Rhys Books

This book created an interest in reading for my 7 year old at that time when reading became more of a struggle than a delight. We stumbled across Little Wolf's Book on the not so exciting weekly trip to the library. My son started reading the book in the car and for once I had to make him put a book down before coming to my dinning room table. My son read the book in four days and even took it to school and told some of his friends about Little Wolf. My son even took his own money and bought himself a journal. This book even encourages other good habits. To this day my son writes daily, sometimes twice a day. I am loving every bit of his enthusiasm toward reading and writing.

For the person who ridicules this book must have been born a reader, born a master of the English language and never had to start at A then make his/her way to Z! From my son's experience with this book I can attest to the knowledge we fail to recognize our children have. My son took the misspelled words and related to them. When he first began writing the words resembled the misspelled words in the book. He wrote the sounds he heard just as he heard them. It's all in the process of learning. It made my son feel better knowing that he is not the only one misspells words while writing. Little did I know this book was made for the 9-12 age groups, not for a seven year old, but it worked wonders. Built his confidence and created a passion for reading and writing. Thank you Ian Whybrow!

I enjoyed this book so much that I took it to college and showed all my friends there. Why do I have the time to waste as such? Because my university is nowhere near as fun as Cunning College. Given the choice between Cunning College and a burger, I would choose C.C. Between C.C. and a reservation in the kingdom of heaven, C.C. wins again. Briefly put, I'd choose hanging out with Little Wolf over just about anything.

As for the reviewer who disapproves of the misspellings: boo shame to you. Teaching kids to recognize misspellings quite obviously improves "correct and standard procedure", and also draws attention to the possibilities of FUN in language. In any case, wolves are the greatest animals on God's earth. If Little Wolf chooses to spell "spoon", for example, as GIRHEIGHAervgori, then I salute him, as one must always salute a wolf.

As Bruce Springsteen once famously sang (and still does to the adoring middle aged inhabitants of New Jersey), "everybody needs a hunting wolf". Possibly the only true thing he ever said.

In my humble opinion, Little Wolf's book of badness rivals Joyce's Ulysses and Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov for the title of finest novel ever.

I loved this book, and i'm in my 40's! Little Wolf's postcards and letters home were so funny, the way he would use a different salutation in every one. I loaned it to a friend at work who is older than i am and she liked it too, so i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.

I liked this book because it is soooo hilarious and soooo funny.

How do you become a big, bad wolf? Why, go to Big Bad Wolf College, of course! Our 2nd grade book club thoroughly enjoyed this funny book. It is written entirely in letter form - letters home from Little Wolf - about his adventures going to Cunning College to learn from his Uncle Bigbad. The kids enjoyed finding the misspelled words and the words Little Wolf made up to end his letters, which gave his parents an idea of how his day had gone, e.g. "Yours sorebottomly". Girls & boys liked it equally well - almost all of them gave it 5 stars. Is Little Wolf destined to become a Big Bad Wolf? You'll have to read it to find out!

Wow! I finished this book in the bathtub this evening, and was ready to sink under the water, yet of course rise again- which seems to be much of what rhys' anti-heroine julia does again & again in this marvelous book.

I agree with another reviewer who wrote that this book goes beyond the 'woman condition' into the broader range of humanties inability to connect with one another. But I would also place this book high on the list of important women's literature.

Although published in 1930, Julia's inability to function in the way society wants & expects us to- struck a resonanting chord in me. It isn't that she is rebelling; she just isn't functioning- and I admit to feeling stuck in that same, frightening place. (although I don't hit strange men up for money).

This book should be placed in the literary canon, and discussed along with the rest of the 'big boys of literature' about what it means to be lost & meandering.

Highly recommended!

After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie (1930) repeats the effective Jean Rhys formula: a broken woman of uncertain age, shattered by hypersensitivity, alcoholism, emotional abuse, vague mental illness, and other 'pathological cruelties of everyday life,' bravely attempts to face another day, suffering self-hatred and self-recrimination with each step of the way. The novel begins with anti-heroine Julia Martin in the last stages of a romantic affair with pompous, thick - skinned blowhard Mr. MacKenzie. MacKenzie has provided Julia with financial support since the termination of their dalliance, but now declines to continue to do so. Financially and emotionally destitute, Julia leaves Paris and returns to London, where, "hoping to rest," she unexpectedly discovers her extended family gathered around their dying mother.

