Richardson Books

If you want to get your mind around Thoreau's mind and the more significant facts of his life, buy and read this book. Because the chapters are brief but meaty, and because Richardson's an accomplished prose stylist in his own right, this book is a joy to read and, I have found, is wonderful to come back to periodically, particularly when looking for a great way to spend ten to twenty extra minutes profitably.

Robert D. Richardson takes the busy-bodied world of Thoreau and places each of his accomplishments into context starting with their respective intellectual origin. In the process of doing this, Richardson constructs the world of Thoreau's Concord and creates it for us vividly and realistically. This is by far the best Thoreau bio out there and serves a perfect book-end with his Emerson bio, The Mind On Fire.

As a young man my Holy Trinity was: Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman. Emerson's essays are pure poetry; Thoreau's "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience" became a blueprint on how to live and why to write; and Whitman's life and "Leaves Of Grass" taught me about myself.

"A Life Of The Mind" filled each page with the authenticity and richness of a life well lived. Thoreau, the humanness, the naturalist, the friend and son; the poet of the unraveling, entangled soul beating within the humdrum of everyday and ordinary life, leaps from every page. I have read other biographies on Thoreau which never captured the mind and writer of "Walden". Here the man and life equalled and qualified the literature.

Richardson is more than a biographer of Thoreau; he's made from the same stock. He didn't simply tell of a man and his life, he savored, and shared in the same poetics and struggles as the man he researched. The theme of Thoreau's life was an opportunity to express his own convictions and struggles.

It was while reading an anthology of Thoreau's work that I first understood why some poets and writers must write. I came to understand how every sentence could be layered with meaning and timelessness. After reading this biography I must reread my annotated "Walden". I must sit in my backyard amongst the leaves and flowers and shapes and densities I've not paid attention to in some time.

This book remains the best biiography about Thoreau. There is much here to interest both the detail-seeking scholar and the casual reader. Richardson does an admirable job in bringing Thoreau and his ideas to the fore. I found this work very useful when editing my own volume - Profitably Soaked: Thoreau's Engagment With Water, which presents a more bodily than conceptual Thoreau.

In the concluding chapter of "Walden", Henry David Thoreau offers a parable of a great artist in the city of Kouroo "who was disposed to strive for perfection." In Thoreau's story, the artist spends eons working to carve the perfect staff. By the time the artist was satisfied, his friends had died, Kouroo was no more, the dynasty of the Candhars had ended, the polestar had changed, and "Brahma had awakened and slumbered many times". Yet, the artist saw that "for him and his work, the former lapse of time had been an illusion, and that no more time had elapsed than is required for a single scintillation from the brain of Brahma to fall on and inflame the tinder of a mortal brain. The material was pure, and his art was pure: how could the result be other than wonderful?"

This parable of the nature of the self, freedom, and high purpose, told in the language of Eastern thought, is one of many aspects of Thoreau that Robert Richardson illuminated for me in his biography, "Henry Thoreau: A Life of the Mind." (1986) Richardson's biography of Thoreau is the first of what has become an outstanding trilogy of studies of American thinkers. Its companions are "Emerson: A Mind on Fire" and, most recently, "William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism." These three biographies cast great light on intellectual and spiritual life and their continuing influence in the United States. Richardson was a professor at the University of Denver when he wrote "Thoreau". He is now an independent scholar.

Richardson's biography of Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) does not begin until its subject reaches the age of 20 and returns from Harvard to Concord, Massachusetts to teach school. Thoreau becomes friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson who encourages the younger man to keep a journal, a habit that will remain with him throughout life and which will constitue the best evidence we have of Thoreau's inner life. Richardson's study draws heavily on the Thoreau's Journal, which when completed ran about 2,000,000 words and which was the source, with Thoreau's other notebooks, for much of his published work.

