Arthur Books

"Idylls of the Queen" satisfies on many levels. One: it's a unique look at the world of Arthur's Camelot through the eyes of the much miligned Sir Kay. Two: It's a terrific murder mystery with red herrings and surprises. Three: It's a great fantasy, containing magic and otherworldly spells blended in a unique way.

If you're looking for something different, be it fantasy or mystery, I recommend "Idylls of the Queen" you won't be disappointed!

I absolutely could not put it down! And extended story of Guenevere's dinner party where Sir Patrise dies of poison, it is written in the style of a murder mystery narrated by Sir Kay, in which he and Mordred are the primary characters. Throughout the entire book they try to find out who the real murderer is in order to get Gwen off the hook, and as they do this they retell traditional legendary events, looking for "motive" within them. It's great--very creative and suspensful. I read it twice, and the second time I couldn't remember who the murderer was, and I was still guessing at the very end! Also, I love the way Karr presents Mordred.

King Arthur meets Hercule Poirot in this enjoyable murder mystery, set within the context of "Morte D'Arthur" in a scene that was related with brevity, but here is fleshed out to a darn good story. I've been reading a great deal of Arthurian lit currently, to help me focus for my own book, and this is one of the best I've read.

It takes place when a certain knight dies of poison during a party thrown by Queen Guinevere -- and the queen herself is the primary suspect. Sir Kay, being the lead character, dives in to help Guinevere and prove her innocent. (If you've never read the legend, then you doubtlessly won't know who the heck it is).

The characters are recognizable, but thankfully do not fully fall into the well-worn slots that many authors shift them into. Karr's portrayal of Kay was excellent, sympathetic and extremely accessible to the reader. I felt sorry for Guinevere, loved Karr's portrayal of Mordred (I'm seeing good Mordred portrayals left and right at present). On the flip side, Lancelot enthusiasts may want to run for the hills (are there Lancelot enthusiasts?).

Phyllis Ann Karr, aside from being a darn good Arthurian author/historian is also a darn good mystery author. She gets the pacing and interactions that are suitable in a good mystery, never becoming too extended and therefore, boring. The tone of the writing is wry and mildly humorous, though never Monty-Pythonesque. The cover is of the quiet, dignified type that many lower-key, higher-quality Arthurian books current have, with the sight of a castle fringed by green leaves.

Overall, this is what I think Elizabeth Peters would write if she wrote Arthurian lit. After the highly enjoyable "Arthurian Companion" (a must-read for Arthuriana buffs) this was a rare treat.

*Idylls of the Queen* is so much more than a good murder mystery. It is a good murder mystery, but unlike an ordinary mystery, you can reread it, even knowing whodunit, without any of the fun being spoiled. The mystery is sort of a backdrop to the real show--which is yet another new take on the personalities of Arthurian legend, and a different look at chivalric ideals.

The narrator is the oft-maligned Sir Kay, the grouchy but well-meaning seneschal of Arthur's court. He's not a bad guy. He *is* a sarcastic curmudgeon, but that's because he's seen so many self-serving buffoons win glory and adulation while his own hard work goes unnoticed. He is also secretly in love with the Queen. Kay shares an uneasy friendship with a wonderfully written, morbid, fatalistic, and somehow sympathetic Sir Mordred. Together they set out to clear Guenevere's name of the murder charges, meeting fascinating characters right and left. Morgan and Iblis are especially engaging, and Karr puts some deep words into their mouths. Morgan's defense of her mixed Christian and pagan ways cuts right to the heart of things, and Iblis's observation that justice is different for women than for men, is shocking just because it is so true of the times.

If you're an Arthurian buff, read this book. It's a quick read, and a great way to spend a lazy afternoon or two.

Phyllis Ann Karr has done all Arthurian fans a big favor by writing this book. "The Idylls of the Queen" is basically a murder mystery set in Camelot, with all the familiar knights and ladies as suspects when Sir Patrise is inexplicably murdered at a small dinner hosted by Queen Guenevere. Sir Mador accuses the Queen of the murder, and a race against time ensues to discover the truth. The usual knightly quest becomes a hunt for the killer--whoever that may be. Along the way Karr treats us to some very unique interpretations of the Arthurian cast, including Sir Gareth, Sir Bors, Sir Gawaine (more like the title character of "Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight") Morgan le Fay, and Sir Lancelot himself. Told in the first person by Sir Kay, King Arthur's foster brother and seneschal, usually noted by other writers solely for his comedic boorishness or ignored entirely, the novel clearly demonstrates that there is a lot more to Kay than he's usually given credit for--as was the case in the earliest Arthurain legends, where the sarcastic boor of later years is replaced by a loyal, courtly knight. Karr's version of Kay is still a fountainhead of caustic wit, but even so he's likeable and clearly indispensible to the well-being of Camelot.

A fast, suspenseful novel that should stand up to multiple readings, "The Idylls of the Queen" is an ingenious work that should please all fans of Arthurian literature.