Like Jean Genet, Rhys wrote a series of novels about permanent social outsiders and outcasts, and, like Genet, Rhys had only one dark if very human vision to express. Other novelists such as Erskine Caldwell and Muriel Spark similarly wrote novels of extremely narrow focus (Caldwell's Tobacco Road, Spark's Not To Disturb and The Driver's Seat), but were also capable of more varied, optimistic, and expansive works. The antiheroes in Genet's novels find a means of empowering and centering themselves through narcissism, violence, dominance, sexual expression, or mysticism; but Rhys' nonplussed female protagonists are perpetually at square one, never the better for their defeated plans or self-sabotaged efforts. Sadly, Julia finds relief only in brief moments of spontaneous rage or cruelty.

Rhys had an acute talent for portraying women in and under such conditions, but it's undeniable that Rhys' vision of harrowing experience, rote abandonment, and human indifference was projected outward onto every facet of her fictional landscapes. The curtains and wallpaper are always faded, the rented rooms shabby, the maids surly, the proprietresses petty and suspicious, the food tasteless, the milk rancid, relatives disdainful. In fact, Rhys created an entire universe of human desolation in each of her five novels, one from which none of the characters, young or old, male or female, wealthy or without means, are exempted; some merely play the game better and have more resources. One of the most satisfying elements in After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie is Rhys' brutal, very focused examination of those sides of human nature which Western societies prefer to privately deny and publicly avoid.

All of Rhys' anti-heroines are socially disenfranchised, emotionally wounded, needy, gullible, and financially insecure; but they are simultaneously often ill tempered, manipulative, callous, arrogant, amoral, and almost entirely self - absorbed. Julia Martin is Rhys' most hard-bitten protagonist, having none of the wisdom or humor that Sasha Jansen has in fourth novel Good Morning, Midnight, nor the innocence of Rhys' early ingénues. Somnolent and easily wounded Julia is acutely sensitive but only occasionally empathetic to the reality of others, unless, in the moment, she sees herself reflected within them. Julia is also a listless parasite and psychic vampire who lives off the emotions, energy, and money of the men with whom she has casual affairs; except for brief periods of work and a failed marriage, this is how she has provided for herself as an adult. In one grim but revelatory scene, the willful Julia indifferently tells the man she is about to lose that she can get another meal ticket any time she wishes, as she always has in the past. Is she speaking out of defensiveness, or simply telling the truth about her power and experience? For Julia, moments of happiness, enthusiasm, or pleasure are fleeting and as far away as the stars.

Readers may wonder exactly what is wrong with Julia; the answer is: almost everything. Self - hatred and clinical depression primarily, but Julia is also anxious, passive-aggressive, lonely, financially destitute, lazy, narcissistic, morbidly introverted, co - dependent, anemic, and probably suffering from borderline personality disorder. Julia 'can't be alone and can't be too close.' She is also aware and proud of her outsider status; confronting decent younger sister Norah, Julia smugly considers herself the better of the two, the one who has brazenly spit in the face of social convention and middle class morality. Sociopathically, Julia never considers that her rebellion has brought about the almost nihilistic sense of failure and low self - esteem from which she painfully suffers. Rhys, while never less than convincing, hangs so many internal and external albatrosses around Julia's neck that her unhappy existence seems almost fatally determined. Today, Julia would be receiving a maintenance course of serotonin inhibitors.

Feminists took up the Rhys cudgel early; indeed, superficially, Rhys' novels and short stories seem tailor made for the feminist cause. But Rhys' novels are no more primarily about the plight of women than Genet's were about the plight of criminal homosexual men. Rhys cast a wide net in conceiving her fictional worlds; her truths are universal truths that, for better or worse, apply to all. Readers will certainly recognize a kernel of themselves in Rhys' ambivalent, envious, bitter, forlorn, and greedy cast.

After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie ends with Julia enjoying a second Pernod in a Parisian café as twilight falls, a time of day Rhys refers to as "the hour between dog and wolf." Since Julia's life can be said to exist only between these two polarities - between the potentially threatening and the actively harmful - the metaphor is apt. Julia, both a continuous victim and a manipulator, if not an outright abuser, herself, is a creature by nature between dog and wolf. Highly recommended to those who enjoy gripping psychological fiction.

Jean Rhys was a writer that I was not introduced to until very late in my college career as an english major, and after I finished this book I was surprised that this book isn't discussed more frequently as one of the classics of the modern tradition. An emotionally resonant book that shows more style, flare, and daring of imagination than any of the male writers that are considered to be the pillars of that era. The book lingers in the mind long after being finished, with incredibly keen descriptions of a Paris that is bleak, haunted, and filled with a cast of characters that are all the more repulsive for their absolutely sincere depiction. A small, dark gem of a book.

