Burton Books

This is a book written by Burton Malkiel or a freshman at college? offers very basic educational tool to the world of investment. I always thought Malkiel was magnificent in his first book now I think he stole the random walk idea from his colleague. if you have one year college in business don't buy it

I've never had much interest in investing. Like a lot of people, the older I get, the more I think about it. This book is a great introduction to the investment world. Easy to understand and great advice for both young and old.

It gives you a variety of step by step plans to start your portfolio. It shows young people how a few dollars here and there can turn out to be a life saver down the line. It shows older people who may think it's too late where to start.

I'm 47 and this book showed me that it's never too late to get started.

Very basic advice for those who believe in random walk theory. Unfortunatley not of much use to anyone over and above a novice.

Although the content of Malkiel's advice (which is of a rather non-specific nature) is essentially the same approach I apply professionally, I take offense at his generalization that all financial advisors have nothing but their own best interest in mind and should therefore be "fired."

Having never evaluated my performance, Malkiel cannot logically make such a generalization. Sadly, however, we have all been conditioned from a very young age that the learnings we receive from educators carry a high degree of credibility (otherwise their oversight committees would remove them, right?). This is why it is inexcusable to me that an educator would lay out what is packaged to be an objective, do-it-yourself approach but in reality is based on an opinionated premise.

...But we live in the days of pop icons and savvy publishers who have learned that they need a "hook" to get the masses to buy and read their books. It's hard to become a popular author and highly sought-after member of an investment committee managing hundreds of billions of dollars if your publications are limited to such dry subjects as monitoring the changes in covariances between asset classes.

While we are on the subject of generalizations, I'd like to offer a few of my own. We all know that academics have nothing but their own best interest in mind. All professors teach as a means to increase sales of the textbooks they have written and require their students to purchase. All colleges and universities are out after your money; otherwise, what else can explain the fact that educational costs are rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation? Everything you need to learn in this day and age can be found on the Internet, so why pay exorbitant fees and tuition costs to educational institutions that do nothing more than repackage this publicly available information and charge outrageous fees so that you can have a shiny diploma to attach to your resume?

Are you starting to feel a little bit like I did when I read your diatribe on financial advisors, Burt?

Like a 5-year old who repeats a joke over and over again in front of adults thinking that it is just as funny with each telling, Malkiel has been playing the "financial advisors are crooks" card over and over again with each edition of his books. This is despite the fact that the major financial service firms have overhauled their business models dramatically over the last 35 years.

Today's financial advisors are increasingly educated on the concepts of risk and reward, investment time horizons, asset allocation, and portfolio rebalancing.

I typically spend about 20 hours per client getting to know their financial situation and designing an investment approach that is flexible enough to accomodate their changing requirements over time. Assuming a $100,000 portfolio and a 1% advisory fee, my firm collects $1,000 a year for these services. Divided by the 20 hours I spend, this amounts to an "outrageous" $50/hr I have collected for my time.

Could you do all of this on your own? Of course. But Malkiel fails to mention the opportunity cost of your having to go up a learning curve to do this. The book contains weblinks and phone numbers that make it sound easy to contact various providers of low-cost investment products, with suitable admonishments that you make sure that you tailor everything to your own situation (just how do you do that, exactly, Burt?).

If you end up spending 40, 50 (or even more) hours doing this on your own, have you really saved what you would have spent on a 1% advisory fee using a trained, knowledgable financial advisor?

I would suggest that you start your investment process by first talking to a few financial advisors and then decide for yourself if Malkiel's assertion is correct. For starters on finding and evaluating advisors, check the SEC and FINRA websites for ideas.

If you then decide that you want to manage your investments entirely on your own, I suggest that a much more balanced (and detailed) approach to asset allocation can be found in "All About Asset Allocation" by Richard A. Ferri.

In summary, Malkiel's book gets 2 stars from me not because of its basic message, but because of its shameless self promotion based on an unproven premise that anything you pay a professional to do you can always do better yourself.

Considering that Malkiel has demigod status by now, if anyone wants to metaphorically take me out to the parking lot and beat me up for having criticized him, you can reach me at ROliverira@hotmail.com

i spent $10 on this book and finished reading it in half an hour. To my disappointment I did not find anything special about it. Most of the ideas he talks about are fairly common for investors, such as investing earlier than later, keeping a constant flow of investment, balancing risk and return, etc. I think these are common sense to most investors. The only thing special about this book is the discussion on efficient market theory. The author is a strong believer of this theory and spends three chapters on it. The takeaway is to invest only in index funds. That's all I got from this book.

I think for a person with no investment knowledge at all, this is a fun book easy to read. But not that useful for more experienced readers.

a remarkable and continually surprising read; a real joy filled with ideas and insights into an earlier age and a remarkable mind

I was/am unprepared for the depth of every detail in this tome. Insights from a far-away time march through the mind and connect with todays events and daily situations.

