Robertson Books

B.T. Robertson gives us an interesting take on many common high fantasy tropes, with a unique story and characters built around the routine high fantasy heroes working to defeat a great evil.
There are many reasons that this common high fantasy blueprint exists, but the most relevant is the fact that, in the right hands, tales like Robertson's "Chronicles of the Planeswalkers" are simply enjoyable reading experiences. The story of a group of individuals working through their differences to save the world is an interesting plotline, especially when the disparate characters are given room to grow into unique individuals and go far beyond the common stereotypes of their own backgrounds. In Robertson's story, the elves, giants, humans, and others become unique characters without regard to their "racial" component. Robertson does a great job of making you care about his characters, and draws you further into a riveting drama with each successive chapter.
In his first foray into high fantasy, and his first published novel, Robertson shows great promise; and the series shows tremendous promise as well. His dialogue is fantastic, and I look forward to the successive volumes from this engaging new author!

Brief Synopsis: Here we have a high Fantasy tale about a band of heroes formed to stop a great evil from returning to the land.

The Good: A good mix of classic high fantasy and different ideas. You're bound to recognize elves, giants and humans as just that, but they'll also surprise you. Just because they're called something doesn't mean you can assume how they'll act.

The story has a classic feel while pursuing a very fun idea. It's clear the writer enjoyed himself when piecing together the characters and plot and that transfers to the reader.

Certain characters becoming sparkling clear and rich.

The Bad: The common knowledge came off in a very awkward and confusing way. It could be that we're dealing with a group that has drastically different degrees of knowledge but sometime I just can't tell what's common knowledge and what's great lore.

The first part of the books pacing seems inconsistent. Things go from dire to calm, and from quick moving writing pace to slow and colorful. The transitions between the two didn't flow in my mind. This seemed to disappear and flow nicely halfway through the book.

To get to the heart of the matter: I defiantly recommend the read and look forward to tackling Part One after I'm done with Worldbinder. The pirates and Giants were especially entertaining and I get the feeling that what comes next will dwarf the events I've already read in terms of epic importance.

'Chronicles of the Planeswalkers' is a most elegant looking book: quality is immediately evident just to the touch, cover of good stock that shouldn't roll (often happens on 6x9 books), paper superb .... but most of all: layout and design: just outstanding and well complemented by Philip Rogers art. LBF Books deserve kudos for such fine publishing work.

Next to the read. I'll admit that it's not my chosen genre but I enjoy reading across the spectrum. I'll admit that I'm probably a good candidate for fantasy. I daydream a lot, I believe in parallel universes, perhaps even UFOs. So why don't I read this kind of work? No answer. Maybe B.T. Robertson has changed that. If you've been to see Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, which did you prefer? I thought Lord of the Rings was so much better. Well, in Chronicles of the Planeswalkers, we find a fantastical universe, with lands as diverse as the planet we live on. The natural and supernatural worlds are merged (not difficult for a Celt like myself to understand) and evil threatens. Aerinas, son of Tristandor, leader of the elves, is chosen to fight that evil. Aerinas is an unlikely hero who often rebels against his father and the rules and mores of his society. But aren't all our true heroes here on Earth just like that? I won't do a synopsis of the book here. That's not my intent. I simply want to convey my feelings about this work. It's an excellent first effort from B.T. Robertson.

Finally my criticism: I found the language syntax and structure odd but I eventually reconciled myself to the fact that B.T. Robertson may have constructed this form of language quite intentionally to create the cultural ambience of his world. If this has been his intent, I recommend that he inform his readers of this in the introduction. It will deflect uninformed critiques.

And - yes - there are numerous grammatical and other errors. This does not diminish the work but they should never have passed the edit. I understand from the author's website that the first printing has sold out. Let's hope all of these items are corrected in the second printing.

Chronicles of the Planeswalkers was an editorial mess. Commas were overused, but they were only added in the WRONG places! There are continuity issues, and I stumbled upon so many grammatical errors that I was unable to get into the book.

Why 2, rather than 1, stars? Because the physical quality of the book is good, and the artwork is stunning. The storyline is also above-average, but the grammar is so bad that one can't get into the book.

Long ago Hydrais was banished to the Netherworld. His fortress was destroyed and sealed. Problem is that no one knew Hydrais had already hidden a scroll in the bowels of his underground domain called Trünith. He had also forged a special mirror. Its sole purpose was to summon him back into this world if his body was ever diminished.

Wrantha is the "Keeper of the Nether" and one of the gods that balance all the planes that form the fabric of time. He wrote the Black Book of Wrantha in which he posted powerful secrets. It is balanced by the Book of Light, guarded by the goddess Sheevos. Her spirit is currently residing in a magic Elfstone, named after her. Long has the Sheevos Elfstone resided in the Temple of Arünir. Recently, though, the Sheevos has been stolen. No one seems to know who took it or where it may now be. As for the Black Book of Wrantha, it is in the hands of Haarath, a dark magician.

Hydrais' mirror has now been found and used to locate the hidden city of Trünith, where the scroll is kept. Dark forces are gathering to shred the balance so that chaos and destruction may reign.

All hope of defeating the coming foes rests upon a small group of beings. Farrin is the greatest of all giants. King Hrathis is the greatest king of men. Aeligon the Healer is a powerful wizard with his apprentice's soul trapped within his staff. Ithyllna is an elf maiden with an acrobatic flair and a deadly member of the Vrünyn Guards. Foran is the best elf archer. And most importantly, Aerinas, who is the elfin heir to the House of Lythardia and gifted with magic that he has yet to master.

**** I wondered why the author called this "Part Zero". Now I understand. Within this novel the battle lines are drawn and the readers learn about the wondrous characters. An interesting mix it is too! There are insect-like monsters called Cray, Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Elfs, Giants, Wizards, and (my favorite of legendary creatures) a Roc! I sometimes got my characters confused, so you may have a bit of trouble with that. Many characters begin with the letter H and two of the major characters, Aeligon and Aerinas, can easily be read wrong. Otherwise, this is an excellent beginning to a terrific set of novels. I look forward to the next! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This was my first time reading any kind of programming book. This does a good job at introducing programming logic simply, and gradually getting more difficult. The exercises at the end of each chapter are helpful as well. I didn't find the book extremely challenging. If you're a fairly analytical thinking person, the logic should make sense. I had to purchase this for a class - but I'd recommend it.

This book clarly explains the steps in designing programs and provides language for the reader to understand programmers jargond. One thing to remember that the text does not "drive home" is the need to initialize variables. This is a vital part of pseudo programming because it translates into nearly every programming language used today. Good book if you can remember that initialization is key to programming.

This was a requirement to read in my CS1 class before we ever stepped foot into a C++ book. Now several classes later I can understand the importance of the good algorithm design that this book enforces. This book required no experience in programming what so ever. Those with experience may find it a little boring to read but may also find themselves referring back for examples.

