Ireland Books

Did you ever read a book by an academic and think to yourself, "Gosh, I hope his lectures are better than his writing, or else I pity his students." I guarantee that thought won't occur to you while reading this wonderful work. Recognizing that the author, not inappropriately, chose to style it as a "companion" to Victorian literature, and likely would have disavowed any suggestion that it is actually a work of history, that's in fact what it is, and a great one. But rather than simply a social history, it is primarily an intellectual history of the period with an emphasis on the roles of artists and men and women of letters as well as the Utilitarians, Evangelicals, the Oxford Movement, the Pre-Raphaelites, incipient socialism, all thoroughly accessible to readers unacquainted with the period but surpassingly enjoyable to the most knowledgeable among us as well. I come backwards to the book, having read much Victorian literature, innumerable histories of the period and biographies of its principal actors. But I enjoyed the book tremendously nonetheless, not only because it sharpened and refined my understanding of the subjects treated, but also because of the author's superb writing skills. Professor Altick died earlier this year, having served on the OSU faculty from 1945 to 1982 (!), and having been honored as the only Regents Professor in his department's history. This book and his other works (more of which I will certainly read) will serve as suitable memorials to a marvelous writer and an undoubtedly great teacher.

I cannot imagine a better "companion" to Victorian literature than this nicely organized book. This is an invaluable guide to anyone who would like to situate their knowledge of Victorian prose and poetry within the era's social/historical zeitgeist. Malthus, dissenters, social reforms, sexuality, class consciousness -- all here. I have found myself returning to this book many times over the years. Kudos to Altick.

I highly recommned this introduction to the values and literature of Victorian Britain. Replete with lively anecdotes and thoughtful analyses, Altick's work makes for an entertaining read even as it educates those just beginning to tackle nineteenth century British history and literature.

I can not tell you how splendid this work is, I just am flabergasted! Some books are written and then some books are "written"! This book was "written"! Hands down I have to tell you this was a book that was "written" !
I am a professional critic so I have a few gripes. One the binding bent to easily when I threw the book against the wall. OK, so I have a problem with big words, the book uses big words when little words would suffice. Call me crazy but do not call me if you plan to read this p...I am told I will love the book and given time (and some time on the rack) I suppose I would, but at this point I will have to reserve judgement until I read the dang thang. Please do not hold your breath....Best book I have ever...Go read now!

I am pleasantly surprised at what a marvelous read this book is! Altick provides a very thorough background on Victorian history, people, philosophy, economics, politics, religion, literature etc. which is not only highly informative but also fascinating. After carrying this book everywhere for a week and delighting at even having the opportunity to read two pages at a time, I found myself returning to Amazon.com to look for other books by the same author.

Altick not only knows the Victorian experience (and its development and changes throughout the 19th century), but he knows how to present it in a manner which is highly illuminating. Another plus is how, perhaps without meaning to, he provides a backdrop for socio-political-economic developments of the 20th century, which not only affected Great Britain, but spread across the Atlantic to the U.S. As a result, I am not only becoming much more knowledgeable about Victorian times and able to understand the context of the Victorian novels I have been reading, but I have become more aware of the philosophies, value systems and practices which have shaped western society today. This is one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read.

Neil Byrne is a popular Irish school guy coming up to is eighteenth birthday, a star rugby player, school prize winner, and always in demand. But he bears a heavy secret which, despite the fact that virtually all his straight friends are paired off and his remains single, no one suspects; he is gay. He has known this since the age of ten, but has so far been able to conceal the fact through his masculine attributes and successes, including a brief flirtation with a girl. He has secretly fallen for a younger lad at school, the beautiful blue-eyed blond guy with the cute behind, Ian.
Finally no longer to able to contain himself he confess his sexuality, but only to his closest friends, and then is encouraged to venture into the gay bars of Dublin. He meets a new group of friends including a benevolent Sugar Daddy, and Shane, a handsome older guy of twenty five with whom he starts a relationship. But is Shane all he seems to be, and is he to be trusted? Yet all appears to be going reasonably well until Neil can no longer live with deceiving his parents, and eventually comes out to them with catastrophic results.
Who will Neil be able to turn now, and can he rely on anyone? Throughout all his troubles he is plagued with doubts, and often sees suicide as an answer, is that now his only recourse?
However Ian is never far from his thoughts, but he does not even know if Ian is gay.
I found this an involving and enjoyable story, with a satisfying and very moving conclusion. The writing is interesting, especially when at times we see events from Neil's perspective, as if we are following events as his mind rapidly flits from one thought to another. Recommended.

