Stone Books

This unusual story begins with a beautiful blue rock lying peacefully in the heart of the forest. The people who find it want it, long for it, and thus split it into two. One piece is taken by the people, the other stays as it is.

The story follows the journey of the piece that is taken. At each stage of its trajectory, the piece of rock is turned into something different: an elephant statue, a stone bird, a sea sculpture, a golden moon, a sweet-faced stone cat, and so on. And each time, because the piece wants to go home and return to its place of origin, "its heart breaks a little," until all that is left of the stone is dust in the wind...dust that drifts across the oceans until it finally reaches its other half in the heart of the forest.

The Blue Stone is a beautiful storybook about hope and rebirth. The illustrations are evocative and mysterious, perfectly matching the eerie resonance of the prose. This is also a story about time and the effect it has on things.

Armchair Interviews says: This unusual book will make a lovely gift for any child.

The Blue Stone: A Journey Through Life is certainly appropriately named. We follow the sapphire rock as it becomes an elephant statue beloved by a town. Then it becomes a garden bird admired by a lady. Next on the stone's journey is a seaside town where it becomes a fish. Pieces keep breaking away and each time something new is created: a moon for a sculpture, a cat for an orphanage, a juggling ball for a clown, a heart pendant for a first love. The stone keeps breaking until it becomes dust and can return to its other half on the breath of a warm breeze. Its life is now complete and happy. The stone was reinvented many times just as people must renew their outlook many times throughout life, but for younger children I think there is a simpler message to be applied to this charming picture book. This lovely story makes a great environmental statement. Every time the reader believes the rock to be broken and of no use, a new artist comes along to fashion something new and meaningful out of it. With reuse the stone brought many people across many lands great joy just as I imagine this beautifully crafted book will bring great joy to many families across many years.

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This book is good for anyone wanting to learn about stones and metals, learning the energy they carry, and the history of the acient Egyptian principles, helping to bring harmony into your life. A book for a great gift, as well as a book you will have on your book shelf for referance.

This is a black and white book with exciting drawings, but with out pictures of actual stones...so if you must have pictures then a good simple good book that I would suggest would be the Illistrated Guide to Crystals <0806936274>, but absolutely no other book that I have come across compares to this book on working with understanding not only the energies of the crystals but of the major paths of "occupations" that crystals work best with. The simplist way I can explain it is that she breaks up the Chackra/colors centers and explains them in a Down to earth way of how we work with them and use certain energies. She explains where you could wear the metal and stone for the best effects, and talks about what stones/metals negate each other, and overall goes in depth on how Crystal/stone/energy effects our subtle energy systems. The thankful thing is that when she includes the healing properties it is very down to earth, where I have seen many metaphysical books (especailly the ever popular Love is the Earth) that are usually very "watery" about any properties going at length about a crystal but not actually giving you a firm idea of what type of energy it actually has while making many claims that seem outlandish or vague. Maya Heath writes it like it is, and after you read a crystals properity you get a general feeling of how you would actually work with a crystal. Also this is the first book that I have ever come across that really mentions some of the negative effects you can have through to much contact with a crystal. The book has much more references that I cannot remember at this time. I recommend this book whole heartedly to anyone interested or working energetically in crystals, stones or metals.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt as if I was right there at the Mayan ruins myself. The pictures are sweet too, though I wish there were lots more :)

I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. First there is a great mix of history and culture of the pyramids and the Maya told in wonderful mix of anticdotes and stories. It really brings the pyramids and people to life and is much more refreshing then the fact repeating of some books. Still you learn an enormous amount. Second the pictures are wonderful and unique, not just postcard pictures, but really interesting and beautiful. Third, this is the type of book you can use as a guide and then put on the coffee table for everyone else to read. Finally the recipies at the end of the book are delecious! I recoomend this book for people traveling to the pyramids or just yearning to. My only complaint is that it is an awkward size to actually travel with (but worth it).

Books that blend poetry with photography typically feature either good poetry or good photography, but rarely both. "Both Feet On The Land" is an amazing exception. Narayan's poetry is world-class, reflecting the consciousness of a man who has spent decades becoming acutely intimate with his surroundings as well as mastering the craft of the word. His his mastery of the structure and meter of poetry makes for polished compositions, and his subtlety and sense of humor lull the reader while the seriousness and devastating insights of his subject matter take you by surprise. His black-and-white photography reminds me of the artistic genius of Ansel Adams. But unlike Adams, Narayan's photography is more intimate and more real. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, photography, and/or reflections on nature.

In "Both Feet on the Land" the poet/photographer/philosopher has pulled off a real challenge: to create an integrated book, cover to cover. Tautly crafted and expressive poetry demonstrate mindfulness and wit; apt photographs express their own beauty and enhance the poems. The reader is brought to personal relationship with Woman-as-World in her many guises and disguises.

This is a literal "coming out" story! We see that the poet has
transformed his life (or been catapulted by forces beyond his control!)from indoor "civilized" introspection and contemplation to an outdoor direct interaction with animals, plants, trees, stream, cottage, rocks, flood, and the sometimes treacherous weather of each season on a creek in the foothills of northern California.

