P Books

If you were born during the tail end of the Baby Boom or are part of Gen-X, think of "Retro Hell" as a travel guide to Memory Lane. This book covers almost every aspect of life in the 1970's and '80's, from the most profound to the most trivial. What makes this book a joy is its ability to remind you of the little things you've forgotten -- toys, fads, fashions, one-hit-wonder bands, TV shows, commercials -- and bring back a flood of memories.

Though much of the writing is strongly tongue-in-cheek, it's not all cynical... which is quite refreshing. Not everything about the '70's and '80's was horrible; indeed, in an age of terrorism and war, roller disco doesn't seem so bad.

This book was originally published in 1997. If a newer edition is planned, adding some context would be especially helpful, now that the entire decade of the '90's has passed. For it's the seemingly frivolous things that ultimately shape our lives in unexpected ways.

Perfectly suited to its target audience both in subject matter and in presentation, this little encyclopedia is guaranteed to be incomprehensible to anyone who was not a small child during the Ford and Carter administrations. It is an exhaustive laundry list of toys, television shows, and other products marketed to children mostly in the 1970's and early 1980's. Said children grew up, went to college, and spent many a late-night dorm room session processing their mixed amusement and time-gilded fondness for these products. Generation X's strangely premature nostalgia was in the mid-'90's documented and catalogued by the staffers of a 'zine called Ben Is Dead, and subsequently released as a book, published with a silver cover, adorned with a flaming disco ball and digito-futuro typeface, called "Retro Hell".

As with any encyclopedia, this book is not to be read cover to cover. Unlike with an encyclopedia, the entries will not strain the most fragile of attention spans, as they are brief and anecdotal. Some merely invoke the commercial slogan attached to the toy in order to clarify the meaning of the item. Chances are good that if you, a friend or a sibling had a particular game, toy, or favorite TV actor in 1976, it will merit an entry in this book, presumably to your surprise and affectionate delight.

OK, let's face it. We GenX'ers (my DOB: 12/20/69) had discussions about these silly things with our friends as far back as 1986, and it all began with our laughter at the memory of the Brady Bunch, with its plaid polyester and relentless good cheer. (Surprisingly no one has ever called attention in print to the sublime musical score of the Brady Bunch.) By the mid-1990's, most of us were a bit burnt out on that sort of discussion. And yet, the sheer inclusiveness of this book guarantees that the late-night discussions will continue for at least as long as it takes to comb through it, as the diligent editors of BID have dredged up for us memories of long-forgotten things like Wacky Packages, checkered Vans, and Operation!. One can imagine that this catalogue was generated with competitive passion, as the youthful 'zinesters engaged in that most cherished of all verbal sports, "Obscurity One-Upmanship", or "Who can recall the most marginal bit of shameless pop culture detritus from the furthest corners of their memory?

Their effort is worthwhile, despite its novelty. It is as ironic as the generation it was written for, as it is in fact useful trash. It is the narrowest history of minutiae you can possibly find, and therefore the most telling. As might once have been said on a nighttime infomercial somewhere around 1980, "It makes a great gift ! "

If you were born between 1965 to 1979, this book is aimed at you. You may end up disagreeing with many of the entries, but not because they're wrong- just because it can be so embarrassing to see your past held up in a modern light.

This is an encyclopaedic recounting of pop-culture memories of many authors, and was originally published in 3 consecutive issues of Darby's magazine "Ben is Dead". One of the unfortunate side-effects of the translation from magazine to book has been the loss of a bit of material. Most/all of the supplementary articles and sidebars have been lost; a lot of pictures have been dropped (possibly from copyright or trademark infringement?); individual entries have been changed, either to remove possibly inflammatory material, or for some judicious editing. Some entries are gone all-together.

But, after 5+ years, my copies of BiD are brown and curling from acidic decay, water damage, constant re-reading. This book is a more durable, more easily transportable, more easily read and shared compendium of what is undoubtedly the best part of the original 3 issues.

For most entries, there are comments from multiple authors- if you don't like what someone wrote about your favorite subject, there's someone else right after them that wrote exactly what you wish you could say. You'll have old dusty memories jarred- both pleasant and unpleasant. You'll cringe in agony when you realize just how stupid we looked drawing a "Z" in the dirt to run faster when wearing Zips shoes. You'll recall that night you saw Pink Lady & Jeff on TV and realized adults didn't know what they were doing, either. You'll also get a lot of info on regional fads (typically southern California) that may not mean much in the rest of the country, but makes for interesting reading.