Despite translating thousands of worthless Latin quotations, the editor of this edition leaves large passages from the section on Love Melancholy, which Burton waggishly wrote in Latin, untranslated. Burton demands enough of one's patience; one shouldn't have to put up with this sort of nonsense from his editor, even if one's Latin is good. After plodding through over a thousand pages, the reader has earned a little titillating trivia. Also, if you've forgotten your Latin, Burton's notes are left untranslated. Finally, I'll say that although Burton is amusing, the book is too long with too little content. Go back to his sources, read Swift, read Marcus Aurelius, read Kierkegaard on religious despair; and then, if you have time, read Burton-- or skim him.

There are many reviews of Burton's "Anatomy" ranging from the 'best book ever written' downwards. I have been involved with many editions of this work over the years, and have a couple of things to add to what's been so eloquently said. First, it's a reference book and not a novel, and therefore shouldn't be read in a continuous way. It becomes tedious and incomprehensible. Like grandma used to say: "Take small bites so you don't choke!" There are parts of it that are dated but much that is totally applicable today. Second, it is a book about society, and the hypocrisy of the way different people get treated:"A sheep-stealer is hanged for stealing necessary victuals but a great man in office may safely rob, pillage, and destroy, and be honored for good service, and no man had best find fault with him." This prefigures much of Enlightenment thinking and can be seen to relate to Culturalist Analytic thinking, like the works of Karen Horney. Third, it is a historical contemporary look at the Jacobean age, and even the Elizabethan world. If you're interested in the cultural climate of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, here is an overview of what was known and opined by a scholar. One wonders how melancholic he really was (in the modern sense) since the preparation and writing of such a compendium certainly requires motivation and energy, not generally associated with chronic depression. I would suggest the Preface and the Digression of Air as fascinating views of knowledge in the early 17th century. Even if you don't like it (which I didn't for about 5 years), it tends to grow on you as long as you go slow!

Where to begin discussing this book? How about again and again? For it begs never to be put down, and if finished (as if that's even possible) to be picked up again and pored over. Again. And again. And again . . .

It got Samuel Jonson out of bed earlier than he wished. It kept me up later than I wished, and still "reading" it in my mind over and over again, musing on the insanity of it - the brilliant, always entertaining, enlightening, LIGHTING bolts of language and thought crammed so mercilessly between two covers. It won't drive you mad, though, or mess with your humours, unless, of course, a sense of one you don't have - a bricolage (I think) to be devoured ravenously and chewed interminably like an everlasting gobstopper - a joy to exhaust your mind and body by . . .

Even as the parent of a young toddler, I found the lessons and methods in the book could be applied to our daily lives. We are confident that disciplining our child will be easier as we are establishing the rules and processes clearly and reasonably at an early age and avoiding "accidental parenting". The methods are simple and direct, yet sensitive to a child's needs and development too.

Parenting - the most important responsibility one has that does not require training, education, or a license, but one that should. It would be the unusual parent who can't identify with the many scenarios of parent-child interchanges presented in this book. They rang true with my husband and me as we looked back at our parenting and as we see our children parent. The authors reinforce so eloquently the need for parents to be parents - to take the lead and to be responsible. Following the practical step-by-step approach put forth in this book will make your child happier and more secure and your life ever so much easier and happier, too.

As a clinician who has worked with children and families for the past ten
years, I think this book is a wonderful, user-friendly resource offering
sensible strategies for use with children exhibiting challenging
behaviors. The advice imparted by the book is sound and very much in line
with evidence-based treatment modalities, emphasizing the importance of
consistency, follow through and "stickwithitness". As a mother, I have
used the strategies outlined in this book regularly and with great
success. I believe this book is an indispensible resource for the vast
majority of parents struggling with their children's difficult behaviors.

I too, have read all of these reviews - loving and hating this book. I can see why some of the reviews are so negative, as I don't think this book is for everyone. But one review in particular caught my attention - the one stating that this book is only for neurotypical kids. I wholeheartedly disagree and will tell how this book changed our family - for the better.

I turned to this book because I have an atypical child, and I was at my wits end with the power struggles that were happening in our house. My older son (now 8) is the poster child for ADHD. He is emotionally intense, physically exhausting and incredibly smart. He has been diagnosed with Aspberger's, but is extremely high functioning and attends mainstream school. My 4 year old is your basic typical child, with typical and age appropriate behavior. My 8 year old was still tantruming, screaming to get his way, crying, throwing things, etc., at the time I found this book.

After reading just the 1st chapter, I began to realize that I was attributing my son's behavior to his issues - rather than my parenting style, or should I say, lack of consistency thereto! I realized that not only was I the "permissive" parent, but I was also the "authoritarian" parent. At times, being way too permissive - almost intimidated by his tantrums - and at other times, laying down the law - like a drill sargent - barking orders out of frustration!

This book literally opened my eyes to just how much power my husband and I were giving away to our 8 year old - and how that was truly affecting the way we interacted with each other.

We decided to give the strategies in this book a try and began our trial period, during the last few weeks of summer, before school started. I predicted that I would be met with some resistance - so I made sure not to schedule too many out of the house activities.

The first week was tough - there were days where my older son would end up going to his room 5-6 times a day. There were days where he reacted very violently to me being so consistent - and at first, I had reservations about doing the "parent hold" - but having to only do it twice, and realizing the remarkable changes that were taking place right before my eyes - I continued with the process. It took about 2 full weeks for us to all get things under control - but I will tell you - after about the first 3-4 days of our "new plan" - I noticed changes in my 8 year old that I NEVER thought were possible!