This book is good in that it explains in simple terms what designing programs is about. Design tools such as pseudocode, Nassi-Schneiderman diagrams, flowcharts, etc. which is good for the procedural way of thinking. Only two chapters that teaches the reader about object-oriented. As such, this book will help the reader more in the traditional approach of problem solving than the object-oriented way. I do not see two chapters as providing a solid, practical grounding for developing object-oriented solutions. Furthermore, there are no "Suggested solutions to selected questions". While it is true that there are different ways to solve a problem or expressing the solution, providing some "Suggested solutions" may, in effect be also providing further understanding if the solutions points out possible pitfalls or aspects which the student may overlook and thus produce something that isn't quite correct.

I think the book is not good at covering desk-checking. It is constructed in such a way that allows the checker to make mistake as to which step is under consideration or inspection. The first column of the desk-check table (or dry-run table) is labelled as "Statement" and under this column, "Read", "If", "Print", etc. appears. It would be better to number the lines in pseudocode (which can easily be done) and label the 1st column of the table as "Step No." so as to allow easy, and less error-prone cross-checking.

The other area that can be improved is "Appendix 3: Special Algorithms". It attempts to explain Bubble Sort, Insertion Sort and Selection Sort without using examples. Unsorted arrays with numbers and diagrams to show the swaps in the passes would be useful. This is done in many programming and algorithm design books. It is a pity that it is not done here. It would certainly support the textual explanation.

With this minor blemishes, it is still a very good book to teach people who do not know programming to get a good feel of how to think to solve programming problems in a computer language independent way. The teacher is the key to making this book useful as a concise text to the topic of program design. For example, the teacher can show a example of improper identation in pseudocode which may not be obvious to the beginner and explain why it is incorrect the consequences of it. Things like an "else" belongs to the nearest "if" should be highlighted. The book does not show an example, it merely states that it is important to indent pseudocode properly.

Overall, it is still a good text.

The problem with most books that purport to teach how to program, is that they really only teach the syntax of the programming language their book is about.

If you have never programmed before, you must FIRST learn how to think like a programmer before delving into the intricacies of a particular programming language. This is where this book excels. This books starts you out on the right footing and gently leads you to develop the proper frame of mind and method to become a programmer. Once you master how to think like a programmer, then you are ready to learn ANY procedural programming language.

If you rush into programming, you could develop bad habits that are almost impossible to break. A little patience now, and the road ahead will be much easier.

Processing & shipping were very good. I had my book in about 3 days.

In contrast to other reviewers, I found the language of this book very waffly -

* What could have been said in a few paragraphs seemed to be spread over pages and pages.
* The writer often would fail to draw a conclusion about what he had just spent pages talking about. Leaving me wondering whether it was all worthwhile.
* The use of the occasional rhetorical question, that left me completely confused as to what the supposedly obvious answer was.
* The chapters in the book seemed to be arranged in an strange way, leading to lots of feelings that "I've read this before".

Having said that, my argument is not so much with the subject, but the way it is presented in this book.

I'm not a theologian, so the fault could be with me, but my recommendation would be to buy a book on covenant theology that is better written.

Anyone interested in understanding the Biblical covenants from a Reformed standpoint should read this book. Robertson does a good job outlining the major covenants (the Covenant of Creation or Works, the Adamic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the Covenant of Consummation or New Covenant). In the first section, Robertson gives us an indepth treatment of the meaning and extent of a covenant using Biblical references and historical examples. In the second section, he gives us an outline of the Covenant of Creation (or Covenant of Works). The third section deals with all of the redemptive covenants after the fall of man. Roberton's main thesis is that all of the redemptive covenants are interrelated and are not separate entities. That there is a gradual progression and advancement in God's redemptive plan with each succeeding covenant. Particularly good was his last chapter dealing with the Covenant of Consummation (or New Covenant). He emphasizes that the New Covenant is both continuous and discontinuous from the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant being a covenant of condemnation because of continued disobedience among the Israelities; the New Covenant being a covenant of life because of the indwelling of the Spirit among God's people. I especially liked Robertson's irenic and humble tone. I was very appreciative about the fact that he did not try to label dispensationalists as "heretics" or "unorthodox." On pages 201-2, he states that "it should not be forgotten that covenant theologians and dispensationalists stand side by side in affirming the essentials of the Christian faith. Very often these two groups within Christendom stand alone in opposition to the inroads of modernism, neo-evangelicalism, and emotionalism. Covenant theologians and dispensationalists should hold in highest regard the scholarly and evangelical productivity of one another. It may be hoped that continuing interchange may be based on love and respect." This kind of attitude is refreshing in contrast to many Reformed fanatics who label anyone outside their tradition as heretics. Perhaps many scholars from the same tradition as the author can learn what it means to be irenic. The only problem I have with the book is that it doesn't contain an author and subject index.

I first read this book when I was taking some seminary classes at Reformed Theological Seminary and it helped me to get my arms around the facts of Covenant Theology. I had come form a Dispensational background, and had only a surface understanding of Covenant Theology and it's implications, but Robertson lays the facts out, backs them with scripture, and challenges you to consider the implications.

This book is a bit deep if you have not read any intro material to Covenant Theology, but well worth the time and effort to read, study and understand.

I'm giving this book 5 stars even though I do not agree with everything that Robertson puts forth here. This book has been on the market for nearly 25 years now, and it remains a standard resource addressing covenant theology that scholars across the theological spectrum still interact with today.

Robertson's book was, and is, a distinctive contribution to covenant theology. Unlike some of his contemporaries like the great John Murray, Robertson appears to argue for the conditionality (to varying degrees) of each Biblical covenant, rather than trying to determine which covenants were allegedly conditional versus unconditional. However, where certain contemporary covenant theologians stress covenants in the context of the Kingdom of God, Robertson stresses covenants in the context of human redemption. The reader should therefore understand that Robertson's version of covenant theology, while having many similarities with virtually all forms of conservative Reformed covenant theology, is not the only version that has been proposed and argued for.

The book does show its age in spots. His chapter interacting with dispensationalism was spot on 25 years ago, but not now. The progressive dispensational movement of today does not look a whole lot like the dispensationalism that Robertson interacts with here. But more importantly for Reformed readers, Robertson's emphasis on covenants that are not explicitly mentioned in Scripture is a feature that is also on the wane in today's covenantal circles. Robertson forcefully argues for the 'covenant of works/covenant of grace with Adam' structure that is outstanding in my view, but is a feature of covenant theology that's becoming less and less stressed today. He properly stays away from presenting eternal divine decrees within the godhead as covenantal.

One of the central themes of this book is that covenants are far more unified than diverse, demonstrating continuity rather than discontinuity. In many ways, this has been the central issue of debate surrounding Biblical covenants. Robertson's emphatic stress on the unity of the covenants is still a staple of covenant theology, though greater discontinuity is being allowed in covenant circles today in ways that Robertson does not leave room for here. I happen to think that Robertson's presentation, while undoubtedly highly systemic and therefore susceptible to flattening the Bible and minimizing its diversity, is nonetheless very good and mostly correct. His contention that Jesus Christ is the comprehensive fulfillment of all Biblical covenants and that the New Covenant that He inaugurated is the final covenant is an essential aspect of covenant theology that puts each Biblical covenant into a distinctly Christological context.