This is a refreshing change (albeit dense occasionally) among books about an extremely complex, and hard to understand topic, psychoanalysis. The essentials in the relationship between the analyst and her or his patient are spelled out, as what is necessary for the patient to change ( if so courageously desired). I wish I had had Feiner as an analyst.He's erudite, has a great sense of humor, and treats his patients as though they are as well read as he. If one isn't, then being with him gets one to become curious about the world as well as oneself. Feiner surely doesn't suffer from and assault us with those three osities: pomp,preci and verb. I hope the W. A. White Institute which trained him, graduates more like him.

Most books on psychoanalysis, its theory or its process, are packed with abstract, esoteric lingo that's far away from how people feel or express themselves. This one is different in that it's of the "she - I said" vaiety, and at the same time presents a pot full of insight about patients that really rings true. Dr. Levenson, in a truly lucid foreword, pegs Dr. Feiner just right-a rare combination of the shades of Isaiah Berlin and Zorba the Greek. The book is erudite, scholarly, and quite articulate (ocassionally Feiner will drive you maddeningly to the dictionary), and downright humorous, at times, all in the service of trying to capture precisely what goes on in interpersonal psychoanalysis, and how people might change. In a section detailing the interpersonal therapeutic interaction he reveals his wit and playfulness, along with his analytic wisdom. It is an area of psychotherapy that isn't written about usually. But the high point of this profound book is to demonstrate how authentic psychoanalysis is clearly non-adversarial and non-advice giving, but genuine analyses of the patient, the analyst himself, and their interaction. The title gives away the significant themes dealt with: relevance, dismissal and self-definition. It's a well written, translucent, amlpy illustrated book about real psychoanalystic therapy. You get the feeling you'd like to be in therapy with Dr. Feiner (if the fee wasn't too high). A good book. Give it to your therapist for Christmas.

This book is not a how-to-do-it essay about interpersonal psychoanalysis. It is, however, a gliding over, in, and around many of the interactive aspects of a therapeutic relationship. There's a lot of wisdom in these 188 pages, based evidently on the author's clinicial experience. And anyone of any school or orientation can read him or herself into it, not in theoretical jargon (if supplied, there's none in this book), but in the active part of engagement. The writing is sometimes funny, and often has you nodding, "yes, it's like that." It may not be the whole of therapy, but it surely presents a big piece of it, and it is a breath of fresh air. Feiner takes a lot for granted- that the reader is probably a professional and knows his stuff, and, therefore, will make something of what he's written. His self-exposure, his thoughtfulness about the patient and what's going on between them, are loud and clear. The chapters on "touch" and "vengeance" are worth the price of admission. Feiner has it right: self-definition is the umbrella covering all experience and the feeling of relevance is the key to a rational way of living.

Most books on psychoanalysis, its theory or its process, are packed with abstract, esoteric lingo that's far away from how people feel or express themselves. This one is different in that it's of the "she - I said" vaiety, and at the same time presents a pot full of insight about patients that really rings true. Dr. Levenson, in a truly lucid foreword, pegs Dr. Feiner just right-a rare combination of the shades of Isaiah Berlin and Zorba the Greek. The book is erudite, scholarly, and quite articulate (ocassionally Feiner will drive you maddeningly to the dictionary), and downright humorous, at times, all in the service of trying to capture precisely what goes on in interpersonal psychoanalysis, and how people might change. In a section detailing the interpersonal therapeutic interaction he reveals his wit and playfulness, along with his analytic wisdom. It is an area of psychotherapy that isn't written about usually. But the high point of this profound book is to demonstrate how authentic psychoanalysis is clearly non-adversarial and non-advice giving, but genuine analyses of the patient, the analyst himself, and their interaction. The title gives away the significant themes dealt with: relevance, dismissal and self-definition. It's a well written, translucent, amlpy illustrated book about real psychoanalystic therapy. You get the feeling you'd like to be in therapy with Dr. Feiner (if the fee wasn't too high). A good book. Give it to your therapist for Christmas.

Most books on psychoanalysis, its theory or its process, are packed with abstract, esoteric lingo that's far away from how people feel or express themselves. This one is different in that it's of the "she - I said" vaiety, and at the same time presents a pot full of insight about patients that really rings true. Dr. Levenson, in a truly lucid foreword, pegs Dr. Feiner just right-a rare combination of the shades of Isaiah Berlin and Zorba the Greek. The book is erudite, scholarly, and quite articulate (ocassionally Feiner will drive you maddeningly to the dictionary), and downright humorous, at times, all in the service of trying to capture precisely what goes on in interpersonal psychoanalysis, and how people might change. In a section detailing the interpersonal therapeutic interaction he reveals his wit and playfulness, along with his analytic wisdom. It is an area of psychotherapy that isn't written about usually. But the high point of this profound book is to demonstrate how authentic psychoanalysis is clearly non-adversarial and non-advice giving, but genuine analyses of the patient, the analyst himself, and their interaction. The title gives away the significant themes dealt with: relevance, dismissal and self-definition. It's a well written, translucent, amlpy illustrated book about real psychoanalystic therapy. You get the feeling you'd like to be in therapy with Dr. Feiner (if the fee wasn't too high). A good book. Give it to your therapist for Christmas.