The best part about the book is the editorial decision to not just concentrate on the happy/good parts of our collective past. A lot of dirt is listed, too, which will make some people uncomfortable, but it makes the book probably the most honest of the pop-culture books that reference the 70s. Instead of sanitizing and making palatable what was, in all honesty, an incredibly vapid and tasteless era, Retro Hell is more of a catharsis for everyone who grew up in that time. The book's not just a fun read, but it'll probably make you a better person, too.

Concentrating on the period 1970-1988, this textbook of cultural anthropology covers a variety of trivial obsessions which, at the time, must have seemed extremely important. For somebody from the UK, it's like a glimse into a bizarre alternative world of Pet Rocks, Farrah Fawcett's hair and the not-at-all drugs-related H. R. Pufnstuff. Did people once vote for Jimmy Carter? Apparently so. It's written in an engagingly everyday tone by the staff and freinds of a sadly-defunct magazine called 'Ben is Dead', and the only bad thing is that it isn't ten times the size - it's great to read on the train, and my copy is now creased and tatty.

My old punk rock pal Mary Mayhem pawned off a box of old fanzines on me the other day, and there was a big stack of BEN IS DEAD magazines amongst them. I had forgotten how good that magazine was. Its a bona fide work of art (without chewing on it, okay?). The publisher, Darby Romeo, was sort of the archetypal Southern California Jewish cultcha' chick for the '80s. Besides being a brilliant writer, she had a yearning quality and a very original slant. She always seemed to be looking for the real and the authentic, even as she was wading through the shallow and phony junk that is Pop Culture. With her "Retro Hell" issues, its almost as if she's looking for God in the details (and I'm sure He's there somewhere, even amidst the Fonzie lunchboxes and Charlie's Angels posters). Face it, we were all raised amidst the blizzard of Pop Culture artifacts. We tried to create a life (or a so-called lifestyle) out of the crap pouring out of our TV sets, radios, and rock magazines. Darby Romeo graduated from high school in 1985, started publishing BEN IS DEAD in 1988 at around age 21, and I think she kept publishing it until around 1999 or so. Every issue got better, slicker, more original, and even more successful (she even copped a book publishing contract out of the deal). And then, she apparently disappeared from public view. Rumor has it she joined a weird cult. WHich I suspect is just the kind of weird rumor that Romeo would appreciate (everytime I disappear from view people just assume I'm dead, sheesh). She had a highly defined sense of irony on top of irony on top of searching for something real on top of further irony. She was the kind of Hollywood chick who hated and smirked at everything "hip." Even as she seemed obsessed with all things hip. As a little girl in the '80s she had Duran Duran posters all over her bedroom walls (well, she would've if her father had let her). Then in the '90s she launched herself into the gears of the Media Machine and got to interview Duran Duran. She even got grab-assed by Simon LeBon, or one of those hair-boys. So you see, dreams come true. Its odd and odd experience re-reading those "Retro Hell" issues of BEN IS DEAD ten years later. Its a perfectly-preserved time-capsule of the long-gone '90s fanzine scene. So I guess now its Retro Retro.

This is a great book!!! I encourage all adults who want to be more informed about the health care industry to read it. You will be able to make better decisions about your own treatment. A great challenge to the conventional wisdom about routine testing.

This book is truly an eye opener. Millions of people are being screened for cancer every year, but is it really necessary? Is it really making a difference? Are people harmed by these tests in anyway?

Dr. Welch explains brilliantly, in my opinion, what these cancer screenings really mean. He argues that we are taking healthy symptom-free individuals and looking for cancer.

What most people do not know and I did not before reading his book is that:

1-There is no evidence that these screenings have actually saved lives. In fact despite increased detection of early stages of prostate cancer and breast cancer, the death rate for prostate cancer has stayed the same and the rate of late stage breast cancer has increased over a 25 year period.

2-Autopsies of people who have NOT died from cancer have shown cancer in the lungs, thyroid, kidney, etc. This means millions of people are living with cancer and die of other causes and not even know they had cancer.

3-If the screening finds cancer, it does not necessarily mean that it is the type that will grow rapidly.
a-It could regress on its own as our immune system eliminated abnormal cells, including cancers regularly.
b-It may stay the same for many years and never cause a problem
c-It may grow so slowly that cause no health problems and the person dies of something else before it does

4-Studies conducted by John Hopkins, Harvard, and others have shown that different pathologist give different diagnosis for the same tissues. They may look at the same tissue and some think it is cancer while others think it is not. Especially when it comes to the a few abnormal tissues found from screening a healthy individual.