In summary, any investigation of the merits of covenant theology must include a perusal of this book. Whatever disagreements I may have on the edges, I think Robertson has given us a lasting contribution in this area that has become the starting point for most formulations of covenant theology in the years following its publication. A crucial contribution worthy of purchase.

Always in the thick of it
James Robertson's biography of General A.P. Hill is superb. Writing in a free and easy style, Mr. Robertson bring to life this courageous long dead Confederate Warrior warts and all. To say "Little Powell " was a complex man and general is a gross understatement. He was a brilliant military tactician, good husband and father, loyal subordinate, fatherly commander, yet fiercely proud, easy to take affront, and very demanding. He rose through the ranks from brigade to division commander quickly impressing General Robert E. Lee with his tenacious fighting prowess, tactical acumen, and innate ability to quickly grasp the nature of the battle and to immediately employ his troops when and where they were needed. On more than one occasion General Powell saved the day for the Army of Northern Virginia. He was eventually rewarded with command of the Third Corps and became Lee favorite "fighting" general. Although brilliant at the division level he did not grasp Corps leadership until the end of the war. As a Corp commander he instinctively had to be "in the action" rather than direct the action. This myopic leadership caused some tactical problems, specifically at Bristoe Station. Regardless, General Hill learned through his mistakes and grew as a Corps commander becoming a close Lee confidant. As the war wound on Hill was always at Lee's side. Jackson would be killed at Chancellorsville, Longstreet would go west for several months and then be injured at The Wilderness, and Ewell would eventually be relieved of command, but Hill was always there-Steadfast and loyal. Whenever Lee need a miracle it was Hill that seemed to provide one. It is very interesting that as both Jackson and Lee lay dying and delirious they both called out for Hill.
General A.P. Hill was a very complex man. He demanded obedience from his subordinates but could be extremely kind and compassionate to enlisted personnel. He could not tolerate cowardice but understood battle fatigue. He could easily take affront if he or his command was demeaned in anyway by a superior, but he never challenged General Lee's leadership or command authority always carrying out his orders to the letter. He could be prickly when ill and ebullient when not. He enjoyed the love of his men and the fear of the Union soldiers. Lee knew he was a gallant, courageous soldiers of the highest order. The Union Commanders knew he was tough, unyielding, and brutal in a battle.
Much has been written about Hill's illnesses during the war and his supposed "missing in action" occurrences. Mr. Robertson covers this in much detail and points out that in most cases Hill was present for duty and carried out his command functions admirably. He attributes Hill's illness to venereal disease he contracted while at West Point that eventually led to prostatitist and uremia . During the War it plagued Hill but rarely incapacitated him.
Mr. Robertson did a good job of filling in the gaps of Hill's early life and his loving marriage to Kitty Morgan. It appears that Powell Hill was a loving father and husband who enjoyed having his family close by. He enjoyed a limited social life but had a close relationship to General Lee and several West Point friends and classmates. All in all General A.P. Hill was a dynamic man and leader of incredible talent and loyalty. He was a warrior of the first order whose fighting ability was second to none. If Jackson and Longstreet were Lee' right hand Hill was his sword.
Excellent Job James Robertson.
Highly recommended and a must read for anyone interested in the "real" Civil War and how it was fought by the commanders. Much written about General Hill is simply inaccurate and marginalizes just how great a combat leader and tactician this superb soldier really was. James Robertson sets the record straight.

Despite his meteoric rise to command troops in nearly every battle of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, Ambrose Powell Hill was arguable the Confederacy's most underrated general. Rising from a colonel of a Virginia infantry regiment to Major General in command of the new Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, A.P. Hill was perhaps best known for leading his Light Division on a forced march from Harper's Ferry to arrive in the nick of time to save Lee from total defeat at the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg. James I Robertson Jr. has thoroughly examined the perplexities of a complex man: one who could display the virtues of righteousness and compassion one moment and become impetuous, childish and unforgiving the next. What is more, Robertson's battle narratives are enthralling, placing heavy emphasis on infantry soldiering in the foulest of weather, rugged terrain and the difficulties of communications in an age when battle communiques traveled only as fast as a man could ride a horse. How a man of Hill's temperament, racked by life-long bouts of illness, and wounds handles rapid promotion, and, at which point reaches a level of incompetence, is the theme of Robertson's compelling story. From the age of twelve, young Powell read the exploits of Napoleon Bonaparte and was inspired to become a soldier. Hill entered West Point in 1842 in the infamous class of 1846. His classmates were Thomas J. Jackson, George Pickett and George McClellan, to name a few. Hill formed an immediate dislike for Jackson that would last for the rest of his life, while forming a close friendship with his roommate McClellan. In 1844, while returning to West Point from summer furlough, Hill contracted gonorrhea in New York City. He was forced to take an extended sick leave home, requiring him to repeat a year of studies. Upon graduation, Hill was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery Regiment.                 Robertson paints Hill's military career after West Point was one of sickness and boredom. In Mexico, Hill came down with typhoid fever that left him bedridden for six weeks. In Florida he would battle disease and boredom for six long years, especially repeated prostate problems associated with the untreatable venereal disease. Because of poor health, Hill requested to be transferred to a desk job in Washington.                 Hill's gift for staff work brought him to the attention of Jefferson Davis. After Succession, Hill not only chose loyalty to Virginia but also saw war as a chance for rapid promotion.                 Hill was appointed colonel in the 13th Virginia Infantry. He drove his men hard, and trained his regiment to the peak of proficiency. This leadership style would remain a permanent characteristic of A.P. Hill and would produce substantial benefits in future campaigns. Robertson shows a compassionate side of A.P. Hill during this period. During First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas, Hill would often be seen offering a weary soldier his horse while he walked alongside. He once noticed a sergeant who was obviously sleep deprived, and allowed him to lie down for a couple hours to regain his strength. These acts of kindness did not go unnoticed by his men. Typhoid fever, measles, mumps, diarrhea, dysentery and jaundice soon ran rampant among Hill's regiment. Much to his chagrin, Hill was held in reserve during the actual battle yet, a rapid series of promotions would soon follow. Hill was promoted to Brigadier General for the Peninsula Campaign. Hill soon gained a reputation for leading from the front in battle, distinguishable by the red or calico "battle shirt" he always wore in combat. Soon afterwards, he was promoted to Major General, commanding the infamous Light Division in the Seven Days Battles. In just ninety-days, Hill went from a colonel in charge of one regiment, to major general in charge of a division. Here, the author begins to raise doubt about how well Hill handled the transition, while weaving a compelling battle narrative. Hill's independent nature soon led to clashes with his two immediate superiors. As already mentioned, Hill despised Jackson and he did not care all that much for James Longstreet either. During the Peninsula Campaign, Hill and Longstreet got into a childish squabble that almost had tragic consequences. A war correspondent had been traveling with Hill's headquarters during that campaign. He wrote a series of newspaper articles that drastically inflated Hill's accomplishments at Mechanicsville and Fraser's Farm. According to Robertson, Longstreet felt slighted after he read the articles. Longstreet then wrote a "rebuttal," via his chief of staff, Moxley Sorrel and sent the letter to be published in a rival newspaper. Sorrel routinely acted as official liaison between Hill and Longstreet. After this incident, however, Hill refused to communicate with Sorrel. Consequently, Longstreet placed Hill under arrest. Hill, accosted Lee requesting he be relieved from Longstreet's command. A series of nasty letters passed between Hill and Longstreet until Hill finally challenged Longstreet to a duel. Lee had to quickly intercede to avoid a disaster. Another episode involved Hill's nemesis, Jackson. Lee had devised a plan for Hill's division to cross the Chicahominy River and attack Union forces at Mechanicsville. Hill was to wait until Jackson, enroute from his famed Shenandoah Campaign, arrived to support Hill's attack. On the morning of the scheduled day of the attack; Hill's division was assembled early and ready for battle. Hill's men waited for hours with no sign of Jackson. Finally at 3:00 PM, General Hill crossed the Chicahominy and advanced towards Mechanicsville without "Stonewall." Hill successfully drove the Federals from Mechanicsville; however, they dug in at Beaver Dam Creek and could not be dislodged. As a result, the day ended in stalemate with Hill suffering a high butcher's bill.Naturally, Hill blamed Jackson for failing to arrive at the rendezvous on time. The relationship between Hill and Jackson worsened, until Hill was ultimately placed under arrest for a second time, and, as punishment, Lee sent Hill to act as rear guard of Lee's army. This is how the Light Division, hitherto marching at the van , would find itself in Harper's Ferry while the Battle of Antietam was under way. As we know, Hill would redeem himself by saving Lee from possible defeat, and command a corps at Gettysburg. A federal sharpshooter ended the life of Gen. A.P. Hill on April 2, 1865, killing him while Hill reconnoitered his forward positions at Petersburg. Robertson's analysis of Hill's vulnerable pride, bordering on disrespect, the childish in-fighting within Lee's command, coupled with forceful battle narrative, makes this book difficult to put down. Five-stars and highly recommended!

