Burroughs Books

I happened upon this little book and, after glancing through it, decided to purchase it. I was extremely impressed with the ability of the authors to provide a well-referenced facts about the cult using their own sources (i.e., the Book of moron, Doctrine & Covenants, moron Doctrine by cult member Bruce McConkie, etc., etc.) I have to laugh at the cult members who whine about this book spewing the same old tired nonsense - if they spent even a fraction of their time reading their own bogus "scriptures" written by their false "prophets," they would see just how vile their cult really is. Obviously, they're too brainwashed to recognize reality.

Like a previous reviewer, I have to agree that the reference to FARMs is absurd - that's analogous to asking the KKK if they're a bunch of bigots. The authors provide succinct, but well-sourced, answers to many of the cult's claims (no, the cult is not a Christian religion); yes, they think they'll become gods of their own planets; yes, mormonism is based upon the occult practices of their false prophets; etc. Again, the authors used many of the cult's own "scriptures" and other drivel to demonstrate just how evil moronism is.

This book should be very helpful to those who want to know the truth about the cult. Pick up a copy today, take out copies of some of false mormon "scriptures" (get free copies from the cult), and highlight all the references to the shocking facts discussed - could come in very helpful the next time a brainwashed bicycle rider knocks at your front door!

This book is titled "The Facts About Mormons" but all the facts don't seem to be a high priority for this author. This book is full of half truths and spin. If all you want is fodder to attack someones religious beliefs then this is the book for you. It won't challange you or cause you to think, but then open mindedness is probably not an important trait of yours.

If, however, you are truly trying to understand Mormonism and all that it entails, their are a number of books that are far superior to this one. I would recomend "No Man Knows My History" by Fawn Brodie or any book by D. Michale Quinn. Both authors are ex-Mormons but at least they try to take a more honost aproach to the subject.

Lies are black. Black holes are the deepest, lie-full-est, and blackest. And mormonismsm is one of the worst. This book packs in the information that you "read and more reading" will help you.

I think it was Milton who said that Truth is a gem that runs from you, so hurry up and catch it.

I oppose the Mormonites, bnut I hate them with the pure love of God. I belive that we can love them out of their doubt into love.

Though not a member of the LDS Church, I am fascinated by Mormonism and have spent time studying it. It's definitely difficult for outsiders to understand the Mormon experience but this book sheds no light and does a disservice to it. This is an unfair and biased representation of the Mormon religion. In 48 pages, one can hardly delve into a religion and culture very deeply or accurately. On top of that, it's obvious the author has an agenda of his own and it doesn't have anything to do with presenting the truth. For a very interesting and fair look at the Mormon Church and culture, I highly recommend Mormon America by Richard N. Osting & Joan K. Ostling. Don't waste your money on this tripe.

Did you think that the Mormon Church was just another Protestant Christian Evangelical denomination? This book will explain the difference in plain English. It is written in a question and answer formate. This small 44 page book lists several clear differences in the Mormon Church and the Bible. If you believe the Bible and are interested in spending an hour or so aquiring an understanding of this groups mis-claims as a Christian Religion then this little book is a must read!

Henry James is one of the seminal novelists of the Victorian era, an American by birth who made his adult life in London, the capital of the late 19th century world. James' novels were shaped by this immigrant experience, the predominant them of his writing being the interaction between Americans and Europeans. "The Europeans" is one such story, though, contrary to what the title might suggest, it is set in America.

My introduction to James' work was a pair of his novellas, "The Aspern Papers" and "The Turn of the Screw". The former featured an American literary historian travelling the Vnice to seek a sort of treasure in the possession of a local British expatriate. "The Europeans" sees a pair of Europeans (from some German principate, seemingly, though Felix makes a point of cosmopolitanly disclaiming nationality) travel to antebellum Massachusetts (around thirty years before James was writing in the 1870s). Eugenia (alternately referred to by her first name, or as "Madame Munster", or as "the Baroness") has come to make her marital fortune, faced with the dissolution of her morganatic marriage to a German prince, while her brother Felix is just tagging along as part of his Bohemian existence as a portrait-painter. They plan to visit their American cousins (their mother's brother and his children) of whom they have only heard report of. The Wentworths are a family of devout Puritans, in contrast to the more cultured and worldly Europeans; the arrivals are particularly intriguing to Gertrude, the younger of the family's two daughters, who finds the Baroness a striking example of a different kind of womanhod, and Felix a man wholly unlike her father's candidate for her hand, Mr. Brand.

"The Europeans" does not have a great deal in the way of plot. There are no antagonists in any real sense, just character interaction where some people have contrary objectives. Felix and Gertrude are the most developed and appealing of the characters in the story, and everyone else is generally well-drawn. James is an expert examiner of human nature, thoug he is here bound by editorial contraints to supply predetermined happy endings for several characters, though he sneaks in his more customary downbeatness in the resolution of Eugenia's story.