Richardson aptly characterizes Thoreau as leading a "life of the mind" and his study focuses on Thoreau's intellectual development and on the books which he read. Richardson uncovers and elucidates Thoreau's broad reading over the course of his adult life. Thoreau read broadly in the ancient Greek and Roman classics, and he was greatly influenced by German writers, especially Goethe. His transcendental philosophy was heavily German in origin, as mediated by English writers such as Coleridge. Thoreau read copiously on the history of New England and Canada and on the Indians. He was a careful observer of nature, as is well known, and was influenced by Aristotle's writings on biology, as well as by the classification work of Linneaus, and Agassiz. After the publication of the "Origin of the Species", Thoreau was won over to the developmental theory of Darwin.

I was particularly struck with the influence of Hindu and Indian thought upon Thoreau. This influence is shown in the parable of Kouroo, discussed above, and throughout "Walden" and "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers". Richardson also made connections between Thoreau and writers and friends on an individual level. For example, Richardson discusses Melville's "Typee" and the influence this book had upon Thoreau in its depiction of human nature, and allegedly primitive peoples. Melville's influence appears lasting upon Thoreau. Richardson discusses Thoreau's friendship with the former Unitarian minister, Harrison Gray Otis Blake, and the letters the two men exchanged. (These letters have been compiled in a volume titled "Letters to a Spiritual Seeker.") As a final example, Richardson also discusses Thoreau's meeting, late in his life, with Whitman and how these two writers came to view each other.

Richardson's book brings home Thoreau's conviction that human nature is basically the same everywhere and throughout time. Thus, for Thoreau, persons in his time or our own, are capable of leading a life of freedom and meaning upon the making of effort. Even though Thoreau was fascinated with the Greek, Roman, and Indian past, these sources taught him that people retained the potentiality of living for themselves. Richardson emphasizes the love of wildness in Thoreau, in man, animals, and nature, just below the surface of what he regarded as some of the superficialites of civilization. In addition to Thoreau's self-sufficiency and love of freedom, Richardson emphasizes Thoreau's love of good companionship. Richardson also argues that following the publication of Walden in 1854, Thoreau's interests turned from the self-sufficiency and freedom, to a recognition of the interconnectedness of all things in nature.

The strongest effect on me of Richardson's book was in making me revisit and rethink the inspiring conclusion of "Walden". After a paragraph devoted to life and the ever-present possibility of regeneration, Thoreau concludes Walden as follows:

"I do not say that John or Jonathan will realize all this; but such is the character of that morrow which mere lapse of time can never make to dawn. The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star."

Richardson's book inspired me and it encouraged me to want to read and reread Thoreau. Those readers who are also moved to rediscover Thoreau may want to explore the two large volumes of his works available in the Library of America.

Robin Friedman

Of the three volumes of A Life of Picasso that have been completed, I liked The Cubist Rebel, 1907-1916 best. John Richardson moves his focus around to see Picasso's life from many angles, much like a Cubist painting deconstructs reality into two dimensions representing all sides. There is fine balance in his portrayal so that no element gets out of proportion.

The scholarship involved with showing the connections between Picasso's lovers and his art during those years is most interesting, filled with many details I had not run across before. I was also pleased to be better informed about Picasso's relationship with other Cubist artists of the era.

In other histories and biographies that cover this part of Picasso's life, I'm always a little puzzled about the role of Apollinaire, but in this book the man comes into reasonably clear focus.

Many of the references to places where Picasso had his studios come into sharper focus as well in this book which describes and portrays those places quite well.

Surprisingly, the weakest part of the book comes in its discussion of Picasso's Cubism per se which gets surprisingly short shift after he shifted into synthetic Cubism. I expected a lengthy description of the developments in that work. There are some very fine discussions of individual major works, but the overall subject drifts away into nothingness. Hmmm.