Today - I rarely have to ask him twice to do things - and we have had maybe one or two tantrums in the last 3 months, as opposed to one or two a day!! His level of respect for me and my husband has changed dramatically, as has our level of respect for him and each other. We are now calm and direct in our approach to discipline. We don't squelch his spirit or his individualness and we certainly allow him plenty of room for him to just be him - for both of our boys, to have their spirit and express themselves - but we now require that they treat us respectfully, and likewise we do the same for them.

This book offers very tangible processes for parents who are engaged in having power struggles with their kids. There's nothing "new" or "gimmicky" about the techniques offered, they're just plain and simple.

I think the title is a bit deceiving and not quite right for this book - the author's form of discipline actually does involve some "time out" - but not in the traditional sense as most of us know it. At first I thought, how is putting either of my sons in their room, where all of their toys are going to be, any kind of discipline tool - but since following through each time - they've come to know it more as a regrouping to come back and cooperate as opposed to a "punishment." All I can say is - it works.

Being the mother of an extremely challenging child has it's own set of unique issues - this book has really helped me stay calm, focused and purposeful in my requests. It has helped my child tremendously because he now knows exactly what to expect and we no longer have the power struggles we've had in the many years past.

I wish this book had more specifics for homework issues/help - maybe the author will come out with a follow-up!

If your library has this book - check it out before paying full price. It may not be your style - but for some of us, this book can truly be life changing.

I just came from a talk by Dr. Grosshanz in Madison, CT. She explained in detail why, we as parents have allowed our children to become power mongers and how detrimental it is for the child and the family. I highly recommend her book - it is easy to read and the ladder plan is easy to follow. Personally, this is the best book - without a doubt- that I have ever read on parenting. It should be handed out in the hospital when you check out with your baby!!! We as parents have to commit to making changes in how we raise our children - to end this epidemic of out of control, demanding children whose sense of entitlement stays with them through adulthood. Get this book - and Bravo Dr. Grosshanz for finally shedding light on the problem and giving us an easy way of correcting it!

I got this hoping it would be easier for my kids to digest, but am sending it back in favor of the Putnam translation. In an attempt to use language that would be more familiar to today's reader, the rhythm and flow has been lost. I stumbled through a bit, then lost interest. This reads like a book, Putnam reads like poetry.

Great Translation. Great extra essay material. And of course a story that will never die. Ten Thumbs Up!

'Don Quixote' is largely considered to be a satire on the popular chivalric ballads of Cervantes' day, but don't be fooled. This novel is no satire on chivalry, itself. Indeed, through the trials of Quixote and Sancho Panza, Cervantes is perhaps the greatest promoter of chivalric ideas that the West has ever known. No other protagonist so thoroughly embodies the ideals of heroism, romantic love, friendship, honor, discretion, trust, virtue, and adventure than does Don Quixote. It just so happens that he is insane, but the author is able to look beyond that. So too should the reader.

The knight's sallies are absolutely delightful and, it must be credited, alone prove Cervantes' genius in writing. The dialogue between Quixote and Sancho is excellent comedy, creating a duo that has gone unsurpassed in originality and endearment for five centuries. "Is it possible that Your Worship can be so thick skulled and brainless as to not perceive the truth of what I allege?" Classic.

But these adventures, hilarious as they may be, give us frame for a storehouse chivalric truisms, the like of which can be found in no other work of fiction. A sampling would include: "An author had better be applauded by the few that are wise than laughed at by the many that are foolish;" "Anyone who has been a good squire will never be a bad governor;" "There is a wide difference between flying and retreating; valor which is not founded on the base of discretion is termed temerity or rashness;" and "Whenever virtue shines in an emanant degree, she always meets with persecution."

The reader cannot help but to love such regal assuredness, such profound idealism. Ironically, Quixote's insanity never really contradicts his optimism and in fact vindicates it. It is commentary on the human condition that only the insane person can actually accomplish something virtuous. And after all the delusions are expired and all the fallacies uncovered, Don Quixote actually has accomplished everything he set out to achieve if only because he was noble enough to strive for it.

A note must be made on the translations. While much of the verbiage is straightforward, there are several repeated phrases that are different between the major translations, Quixote's moniker being one of the most important. In every translation I have seen, the name has been different--"The Knight of the Rueful Countenance," "The Knight of the Mournful Countenance," and "The Knight of the Sorrowful Face" are all used for the same phrase. I enjoyed the "Rueful Countenance" and found it to be well-suited for the style of the novel though I have not read other translations.

In the end, though, you cannot go wrong. 'Don Quixote' is a pure joy to read and we are fortunate to have the ability to do so.

