Watson Books

"Here is a complete introduction to contemporary techniques of ink drawing for artist and illustrators, emphasizing today's bold drawing styles. In drawings, exercises, and step-by-step demonstrations, the author shows how to create a wide variety of expressive lines and textures, crosshatching, washes, and mechanical tones added by using printed textures. He goes into great detail on the following subjects: animals, airplanes, people, exotic landscapes, and food."

Presents 15 demonstrations that show the techniques of combining the line and tone; crosshatching with a pen; drawing with a bristle brush; pen line with brush accents; pen and brush drawing with ink wash; ink lines and Instantex; scratchboard used for realistic & decorative drawing; ink lines and Pentel washes; using an erasing shield; using the electric eraser; correcting a scratchboard drawing; making a graphite tracing sheet; and projecting the image of a drawing or photograph on paper.

This book is sub-titled "Sherlock Holmes is Introduced to Sociological Theory" and the author has endeavored to introduce his readers to a number of sociological theorists from the early 20th century. The format is quite interesting. Holmes and Dr. Watson are presented with problems occurring at a Conference, titled "The Promise of Social Progress" being held in London in 1910. Among the attendees are a variety of social theorists and activists with strong minds and even stronger opinions. Each Chapter begins with a lengthy citation from the works of one or another of the attendees that directly bears on the material in the Chapter and often includes direct quotes of the views expressed in the text.

The entire book presents a set of three neat mysteries, each of which is solved in typical ratiocinative fashion by Holmes as he meets with and probes the thoughts of the conference participants. As a student of the "Hard Sciences", I approched this introduction to the world of fuzzy thinking with some trepidation and the conviction that I would be disappointed by the cast of characters. I mean, what could Lenin, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, W. E. B. DuBois and Sigmund Freud have to say that would speak to a 21st century sophisticate?

I received a pleasant surprise as, one by one, real thinkers formulated hypotheses and attempted to make sense out of the chaos of human interactions. The arguments and theories were made quite understandable and, even more importantly, the thinkers, themselves, came alive and spoke as real people in a stressful situation. The expected 'preachiness' of the dialogs simply wasn't present and I found myself listening to beliefs and views that are vital and important to the participants.

In some subtle way, the author also makes the contrast between these views expressed and the societal views common to the day become apparent to the 21st century reader. The sociological thinking may seem quite simplistic, but these thoughts arose in societies in which "It's God's Will" and "The inate superiority of European man" and "Kinder, Kuchen and Kirche" were the standard explanations for events and where "Degeneracy" (whatever that is) was the common explanation for crime.

The hundred years or so intervening between the story and the reader have brought so much change to the world that some of the viewpoints and arguments seem quite sad and doomed to disappointment. In addition, the Primate Studies of the latter part of the 20th century have pointed up some unsuspected basics in human interactions that would have both surprised and delighted the characters in the story. It is interesting to the reader to see whose viewpoints best survive the tests of time while the timelessness of character is also brought to one's attention.

As a sociological text, this book is a nicely crafted introduction for laymen. As a mystery, it is a tricky puzzle that eludes preconceptions and as a Sherlockian effort, it is very nicely done. For pastiche readers, most efforts fall in the category of "Why did the author use the name Sherlock Holmes for that blundering idiot?" In this case, the thoughts and views expressed came the closest to those I would expect from the Master as any I have read for a long time. The enthusiasm Holmes displayed was unlike his response to many other problems, but it all seemed to flow naturally from his own response to the fine intellects he encountered in the tale.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones; July, 2003

Durkheim Is Dead is a unique introduction to theories of sociology, as it presents the theories of W. E. B. Du Bois, Sigmund Freud, Vladimir Lenin, Beatrice Webb, and others in the unique format of a Sherlock Holmes mystery novel. Tracking Holmes and Watson as their latest case brings them to a 1910 conference in London on the new science of sociology, Holmes and Watson learn the theories and lives directly from the individuals who have proposed them in the workings of history. Durkheim Is Dead is a unique, original, entertaining, and educationally impressive means of teaching the reader about social science -- and will prove fascinating reading to all Sherlock Holmes mystery enthusiasts.