I found the book's details constantly fascinating in explaining the gaps between what happened in those days and how matters shifted. Since few Americans were major collectors of Picasso in the early days (the Steins being a happy exception), how did all those works end up in the United States? If Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is one of the great works of the 20th century, why did it have so much trouble finding the right home? John Richardson shares our natural curiosity and is happy to satisfy that curiosity.

As with the other works in the series, it is a disappointment that none of the reproductions are in color. But with the Cubist period, color is less important so the loss is less significant in this volume.

Bravo!

I've read several books on Picasso and this is easily the best. I think that's because it focuses on a specific finite period of 10 years. I wish the other books had taken this tact.

If you're a fan of Pablo's, or a lover of fine art, this is a must read.

Please allow me to gush. I usually labor through biographies, but the two Richardson volumes are so well written and thoroughly researched that I was done before I knew it. The illustrations are black and white, but it was little trouble to go to my Picasso catalogs to see the things in color. I was quite disappointed when I was through with each volume. I enjoyed the second even though I'm not thrilled with Cubism. I can hardly wait for the third volume. I'm also interested in Richardson himself showing up in the biography. At the risk of sounding morbid, I pray to God John Richardson is in good health. I'm looking forward to the volumes dealing with Picasso in the 1920's and 1950's.

This is the best biography I have ever read. It was absolutely brilliant. If you have ever wondered what it was like to live in Paris in the early twentieth century, as an emerging artist (what a cool daydream, right?) this is the book for you. All of those tales of Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the French Riviera, the women, the cafes; Richardson captures it here: the life of an artist realizing his potential as an artist -- it is truly amazing. His explanations accompanying each painting, the way they came to fruition, the stories behind the early masterworks, the market (Les Demoiselles [i.e., the 'most studied painting of the 20th Century' Richardson opines, and arguably the first cubist painting, so upset Picasso and unsettled his friends that he kept it virtually hidden for a decade [this was a young Picasso before his artwork {and ego} commanded millions] and it was touching to read and see this side of young Pablo). Sure, recent trends have tended to treat Picasso with great disdain, and while this IS only a biography, it is the most incisive biography into one of the most celebrated creative minds of the twentieth century that I have ever read. Honestly. The biography itself is an intense revelation -- thoroughly, exhaustively researched and written, and a credit to John Richardson as a human being, a researcher, and a biographical author -- an artist in his own right.

I agree largely with the other review. One of the things worth mentioning is that this book is also one of the best descriptions of cultural life in France in the first and second decades of the 20 th century I have ever read. You meet people like Appolinaire, Gide, Max Jacob, Kahnweiler, Vollard, Gris, Matisse and Bracque and begin to understand the particular, immensely productive environment of pre-war France. It was also of huge interest to read about the real friendship between Bracque and Picasso and how this lead to such wonderful, very similar pictures like "Le Portugais" (Bracque) and "Man with Mandolin" (Picasso). I look forward indeed to the next volume and aim to read the first one immediately.

A compilation of recent inovatory church architecture from around the world with a brief historical overview. Varying photographic coverage and plans, and with coffee table text. Generally slanted towards "high art" architecture. A worthwhile current reference for anyone involved in church architecture.

It is a superb overview that evokes the immedeate desire for book II. Modernism and spiritual design are a brave neccessity for the 21st Century and this book is a great entree.

I am a Fulbright Scholar in art history and I have found this survey of modern religious structures a wonderful companion to most general art history texts, which usually only feature two or three works of religious architecture after the 1600s.

New Spiritual Architecture introduces the reader to modern-day architectonics within the sacred space of worship. Abandoning the superannuated architecture of by-gone times, this book exposes the observer to the most progressive consecrated structures erected in recent times, that also reveal a revolutionary comprehension over what makes a space sacred. Take, for example, the Night Pilgrimage Chapel in Locherboden, Austria. A simple, rectangular, concrete chapel with interiors that are fully exposed to the elements. There is a simple concrete altar and chair for the celebrant to sit, while to the rear - again in simple concrete - is the sacristy. The congregation assembles on the outside of the chapel while the priest, facing them, celebrates the mass. To fully appreciate the avant-garde appearance of this structure you simply must look at the picture in the book, or travel to Austria and see it for yourself.