5-Also between screenings it is possible to develop a fast growing cancer. So how often do we need to do mammograms and colonoscopies?

6-The statistics, such as the five year survival rate, are not always reliable and maybe calculated in a misleading manner.

So you have a mammogram, PSA test, colonoscopy, fecal occult test, etc done. This is what may happen:

1-You end up with a false positive, depending on the test, 10 percent false positive is the average.
2-You get the cancer scare unnecessarily.
3-This can begin a cycle of retesting, biopsies and other tests. Some can be very unpleasant and have side effects.
4-If they find an abnormal tissue, what does it mean it mean? May the pathologist made a mistake; maybe it has been there for many years; maybe it is a slow growing one; maybe it will go away on its own; maybe it is a fast growing one! Of course, your doctor can't take a chance with your health, and also does not want to get sued for malpractice, so most likely she recommends the most safest (which could be the most aggressive) course of action!

Here you were living a relatively healthy symptom-free life and now you are told you need surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.

BUT once you or I know about they have found cancer, it is hard to know what to do, not to speak of the emotional toll. That's why Dr. Welch believes sometimes it is better not to know. However, as Dr. Welch cautions: If you have any unusual symptoms and your doctor recommends screening for cancer, make sure you are screened.

After reading the book I decided I do not need any screening. As long as I am symptom free and healthy, why put myself through tests that may or may not extend or save my life. I think as long as we don't do anything to harm our immune system, such as smoking, and do the things that enhance the immune system, such as exercise, there is no need to become a patient.

We all need to make the decision for cancer screening based on our priorities, family history of cancer, and other factors. Perhaps a good course of action is to read the book and consult your doctor for best options.

Thank you Dr.Welch for an excellent expose: Well researched and well written.

This is a great little book. In a little over 200 pages Welch reviews the science and data about cancer screening and concludes that it is not worth doing it. Cancer after cancer (prostate, skin, breast...) he shows that screening has very little benefit if at all in terms of life expectancy (I recently saw a scientific article defending mammography on the basis that it added 3 days of life to women having one regularly...) .
The main justification for cancer screening is the belief that a cancer caught early is not lethal. The problem is that a lethal cancer is in general not caught early. A lethal cancer is usually very aggressive and by screening time it has already spread (unless as Welch points out you are willing to be screened every other day...).
What screening is very good at is catch cancers (and Welch explains that the definition of cancer is not clear cut) that are growing slowly if at all and will probably never kill you... Have you noticed the epidemic of breast cancers or is it just me?
The only thing missing from the book is the broader implication of generalizing cancer screening. By devoting so much money to an irrational health policy the general population is deprived of many services that could really impact its health and improve the sorry health statistics of the United States.

Before reading this book, it had never occured to me that there were pros and cons re cancer testing. Welch has excellent credentials.He is on the staff of Dartmouth Medical College and writes articles for JAMA. In this book (which was also favorably reviewed in JAMA) Welch succinctly explains the perils of cancer testing in asymptomatic patients. He provides ample numerical data to support his contentions.The book is short and interesting and easy to read.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This is possibly the most valuable book you will ever read regarding your health. Dr. Welch has impeccable bona fides, and his arguments are well-reasoned and well documented. He is a wonderful writer who makes sense of complicated, nuanced statistical analysis for the rest of us.

Of particular importance to this 53 year old woman is his detailed analysis of mammography and breast cancer. He completely debunks the hysterical coercion of women to have this test, and points out why declining to have one is a completely reasonable decision. This is of particular importance now in light of Elizabeth Edwards doing public penance for "letting down" the country and her family by skipping a mammogram! Elizabeth, honey, read this book! It is doubtful that mammography would have made any difference in your outcome.

Welch's dicsussion of DCIS, which is probably the most horribly overtreated fake "disease" in the history of modern medicine should be required reading for every woman over the age of 20.
Just buy it - I plan to give a copy to every person I love. It's that good.

I saw 2 of Chekhov's plays in college and I honestly don't remember them. Glenn Close appeared in one I remember, but beyond that I was obviously distracted. Nothing could have prepared me for the perfection of these stories. I have never read a collection that had such an impact. Chekhov's clear-eyed world view peers at tiny physical details in the lives of the characters to see into their souls. They are tragic heroes in common clothes.