It is 1923, Julia Martin is 36 and past her prime. She has lived by her looks; kept by men. But now Mr. Mackenzie has left her. She has no money, no prospects. What will become of her? In spare prose that cuts as sharply as a laser, Jean Rhys brings to life the ghastly loneliness and hopelessness of Julia, and all those women like her who at a time when women had few opppportunities, lived by their looks, snaring husbands if they were lucky or just lovers who care for them for a time. Rhys says more in ten carefully placed words than most other writers do in ten pages. This short novel is a masterpiece of concision and stands beside Kate Chopin's, 'The Awakening' as a brilliantly perceptive look at the plight of women. Highly recommended.

Despite having been a user of Amazon for some years, I've never before felt impelled to write a review. I looked up "After Leaving Mr Mc'Kensie" on a whim, but having seen the reviews given it by "lily d" and "njl" I decided to finally add my five cents to the Amazon site. I'm an habitual reader and am rarely completely won over by a book, but this book won me over from page one. I read "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Tigers are Better Looking" some year's ago; I realised then that Rhys was a writer of great control and restraint; but I was not yet won over. But having read this book, I can only agree with the reviews I mention above. Why is this book not better recognised as the masterpiece that it is? Djl, I'm pleased that you, like me, are comparing this favourably against Hemingway. I'm a Hemingway fan, and this, Jean Rhys's best work, is better, in my opinion than any of Hemingway's novels. Very occasionally I have the privilege of reading books - the Alice books, the Pickwick Papers, Decline And Fall, If This Is A Man & The Truce, etc (off the top of my head) - which I know I will, for the rest of my life, be able to open at any page and read with pleasure and wonder. Of the great books written in English in the Twentieth Century, this - the story of a woman (!) who drinks more than might be healthy - is one of the best. Quiet and moving.

I have enjoyed ALL of Rhys Bowen's murder mysteries. I write this review of the Constable Evans book because Rhys will no longer be writing this series. This is a big disappointment as I enjoyed the innate goodness of Constable Evans and his struggles with humanity in a small slice of earth that struggles with it's own history and growth. I have collected all the paperbacks of this series and I guess I'll just have to keep reading them over and over.

That's surprising given I've been to Wales and it was very foggy and damp -- but the Wales described in this book is a wonderful place indeed -- beautiful and filled with kind, caring people (who unfortunately for any outsider speak Welsh!)

This is the second book in the series -- I'm reading them in order -- and I think I liked it better than the first. I thought at first I had everything all figured out, and was disappointed, but as it turned out, I wasn't even close. That's a great mystery. Add to that a wonderful world you enter when you read this book...

The plot involves a summer resident (a retired Colonel living on a pension who comes to this tiny village in Wales every year for a holiday) who is found dead right after he's discovered some ruins. The local constable, Evan Evans, immediately believes he was murdered, but the police higher up the chain of command try to insist it's an accident. Then there is another death -- made to look like a suicide. Is there one killer or two? Evans gets involved in trying to find the connection between these two deaths as the key to discovering what happened.

All in all, a great book to curl up with when you have the time to read uninterrupted -- it creates a wonderful mood.

This series is set in the peaceful Welsh village of Llanfair and features Evan Evans, the local constable. When two recently arrived Londoners are murdered, Evans must sift through the rivalries that the victims were involved in. This is a well-crafted series with likable characters and well-written plots. Each entry in the series is better than the one before. If you like British procedurals, add this to your to-buy list.

After finishing this thoroughly satisfying cozy, you'll feel as if you had an insider's visit to a charming little village of Llanfair in Wales. The characters actually breathe, the language is just plain FUN, these are people you've sure you have truly met. The writing is clever and inspired and the scenes are wonderfully painted. Constable Evan Evans is the policeman with both a heart and a brain, as well as a coodling landlady and enough love interest to keep tongues wagging. Dueling church billboards are a witty and delightful touch.

This reader is delighted that there is more of Evans and Llanfair waiting. If you have made it through the series and wonder what's next - then M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series of cozies might should be added to your reading list.

Life in Llanfair is about to get another jolt. Colonel Arbuthnot is hit over the head and killed right after discovering an ancient ruin on the nearby mountains. Meanwhile, tensions build in the town when Evans-the-Meat announces a plan to put the village on the map and returning resident Ted Morgan announces plans to turn the old slate mine into an amusement park. Then a second body turns up. Constable Evan Evans finds himself overwhelmed with events and trying to find the pieces to make sense of it all. But if that's not complication enough, there's a new female resident in town, and she also has her eye on the eligible lawman.

I just discovered this series last month, and I've already read two of them. The characters and setting are charming. The author's obvious love of them comes through on every page. The plot is great as well. While I had some things figured out, there were still enough twists to keep me surprised until the end.

Anyone looking for a relaxing cozy mystery would do well to book some time in Llanfair. I'm hooked and look forward to many happy visits with Evan and his neighbors.