All in all, this is an entertaining if not special short novel, one that James himself did not especially regard (excluding it from the multi-volume "Collected Works" he published in the early 20th century). It is enjoyable and worth the time of those seeking a broad understanding of the author's canon, but for people looking to see James at his best it would be more advisable to try "The Portrait of a Lady".

When I found out that "The Europeans", by Henry James, could offer more than just a wonderful film, I couldn't wait to order the unabridged "The Europeans" Audio-CD, read by Lloyd James, as well as the complete soundtrack CD "The Europeans", with composer Richard Robbins' arrangements.
The film is a James Ivory's masterpiece with a New England autumn background, the Audio-CD matches the film wonderfully, where you can picture the film characters through Lloyd's interpretation, and the Soundtrack CD starts off with breathtaking Clara Schumann's "Andante" Opus-17.

This is a 4 or 5 star novel but not a great work of literature.

Somewhat surprisingly the Europeans is set in rural Massachusetts, not in Europe. The book is a few hundred pages long. This length is longer than Washington Square and much shorter that Portrait of a Lady, the latter being a much better novel than the present work.

Without giving away the plot, it has that Henry James characteristic of an uncertain final outcome hence the novel lacks a completely satisfying ending. There is some happiness and closure for the protagonists, but as we read in Washington Square, James sometimes leaves the future a bit uncertain, and he does so here.

In any case, it is the story of a European brother and sister, who are linked to European nobles through marriage, visiting their wealthy relations outside of Boston. The story is set some time in the early 19th century. Many claim that the dates and events mentioned in the book are confused and these errors introduce elements of confusion. In general, this does not distract from the story.

I found the novel to be an interesting but not a compelling read.

This classic is recommended reading, but it is not a novel or classic that one "must read."

This is a novel in superlative style: 'heroic, magnanimous, exalted, brightly, caressingly, exquisite, fascinating, wonderful, sublime, radiant, delightful ...'
It confronts and mingles very superficially two impoverished Europeans with members of a wealthy Boston bourgeoisie family in a play of misunderstood sentiments and love.
There is absolutely not a shade of a discussion of the social/mental difference between Europe and the US at the end of the 19th century.
This book doesn't 'say nothing' (Thomas Hardy, quoted in the introduction), but nearly nothing. It hardly surpasses the level of a three-penny stationary novel, compared with the works of a Dostoevsky or a Flaubert.
It is terribly sentimental and the tears flow easily.

Only for Henry James fans.

I have often been exasperated with Henry James and his determination to make a simple sentence into a complicated puzzle and an intellectual game. But I have never been disappointed by James until now. I was surprised to see that this was written within 3 yrs of one of his masterpieces, Portrait of a Lady. If I didn't know better I'd say he wrote this one on a deadline for purely financial purposes.

If its 'good medicine' I'm sure it will stand up to a little empirical study, right? Where's the double-blind controlled study?

Please save your money and your health. My father died an early and painful death because of Burrough's "cures and lamplights". My father's case is the one studied by law students and unfortunately the one that the "Rose Bird" Supreme Court used for their personal agenda.

You might just want to spend a lot less money and get The Master Cleanser book. After 2 days on the cleanse, I woke up able to breathe through both nostrils for the first time in memory and became an avid proponent of his concepts. My lymph system is much better too.
If you are interested in learning Vita Flex, then you need to get this book. Even though I've experienced great value from Vita Flex treatments via a chiropractor, the warnings of injuring yourself or someone else if not performed correctly were enough to dissuade me from attempting it. There was a recipe for eyedrops in that part of the book that claimed to heal cataracts and many other eye ailments. If true, that alone would be worth the price of the book.
And the color theory part of the book is largely a rewrite of Let There Be Light by Darius Dinshah which I already had and is readily available from the Dinshah Society. Personally, I prefer to ignore all those complicated toning schedules and use infrared/far infrared heat lamps when you can't sunbathe. I say throw the whole spectrum at the body and let it take whatever it needs. Burroughs thoroughly disagrees. I'm okay with that, but it doesn't change my opinion.

Ever read a book that changed your life?

Well, how about one that ENDED it? Either way, "Healing for the Age of Enlightenment" is a life changing book that could "master cleanse" you straight out of your mortal coil.

Or at least that's the way it was for 24-year old Lee Swatsenbarg, as detailed in People v Burroughs, 35 Cal. 3d 824 (Cal. 1984) (all quotes from the majority opinion). Desperate for help with his leukemia, Swatsenbarg turned to our esteemed author, Stanley Burroughs. Mr. Burrough's considered advice, on hearing of Swatsenbarg's desperate plight, was to treat bone marrow cancer with, wait for it, deep massages, "unique" lemonade, and tinted lights--all the while, having Swatsenbarg avoid physicians and "postpone a bone marrow test urged by his doctor."

Exclamation. Point.

To call this man a quack would do a grave disservice to waterfowl everywhere.