Chekhov looks on without judgment. His attitude is humane and liberal. No matter how foolish his subjects, his attitude is never condescending.

I hadn't realized it until I finished Pevear's forward, but Chekhov begins to slip subtly into stream of consciousness in several stories. This and many other innovations make Chekhov a pivotal figure in fiction writing. He is certainly under appreciated at present.

(I can't compare it, of course, but the P&V translation is another gift.)

Anton Chekhov is largely known for his plays (The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya), but he is also widely regarded as a master of the short story. However to fully appreciate these stories the reader should be somewhat familiar with the state of fiction in Russia during the last half of the 19th century as well as social and political conditions in the country at that time. Some knowledge of Chekhov's personal history and his philosophy of life is also helpful. Lacking these insights one is likely to find these stories to be excessively negative and depressing.

One difficulty in reading this book of his best short stories is that the first few (50 pages or so) are unrelentingly depressing; death and unrequited love being the main themes and they are told in Chekhov's spare style. A Boring Story is a longer and more interesting piece. It includes some aspects of Chekhov's philosophy, and while it ends on another depressing note, there is still an element of hope present. Ward No. 6 is perhaps the best of these stories, as well as the longest. It tells of a hospital in Siberia with a ward for mental patients. The story centers around a doctor (Andrei Yefichmych), a decent and compassionate man who gradually descends to the depths of the place. Along the way he has an interesting exchange with a mental patient, Ivan Dmitrich. The doctor suggests that one can be happy anywhere, even trapped in a prison, and cites the example of the Greek philosopher Diogenes who so distained material things that he lived in a barrel. The patient disagrees strongly, shouting, "I love life, I love it passionately!" He adds, tellingly, that maybe Diogenes would not have been so happy if he had had to live in a barrel in the wintry cold of Siberia!

The other stories in the book treat of a variety of people and situations from all walks of Russian life. While despair and a sense of hopeless fatalism remains the main thrust of many of these stories, there is also an element of hope present. Chekov keeps coming back to the idea that the future will be better. Some stories, such as Anna on the Neck, even have an element of humor. The last story, The Fiancée, perhaps sums up Chekhov's view of Russian life. In this tale a young woman living in a small town becomes engaged to a local man. A guest from the city, Sasha, starts to talk with her about how empty her life will be if she marries this man. Gradually she begins to come to this realization and in the end leaves to move to St. Petersburg to have "a new, expansive, spacious life, and that life, still unclear, full of mysteries, lured and beckoned to her."

I have given Chekov a rating of 4 stars, rather than 5, because, compared to Guy de Maupassant and O. Henry, his stories do not sufficiently express the full range of human emotions. Both of the latter masters of the short story infuse their work with humor and even broad satire and this is the stuff of life as well as the dreary world that Chekov inhabits. Yet maybe Chekov is reflecting the reality of Russia in his time. In any case these stories are well worth reading.

There are no better short stories than those of Anton Chekov. He wrote characterizations that resonate across the years and across cultures. Chekov takes you deep into these people's lives and struggles so that the reader feels a very definite strong connection with these characters that populate pre-revolutionary Russia. Short on plot and yet each story is satisfying and memorable. Some , Ward 6 is an example ,are masterpieces of the short story form.

Excellent translation and stories that you can read and enjoy again and again for years. You can't go wrong here.

This is the first series of works that I have read by Chekhov. I wanted to read some of his shorter works before beginning reading his novels. Now that I realize how much I enjoy his stlye, which I think other people will like as well, I am looking forward to reading his larger works. I very much liked the insight into the Russian culture.

Chekhov simply astonishes. "The Lady with the Little Dog," one of his most famous stories, is rendered splendidly by Pevar and Volokhonsky. I don't know of any other writer who captures the confusion, fear and excitement of romantic love as well as Chekhov does here. The last line is perfect.

Simply stated, I purchased the book for helping my grandson who is on the autism spectrum and has difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. Time will tell how effective Dougherty's manuscript will be.

Also, I can share the book with parents whose children have articulation problems. In my last years of teaching before retirement, I perceived that many more children have distorted speech patterns than when I began teaching in 1962. Early intervention seems the most successful approach in forming habits of speech and expression.