This book is a small miracle. (Please see my review of the A&E Ruby Slippers documentary.) I think Rhys Thomas is an angel. The fact that he could research and write this book is jaw-dropping. If you love real-life intrigue, you'll get a big kick out of this book. It's an astounding story, and should be made into a film. I think much of the material here is controversial. It would be fascinating to have some linear insights on the Ruby Slippers. The phenomena of those sets of shoes and their copies (7 known sets) remain mysterious to this day. (The most used-pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum, the day New Orleans was crushed by Katrina.)

Rhys is simply a witness, a record-keeper and a facilitator of information. He describes his quest to find these authentic movie relics. Sadly, this becomes the story of a young man by the name of Kent, who was a costumer and collector in the '70's. In the end, Kent died, bitterly, with AIDS in his 30's. So here, you learn a bit about this young man and his passion for old Hollywood. Also the rapid deterioration of MGM. Keep in mind, during the '30's and '40's, Louis B. Mayer was one of the richest men in the nation. This is a fascinating study. I'm so stunned to think of the MGM auctions happening when I was a young woman in my 20's. What a historical loss! Rhys describes that. And here, you get the first bit of insight on how people began to place monetary value on movie collectibles. You see, the Ruby Slippers were the Holy Grail of Hollywood in the '80's. Rhys documents the greed and loss involved as individuals searched for and created replicas of the shoes. I wonder why Judy Garland never bothered to keep a pair of those shoes? It's fascinating to compare her habits and behaviors to those of some of the personalities in this book. At the end of her life, Judy was known to do things like sleep in her gorgeous designer clothes, rip them up in one night's use, etc. Like the personalities in this book, Judy's mind was distorted by the end of her life. She lived simply, out of a few paper bags.

This book takes the reader far beyond the flatlands of Kansas and on an incredeible tour of Hollywood Movie Memorabilia. It brings to life people and movies who are long dead but not forgotten. Each page pulls the reader in and makes them take notice just like the sparkling ruby red slippers. You can't look away and you can't stop reading. When I reached the last page I found myself, like the author, realizing that there can't be an end to the story as long as people want the slippers...and face it how can you not love the slippers??? I think the best ending of all would be if this book was updated so we could all know the path the slippers have taken since the book was first published.

This book is one of the most fascinating things I have ever read. The descriptions of the MGM auction and the details of the days leading up to it are priceless. As another reviewer has stated, I also think this book should be expanded/updated and re-released.... possibly as a hardcover coffee table book. Since it was written, Debbie Reynolds has publicly shown her Arabian test shoes and has admitted her dealings with Kent Warner. Also, at least one pair of slippers has changed hands again and one pair has been stolen.

I first heard about this wonderful story when I caught the Discovery Channel's documentary of the same story, but they mentioned the book and I *had to have it*!

I was not disappointed; I've reread it two or three times already and am continually delighted. If you are an "OZ" fan in the *slightest*, you cannot let this one go unread!

This book is absolutely amazing!!!! If this book has taught me one thing it's this: there's more to those ruby slippers than meets the eye!!!!

We once again join Irish immigrant Molly Murphy in her New York adventures as a private investigator in the early 1900's. Work seems to be pouring in enough that Molly is able to hire her beau Daniel, a police Captain who has been suspended but whose charges have been dismissed. Pending approval from the superintendant, Daniel will be reinstated, but until then he is doing nothing but getting under Molly's feet, so she decides to put his skills to good use by giving him work to do by finding the missing nephew of a wealthy society matron with whom Molly is friends. But could this young man be on the lam with the loot from the latest job of burglaries?

Molly is busy trying to unearth the supernatural pranks that threaten the well-being of a well known actress who is friends with a former client of Molly's. As Molly begins to suspect that no ghost is responsible for the mischief, she winds up with a role in the performance and less time to work on her other cases. Her biggest concern is the young woman she found in the snow in Central Park, almost dead. Mute, Molly calls her Mary and visits her in the hospital to see if there is any improvement in her health. Upon finding out that she will be shipped off to the mental institution upon discharge, Molly kidnaps her and takes Mary home to rehabilitate herself. Daniel, frustrated beyond measure, tries to take the upper hand in the relationship, but Molly will have none of it. The two continue working their cases as best they can with the little time they can spare.

In between the drama of the private investigations that Molly is running we get to peek inside her social life and update on her multitude of friends from the variety of stations in life. Like many Americans in the coming years, Molly's friends come from all walks of life - the caste systems are not nearly as strict in the Melting Pot as they were in many of the Home Lands. Bowen's portrayal of the early twentieth century can almost make you feel as though you are shivering in the slushy streets with dripping petticoats along with Molly.