This book is a handy documentation for jDK 1.1, however, in current JDK 1.3, a lot of changes have taken place, making this book somewhat obsolete, unless you are programming applets, which are still using JDK 1.1, due to the browser wars. One of the good parts of this book is that it describes all the keywords, shows a ASCII table with Octal, Decimal, and Unicode numbers for each character, and covers all classes and their properties and methods in JDK 1.1

If you want to make Applets using the built in JVM of most browsers, this book is a good buy. However, it is possible now to make an Applet using the Java Plug-In, which uses JDK 1.3 or JDK 1.4. Also, Mac OS X now has the Java 2 JVM built into their operating system. But to make sure your applet runs on all browsers, using the deprecated methods, this book will be useful.

Essentially, apart from the Keywords listing, the ASCII table, and some extra comments and examples, this book is not much different than a Javadoc Documentation that you can view on the internet at Sun's site free, which shows all the classes, all the methods, all their parameters, with links to go from class to class documentation for any JDK version. Also, it is a very large book, making it unlikely a version 2 book, with twice as many classes and methods, will be published. So, this book may be viewed as a convenience when you don't have internet access.

From the day I first received this book it has proven a valuable resource. I was looking for something that I could use just as a language reference and this goes way beyond that. My only complaint is the hard cover, makes it a heavy book to lug around

My thanks to the author for an excellent reference . While it's not a tutorial, it still manages to give short but clear summaries on various aspects of the language. Nice examples too. Wouldn't want to be without it or the Core Java books by Horstmann & Cornell.

If you're looking for a book chock full of examples and code, this is the ONE. If you are looking for a tutorial, this isn't it. Highly, highly recommended ...

Great Book. If you look for a method, a class, a deprecation or for the Java-hierarchy, You will find it in this boook. Good explanation (short!) on the methods. Good examples. Shame there is not a book like this on the JDK 1.2 or the JFC.

I am a hardcore Trina Schart Hyman fan, so this book is just another in my collection of her art work. The pictures are stunning. My kids spend hours looking at the pictures. The Red night, blue night, black night theme does get a little old though. The story is about a strange man who comes to King Arthur to ask three favors. After a year, the stranger sets off to free a princess trapped in a tower. He has to face many knights along the way and proves his worthyness in doing so.

I really liked this book because of the story, it was factual. It corresponded well with the legend. The pictures were really well done, I love those dresses! :)

The illustrations are wonderful, and if you like sweet, honest Sir Gareth, as I do, you will enjoy this story, even though it's a kids' book. :)

Excellent book for use during any medieval or knight study. Fourth grade boys in particular would love this book, however, any student in elementary would enjoy the book. The illustrations are very good. Younger students may need the book read to them. Goes along with King Arthur studies and tales.

I bought this book for a report in my British Literature class. The assignment was to find a children's book related to the medieval period. I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly. The text is easy to follow and the pictures are great. Great book for any child, boy or girl.

Good translation and the subject material in this book creates a deep emotional connection to parashah commentary. Highly recommended. Also the introduction to the book is well written and presents an interesting introduction to the Sfat Emet.

Arthur Green has done the Torah- learning public in English a great service with this translation and commentary. He elucidates the work of an important Jewish Hasidic thinker, one whose Torah is very much a teaching of the love of Torah. For the Sefat Emet the Torah is the unlimited wisdom of G-d that we can only imperfectly grasp. We human beings are half of our real selves, and the other half which is with G-d comes down to us on Shabbos, but also comes to make us whole whenever we learn Torah.
I hope this Shavuot to look into this particular Sefer more. It was also a favorite of my own Rebbe, the ' Holy Teacher' David Hertzberg who often taught it along with other favorites like the Kedushat Levi, the Moharran, the Degel Ephraim, Ishbitz, and others.

This is just to say that I enjoyed reading the above erudite review by mneueruncle.

Sfat Emet is an incredibly succinct and somewhat enigmatic work. There are portions that are so cryptic that one must read them several times in order to absorb their full meaning. Accordingly, Prof. Green's elucidation can be quite helpful. Furthermore, while Prof. Green taps into the universalism inherent in Sfat Emet, he is generally moderate in his interpretation of the Rebbe's work. As a result, he very rarely offends the sensibilities of the more traditional reader (i.e., one that might refer to "the Sfas Emes"). Finally, the historical information is good reading.

First published at the end of the 19th century, this is a work of startlingly radical theology. Green summarizes one short comment:

"There is an openness in this teaching to an authentic universalism that is rare in Jewish sources. All the tongues of humanity praise G*d, each in their own distinctive way but as part of the universal chorus. The Moses who "created openings, gates of Torah" in all the places and tongues of the world is not like the religiously imperialistic missionary who translates his own Bible into all the languages and thus rejoices at the spread of G*d's word. Here the "openings" have to come from within those languages and the cultures that are an inseparable part of them. If we understand that there is really but one G*d and listen to the prophet who says: "Everywhere incense and sacrifice are offered to My name" (Mal. 1:11), we will begin to understand our task as participants in and listeners to the truly universal human chorus."