I disagree with some of the criticism of this translation, particularly that of Mr. Moreno who mistakenly acuses the translator of a "catastrophic error" ...'introducing the name "Don Quixote" in the narrative before Cervantes himself mentions it.' If Mr. Moreno reads Cervantes Prologue to the book or even the chapter title of the first chapter, which mentions don Quijote by name several paragraphs before the section he sites, he will see his own error. In addition, Cervantes spells the name Quijote, not Quixote as Mr. Moreno does. Mr. Moreno also mistranslates the text in question "en resolución, él se enfrascó tanto en su lectura..." by replacing the "él" referring to don Quijote with "the old gentleman" introduced by Mr. Moreno and not by Cervantes. Translation is difficult as the translator's notes document. I was deeply impressed by the translator's use of a 1611 textbook of the Spanish language to clarify the means of words whose meanings have changed in the past four centuries. In addition, this translator comes closer to Cervantes' actual colloquial style than many of the stodgy Englsih translations that are now in existence. This translation is highly readable and almost as enjoyable as the orginal work in Spanish that so delighted readers when it was first released to the public at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

I often return to this granddaddy of novels, and consider this particular translation the best. Grossman's translation is stellar, but it lacks the brio, the spirited tone and zeal of BR's rendering. Certainly this translation is sometimes free-and-easy and best serves an American reader, but its rhythm and gusto more than compensate for the flaws an academic might stub her toe on, and that rush of vivid life, in my opinion, is the heart of Cervantes' work. Authentic phrase or authentic feel? I'll vote for the feel. De gustibus.

Turkus did a ton in uncovering this layer of the inner workings of the mob. The Syndicate was a real threat that, when organized, was dangerous for anyone involved, which was anyone they wanted to involve themselves with. Introducing the Brownsville gang was a great backdrop to laying the foundation to the National Syndicate.

Interesting, though, is that Turkus uncovered so much, and yet when Valachi sang more than a decade later it turned out that Turkus had missed a completely different organized crime with much more secrecy involved around it. This makes sense, in a way, since most of the men testifying and being put away were unable to be "made" men and thus not privy to the inner workings of the real mafia that held the power.

Otherwise a great telling of the Syndication and the 7 executions that resulted from the Canary that couldn't fly. Seeing Lepke go down was amazing, and you can truly see the power of an Anastasia at work when Reles mysteriously jumped/fell out a sixth story window.

A little curious though. Turkus made a big deal about Anastasia's role in Marinzano's death, that he had an Ace of Diamonds in his hand, and yet the cover of the books has a dead man with an Ace of Spades. Is this Maranzano or another death? And if so why the striking similarities? I would have liked to have had these questions answered.

All in all, I would recommend. Read before or in conjunction with The Valachi Papers.

5 stars.

Burton Turkus (1903-1982) was assistant district attorney for Kings County, New York (Brooklyn) in the early 1940's, and successfully prosecuted a number of members of Murder,Inc., sending seven of them to the electric chair. This is the chronicle of his efforts to try to bring down this organization of professional killers. I would have liked this book even more if a section of photos of the main characters had been included, but there aren't any. This is an interesting story, well told and, as the expression goes, it has the added advantage of being true. Readers need to bear in mind that the book was written in 1951 and some of the figures, like Anastasia, were still alive at the time. Later scholarship has disproven some of Turkus' theories about the mob organizations, but that still doesn't detract from the entertainment value of this book.

Glad that I did not live in that era!!A good account of men's cruelty.

Very interesting in that the style of writing reminds one of gangster movies of the period. Definitely a classic of the genre that has stood the test of time.

This book is not just a history of the mob but is part of that history, as Tukus was a prosecutor of the first big cases against the mob. As a prosecutor of the criminals Tukus is hardly objective in his views of them, their lives and so forth. Their horrific deeds speak for themselves but he feels the need to condemn them often, as if preaching to the jury. The stlye is overwhelmed by the 50s journalistic background of the co-author, and I like others find it annoying in its excess of adjectives.
Nevertheless, if you want to know the subject, this is a must read. And with all its flaws, it is still really fun.

I was very happy with the quality of the book, the packaging, and the speed at which it arrived in Australia, at a very reasonable rate. Many thanks!

I have been a Sweeney Todd (the musical)fan for some time now and have researched the myth/legend from around 1602 to 2007 through a variety of sources. Indeed, Robert L.Mack's, The Wonderful and Surprsing History of Sweeney Todd: The Life and Times of an Urban Legend (Continuum Books, 2007) is but one invaluable source for the avid admirer of the story and the musical.I was therefore keen to read the Mark Salisbury book on Tim Burton's movie of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I was delighted by the stunning photographs and drawings, strung together with well selected extracts from the movie. The visually challenged will find it difficult to read many of the explanatory captions however! My biggest criticism is that the narrative is more about justifying the choice of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as the lead characters ( why not say the old firm of Burton-Depp-Carter was easier to work with after doing so many movies together?)rather than more substanially discussing the rationale for the actual making of the movie itself. In short, too much of the commentary is self-ingratiating waffle. The photographs on the other hand are evocative and, along with the pencil drawings and diagrams, take the reader into the world of Sweeney Todd rather than the production itself. Oh, in case I sound too critical, I enjoyed watching the movie but only wish the book told me more about it rather than the director and the lead players.