I have enjoyed every one of Bowen's books. I love Molly's ferocity and loyalty and independence, not to mention intelligence and heart. But I do not like Daniel. I haven't liked him since after Murphy's Law, although I cannot say why in particular. I understand the gender assignments, especially for the era, but for someone who supposedly loves Molly so much, he simply does not understand her. So I guess I have to say that is my beef with this series. I don't want them together. I don't think Molly should have a `yes man' but definitely not someone who expects her to stay home and be taken care of, and to do the cooking, etc. If Daniel hasn't picked up on that by now, which it doesn't seem to appear so, then he isn't going to. Keep looking Molly!!!!

This is a great addition to the series! I wasn't as fond of "In Dublin's Fair City" and was worried this installment would go in that direction. No worries. I enjoy how Ms. Bowen works actual events into her books. It's a great series that should be good for a while yet.

In 1902 in snowy Central Park Molly Murphy and her sweetheart suspended New York City police Captain Daniel Sullivan (see OH DANNY BOY) are walking together enjoying the moment. However their idyllic stroll abruptly ends when they see a scantily clad woman half buried in a snow drift. They rescue the near dead but obviously traumatized young lady.

Molly is outraged that someone could do this to another human. She vows to learn the identity of the still in shock woman and uncover who coldly left her to die. At about the same time, actress Blanche Lovejoy hires Molly to investigate the spiritual mischief that is devastating her production of a play scheduled to open shortly but is in trouble due to the ghostly vandalism. Although her time is already tight, Molly agrees to make inquiries into the vanished nephew of a wealthy client, who wants to know if her relative disappeared to avoid a homicide prosecution or is the victim of foul play.

Molly's business is booming so she hires an assistant, an out of work cop who is dating her. Fascinatingly, the cases tie together in the theater leading to Molly going on stage to solve the mysteries. Readers will appreciate the latest entry of the unsinkable Molly Murphy as she continues to prove that she can make it in Manhattan.

Harriet Klausner

December 1902 finds Molly back from her ill-fated trip to Ireland and trying to juggle multiple cases at once. First, there's the prospective husband she's been hired to tail to make sure he is above board. Then she is hired to protect aging actress Blanch Lovejoy from the ghost haunting the theater where her comeback Broadway play is supposed to debut. Next, she's hired to find out what happened to John Jacob Halsted, a rich Yale student who is accused of robbing friends right before he vanished. Finally, she and beau Daniel Sullivan find a woman unconscious in the snow in Central Park. The woman wasn't dressed for the outdoors, and when she awakes can't speak and doesn't seem to track with anyone.

While Molly is pleased to have so much work to pay her bills, she also can't juggle it all. So she approaches Daniel, a wrongfully suspended police captain, about helping her. But that potential partnership seems to only cause more friction in their relationship. Can the two find a way to work together and successfully solve all these cases?

When done right, this series is as much about the historical as it is about the mystery. Here, it is done well. Occasionally, the plot appears to wander, but every one of those details becomes an important part of the story. There is still plenty of coincidence here, but Molly is also able to make a few deductions herself. The cases are juggled well, and one plot or the other was always moving forward.

What I found most interesting is the relationship between Molly and Daniel. I have never really liked him, but here I couldn't decide whose side I was on. One minute, I was mad at him, but a few pages later I couldn't believe that Molly could be so childish. I'm still not sure where I want their relationship to go, but I am more open to the possibilities then I used to be.

This series uses mystery to entertain and give us a glimpse into life 100 years ago. And you'll enjoy every minute of this time machine.

***SPOILERS***

I did not enjoy "Tell Me, Pretty Maiden" as much as I have enjoyed the other books in the Molly Murphy series. I feel like Molly & Daniel's relationship needs to make some headway; there is no tension now that Arabella is out of the picture, & Daniel persists in his archaic views on a woman's role in marriage. The entire scenario is running thin with me. Another reason I did not find this book up to par is the 3 different plot lines that made the book feel scattered. Molly & Daniel ran back & forth between investigations, but, in the end, all 3 cases were linked, which was a little too unbelievable even for me. Even so, I will definitely continue to read this series.

A brave and well-executed first novel that is both engaging and very funny. Wilcox has succeeded in `turning' the vampire formula on its unsuspecting head -- by rattling around with the innards and releasing a new breed of vampire and fiction.
A careful blend of humour, cliché and an all-star ensemble of have-a-go students ensure an enjoyable read from start to finish.

There are echoes of Pratchett-esque frivolity and irony; but Wilcox adds an extra dimension of sarcasm and innocent stupidity in his characters that have been absent from the Discworld since Sorcery. If Wilcox can pull off the series that he plans, it will be a fine feat indeed that should keep readers laughing for years.

Rhys's Blood Lust definitely gets the vampress.net stamp of approval for vampy goodness!