The Gerer rebbe points out the real Torah was the innermost utterance of Hashem which created the universe. Everything in the universe is manifestation of Hashem. Even the Hebrew Torah itself is a "clothing" on top of the original Torah - a kind of translation, if you will.

One can only marvel at the succinct style and unique vision of this great spiritual master. While studying the Sefat Emet, I am struck by the spiritual poverty of this generations Torah leaders.

The Tao Teh Ching is by far one of the best books I've ever read on spirituality, ontology, and leadership. The book is more than a historical text, and more than a simple book of collected wisdom, but rather,it presents the author's world view on everything to do with human existence, linking it through polymorphous concept of the Tao.

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an introduction into Taoism, anyone who is interested in Ancient Chinese thought, or just someone who wants a different way of looking at the world.

Daniel Clausen
www.danielclausen.com

I absoutely love this edition of the "Tao Te Ching"! I've bought multiple coppies as gifts. It's simple read, it provides some feedback from the translator to help you think about what you just read in perhaps a different way or wiht better insight, and it's tiny which is great for traveling-it takes no more room then a pack of cards. This is convienient becuse I personaly find the content perfect for traveling. Reflecting on days past and events past happens naturally while suspended between one place and the next which makes relating to the content even easier.

The Tao Te Ching is not a manual for leadership, but rather, a description of all existence condensed into one philosophical work. It is, basically, a poetic discourse on the nature of "The Dao," nothing more. It should not be interpreted as a leadership manual. Even though it states what an ideal leader is, it gives no specific instructions anywhere on how to achieve that end.



The books says that for others to have confidence in you, you must be confident in yourself. Yeah, how do you achieve it? Where this truly a manual for leadership, it would be specific about the point. It isn't, because that is not was Lao Tzu was concerned with. All it really is, is an explanation on the nature of things the way Lao Tzu saw it, that is, "The Dao" as best Lao Tzu interpreted, and understood it.



As a book, this is pretty raw; it goes straight to the work itself. After a brief introduction, it gets right to it. No footnotes, no side notes (except only in one page I believe), just the work itself. This is not a life manual, nor is it a religious work; it is a spiritual philosophy that follows a higher form of logic. If one must present a hierarchy of logic, from basic to highest, it goes as follows;



1) First, there is Mathematics, from basic Arithmetic, to Calculus. Alongside Mathematics, mastery of language and rhetoric, from grammar, to writing.



2) When Mathematics and Language are mastered, one then studies Greek Philosophy, specifically, the works of Plato and Aristotle. After that, more complex forms of logic, eventually leading to abstract reasoning.



3) Once abstract reasoning has been mastered, then, and only then, do you read the Tao Te Ching, and actively try to think about, and absorb the message it attempts to convey.



Interpreted in this manner, the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual and philosophical work that at once negates and confirms itself so many times it is nearly impossible to understand unless the nuances of logic, abstraction and language as described by Plato are understood first. That is, Daoist thinking as presented here, paradoxically is a higher form of logic, but at the same time it negates logic in favor of instinct. I could go in circles all day regarding this, so, I'll keep it short; read Plato and Aristotle first, and I hope you are Math major honor student, or an M.I.T. grad. That's the only way you'll hope to understand this higher form of logic. I'm not saying you are not entitled to read it, I'm just saying, this is not a philosophical work for just any Tom, Dick or Harry.



Myself, I barely understand this work. From what little I do understand of the Tao Te Ching though, is that it is a higher form of logic. It does seem cryptic, even nonsensical, but, the truth is, it isn't. Again, it is a philosophy of paradoxes that relies on abstract logical reasoning easily on par with Newton's works. In the same way Physics is difficult because it deals with so many abstractions, the Tao Te Ching is difficult because IT IS an abstraction on a more complex level than Physics. Physics, at least, is a real science that can be proven. Daoist, is a self-negating, yet self-confirming philosophy.



Know that is what you are getting yourself into when you purchase this work, and I will warn, its not for everyone. Unless you have mastered language, have proficiency in math, and have read Plato and Aristotle, I will almost guarantee that if you try to analyze this work it will give you a lot of headaches. Again; there is nothing cryptic or mystical about it, its just a higher form of logic. By its very nature, when mastered, logic becomes an abstraction. The Tao Te Ching is a Philosophical abstraction presented as a poem.



If you're a fast reader you'll get through it within an hour. Everyone else, about two, but, make no mistake; even though its a lighter read than any ancient Greek philosophy, it is much harder to understand. Again, the best way to gain an understanding of it, is by mastering Mathematics and Language, studying logic, reading Plato and Aristotle, and THEN taking the time to actively think about the things said in this book. Again, let me warn any potential buyer, this is not at all a light read, brief though it may be.

Anyone who may be looking for a stripped-down edition of the Tao Te Ching, one without Introduction, Commentaries, or Footnotes, so that one may immediately come to grips with this most fascinating and profound of texts without any distracting impedimenta at all, could hardly do better than get hold of a copy of this book.

A brief description of its translator, Dr John C. H. Wu, will be found in the Introduction to Red Pine's 'Lao-tzu's Taoteching.' From Red Pine, who attended a graduate course on the Tao Te Ching given by Dr Wu at the College of Chinese Culture in Taiwan many years ago, we learn that he was a person of considerable attainments.