I have read this twice in my life. It is not like the film in a lot of ways and really captures the folklore that originally drove this story into the realm of urban legend. This is a slow reading book with many characters to follow. I enjoyed this book, but please realize just because Johnny Depp is on the cover does not mean it is an adaption of the screenplay. If you really want to go to the roots of where this heartwrenching and horrific story began please read this book. otherwise just enjoy a stunning movie and score.

The film and soundtrack of Sweeney Todd are a perfect distillation of what for many was an unapproachable Sondheim oeuvre. Having seen the original Broadway version ages ago, and two local productions since, I can say that this is the definitive essence of every aesthetic and poetic aspect of Sweeney. It may be an acquired taste for some, but once savored, it will be relished for quite some time. Bravo to all!!

It was something else to watch and it was another thing to see how the masterpiece was made. The book goes over the characters, how the actors made the role, the music, sets, costumes and has part of the original script. Plus, it gives great insight on Tim Burton and other artists' decisions into developing the scenes, climax, music, and characters.

The thing that makes this book is the pictures. It's hysterical to see a laughing Sweeney sharing a joke with Tim Burton. Plus, you get to see interesting behind the scene shots and the original set and costume designs. I'm very glad I bought this book and I still look at it even though it has been almost half a year since the movie came out. Five stars!

For those who loved "Celestine Prophecy, the and "The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision (Celestine Prophecy)", you'll love receiving the insights directly as James Redfield relates his insights to everyday life - to his own experiences and those of others.

A must for a serious James Redfield fan. Also check out "Nexus: A Neo Novel" - a contemporary novel similar to books by James Redfield. You have to read the insights in this book!

Let's hold the vision and share these insightful books with others who can benefit from them

All his books are very good. Each has undertones of truth from various cultures, traditions and world philosophies. Do your research into philosophical works. Look inwardly to your true self personally, journeying and you will see many truths from Mr. Redfield's contributing works toward society.

First, a few of my overall gleanings about The Search.

# We are spirits in human bodies.

# Our destiny/evolution somehow involves whether we collectively decide that since we are human, do we reach for and wish to achieve the divine and spiritual in each of us (because when we all are mindful of God, it actually creates God) OR, do we wish to remain animals like all the rest of God's creatures--to encourage our animal/beastly natures with simple desires, intuitions, and thus, in doing so, remain strictly of the Earth?

# There is generally more good than bad in life. Like Camus says, it is Sisyphusian even though we all ain't in rock rolling maintenance. And it is definitely worth living. You can get more of the goodness from life by focusing on the good/positive in any circumstance...even if there may be inconceivable pain and suffering involved. Like Frankl also says.

# I am quite sure a whole lotta people, some of them famous and great, have come up with something very similar thoughts and conclusions to the items I've listed above, but they are basic musings. OK...what do these musings have to do with Redfield's book?

Right. See, in the mid to late 1990's a handful of so-called New Age writers, self help authors, and televangelists were putting together their portfolios, so to speak, on the prediction, and, in their minds, "the need" for some kind of spiritual upheaval/spiritual explosion associated with the coming of the New Millenium. Some may say they are blessed with vision, others may say they are in it for personal gain. It ain't my intent to debate all the individual motivations here. But, during that time, Marianne Williamson comes out with a new book, Shirley McLaine comes out with a new book, Ken Wilber comes out with a new book, the Dalai Lama....

And Redfield. But, note. They are very similar. But, note. We everyday people don't get the basic messages of what they are saying until it either gets real, real close to it being too late or alas, it is ALREADY too late...so, mebbe, with another new voice out there sharing the message in their own style, SOMEONE may get the basic lesson. That's the real beauty of having so many of these visionaries out there.

Redfield may not be a new voice but certainly he has more than a few ways of getting your attention. Of this book, I found his subchapter on how it seems that the emergence of Einstein and Bohr and Pauli and Heisenberg and the new Quantum Physicists (and the adoption of the scientific paradigm which diverted from the Old Newtonian mechanistic world view) began to parallel the beginning of the western world's examination and adaptation of Eastern religion and thus what Redfield says is the beginnings of the (re)discovery of the Human Energy Field quite elegant in it's simplicity. (He did not, however, much mention how WW II influenced evverything during that this era he was speaking of, and to me, that is quite an oversight..) His exploration of the Jungian Synchronistic world view is also deftly done. While I do not get into the mystical experience and dream scaping he likes to go into and I don't see the need to go thru a lot of what's he saying to have an illuminating spiritual experience, I do think if some folks need what he's telling them to get to one, then, in a phrase "it's all good". (Kinda like what the positive vibing in synchronicity is supposed to be about.)

Overall, it is a good book because I feel that the start of the transforming self begins at home, and ultimately to the rest of the universe...the reader must simply START THE JOURNEY, and then, in a way, the universe DOES become more responsive....Redfield shows us one way to do this. He does the Basics. And he puts his spin on how everyday people can obtain the spiritual....

Good fun and inspirational to read.
This books describes the basic philosophy behind his novels.
I would say: skip the novels and read this book.
Redfield kind of mixes lot of spiritual stuff together but
it still makes sense.