A very hard to find book, but worth it if you can. It documents the many of the under represented Urguayan architect's most beautiful masonry structures.

Necesito información en español, acerca de como comprar el libro

This is such a masterfully written book. Even apart from the fact that it is based on historical events (interesting enough!), I thought the story worked so well as just a damn good story. If you have any interest at all in Paul Gauguin (or even if you don't!), I highly recommend this book.

This book is soooo cool! about a guy who gets revenge for his best friend's death at the hands of pirates. paul gaggin is in it too. he was a famous artist. he painted lots of pictures and had sex with lots of hot Tahitian girls! then he died of siphilis!

To those of us who love and value the smallest of details in Doyle's stories, Jack Tracy's "The Encyclopaedia Sherlockiana" has remained a valued resource for over thirty years now. If you are new to the canon, please do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this volume. I also recommend it as an excellent companion piece to both Leslie Klinger's "New Annotated Sherlock Holmes" and William S. Baring-Gould's earlier "Annotated Sherlock Holmes."

One thing that any fan of Sherlock Holmes knows is that the solution is in the details, and that attention to the details is of vital importance. One thing the Conan Doyle would do in his short stories and novels featuring Holmes would be to overload on details, rather like a magician redirecting attention away; the task for the reader, as indeed it was for Holmes, was to identify which details were meaningful, and which could be safely discarded. Holmes would keep nothing useless in mind, being mindful of clutter - he purported (A Study in Scarlet) not to even be aware that the earth went round the sun, rather than vice versa, as it was not relevant to his work. One assumes that he was pulling the good Dr. Watson's leg, as there are times when such information might be relevant, and as such, Holmes would know it.

There are several versions of the canonical stories available, and various commentaries on these tales published. There is also an ever-growing body of apocryphal tales put out by modern writers. However, there aren't many reference books on Holmes available. Therefore, the 'Encyclopedia Sherlockiana' by Jack Tracy is a welcome volume for any Holmes fan. It is a great companion volume to any serious reader (and many the casual reader) of the canonical tales.

Just as any reader of Holmes tales will need to have a care for detail, so too does Tracy have a great eye for the details in the stories. Arranged rather in the fashion of an encyclopedic dictionary more so than as an encyclopedia proper, this one-volume text cover the A-to-Zed of the stories, the people, the places, the objects, the weapons, and other minutiae of the tales.

For example, it is well known that Holmes' arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty, won acclaim by a treatise upon the Binomial Theorem. But what is the Binomial Theorem? You will find out the basics here - alas, it is one of those bits of trivia that Holmes himself might have tried hard to forget, having no direct relevance to the case. Or did it?

Entries for each of the stories, each of the heroes, innocents and villains, each of the places visited or referenced, and major plot devices are carefully explained. Other entries, such as streets mentioned in passing, peripheral historical characters or details, or general linguistic and cultural details, are explained with short but useful definitions situating them in their greater context for the story.

There is a generous supply of maps, line-art drawings, and photographs throughout the dictionary. The first maps are of London, close up and further out (back when there still was a Middlesex), as they were in Holmes' late Victorian time. Most of the entries look to the time period from 1890 to 1910; Holmes tales extended beyond these times, but the baseline is set for this period.

Tracy engages in what he calls the 'high-camp intellectual joke' of the 'reality' of Holmes and Watson; in entries where the line between fact and fiction has been blurred (if not erased entirely), Tracy gives fair warning by marking such entries with an asterisk. Likewise, Tracy gives historical-development information in the introduction, from which the reader will learn that the quintessential Holmesian pipe, the curved meerschaum, originated with the actor William Gillette rather than with Conan Doyle, and that despite the near-universal belief to the contrary, Holmes never said, 'Elementary, my dear Watson' even once in all the stories (Basil Rathbone's film made it a ubiquitous phrase).