however I can see how some civil war buffs would feel that this book looks at A.P. Hill through rose colored glasses. A.P. Hill was exactly the kind of general that Longstreet hated, proud, political, overly aggressive...He was passionate about his men and his cause but much like Hood lacked tactical and strategic skills. The corp he commanded at Gettysburg should have gone to D.H. Hill. In 1864 and 1865 he provided steady, reliable service but never distinquished himself.

For those used to Robertson's ponderous and derivitive offerings, this will come as no surprise. His "find" that Hill suffered from V.D. has been readily apparent to anyone who ever read the general's correspondence (and who can recognize a 19th century euphamism). As for the rest, Roberston's factual blunders (like his ridiculous mention of the non-existent shoe factory in Gettysburg) are surpassed only by his uncritical fawning over his subject.

A. P. Hill was a fine soldier. He deserves a better biographer.

General A. P. Hill has been too long ignored by historians despite his pivotal role in the Army of Northern Virginia. Robertson gives us an interesting account of the general's early life and career, including his cadet years at West Point, up until his tragic death just days before Appomattox. A must-read for any serious student of the War and for those interested by the early lives and training of War Between the States heroes.

Every college student is bound to learn sooner or later that if you're going to be considered an educated person, you have to understand that Marx held the magic idea that explains society--social class. History is the struggle of the poor against the wealthy.

Every educated person is familiar with Marx, but only the rarest individual has ever heard of Wilmot Robertson, one man (among others) who was much closer to the mark when he wrote in The Dispossessed Majority that history is the struggle of ethnic groups. The most cursory look at our past shows a clear pattern of conflict among groups, each seeing themselves as a "people."

Robertson carefully documents how social and political trends in 20th century America were the victories of a coalition of minority groups over the majority. His evidence is strong, and his insights are often stunning.

Unfortunately he makes a wrong turn when he answers the question of how to empower the majority and return society to a healthy course. Since he sees ethnic conflict as so fundamental and so costly, he recommends that America separate along ethnic lines into several nation-states.

At this point, the otherwise tough-minded Robertson becomes the pie-in-the-sky utopian. And what's more, he abandons the sense of fairness he often showed in the earlier part of his analysis. Tens of millions of minority citizens love America and would never leave it unless they were expelled, and as citizens they have a right not to be pushed out of their own country.

Ethnic competition is real and an important part of multiethnic societies, but the wiser recommendation to America's white majority is that they need to understand how they have interests as a group and that they have every right to protect those interests just like every other group does, but that such an awareness is all they need. Once whites come to understand that racelessness is powerlessness, they will not allow other groups to exploit them as they are now doing; they will reform the social and political system without the need for something as drastic as separation.

This book should be on the bookshelf of every European-American, and of every student of political science/social science/urban studies/etc.

Don't buy this book if you're a narrow-minded "liberal" (you might not like it).

White guilt,Affirmative Action is wrong,race quota's are the evil.The poor displaced white people. This book tries to act like minorities are the cause of Americas problems. When in reality these European ancestry people are. If other minorities didn't come to this country. It would fail behind. Fortune even wrote an articles about why America is starting to fall behind the east. They can't compete in a global environment. This country prospered when it wasn't global. Now other countries are giving it a run for its money.Of course European Ancestry people will blame minorities. Thats what they always try to do when they fail. Such as Hitler.White people have been given every advantage in this country. But know want to cry when other people surpass them. This book deserves zero stars. Written by a pathetic bigot.

I bought Wilmot Robertson's "The Dispossessed Majority" thinking I'd learn new things about anthropology and gain some political insights from a very learned man. In addition, I had read in an online review that Mr. Robertson felt some European groups (e.g., Spaniards, southern Italians, Greeks) were unassimilable in American society, so this piqued my interest in his writings.

I found the book to be well-written by an obviously cultivated man, but the book is very biased and draws arbitrary conclusions under the guise of scientific methodology. For example, Mr. Robertson asserts that Italian Americans and Greek Americans are not assimilable because of their pigmentation. He concludes this by falling into the proverbial racialist trap of projecting his own color sensitivites onto those he considers a part of his ingroup (i.e., Northern and Central Europeans).

This thinking goes against the common sense understanding of most people, including, presumably, demographers and sociologists, that Italian and Greek Americans, especially the former, have already been assimilated into the American mainstream. We see this in the popularity and the esteem men such as Rudy Giuliani, Joe DiMaggio, John Travolta, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, and other successful Italian Americans who have shaped the popular culture, are held. Right now 2 out of 9 Supreme Court justices are Italian American. It is said Italian Americans have a higher per capita income than the general population. In short, Mr. Robertson's claim that Italian Americans, and other Southern European groups, are unassimilable is not supported by evidence. Yet, astonishingly, despite the influence Italian Americans have had on the popular culture, especially with their numbers, he concludes that Alpines and Dinarics from Southeast Europe are assimilable, presumably because of their somewhat lighter pigmentation, even though their influence on American culture has been significantly less.

