Sheridan Books

Masterfully written memoirs which cover the years 1944-1964 (from Buchenwald to his expulsion out of the Spanish communist party).
A compelling tale with natural mingling of past and present and brilliant associations.
Semprun gives us a memorable picture of the terrible atmosphere in Buchenwald with its different classes of prisoners (based on the functions they exercised), the starvations, the hangings.
Remarkable are his reminiscences of the infightings at the top of the communist parties (e.g. the struggle for the succession of Stalin and the liquidation of Beria, or the cynicism of a Santiago Carrillo), of the relations between the CP's of different countries (Brothers, they said, yes, like Cain and Abel), the sclerosis of the ideology (Hegel and his dialectic used to justify everything necessary to keep the power) and the betrayal of the intellectuals, mesmerized by the power of the omnipotent party.
This book is a bitter confession, where the author looks back at the cruel (physical and mental) past, his own past, with unbelief.
A masterpiece.

As indicated in my title, Alexander Woolcott was described in his lifetime as "a first-class reporter, a great story-teller, a fine writer, and a leading wit of {his} time." His articles appeared in the "New Yorker", "Colliers", and "Cosmopolitan" and various other popular magazines of his era. The stories and essays included in __WHILE ROME BURNS__ are dated from the late '20's to the early to mid '30's. For those of us who grew up a bit later in the century, they give some idea of what a great time we missed.

In an article titled "Our Miss Parker," he relates some of his personal experiences with another great wit of the time, Dorothy Parker. He tells of the time she substituted for Bennet Cerf in his position as a theater critic. Her review of the play, THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL consisted of a single line, "THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL is the play lousy." Another time Woolcott went to visit Mrs Parker in the hospital, where she was ready to be released but was delaying leaving the hospital because she couldn't pay the bill. (Mrs Parker delayed doing most of her writing until she had to do so in order to pay her rent or, as in this case, had to come up with money immediately for something major.) She was propped up in her bed with her typewriter on her lap working on an article for one of the magazines which published her work. When Cerf came in she greeted him and almost immediately rang for the nurse. Suspecting that perhaps she needed some sort of service that required privacy, he offered to wait outside her room. Her response was, "No, it is supposed to fetch the night nurse, so I ring it whenever I want an hour of uninterrupted privacy." One other example of her rather acidic wit was when a friend tried to sneak up behind her on a major New York shopping street and frighten her. She evidently saw his reflection in the glass window as he approached, so she turned and in her loudest voice began to shout at him that no, she wouldn't give him another cent and that he had already bled her dry. She kept this up until she drew a crowd, and he had to slink off with his eyes diverted to the ground. Most people learned very quickly that she was the master of "the game."

One of the articles is devoted to Charlie Chaplin, who Woolcot considered the finest silent actor of all time. Along with praising Chaplin, Woolcott makes no bones about his feeling that these new "talkies" are going to ruin moving pictures. (I guess no one can win them all.)

There are articles of nostalgia for people, animals, and places long gone, and also for plays and books that have meant something to him. One play that he couldn't praise highly enough was "Journey's End" which takes place entirely in the trenches of World War One. From his description of the conversations and relationships of these mostly doomed foot soldiers, it sounds very much like a play that I would like to see revived. I have a feeling that this play, written around 1929 to 1930 contains some universal truths.

On that note, I'd like to conclude with saying that this is the sort of book that, even though it had at least 18 prointings between 1934 and 1936, deserves another reprinting now for the kind of audience that enjoys knowing about life in the fairly recent past, and enjoys reading well written stories, memoirs, and articles about that life.

As a racing sailor on everything from J/22's to 55 ft. keelboats and a student of sailboat racing in general, I have read just about everything published on the subject. As a clear, concise, easily read and to-the-point reference, Winning Races is hard to beat and remains the one book I regularly turn to before a regatta to refresh my memory. In economical and easily understood phrases, Mr Heyes takes the reader through all the stages of a successful keelboat racing campaign - from preparation of the boat, through sail trim in all conditions, to crew work and tactics. The information presented includes tips basic enough to make a difference for the begining PHRF racer and others complex enough to teach an experienced international racer a trick or two. More importantly, Mr Heyes' comments are equally applicable to boats large and small, masthead or fractional rigged - which is often a shortcomming of other books on the subject. If you race, want to improve your performance and only want to read one book - this is the one.

