Robertson Books

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.

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!

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!

A great general book for hobby artists but not quite what I was looking for at the time. It provided some great tips and information for the at home craftsperson, who wants to make one-off designs.

Recommend it for that purpose highly.

There is some good information in this book but it is poorly organized. Sections seem to jump around sometimes leaving out important information, but wait, there it is a couple of pages later. The book needs a good editor and complete redesign. I found it frustrating to tease out the information I needed. Good luck on the next edition.

This is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in screenprinting. Not only does it review great safety tips and technqiues but there are many inspiriational images which show the full potential of screen printing.

this book is a good book if you would like to get into screen printing. this book focuses more on the art of screen printing(art prints etc..)and not t shirts. if you wantto print tshirts, get scott fresners book on screen printing. this book covers alot of ground and its detailed quite well.doesnt tell you how to separate colors using a computer.

Good basic info for beginning screenprinters and more advanced screenprinters who want to set up their own studio.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

I am glad I got this book. It proves to me how much the Big Lewboski really rocks!

Every once and while I look for books to re-inspire my need to make films. This is one of those useful books for people interested in the real filmmaking process. This book doesn't have useless interviews about how much fun the actors had working with a director but covers every thought and decision the crew had to make in the production. If you're a Coen Brother's fan, you'll also be interested to gain some insight into how they invent and produce their signiture films.

The Big Lebowski is my all-time favorite movie; I bought this book hoping to read lengthy interviews with the cast, see behind-the-scenes photos and stills from the film, etc. Instead, this book deals with the technicalities of the Coen brothers' film making in general, with The Big Lebowski only serving as the most-often referenced case-in-point. So I'd say read this if you're interested in the Coens' film making technique, but if you're interested in The Big Lebowski specifically you won't really find much here.

I've never felt so intellectually abused by a book as to resort to writing a scathing review like this on Amazon. This book is mind-bogglingly aweful! It reads like an 8th grade book report. It has no pretense of a plot and does amazingly little to actually delve into the making of the Big Lebowski. Don't buy it! Half of it is literally just the author monotonously describing what *happens* in the Big Lebowski. YES, repeating what you've watched in the movie!! Page upon page reads like "and then the dude goes into...and then...and then..." Much of the rest is an incredibly egotistical author bragging about how "in" he is with the Coens and prattling on about his interactions with them and how well he knows them. The author's grasp of english is profoundly poor and his "hip" slang falls utterly flat and non-sensical as he tries to invent numerous non-words. Even the pictures have nothing to do with their placement in the text. The ONLY redeeming characteristic of the book is that the author includes many long quotes from the Coens and the people who work closely with them.

This book was co-written by William Preston Robertson who is someone, if you've studied the end credits of the Coens' early film, who has worked on their films in various capacities. He's often provided voiceovers where needed and even offered a place for them to crash when they developed writer's block while working on the screenplay for Miller's Crossing.

So, he writes this book with an insider's perspective. At every opportunity he makes fun of them (as only a close friend can) and spends the first part of the book tracing their career up to The Big Lebowski. The rest of the book plays out as a quasi-Making Of that is quite an entertaining read. For example, he places their film in the grand tradition of bowling noir, a very rarified subgenre of the film noir. Robertson is quite funny as he pontificates about this subgenre at some length.

If I had one complaint about the book is the amount of detail that is gone into about the storyboarding process which I could have done without. But this is a minor quibble at best.

Robertson's style of writing is very casual and easy to read--it won't take you long to get through this book. If you are a hardcore fan of the Coens, then you will definitely enjoy this book and all the little, inside jokes. It will certainly deepen your appreciation for the film and acts as a great companion-piece.