Besides translating the Tao Te Ching, Dr Wu also translated the New Testament, drafted his country's constitution, and served as China's ambassador to the Vatican and it's chief representative to the Hague. Clearly we are dealing here, not with some sort of 'mystical' dreamer, but with an accomplished scholar, diplomat, and man of the world, and one who must have realized the world has never stood in greater need of Lao Tzu's religion of peace than it does in our present era of aggression.

After a brief Foreword, and a couple of pages of Editor's Notes, we are immediately confronted by the text. Here is an example of Dr Wu's style from the opening of Chapter 29, slightly adjusted since it should be set out as poetry:

"Does anyone want to take the world and do what he wants with it? / I do not see how he can succeed. // The world is a sacred vessel, which must not be tampered with or grabbed after. / To tamper with it is to spoil it, and to grasp it is to lose it" (page 59).

In the present age of manipulators both great and small, could there be any more apt words for us than these? And could they have been expressed more effectively? One doubts it.

But it gets better. Classical Chinese is an extremely rich language, a language of multiple meanings. No English translation, no matter how good - and Dr Wu's is very good indeed - could possibly hope to capture more than a fraction of the meaning inherent in the Chinese text. Given this, we see the hand of the diplomat at work in Dr Wu's next move, for facing each page of the English translation he has given us Wang Pi's edition of the original Chinese text.

Evidently Dr Wu went to some pains to present us with a truly striking version of this text, for we are told that it is reproduced from the Lao Chieh Lao edition compiled by Ts'ai T'ing Kan, and privately printed in 1922. It would seem we have been given a collector's item, and it is certainly one of the most beautifully printed Chinese texts of the Tao Te Ching that I have ever seen.

The traditional full-form Chinese characters are printed in a large, clear, bold font, and even a beginner, after a week's study of the Chinese radicals, would have no trouble at all making out the structure of even the more complex characters. Somehow I get the feeling that Dr Wu would like YOU to become that beginner...

There is of course enough to keep anyone busy pondering for years in any competent English translation of the Tao Te Ching. But for those who may find themselves stirred by the visual beauty of the Chinese characters, each of which is an exquisitely balanced and supreme work of art, and who may be curious to learn more about them and how they work and what they mean, there are a number of books that would help.

One of them is the 'Gate of All Marvelous Things : A Guide to Reading the Tao Te Ching' by Gregory C. Richter. This is an interlinear edition of the Tao Te Ching which gives the Chinese text in simplified characters, pinyin transliterations, a literal word-by-word gloss and a final translation. By means of this book you can learn to read the original, or some of your favorite passages, in Chinese.

I think that if one or two of you were so impelled, Dr Wu would be left feeling very happy indeed. He seems to be a man with a keen desire to share the most important and beautiful things he has found in life.

It cannot be underemphasized that this edition has the traditional Chinese in its entirety, printed large enough to read, as well as the English translation. Having read only one other translation , I am not the most qualified to judge the translation's relative quality, but I can say that this is the best edition I have seen as far as clearly displaying the Chinese text.

Kay Arthur does a beautiful job in this study guide and the DVD/audio set (avail. at Precept Ministries International) of explaining how grace isn't only for salvation, but it is also for overcoming sinful habits--to conquer sin in one's life. Grace has never been made this clear and applicable to me before. If you're sick of struggling with the same ol' sin, this Bible Study Guide is for you.

This study was truly a blessing to me. I strongly encourage anyone looking for a devotional Bible study or a way to spend time in God's Word to get this book. In the first few chapters Kay Arthur gives you some foundational teaching about the law, sin, and grace. This is not your usual devotional. Kay has you going directly to the Word for yourself so that you can discover truth for yourself. I found myself wondering why no one in church taught about the grace of God. I thank the Lord for showing me His grace in providing this study. Now I know I was living by Law and as result I was living beneath my inheritance--under the curse of the Law. Walking in God's grace means that I am totally dependent upon the Father for everything. Discover truth for yourself and get this book. If possible start a bible study with some friends and family using this study. But remember to do it all standing firm in the grace of God. Be blessed.

This was the first class of Kay's Precepts Upon Precepts classes which I was blessed to complete. She has allowed herself to be used by God in the most remarkable ways, yielding herself to His leading and glory by her incredible insight and sharing in not only the book but the accompanying video. Kay is one of God's blessings, and may He continue to bless her as His name is glorified by the continued use and teaching imparted upon each new reader to her books!

This book is a good daily study to help you understand the Grace of God. To learn how to live in the Grace of God. How to share the Grace of God with others. A good study book for any serious Christian.

Satan would love to keep us under the law,but God sent His Son to free us from the law and it is by Him that we enter into Gods grace. Gods'blessings do not depend on my performance, I was wrongly declaring that I was justified through the cross but that justification was maintained through the law. Kays book has guided me into a deeper understanding that through Jesus we are not only saved from the condemnation of sin but we are saved from the POWER OF SIN NOW.