As a speech-language pathologist, I am often asked for suggestions for activities for encouraging speech and language skills. This book certainly provides that, plus many other important aspects of communication development. My favorite section is "encouraging your child's interest in the printed word." It presents a variety of ideas for parents to expose children to letters and sounds in a natural way, within the environment. A key area mentioned is to not stop reading to a child just because she can read.

This book is a great "new baby" gift. It is not difficult to read and would be valuable to new parents, just in terms of developmental awareness.

This book has a lot of good ideas and suggestions. It has helped me alot in being able understand my child's speech problem. With understanding and knowledge we are on a right track now!

Thanks to this book, I realized that my daughter is right on track with her speech development. (We had thought that she was behind.) This book also has some great exercises to do to help them learn to say the sounds right. Since we got this book, my daughter has learned three new sounds...f,r and v. I would recommend this for anyone who is concerned about their child's speech development.

As a speech language pathologist, I would recommend this book to parents because it is full of useful information about your child's speech and language, as well as activity ideas to promote progress and improvement. I frequently refer my clients' parents to this book because it is easy to read and provides specifics about many common speech and language issues young children experience.

Unfortunately this is not the most interesting book about wine I read so far. Most probably I had different expectations when I decided to buy it. It is a light reading for anyone interested in the stories of some women who became successful in wine making. (some stories are very interesting from a humane perspective) But I don't see any other achievements. This is what Women of the Vine really is: light-hearted and straight-forward.

The book starts with a motto from Toni Morrison: "If there is a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." I don't know if this is Ms. Brenner's first writing attempt and if this is the kind of book she has always wanted to read, but I think she did a decent job. However, don't expect to find anything extraordinary or deep, that will give you some food for the thought. It won't teach you too much about wine either. Most probably this is what the book was meant to do - appeal to the larger public.

I was a bit put off by the fact that the women it speaks about are only from the US, more exactly from California. The world of wine is so large! And if the pictures were colored instead of B&W, it would have been even better.

Women of the Vine definitely does not make a statement. As someone once said, it is like a summer rain: short, pleasant, one tends to forget it quickly. It is the kind of book I would read and then pass it on to someone else, without wanting necessarily to keep it in my library. It is just a pleasant way to kill some time.

For a more informative narrative on wine and the passion for wine, try Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. And for a larger geographical coverage of the women in the industry try Women of Wine, by Ann B. Matasar.

Women of the Vine by Deborah Brenner is a fasinating read! Each chapter and each story left you with the the feeling of wanting to read more. Eloquently written! I found that every story was interesting, inspiring and quite engaging. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the subjects of wine, women in the wine industry as well as great career stories.

The Women of the Vine was very interesting reading because I had no idea how many women are involved and influential in this industry. It is encouragement to all women to follow their dreams.

Brenner invites us into a world of fascinating woman and she does it with grace and wit. Her informal style moves the reader along. I learned a lot and enjoyed the journey. Kudos to the author!

This is like reading a wonderful short stories book, with the added bonus of being educated about the wine industry and the "grape". Ms. Brenner and the women you meet in this book are an inspiration for both men and women.

The raw emotion melts from the pages to fill the reader's soul and provide a mirror to see themselves. We all experience and can relate to the poetry written here. Nicole writes concisely but the words expand your thoughts as you read. The best poetry I've read in a very long time.

This is simply the BEST poetry I have ever read!! When's the next book coming out? :)

Wonder is a great collection of inimitable poems that convey energy and confusion of love. Wonder demonstrates that poetry is inseparable from live and living. In every single poem I felt confession and emotional tension. I really enjoyed reading Wonder - brave poetry written with sensuality and sincerity.

On rare occasions a poetry collection comes along that is so totally reflective and enlightening that, when you reluctantly arrive at the end, your first inclination is to simply start again at the beginning. Not only is Wonder such a collection but it is an invitation to sit close and listen even more closely as Nicole Pollifrone deftly uses few words to express raw emotion.

In our small world of heavy population there are countless souls crying out everyday in an attempt to connect to someone, anyone, who may feel as they do, experience what they have experienced, through the darkness and the light. Pollifrone does well in letting us know we are not truly alone.

Wonder is beyond doubt a timeless `message in a bottle' cast out to anyone willing to discover they are not alone. This is precisely a book to give a friend. It's a book to keep and to share, to savor and to digest, to begin and ... to begin again.

A friend sent me a copy of your collection of poems.

On the back, it says that "I hope that at least some of the people who read my poerty can recognize that they are not alone."