Because, c'mon, even ducks (or "sea turkeys," as they prefer to be called) know that deep massages, "unique" lemonade, and tinted lights are more the domain of post-clubbing, X-parties, than they are of the sober treatment of leukemia. But that didn't stop our brave author--no, Burroughs rushed in where peer reviewed journals feared to tread.

However, sadly, (and, whatever my previous sarcasm, I mean this sincerely), sadly "[t]he evidence was very substantial, however, that Lee Swatsenbarg's death resulted directly from the abdominal massages administered by defendant Burroughs. Swatsenbarg died from massive hemorrhaging in the abdominal mysentary, soon after Burroughs boasted of how "deep" into the abdomen of the decedent his massages had gone."

Well, you win some, you lose some. And by "some," I mean "Amazon book purchases/lives." Oops--hope this doesn't get back to your publisher, Mr. Burroughs! Yeah, I wonder what "Burroughs Books" would have to say about this! Self-publishing is all fun and games until you realize one of your authors is implicated in the death of a reader. That just totally ruins the annual company Christmas party.

But, of course, we shouldn't be TOO harsh on our Healer for the Age of Enlightenment, Mr. Burroughs. After all, Swatsenbarg was most likely going to die anyways, right? So, why not go out in true Dark Ages fashion, that is, why not go out presided over by an imperious, self-proclaimed "healer," who continues to futilely administer a treatment that succeeds only in upping the agony factor, while simultaneously advising against the use of centuries' worth of advances in painkillers and other palliative care. After, all you only die once--might as well get the most out of the whole dying experience.

Of course, Burroughs, Healer for the Age of Enlightenment, has more to offer than just the full-death package for leukemia patients. Now, I haven't actually read this book yet, (it's on my reading list right below "Any commemorative text tattoos Roseanne and Tom Arnold may have rashly inscribed on their neither regions to celebrate their love") but it appears from the other reviews that there is also trendy weight-loss plans in store for the curious reader!

A few of the reviewers have even said how FANTASTIC! they feel while on Burroughs new "master cleanser" fasting diet. Here--come in close. I'll even put my arm around your shoulder in a mentor-like fashion. See, we're buddies. Now lemme let you in on a little secret about these fad diets. If you were previously subsisting on a diet of congealed meat-byproducts, stamped and pressed into the shape of a recognizable food product by the Play-Doh Play Station that is McDonald's fast food assembly line, then ANY change in diet is going to feel like a "master cleanse."

Eat more fruits and vegetables, and less extract of kangaroo pelt. There. I don't have a book, but if you still want to pay for that special "taken advantage of" feeling, feel free to mail me as large amount of money as you deem necessary in order to make a statement against modern medicine.

Because, seriously, if it really is just misplaced rage at big Pharma that's pushing you into the hands of witchdoctors like Burroughs, save yourself the money and go to the Medieval History section of your local library. I hear that "Leeches and You: Controlling the Humors through Insectoid Phlebotomy" (with cover blurb by Hippocrates himself!) is an excellent way to express futile rage toward modernity while still saving enough money to maintain your subscription to the John Birch Society newsletter.

In conclusion, I found the book interesting if somewhat clichéd. The author seems to rely too much on deus ex machinas to move the contrived plot forward. Still, the Oxford-esque setting is vividly rendered, and, like all good fantasy, is suitably magical. Nevertheless, I had trouble identifying with the protagonist, and found his orphan-as-chosen-one back story unimaginative. That said, if they ever make a movie, I want to play the bad guy child-wizard character. He's cool. Five stars.

I recently finished my 3rd Master Cleanse fast. You don't do this cleanse to lose weight, because you'll gain all or most of it back once you end the fast. This cleanse is to 1) remove mucous from the digestive track, 2) reduce blood pressure, 3) reduce triglycerides and cholesterol, and perhaps 4) remove other toxins from the body.

I know because it had done all of these things for me. My triglyceride count went from 427 to 235 (still high, but much better). I had a cardiac episode where my blood pressure was (I'm not kidding) 253/122 in the emergency room (I'm a 46 year old female). They stabilized me at 193/98 and sent me home. But I declined medicine and immediately when on this 10 day fast. On day 10, my blood pressure had dropped from chronic stroke range to 115/70.

It also functions like an elimination diet. Anyone who has food allergies will feel better on this fast. I have fibromyalgia and felt great - lots of energy and clear headed; I stopped getting migraine headaches for the 10 days I was on the fast. Now that I'm back to eating, I feel much worse!

You have to re-enter the eating world slowly. A piece of toast with butter on it will make you sick after fasting for 10 days. Homemade vegetable soups, and nuts are a good way to re-enter on day 11 and 12.

Something as severe as Leukemia can't be cured with a fast, but for the rest of us, it can be an amazing leg up on our poor eating habits and this toxic world.