There are many other projects in this book that follow the Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist praxes assimilating unconventional sacred architectures. They, too, exhibit that same enthusiastic disposition to revolutionize the orthodoxy of their designs that the Catholic Church did with the Night Pilgrimage Chapel in Austria.

New Spiritual Architecture is a breathtaking survey of modern global architecture utilized by various religious faiths, and the worldwide exchange of cultural aspects in architecture. From the design of a Buddhist temple and ossuary in Japan to a Los Angeles cathedral to a Cistercian monastary in the Czech Republic and more, New Spiritual Architecture combines keenly insightful text with beautiful full-color photography and a handful of black-and-white diagrams for an architectural tour like no other. A "must-have" for architecture aficonados, and a treasury of inspiration both mundane and spiritual, especially for modern builders and designers.

A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome was published in 1992 and replaced the 1929 Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome which had become dated (the text of that is in the public domain). The book gives an excellent introduction to all of the monuments in the city of Ancient Rome.It has appropriate diagrams etc and an excellent bibliography. It - along with the Oxford Classical Dictionary - is a must for a library of those interested in Ancient Rome and is suited for both classical students plus interested lay readers.

I have lived in Rome for 12 years and have become an avid enthusiast of ancient Roman history. History is inextricably connected to physical locations. The Topographical Guide has proven to be invaluable. There is not one location in Rome that I have looked up that I did not find. The who, what, when, where and why of the location is concisely and clearly presented in a very easy reading style. I consider it a must for any student or enthusiast of Ancient Rome.

There is a wealth of fascinating textual information in this book, together with about a hundred illustrations, mostly architectural plans or fragments of the ancient marble plan. The author states that it was a deliberate decision not to include drawings or photographs, since these are available in Nash's Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Rome -- but that work is very rare and expensive. His decision is understandable, but it is harder to account for the complete absence of maps. A couple of flyleaf maps of the ancient and modern city would have been very helpful in orienting the reader.

This is definitely worth the money. It is a very, very detailed work with many references to things I'd never even heard of. I've successfully used it as a reference for several papers, and recommend it to anyone-- especially classicists who're interested in the finer points of Rome's architecture, geography, and history. This is an excellent way to learn more about less common aspects of Rome, as well as the big things like the Pantheon, etc.

All in all, it's an excellent reference and a great read as well-- I highly recommend it.

With this magnificent work in hand one can read the ancient historians and understand what you are reading, street by street, site by site. New information and research has been presented in the 60 plus years since the last dictionary of ancient Rome, and it makes this new topographical tome so exciting. If you are going to Rome and have a strong arm as well as a strong interest in what was where and when, then this admittedly heavyweight book will not be too much to take along. Perhaps most fascinating are those wonderful maps which present past and present on sites long lost to the avid Roman visitor. You may not see what was there by looking at the present site, but you can understand what was there better with this book. For the college student who may be planning a career or a deep interest in classical Rome, this book will be worth the price many times over! Best of all is the list of all the classical references for each building, site, or even, in some cases, statues or adornments. This book is more than a gift of scholarship, it is a gift of love of the history of Rome and for all those who will come along in the future to study it.

This author has the ability to draw the reader into his "space". Through his written words, one feels the pull..the draw to become a part of each poem, each dream, each memory and all tolled, it becomes a story within itself; each leading down a pathway where one has once walked.
None speaks so loudly to me than "Lessons in the Earth" It brings to mind of a time once lived...a time now gone but forever etched in a readers heart.
This small but profound collection is truly a gift from the author to all of his readers.....even the very brightest of a future will always be based on a never totally forgotten past.