Witty, intelligent and action packed! This novel is anything but the boring played out vampire stereotypes found in most vampire based novels. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh some more and you'll hope someone beats the bad guys with their own body parts (and someone does!).

I personally enjoyed the numerous references and mockery of popular vampire culture. How can you NOT love a novel with lines like this: "Perhaps she did not know that she was supposed to bay at the moo, or perform some sort of necromantic rite. Maybe you were supposed to get a manual or something; 'Lestat's Complete Guide to Immortality and Jugular Rending'."

Buy this book! And bug his publishers to get moving on the second installment, hell and why not the third and fourth.

Okay, corny review header, but it really is a good book. Answers all the questions anyone would really think upon meeting a vampire, including that pesky regeneration thing. This is the way Blade would be if it was a British film. I understand someone's making a Red Dwarf film. This should be their next development.

I demand more people buy it, 'cause I'm fed up waiting for the next one. You can get it from amazon.co.uk.

A very smart, very knowing and very amusing slant on the Vampire myth. Wilcox obviously has his tongue pressed firmly into his cheek.
The book has no pretence of horror but is simply innovative and hugely entertaining. One of the least frightening books you are likely to read this year but without doubt one of the funniest!
A great comic talent.
Buy this book - it is available on Amazon.co.uk.

...

This book is a wonderful mixture of the insanely manic (student vampires in modern day England), cut-your-pinky off sharp wit and moments of shocking hilarity. Influences of Pratchett-esque silliness and fantasy throughout, but written in a very original and effective style that kept me from putting this gem down until I had thoroughly embarassed myself in public by laughing out loud so much.

Weird, wacky, colorful, creative and comical. Salty and sanguine fun. Do read this book.

Xenophobia is the fear of foreigners. Yet Xenophon's greatest book was a biography of the most hated foe of the greeks, Cyrus.

Cyrus was the greatest emperor of the Persian empire, and the antecedent (see what a great scholar I am? I can't remember all the exact facts like a real student should; I read this stuff for fun) of the Persian emperor who Alexander defeated right before Alexander went crazy and decided to conquer the rest of the world while he was on a streak.

In today's Jingoistic anti-Iran & Iraq climate, it's illuminating to get the Persian perspective on world history, and since I haven't found any Persian histories written from the ancient Persian viewpoint, this book is the best I've read.

Herodotus' Histories is often considered the gold standard of knowledge pertaining to the Persian empire. Little is made of the fact that this Ionian had certain political grudges against his political masters and had never visited Persia or had entry into Persian society. Xenophone however was a nobleman who lived amongst the Persians and the Medes and was acquaianted with their ways and histories. Xenophone's observations on Persian society and religion are far closer to modern scholarship than Herodotus. Furthermore even the chronological inaccuracies of Cyropaedia are in the Persian tradition. As evidenced by Sassanian histories, the Persians had the habit of attributing the conquests of dynasties to their founders. However the most fascinating and thrilling aspect of reading this book is that the educational stories attributed to Cyrus are identical to the stories found in Adab or the Persian courtly literature of Islamic era. Given that Xenophone was not translated into Persian or Arabic, this confirms the authenticity of the materials used by Xenophone. I love this book and have read it twice already. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a closer look at the realities of Persia.

This book was indepth research of King of kings Cyrus the Great with respect how did He became the King of Persia/Iran.

Interestingly, Cyrus the Great became the King of Iran not by having large army but by hard work, and relying on His good allies and friends to establish His empire.

If English is your second language or if you are first time reader of Cyrus the Great you may wish to read this book "Xenophon's Cyrus The Great" by Larry HEDRICK in order to grasp King of kings Cyrus the Great very well.

Ahura Mazda be with you.

This truly is one of the most remarkable books I've ever read and I would encourage anyone with an interest in military science, government or leadership to take the time to read it. This book requires commitment and a quiet place to read and savor its thought-provoking passages. The investment of time and effort is dwarfed by the magnitude of the lessons this book has to offer. Make the commitment and you'll see why this book was a favorite of men like Alexander the Great, Scipio Africanus, Caesar and Machiavelli.

This book is not in the style of a Platonic dialogue, or a play (whether a tragedy or comedy), a Homeric epic (but if you're careful, you'll note parallels), or a history (like Herodotus).

No, Xenophon - a contemporary of Plato's, a student of Socrates - was considered a philosopher way back when. He tells a story and you might think it is a history that is meant to be accurate. There is nothing accurate about Xenophon's use of history in this book; however, the story is well-told and funny, and the prose moves fast in this edition. (Which was your primary concern, of course: that this was a good read.)

He does teach philosophy - ancient philosophy concerned with ethics and politics - in an interesting way. The plot of the book is as follows: Cyrus of Persia receives an education unlike any of his peers. With that education, and a considerable bit of ruthlessness, he attempts to take over the world.