Walter Scott's "Bride of Lammermoor" became so famous in its day (the first third of the 19th century) that it even became the source of one of Donizetti's operas, "Lucia di Lammermoor", a work that, today, is probably better known than Scott's novel. However, a comparison between the two reveals that Donizetti, or his libretto-writer, fairly massacred Scott's story, which, in the original, is a good deal more involved than a two-and-a-half-hour opera can do justice to. The book is based, as was often Scott's wont, on a true story which he had heard as a youth. Its tragic outcome is nowhere in doubt, and the magic of the book is certainly not suspense; rather, it lies in Scott's superb historical portrayal of Scottish manners and customs at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century (including some fascinating allusions to Scottish superstitions later to be taken up in his Studies on Demonology and Witchcraft), perhaps also in the book's implicit criticism of arranged marriages and other pseudo-pious customs today known less among non-conformist Christians than among adherents of certain other faiths. At any rate, this is certainly more than a Gothic romance, its only failing being, in my opinion, the lack of real personality evinced by its heroine, Lucy Ashton, although, as editor Fiona Robertson points out, her circumstances deny her any opportunity of expression. Ms. Robertson has provided the Oxford World's Classics edition with a splendid introduction, probably best read after enjoying the novel, a bibliography, a chronology of Walter Scott, an overview of the main political events of the period (often referred to in the course of the story), wreaths of copious notes on details of Scott's text (including some painstaking research into the source of his quotations; I only noticed one Bible quote that Ms. Robertson had failed to recognize, and her indications of where Scott quotes from Shakespeare's dramas were a great help in understanding Scott's frame of reference), and last but not least an extremely helpful glossary with most if not all of the Scots dialect and other of those difficult words in which Scott's text abounds.

If you are unfamiliar with Scott's Waverley novels, I suggest you turn to "The Heart of Midlothian", "Old Mortality" or "Guy Mannering" as a starting point. But "The Bride of Lammermoor" is in every respect, and particularly in this edition, a worthy addition to the series of "Waverley" novels.

A rather weird novel that does not lack local flavour and even comical characters is the result of Scott's excursion into gothic style of writing. The atmosphere of the novel is perfectly eerie. Falling down residences, a mad old woman, the shadow of death on Lammermoor from the beginning. A feud between to families in which the Ashtons, have taken over all the possessions of the Ravenswoods, forces Edgar, the only offspring of that ill-fated house, to live in the decaying Wolf's Crag. A grim prophecy foretells his end, if he ever should ride to Ravenswood (now inhabited by the Ashton's, among others the gentle Lucy). And, last but not least, he himself senses that he will never by happy. It is no surprise that the dreamer Lucy falls in love with this dark hero after he has saved her and her father from an angry bull. It is clear from the very beginning that this love can only end in despair, madness and death. Which is, in my opinion, not a flaw of the book, but one of the things that make it special. - Even Lucy and Edgar must know that their love will never come to a good end, but yet they follow the path of their destiny; they can not help themselves. It is that sense of doom that makes the instants at the fountain so precious and moving, or the moment where the lightening illuminates the profiles of the lovers in Edgar's derelict castle. The characters try to act, but in one way or the other are manipulated by Lady Ashton. She IS fate, or much more nemesis. Her "victims" don't have a chance. But the book has more to offer than just a tale of stark tragedy. Scott draws vivid pictures of his characters, for example Caleb (Edgar's faithful old servant) - and plays with the his rough humour against the sombre background. Or the strange people of the village and the weird women in the graveyard who must have been characteristic for rural Scotland in Scott's day. All in all it is a capturing book one is not likely to forget so soon.

Sir Walter Scott was once considered the equal of Shakespeare by some. His influence on 19th century literature was immense. What's more, he still offers good reading. You might not know it from the typical undergraduate British literature survey text, though, where he is likely to be neglected in favor of writers more fashionable today.

I had to read Scott on my own -- fired by the enthusiasm of C. S. Lewis, whose essay on Scott in SELECTED LITERARY ESSAYS is warmly recommended. The first one I read, Kenilworth, wasn't all that good. Better were The Antiquary, Redgauntlet, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, and Waverley. This novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, is a good one to start with -- being not as long as many of his masterpieces. I suggest the first-time reader skip to the second chapter and start there. Be independent! Find out for yourself why your great-great-great grandparents loved this guy. If you like a warm-hearted storyteller, you should look into Sir Walter.