This book is shallow and pretentious, the literary equivalent of a wine-and-cheese eater at a Soho gallery who cares more about being seen with the art crowd than exploring art. Caveney is the wine sipper, Burroughs the unfortunate artwork buried beneath Caveney's oh-so avant garde style. Rather than providing insight or information about his fascinating subject, Caveney pastes together a collage of hackneyed Burroughs images, and a few airy snippets of idolatrous prose. I got more pleasure from imagining how exciting a decent biography of Burroughs would be, than from reading this awful book.

An excellent introduction to the life and work of American artist William Burroughs, it's especially notable for the beautiful design which incorporates snapshots, artifacts such as hat-cleaning receipts and Army reports, and washes of Burroughs' shotgun paintings which background each textured-paper page. This substantial hardback is reminiscent of Burroughs' own scrapbooks and penchant for the pastiche, its look and feel mimicking the experiments in randomness-- cut-ups and ballistics-- which (in)formed so much of his work. It is foremost a visual, tactile, and olfactory (new it smells like crayons) treat. The New York Times called this "an empty book," which is reason enough to love it. It's a pop biography, a primer on the grand-daddy of the beats. It's not deep, but as eye candy it's neat.

Caveney's Gentleman Junkie, published in the United Kingdom under the title The Priest They Called Him, is the MTV Video of the Burroughs biographies.

The layout of the book is visually stunning, often placing images of Burroughs' paintings, Burroughs himself, Burroughs' friends, or collages of his work underneath, behind, along with, or beside the text. If you've read the Barry Miles biography of Burroughs, or Literary Outlaw by Ted Morgan, there is nothing here in the pre-1980 material that you haven't read already.

The chief virtue of Gentleman Junkie is the remarkable layout, which makes the book an artwork unto itself. The secondary virtue lies in the fact that it was published in 1998, many years after the Morgan and Miles biographies, and thus includes some info on an era those works missed. A list of Burroughs' works is appended, as is a skeletal index.

While this book is interesting to look at, I would recommend Ted Morgan's book LITERARY OUTLAW as a better biography of Burroughs.

ken32

The only reason I read this book was because it was in Amazon's under $5 bargain bin. The fact that it is on sale should have been a red flag that it is not that good...

However, this book makes a very nice coaster. It prevents my beautiful furniture from getting water stains from the beverages I set on it. This book is less then $5...

Would it really hurt you that much to buy it??

This book is excellent. This book not only provides an insight into the world of W.S. Burroughs, but also brief insight into the lives of such figures as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. There are picturs throughout, and numerous quotes from Burroughs to spark the imagination, and promote new mental growth. This biography spans the time from his birth to his death, and to my knowledge is the most accurate and complete biography published so far about this dynamic literary figure. If you wish to learn more about this author, or about the beat world in general, this book will provide a world of answers.

I must admit that the only Edgar Rice Burrough's novel I truly enjoyed reading was "Tarzan of the Apes". One reviewer of this book called ERB a hack writer, and that is probably true, but the first Tarzan novel was definitely not a "hack novel", or else we wouldn't be reading it as a classic some 90 years later. On the contrary, "Tarzan of the Apes" is an important social commentary. The writing of Taliaferro's "Tarzan Forever" may be a little choppy for the first chapter or so, but once the author gets into it, it gets much smoother and is very readable. I didn't find Taliaferro at all apologetic for ERB's views on eugenics, or his racism either. I thought the author was very honest and upfront about this aspect of ERB's personality. I found "Tarzan Forever" a very engrossing biography and suggest it whole-heartedly.

I really enjoyed Mr. Taliaferro's incisive treatment of the author's life and unusual ideas.

A solid yet sympathetic look at Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and other fantasy novels. The book delves into many details of Burroughs' life, and honestly tries to present the man, his views, and his works in his strengths and his weaknesses. Mostly for dedicated fans of Burroughs. Otherwise this read will probably not grab you, and you will find yourself skimming over many parts of the book. If your only exposure to Burroughs is the new Disney movie pass on this book and get the original novel, Tarzan of the Apes, instead!

I found Tarzan Forever well written, and often very entertaining and interesting, but very often just plain dead wrong - from badly and broadly misinterpreting texts, such as Lost on Venus (which Taliaferro just didn't get), to many specific mistakes.

Taliaferro regards Lost on Venus an example of Burroughs "climb[ing] on his favorite high horse, eugenics." (page 265) Specifically, Taliaferro refers to Burroughs' creation of Havatoo, a city-state in which eugenics has run amok, concluding that this nightmare city was an ERB utopia. But the depiction of Havatoo is Swiftian - gullible Carson can see only roses at first, but finds after many hair-raising adventures that the Havatoo are as spiritually dead as a race of zombies that occupy a city on the other side of the "River of Death" which separates the two cities. Utopia? Not even close!

