that many books entitled "History of ...whatever" only provide information about the West, the rest of the world being almost ignored.

Otto's on fools or jesters is different, it is truly global. As far as I know, there are not many books (i) dealing with jesters (ii) including not only Europe but also other parts of the world and (iii) readable enough for the non-scholarly public. In that sense, Otto's work seems to me a fascinating examination of the jester tradition throughout the world and history, so I recommend it, my rating being between 5 (content) and 4 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 3, sometimes raising to 5).

Other books that I would recommend would be "Kings or people: Power and the Mandate to Rule" by Reinhard Bendix and "Vienna and Versailles: The Courts of Europe's Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780" by Jeroen Duindam.

Additionally, as a complement to " Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World", I would also suggest reading (hoping that will be of use for those looking for a broad framework to understand the past) the following works, whose scope is as amazingly global as Otto's: 1. Agrarian cultures: "Pre-industrial societies" by Patricia Crone; 2. Economy: "The world economy. A millennial perspective" (2001) plus "The world economy: Historical Statistics" (2003) by Angus Maddison (a combined edition of these two volumes is to appear on December 2007); 3. Government: "The History of Government" by S.E. Finer; 4. Ideas: "Ideas, a History from Fire to Freud", by Peter Watson; 5. Religion: "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen; and 6. War: "War in Human Civilization" by Azar Gat

I can't think of a book that has a better choice of title than _Fools Are Everywhere_ (University of Chicago Press) by Beatrice K. Otto. Everyone would agree with those three little words, but Otto has the specialist meaning revealed in her subtitle: _The Court Jester Around the World_. Her title amply is demonstrated in a large and wide-ranging history of fools. Everyone knows of the fools in England, quite possibly because Shakespeare put many of them in his works. But Otto has gathered a huge amount of material from Everywhere; fools may be found also especially in China (which is, along with Europe, the arena of Otto's closest inspection), and in India, Arabia, and Tonga, within the Yaqui Indians, among the Aztecs, and, well, everywhere, even in corporate boardrooms.

A tradition this nearly universal must have strong reason to exist, and Otto demonstrates over and over, from one anecdote to another, that fools served both kings and subjects. Jesters were not only tolerated by the rulers, they were cherished. They may have made uncomfortable, biting attacks; Sultan Mahmud was lying in the lap of his jester and asked him, "What is your relation to cuckolds?" The jester replied: "I am their pillow." But even beneath the bite is understanding and even kindliness and acceptance. When King Tamerlane was roaring out 800, 1,200, and 1,500 lashes for a series of offenders, his fool Nasrudin interrupted him with what seemed to be an irrelevant question: "O King, do you know everything?" "Of course I do," retorted the King. "Then how could you inflict such punishment? Either you don't know the meaning of the number 1,500, or you don't know the sting of a whip." The jester is here shown to be the kindly servant of the king, as the one who might save the king from himself; but also, he is the servant of the subjects who would otherwise feel the king's lash. Thus the jester became in cultures everywhere a folk hero.

There are countless anecdotes here, and not all of them pay off. There are many that rely on the time, or the language, or "I guess you just had to be there." But plenty of this otherwise academic work is good, foolish fun. Otto has presented case after case, and her book has little theorizing. She does speculate upon where the fools of the court went, since they are now historic figures. They didn't really go anywhere, she says, they just specialized. Actors, cartoonists, and comedians took over the role, especially after the fools became presences on the stage. Otto hopes that the twenty-first century may have a rebirth of the fool (can you imagine someone paid to do pratfalls at the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks?), and does give some fine twentieth century examples. Will Rogers famously used his fooling to puncture politics-as-usual in otherwise impossible ways, and addressed President Wilson with great informality as Pres. And Otto quotes the best jester of the twentieth century (in my view), Groucho Marx, who was told by the management of a beach club that Jews were not allowed to swim from the beach. "What about my son?" came the reply that could have issued from a sprite clothed in swatches of colors, a horned cap, and bells. "He's only half-Jewish. Would it be all right if he went into the water up to his knees?"

Otto's first book, Fools are Everywhere, is a brilliantly crafted one and will delight readers. Her writing is extraordinarly gentle on the mind - eloquent and powerful. The quotes she has sprinkled throughout and the fun "flip-pages" that bring the popular juggling jester to life are added pleasures for the reader to enjoy.

Otto states in her introduction that she hopes to show that the court jester is a universal character and if not omnipresent, certainly omnifamiliar. Her research is vast and extensive - with fascinating similarities found between European and Chinese cultures - the latter's contributions to this subject being relatively unknown in our time. She provides information on characters found in other cultures as well - India, Native America, Africa and more. She emphasizes the important role of jesters within society and the obvious need for satire - discovered independently by peoples across the globe.

There is a selection of illustrations throughout the book and some fabulous excerpts from literature and historical documentation.

Though Otto remarks that there have been many books on the topic of jesters in the past century, I have found nothing comparable to this one. The most useful research on the topic has long since become shrouded by various forms of inaccessibility for the majority of readers. For these reasons, and many more, this book is an extraordinary contribution to our times. I, for one, look forward to the future books written by this author.