The poet has created explosive yet sharply hewn poetry unlike any I have ever encountered. Images leap out, capturing the imagination and bringing the senses alive. We find ourselves right there, in the midst of the activities, struck with sudden insight into truths always readily at hand, could we but give full attention to what is right here. Great humor-at different moments dry, or outright hilarious-noticing the intimate instants within and without.

Every black and white two-page layout of the book is complete in itself, photo and poem acting upon each other, much as Japanese haiku and watercolors are often paired.

Very unusual features of the book are the introduction, "Starting on the Same Page," a poetic essay about the whys and whens of this work. Then at the end, "Terms and Notes" where we meet cultural antecedents and indicators. Finally, "Gifts Received," honoring the poet's background, life choices, and ancestors.

"Both Feet on the Land" is a gift-quality book of great artistry,
substance, and insight that certainly captivated me-and I'm rarely captivated!

Roxanne Bartlett

Since it was originally written in the early 1900s, I don't imagine too many people nowadays have read this book without having heard of it through the 1985 Richard Pryor movie adaptation. But if you enjoy the film, as I do, then I'd recommend the novel if you can find it.

About all I'll say in comparing the 2 versions is this: the one and only similarity is they both center around a man named Montgomery Brewster having to dispose of a certain sum of willed money within a specified time period, without telling anyone why, in order to be eligible for a larger fortune. That's it. The novel's amounts are different, Mr. Brewster's profession and friends are different, and even the reason for the whole game is totally different - more complex and interesting in the novel, I thought. So it follows that Monty's methods of spending his money and the adventures, setbacks, and romances he experiences along the way make the novel a completely different story. Without giving away the book's ending, I will say that's different too, but equally satisfying.

Basically, if you're hesitant about tackling the novel because you're afraid it's just an outdated version of a story you already know, don't be. Read the book and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The 1985 movie was great, but Brewster's methods are far more diverse and humorous in the book. Notable highlights:

-Brewster befriends a pair of muggers by insisting they steal everything, even the $300 they overlooked in his right pocket.

-He hosts a luxury cruise for 50 to Europe, and the guests stage a mutiny to curb Brewster's inexplicable generosity.

-An Arab sheik tries to steal Brewster's fiance in Egypt, but is shot in the head while absconding.

A possible detractor: the book has far more dramatic content than the movie. This is not simply a comedic vehicle. It is thoroughly absorbing, nevertheless.

Dryden -- The Conquest of Grenada
Villiers -- The Rehearsal
Dryden -- All for Love
Otway -- Venice Preserved
Etherege -- The Man of Mode
Wycherley -- The Plain Dealer
Vanbrugh -- The Relapse
Congreve -- The Way of the World
Farquhar -- The Beaux' Stratagem
Cibber -- The Careless Husband
Steele -- The Conscious Lovers
Addison -- Cato
Rowe -- The Tragedy of Jane Shore
Gay -- The Beggar's Opera
Fielding -- Tom Thumb
Lillo -- The London Merchant
Garrick -- The Lying Valet
Home -- Douglas
Colman -- The Jealous Wife
Cumberland -- The West Indian
Goldsmith -- She Stoops to Conquer
Sheridan -- The Rivals
Sheridan -- The School for Scandal
Sheridan -- The Critic

plus two essays:

Collier -- A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage
Goldsmith -- An Essay on the Theatre; or, A Comparison Between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy


This handsome volume is actually a more convenient and more economical way to collect these 24 plays and additional essays than piecing together single plays in the New Mermaids, Regents Renaissance, or Revels series. In fact, many of the plays in this volume are not otherwise available.

This book is an embarrasment of riches -- enjoy!

Desperation can be the source of wisdom. I've known for a year that this fall I'll be teaching restoration and 18th century drama. Worse, I volunteered to do so. Worse yet, as of yesterday I had only 7 weeks left in which to pick a text of plays. And absolutely worst of all, while trying to look up restoration and 18th century texts on the Web, I found my own course staring me in the face: "English 232, Smith College, Gillian Kendall". Yikes! It was definitely time to find a text.

Nettleton saved me. I had been about to order a completely new edition of the plays (sample copy graciously sent to me by the publisher), albeit the edition was in many ways, well, let's say "not quite right for the course". Then I went to the library. Despite the recommendation of a friend -- a renowned 18th century expert -- I had been suspicious of Nettleton. The copyright on the edition I looked at was 17 years before I was born (sorry about the ageism, Mr. Nettleton). But the volume has everything. Lovely grandiose heroic drama (but not too much of it); Dryden's adaptation of Shakespeare's *Antony and Cleopatra*; five classic comedies of manners (the backbone of restoration drama), and a pleasant smorgasbord of the best of the 18th century.

I have a text. My students have a text. Life is good.