Looking at it from today's perspective, it seems incredible to think that Stanley Long's films from the 1960s and the 1970s could have elicited such trouble with the censors. But they did, and, arguably still do; his 1971 documentary-style look at pornography, `Naughty!', is still not available uncut in the UK. A film about prostitution in London, `West End Jungle' (1960) was banned outright. Not that it contained any nudity, but, as the president of the British Board of Film Censors put it, "This film is a disgrace. I have never seen anything so anti-London in all my life." A cursory look at the BBFC's website shows a litany of cuts against Long's and other filmmakers' movies during the swinging sixties and saucy seventies. While hardcore had hit the United States and parts of Europe, here in dear old Blighty, the censors were sharpening their knives in readiness for the thoroughly innocuous Eskimo Nell.

It would not be right, in my opinion, to call Stanley Long a maverick. Yes, some of his films gave the censors a touch of the collywobbles, but he did not set out to trouble them deliberately. Aside from his filmmaking expertise, Long had the happy knack of gauging the Zeitgeist with well-timed releases of The Wife Swappers and Groupie Girl just as these films' subject matter had begun to seep into the nation's consciousness. This, along with an entrepreneurial flair which led to other film-related activities, notably distribution and the leasing of editing facilities, kept the wolves from the door after Long had ceased making movies. Keeping the cash rolling in was uppermost in his mind when others in the exploitation film game were considering flouting the law by including harder material in their movies. In the 1970s, it was not unheard of for British sex films to have two versions: the tame version for the home market and another, stronger version, for the European market. Long's one-time collaborator, Derek Ford, went down this route, notably with his movie, `Sex Express' which was re-cut and re-titled as `Diversions' with more graphic content. Long would not allow this with his own projects. The shooting of hardcore was still illegal and the prospect of spending time in jail did not appeal.

`X-Rated' is a fascinating book which should appeal to anyone interested in the British exploitation film genre. It's written by Simon Sheridan (author of the excellent Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema) in an easy-going conversational style. This is much in evidence when the subject of morality campaigner, Mary Whitehouse is raised. Long's contempt for her and her cronies is colourfully phrased.

The book focuses almost entirely on Long's professional life. Little is mentioned regarding his two failed marriages. Similarly, his childhood experiences as an evacuee are not dwelt upon. But this is not a major criticism: the book's subtitle is `Adventures of an Exploitation Filmmaker' and it's this aspect of his life that is of most interest to fans. There's a wealth of anecdotes including the Elaine Page saga (Adventures of a Plumber's Mate); the British comedy legend hired to appear in the same film who arrived on set blind-drunk and stayed that way until Long fired him. And, during the filming of `Naughty!' at London Zoo's monkeys' enclosure, Long was hoping to capture some scenes of primate self-love. The monkeys would not perform until . . .

Well, it had me doubled up with laughter when I read that little story. `X-Rated' is an engrossing read and highly recommended particularly for fans of the British sexploitation films of the 1960s and 1970s for which Stanley Long is probably best known. His early career in photography and documentary filmmaking is also covered as is his time on Roman Polanski's Repulsion on which Long worked as co-cinematographer.

Not surprisingly, I learned about Tristan Jones' writing pretty early in my career as a cruising sailor. I even read a couple of his books, many years ago. I believe they were his stories about _Ice_ and _The Incredible Voyage_.

After reading them, I made a vow never to read any more Tristan Jones. My reason? There were enough of what I considered to be serious exaggerations in his "fact-tellings" for me to be able to trust anything else he wrote. What was really true (and, therefore, useful knowledge for a novice cruising skipper) and what was not, I could not decipher. I was looking for a practical cruising mentor, not a story-teller.