And here's an example of a specific error: Taliaferro cites Carson's knowledge of aeronautics as the fact that persuaded the rulers of a kingdom on Venus to spare him. (page 266) But aeronautics came up much later. It was Carson's knowledge of astronomy that saved him. An unimportant detail, maybe, but Taliaferro's book is rife with such errors.

A mistake I found even more annoying - if not downright devious - was Taliaferro's claim that "on the final page" of Apache Devil, Shoz-Dijiji (the Apache Devil of the title) tells his sweetheart, Wichita Billings, "that he is white, nimbly sidestepping the unspeakable eventuality of miscegenation, a well-exercised Burroughs taboo." (page 224) This is as untrue as it is ridiculous! Shoz-Dijiji only tells Wichita he has a secret (i.e., that he is "white") to tell her later. But he never utters his secret to Wichita on the final page - or any other page of Burroughs' novel. In fact, Wichita professes her love for him despite his American Indian heritage. More to the point, as Taliaferro himself notes, Shoz-Dijiji's mother was "one quarter Cherokee." (page 216) Thus, Shoz-Dijiji, one of Burroughs' noblest heroes, not only is mistaken as to his racial heritage, he is also the product of the so-called "Burroughs taboo" against miscegenation! Here, we find a familiar Burroughs theme - individual honor and integrity are what matter, not the color of one's skin.

Those who have aired the tired old claim that Burroughs was a racist, and Taliaferro is solidly in this camp, have simply not been willing to recognize the subtleties of the Burroughs canon (yes, even adventure yarns can be morally ambiguous and complicated). Instead of reading Burroughs' works carefully, with an ear for the era in which they were written, Taliaferro and others skim the books and draw hasty, misinformed conclusions.

Whatever you may think of the writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs--and I personally never thought that much of it--this is still a fascinating look at the life of the man who created one of the most famous characters in all of literary history. We see not just the life that Burroughs led, and the way his interests led him to write what he did. We also get an excellent sense of the times in which he lived and wrote. When ERB is ready to break into the pulps, we get a history of the pulps and what sort of business he was enterring. When ERB works into his tales things like racial purity and eugenics, the biographer goes into detail about the world's views on such things. When Tarzan is created, there is a wonderful discussion of the ape man concept, the feral child being raised in the wild--in reality and in literature. And the care given in describing the various Tarzan films is terrific. Taliaferro's research is excellent. The fact that Burroughs himself cared more about the cents per word payment he was getting than the actual quality of his stories does make him something of a problem child, but as far as a business man, some of his approaches to his work are interesting to say the least. For people who want to learn about the man, the character of Tarzan, the other characters ERB created (since they are not slighted despite the the fact that Tarzan is in the forefront), or the early days of pulp fiction and moviemaking, this is a great book.

This is one of the best books I've read as it ties in current info on the secret government, survival techniques, channeling , the power to manifest your needs along with earth changes as a fictional story to get it's point across. I've done a lot of research in these areas and what the author says is pretty well close to what is going on right now. Lots of authors are writing fictional stories using what's really going on behind the scenes to educate the people and open their minds to other realities. I'm recommending this book to all my friends.

This book is fictional and made up. If you believe the stories you must be gullable. How can you teach something that you do not really believe or live. He talks about the indians but he does not truly emboby their general spirit or their cultural beliefs. Many great indians have taught basic natural spiritual principles. Many say that the white indians are the ones that turn their principles around and use them only to make them money.

Mr Burroughs sets a new standard for getting through life by mooching on everyone that will listen. "You've got a car? I need a car. I want yours! I intend to get it away from you!" This is seventies psycho-babble to the extreme. Psychic channeling? I don't think so. Take a big wide PASS on this one.

Anyone having the basic understanding of metaphysical principles will find wisdom here, as well as guidance for everyday living. Tony Burroughs focuses on positive thinking and knowing, rather than negative. If the Law of Attraction is a principle you are familiar with, you WILL be able to intend something into being, just like he says. It really works for me!

I have found this book very entertaining as well as enlightening. It provides a practical way of dealing with every day life in a easy to follow story. This book has also led to my having an Intender's Circle at my own home. My life has not been the same since. I have met many people who are also searching for "the meaning of life". We have begun to gather for more than just intending, also for friendship and fellowship.

This book is the worst of all the Burroughs books I have read. It is beyond reproach that African Americans are portrayed as total morons as Hollywood portrayed them when the Borroughs wrote the book. It is however reprehensible to think about all the anti-semetic slurs in the book. It will probably be argued that like in Shakespere's time, he had to portray Jews as villains, but this book was written in the 1920's. Anyone could have been the villain but Burroughs goes out of his way to remind the reader of the villains ethnicity by saying basically, this is what to expect of Jews. Did Burroughs ever know any blacks or Jews? If he did, he certainly would not have portrayed them this way. It was not published during his lifetime probably for this reason. Why publish it now? For a fast buck.

Donald Grant's deluxe editions are a wonder to behold and this one is no exception! Don't expect to find an ERB signature, however, he's been dead since 1950. Settle for the artist and Danton!