I really enjoyed reading Tom Lennon's novel about an 18 year old Irish boy who just happens to be gay. Tom Lennon has a beautiful style, full of subtle details and he is excellent in building his characters. Around the main hero, there evolve a dozen of other characters all portrayed under the light of truth. Tom Lennon has a way to pay justice to everyone even to Mother and Father who love their son in their own way, as it the case with millions of parents of gay adlolescents. I believe this is a novel of literary value, much above the average of the common gay themed novels and that it should be read not only by young gays and adults but also by all parents who know or suspect that their son is gay. Reading this fine novel, they will probably get an insight into the turmoils of growing up with the idea of belonging to a minority group and that coming to terns with one's own reality has to shatter or put into trial (test) the relationship with any kind of authroty in the pyramid of love.

Neil, a young lad in Ireland, struggles to live truthfully as a gay youth while pretending with his parents and friends that he's just one of the guys. He slowly becomes involved in Dublin's gay community, and meets another guy who's a few years older, but before anything can happen, Neil is attacked by gay-bashers. After recovering, Neil finds that dating is difficult, especially when he's hiding so much, and the relationship sours. Neil comes out to his parents and friends, and finds some support, but everything changes, some for the worse and some for the better. This amazing coming out story does end with hope and a possibility for a connection to combat the loneliness of living as a gay man in a small town. Like Stuart Thorogood's "Outcast" and K. M. Soehnlein's "The World of Normal Boys", Lennon's book is a potent, poignant tale of what it's like being young and gay.

Neil Byrne's biggest problem is how to keep both sides of his life apart. At school is a good student and the talented rugby player. He has quite a few friends, but very few long-term girlfriends. That isn't to say there is nobody at school he wants today to date. There is. In fact, Neil has even written some poems that describe how he feels. The only problem is, "Does Ian feel the same?" Being afraid of rejection, Neil decides to stay silent. Instead, he begins to go

out and become apart of Dublin's gay nightlife. He meets the usual suspects: the solicitous older man, transvestites, and queens. He also meets Shane whom he hopes will be his one true love. In the end, he trades one problem for another. The world inhabited by his created family turns out to be just as stifling and insecure as the world inhabited by those he loves at home. In the end, he discovers that true love is literally just around the corner. This is a sad and funny book that traces a young man's search for love despite the obstacles created by his family and the bar culture of which he is a part.

It's not that this is a love story kind of romantic novel. It's more like a wonderfully sensitive story of Neil Byrne, just graduated, just turned 18 in search of love. The kind of love he can dig his fingers into, feel, and return in full measure. Set in Dublin Ireland one witnesses the close-knit family life of Dubliners, from their happy moments to the moments that tear them apart. Neil's search for love and acceptance puts him on the outside looking in with his school mates, his siblings, his best friend, all "rhyming couplets" while Neil is different and vacilates between fitting in and going his own way into Dublin's gay night life. Here he sees both the sad and the promise of something happy for himself. He meets Shane, a beautiful man, who might be the love Neil is searching for. Something odd: author Tom Lennon chooses to become vague during the novel's crisis moments when Neil "comes out" to his friends, family, when he is gay bashed, and near the end when... well I can't relate what happens. This is the kind of book that draws you in immediately and keeps you spellbound and rooting for the main character. Lennon's true ability is to make you feel what the sensitive Neil feels in both his wins and losses. The truly romantic will love this book. The jaded and cynical will probably not. After all, it's a coming out story, set in Ireland, from the point of view of a teenager. The story is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always interesting and in many ways insightful. Ronald L. Donaghe is the author of Uncle Sean.

All the characters I came to love in Wimmer's earlier Irish Trilogy are back, more mature and with no less complicated and compeling lives. Yet this need not be regarded as a sequel; The Wildly Irish Sextet stands on its own with each fully realized character and story full of wit, humanity, foibles and fun. It's Wimmer's gift that he can take the reader from hilarity to tenderness to ribaldry to suspense without inducing whiplash. More than entertaining, the stories spark a reflection upon the dynamics of couples, family and friendship as the characters navigate their later years with warmth, occasional wisdom and always something to offer the reader about life lived genuinely.