By the end of this novel, I was leaving late for things because I had trouble putting it down, even though I knew how it ended. I cannot say if it is too predictable or not: being a classic people are always giving away the plot, and even Scott did that in his introduction, Even if he hadn't, it was adapted into an opera, which was discussed on a program I saw recently. If you have managed to get to the story without knowing the plot, you may wish to skip the introduction by Scott and anyone else until the end.

I found it not only a good narrative, but an unexpectedly complicated one. Scott seems somewhat ambivalent about many of the issues that he addresses and gives multiple points of view from the aristocrats to the peasantry. Thus, one can see a certain nostalgic glamor to the continuance of an ancient noble house in possession of its estates, the deserving qualities of the rising people who displace them, and also the resentment and poverty of the peasants. It is sometimes humorous and frequently cynical. His ambivalence towards his characters in interesting. This was a historical novel set over 100 years before when it was first written. Scott had as one of his purposes the recording of traditional Scottish customs, and this adds considerably to the interest and charm of the book. There is an appendix in this edition containing a timeline for the novel and Scottish history that I recommend that anyone not familiar with the time and place read first.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, although it has features that I know will put off some readers. Fortunately or unfortunately, the novel includes a small number of notes by Scott, designated in the text by numbers. Some are important for understanding, some just seem to afford the opportunity to whimsically throw in the odd tale or song. The editor has added an enormous number of notes, some of them essential, some a bit of a distraction while reading. There is also an extensive, and in my case necessary, glossary of Scots. One of the things that impressed me about the writing is that even with flipping back to the notes and glossary so frequently, the narrative still gripped my interest. Some readers may find this intolerable, I leave it to each to decide their own tastes.

This edition also contains a brief biography and a chronology of Sir Walter Scott. Variations of this novel were published, this is described as the "Magnum Opus" version. A note on the text is included.

I have also been told told, by authentic natives of Scotland, that the language and the people are definitely referred to as Scots and as Scottish or Scotch. Whatever!

I read the biography of Anna Cora Mowatt, "Lady of Fashion." As the brightest theatre star of the 1840s-1850s, she starred in a stage version of "The Bride of Lammermoor." In addition to the opera, there were two stage adaptations of Scott's novel. I haven't been able to locate either of the stage versions, but I did check out Scott's book to read the story.

This is a tale that keeps your interest throughout. I found the Scottish dialect a bit hard to wade through although I "ken" understand it for the most part. Oddly, the first chapter starts with the tale of Dick Tinto who apparently relates this story to our narrator. Tinto is referred to in one other place in the novel. However, his story appears attached and unrelated to what comes after.

The tale of Lord Ravenswood and the demise of his family's fortune is an interesting one. Lucy Ashton's attachment to him happens quickly and seems as if it were enchanted. Alice, the old blind woman who foretells the lovers' fate, is a rich and vibrant character. The servant Caleb is hilarious as he manufactures excuses why the best food and accommodations cannot be given to Ravenswood's guests, even to the point of breaking empty bottles as he enters a room and then using that as an excuse for not having wine to serve. Lady Ashton seems to be more controlling than alert, missing all of the signals of her daughter's mental state nor particularly caring about them. The story's outworking after the wedding with Ravenswood's disappearance into the mist is likewise strange, with both he and his horse forever gone. I enjoyed this book, its gothic castles, the hunt, the commonfolk and the political alliances.

The novel written in 1819 holds up remarkably well 188 years later. Scott paces the unfolding of the adventure well, keeping the reader wanting to reach for one more chapter to uncover the next incident. While we never stop rooting for the lovers, we know that love's course never did run smooth! Enjoy!

Taylor, as Lee's trusty staff member thoughout the war, is a great reference on Lee. Not all his words are to be taken at face value, however. For example, he had provided himself with a lovely suie with a piano and all he needed, far grander than Lee's abode. When Lee commented that Taylor had himself "finely fixed" there, Taylor responded " It will do." Lee was rightfully astounded, and left, although Taylor does not phrase it this way. Just a warning.