The production values of all of Donald Grant's publications are excellent. That, and the historic value of any previously unpublished manuscript to the Burroughs fan or student make this a must have for the true collector. However, this is not the place to start reading Burroughs. Casual readers should look to the most often reprinted titles first!

Of the four "reviews" previously recorded, one hadn't even read the book, two are from the same person and have nothing to do with the story, and the remaining review focused only on Burroughs's well-known condescension toward anyone who is not Anglo-Saxon. Perhaps someone should actually review the story, which for some reason I thought was the purpose of this forum.

To get past the one valid point raised thus far, there is no defense for Burroughs's attitudes towards Blacks and Jews (and Germans and Japanese and on and on...), other than the hackneyed statement that he was a man of his time, only more enthusiastic about it than most. Specifically regarding Jews in this book, there are two identified, both lawyers--one is a criminal, and the other is honorable and ethical. That seems fairly balanced to me. Allowing that writers may express their opinions as they see fit, that readers don't have to agree with the writers they read (I don't agree with a number of Burroughs's views, including his attitudes about societal strata and race), and that readers don't have to read writers they don't agree with, let's move past that and talk about the story.

I've been a Burroughs fan since my teens (less so as I've aged and have looked for more depth, but there's no denying the pure escape fun of a Burroughs novel). I thought I owned every book he published. Lately I read a biography about Burroughs (Taliaferro's "Tarzan Forever"--I recommend it), did some searching on the internet and found this novel published for the first time in just the last few years.

I frankly disagree with "A Reader"--this is one of Burroughs's best. It's also his longest novel. The main reason it wasn't published in his lifetime (this came up in the biography) was that all the publishers wanted was Tarzan and more Tarzan, with some Pellucidar and Mars mixed in for good measure. No one took him seriously as a writer of contemporary fiction--without strange new worlds and fantastic creatures and lost cultures, it wasn't Burroughs.

"Marcia of the Doorstep" has all the Burroughs regulars--the handsome men and beautiful women, the heroes and villains, adventure on the high seas, mystery and missing documents, and true love (in the Princess Bride sense). The two things that set this novel above a lot of his others are:

1. The autobiographical component--the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Sackett are obviously meant to be caricatures of Burroughs and his (first) wife. It was nice to have read the biography before reading this.

2. The insights into early Twentieth Century American culture--a majority (not all) of the venues of the story would be familiar to Burroughs as he lived in them, and he steps through these locales with ease. In his "fantastic" stories, he has to build the unfamiliar world for the reader out of his imagination or his readings. In this book, it is assumed the reader knows the locales, which I believe aids the flow of the story.

All in all, an enjoyable read. Some parts of the plot are contrived, as you would expect from Burroughs, in order to align everything for the climax and finale. Characterization is strong--while there is some dropping of people into stereotypical societal buckets, the main characters all have their strengths and weaknesses. And, perhaps best of all, it's not as obvious how everything will (or won't) work out in the end, adding to the suspense. A nice instance of serendipity, to find a "new" book by an author dead for 55 years.

My only real knock would be on the editing. The intro makes a point about preserving the historicity of the writing by keeping Burroughs's original punctuation, but the repeated uses of punctuation that would be marked as wrong by any grade school teacher become a bit annoying after a while. (And yes, my use of the term "Burroughs's" in this review is the correct usage of the apostrophe.)

If you like Burroughs, you'll like this.

I have to admit - I haven't read this yet, but the real Burroughs fan may be concerned with one other thing, the production of the book. It is excellent. The paper is high quality, the illustrations are very nice, and the binding is actually sewn. It is very rare these days to find a novel that doesn't have the individual signatures cut apart and held to the spine by glue. Books made that way will not last as long as a properly constructed and sewn book. Now I'll try to find the time to sit down and read the book and find out why ERB was never able to get it published - and why he chose not to publish it himself.

I have read a lot of Burroughs, and this one is rather typical of his stories. The idea of the civilized man having to survive in a savage part of the world is an all too common plot line for him.

The initial idea of European civilization being severely damaged by World War I, while an isolationist North and South America growing to the height of civilization and peace was a brilliant one. The idea of someone from the Americas entering the unknown European realm is a fascinating plot idea. Unfortunately, the book was just not long enough to really develop the story.

Even if World War I had gone as badly as the story indicates, I do not believe that European civilization would have been so totally obliterated that no trace of it would remain. There should have been ruins, at least. It seems more as likely that some sort of Medieval-type society would have resulted, especially since that is so much a part of the history of that part of the world.

Further, when the Roman Empire fell, some learning was preserve in monastaries. It seems to me that something similar would have occurred if World War I had destroyed European civilization. I kept expecting the main characters to come across something of this nature, but they never did.