He's back and we are the better for it! It is again typically Wimmer - wildly exciting, hilarious, extremely sexy, and dominating of the reader's attention. I have been reading his work for years and once again his fast-paced writing rushes me to the next page and the next and the next. Dick Wimmer's The Wildly Irish Sextet gives us the breadth of Boyne that continues a reader's excitement that we found in The Irish Wine Trilogy. I loved reading about the Irish antics of his buddy Hagar as well as his relationship with Tory, his daughter, and...Hagar is dynamic. Hollywood, pick any of his books, but get this one on film!!

Mr. Wimmer continues to take his characters to new heights and his readers to new levels of laughter with his new book. The mad, mad, mad world of Seamus Boyne lifts Dick Wimmer above and beyond anything on the bookshelves today. Truly, one of the great masters of the written word. Each story contains something unique and unforgettable. Wimmer holds nothing back in this brilliant collection featuring Boyne, Tory and Hagar. Each character as unique and special as Mr. Wimmer himself. Dick Wimmer is a treasure!

I am an old fan of Wimmer's previous novels dealing with the great Irish painter Seamus Boyne ("Irish Wine: The Trilogy")and am pleased to see that Boyne is not only back but hasn't lost a step. This is Wimmer's usual pungent Irish brew of steamy sex and madcap doings, but with a touching twilight tinge as Boyne rages mightily against going gently into the good night of his eighth decade. A superior creation! May Boyne live forever!

The Wildly Irish Sextet brings two very different worlds into illuminating conjunction. One's the boozy, seat-of-the-pants Ireland of Seamus Boyne, Dick Wimmer's gifted knockabout painter. The other's the suburban Long Island of Boyne's American pal Gene Hagar, a pest exterminator turned writer. Whether you're romping in Ireland with Hagar, or on Long Island playing softball with Boyne, you see the comforts and absurdities of both places depicted with unusual relish, insight, and wit. Add to that the tenderness and compassion Wimmer's heroes find anew in these marvelous six books, and you'll find The Wildly Irish Sextet irresistible, as I did.

Martha Cummings doesn't just write, she inspires. Only a few chapters into her latest book, I found myself on the phone with my oldest living relatives feverishly writing down every word they could remember of our family's heritage. Just as the picture on the cover draws you in, this author's writing captivates the reader in such a way that people come in from other rooms of the house and ask you what you are laughing at and why you look so starry eyed upon putting it down. The description of Italia is so vivid that it transports you across the Atlantic (no passport required). Reading the restaurant scenes compelled me to open a bottle of red and fry up some anchovies! One scene she describes in Campo di Giove took me back to my Italian grandmother's table with all the various offerings of an ordinary mid-week lunch. Anyone who has ever been to Italia needs to read this book. After the trip is over and you are thrust back into your American schedule, you forget so much. The smells, the pace of life, the people, and the little nuances which are nothing short of magical. Ms. Cummings took me back and helped me rekindle the magic that I now possess in my soul having been there.