A history of the Civil War by Lee's aide Walter Herron Taylor.

This is more a history than a memoir, and I get the impression that Taylor's other book has more personal reminiscence, though I haven't had a chance to see it yet. It clearly has served as a major source for generations of scholars; it describes most of the ANV's actions with a fair amount of detail and also discusses Lee's early campaign in West Virginia. The numerical strengths of the armies are tabulated in detail.

Taylor's hero-worship of Lee is clear in his analyses of events and in the appended anniversary address, which doesn't make this a less useful source but should be taken into account.

As did Gilbert Moxley Sorrel (Longstreet), staff officer Walter Taylor offers his insights of the War of Southern Independence. Indeed, Taylor has rightful claim to his judgements, as his acquaitance with Lee offered him first-hand knowledge of events. However, I caution future readers that this is NOT a memoir or diary per se - Taylor rarely gives any unique slants to anything, and more often than not, seems occupied with setting the "numbers straight" - many, many, many tables and charts are provided giving the numbers available for this battle and that battle, etc...I suggest this book only for serious students of the war - and more particularly, those wanting "first-hand" data on "numbers." Of final interest, though, is Taylor's disdain for Hiram U. Grant (accurately recognizing Grant as a true butcher - merely throwing big numbers at an under-manned, under-supllied army) and the insertion of a speech given upon the anniversary of Genl Lee's birthday (albeit NOT written, or presented by Taylor himself)

Wonderful book describing the massive work and devotion to duty that General Lee adhered to. Written by his A.A.G. A must read for southern patriots.

Taylor's approach to covering the history of the Confederate struggle is encouraging to read. Though the title of this book tends to be a bit misleading. It should be called Four years of Confederate history. Taylor tends to describe battle movements and give calculations as to the manpower of divisions, brigades and regiments to a dragging sense. This books I recommend highly for those trying to get an accurate count of soldiers available for each battle, how many were casualties, after battle net amounts,etc.. Rarely are daily affairs of Lee covered. When I read this book I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't a book about General Lee and his daily livelyhood as I wanted to read about. Since Taylor was Lee's secretary I thought who better than to describe Lee's motives, attitudes, triumphs and defeats? Very rarely did Taylor ever mention Lee in this manner. Not enough to capture the man and tell his story. This book is a quick refresh of battles and movements throughout the war of the Army of Northern Virginia which hardly fits being called Four Years With General Lee. Credit is due to Taylor's ability to calculate total manpower and army positions throughout the four years though falls way short in covering Lee.

The prospect of Davies penning ghost stories delighted me, so I purchased High Spirits for my annual October spooky reading. These stories are fun, but there's no getting around the fact that I was hugely disappointed. They are comic, not scary or even groteque. They were written to entertain his colleagues and students, and they are kind of dull for the general public...especially as the premise is basically the set-up for all 18 stories. Nevertheless, even without enjoying the tales themselves, Davies never fails to be an engaging writer, and his first person narration is often clever and amusing in his own unique style. Worth the read, but for Davies fan's only.

Every story in this book is a joy. Davies spoofs himself, as, in his persona as Master of Massey College of the University of Toronto, he narrates them. It seems that there is something about Massey College that is attractive to ghosts, famous, infamous and not famous at all. "Every part of our great University strives for distinction of one kind or another, but it is everywhere admitted that in the regularity and variety of our ghostly visitations Massey College stands alone." Even Little Lord Fauntleroy puts in an appearance! Splendid stuff.

The late Robertson Davies is perhaps best known for his works of heady literature. Some of the most well-known works by him are "Fifth Business", "The Manticore", "What's Bred in the Bone" and "Murther and Walking Spirits." Most readers of Davies will know him first and foremost as an author and second as a scholar of Elizabethan theatre; "Shakespeare's Boy Actors" is but one of his more academic works on the subject.