It's difficult to write a story where different philosophical viewpoints define characters and events. Somehow, Xenophon pulls this off, and manages to entertain his reader with tales of battles, lots of humorous exchanges between characters, and even some love stories strewn throughout.

(If you do Classics, you probably want to get acquainted with Xenophon, fast.)

The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table is a demonstration of New England civility in the 1850s. I believe it went through more than 50 editions by the end of the nineteenth century, so it must have been very widely read at one time. The book is packed with amazing observations. Holmes takes the time to wonder why the sense of smell is the quickest path to memory. He rails against puns in a way that is better than punning. He points out human flaws and praises examples of good living. Trees come alive, through prosaic description and poetic flights. Would you like to go back to the 1850s and have a conversation with a Boston intellectual? Here's your chance. There are many old copies of this book sitting around, but it's nice that it's come back into print (again).... (it's also a quiet love story, by the way)

The imaginary scene is a boarding house breakfast. Conversation is dominated by a lively gent who's seen it all. He holds forth on women, school, philosophy, rowing, interrupted from time to time with verses such as the Deacon's Masterpiece. It's witty, poignant, and rightfully a classic.

Two oral practices flourished in antebellum America: the lecture (or sermon) and the conversation. Lectures, such as Emerson's "The American Scholar" and sermons, such as the abolitionist sermons of Henry Ward Beecher, are well-known examples of this era. But it was also known as the Golden Age of Conversation, and its greatest practitioner was generally agreed to be Oliver Wendell Holmes, Senior.

Holmes was considered an important American writer until the 1920s when he was excised from the American canon by the modernists. They depicted him as willfully provincial, and elitist. What those critics failed to understand was that the Autocrat is also a comic pose, and that Holmes is making sport of everyone, including elitists. Holmes' democratic view of conversation as an open, free-wheeling discourse where anyone could join the Autocrat at his table, as long as they enlivened the conversation, ran counter to the views of his more elitist friends in Boston's Saturday Club in Boston. Holmes loved to talk, and his love for talk made him a democrat, or perhaps a true republican.

His Autocrat is a many sided character: stern and foolish, admonitory and celebratory, a polymorph who will don any temporaty mask necessary to keep the conversation alive. Holmes' playful metaphorical imagination is also a revelation. His gift for translating complex ideas into homey metaphors, aphorisms, and similes is nothing short of miraculous. In the words of another seriously comic American whom I'm sure Holmes would have delighted in, the Autocrat "floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee."

The Autocrat of the Breakfast table begins "in media res," in the middle of a conversation, with the Autocrat attempting to set the rules for conversation at his table. They are generous rules, but even they are open to sabotage by his tablemates at the boarding house. He begins by banning "facts" from his table as impediments to conversation, (a condition that should prevail on today's too numerous current event talking head shows. But I, like the Autocrat, digress).

Here's how the Autocrat starts: "I was just going to say, when I was interrupted, that one of the many ways of classifying minds is under the head of arithmetical and algebraical intellects. All economical and practical wisdom is an extension of the following arithmetical formula: 2 + 2 = 4. Every philosophical proposition has the more general character of the expression a + b = c. We are mere operatives, empirics, and egoists, until we learn to think in letters instead of figures." "They all stared. There is a divinity student lately come among us to whom I commonly address remarks like this. "

In other words, as Gibian says in his marvelous OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES AND THE CULTURE OF CONVERSATION: [The Autocrat] only asks us to study his beliefs the way a pragmatist would study the doctrines of any religion: "I don't want you to believe anything I say; I only want you to to try to see what makes me believe it." How refreshing in this age of factoids and statisticoids recited with rancor and ideological certitude, to hear the Autocrat and his tablemates at the boarding house attempting to fashion a democracy through and by their conversation. Nowadays all we have are the unironic Autocrats, control freaks like John McLaughlin, Ted Koppel, Rush Limbaugh, and that guy on FOX whose name I have, pleasantly, forgotten.

Listening to the Autocrat you can almost hear American singing. It's not exactly Walt Whitman's America, but it's still America in the hopeful, experimental antebellum era, and thus a good antidote to the cold technocratic chatter and lukewarm public relations cant we are showered with in this hypermediated century.

An interesting range of thoughtful opinions, imbedded in a look at American life in the 1850s, by the father of a future Supreme Court Associate Justice. Part of the charm of this book is in the fact that at that time horses had been the only means of human-assisted transportation for the last few thousand years (with the exception of the new-fangled railroad which was changing the world). Electronics were not even imagined. Automobiles were 50 years into the future.