This book resonated with me because of my own experience of reconnection with my Italian roots. My angel was my late father, Angelo, born in Northeastern Italy, whom I have adored forever, and who told us stories of the family with whom he lost contact during WWII before my sister and I were born.
I recently connected with the children of his brother whom Papa had last seen as he hugged him good-bye before leaving his village forever. Papa was 17; his brother was 16. We found each other via the Internet. The emotions I felt at the first e-mail from the second cousin who found our name on the Internet website on which I had posted it, and realized when he gave the names of his grandparents and said that my father's bithplace and surname were also the birthplace and surname of his mother, that he was the grandson of my father's brother, parallel those of Martha and Laurie in 'The Wisdom of Angels." At least one reviewer has called this book a novel. I think this is more of a non-fiction memoir of a sentimental journey taken by two cousins to the ancestral homeland. Martha and Laurie experience kindness and generosity in their search for their family places from the angels they meet along the way, such as the clerks in the town halls in the villages in the Abruzzi and in Sicily, who go out of their way to help in the search for family records, and the couple who lead them in their car to the best route to Florence. They experience warm and bounteous welcomes from their cousins and distant relations, and shed tears of remembrance as they find vestiges of the lives of their grandparents,Laurie's father, and Martha's mother. Unlike Martha, I have been to Italy only once, but like her, have loved it, its cuisine, its language, and its culture my whole life.
I was especially touched by the scene in which Martha, caressing the weathered door of her grandfather's house, the texture of which she likens to his gentle wrinkled face, discovers that someone had inscribed on it in pencil the date of his death in America an ocean and a lifetime away.
I remember thinking, as I sealed the envelope for my Italian cousins in which I had placed pictures of Papa, locks of his hair, and his funeral cards, that I was glad that there was was someone related still living in his natal village, who remembered Papa from stories told to them by their father, to send the mementos to. The cousin who contacted me had been sent to the library as a child to try to find Papa's name in an American phone book.
I have been to Italy, but not to the village of Papa's birth. One of my Italian cousins sent me a picture of the village, Orcenico Superiore, in Northeastern Italy above Venice marked with an arrow showing the street where he was born. Another cousin, now in Canada sent me some ceramic ware from the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region in which his village is located.
I remember thinking on the boat crossing the Adriatic to Italy, that I was taking Papa's journey in reverse. Being there was like going home.
I am unlikely ever to return, and will probably never see my cousins face to face, but I have spoken to one of them on the phone and, exchanged letters and pictures with the all of them. Vicariously participating in Martha's and Laurie's journey has permitted me to experience in my imagination a similar journey to the tiny hilltop village in which my personal and lifetime hero was born.

Genealogists will delight in this journey into the past. We all dream of the day when we will be able to go "over the pond" to visit the homesteads and haunts of our ancestors. Ms. Cummings does that in a compelling way. She shares with us the frustrations and triumphs of finding those elusive pieces to the puzzle. Well done, Ms. Cummings, and thank you for giving me the incentive to get back into the notes to make one more step toward my own journey to the past. Ireland is not too far away and I hope my journey will be equally successful.

For those who aren't doing their genealogy, I believe her story is a great read for you also. You'll meet some great people and "see" some great scenery in her book along the way. Who knows, maybe she'll tempt you into the great avocation of genealogy.

Thank you for taking me along, Ms. Cummings

Anyone wondering about their ancestral past (no matter which country holds the key) has got to read this book. Start with her first "Straddling the Borders; The year I grew up in Italy". Then read this one, "Wisdon of Angels: Unearthing my Italian Roots" You will laugh, cry and be inspired to follow her lead and go back to your parents',grandparents, or great grandparents's homeland and search for your roots. Even if you aren't of Italian descent you will appreciate her love of this beautiful country and want to board the next plane to Italy.

A beautiful and very personal second novel. Ms. Cummings has done it again! The Wisdom of Angels takes us back again to Italia where culture, history and most of all family are the main themes. As in her first novel, Straddling the Borders, Ms. Cummings takes us on a journey to uncover her familial roots, only this time she travels to the birthplace of her Grandmother. The enduring admiration and love Martha and Laurie share for their Nonna comes through in the rich prose and easy dialogue conjuring feelings of longing for those childhood days where the best place around was on a grandmother's lap. Ms. Cummings also very poetically reminds us that a mother's love is best of all with her tender dedication at the opening of the book and the bittersweet final chapter. And the food! Move over Ruth Reichl! Ms. Cummings knows how to capture the essence of the dining experience and she keeps us laughing through all of her gastrointestinal endeavors. A splendid mixture of family, friendship, laughter and travel The Wisdom of Angels is a must read.

I've read all four books in this series and counting down the days for the next one. They are all so good, it's almost impossible to lay the books down until you finish. She has done an awesome job in her research of historical facts which make them that much more enjoyable. "1949" in particular is a good history refresher course for things we have forgotten since our high school world history classes. Hurry and get the next one ready to be purchased!!

Another success by Morgan Llywelyn. If you've become as addicted as I have to the other books in her Irish Century series, you won't want to miss this one!