However, most Americans do not know of the years that Davies was the Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto in Canada. While there, it became his habit to tell a ghost story every year for the college's Christmas staff party. Thirteen of these ghostly (yet often quite hysterical stories) are contained here. Beginning with the first, "Revelation from a Smoky Fire", in which Davies is visited by an apparition who seems to be from the college's FUTURE, and moving on through "The Ugly Spectre of Sexism" and "The Pit Whence Ye Are Digged", these ghost tales are far less horrific and spooky than they are highly amusing. For example, when dealing with the sudden appearance of what is most likely a ghost that has appeared in his own office and, furthermore, assumes that Davies has come down the chimney, he writes, "I grasped immediately the sort of man I was dealing with. This was a madman! It is one of my cardinal rules to always humor madmen. It comes second nature to me. I do it several times each day."

These stories, like much of Davies's work, is highly scholarly, with a turn of phrase and vocabulary that often verges on that seen in Victorian English novels. People who have read a great deal, or who have gone to graduate school in the fine arts or for literature, will catch the subtle barbs and digs that Davies directs at the ivory tower nature of academia and even himself as Master of the college. The stories were first intended to be read aloud for an academic audience of professors, so they are meant more to amuse and tickle the wit than to accompany the more traditional Halloween stories or his other novels or scholarly works.

Potential readers should note that there was at one time an audio version of this book published with an introduction by the author with the reading performed by Christopher Plummer. As I understand it, this audio version is currently out of print. This is a dreadful shame because Mr. Plummer gives an exceptional performance of Mr. Davies's work. Also, as mentioned, these stories were intended to be read aloud for a gathering of people on an evening, and what could be better than HEARING these ghostly tales?? If anyone finds themselves enjoying these stories, they would be well advised to track down the audio version!

Canada lost a fine writer, critic, playwright and journalist in 1996 when Mr. Davies passed away. His books are still enjoyed today as much as ever, and for those who are seeking out a less heavy, light and amusing work by him, one simply cannot go wrong with "High Spirits." Highly recommended- by this Davies fan!!

What a fun book this is! These pieces, originally written for the amusement of his colleagues from the early 60s to the late 70s, work just fine as cozies for an educated general audience. The stories are literate, if somewhat samey, and very droll, in that understated Canadian way reminiscent of Stephen Leacock. It would indeed be great to have an audiotape of this, as many of the passages beg to be read aloud. Some fair use excerpts:

"Women always think that if they tell a man not to be pompous that will shut him up, but I am an old hand at that game. I know that if a man bides his time his moment will come."

"I am a democrat. All of my family have been persons of peasant origin, who have wrung a meagre sufficiency from a harsh world by the labour of their hands. I acknowledge no one my superior merely on grounds of a more fortunate destiny, a favoured birth. I did what any such man would do when confronted with Queen Victoria; I fell immediately to my knees."

"The devil gave me a look which made me profoundly uneasy. 'Just because I am enjoying your sympathy, don't imagine that I cannot read you like a book,' he said. 'You think you are cleverer than I; it is a very common academic delusion.'"

I'm unfamiliar with Davies' "serious" works, but any major writer who isn't afraid to show his readers a good time is all right with me.

By "High" Spirits in the title, Davies' is referring to the fact that the ghosts in these stories are most often of lofty earthly lineage. They are "highly" extracted. In these 18 stories we meet the ghosts of King George the V and VI of Great Britain, Queen Victoria, Sir John A. MacDonald, Saint George of Cappadocia, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and John Strachan (founder of Massey College) to name but a few. These are no ordinary run-of-the-mill random ghosts, and these are not "scary" ghost stories. They are moreso HUMOROUS and were meant originally to entertain guests at the annual Gaudy Nights held at Massey College when Davies was Master there.

While these stories are very well-done (original and highly inventive) and no doubt caused quite a stir in their time, to read them now seems quite dated. The inferences and specific allusions to college life are lost on the modern reader who may not have a conversational grasp of Canadian political history, or a knowledge of the finer points of Massey College's quadrangles and inner sanctums. All in all, these stories are best TOLD to their original hearers... a few times I had the sense that I would have liked to have been in attendence as Davies' recited these to his guests. But to sit and read them nowadays?... I don't know, at the end of each story I sort of felt like... "so what?" I am a big fan of Davies' writing, but this is not a book I would highly recommend to anyone getting to know his work.

