Sheridan Books

After reading and enjoying a number of Le Fanu's ghost stories, I discovered that he has considerable skill in handling longer narratives as well. Because of some let-down in the last two or three chapters, I give Guy Deverell three stars.

The main characters include Sir Jekyl Marlowe, a womanizing baronet; Monsieur Varbarriere/Herbert Strangways, his archenemy and ultimately his nemesis; Lady Alice Redcliffe, Sir Jekyl's mother-in-law and chief critic; Guy Strangways/Deverell, Lady Alice's grandson, the true heir to one of Sir Jekyl's country houses and the living facsimile of the Guy Deverell Sir Jekyl killed in an unfairly-fought duel many years before; Beatrix, Sir Jekyl's daughter; Lady Jane Lennox, Sir Jekyl's lover, the beautiful wife of an elderly general; house party guests, servants, lawyers, doctors, innkeepers and their lackeys...

The plot revolves around Varbarriere's efforts to work his revenge on Sir Jekyl by putting forward his nephew's claim to property rightly his, involving deeds stolen from Lady Alice's son, an older Guy Deverell, many years before, the theft occurring in "the Green Room," a chamber Sir Jekyl's father added onto the family house with secret doors and passages attached for the sake of his own amorous trysting long ago. Sir Harry's son, we learn, uses its special features in the same way his old Dad did, currently with Lady Jane Lennox.

Le Fanu sets the story in the context of an October house party, lasting for weeks, with guests coming and going and coming back, some of the guests major figures--Varbarriere and the Lennoxes--others, like Captain Drayton, the Blunket family and others added to the canvas for contrast or humor. Le Fanu has the knack of unfolding character through dialogue, and even relatively flat characters stick in a reader's mind thanks to conversations he records between them or with the majors.

I particularly appreciated the way Le Fanu deepened each of the main characters. None of them is a flat, stock-Gothic figure--Varbarriere occasionally ponders whether to renounce his revenge, Sir Jekyl gradually comes to repentance, albeit too late, for how he wronged the elder Guy Deverell and the women in his life, Lady Jane eventually 'gets religion:' not what one expects in a Victorian Gothic. Nor is Le Fanu's mildly ironic narrative voice what I had expected to find--he writes very consciously, a detached and poised practitioner of his art.

I would recommend seeking Guy Deverell out to anyone interested in reading more by the vast number of authors who were not themselves first-rate general novelists, but provided the reading public of their generation solid, dependable entertainment which still has power to amuse and divert readers in the 21st century.

The edition I own is the Dover Press reprint of the 1866 Bentley edition, ISBN 0-486-24618-3. Dover's reprint was published in paperback in 1984.

The author covers the conventional paints, epoxys, polyeurethanes, gelcoats, solvents, safety, primers, painting on various surfaces, possible problems you may encounter with poor preparation, and discusses proper temperatures and humidity. The information is good, but I still don't really know what to do with my boat. The author is very knowledgeable, but tries to cover too many topics/surfaces. I was looking for information on painting my fiberglass boat. He barely covered fiberglass, and now I will purchase Fiberglass Renovation, which I believe will provide the information I need. I think this is a good book, but I was dissappointed, because I still do not feel confident about starting such a project. This book needs more photographs, and step by step instructions for the DYI (Do it yourself) people.

I can writter in english on a liitter .I had never red this book .It is my first time to enter Amazon.I work in the field of publish in China .But I think the author adopted a good item, and I want to read this book at the first glance.

What Tristan Jones lacks in great writing skills he makes up for with great story telling and sheer guts. In 1985, as the Soviet Union was quickly approaching its high water, mark he threw caution to the wind and began a tumultuous journey that would take him through the badlands of the Iron Curtain. Plunging up the freezing Rhine in his ocean going tri-hulled yacht, wintering in Germany, and losing his American crew of two to homesickness and better job opportunities were bad enough for this one legged sailor, but Jones had an objective that he wouldn't put aside lightly. He took on a fresh crew of one, a young German boy, and set off to conquer the Danube and Eastern Europe as the first person to transnavigate Europe in an ocean going tri-hull. The Improbable Voyage is a thought provoking perspective of Central and Eastern Europe at the height of the cold war. It highlights Europe's divisiveness during this time from one of Europe's major arteries, the Danube. It is realism at its best from the heart of a spirited traveler.

John Campbell must be an interesting guy. Although tasked by a millionaire to sale his private yacht in the waters about South America, Cambell took it upon himself to, ostensibly, follow the course of H.M.S Beagle on it's historic voyage around the world. Although it accomplished only a very small part of that objective, those already familiar with Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle" will nonetheless appreciate this book. It provides modern day photographs and descriptions of several key places, particularly around Tierra del Fuego and the Falklands. It was a modern voyage on a modern yacht with every conceivable luxury such as central air, dishwashers, daily showers - to say nothing of GPS and satellite radio. But still the voyage of the Thallassi in waters that were as dangerous today as they were then, was no "cake walk". Although Campbell has nothing really brilliant or new to say or add to the Beagle's voyage, he does acknowledge what must have been brilliant navigational skills and inspired seamanship of Captain Fitzroy. Interestingly, at least to me, was what Campbell - he like most men of our time or of any time - didn't say, or even what was said of the scenery and flora and fauna that passed by. It emphasized all the more how special the voyage of the Beagle really was; how special it's commander, it's crew, it's artists, and especially how special Darwin himself really was. That is how history is made.

Although this book is technically 'hardbound' and it does contain short stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, potential buyers should be aware that Aegypan Press books are not what people usually expect when buying hardcover books. The books seem to have been printed like a private or school edition printing, with a very simple board cover and no dustjacket. Amazon.com's description and the image for the item give the impression that this book is bound with a dustjacket - this is not the case.

The other problem is that this particular book, 'Madam Crowl's Ghost', contains many of the same stories that can be found in another Aegypan printing of Le Fanu's stories 'More Ghostly Tales'. Note that neither of these books appeared during Le Fanu's lifetime and they are both reprints of posthumous collections (which probably explains the overlaps). The overlaps are significant, with a majority of the tales appearing in both books. 'Madam Crowl's Ghost' contains a few more stories than does 'More Ghostly Tales', so if I had to make a choice I'd go for the former and ignore the latter.

Having said all that, Aegypan Press seems to have done a good job with the printing and binding - the books seem tight and well-printed. But if only they had a dustjacket they would be much more attractive.

This is a short and interesting book in which varying people share 1-2 page accounts of events in their lives--big or small--for which they attribute a positive outcome to the Blessed Virgin. Put together, the book reminds us that Mary is with us always, both in good times and bad times.

This book is a curious survey--Barrault spends more than half of the book summarizing events as depicted in Moitessier's books. The result compresses the journeys and Moitesseir's psychological experience and elaborates over the perspective of the author: correspondence with Moitessier, the role of the press in Moitessier's life, and the subject's last few years on the sea. It didn't slake my thirst, but did direct me within Moitessier's own body of work.

Recommend this book as a reference for anyone planning to master plan, develop, design or construct a golf course facility and clubhouse. It should be noted that most of the financial data referred to in the book is outdated, as are some of the examples. The checklists and planning guidelines are still appropriate and well done. It may be time for the NGF to put out an updated fourth edition, with updated cost data, recommendations for municipalities, and current designs as well as a reflection of current building code and ADA trends. A price reduction wouldn't hurt...

Although well researched by P. Petitfils, this biography suffers from an absolutely atrocious translation. Obviously, Alan Sheridan does not know idiomatic English and is a lousy translator. He has translated literally from the French and it is most painful to read, in spite of a fascinating subject.