This book should be owned and rwad by poets, veterans, and you. It presents the ignored story about a war we should have never fought. And, it provides some of the most heart-felt personal poetry ever written for public viewing. The author has given blood - that of a man who has fought and lived, and can now forgive those whose actions took away his youth, but gave him high values for a good life. Read it, and weep, read it and laugh, read it and wish that you could write as well.

Some of us might not care to imagine the horrors of war. Others would like to shun the all too real memories. For all, this book gives a glimpse of life from a person who has "been there, done that", yet who still recalls the innocence before as well as the turmoil and eventual healing which followed. An easy read in one sitting or in bits and pieces as you like.

This book was particularly meaningful for me, since my husband fought in Vietnam and my father served in WWII. Many of the thoughts presented here rang true.
This is more than a collection of war stories, it is a heartfelt remembrance of the good and the bad, the before and the after.
Mr. Richardson has a real gift for expressing both sensitivity and hard, cold reality.
I found his writing emotional, evocative and yet easy to understand; and I recommend it highly.

As a son of a Vietnam veteran, I can higly recoomend this book. It is very well done, easy to read and treats the war with a fresh perspective.
Mr. Richardson's approach is unique, using well written verse to give insights into the life of a veteran from that era.

I would recommend this gem of a book to American Anglophiles.

I found this wonderful volume when I was shuffling through a used bookstore in Raleigh, NC, while my soon to be ex was pouring over the gardening section. I came upon "The Annals of London: A Year-by-Year Record of a Thousand Years of History" just by chance. I sat down and opened it up. I was transfixed for the next two hours. It is very compelling.

This book reads like a slow-motion history of English civilization: Every page (it's organized like a newspaper) has a tidbit.

It is a gripping tale. The inevitability of the English political system is striking. The people of London ignore their leaders with a very satisfying frequency.

Interesting tidbits: Henry VIII's coffin exploded while laying in Westminster, and his remains were eaten by dogs; an article on the demolition of the Globe and a less than popular playwright; lots of flatulent monarchs and mayors; and a glimpse at the origins of the English socialist movement that is still very influential today. This book is an incredible archive, and I would recommend it to any fellow American who has a fascination for mother England.

A bit wordy and condescending in that British sort of way, but like any good newspaper, you can skip the parts that don't interest you.

This is the perfect bathroom book. Short, concise vignettes. Pick it up. Put it down. Never lose your place. I'm mere pages from finishing, and I've been reading it for 2 1/2 years.

If you're interested in London history, this book is a great way to strengthen your understanding of that great city without burying yourself in a huge tome.

So why only 4 stars? (I'd have done 3.5 if it was an option.) The author slants very heavily toward two subjects. London theatrical history and architectural history. The former is mind-numbingly ubiquitous. The latter is much more integral to understanding London as it stands today. Both subjects are important and relevant, but in some parts of the book they seem to be the only topics covered at all.

Have this book on hand anytime you are reading history of London or books set in London. I have just read London: the Biography by Peter Ackroyd and London: the Novel by Edward Rutherford and am tempted to re-read both 1000 page books so that I can follow along in The Annals. Fascinating material!

At first glance, this book with its lists of events might appear a little dry, but as you begin reading the events' descriptions, you'll soon discover pages filled with interesting historical anecdotes.

Among the events covered are institutional foundings (such as churches, hospitals, schools, theatres and newspapers), technical and medical achievements, the various floodings and freezings of the Thames, bridge and tunnel collapses, executions, assassinations, hangings, murders, fires, and more.

Even the smallest events have interesting details... such as the blowing down of Fairlop Oak in Hainault Forest in 1820. The tree is described as having branches that spread 116 ft and it is noted: "Around it took place the annual Fairlop Fair -- an event which helped to shorten the tree's life, because visitors would use the inside of the trunk to light fires for cooking."

Another entry that appears earlier in 1741 mentions the opening of St. George's Chapel in Curzon Street by a Reverend Alexander Keith who "scandalized the clergy by his readiness to perform marriages without too many questions."