There are more than 3500 primary entries, 8000 story references (remarkable, considering there are 56 short stories and 4 novels), and 200 illustrations. Tracy did the majority of his research in the library system of Indiana University (which possesses an excellent Victorian Studies collection) but gives due attention to other Sherlockian scholars. He provides a wonderful bibliography at the conclusion of the text.

This is a great gift for any Sherlock Holmes fan, and a must for any serious Sherlockian devotee.

This is a dazzling piece of cultural history about all the things people have wanted to be true about Elizabeth I whether they are or not, with fantastic pictures drawn from the plays and novels and movies in which her endlessly glamorous afterlife has been lived. It's a great book about why this enigmatic, dangerous woman matters and has mattered: it's funny, it's heartfelt, and it's scholarly too. Perfect for the thinking Glenda Jackson/Bette Davis/Cate Blanchett fan in your life, and a penetrating, witty meditation on fame, womanhood, and history.

Anne Barton, an emerita Cambridge, England professor of literature and history, called this book 'scholarly, wide-ranging, lively and witty', and she doesn't give out praise lightly: she also described it as 'a fascinating cultural history of England itself in terms of its obsession with Anne Boleyn's resilient daughter.' This was in the London Review of Books, which rarely gets that sort of thing wrong, so I bought it. And she was dead right. This is a stunning book -- broadens your whole sense of history. And such a joy and a stimulant to read. I can't think how they'll ever follow it, but thank goodness they wrote it.

Professor Watson has done us all a great service by identifying and restating the fundamental argument of this scripture in his "Essential
Lotus: Selections from the Lotus Sutra" (2002), based on his earlier
complete translation, "The Lotus Sutra" (1993). This sacred text may
be "one of the most important and influential of the sutras or sacred
scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism" (xvii), but, truth be told, it is also
"a rather prolix and loosely structured text, with some chapters that are
repetitious or of minor doctrinal importance." (vii). Watson is one of
our great translators and the perfect editor to clarify its message.

Although the Lotus Sutra often refers to its program as the One Vehicle or Great Vehicle which supersedes "expedient means" (the earlier teachings which the Buddha adjusted to the needs and level of understanding of his listeners), One Vehicle claims to be the BEST--
but not the only -- means of attaining Buddhahood, which all living
beings have the potential to achieve (viii). Transcending "expedient
means" may be the goal of the Lotus teaching, but we come gradually to realize it while living in a religious world of "expedient means." This is an important concept. The early, second chapter of the Lotus Sutra takes the name "Expedient Means," the first chapter fully included in the "Essential Lotus." Most of the sutra's Seven Parables refer to this notion in one way or another. Here is to be found the rationale for religious inclusivism -- the accommodation of the religious beliefs and practices of others.

Predictably, many today are interested in what the Lotus Sutra has to
say about the status of women? In his Preface to "Essential Lotus,"
Professor Watson describes the famous anecdote concerning the
"daughter of the dragon king Sagara who, though only a child of eight,
has attained the highest level of enliightenment. Earlier Buddhism had
generally denied that women could attain Buddhahood, at least while
in female form . . . The Lotus Sutra firmly rejects such assertions. We are to understand that all beings without exception, good or evil,
female or male, are equally capable of becoming Buddhas." (ix; 85-87).

"Essential Lotus" includes an informative preface and introduction,
and a good glossary and index. Even if you already the have a complete translation of the Lotus Sutra, you will find this to be a most useful addition to your library.

Burton Watson has translated the entire Lotus Sutra, and here presents a selection of what he considers to be the core chapters of the long, episodic and uneven collection. The Lotus Sutra is one of the most influential early Mahayana texts, and so shaped Buddhism in all of East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam). It has attracted more scholarly commentary over the centuries than any other sutra, and further, its imagery and stories have profoundly influenced East Asian culture in a way similar to the way the stories of the Bible permeate Western culture.