To this, I respond:
Thank you. You echo my heart. Impact, Prism, Should've... They speak of me, and I am not alone. Nor are you.

----
Some of the poems are very sweet and uplifting, others reflect the harsh realities of life. I think my favorite is "Should've." It's final line says it all: "I should've danced." Nicole celebrates life in all its variety, in its beauty and its ugliness, in its starkness, in its mystery. And in many ways she echoes the way I feel, the way I think, the way I react. In all, she has mirrored my soul back to me, and I have learned to know myself better.

Thanks.

I have all 9 books in English and every one is wonderful. I too would love to purchase the next three if they were translated to English. I saw two books in German about 15 years ago when I was in Germany. One was titled Angelique und die Verschung which my dictionary translates as Temptation, and the other was Angelique und die Verschorung which translates as conspiracy. I don't know if the second is a new one but it sounds like it might be. Since I don't speak German either, I did not buy these books but have been looking for a translation.

I have the 1st nine of the Angeliquie books in my library and would never part with them. She is a captivating heroine and the history that is woven with the the characters made me thirst for knowledge about history. Sergeanne Colon is a spectacular story teller. I wish I was able to read French, I'd go and snap up the next 3 in the series that I never knew existed! If you can find this series in the used bookstore, go for it!
I wish someone would translate the the last 3 books or even make a mini-series of movies out these books.

Phew! I just finished re-reading the Angelique books (more than 30 years later)and what a rousing, great ride through history and across continents. Not wanting the story to end when I finished the first seven, I ordered the next two available online. This series is often categorized under "romance." In the cover blurbs, Angelique is compared to other literay heroines. Don't be fooled by these misguided attempts at promoting the books - to date, no other historical novel matches Sergeanne Golon's work in detail, complexity and presentation of a great love story. Well-developed characters. Timeless depiction of political,ethnic and religious conflict. Proved in-depth research by the depiction of 17th century geography, social mores, weaponry, clothing. The Golons do ascribe negative attributes to the non-European characters, with frequent use of pejorative terms like "savage." What saved this from diminishing my reading pleasure is that the writers artfully used the characters' voices to speak the common prejudices of the time. Besides, the story contains a host of stupid white men, who are fanatical, superstitious and murderous. Because "Ghosts" is weak in story movement, vis-a-vis, the previous books, I gave it a 4-star rating. Standing alone, I would have given it three stars, however it must be read as a "chapter" in a 5-star collection.

I have read all nine Angelique books in a row, it took me 2 weeks and now I am stuck awaiting their triumphant entry into Quebec. Please, if there is any kind soul of a translator out there in "bookland", we must go on reading the impossible traumas of this adventuress and intimate of kings and beggars. I am half in love with the Count de Pyrac myself, and cannot decide either which dress Angelique should wear upon her arrival in that glittering city, Quebec, among the nobles and notables of the French court and Indian hierachy. Is Piksarett still guarding his captive. Is the Jesuit father really after Angiligue's downfall? Will the King ever see her again? I want each and every person who can inform me about Angelique's further adventures to contact me ASAP. RAIN

I am very lucky to be french, and have read them all. Including the ones not yet translated in english of course.
To the reader what dress wonders who Angelique wears for her great arrival in Quebec: She wears the ice blue dress, and a white fur coat over it.
I have started reading these books in 1960, and still enjoy reading them again and again.
They made me love Versailles, wish to know more about King Louis 14th, and about New England, where I live now.
Never dare going up to Gouldsboro, being afraid to spoil the idea I have in my mind's eye!
I hope that they will be printed again and translated, so a whole generation of readers can enjoy them.

This book isn't very well written, but what it lacks doesn't make it any less of an excellent read. John Irwin manages to tell it like it was in an interesting manner that will keep you turning pages well past midnight. The combat he saw during the closing days of the ETO are gripping and you will not want to put this book down. Interestingly, after his crews M4 Sherman is put out of action, losing their assistant Driver, they are issued the very rare M26 Super Pershing, of which only about a dozen or so made it to Europe. He uses the additional Armor and firepower to take on the Dreaded German King Tiger, and even finishes off the deadly JagPanther with it's massive gun, earning the respect of his crew that he so craved. All in all a great book from cover to cover, I can't help but give it 5 stars.

I do not read a lot, but I have to admit that this was a well written, and very interesting book. For not finishing High School, John P. Irwin does a fantastic job telling his story. He leads you through his experiences and tries to let the reader know how horrible war really is. A story that everyone should know about!