Mr. Robertson also has a difficult time accepting that Jewish Americans score higher on IQ tests than Americans of Northern European descent, claiming that Jewish IQ comparisons with White Americans of non-Jewish background are unfair or inaccurate because of the way Southern Europeans and possibly non-Whites counted as Whites are lumped into the White category. His one study cited to the contrary, Jewish Americans have fairly consistently outscored White Americans generally, and their IQs have also consistently beaten the nations of Northern Europe with relatively homogeneous societies. Kevin MacDonald, author of "The Culture of Critique," has no such difficulty accepting the IQ superiority of Jews, and in fact bases much of his theory on intergroup competition on IQ differentials such as those between Jews and non-Jews of European descent, in which Jews are seen to have a clear advantage.

There are other problems with the book, such as his categorization of two-thirds of the White population as "Nordic." He manipulates the facts gathered by physical anthropologists in a way which suits his political wishes. He writes about Nordic aesthetic superiority without seeming to realize that few White Americans, even of Northern European descent, are Nordic in the sense that Carleton Coon and other physical anthropologists used the term.

These are just a few problems with the book. I decided to stop reading the book half way, because it was time-consuming and much too tendentious for my taste. Reading a book is like an investment in terms of time, and I felt I wasn't getting enough value for my time. From what I understand, Mr. Robertson changed some of his views as he realized over time that the revolution he anticipated would not come, due to American complacency. Like I have mentioned, he projected his racialism onto his arbitrary ingroup.

Mr. Robertson's erudite manner of expression and his racial biases will ensure that among a certain hard-core minority his legacy as a thinker will live on. Among anthropologists, even those who do not resort to knee-jerk name-calling, many flaws in the book will be found and he will thus be relegated to the status of a political, though impassioned, crank.

Given the nature of racial politics, I suspect those praising the book are predisposed to praise it merely because their own biases are supported in the book. Likewise, as Mr. Robertson writes, those from racial outgroups are bound to attack ideas such as his own. How do we transcend this seemingly deterministic conundrum? One way to do this is to resort to the impersonal Western scientific method, in which case I'm afraid Mr. Robertson comes up short.

This is a remarkable book.

Its thesis, documented in exhaustive and fascinating detail, is that white Americans, whom the author refers to as "the Majority," or "Majority members" (terminology no doubt inspired by Richard Nixon's famous phrase, "the Silent Majority"), have had their nation and culture hijacked from them by "the liberal-minority coalition." Admittedly, such euphemistic terminology, appropriate at the time of the book's initial publication in 1972, seems less persuasive today. In no sense can whites realistically be regarded as a "Majority," demographically, economically, politically, or culturally, anymore.

The copy on the dust flaps reads, "In part an elegy, in part a galvanic recall to greatness, this mind-rousing book hammers home the theme that America has changed for the worse because its once dominant population group, the Americans of Northern European descent, the Majority, has been reduced to second-class status. It is racked by the moral debility of liberalism and the rampant virus of minority racism, which have diluted its group consciousness. Sick to the point of moral disintegration, the Majority has become the loser in a racial war. Since the liberal-minority coalition has emerged victorious on all fronts, it is not an overstatement to describe the losers as the Dispossessed Majority. Those who are assuming control of the United States have a long history of failure in the art of civilization. As always, what they cannot measure up to, they are driven to destroy. The regeneration of a dying people is an all-or-nothing mission that will strain Majority capabilities to the limit."

The biological substrate of race is analyzed via old-style physical anthropology rather than the (then) emerging field of population genetics. "Race was still the unspeakable historical determinant, although the loudest denouncers and deniers of race were, as always, the biggest racists." The thrust of the book, however, is overwhelmingly cultural--culture as refracted through the prism of race--in its approach, and it is this aspect which makes it one-of-a-kind, written not from an anti-white or non-white point of view like all other books on the market, but by and for the dispossessed majority itself. If you're white, it stimulates awareness--a consciousness of what it means to be white. Possibly the only other book that comes close to achieving the same effect is Madison Grant's classic The Conquest of a Continent (1933).

Starting with the biology and metaphysics of race, the author analyzes the racial composition of the U.S. (there is even a now-outdated but still illuminating racial census, the only one in recent times to enumerate the major divisions of the white race in America), encompassing two categories of white ethnics, the "assimilable" (Irish, Slavs, Hungarians, French Canadians, Finns and Balts) and the "unassimilable" (Albanians, Romanians, Bulgarians, southern Italians, Cubans, Basques, Iberians, Greeks, Turks, Arabs, Iranians, Armenians and Jews)--as well as unassimilable non-whites such as Negroes, Indians, and Mexicans. "While Assimilable Minorities generally have culture working against them but race working for them in the assimilation process, the Mediterranean minorities have culture and race working against them." A chapter fifty pages in length is devoted to the Jews due to their out-sized role in the dissolution of the Majority population.

Art, religion, education, liberalism, conservatism, democracy, economics, crime, law, foreign policy, and nuclear war are examined in light of their underlying racial and ethnic components. The chapter entitled "The Split in the Ranks" categorizes anti-white whites as "Gracchites" (aristocrats like FDR and the Rockefellers), "Trucklers" (politicians and journalists like Hubert Humphrey and Benjamin Bradlee), "Pussyfooters" (don't-rock-the-boat businessmen, professionals, and academics), "Old Believers" (honest but misguided liberals like journalist Dorothy Thompson, historian Charles Beard, and the Quakers), and "Proditors" (traitors like John Brown, Alger Hiss, and Jane Fonda).

Three separate editions of the book (1972, 1976, 1981) exist in hardcover and softcover formats, as does an abridged paperback edition lacking the invaluable footnotes. So it's desirable to know which one you're buying. (This review is based upon the 1981 Third Revised Edition.) Despite an extremely effective campaign of suppression waged against the book, including exclusion from trade distribution channels, newspapers and magazines refusing to review it and bookstores to stock it, and even denial of paid advertising space, it has sold approximately 200,000 copies to date.

The pseudonymous author, who died in 2005, operated a small, privately-owned publishing firm, Howard Allen Enterprises, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. He also authored two other books--Ventilations (1974; rev. ed. 1982), a slender volume of stimulating essays, and The Ethnostate (1992). From 1975 to 2000 Robertson edited and published the monthly magazine Instauration. It and the unrelated William L. Pierce-era National Vanguard magazine (1970-1997) constituted the premier radical intellectual underground periodicals of the racialist movement in the United States in the last quarter of the twentieth century.

The density and fineness of The Dispossessed Majority's text, enhanced by over 1,291 footnotes, appendixes, bibliography, and a comprehensive index, makes it an absorbing source of information, the sort of book you'll consult again and again.