THE ESSENTIAL LOTUS provides an essential service to the scholar of religion, or of literature, or of culture, or the practicing Buddhist who wants to go to the core of this important text without the painstaking effort of wandering through its every winding and inessential byway. According to Watson there are 3 main lessons of the Lotus Sutra:

1) There is One Vehicle, the Greater Vehicle (Mahayana), for all -- other teachings are superseded, they were but expedient means.

2) Enlightenment (Buddhahood) is for everyone, not just a select few.

3) The manifestation of the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was simply the most recent -- the Buddha his lived innumerable lives, and taught the Dharma to innumerable sentient beings, leading to the Enlightenment of innumerable sentient beings. The Buddha is within, and we can call on him for assistance.

When outlined in this way it is much easier to see the main points, points which were Mahayana innovations in their day and challenged the earlier Theravada tradition, than if a reader was to try to extract them independently. For the practicing Buddhist, there are many better Mahayana sources than the Lotus Sutra, though, even this superb edited version. (My apologies to those Buddists who believe that simply chanting the name of the Lotus Sutra will bring enlightenment.) I recommend Watson's ESSENTIAL LOTUS mainly to the scholar of religion and to the student of comparative world literature for its parables and vivid imagery.

See my BHUDDA-DHARMA list for more.

This is a very good book and also an excellent source for a research paper. I am a senior history major, and I found it to be very informative as well as entertaining.

Recently transplanted to Vermont, I wanted to know more about the man whose namesake is lent to everything from tourist motels to air guard squadrons to think-tanks. Jellison's narrative paints a balanced portrait of a man whose legacy among latter-day Yankees approaches sainthood. This book tells the complete story (with due reverence where applicable) while resisting the urge to canonize. Jellison provides ample historical context to help armchair historians understand the motives and context behind the events. Very readable...a scholarly work unburdened by tangential footnotes and obscure allusions. Includes an index, a map, and a chapter-by-chapter bibliography.

If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you will enjoy these delightful short stories that bring back many of the characters from the famous sleuth's exploits.

But there is a twist. This time the protagonist is none other than John Watson's second wife. Didn't know Watson had a spouse? Just read the introduction to these stories and you will be a believer.

Author Michael Mallory spins such a clever tale about this wonderful lady that you will go along with the history without missing a beat. Mallory has penned over a hundred short stories, so these flow gently from his pen like a hot cup of tea.

Even though Amelia Watson is a new character created by the talented Mallory, he weaves snatches of Sherlock, Watson, and even Mrs. Hudson into the fabric until you are firmly back at 221 B Baker Street with all your old friends.

And the stories are engaging from plots to overthrow the throne to an intriguing tale that pits Sherlock and Amelia in a clever ruse that was so much fun to read.

Pour yourself a cuppa, sit back in your easy chair, and soon find yourself back in those misty times where intellect, not CSI techniques, save the day. (Though there is one story that does delve into science. You'll love it.)

A fun read.

This excellent thirteen story collection provides a fascinating spin on the Holmes mythos. In the Introduction John Shirley explains that Holmes mentions that his chronicler Watson had a second wife (see The Adventures of the Blanched Soldier) whom he was married to in January 1903. Using that footnote Mr. Shirley provides the Baker Street crowd with a wonderful collection in which Amelia Watson solves the cases. Of the thirteen tales, twelve have been in other publications. All the entries are fun and use a real historical item, person or place, event to anchor the tales. Sherlock makes a few appearances with one amusing moment when he steals the dress of the very tall Amelia so he can go undercover; while Mycroft appears more frequently. Also showing up is Lestrade who appreciates Mrs. Watson's skills. Fans of the great detective will relish this strong compilation as Amelia recognizes her competitor for John's affections is Sherlock and John is envious that not only his friend is a superior sleuth so is his wife whom he adores.

Harriet Klausner

When you read a book that:

Is always on the plot without rendering the landscape or buildings.

Can't be closed.

Can be true all the way.

The love story is just that.

Doesn't describe technologies nobody'll understand.

Has a paramount end.

Then the book deserves SIX stars.

Trevor Scott does it again with Extreme Faction. As up to date as today's headlines. A real roller coaster of a thriller. When does it hit the silver screen?