Those who enjoyed Knight's excellent "Johnny D." will again appreciate the rapid-fire style of storytelling as told from the rotating points of view of the central characters.

As mentioned in some of the other reviews, this would make a great movie, though the casting would indeed be difficult due to the sheer iconic nature of two of the principals. Maybe enough time has passed, though, for younger audiences (the largest portion of the movie-going public) would be willing to accept such a reach..

Movie historians should consider this book a "must-read." Casual readers will also quickly be drawn into the engaging narrative "flow" of the book, too. I'm already looking forward to Knight's next book.

I've read quite a bit on the subject of the making of THE MISFITS, and I cannot imagine a better book on the subject. Knight captures every aspect of the real persons involved in the making of the film, good, bad and appalling. Knowing that Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift will soon be dead adds to the poignancy of the story. I've never read a better treatment of Marilyn. She is exasperating, appealing, loving, caring and on the skids. Buy this book. It is riveting.

REVIEW BY CHARLES ALVERSON:

`Misfits Country' by Arthur Winfield Knight (Tres Picos Press, March, 2008)

It was the boiling summer of 1960. Three famous actors, a celebrated director and a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright arrived in Nevada, USA, to make a film the playwright, Arthur Miller, had written for one of the stars, Marilyn Monroe, his wife at the time.

The film was `The Misfits,' the other stars were Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift and the director was John Huston, creator of many great films including `The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' and `The Maltese Falcon'.

The occasion was a fit setting for a classic motion picture and a personal disaster for most of the principals as portrayed by Arthur Winfield Knight in a work of fiction that reads as if it were a documentary written by someone who'd probed the mind and soul of those involved.

In Knight's imagination--bolstered by the mythology surrounding such luminaries:

Marilyn Monroe is a passive, drug-addled, constantly late nymphomaniac who despises her husband and can be consoled only by Paula Strasberg, the drama coach/masseuse who followed her from New York. `The Misfits' was her last completed film.

Clark Gable is an aging screen immortal whose youthful excesses and efforts to maintain a macho image at age 59 threaten his life and his happiness with his wife, pregnant with his first child. He was to die within two weeks after shooting finished.

Montgomery Clift is an insecure homosexual addict mourning the lost beauty of his face, reconstructed after a car wreck, and scorned by the he-men Gable and Huston. He would die at 45, having destroyed his system with drugs and booze.

John Huston is the hard-drinking, hard-gambling ringmaster of this circus of human wrecks. Despairing of maintaining order, he coddled Monroe and Clift, sometimes directed when drunk and took time out to go camel racing.

Arthur Miller is the odd man out, the Eastern intellectual in a nest of Hollywood neurotics, despised by his soon-to-be ex-wife and constantly rewriting scenes from the film to salvage Monroe's unraveling ability to play the heroine of the film.

This is Arthur Knight's raw material, the puppets he manipulates through gyrations that seem as familiar as they are bizarre. By chance, he was present in Dayton, Nevada, when `The Misfits' was being filmed, but Knight claims that did not influence the writing of this novel. We think we know a lot about Monroe's tragic life as a sex symbol and something about the lives of Gable and Clift. And certainly much of what Knight writes rings true to what we think we know, but the line between fact and fiction in `Misfits Country is imperceptible. This is perhaps the danger of this genre. Will Arthur Knight's imaginings fuse with the `reality' of the lives and events he portrays? Or are the facts and myths so conflated that one cannot tell--or care--which is which?

Knight's version of the making of `The Misfits' is exciting, sexy, torturous and almost as nervous-making as the endless wait to see if Monroe will show up on set. His puppets--Marilyn, Monty, Clark, John, Arthur and a small host of supporting characters--are revealed in chapters averaging less than two pages long. Though we know the film was finished and the fates of the principles, the tension remains high to the very end.

Critics may complain that Knight erases the line between fact and fiction by claiming well-known personalities as booster rockets for his imagination, but he makes them ring tragically true.

In his novel "Misfits Country," Arthur Knight imaginatively creates a movie within a movie, using the actors of the 47-year-old film The Misfits as characters in his new movie about their dysfunctional relationships as they are concurrently creating The Misfits. Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, Arthur Miller, and John Huston star in Knight's movie which has an atmosphere and residue of a bygone era, most of their best work (Some Like It Hot, From Here to Eternity, Gone With the Wind, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Death of a Salesman) being done well before The Misfits.

Knight creates an intimate, documentary-style piece, employing cinematic writing that immerses the reader in the day-to-day saga of the fictionalized lives of Marilyn, Monty, Clark, John, and Arthur. At times, he uses a close-up, allowing the reader entree into the intimate details of the characters' personal challenges. We feel their angst; we're told their self-doubts; we taste the martinis, whiskey, and champagne they drink; we smell Huston's nearly constant cigar and feel overwhelmed by the fumes of so many cigarettes smoked by Monty, Arthur, and Clark. We pity the pain, suffering, and frustration of Marilyn and Monty as they attempt to confront their ever-present demons. We sense Arthur's awkwardness, his inability to fit in with the others. Clark, much older than his 59 years and in bad health, knows who he is and recognizes he doesn't have a lot of time left; he looks forward to the birth of his son. John has a picture to complete; he'll get paid and he can pay his gambling debts; after this film, he'll move on to the next one.