The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table is a demonstration of New England civility in the 1850s. I believe it went through more than 50 editions by the end of the nineteenth century, so it must have been very widely read at one time. The book is packed with amazing observations. Holmes takes the time to wonder why the sense of smell is the quickest path to memory. He rails against puns in a way that is better than punning. He points out human flaws and praises examples of good living. Trees come alive, through prosaic description and poetic flights. Would you like to go back to the 1850s and have a conversation with a Boston intellectual? Here's your chance. There are many old copies of this book sitting around, but it would be nice if it came back into print.... (it's also a quiet love story, by the way)

One of the best books from Emmanuel Swedenborg. A one never to be missed if we are to understand God and the way the governs the universe

I loved this book because of the depth it gave my Bible study. It goes in-depth into the language of the Bible, with the meaning of the word choice. It also talks about the nature of the Lord, helping me know He understands what sorts of things I struggle with and how He can guide me. In looking for a fuller way of life and faith, this book is full of ideas for improving the quality and depth of my life and faith. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants an easy yet deep reading about the Lord and life!

This book contains four short introductory works by the profound Swedish writer and thinker Emanuel Swedenborg, who lived and wrote in the 1700s. His works as a whole offer thoughtful Christians a richness of insight and spiritual development comparable to the greatest religious texts of Eastern religions, like the Bhagavad Gita, the Yogasutras, the Dhammapada. These short works on faith, spiritual life, sacred scripture and the Lord show the reader some of what Swedenborg's longer works offer - a thorough renewal and revaluation of Christianity, focusing on revelation, doctrine and charity. As with all spiritual texts, these give the reader back many times the value he or she puts into working with them.

This book is brilliant. Unless I had read it I don't think I ever could have conceived of a plan of Divine government that was so ingenious. The basic concept here is that God governs the human race by allowing people to do as they wish. It reminds me of the saying 'He governs best who governs least.' Therefore God governs in a way that is basically invisible, and yet He still governs.

According to this book God maintains 'control' in myriads of subtle ways, and yet the system is set up in such a way that people really are free. That is, people can acknowledge or not acknowledge God, they can obey or disobey Him, they can think and do as they wish. I think this is a pretty good explanation of the existence of evil. It exists in potential as an opposite of God, dictated by the principle of freedom - but not created by God. I thought this was brilliant. It explains why bad things happen to good people, at least it does to me. That is, bad things are not caused by God but by the principle of freedom itself.

The best part of this book, however, is its articulation of the means God uses so that bad things will stop happening to good people. According to Swedenborg, God is guiding the human race in subtle and miraculous ways towards a happier future. It happens slowly and invisibly so as not to impinge on human freedom. The principle method is information. As people gather knowledge, the knowledge eventually has a great impact on how they act. Knowledge of God is called the Word of God, and it very gradually shapes human actions - but only insofar as people understand, accept, and willingly act on it. I find it easy to believe that information is that powerful.

The purpose of all of this, according to this book, is to bring people to happiness, both in this world and after death in heaven forever. Not a bad purpose.

A work of genius. I would call it Divinely inspired.

I don't think I can say enough about this book! It is actually four smaller works bound together, each one adding amazing depth to reading the Bible and knowledge of God and life in general. The Biblical support that is all through them is fabulously arranged, with clear connections and ideas. This edition of the book is small and very portable, allowing me to take it basically anywhere. It has improved my Bible studying and the quality of my life--because now I know more about how to bring God's love into my life and share it with others. If you are looking for a more intense Bible study, or ideas on how to truly live, this is the book to read!

This is a gem. A book that goes on holidays and sits by my bedside. A great introduction for those who "don't like poetry"

I was looking for a small poetry book for my daughter away at college- poems that were thoughtful, or pick-me-ups, or beautiful, but not necessarily "Literature". I looked at MANY "100 Best Poems ..." books, and this is my favorite. From "Jabberwocky" and "Please Mrs. Butler" to works by Keats, Yeats, Wordsworth, Kipling, TS Eliot and Shakespeare.
This is no "Norton's Anthology", but it is the poetry book I pick up most often.

All the good ones

What a wonderful collection!!

A BBC book in which the poems originate from a Television programme survey in the mid 90's.
A collection of 100 poems in all and many are recognisable and from poets from around the globe. Personal highlights would have to be "How do I love thee?", "Cargoes", "The Owl and the Pussycat" and "The Raven".
You will surprise yourself with your knowledge of poetry and it's varied and broad appeal.

This book is a collection of some of the most popular poetry of modern times. The selections for the book originated from a survey in the UK conducted by the BBC. Be aware, however, that the majority of the works are from no earlier than the 18th cent. writings. Thumbing through, I'm sure you will recognize more poems than not. If your looking for a compact collection of some of the most familiar and best loved poems, this is your book. :)