I have always wondered about the dreams that came true,thinking of people and seeing them same day,being hesitant between two decisions and getting the hint to choose one of them. I have always wondered about the behaviour of people in society and why they behave in the way they do.This book answers these questions and many more.i think you have to be a believer in God to be able to absorb the ideas presented by the auhtor.He takes you in spiritual journeys high up to afterlife and back to before birth and makes you cotemplate the profound ideas in the book.After I finshed reading the book i want to read it again to fully absorb the magnificent ideas presented in it. I strongly advice reading it by those who are wondering about life and our mission in it for the writer emphasises that we are all here on missons for the welfare of humanity.

This is Musils philosophical masterpiece set in 1914 prior to the Great War and collapse of the Ausro-Hungarian empire.
The story line-for what its worth-concerns Ulrich (the titular man without qualities) involvement in the 'Parallel Campaign' with many sub plots and themes concerning the sex murderer Moosbrugger; Ulrichs estrangement from his childhood friend Walter;his affair with Bonedea;his sisters leaving her husband. Entwined around this framework, Musil explores what is reality? What and how are morals made or come by? The pseudo realities we create and exist in, how little of truth we can actually attain; how history and who's in power shape and alter morals.
This is a monumental work,still unfinished when Musil died, and having read all 1130 pages, I couldn't help thinking that it was still in draft; that Musil was merely pouring down his ideas en masse to eventually edit down to a 4 or 500 page novel.The thin story line means this lacks any pace and often you read pages of (albeit, facinating) philosophical treatise without having any story line to anchor them to as so little develops.
At the risk of sounding snobish and big headed, you have to be well and widely read before taking this book on. Its deep complexity reminds of 'Moby Dick', but once read you find your mind resonating with 'Musilisms' and an enormous pool of philosophical knowledge. A kind of philosophical rosetta stone!

Of all the great European novelists of the first third of the century -- Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Knut Hamsun, Herman Hesse -- Robert Musil is far and away the least read; and yet he's as shapely as Gibbon, as mordant as Voltaire, as witty as Oscar Wilde and as indecent as Arthur Schnitzler, a fellow Viennese writer who gets more attention. "The Man Without Qualities" is an extraordinary amalgam of the formidable, the delicious and the unfinished; and no doubt each of these attributes is in some measure dissuasive.

If we take it that the characteristics of 20th-century life are fatuity, doubt and confusion; the "barbaric fragmentation" of the self, where "impersonal matters . . . go into the making of personal happenings in a way that for the present eludes description"; a crisis of individual identity and collective purpose -- then it is Musil's astonishing achievement to make a comedy of all this.

The book begins with a baroque meteorological description; its first action is a car accident; the hero is first seen looking out of a window, stopwatch in hand, conducting a statistical survey of passing traffic. Can there be any doubt that it is a prophetic book about our world? Musil is us. The world of "global Austria" in 1913 and "the Parallel Action" -- the plan, in the novel, to claim 1918 for the jubilee celebrating the 70th year of the reign of the Emperor Francis Joseph before the Germans get it for Kaiser Wilhelm's 30th, made nonsense of by the intervention of World War I -- is our world of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and other fatuous schemes. While Musil's contemporaries Proust and Joyce chose interiority and the private world of memory, Musil is uncannily prescient about modern life, where sportsmen and criminals are indifferently idolized, where quantity sits in judgment on quality, so that an author, as Musil puts it, "must have an awful lot of like-minded readers before he can pass for an impressive thinker," where we sit and stew among "bobsled championships, tennis cups and luxury hotels along great highways, with golf course scenery and music on tap in every room." So "The Man Without Qualities" is satire; as one character says, "The man of genius is duty bound to attack." However, it is not harsh satire, nor is it sour. There is something loving about it. Musil's tone is unlike anyone else's. Partly it is the Austrian melancholy that underlies the book, the melancholy of a defunct empire, of a closed conditional: what was to happen did not. WHAT if, the novel implies, instead of expressing itself in the carnage of World War I, human folly had chosen another form? Partly it is the equable irony that plays over every character, institution and group in the book that makes reading Musil such an exquisitely flattering experience. No characters in the book escape mockery -- especially for taking themselves so seriously. All of them are skewed and partial, but none are caricatures; perhaps the book's almost complete lack of physical description plays a part here -- and yet, in spite of that, you feel you could pick them out in a lineup. They are Musil's puppets.

In his early career he wrote stories, plays and novels that had a certain popularity. But none of those prepare a reader for the expanse of "The Man Without Qualities". It took up the last two decades of his life, before he died in self-imposed exile in Switzerland in 1942, at the age of 61. It is a quite overwhelming novel, quite indeed...

I would give this excellent set of critiques, edited by the estimable Harold Bloom, four stars except for its misleading label. Despite the byline, this is NOT Robert Musil's work or even a condensed version. These are very helpful commentaries, but if you want the original, you must go elsewhere.

This book says: by Robert Musil's, but it is not. Review carefuly before to be sure it is the one you are looking for

"The Man without Qualities" is a strange work indeed. It was left unfinished at the author's death, but nevertheless runs to well over 1,000 pages. There is very little in the way of coherent plot. The action is set in the latter part of 1913 and the early part of 1914, the last months of peace before the outbreak of World War I, and what plot there is centres upon the activities of a committee set up to explore ways of celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the accession of the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, an event which was due to occur in December 1918. In the event, of course, no celebrations for this anniversary ever took place, for two reasons. Firstly, Franz Josef was to die in 1916. Secondly, the Austro-Hungarian empire was to be swept away at the end of the war in November 1918.