Third, I find it unlikely that the animals that Burroughs describes as thriving in England would be able to do so, unless the entire climate of the planet had changed, and there is no indication in the novel that this has occurred. Lions and elephants may be able to live in zoos but if turned loose with a few British winters (from what I've read of the British climate), they would certainly not become more populous than humans.

Finally, I felt that the end of the story was rushed. With the material that he had, Burroughs could have stretched this story out to a multi-hundred page novel. As it is, the edition that I read was under 100 pgs.

In all, Burroughs started with a great idea, but it just needed a lot of work.

The Lost Continent by Edgar Rice Burroughs is, as every science fiction fan and writer knows, a classic. Burroughs long known for his Tarzan series, is at his best when writing about the future and outer space. In the Lost Continent, Asia and Europe have destroyed themselves in a massive war. Both continents are completely devastated. North America and South America merge forming "Pan-America". Europe and Asia are put off limits by law and Pan-Americans are forbidden travel pass a certain parallel (The original title of the book was Beyond Parallel... I've forgetten the exact number). Hundreds of years pass and everyone forgets that there was ever an Asia or Europe. The book details the voyage of a submarine Captain and his crew as they rediscover acient lands and the humans that inhabit them.

Burroughs creates a language, culture and history that in some form or another have appeared in every science fantasy/fiction written since. It's an easy read, full of adventure and romance. And, you will be amazed at Burroughs vision and skill.

First published in 1915, the motivations for this story are obvious. The nations of the western hemisphere have taken an extreme isolationist stance in the early years of World War I, to the point that 200 years later they do not even know whether anything or anyone has survived the massive armed conflagration that began in the early 20th century. The hero inadvertently gets stranded in Europe and makes all of the startling discoveries of the outcome of the conflict and ensuing 200 years.

The story is ERB's standard fare. However, like many of his books from this period, there are a few themes to the story that are of interest above and beyond the light adventure story. The elements foremost in this novel are the destructive nature of war and racism. There is also a certain amount of naivete from the period and the relative newness of the United States as a world power.

Most of Burrough's books are good reading for pre-teen to early adolescent, and nostalgic adults; this one is no exception.
P-)

Typical Burroughs fantasy. Lieutenant Jefferson Turck lives in an isolationist world in which the United States and other North and South American nations have severed ties from the rest of the world for some two hundred years, the last credible contact around 1972. As a commander of a flying-submersible cruiser, his job is to cruise between 30d west and 175d west longitude; to go beyond those lines is to be stripped of rank - if you survive, which no one has.

Beset by sabotage, Turck is cast adrift east of 30d in a motor launch. With a small crew he explores first Great Britian, finding a wilderness complete with lions, tigers and wild animals (ex-zoo residents, often as not). The humans have reverted to spear carrying hunter groups. The motorboat then travels to Europe, which is also a wasteland where nature has reclaimed all of "civilization". A great war - which the Pan-American nations of Turck's origin avoided - had devestated human life in Europe.

In Europe, Turck is captured by soldiers from a black empire from Abysinia who are bringing civilization back to Europe. As well as slavery. He is finally set free by yet a seperate invasion of Chinese troops, who being enlightened free the slaves and reunite Turck with his homeland.

As mentioned, this is typical Burroughs "sceience fiction". Turck encounters a "savage" queen in Great Britian who then almost by chance is encountered again in Europe where they profess their love and hence marriage looms - the same plot seen in many others of his books. He is betrayed by a dastardly villian or two. The technology has "dated" stamped all over it ("submersible flying cruiser"?). He has more than one Tarzan-like encounter in the wilds.

At the same time, it lacks much of the movie-stock plots; the hero's gun doesn't jam and in fact when he encounters lions he shoots quiet a few, only to be driven off by their sheer numbers. (If you've read stories of starved packs of man-eaters terrorizing villages, the idea of hungry prides of lions doing so isn't so far fetched.) His main character sometimes wanders off in introverted sidelights on various subjects but eventually comes back online.

Overall, a good Burroughs read. If you like old-timey adventure fantasy with a bit of man-woman attraction added and exploring lost lands of great forrests, this is a good book to try.

This very short book will disappoint all but the most blindly fanatical Burroughs fans. A series of sketches inspired by the Nourse novel of the same name, it simply repeats well-worn themes dealt with more effectively elsewhere in his work. It seems to be the collected results of an aborted attempt to write a novel or screenplay, and from these insipid, lifeless scenes it is easy to see why it was aborted. The only question is: why display the lifeless corpse to the reading public? Methinks his manager was behind this unwise decision$$$

For completists only.

Different from "Blade runner"by Ridley Scott. Rather;more difficult,but bloody fun,wild,cool and rapid. You will not able to deceive yourself any longer after reading this novel,or you yourself must be a blade runner.