I have just finished reading the Irish century series up to date within the past few months, and 1972 is just another link in a fine chain on novels by Llywelyn. From the first book (1916) with a young Ned Halloran all they way up to Ned's grandson Barry in her latest masterpiece 1972, Llywelyn tells the story of the Republican movement from the Easter rising to Bloody Sunday. It's amazing how in 1972, she is able to approach all angles of the Troubles in Ireland. From the facture of IRA and the emergence of Ian Paisley and the Provos Llywelyn takes the confusion out and shows the futility of Irish politics. These books have brought to light a heritage that I have never been aware of and that has escaped my family over the generations. I would recomend this book to everyone with an ounce of Irish blood or anyone interested in the troubled history of modern Ireland. I can't wait for her next installment in the Irish Century series.

An excellent book in many respects. I witheld the fifth star only because there is so much straight history that some readers might get restive. A good read and a interesting and informative look inside the IRA and a sad retelling of the British atrocities that are rarely made public. Looking forward to her next book which will complete her retelling of Eire's struggles for independence and reunification.

Although the title doesn't mention Victorian, most of these designs originate in that era. They have influences other than the typical complex Victorian fonts. But they can be effectively be used with fonts from the other Dover title "Victorian Display Fonts". Well drawn, Mac and Windows, Postscript and Truetype...and what a GREAT price!

Weirdly, these fonts are all Gothic (actually blackletter), whereas the Gothic book in this series contains some Celtic (uncial) fonts. I think that the books were probably produced at the same time and mislabeled. Nevertheless, both are well worth buying.

The fonts included in this book will surely make a nice addition to your type library. Dan Solo had a huge collection of great old and new type faces. You'll find 24 of them here. Some, you might already have, and some are so nice that I believe if you find one gem here, it makes the price worthwhile. The fonts are in both Windows True Type and Macintosh formats. The pages have the complete alphabets and a character chart. Be sure to notice the "extra characters" that are offered in some fonts.

This is an excellent collection of 24 fonts, with printed examples and indices of the special characters for Macintosh (access to Windows special characters is described in the ReadMe file). They represent a fine collection of Baroque and Gothic lettering, but very little of the material could really be called truly Celtic. Any church could spice up its documents for special occasions with this collection. The `sz' of German formal text appears in a variety of forms. Also present are many other accented letters used in various European languages but not always included in more current fonts. Try it! Use it! There is creative material here!

Any psychiatrist has treated patients who thought their minds and wills were being controlled from the outside, perhaps from mysterious rays or hidden machines. This cannot sound so strange now as it must have a couple of centuries ago. We may not be used to mind control of that type, but we live in a world powered by invisible rays and hidden machines. When James Tilly Matthews entered the famous hospital for the insane, London's Bedlam in 1797, his complaints must have sounded bizarre indeed. He told his doctor that he, and many of the powerful in England and France, were being manipulated by a mysterious gang who were using invisible gases and rays from an unimaginably complex machine called an air loom, and that his thoughts were being altered and controlled and his body was being painfully punished. Matthews's bizarre story is the subject of a surprising and novel-like history, _The Air Loom Gang: The Strange and True Story of James Tilly Matthews and his Visionary Madness_ (Four Walls Eight Windows) by Mike Jay. What is especially peculiar is that although Matthew's ideas were clearly delusional, his complaints stemmed from real persecutions he was made to undergo. As the old joke says, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.

Matthews was a wholesale tea dealer who wound up shuttling between Britain and revolutionary France with a peace proposal. It is not surprising that Matthews had little effect; but it is surprising that at the time of the Terror, all he had to endure on the French side was a spell in a French Revolutionary prison. In 1796, after his return to England, he entered the public viewing area of the House of Commons, and yelled "Treason!" into the hall. This got him into Bedlam, and he was to be incarcerated for the rest of his life. His rooms were unheated, he would have straw to sleep on, and for some years he would be chained to his bed. It is quite possible that pummeled first by peculiarities of world events and then by the cruelties of incarceration as a lunatic that he began weaving contemporary ideas about pneumatics, electricity, and Mesmer's animal magnetism into a widespread delusional explanation of just how he got persecuted into such a position. We know about his delusions in detail because in charge of him was the apothecary John Haslam, and Matthews was Haslam's star patient. Jay shows that the delusions can possibly be seen as Matthews's response to persecution, with Haslam as co-creator.