This book is definitely for someone wanting an ACD show dog. Very detailed as to the requirements for the AKC requirements. The history of the ACD is good, but overall, I was a little disappointed in the overall content of the book and didn't feel that it really helped me understand the responsibility of owning an ACD.

Most of this book contains some information that a first time owner would find useful. I would have like to see some more information in the behavior section and on the breed characteristics. I did find it appalling that they said some owner considered euthanasia an option for some overly agressive dogs (What kind of dog person writes that in their book).

good book .. nothing to write home about .. a bit wordy .. a lot of history that I did not care about, I just wanted a good manual ..

I highly recommend this book. It provides everything that you need to know about your Cattle Dog. It has great detail/history, explanations, and it's easy to understand. I've followed the instructions and training tips that have been provided in this book to raise, and train my 12 week old Cattle Dog. The results have been outstanding. My puppy is responding just as the book stated that he would. Goodluck, it's worth your money!!

There he was. A cute little red and white puppy with big brown eyes. He melted my heart instantly. This was the first time in over twelve years that I had been completely bowled over by a dog. I had a dog, a beautiful spaniel/terrier mix that went by the name of Topper. She was my pride and joy and when I had to put her to sleep I really thought I was never going to be taken in by another dog until I saw him.

I really didn't ask any questions about this dog. I didn't even know it was a male until I got him home. We named him "Bongo" because before he took off running, he beat the ground with his paws. Speaking of paws, all my friends' looked at them and told me he was going to be huge. I refused to believe it. Not my baby. Maybe he would weigh 35...40 lbs tops.

Little did we know that our baby was part Mastadon. In less than aweek he grew three inches in all directions. The solid white parts were giving way to little red freckles, the angelic look he used to give me in the morning was becoming steadily more demonic and at the end of a month, we had something on our hands that was about as friendly as a Tazmanian Devil.

What the hell kind of dog is this, anyway?

We had a friend tell us that Bongo was an Australian Cattle Dog. Known for their inexhaustive energy stores. This dog was used to rounding up cattle and then after it rounded up a few hundred steers, it wanted to fetch a few dozen times and then maybe go on a brisk twenty mile hike. The dog was literally buzzing from morning to night.

And tempermental...oh man, you don't know the half of it. He would flip his dog dish and grumble when he was disatisfied, he'd yell at the cats and push them over with his extra large head, he'd try and knock my feet out from under me all while getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

We went to the bookstore one day and loaded up our arms with all kinds of reading materials. This book plainly says that the cattledog is a completely different kind of dog. No kidding. We even wanted Cesar Milan to pay a housecall. We were running out of patience, but it turned out, that's exactly what Bongo needed and to be honest, we did too. We took this little guy in not even knowing what to expect. It was kind of unfair to him. But I really was beginning to fall in love with him, even though a few times I wanted to strangle the thing.

Two years later, and after making this book (along with a few others) our Bible, we have a beautiful dog. He's kind, he's gentle, he's loaded with personality and he is just a great addition to our world. This book and its advice works, but you must work with your dog on a regular and consistent basis. You must be willing to know that yes, he is part of the family, but he is still a dog. He's not a human. He's a dog and he wants to be treated like one. He wants boundaries, discipline, affection, and most of all he wants you to notice him. This is not the kind of dog that should be left alone to his own devices, that is unless you want your backyard to look like the moon's surface, your garden hoses to be perforated, and your trees gnawed down to little nubs. You must be willing to give your heart, your soul, and your mind to this breed and I promise you, you will get something incredible in return.

I love my dog. In fact, when I take my dog out for a walk, I just cannot believe why other people would settle for such ugly stupid dogs when they could have something beautiful and wonderful like my beautiful Bongo-Boy.

No, I'm not biased...why?

Get the dog you deserve with the help of this book!

Peace & Blessings...