Burroughs's Blade Runner, A Movie, though as noted in previous reviews, bears no relation to the P.K. Dick work by the same title, it is nonetheless a far-reaching work of science fiction which explores the potential ramifications of the state of the nation if national health care were to be instituted (the work was penned in 1979). Though many people, when confronting a sci-fi work that has become literal in one sense yet in other aspects have yet to occur, will prey upon the latter while failing to salute the former. However, many times such critics are only exercising half of their literary aestheticism, for these people quickly forget the literal and the metaphorical are, at its best moments, entirely inseparable. With this in mind, yes, part of what Burroughs has written has occurred in regards to the implementation of HMOs yet other aspects have, and will not, but are to be taken metaphorically. Yet, regardless of interpretation, it is a tale told by a master that is easily accessible (even for Burroughs). Blade Runner is entertaining, and as always with WSB, thought provoking.

If you're looking for a connection to Ridley Scott's brilliant 1981 film release, you won't have it here. The only real connection is the title itself. It strikes me that someone creative and well-read in the Blade Runner film development came upon a phrase which just wouldn't let go, and that's how we got the term for the film. But wait, this was the term in Philip K. Dick's original book--so who knows which came first... Burroughs' description here and that in the film are similar in their urban and societal context, but that's about where they end.

Reading this book, it strikes me that the producers of Escape from New York read this novel, and took an awful lot of creative vision away from it. This is especially true of the descriptions of a decrepit and decaying New York City, walled, populated by the dead, dying, and murdering, and where entire cultures flourish hundreds of feet above in the dead skyscrapers.

Written in late 70s, published first in 1979. Set in 1999, or maybe 2014, or maybe 1984, or maybe any number of time citations Burroughs coughs up.

Basically it's a futuristic nightmare, a technological hell in which the state has taken over all aspects of life, bureaucracy dictates every waking moment, and the medical institution is the vilest, most corrupt, most bloodthirsty, and most reckless of them all. Underground and legit drugs, as well as designer plagues all vie in the marketplace. Genetics are manipulated and diseases are voluntarily contracted for the material and physiological benefits the accrue.

Inside this hell the blade runner is central. "Essential to underground medicine are the blade runners, who transfer the actual drugs, instruments and equipment from the suppliers to the clients and doctors and underground clinics." The second half of the book, all two-dozen-odd pages of it follows Billy and his mates, blade runners all, as they fight their way through life on the street.

If you're a Burroughs fan, you've seen it all before in Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads. Nothing exotic or new or surprising here. This is a good addition to complete your Burroughs library, but not much more.

The Kindle conversion of this translation apparently has hard-coded carriage returns . The body of the text has left widows throughout. Modifying the justification did no good. It is nearly unreadable from a mere failure to strip the returns.

This is a tale of defying convention and attempting the impossible. To travel across unforgiving Africa at a time when so many had tried and ended up dead for their efforts presents quite a challenge. To do so in an untested but ingenious new invention only adds to the romance. As you follow Dr. Ferguson, Mr. Kennedy, and faithful Joe on their daring adventure you get quite a tour of a continent that for centuries had defied European exploration. While most of the voyage is spent in rather peaceful observation and light-hearted conversation, there are a number of times that incredible danger threatens and the heroes must rely on Providence alone to see them through.

As Verne's first book, published in French in 1863, FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON is obviously a product of its time, with frequent phrasings and descriptions of African natives that would likely be pretty insulting to civil rights activists. Also, I'm sure many animal activists would be appalled at the rather brutal and uncaring attitude towards all manner of creatures. It just goes to show you how far we've come in the last 150 years.

Jules Verne's scientific aptitude is on display in this book, with relatively complex and believable descriptions of the mechanisms required for long-distance hydrogen balloon flight. Fancies such as these have led many to consider Verne to be the originator of science fiction. He was also obviously quite a history buff, with complete descriptions of previous African explorations found throughout this book.

A light and fun read, and a great example of Verne's style.

This book is very exiting because ti makes you fell like you are really inside the book i would recomended for kids from 9 years old to adult

Originally published in 1863, "Five Weeks in a Balloon" was Jules Verne's First novel. In its pages, one can see some of the elements that were eventually to come together to form such great stories as "Around The World In Eighty Days", and "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". In this story, Dr. Ferguson creates a hydrogen balloon for the purpose of exploring the unknown regions of Africa. He decides to take along Dick Kennedy, a Scotsman with whom he became friends when they served in the same regiment and who tries to dissuade him from making the journey, and Joe, who is his faithful servant. As one might expect, parts of this story are dated, and some of the language regarding the natives undoubtedly would offend many people if one were not to take into account when it was written. Still, it is an enjoyable book to read, and rates somewhere between 3 and 4 stars in my opinion.

The [other] publishing firm's bare-bones version of the book. There is no foreword or introduction discussing the life of Jules Verne, or the context of the times in which it was published. It simply contains the story, and nothing else. It has a good solid binding, and the print is easy to read. For some reason, they elected to put an extra line between each of the paragraphs, but this makes it even easier to read. All the extra white space also makes it a much quicker read then one would expect.