This is a tangled tale, expertly told. There are parts of it that are deeply mysterious, and for which there is no documentation, only speculation; how Matthews came to be running secret diplomacy, and who was paying him to do so, and what he really was doing, can only be guessed at. The gripping story of Matthews coming to delusional terms with his predicament is actually moving, and his eventual (if posthumous) triumph over Haslam is convincing. Best of all Jay has gone a long way in successfully trying to explain the politics, science, and history of the time. His picture of treatment of the insane in the crumbling Bedlam, at the cusp of instituting sympathetic "moral" treatments of Philippe Pinel, is unforgettable. There may not have been a real air loom, but that doesn't keep it from meaning something; and Matthews may have been an incarcerated schizophrenic, but that doesn't keep him from being a bit of a hero.

Mind control goes back thousands of years actually, and was practiced by the early Chinese, Sumerians, Egyptians, and even Mayans by a variety of different methods. Even African / Caribbean "voodoo" is a type of negative mind control that has been shown to have dramatic effects from great distances. In more modern times (such as the late 1800s to the 1920s) a variety of physical "medical" devices were built and used on people, animals, and crops for tremendous BENEFIT. The science that grew from these experiments was called "Radionics", and the radionic devices were often called "black boxes" (in the UK at least). Modern day radionic devices are about the size of a laptop computer, but I firmly believe that the device explained in this book was a very early radionic device that used essoteric (occult) knowledge to broadcast certain frequencies or radiations that could target specific individuals and influence them physically and emotionally, assuming that you had a "witness" from them (such as hair, fingernail clipping, blood spot, or even a photograph). Obviously, such devices could be used for tremendous good or evil, but the government / military has a proven track record for the latter unfortunately.

Nowadays, we wouldn't use the term "radionic attack", but the term EMR / microwave bombardment and torture is certainly on the rise and evidence suggests that upto 2,000,000 Americans have been targeted in one form or another. This type of torture / harrassment is very high tech now, and beyond most people's conceptualization. A lot of "magic" can be created from satelites and underground installations and affect people's thoughts, emotions, and bodies. This phenomenon is well understood in Russia for example, and a popular form of torture for political dissidents or whistleblowers, and there is even a large group of victims in Moscow who are known as the "Moscow Zombies", which is appropriate because it is nothing more than electro-magnetic voodoo afterall. In fact, there was a recent march / demonstration by these Moscow Zombies and their family members (at least those who understand that it has nothing to do with "mental illness") who carried signs that read, "Stop the microwave / EMR / plasma torture", "End Mind Control". True story, but we never saw that on the news naturally.

James Tilly Matthews simply didn't have the vernacular or understand the occult science to better "name" his torture, but his detailed explanations of his symptoms and why he was being targetted are EXACTLY what modern peoples complain of and explain to those who will listen with an open mind. Matthews also discussed how many other people of influence were being targetted, which has HUGE IMPLICATIONS in today's political / economic realm. And Bedlam was also the precursor to Guantanamo in many ways as it was a place to keep people who knew some secrets. "Mental illness" was and largely still is a bogus misdirection. The more things change, the more they stay the same it would appear...

James Tilly Matthews lived in London in the late 1700s and was a respected Welsh tea merchant who intended to preserve the peace of an increasingly dangerous city out of control in its conflicts with Paris. Arrested and sent to a mental hospital for his accusation of a lord, Matthews became convinced his mind was being controlled by a secret machine called an 'air loom' hidden in a London basement and run by a gang of revolutionaries: Air Loom Gang sets out to pinpoint the political foundations of his 'madness' in an intriguing true 'whodunnit' mystery

The Air-Loom Gang by Mike Jay is a book about the most incredible events. It is about one James Tilly Matthews who was declared insane for his beliefs about treason at the highest levels of the British Government during the French Revolutionary/Napoleonic period. As it turns out, Matthews was actually right to some extent and as a former spy, was in a good position to be able to determine if there really was treasonous activities in the British government at the time. Matthews's case became a cause clebre and he was eventually released from the insane asylum and eventually started an architecture magazine and even submitted plans for an insane asylum.

This is an excellent book dealing with a most fascinating episode in British history.