Since then, I've cruised 50,000 nautical miles over eleven years. I'm now confident enough in my "cruising skills" to appreciate the storyteller in Tristan Jones. And what a superb story-teller he was. This book is a delightful collection of (exactly as the title indicates) YARNS. Seafaring yarns: real life adventures (or quasi-reasonable recollections of the same) worth their weight in gold.

Tristan Jones is long gone now. Only his stories survive. More to the point, the "style" of sailboat cruising about which he writes is a rapidly disappearing phenomenon. Try finding a sextant or reduction tables on any modern yacht, or a lead line, let alone someone who knows how to use them. They've gone the way of sliderules; replaced by the GPS, small-boat radars, electronic depth sounders, laptop computers with charting software, refrigeration, solar panels, over-sized auxillary engines, . . . the list goes on and on. "Cruising" has rapidly metamorphized into a hi-tech adventure, with the bulk of the fleet more interested in staying close to shore and a marina than venturing out upon the world's vast open seas.

The adventures of the "old time cruisers," the ilk of Tristan Jones, Hal Roth, the Smeetons and Pardeys, are rapidly becoming cultural treasures. Their experiences are unlikely to be repeated in the future. But, like good folk music, they will be remembered from generation to generation. Among seafarers, they are already legends.

In the case of Tristan Jones, there may be no better place to start than this book of YARNS.

This book is not only well written but a true treasure. It bought back many wonderful memories for a 70s child like myself. Not only did it engender all kinds of thoughts of the good old days but also opened my eyes to the behind the scenes look at early childrens tv and killed some of the many rumors that have developed over the years. Thanks for a great read!

This book is a wonderful find! Very readable and compelling, the author unwittingliy tells the tale of his adventures around the world on a small boat that he built with his own two hands in New England near the turn of the century. The book is without pretense, at times is hard to imagine, yet the language is so simple and straightforward how can we do anything but believe his stories written in a down home style. This is a book that's easy to get lost in and holds your attention until the very last page. I read it while on the beach. I recommend that you do the same. The sound of the lapping waves makes the book that much more enjoyable.

this edition has no illustrations, a cheap edition, very frustrating because the book is very good. I was forced to buy another edition with the illustrations, but have had problems with the shipping from the vendor, the book has not arrived, so I will have to buy a third edition !! Very frustrating. The first time this has happened to me at Amazon.

I first read this book about 30 years ago, I think. I vaguely remember thinking it was dry, and now I'm amazed at myself. It is anything else but that, from today's perspective! First published in 1900, Slocum's prose reads fresh and crisp; and his sense of humor pleases me with its dryness. No wonder it's still around, over a century later.

Slocum, who worked his way up to shipmaster and owner after starting before the mast in the days when sailing ships still ruled international commerce, reached middle age in a different era. With his family grown, he accepted a friend's gift of a sloop that lay decaying in a field. Slocum rebuilt the SPRAY completely. Then he set out in her alone, to circumnavigate the globe.

He spent nearly three years in that successful effort. Newspapers followed his progress, and in port after port he made new friends and learned new things. Seasoned world traveler though he was, I got the feeling as I read that he hadn't had time for much of that learning on earlier voyages. He'd been busy looking after his ship, its cargo, and his family (who sailed with him). Now, off on his own with a freedom he hadn't known before, he savored each new experience and then recorded it for eventual publication.

"The author made me feel that I was there, too," is a cliche. But cliches come into being because they're true enough to invite over-use, and in this book's case the words fit perfectly. A classic for good reason!

Wish I had been a little more careful before I selected this edition. It's a tiny book with stiff pages and cover which doesn't stay open unless you want to break the spine. Just awful. I'll find a different edition at the library.

This story is the greatest sailing story I have ever heard of. Joshua Slocum is so far out and such an indomitable human being that it is difficult to fathom without reading the story. This book is truly an exercise in understatement.

A large society of Slocum afficianados exists now, largely in response to this one book. I just this past friday saw a replica of the Spray, the vessel on which he made this unprecedented voyage, owned by an old sailor. The replica is named Joshua, and sails from Alameda California. I saw it because it was at the annual wooden boat festival in Port Townsend, Washington.

Spectacular.