Knight racks focus and we tunnel to the arid Nevada landscape, an integral character in his story. The unwavering, searing, bright sun forces us to squint. The roasting heat across the salt flats keeps us wiping our faces and necks in an unsuccessful effort to remove constant perspiration.

At other times, Knight utilizes flashbacks for insight into present behavior. He'll then flash forward, showing the characters pondering their future, wondering where they will be in five or ten years, especially poignant because we know several of them will be dead.

Arthur Knight's "Misfits Country" is an enticing, surprisingly realistic work of fiction.

Arthur Knight's "Misfits Country," for those of us either old enough to recall or be adequately studied in cinema to harbor curiosity about what may have actually occurred in the minds and lives of the cast members of Hollywood's hot list during the shooting of what has been univocally described as one of the most difficult film productions ever undertaken, reads like a dream we may have never dreamt ... but always considered.
Arthur Miller's script for The Misfits, directed by John Houston in 1961 and strongly supported by then A-list actors Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift marked the last curtain call for two of America's greatest film stars ... they just didn't know it yet. And ... who would've?
Such retrospective analysis provided the fictional fodder for Knight, who delves deeply into the "what if?" He presents the reader with scenarios created from actual, factual research and a sharper mind for speculative scenarios with even more finely honed prose to explore the dynamics of what happened on the set ... or what may have, behind the sets and soundstages in the personal challenges facing these stars whose inner lights were dimming in a rapidly fading horizon of personal illusion simultaneously melding with that of the public silver screen.
Using the tension of Miller's and Monroe's failing marriage sizzling in the Reno, Nevada desert heat, accentuated by an increasingly inebriated Houston who had indeed lost his "direction," Knight explores the breadth and depth of these rich and famous personas America adored, and insightfully presents through his inner-dramatic format what may have really led to the end of the epic drama, the erratic lives of those who embodied it, and an era when a movie-going public departed theaters in awe, never knowing what dirt might lie within the folds of the theater's curtains. They bought the dream - Knight didn't.
The documented reality of the film's labored production is, in and of itself, tabloid material, but Knight exercises his focused writing to cast the characters in different lights - sometimes soft and forgiving, and others harsh and unyielding. Between the novel's bindings and among its pages, readers become privy to thoughts, attitudes, intentions and actions stripped of a Hollywood mystique that can never be proven. Nor, however ... can his suppositions ever be outright denied. And in such ... the drama within a drama emerges.
The film, after much delay, opened to mixed reviews, no doubt born from an expectation of audiences who were awaiting established superstar performances, but had no clue about a drunken and compulsively gambling director; the downright nasty marital discord of America's blonde-bombshell sweetheart stoned out of her beautiful gourd on drugs and alcohol during filming; the ever-widening gap of her marriage to acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller; or Monroe's implied liaisons with "Monty," a closeted bisexual who sported a drug usage profile equal to or greater than Monroe's.
Fact: Miller and Monroe divorced shortly after production on The Misfits was completed.
What "Misfits Country" offers that the film does not is a vast and deep undercurrent of raw dialogue that wasn't scripted for actors, yet in prose form reveals a story equally as compelling, perhaps even more compelling, than that of the film, where actors were merely reciting lines for takes ... but not delivering the stuff emanating from their true hearts, even if their true hearts' desires are the product of Knight's imagination.
"Misfits?" Probably. But in "Misfits Country," human beings - not actors - with much more real emotions, real issues, real dramas, real problems ... without direction ... and without doubt, seek solace, happiness, and comfort wherever it might exist ... for survival.
Reality, in "Misfits Country" seems to possess more inherent truth than what we saw on the screen when too, and quite fairly, we suspended our belief for entertainment.
Arthur Knight, an early scholar of Beat Generation poets and retired university professor, edited and published several acclaimed anthologies from this historic era of American literature. He's also written plays on his versions of the lives of Billy The Kid, James Dean, and Jack Kerouac. Among his other available novels is "Blue Skies Falling," a thinly-disguised take on the life of Sam Peckinpah.
"Misfits Country" presents readers with yet another dreamy journey into the lives of Hollywood's American film icons ... and outlaws.
Like Knight's past literary endeavors, "Misfits Country" is well worth the read - so read it now ... before the inevitable movie ... about the movie, arrives at your local theater.

murder & Sullivan

Enjoy the author so try to read all written.

Delivery good.

Hope to buy again as I have been using Amazon for a long time.

Joan Spencer is walking through the park on her way home from work when a tornado hits. She spots a small girl crying and runs to rescue her. They both survive and Joan receives much gratitude from the girls family. The father of the little girl is Judge David Putnam and is acting in a musical while Joan is playing her viola in the Symphony. Judge Putnam is murdered on stage the 1st night of the performance. Joan and her policeman fiancee Fred are on the hunt for the culprit. Another great cast of characters and what can go on in a small Indiana town where you least expect it. Enjoy!