Throughout time the Holy Spirit has worked through individuals to bring humanity closer to the divine. Sometimes this work manifests itself in an individual who is capable of doing great things with the blessings that were given them. Rev. O'Donohue is such a man, and yes he is still a priest. Once a priest always a priest. This like all others works John has done provide simple advice on how to build ones understanding of life, self, and the divine. John's approach to teaching is a `Celtic' approach as old as the stones that make up the many walled fields of Ireland. Many listeners will not be used to the rhythms of Celtic life, and thus they will find John's respectful approach to a subject boring. We saw this fact manifest in the previous reviewers comments. The Celtic approach to life is never direct, and always mindful. It is this first lesson that John teaches the listener without ever addressing it directly that is the most important lesson to learn. This is the lesson of mindful patience. Without this basic life skill we can never progress in our relationship with the divine. Once we have learned this lesson, and listen again to John's lecture we will then be able to understand what he is addressing in his lectures. The real blessing is that each book, or more especially taped lecture has layered teachings. These teachings are revealed only through rereading, or listening to his lecture. This type of teaching, and systematic unveiling of teachings is the heart and Soul of the Celtic approach to teaching anything. So in conclusion, if you are looking to hear, and learn the subject material from a true modern day Christian Bard then John's works are for you. If you are looking for a quick secret to life answers in a book in the form of a milk carton advertisement then perhaps a quick read of one of the many Celtic Spiritual web pages is the ticket for you. As for me, I hope you take the time to sit (metaphorically speaking) at the feet of one of the last Cludee's left in the world.

I could listen to John O'Donohue's voice all day and in fact, take these tapes in the car and so sometimes do. He is not only an incredible scholar, but has a way of expressing and condensing this clear wisdom through simple stories and ancedotes. His ideas and thoughts are delivered with tenderness and compassion. He is one of the most natural and warm speakers I've ever had the privilege to listen to.

O'Donohue is wonderful! The subject matter is not only relevant on a day-to-day basis, but also helps one understand their past and the "inner workings" of other people. His explanation and treatment of death is both informative and helpful for those of us who have lost someone we love dearly.

Spoken audio tapes need to be evaluated not only on the merits of the content, but also the quality of the production -- including the "listenability" of the speaker's voice. Fortunately, this collection of meditative reflections on Celtic spirituality by Irish priest John O'Donohue boasts not only sublimie content, but an aurally pleasing experience as well. O'Donohue's voice is easy for Americans to understand, but filled with enough of an Irish accent to evoke the windswept shores of the Emerald Isle in every word he speaks. He speaks slowly, carefully enunciating each word, which contributes to the meditative aura this recording evokes. And of course, what he is saying is as important as how he says it: and what he talks about is the distinctive and vital living tradition of Celtic wisdom, from seeing the human being as "sculpted of clay" to celebrating the inner landscape of the imagination, to seamlessly weaving Christian and Pagan stories and principles together in a way that ultimately breaks down the barriers of religion to leave only the breathtaking unity of deep mysticism. Finally, O'Donohue's insistence on the role of friendship and relationship in the spiritual life -- as embodied in the Gaelic tradition of the anam cara, or soul friend -- makes this truly a relevant treasury of spiritual insight.

Excellent material on the early Irish history

The Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters is a treasured find for any researcher. O'Donovans translation was excellent for the day. He was actually the second to publish the annals for the 12th to the 17th centuries. A few years before O'Donovan, in 1846, Owen Connellan published the first ever translation of the annals into English, plus the family name location map. There had been quite a competition between the two to come out with the first edition of the annals. I have both translations in hardbound editions. They sit side by side on our shelves. It is quite interesting to compare the two.

This text is a crucial element in the genealogical history of many old Irish and Scotish families (who can trace their roots to Ireland). This text includes the Latin, Gaelic and English translations of the original books. Although the beginning volumes were written about 500 to 1000 years after the events occurred, the stories that one finds included there are fascinating, and add to any family history (provided you can trace back that far!) a depth that is difficult to find elsewhere. I post a web site that traces the roots of the Buchanan clan, and have used a copy of the text available from the NY Public Library as one of my sources. Numerous individuals have e-mailed me asking for sources to purchase this text, and it would be helpful if it would be reprinted. For now, ask your local library to get the book for you on interlibrary loan from the NY Public Library (or others). Needless to say, I highly recommend this text and would be the first to purchase it if it were reprinted.