Interesting reading. Many stories to make you wonder if there may really be an afterlife, and which can contact this life. Very helpful to read about other's experiences after losing one's one pets.

This is a comforting book for someone who has lost a beloved pet. The author believes wholeheartedly that pets also have souls and that often they are able to return and comfort us after they die. This book was given to me after the death of an animal and I purchased this copy for my sister when she experienced a loss.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a great help to me during my time of grief. This book would make a wonderful gift to anyone who has recently or ever lost a pet. I look forward to future books by this author.

I cannot begin to say what a wonderful book this is! Having lost a precious companion (Tyson my cat - tragically hit by a car), Ive read a lot of books on pet loss. This book was by far the most helpful. Kim Sheridan is a talented heartfelt writer and her collection of theories and stories are reassuring and heartwarming. I was incredibly lost before reading this book, and since reading it my life is forever changed - for the better! My heart, body, mind and soul have been transformed and I now know that there really is no such thing as death because the afterlife is very real. I am so grateful for Kim to share her experiences and to write this wonderful book, and I have even bought more copies to share with people that have also lost a beloved creature. I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you or someone you know has lost someone special, this book is an absolute MUST READ! 5+ stars to Kim Sheridan!!!

This book was not only healing but an inspiration that led my husband and I to animal rescue work. Working with local shelters and rescue groups, we provide a final home and end-of-life care for small animals that are too emotionally or physically ill to be successfully adopted into the average household. Our current "furry crew" consists of rabbits, chinchillas, fancy rats, gerbils, a mouse, a dwarf hamster, as well as the resident matriarch, our white-face cockatiel Pheonix.

I'm just finished reading the Railway Children to my 10-year-old, and it is such a great read!

I loved it as a child, and this is my second time reading it aloud. I can't recommend it enough.

It's just a nice story. Set at the turn of the century, three children are forced to leave their comfortable life in London and go live in a smaller house near a railway when their father is mysteriously taken away from them. They don't know why; we don't find out until the end of the book. In the meantime, their mother is very brave, earning money by writing, and they try not to bother her by getting to know the railway and getting involved in everybody's lives all around them.

The children are very sweet, and there's a thread of definite morality throughout the book.

Don't miss it with your kids!

If you liked Railway Children, you may also want to try Little Women (Unabridged Classics) or Island of the Blue Dolphins. My children loved those ones as well!

Utterly delightful. Loved it, ate it up. Need more Nesbit, soon as poss.

Three kids are taken to live in the English countryside when their father, well, disappears. While their mother suffers silently, and sells short fiction to help pay the bills (those were the days!), the children make a fantasy land out of their little village, especially the local railroad depot with all its fascinations. Imagine being fascinated with the steam train when it was cutting edge technology, not nostalgia! Communicating with the passengers via signs, befriending engineers, porters and station masters, even preventing a nasty rail accident, the kids end up both having fun and relieving the hardships of poor, careworn mother.

Beautiful book both remembers what its like to be a child and peeks into a childhood none of us ever knew. If you love the world of late Victorian/Edwardian Britain, read it. If you love the early parts of the Narnia books, before the kids enter the wardrobe, read it. It's precious.

This is not simply a children's book. It is an extremely touching story of three children whose father is suddenly taken away from them and how they cope with the changed circumstances, how they adjust to "play at being poor" as their mother says. It is a book that is bound to enthrall you.

I think it is kind of cool how the kids think of how to stop someone from wrecking a train. Also how they got someone un-fainted from when they were fainted. It was also pretty funny how their mother made a mistake when one of the kids said they revived a hound with a red shirt, but it was really a person.

I didn't give it 5 stars because there isn't very much action. But I still liked it a lot.

The Railway Children was originally published in 1906. It's different from many of Edith Nesbit's books, in that it doesn't feature any magic. The Railway Children is the story of three children, Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis. At the start of the story, the children live with their loving parents in a nice, modern house in London. Their lives change drastically, however, when their Father is called away unexpectedly and mysteriously. Their Mother takes them to live in an older house in the country, with only a single part-time servant, where they quickly realize that they are now poor. Mother spends all her time writing stories and poems, to submit them for publication, instead of playing games with them and teaching them, as she had done previously. The children are left largely to their own devices, with no lessons to distract them.