Many event descriptions run for a few paragraphs and some have illustrations. My only gripe with this book is that the font size for the print is very small. (The print would be much easier to read if it was just another 2 points larger.) Aside from that, I'm sure this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in London history.

This is THE book for everyone including gym owners and parents. The Back Handspring is the premier trick needed by both gymnasts and cheerleaders.

As a former gym owner,and a Mom, I highly recommend it. This book takes the mystery out of the skill and breaks it down into easy to learn pieces. Safety is the number one concern when learning this skill and Coach Rik makes safety an integral part of the learning process.

This book is for everyone (coaches, students, owners and parents) that wants a "How To" manual on this skill.

I will be the first one in line when he writes another book on skills.

Keep "flipping" those pages.

Rayelynn Henderson

Like the author, I have probably spotted a million back handsprings. I found this book to be a great refresher for someone who is an "expert" but also useful to those who are just beginning. If you follow the author's guidelines and work through to the end of the book you really will learn a back handspring. This book is easy to read and the directions are clear and concise.

Written by former competitive gymnast and current trainer Rik Feeney, Back Handsprings: the Secret Techniques is a straightforward guide for cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, martial artists, and choreographers. Chapters cover the four areas that any athlete needs to work on in order to master the back handspring: conditioning, training, environment, and desire. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams illustrate the step-by-step instructions to strengthening muscles, aligning one's body properly, performing appropriate training drills, and more. "In both the handstand and the back handspring, it is very important that you position your hands correctly to prevent injury to the wrists, elbows, and arms. If your hands are turned out, you can cause the elbows to lock which could lead to hyperextension injuries, dislocations, or worse." A "must-have" for anyone seeking to master the back handspring.

written so that if a child is reading it, she'll understand it.
very helpful for a beginner and advanced. Drills and skills to straighten out problem backhandsprings. best book out there
for this skill.

Cat Tales is unique in showing the cat's psyche though colorful illustrations and humorous words. The mischievous activities of felines will bring a smile and warm your heart.

Cat Tales is delightful and amusing with wonderful illustrations. Ms. Richardson has captured our feline friend in pictures and words. A truly good book for any cat fancier!

Cat Tales is unique in showing the cat's psyche though colorful illustrations and humorous words. The mischievous activities of felines will bring a smile and warm your heart.

Cat Tales is an authentic way of looking at life through cat eyes. The book contains charming illustrations expressing the cat's personality along with a few good words of wisdom. A joy for Cat Lovers of all ages.

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I found this book to be an excellent text and an invaluble resource for any Chemical Engineer whether a student or a working professional. The book is well laid out and a surprisingly easy read even for those beginning a chem eng course. I would recommend it to anyone.

A very good summary of chemical engineering. You can find everything you need related to mass and heat transfer. Very special thanks to Richardson and Coulson.

Mehmet ARAS, Chemical Engineer, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Co.

As a graduate chemical engineer, fortunate to be one of Ray Sinnott's students, it is with great pleasure that I write about his book. The design project is a crucial part of any undergraduate program encompassing chemical engineering or related topics,ie Bio-chemical engineering and Process Bio-technology to name just a few. It is not until the student (of one of the most complex and challenging degree schemes) becomes involved with the "design project" do they realise the problems that need to be overcome to just start the most simple of tasks. The text is a valuable tool to quick and accurate methods to start the basic design of the majority of traditional unit operations. The text of course relies on the user to have some engineering knowledge and paves the way for the application of the more rigorous software design packages that are available today. Coverage is given is to many topics in the book especially in the areas of safe design/operation and costing, with many further references given at the end of chapter. This is a book that you will buy and continue to use all your practicing life, as myself and friends will testify!! There is no other text book that I have come across which gives so much practical information, yet so easily accessed. James Evans M.Eng. (University of Wales, Swansea.(UK))