The "man without qualities" of the title is Ulrich, one of the members of the committee. Ulrich is a handsome, wealthy and intelligent young man of good family, yet is described as being "without qualities" because he is bored, cynical and indifferent, dependent on the outer world to form his character. He has tried three different careers, as a soldier, engineer and mathematician, only to abandon them all, and accepts a place on the committee largely to alleviate the boredom of his existence as a wealthy layabout. In the course of the book we are introduced to the other members of the committee, such as the Prussian industrialist-intellectual Paul von Arnheim, Ulrich's idealistic, spiritually-minded cousin Diotima who becomes Arnheim's lover, and General Stumm von Bordwehr, forever trying to use the jubilee celebrations to further the interests of the Army. We also get to know a number of Ulrich's other acquaintances, including his friend Walter, his mistress Bonadea and (towards the end of the novel) his sister Agathe. Another important character is the insane murderer Moosbrugger.

Much of the early part of the book is satirical in nature, the principal targets of Musil's satire being the nature of bureaucracy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire itself. The committee is a prime example of bureaucratic inertia, forever holding endless meetings without ever achieving anything or even agreeing on the form which the celebrations are to take. (The only character who ever seems to take any positive action is Moosbrugger, and his actions are purely evil). The Empire is renamed "Kakania", a pun on the German pronunciation of the initials K.K. (for Kaiserlich-Koeniglich, or Imperial and Royal) and the word "Kaka" meaning "excrement". "By its constitution it was liberal, but the system of government was clerical. The system of government was clerical, but the general attitude to life was liberal. Before the law all citizens were equal, but not everyone, of course, was a citizen." In one memorable passage Musil compares the Empire to a red, white and green jacket (Hungary) matched with a pair of black and yellow trousers (Austria). Like many people looking back with the benefit of hindsight, Musil saw the collapse of Austria-Hungary as something inevitable. In fact, that collapse was the product of two chance factors, the murder of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 and Haig's defeat of the German armies in the autumn of 1918. Had the First World war been avoided, or had it had a different result, the Empire might have lasted much longer. We might even be celebrating this year the eighty-fifth anniversary of the accession of Emperor Otto von Habsburg.

In the latter part of the book, the tone becomes less satirical and more that of a novel of ideas. Musil introduces lengthy discourses, either in the form of conversations between his characters or passages in which he addresses the reader directly, on social, political, religious and, above all, philosophical topics. Ulrich suggests the formation of a "General Secretariat for Precision and Soul". This may seem like a joke, the yoking together of two incongruous ideas to produce an absurd effect, but in fact it reflects one of Musil's main preoccupations, the need to reconcile the rational and scientific approach to life ("precision") with the spiritual and imaginative one ("soul").

I note that most of the reviews the book has received on this page have been positive ones (fourteen out of seventeen awarded it five stars), so I find myself very much in the minority when I say that this was not a book that I enjoyed. My initial thought was to call my review "The Book without Qualities", but that would have been unfair to Musil, who was clearly a writer with many excellent qualities. Many of his philosophical discourses are fascinating ones, and my attention was frequently caught, even in the midst of passages that I otherwise found tedious, by a flash of humour, an original aphorism or brilliantly expressed thought. "Philosophers are despots who have no armies to command, so they subject the world to their tyranny by locking it up in a system of thought". "To believe with not quite complete disbelief that something-cannot-be-ruled-out has today become the basic attitude in matters of faith".

It struck me, however, that Musil's ideas, often of great interest in themselves, could have been better expressed as a series of essays rather than in the rather clumsy framework of a novel. The problem with "The Man without Qualities" is that, even allowing for the fact that it is unfinished, never seems to be going anywhere and lacks the form or structure evident in most well-written novels. Even in other unfinished novels, such as Dickens's "Edwin Drood", one can see evidence of the author's structural plan at work, just as one can see evidence of the architect's handiwork even in an unfinished building. "The Man without Qualities" resembles less a building than a vast, baroque folly, incorporating many beautiful carvings but with no discernible shape or structure.

A re-release title from LuAnn Rice. Very interesting character and plot development-the reader sees the promise of this deep, thoughtful 'new' writer.
I loved Anne from the beginning. She has the right to grieve her little girl. And, what woman wouldn't fall in love with her rescuer fireman. Devlin has ghosts of hisown that he must deal with. One is life after disability. He carries scars from a past fire that almost ended his life. Maggie, Anne's niece, seems hell bent to join her little cousin that she was so close to. (I love the scene in the attic.) By helping Maggie with her loss, Anne can begin to live and love again. Devlin, Anne, and Maggie give to and get from one another what each needs.
I was sorry to see this one end.

"Home Fires" is definately one of my favourite reads. Dynamic, colourful, exciting characters and simple yet extremely detailed backgrounds and story lines. One of the better romantic dramas around.