What a great book. Despite it's brevity, author John Irwin has penned one of the best WWII memoirs I have ever read. He's honest, humorous, and pulls no punches. He was only in combat for a brief period (March-April 1945). In this time, the Rhine had been crossed and the German forces were rapidly disintegrating. Still, it was no picnic as some WWII histories try to paint. There were always some Germans trying to destroy a tank with one of their vaunted Panzerfausts. Plus, one can say honestly that in combat, time takes on a different meaning. This book in a ideal read for World War II buffs of all ages. Enthusiastically recommended!

I have to go with 5 stars too. This is a great first person account of the way it was. I found the book riviting and well written. A compelling, well written story of what it was like being a tanker in WWII. I thank and salute the author for having taken the time to get his story told, you will enjoy it start to finish.

Take one teenage soldier who later earns a PhD in philosophy. Place him in the midst of a conflict in its final days. Stir generously with passable writing ability.

What you get is Another River, Another Town : A Teenage Tank Gunner Comes of Age in Combat-1945.

This is something different in the way of soldiers telling their tale. Here's a guy who got into the war when it was practically over, during the final few months of the European campaign, all post-Bulge. And he's a tank gunner. Most books of this sort are from the perspective of the grunt, and usually from guys who saw more "action" (which is not to say the author did not - his life was in grave danger on a number of occasions).

With Another River, Another Towns we get some insight into the mind of a soldier and a good glimpse at the life of a tank gunner during the last days of World War II, when the European Theater saw more surrendering and looting than actual combat. This isn't a "becoming buddies in the foxhole" book ... but it did have some merits, primarily in that it looked at a period of the war usually glossed over fairly quickly. Once you get past the Africa campaign, Sicily, D-Day and the Bulge, the European conflict becomes much less "sexy" from the American perspective. This book fills in some of those gaps and shows us what the soldiers experienced during this late period in the way.

It was not a melodramatic or sepia-toned book, which is a positive, and offered a glimpse into an aspect of World War II not often explored - the mass surrendering at the tail end of the conflict, and how the Army often did not want to deal with prisoners of war because they only served to slow down the advance. German soldiers intent on surrendering were often turned away.

Nothing here is vital reading, even for the WWII buff - it's a pretty typical soldier's tale, told simply - but I really enjoyed this glimpse into the world of the tank gunner and would certainly recommend this for a good Saturday read on the war. It had a lot of heart.

Due to ever degrading literary taste of our post-war generation, Stefan Zweig has been forgotten for few decades,in spite of the fact that the first half of the 20th century , Zweig was perhaps one of the most famous and popular authors in the world. He and compatriot Hugo von Hofmannsthal had almost pararell lives.They were both some sort of literary prodigies(Hofmannsthal and Zweig earned their fame in their teens).They began their literary careers as poets and ended up writing various kind of literary genres,including libretto for Strauss. Also both ended up committing suicide. Zweig wrote many memorable fictions ,but only one novel.And, this is "Beware of Pity".
The novel is a kaleidoscope of the Habsburg dual monarchy.Zweig's talent lays on his superb description of human psyche of each characters and representation of comtemporary time. this work well represents decaying , both morally and physically , Habsburg dual monarchy. It shows how anarchoronistic system of mores( of K.u.K) that led otherwise good natured and a bit simple minded Leutenant Hoffmiler conered to the desperate situation. Does Hoffmiler deserve his fate? read book and decide that by yourself. what amazed me was how well Zweig synchronized and symbolized tragic denoument of kekeskalva family with the outbreak of" the war to end all wars". This is both pcychological and historical drama par excellence.One of forgotten masterpiece that recently rediscovered. Thank you NYRB to bring Zweig back.

This is an intense, psychological drama, and a page-turner to boot! What's so great is the wonderful language, the "lofty" writing. I just loved every page, and our poor, tortured hero.

It's a fabulously written book about love instigated by pitty, which can be very dangerous. Worth reading as this kind of thing still happens every day.