Sara Hoskinson Frommer has taken all the best elements of a murder mystery. She gets you caring about the characters and wanting to find the killer, and when you find out whodunit, you say to yourself, "Of course, I should have seen that." I loved the Gilbert & Sullivan references at the beginning of each chapter, and what an ingenious, Gilbertian plot twist to murder a "ghost." The only problem is that I am a Gilbert & Sullivan performer, and I'm going to be afraid if I ever get cast in the role of Sir Roderic Murgatroyd.

Murder & Sullivan is another gem from Sara H. Frommer, a writer who understands music and real people. I'm not a professional book reviewer by any means, but I know what's good when I read it. I've read other books by this author and all of them are I think, wonderful.

Perhaps the best of the Joan Spenser mysteries, Murder and Sullivan is soooo much fun! The main character is this ordinary music-loving lady, Joan, and she's always up to her neck in danger! I love all of Sara Hoskinson Frommer's books. They're fabulous reads if you like mysteries. A writer friend of mine says she thinks Frommer is the best mystery writer out there today..and she might be right, too.

The three investigators get a call from Hector Sebastian, but this time, they have problems finding the clues to solve the key to a treasure of a lifetime. Recommended for bored children! Stevie B.

I was a fan of these characters growing up. I was always trying to find the next case that the boys would be solving. I am buying these books for my 9 year old son so that he can enjoy them as much as I did. They were even better than the Hardy Boys! (I will probably re-read them to share the fun with my son)

This book is the seventh in the Three Investigator series. "The Secret of Skeleton Island" precedes this book, and "The Mystery of the Silver Spider" follows. As we learned in previous books, The Three Investigators are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the intelligent, sometimes inadvertently arrogant member of the group. Pete Crenshaw is typically the muscle of the group. Pete is usually quite fearless. Bob Andrews works at the library and handles records and research for the group.

This mystery finds the boys in difficulty. In the first mystery in this series, "The Secret of Terror Castle," Jupiter Jones had won the use of a gold-colored Rolls Royce for thirty days of twenty-four hour each. Unfortunately, thirty days has passed. Jupiter manages to convince the owner of the rental company to allow the use of the Rolls twice more, but the loss of the Rolls will be a serious blow to the aspirations of The Three Investigators.

The boys travel to the office of Mr. Alfred Hitchcock to meet August August. August's recently deceased uncle left August a valuable object, but to find the object August must solve a riddle. August enlists the aid of The Three Investigators. As we know from previous books in this series, The Three Investigators are quite good at unraveling mysteries and solving enigmas and thus their success rate has been absolute.

The boys believe they have solved the mystery early in the book when they learn that busts owned by August's uncle included a bust of the Roman emperor Augustus. However, Jupiter's Aunt has sold the busts and the boys have no clue as to the buyers or their addresses. Even Jupiter's superior intelligence is at a dead end. Eventually the busts are located, but finding the busts provides only more mysteries.

Unfortunately for The Three Investigators, two other groups also seem to be seeking the object August's uncle left behind, and these groups include men that appear to be coldly ruthless. The Three Investigators may, once again, be in danger for their lives!

I was a little disappointed with the previous book, "The Secret of Skeleton Island." That mystery was almost too simple and mundane for The Three Investigators. The Three Investigators almost solved that mystery accidentally. The danger was often accident related and perhaps a little bit of carelessness on the part of the boys rather than threats from enemies. However, this book came charging back with sinister enemies and a chilling curse on an exotic jewel. The mystery is nicely convoluted and layered and the boys solve one mystery only to find another. I also enjoyed this mystery because there were enough clues in the mystery for you to learn the hiding place of the Fiery Eye before The Three Investigators. This mystery is fun and fast paced!

Enjoy!

In yet another of a series of rip-roaring puzzlers from the mind of Robert Arthur, we now see Jupe and the Three Investigators triumph over a secretly coded message and a cast of assorted bad guys to solve yet another case. The puzzle of the coded message sent to August August (yes, that's his name) by his great-uncle proves to be even more perplexing than it at first appears. The boys seemingly solve the mystery several times, only to be rewarded each of those times with yet another clue to the location of that which they seek, namely a brilliant, long-lost, cursed ruby. Racing them to the prize are a mysterious man from India and a gang of rather foolish tough guys running around with fake black mustaches. I really admired how Arthur brought everything together at the end of the book, incorporating several small details I had dismissed as tangential at the beginning of the tale. As usual, you will find a chapter named "Trapped!" in the book, but, as is also quite usual, the boys find a way out of danger and prove that criminals are no match for the brains of Jupiter Jones and the steadfastness of his intrepid companions. This isn't quite as good as some of the earlier books in the series, but it is certainly an enjoyable story; also, it makes you think. Try putting the book down as you approach the final chapters, after all of the clues are known to you, and see if you can solve the mystery along with our heroes.

I started reading the Three Investigators Mysteries back in the late 70's as a boy of ten. I believe that The Mystery of the Fiery Eye was the first and it hooked me in for many adventures to come. Now, as a man in his 30's, I am rediscovering just how wonderful these books really are. It is so refreshing to put aside adult matters for a few hours and return to a simpler time. I can't recommend this series highly enough to young and old alike.