'The Annals of the Four Masters' is one of the most important documents for students of Irish, British, European and ancient history. You will not find much of this history in your high school or even college text books. John O'Donovan, a 19th century antiquarian undertook the enormous task of interpreting this account of Irish history as written in gaelic by the Four Masters, legendary scribes from a Donegal monastery. On the left hand page you get the original gaelic text, on the right the english translation, some anecdotes are in Latin. The anecdotes are as rich in reading as the text and include some by the late 19th century historian Charles O'Conor of Belengare, Ireland. REPRINT THESE VOLUMES....for here lie the dormant pages of Irish, British, Norman, Saxon, Scotish, Iberian, Hiberian, Milesian, Pictish and Gaelic history and perhaps the key to unraveling are current problems. Stephen Vincent O`Rourke

Usamah calls his book "Kitab al-Itibar" or "The Book of Instructive Example." True to its title, there is much to learn from this book, but what I found very interesting were perhaps things other than what Usamah wanted us to learn. For example, it was interesting to note the Arab perception of Franks, the relationship between Arabs and Franks during the first of two centuries of crusades on the Eastern Mediterranean, and aspects of the life of a prince and some commoners as well. The stories about hunts are numerous and tend to get boring, but they tell us of a rich fauna that is now largely extinct (lions, leopards, etc.). Usamah's talk of old age provides a sobering philosophical view of life.

What an excellent job by Philip Hitti who translated the manuscript from Arabic! Considering that the manuscript was lacking in things such diacritical marks (dots on Arabic letters), punctuation, etc. it is truly an amazing that he was able to pull this book together in the manner its stands. Thanks to Philip Hitti we can enjoy Usamah's book: it is truly a delightful read!

Unlike any other history book, this is a first hand account, day to day life of an Arab Syrian prince in the time of the crusades; He talks about his advantures, feelings and thoughts, it's just like going back in time almost 1000 years. If you like history and especially the crusades, this book is a must. I go back and read this book every once in a while, it's entertaining and informative.

We in the Western world all too rarely take the time to perceive and understand our modern society through anything other than Western eyes. So it is as well with that wondrously tragic period of our history known as the Crusades. While there are many contemperary histories of this era incorporating Western eye-witness accounts, there are but few with the perspectives of the invaded Orientals (i.e. Arabs, etc.). So the uniqueness of an account written by a period-contemporary 'Arab-Syrian Gentleman' will not be lost on the reader. "The Memoirs" are essentially just that: an autobiography of a twelfth-century Arab Muslim and the experiences of his long and eventful life. From his earliest memories in Syria before the First Crusade to his twilight days in Egypt and Damascus, Munqidh shares his vast knowledge with the reader, imparting as well his personal, ingrained biases. It is this latter which assists the reader in understanding the mind of the Crusading-era Muslim, even now oft-considered the enemy of Western "Christendom". Indeed, some scholars argue that the key to understanding the Middle Easterner's distrustful eye to the West lies in the very heart of the Crusades. Munqidh writes in the learned style one might expect of the educated nobility of his period, and though exquisitely detailed, he is neither long-winded nor boring. So whether the avid scholar or simply the interested amateur, "The Memoirs of Usamah Ibn-Munqidh" is truly a worthy read

A great read as well as a solid historical source for the period.

What i really enjoyed about this source where the unsual, little storie's scattered throughout it's pages. Beautifuly described little detail's that help the reader get a more colourful picture of the Usamah's times.

For instance there is a description of a dual between a Mounted Frankish Knight and a Mounted Muslim Cavalier. The story recite's how Usamah saw them both kill each other on their first charge, but how their warhorse's continued to fight for a long time after.

Unlike many other Chronicler's of the time, Usamah is relativley unbiased. He recognise's the Franks valour in battle, the Christian's piety (saying that he has never seen a Frankish Christian genuinely convert to Islam).

It is also a Medevial travel diary, documenting Usamas extensive travels.

It is full of the usual curse's and insults everytime the Christians or Jews name's are mentioned, like all the Medieval Islamic Chronicles. However, if you can see beyond the propogandist protocol of the day, you will be entertained by Usamahs amusing antidotes and tales.

A must for anyone intrested in either Islamic or Crusader history.

My only reservation from giving this book five stars was that i became slightly bored torwards the end, when the book is describing Usamah's many hunting exploits. I sometimes felt that had Usamah killed as many human foes as he had Lions, the Franks would of been expelled from Jerusalem far earlier than they actually where!!!!!