The house that they live in, Three Chimney's, is located near to a railway line and a small railway station. The railway quickly becomes a source of friends. The Stationmaster and the Porter (most especially the Porter, Perks) become major figures in the children's lives, as does a friendly "Old Gentleman" who waves to them every morning from the 9:15 train.

And the adventures begin. Through bravery and ingenuity (and through the coincidence of always being in the right place at the right time), the children avert not one, not two, but three separate disasters. They also get into trouble through their innocent attempts to help their Mother, and through their own sibling rivalries, and eventually help a Russian stranger newly escaped to England. Through it all, they miss their Father, and wonder what's happened to him, and why their Mother is so sad.

The constant adventures in this book make it a lot of fun. It does feel a little bit dated in places. There's a scene in which the local doctor tells Peter to be kinder to his sisters, for example, because they are "so much softer and weaker" than he is. But overall, I think that Edith Nesbit did a wonderful job of making the girls strong characters, too.

This book has lots of messages about bravery and right and wrong, and what makes up charity vs. friendship. And how to be good without being priggish. Some modern-day children might find it a little bit preachy in this area, though it is generally lightened with humor. But hopefully the adventures, and the realistic imperfections of the children, will win new readers over anyway. I know that I love this book (despite having a slight problem with the number of coincidences) and that the end brings tears to my eyes. If you haven't read it, The Railway Children is well worth checking out.

This review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 30, 2006.

violet jessop was the tpye person i would had love to meet.she survive titanic but titanic sister ships.only thing didn't like about this book was it was not longer.

How I would have loved to have met Violet Jessop. Her book is frustratingly short and I have so many questions that I would love to ask her about her years at sea. She attaches very little importance to her experiences during the sinkings of the Titanic and Brittanic, and doesn't even mention the Olympic collision of 1911 - her story is the day-to-day drudgery of dealing with entitlement queens and first-class divas on the luxury liners of the early part of the last century. Her descriptions of of her clients and her fellow seamen are by turns hilarious and sad. Her work sounds like something that I wouldn't want to do for a million dollars a year. But she did it well and, for a person who was not expected to live much past her seventh birthday, she had an amazing, interesting and LONG life. A book not to be missed; I only wish there were more of it.

I know that many people will buy this book for the fact alone that Miss Jessop survived the Titanic sinking. That episode, however, represents only a tiny fraction of the entire tapestry of her life, and it is that "saga", recounted here with invaluable editing and background information, that is truly riveting.

Prior to reading this book, I was familiar with Miss Jessop's White Star collision and sinking experiences onboard the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic, but had NO idea of the rest of her work, background or personality.

What a life! And when you finish reading this, you will be hoping that there are more memoirs hidden somewhere! I did a marathon read of this book, not being able to stop until I finished.

This book is truly a winner! I am so thankful that it has been published.

I enjoy reading about the lives of everyday people who lived at least 100 years ago, and this was fantastic. Surviving the Titanic was just a small footnote in a full life. Her observations of people's behavior reminded me that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and her courage in facing life was inspirational. I very highly recommend this book!

What is truly remarkable about Violet Jessop's memoirs is not simply the fact that this simple and ordinary woman survived not just the sinking of the Titanic but also that of the Britannic; what truly sets her account apart from all others is the eloquent and yet utterly straightforward manner in which she describes the events. One has the sense that those she served upon those and many other ships would have been completely devastated by the events. Yet Violet herself considers them merely two of many mishaps she she encountered in her long life at sea. Violet had a rare gift for storytelling that transports the reader back in time to the glory days of the great oceanliners. Certainly there are times at which one wishes she had delved further into some of her tales, offering up greater detail or lengthier explanation, but in the end those that come to truly appreciate this book will realize that the very brevity of her accounts of the Titanic and Britannic tragedies only adds to the charm of the matter-of-fact storytelling that marked the long and meaningful life of one truly extraordinary woman.