"At all events," the author writes, "the Majority will soon be out of limbo. There is nowhere for it to go but up--or all the way down." The book's admonitory epigraph is from T. S. Eliot's "East Coker" in Four Quartets:

In order to possess what you do not possess
You must go by the way of dispossession.

A nonlinear story that can get confusing if you are unaware of the JLA. I thought it was a little hard to follow a times with all of it's "wild" layout.

The Justice League of America have to contend with the fact that they are now powerless, in a world where a whole lot of other people now have usper powers. Obviously something is not right, and they have to go about finding out what is going on.

This is all tied up with the horrific abilities of Doctor Destiny.

With the Midsummer's Nightmare the league is returned to greatness. No more second stringers only the big guns. This book reprints the entire three issue limited series form 1996 the year heroes returned fromt he dark ages.

IT is no longer an era of grim and gritty heroes who you are not sure if you should be rooting for. This book shows you that heroes are good and are looking to save the world. A really fun story that captures the imagination with its wide scope and properly using all seven of the Justice Leaguers. After reading this you will know something about each one that you may not have known before. The Justice League is now a group of the most powerful heroes on the planet, they may not always like each other but they can put those differences aside to save the world. I recomend this book to anyone who is a fan of the heroes. Anyone who always said the League is cool but they just aren't breathtaking. Well this book is certainly a start int he right direction not just for the Justice League but comics in general.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE accomplished what I wanted it to do, re-establish the true core of the Justice League of America. Originally purchased in the mini-series format, it combines the Super Seven against Doctor Destiny to unwrap the loopy world they have been all trapped on. Definitely for the hard-core JLA fan, of which I am. This version of the team is the best one out of the three that have existed so far.

This is one of those stories that starts really well but doesn't end well. The world is full of "normal" people bequethed with super powers and those who should have super powers have no memory of their past. The writing is tight and the story compelling. Why three stars? The adversary to our heroes is poorly thought out--dare I say stupid (stupid origin, stupid powers, stupid motivations). When the master plan was finally revealed I was left thinking THAT's IT! It seemed contrived. It was a perfect buildup to nothing. This was a good concept that failed to be big enough in scope. I would buy it if you are really into the Justice League. There are good moments for all of the cast, but if there are other stories you could buy first--please do. I don't regret buying this as I am a fan of the genre. I'm simply disappointed with where this story might have went.

The issues collected here are much better than the ones found in the previous volume, Army of One, as we see former Preacher and Hellblazer scribe Garth Ennis get a little bit more comfortable as he throws us some of the bizarre and insanely dark humor that he is known for. There's much to admire, from a reporter handcuffing himself to Frank to get a story, to Frank taking a trip to Ireland; but the real highlight is the two issue arc in which the overly too popular X-Men member Wolverine gets his claw popping arse handed to him. Darick Robertson (who struck gold with Ennis on the Fury and Born mini-series) supplies the pencils on those two issues, and his art is just plain awesome. The only problem with Business as Usual is the constraints of the PG+ rating don't allow Ennis to get into the over the top bloodbath that he writes so meticulously, but other than that, this is one of the best Marvel Knights Punisher volumes available.

Bisiness as Usual is the third volume in the Marvel Knights Punisher series. Nice work but not as good as the last 2 volumes of this series. Garth Ennis unleashes a little more of the Preacher side of him, especially in the story arc in which Frank Castle aka Punisher, teams-up with Wolverine, the plot is a bit more bizzare. But I think that Ennis just might be trying a little too hard on being bizzare, I think he should just let it flow, writing bizzare and amazing stories is in his blood.

This TPB consists of 4 story arcs, the first is about the Punisher taking on a mission to rescue a mob boss. Why? Even since this boss was kidnapped, the mob have been turning on itself, and the innocents that may be killed when the mobsters have their war is what made Frank take this mission. Then an insane journalist looking for "the exclusive" handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get a story on him. Next, the team-up of the Punisher and Wolverine fighting an army of midgets trying to take over the New York underworld. This story arc is a bit more bizzare than the previous Punisher stories written by Ennis. That bizzarness that you find in Ennis's works is usually what I like about him, but in Punisher, his bizzarness just doesn't work as well as it did for Preacher to me. Dark humor, violence, and a little bit of his trademark bizzarness is the best for Punisher, along with an interesting cast of supporting characters. The best book to find all these qualities is Welcome Back, Frank also written by Ennis, and pencilled by Steve Dillon. Anyways, the last story brings Frank to Garth Ennis's home in Belfast, Ireland, where Frank comes face to face with the terrorism and useless violence in Ireland.

The art for the most part is pretty good, although I'd like Steve Dillon to pencil all of the stories instead of just a couple. I think Dillon's style is the best for Punisher, there's just no one that can draw Punisher as well as he does.

So, the book is worth your money if you're a dedicated Ennis or Punisher fan, but if you're not, or if you are looking for work like the stuff from Welcome Back, Frank, you might not enjoy this too much.

Garth Ennis, the genius responsible for "Parents-Need-Guidance" books like "Preacher", "Hellblazer" and "Just A Pilgrim" is back and this time he's working on the book that he was born to write - Marvel Comics' "Punisher". He's responsible for bringing the character back to greatness with his "Welcome Back, Frank" arc and immediately Marvel put him on the regular series. The first story from the regular series is collected in the "Army of One" paperback and this book, "Business As Usual" is the second collection from that same run.

This story collects three stories:
[1] Punisher rescues Don Casino, a godfather, from South America so that he can call a meeting in New York with the other dons. That way, he can wipe them all out in the same place.
[2] An overzealous reporter handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get the "scoop" on him. Needless to say, the results ain't pretty!
[3] Punisher fights Wolverine and an army of "Mini-Mes"

Garth's "Punisher" is constantly frowned upon by the literati of the comics world for its ultra-violence. In my opinion, anybody who thinks that this book is too violent should get his/her brains examined! The violence in this book is akin to that of "Tom & Jerry" cartoons or "Road Runner". It's meant to be over-the-top and funny. My problem with Ennis' "Punisher" is not the violence. After all, you're reading a book called "Punisher" - not "Betty and Veronica"! My problem is that Ennis seemed to be a little too flippant in his writing at times. While the pacing, the attitude, the humour, the freakish characters, etc. are all top-notch, something is still missing from the title (especially for us old fogies who grew up with the Steven Grant version of the character). I think the angst is no longer there. And after a while, the mindless violence and toilet-humour can get a little tired. Fortunately, Ennis realized this also and gave us "BORN", which led to his far-superior "Punisher" run on Marvel MAX presently.

Covering Marvel Knights Punisher issues #13-18, Punisher: Business as Usual is one of the strongest offerings from the series of Punisher novels. Ennis is at the height of his scripting power on this series.

#13 and #14 chronicles Punisher on an unlikely mission of mercy to rescue a hostage in South America. For those of you that are rolling your eyes and groaning, this isn't a return to Punisher's War Journal days. This is a crazy Ennis thrill ride filled with twists, turns, and improbabilities.