Luanne not only sets herself apart as a wonderful writer, but gives us glimpse into her home turf. What a wonderful gift she gives us with her sagas. Don't stop! Superb series.

This must have been the beginning of the realization of the talent of Luanne Rice. Written 10 years ago, this book is a tiny bit dated already in that there are no use of cell phones, but overall the book is an emotional read that is hard to put down.

Anne Davis is still reeling from the death of her four-year-old daughter and the abandonment by her husband when she returns to the island home where she was raised. She hasn't been there very long when a fire breaks out. Anne escapes to safety but rushes back into the house to retrieve something. What is it that she would risk her life to save? Fireman Thomas Devlin risks his own life to save Anne who is uninjured. Somewhat of a recluse, Thomas has been living on the island after having been unable to safe his own wife in a fire in which he was terribly scarred.

Despite accusing looks from those who think she was responsible for her daughter's death, Anne settles into island life where she is close to her sister Gabrielle and her niece, Maggie, a teenager who is on her own downward spiral.

Soon both the woman who is scarred on the inside and the man who is scarred on the outside find themselves attracted to one another.

This is a short (312-page) book so it is hard to write more without including spoilers. But suffice to say, things do not always go smoothly for Thomas and Anne. In addition, Anne is mentoring her niece Maggie, who is constantly being tempted to continue a life that will take her right into the hands of danger.

Thomas is one of the most gentle, sweetest men ever. His love and consideration and respect for Anne is almost palpable. Anne's pain over losing her daughter is equally as palpable. One begins to wonder though if they will ever be able to find a future together, especially with Anne's contrite husband back in the picture.

Luanne Rice has written an unforgettable novel set on the New England coast which is sure to make my top 10 of the year; I can't believe I didn't read it earlier.

Anne Davis has returned to her childhood home off the coast of Connecticut to mourn the loss of her daughter and break up of her marriage, when she awakens to find her home consumed in flames. When she returns back to the burning home to retrieve the prized possessions of her daughter, a heroic fireman rescues her.

The firefighter, Thomas Devlin is disfigured, having suffered extensive burns in a fire that took the life of his wife 11 years earlier. He's led a solitary life since then and treated at arm's length by many townspeople due to his appearance. Chance encounters on the island bring Thomas and Anne together, and in each other they find understanding, solace, and then love. The townspeople don't understand why a woman and beautiful as Anne would waste her time on a wounded soul as Thomas.

Forces outside their control threaten to destroy their new love, including his son Ned, who is distraught that his father was able to save Anne but not his own mother; Anne's sister Gabrielle, who has always been jealous of Anne's jet set life with her sexy and successful husband; and Matt, the estranged husband who betrayed then let her down in her time of need, only to want a reconciliation when she has finally managed to pick up and move on.

A secondary love story involving Anne's ne'er-do-well niece Maggie and Ned plays a key role in the plot, as Maggie struggles to leave behind her friends to forge a new future for herself.

"Home Fires" was one of the more tender romance novels by author Rice. In Thomas, she has created a compassionate and caring hero who scarred but willing to take another chance on love.

This is a beautifully designed book with a limpid translation by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo. Here's one of my favorites:

11

Thirty spokes join one hub.
The wheel's use comes from emptiness.

Clay is fired to make a pot.
The pot's use comes from emptiness.

Windows and doors are cut to make a room.
The room's use comes from emptiness.

Therefore,
Having leads to profit,
Not having leads to use.


Not only is there wisdom on every page, but Burton Watson's introduction gives an informative context for both Lao Tzu, the eponymous creator of this text, and the times in which this book and the more lively, albeit less mystical Chuang Tzu arose.

In addition, the translators explain a bit about Chinese ideograms and a phrase taken from each poem is included in old Chinese characters next to each text in English, thereby giving a taste of the compression--the pithiness--of the original.

This is indeed a wonderful book: nice to hold in the hand, just the right size to carry into the woods for some meditation by a stream, and perfect for a gift to a friend.

The only criticism I have of this volume concerns the ink paintings done by Mr. Addiss; they are somewhat less than impressive, and perhaps the volume would have been better served with better examples.

I'm happy to say that my copy is a gift from my friend Burton Watson, and includes his signature in the front.

Incredible.

One of the wonders of the world.

Wise words to live by.

Read it over and over and over again. Grab it and pick a random page for any situation.

This is a lovely translation of the Tao Te Ching. It maintains the style of the original Chinese instead of trying to force a meaning into verbose English. It also peppers the text with Chinese characters so readers with a background in Asian languages can derive their own meaning from the writing as well.

This is the best translation of the ancient Book, because it respect the original lay out and meaning, when you'll read it you'll find that Li Earl (Lao Tse) was talking about meditative states of mind, that unless you enter on them you will never understand the true meaning of his words. So buy this book, and do Zazen or Taichi and then read it again.

I was very impressed with this version of the Tao Te Ching...it avoided modern-day vernacular and felt much closer to the original text. Furthermore, the translator's addition of lines of the text in Chinese (as well as the glossary of Chinese characters in the back) helps readers see how the translator came up with the right words for the book. 5 stars