Burnett Books

While superficially a history of an English stately home this is really a history of the 13 generations of the Thynne family that has inhabited Longleat. It is a story taken from priceless documents held at Longleat that chronicle the lives of well to do Englishmen over the last 400 years, involving the fall of Charles I, assassination, hunting parties in Victorian England, and the turning of the home in a tourist attraction, as well as more mundane facts concerning the lives of the domestic staff and farmers that relied upon Longleat.

No one writes novels quite like Ivy Compton-Burnett: they're really more like novelized plays than anything else, and as Diane Johnson notes in her extremely intelligent foreword to this edition, Compton-Burnett's antecedents are more with Oscar Wilde than anyone else, in her love of savage epigrams and wordplay. her novels are almost impossibly stylized: almost all her characters speak in the same style, so small children and uneducated coooks speak with the same level of sophistication as wealthy educated homeowners. Still, for all of its artificiality, you'd be hardpressed to beat MANSERVANT AND MAIDSERVANT as a superior exercise in style. Compton-Burnett's witty and troubling vision of the effect of a wicked Victorian paterfamilias's repentance is exceptionally striking and thought-provoking, and though this novel is not quite up to the level of A HOUSE AND ITS HEAD (also recently reissued by NYRB Press in a stunning paperback edition), it is one of her best works nonetheless.

MPEG-21 aims at defining an open framework for multimedia delivery and consumption. MPEG-21 is based on two essential concepts: the definition of a fundamental unit of distribution and transaction (the Digital Item, or DI) and the concept of users interacting with DI's. The DI can be considered the "what" of the Multimedia Framework (e.g., a video collection, a music album) and the Users can be considered the "who" of the Multimedia Framework. The goal of MPEG-21 can thus be rephrased to: defining the technology needed to support Users to exchange, access, consume, trade and otherwise manipulate Digital Items in an efficient, transparent and interoperable way.

The first two chapters of this book are an introduction to MPEG in general and then to MPEG-21 specifically. The discussion of MPEG gives a background of the other MPEG standards - MPEG-1,2,4,and 7. This builds a context for the discussion of MPEG-21. Chapter 3 details the DI and the declaration of a DI using the XML schema-based Digital Item Declaration Language. It explains the elements used within the model and the syntax and semantics of their expressions in XML. Chapter 4 details the "protected" DI that can be created using the Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) Component tools. The chapter details the IPMP metadata that is used to describe the protection mechanism used within a given DI.

With the fundamental unit of transaction, the DI, explained, the next two chapters look at the parts of the standard related to rights. Chapter 5 is a detailed treatment of the MPEG Rights Expression Language (REL). There is an explanation of the creation of licenses using the XML-based REL and there are simple examples to illustrate the usage of the language. Chapter 6 is about the Rights Data Dictionary (RDD), which provides meaning for the metadata-based rights expressions.

Chapters 7 and 8 turn to the subject of data transport and delivery. Chapter 7 shows how DI's can be adapted to user preferences, device characteristics, and natural environments while maintaining effective delivery over a wide variety of networks. Chapter 8 describes a set of XML-based Bitstream Description (BSD) tools that can describe binary streams being delivered. These tools allow a combination of constraints, adaptation, and quality of service measurements to create a custom delivery environment that is suitable for each particular DI under a particular set of circumstances.

Chapter 9 introduces DI processing, in which a DI is made a "smart" item by incorporating Javascript and Java into the DI, thus introducing complex functionality. Chapter 10 is the final technical chapter and deals with event reports. Event reporting is necessary to describe usage of DI's for the purpose of collecting royalties based on usage and distribution. The book ends with a discussion of the future of MPEG-21 in chapter 11.

This book can't help being somewhat academic in style, since MPEG-21 is largely an unimplemented standard at this point. However, where the standards and languages have been pinned down, particularly in the realm of the various XML-based languages and tools, it is very concrete and clear with good examples and figures wherever it is possible. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the details and possibilities of this standard.

I wanted to rate this 4 and 1/2 stars. This book is worth buying for the dye instructions alone. The patterns are also very nice, although they are rather theatrical (think Russian dance) and would look better on taller people.

She has many motifs that would work well for afghans or knitted bedspreads or smaller projects such as hats or scarves.

If you already dye yarn with drink mix, this book could inspire you onward and upward.

This is a book of two halves. The first part of the book is timeless, all about using natural dyes to produce colours. A lot of interesting information there with some great photographs so you can see what the results of the dye choices are. This section is very business-like and quite interesting.

The patterns however are quite garish to a modern eye. They scream 80's to me and look quite dated, however I know that there are some who like this. I was reminded of some of Kaffe Fasset's work with these and they are very much of the blouson sleeve and boxy fit with busy patterns. Sarah Burnett is still dyeing and selling her wares, somewhat toned down from this book but still interesting.

Bravo! Finally an example of American scholarship worthy of the assignation. Dr. Burnett's grasp of the nuanced angst of Forsyth as a Southern Unionist is incisive. This is a splendid read and proof of the thesis implied by the title of this treatment; the pen, in the hand of one as discerning as Dr. Burnett, does indeed make a good sword.

I just want to leave a note on the Cambridge Edition of Browning. The type is rather small and double column. It may be difficult for some people for extended reading. However, it is a large volume that includes everything as far as I know, so for the price it might be worth your while if you want to have all of Browning on hand.

A bit of smuggling turns into more than expected..There is understated and sly humor throughout as our hero struggles to decide between profit, limbs and honesty...I enjoyed the book and look for more from an upcoming new author

Set in England in the early 1900s, Robin is a little girl who only knows her mother by sight. Robin is raised by nurses and governesses. When she was five years old, she meets Donal in the park and they play together. When she is in her late teens, kind friends find her a position as a companion, secretary to a kindly Duchess. Robin meets Donal at a party and they fall in love. Donal then enlists in the army and goes to war. When he is reported dead, Robin is discovered to be expecting. Robin's friends take care of her until the baby is born.

This book was an excellent way to teach American history. My father read it to us and we were spellbound. It covers westward expansion during the years 1830-1860. The bold statement on the Missouri frontier was "Manifest Destiny, from sea to shining sea" The reader will learn of the exploration of the west by the fur trappers and mountain men but told in a gripping tale of adventure generously salted with factual history.

My father's copy contained all four parts of the saga. I have found them all as separate books but I'm still searching for the original. I thought I had found it but when it came it was really just a condensed version of the first book, The Long Rifle renamed as The Saga of Andy Burnett so if it is under 500 pages, you probably don't have the whole book.