#15 is the tale of a reporter willing to do whatever it takes to get the story, even if that's making a deal with the devil, or handcuffing himself to the Punisher to see what Frank does on a typical night. With Detective Soap's life in the balance, the Punisher must decide what is good and what is evil...

#16 and #17 are what this series if all about. The Mob, Wolverine, midgets, and a series of unfortunate events. I don't want to give too much away, but please, read these two issues at least a couple of times. The second time, pay attention to the facial expressions. Robertson does a brilliant job that has to be seen to be believed!

In #18 Ennis spotlights his home territory of Ireland, sending the Punisher across the pond. Here we see what `pointless' violence really is.

The bottom line is if you are a fan of Punisher, Wolverine, Ennis, or Robertson, then please take the time and money to get this book. You won't be sorry!

This is the first book where you can tell Garth Ennis is feeling like his old self again and is confident enough to introduce the bizarre writing style that made him famous with Hellblazer and Preacher to the world of The Punisher. The storytelling is leaps and bounds above what was found in "Welcome Back, Frank" and "Army of One." From the offbeat tale of the reporter determined to get his story to the shockingly violent and absolutely hysterical crossover with Wolverine; this book fuses the two sides of Garth Ennis and has enough to please fans of his earlier work with fans of The Punisher. It really is the best of both worlds, but Garth is just gettin' started!

I wanted to read Beowulf before seeing the movie, so I decided to listen to this audio edition of it, and I really liked it. It has all the elements of a great fantasy story such as great heroes and kings and horrible monsters. The performance by Robertson Dean was excellent. His voice matched the story perfectly. I had a little trouble with all the names, though. But that didn't make it impossible to follow the story.

The cover of the book, Beowulf, was most satisfactory for the story and charge for the book. Thank you.

This is a good vs evil story, in one sense. You have a dwelling full of people having a good time, but a monster decides to cause a bit of carnage.

This causes much cowering and wailing, until the intrepid hero Beowulf decides to see if he can go and inflict some steel based damage upon the unfortunate monster, Grendel.

I once made the joke that Grendel was the first beo-degradable monster in history...

GROAN!

When I gave this joke to an English professor, he used it in class, and promptly returned it to me.

Okay. I'll accept that. But, Beowulf deserves the kind of serious attention that would prompt people to want to make bad jokes about it (unimportant things are ignored; only important things are held up in jest).

Beowulf is an old poem--often considered the first in English. This is technically not true, for linguistic and other reasons (where the demarcations of English beginnings fall are debatable; also there is the fact that there are older poems, just not epic poems). An epic is a long, narrative poem, a literary form undervalued today, but which was probably the equivalent of a Cecil B. DeMille production in more ancient times. The Illiad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Gilgamesh--all these are epic poems. Generally, they recount heroic deeds, and most often were composed and intended as oral history. Beowulf consists of 3182 existing lines.

Scholars also disagree on the 'British heritage' of the poem, many believing it more likely to be an import from Anglo-Saxon European homelands than a composition original to the Britain. The tale does portray two leaders, Hrothgar, leader of the Danes, and Beowulf, leader of the Geats, a Swedish tribe. These are interconnected through generations of family intermarriages, and Beowulf because of this loyalty takes his men to help defend Hrothgar's home against the monster Grendel.

The tale of Beowulf involves heroism, sacrifice, loyalty, warfare, conflict and resolution--all the elements that go into a good action feature. It also has moral overtones (so it was meant to educate and inspire as well as entertain). It carries the strong message that a fighting man's allegiance to the overlord and to God should be absolute (something that is often instilled in soldiers of today). It is almost decidedly Klingon in the glorification of battle (in fact, I've often wondered if the Star Trek universe took a leaf out of this epic to create the Klingon idea)--Beowulf fights three battles (a holy trinity of battles, almost), dying gloriously in the final battle with a great dragon, after having lived an honourable and courageous life.

This story contains elements of both early Christianity and late paganism, however in some cases the Christian aspects may be later additions by monks who transcribed the manuscripts (monks were noted for doing that in many circumstances, including Biblical texts). The oldest existing manuscript dates from about the tenth century and is preserved in the British Museum.

This particular translation is by Robert Kay Gordon, and was originally published as part of a collection on Anglo-Saxon poetry in 1926. This is more of an academic translation, with a great deal of attention paid to translating the fullness of each word (modern English is far more wordy than its Old English forerunner). This translation is done much more in the style of a prose-poem, which is entirely appropriate if one thinks about it - prose was virtually unknown to Old English literature, so anything that we might in our modern times think of as being appropriate to prose would still have had a poetic treatment at the time.

A great poem, and good translation in prose form, bridging the past and the present together in a good way. I will agree with another reviewer that Heaney's more recent translation is a better translation for today, but this affordable text is a useful one also for those who want to get yet more out of the tale of Beowulf.

So we all had to plow throught this poem wit its unpronounceable names, and far-off places that one on has ever heard of.

So why bother? I think that Joseph Cambell has made the point over and over again that there is more to these stories than mere entertainement. These legends were not only history, but they were also CULTURE, intended to CULTIVATE a civilization. We learn of order, honor, and duty as were read a rough legend as Beowulf. These legends held socitey togeather. We studied them in our English classes, but we should be reading them in our history, philosophy, and relgious classes too. Ther is more to these stories than a good time.

There are two main drawback to this translation. The first is that it is in prose form, rather than the poetic form, so we loose some of the majesty of the tale. The early classics were alays poems, not only toaid in memeory, but to set it apart from normal conversation. This was to be sacred words describing sacred events.

The second problem, is that the translation is very rough and wordy. The essence of poetry is is brevity--quick thoughts quickly spoken. The wordiness almosrt makes this poem a transliteration rather than a translation. It is not converational English, but sounds like it was done by a musty scholar to appease other musty scholars.

I reccomed Seamus Heaney's recent translation. The pome has been given a second birth by this smmmother and even poetric translation. His version is converational, firendly, and has the spark of genius that you woyuld expect from a Nobel lauriate.

Full of beautifully photographed vignettes that capture the essence of French style. The photographed interiors featured are not lavish or ostentations, but instead, pleasingly simple showcasing a style that is easily accessible. The book offers ideas for every living space--indoors and out. Interesting historical bits provide background information with a sensibility that is relevant to today's modern living. The French have a consummate knack for blending the old with the new. If you have a love for all things worn, this book is delightful and inspiring.

Happily, for those of us who truly love French style, viewpoint and decor, there are some very fine books available. This is one of them.

I was dismayed at some earlier reviews because this book truly captures the french respect for time and process, connection with Nature and the eye for placement based on function,soulfulness and items well loved. It is entirely appropriate that one reviewer who missed the point praised the Betty Lou Phillips books which are always only a sterile surface amalgamation of what rich Texans GUESS french style is about.

Like all the important things in life, you either get it or you don't. HOCKEY FAN needs to stick to hockey.