This book has given me much to think about and provided much comfort. The "much to think about" comes from Part One where Stone looked at storytelling communities. Her analysis of them helped me see more clearly what's here in Kentucky and how those communities function as well as what might be missing and how those could come about and could function. Part Two provided "much comfort." Here Stone looked at individual tellers as they talked about the development of the telling of a specific tale. She also included a transcript of the tale as the teller told it to her. This was fascinating since I love telling fairy and folk tales (wondertales, Stone calls them) and am not that interested in creating parodies or spicing them up in ways that call attention to the teller's cleverness instead of to the story. To read about how storytellers have worked on the telling of a story and about how the story has worked on the teller was like looking in a mirror at my ways of working and seeing that I truly am not alone. Although my comments touch on only a fraction of the subject matter in Kay Stone's book, those two aspects are what burns brightest for me now. To read it was a fine and wonderful experience with thoughts and images "burning brightly" to illuminate my path. Thank you, Kay Stone.

In Burning Brightly: New light on old tales told today, Kay Stone tracks the revival of oral storytelling in Canada. Since the dawn of human history storytellers have entertained, educated and inspired members of their communities, but in the age of books and television their art almost died out, relegated to story hours for children. Early chapters of Burning Brightly explore the many adult storytelling communities which have arisen in cities and rural areas over the last twenty years, including four streams: "traditional", library/educational, theatrical, and spiritual/therapeutic. The book shows how these communities fulfill the human need for meaning and connection. Traditional tales, including many from the Grimm collections, retain their relevance in today's world. Stone explores the reasons tellers choose these old tales and the ways they rework them. In the second half of her book, Kay Stone explores in depth the life stories, thoughts and repertoires of eight contemporary tellers, including herself. Texts of their stories are included. Her own tale, that of a curious girl who meets a dangerous crone and finds her own storytelling voice, acts as a metaphor for the revival of oral storytelling as a performance art. Kay Stone offers rare insights based on her dual career as a popular Winnipeg storyteller and an internationally recognized folklorist. Her book shows the depth and breadth of today's storytelling as does no other book I have seen, and is a valuable resource for storytellers, folklorists and anyone interested in oral tradition and community building.

This book deserves to be much better known. I think it is one of the classics of 20th century European literature and a must for anyone who loves Prague, taking us back to the city of Rabbi Judah Loeb - the legendary creator of the mythical Golem - on the eve of the Thirty Years' War. The book might be of particular interest to fans of Ivo Andric (and similarly, fans of "The Bridge over the Drina" should enjoy Perutz's book). The atmosphere is somewhat similar, with the old bridge as a sort of silent witness to events related in a series of highly entertaining and - at their best - magical tales.

This book is Leo Perutz' monument to his childhood home prague, a fascinating tapestry that brings together the stories of historical people such as Wallenstein as well as of fictional characters. Further more, it is a tribute to Jewish life, written after the catastrophy of WWII when the Jewish culture Perutz came from had been destroied. As always with this author the plot is developed magnificently and the language beautiful. Definitely recomended!

I have loved the narnia books all my life and found this new book very interesting because it told me about the authors childhood which made me feel that I knew him. The book is also a great romantic story about his friendship and then marriage to the author Joy Gresham.

As an avid reader since childhood of the Chronicles of Narnia, I was thrilled to read this wonderful biography of C. S. Lewis. The author paints a detailed picture of his privileged childhood in Belfast, Ireland, followed by unhappy years at English boarding schools.
I enjoyed reading about his many years at Oxford Univeristy, first as a brilliant student and later as a professor. His touching romance with American author Joy Gresham and her tragic death touched my heart.
This is a wonderful book and I recommend it to adults and young people. Cathy Gustavson, retired professor

This book is a treasure for theatre students and enthusiasts, a valuable resource for everyone interested in the pieces of history that are in danger of being lost to future generations.

Steve Susoyev, author of People Farm

Never heard of Caffe Cino? Try Bernadette Peters, Sam Shepard . . . Al Pacino? Yes, all got stage time in their fledgling careers at the legendary Greenwich Village cafe/theatre known as Caffe Cino. It was the seminal womb of Off-Off-Broadway theatre in New York. This space, inhabited by founder Joe Cino and a host of practically mythic characters, was a non-judgemental---and magical---laboratory for a generation of new theatre artists, many but not all gay. It was a place where they could risk, and often fail, but also create groundbreaking successes.

Scholar Wendell Stone has done a masterly job of snatching important historical interviews, first-hand accounts, and documentary artifacts from the precipice of obscurity. We are all richer for it. Moreover, he does so with such grace and obvious affection for the subject that the factual read turns out to be a most pleasant ride. Woven through the saga of the location is the elegant tragedy of the man, Joseph Cino, a figure practically unknown, but a determined soul who literally sacrificed himself for his small corner of artistic influence. Stone has redeemed that sacrifice with this simple but illuminating snapshot of a "magic time" and place---New York's Greenwich Village in the 1960s---and the merry band of genderbenders who presided over Caffe Cino. New Yorkers (wherever you may live); theatre lovers; gay historians; students of life, love, and loss---this book is for you.

I have to end this review with a disclaimer: I know Wendell Stone very well. He is a most respected colleague and friend. We did PhD work concurrently and I watched this material develop from an idea to an important and exciting work. I've loved this topic for a long time now and am pleased to see that Wendell's treatment of it has been so appreciated. It's a good book by a good guy. Read and enjoy!