...no, not the book by Dave Eggers, but this masterpiece by Stefan Zweig. I came upon this by accident, and bought it, intrigued by the story outline and the reviews below. Only very, very rarely does a book have the power to draw me into the lives of the characters, probably because they're usually just that - characters. Not so here. Here we have flesh and blood and all that entails. I'm still amazed at Zweig's story telling. He's the kind of writer who could make a shopping list fascinating. I lived and breathed every single word in this incredibly beautiful book, and, as has been said elsewhere, the tension becomes almost unendurable. I can hardly do justice to it in a few words. Weirdly, I often found myself smiling, not because it's a funny book, far from it, but just through an appreciation of Zweig's supreme mastery of his art. This is one of those books appearing only a few times in your life that wring emotion out of you whether you like it or not. A heart-breaking, unforgettable and life-enriching experience.

I'd also like to praise the translation, by Trevor and Phyllis Blewitt. At no time is there even a hint that you're reading a translation - something that occurred to me only after finishing the book. On the contrary, it seems to me that the elegance of the language and all the magnificent virtues that contribute to Zweig's humanity and genius have been faithfully rendered. The proof is in my twin disappointments; coming to the end, and learning that there are no further full-length novels by Zweig. I'll definitely be reading all his other works, though.

In the introduction to this book Joan Acocella tells Zweig's story as a writer. One of her claims is that despite his enormous popularity as biographer, essayist, writer of great novellas and stories, this novel is his masterpience. The novel is in essence the story of a feeling, of 'pity' of how it becoming the obsession and duty of the main character turns self- serving and destructive. Briefly , the book revolves around the relationship between a poor Austrian officer Hoffstein and a crippled seventeen year old daughter of a wealthy family Edith Kekesfalvas. After he has inadvertently insulted her by having asked her to dance he becomes bound into a relationship with her, in which she falls deeply in love with him without his truly reciprocating. This is how Acocella reads the protagonist's reasoning and its result after her doctor informs him that it would be disastrous for him to abandon her.

"So he descends ever deeper into hypocrisy. In the process, Zweig gives us a piercing analysis of the motives underlying pity. Gradually Hofmiller realizes how much he enjoys the courtesies paid to him for his emotional services, how it pleases him that when he arrives at the Schloss his favorite cigarettes--and also the novel (its pages already cut) that he had said in passing that he wanted to read--are laid out on the tea table. Nor is it lost on him that his own sense of strength is magnified by Edith's weakness and, above all, by his growing power over the Kekesfalvas, the fact that if he, a poor soldier, does not present himself at teatime, this great, rich household is thrown into a panic, and the chauffeur is dispatched to town to spy him out and see what he is doing in preference to waiting on Edith. Beyond the matter of power, however, Hofmiller finds that the emotion of pity is a pleasure just in itself. It exalts him, takes him to a new place. Before, as an officer, he was required only to obey orders and be a good fellow. Now he is a moral being, a soul."

This end in destruction is somehow a foreshadowing of what would happen to Zweig.Having been betrayed with the rise of the Nazis by the Europe he loves, tried to make a new home and life with his second wife in Brazil. But it does not work out and the both of them are found after having taken fatal overdoes of drugs hands intertwined.

I have been a shell collector for more than 25 years and along this years, this is the first time that I get such an interesting, well-documented, beautyfully illustrated and skillfully designed book on this subject. I am very happy with this purchase. The book has 411 pages with information and has about 12 photographs in each page giving a perfect appreciation of thousands of shells from everywhere. Each photo includes the common name (obviously valid in English speaking countries only), the scientific name, average length of adults (in centimeters and inches), brief information of geographical distribution and synonym names. Oh!, I almost forget to say that the authors,R. Tucker Abbott and S. Peter Dance are two famous conchologists leading this field of science for many, many years. So, this book informs, teaches and makes it very funny to learn and investigate in the universe of shells. "Bon apetit", collectors!!!

I had an earlier printing of this book (1983) and was disappointed to find that the 2000 edition I just purchased was virtually identical apart from a page of corrections at the end which would be much more useful if incorporated into the text. I feel that this excellent book needs updating to keep it as the No 1 general book on seashell identification.

This book is very informative and descriptive if you're looking to collect exotic shells from different parts of the world.

I have been a shell collector for a very long time now. This is now my second copy of this book, as I have worn the first copy out. It is the most comprehensive identifier book around. The color photos are excellent, and the amount of species depicted is impressive! This book, along with Jerome M. Eisenberg's A Collectors Guide to the Sea Shells of the World, are probably the only two books on Sea Shells, a novice collector will ever need. The serious collector will also benefit from these books as well.

This is a great book which hv given me alot of info, but still can upgrate by increase more pictures & decription for seashells of the world.