Absolutely fantastic book! Great ideas, great style! Highly recommended to any with a keen interest in interior decor - french style!

Happy to report that I found this book had lots of useful and chic ideas that can be easily translated to "Kiwi" New Zealand interiors. I happily recommend this book. Sumptuous images and an easy style. There is even a painting in one of the rooms by a New Zealand artist whose work I also have...what a small world!

What is a French Home anyway? Is there such a thing as an American Home?

I was smitten by this book -- it was love at first sight. I'm not necessarily a big fan of French decorating per se. I do like the European country look, however. I also happen to like Japanese home-decorating style, which has a lot more in common with the look presented in this book than you might think, and I actually mix the two in my own home.

The reviewers who were disappointed in this book probably associated "French" with rich, opulent, fluffy, and even ornate. This book isn't about ornate. It's about rustic. It's about valuing history and character in the homes you live in and things you live with.

It of course is not the way ALL French people live.

And as a response to the reviewer who were disappointed because the book showed photos of objects, not of rooms, I'd like to say: In decorating you need to see the big picture as well as the small pictures. Often, it's the small things that really tell the story. If you are looking for ways to add that special touch to your rooms, this is a great book because the photos give you lots of ideas and inspiration. If not, you may not get much out of the book.

All in all, I am very satisfied with the book, and I've been looking at it every day.

This book was hilarious, and, like other reviewers, I could not put it down. I especially enjoyed Chuck Pahalunuik's (sp?) tale of a post-Fight Club reading that went whacko in San Francisco. Enjoy!

As MORTIFICATION's introduction points out, there is something unique about the humiliation writers endure having to do with the odd intersection of "high mindedness and low income." And there is something uniquely fascinating about reading various tales of writers being laid low by misfortune herein.

The bite-sized chapters are varied in quality, but most go down easily and with a painful smile. I must say that I was surprised many of the more successful writers have the most disappointing efforts in this volume. Are they too successful to devote their full attention to a two-page reminiscence? Anyway, these offenders range from the so-so (Jonathan Lethem), to the tossed-off (Michael Ondaatje), to the downright crummy (Chuck Palahniuk).

But the book's few low points are redeemed by other writers (lots of poets and Scots) who detail their mortification with elan and humor. These include Jonathan Coe, Julian Barnes (I laughed out loud at both of theirs), and Rick Moody (at one of his readings, there was only one attendee who "hadn't expelled me from her uterus.") Other writers I wasn't familiar with who distinguished themselves were Elizabeth McCracken and Michael Holroyd. Great stuff.

"I'm not going to buy a book, but you looked so lonely there, I thought I'd come and talk to you."

Thus concludes writer John Banville's contribution to MORTIFCATION, in which he tells of a last-minute book signing engagement in Miami, during which he was approached by a potential customer, who is quoted above. This single incident perhaps best reflects the insecurities of the seventy writer-contributors to this volume, which is mostly about their humiliations suffered at various book signings, book fairs, and readings.

MORTIFICATION is essentially a collection of very personal very short stories. Like any anthology, it's difficult to generally rate because the individual chapters vary so widely in content, style, and appeal. Here, they range from 1 star to perhaps 4.5, with the majority at or above 3.

My least favorite came from John Burnside, who categorized mortification into Mild and Persistent forms, and a Virulent Strain. His definitions for the three were perhaps based on personal experience, but they didn't have that ring, so he may have missed the point of the book.

Personally, I most enjoyed those stories of humiliation submitted by David Harsent and Andrew Motion. The former, a poet, relates attending a bookshop reading with three other writers of the genre. Harsent attends so drunk that he falls asleep on stage, then loudly projectile vomits in the shop loo within the audience's hearing. Motion's gaffe occurred while a lecturer of English at the University of Hull. Andrew organizes a university poetry reading, and takes upon himself the task of picking up at the train station one of the invited writers, whom he hopes to recognize based solely on a photograph. In short, he picks up the wrong woman, who compounds the debacle by playing along with the error in order to get a free lunch.

Editor Robin Robertson saves for last the profound mortification - profound certainly on anyone's list - of Niall Griffiths, who relates waking up with a raging erection brought on by partaking too freely in powdered stimulants the night before. The humiliation lies not in the tumescent condition itself, but what happens when Griffiths relieves the situation to a woman's magazine article entitled "You Too Can Have A Bum Like Kylie's", complete with photos. The "Kylie" is presumably the gorgeous Australian actress/singer Kylie Minogue. In any case, Niall definitely states that he was scarred for life.

The lesson learned in MORTIFICATION is that writers have feelings like the rest of us mortals. Perhaps I should leave off writing book reviews for fear of offending vulnerable sensitivities. .......... Nah!

Just a couple clunkers in this fulfilling plane-ride read. Mostly Brit authors tout the other side of achieving (varying degrees of) literary fame. One of my favorites was the essay about the children's book writer, who'd read one book in her life.

Terrific gift for any writer, poet, publisher or editor (or wannabe) you know.

This is an interesting and funny compendium of accounts by fiction and poetry writers who detail their humiliating experiences as authors. After reading the book one wonders at the lengths to which novelists or poets are willing to go to promote their books.

There seem to be two main events that cause the mortification of novelists and poets:

1. Book readings. The worst possible thing that can happen at a reading is that nobody shows up for the reading. Or is it? How about when you are told that your book stunk. Or there is another author reading with you, and afterwards his book signing line stretches off toward the horizon while in front of you there is nothing but silent open space from here to the Andromeda galaxy.

I learned a curious thing about poets. Many of those represented in this book seem to have a drinking problem. Many recount experiences where they mounted the podium in a very inebriated condition, and surprisingly their drunkenness often isn't the humiliating problem. That they are besotted with drink doesn't seem to bother them in the least.

2. Media Interviews. The author typically arises at an early hour and is whisked off to a radio station for a 6AM interview. The interviewer typically has never heard of the author or his book, and has no interest in either. Questions posed are about what the author thought of his mother, or are generally of the "what is your favorite color" type of solicitation.

Some of these confessions of mortification are hilarious. One writer was put up for the night by an elderly couple who owned two very large, very hyperactive Boxer dogs. They continually leapt on him and the other guests throughout the evening, their enthusiasm being so great that they frequently lost control of their bladders. They prowled about under the dining table for the entire meal, and you can guess what all they got into there.

What mystified me most was that some of the contributors to the book seemed to have misunderstood the assignment. Their responses, in my opinion, had nothing to do with humbling experiences resulting from their trade of writing. The final episode, for instance, recounts the writer's experience being caught in the bathroom indulging in a certain solitary pleasure. Hmmm. A couple of respondents seemed to feel that this was a splendid opportunity to write some experimental literature.

All in all a fun read if you are a book lover, and are curious about the lives of those who write them. I am acquainted with about half the authors (such as Margaret Atwood, Carl Hiaasen, William Trevor, Paul Muldoon, Charles Simic, Billy Collins, and Margaret Drabble). The rest were new to me, but no less enjoyable.