Literature Books

After months of "patiently" waiting for this title to come out in paperback, my almost 10 year old was thrilled to see its delivery from the UPS man. He LOVED this book, as he has the previous books and thinks they should all be made into movies and/or tv shows. He reads every night before bed, but usually only for about 20 minutes before falling fast asleep. With this book, he was up 2 hours after "lights-out" not wanting to put it down. Now he begins the wait for the next installment to be available in paperback.

I absolutely love this series. I have read them all but book 6, and can't wait for it to be released. I can see this series becoming very popular.

The 5th book is wonderful, but the end bit, which has to do with the Scarlet Hand, is extremely confusing. Furthermore, the 6th book (yes, its out!)has a plot that doesnt really match up with the 5th. Still, its an extremely compelling read, I suggest that you buy it!

I am sure that I am not the target market for this series, as I will turn 56 in less than a week. In spite of that I have to say that I love this series of books. The sisters and their extended family keep me entertained, crying and rolling on the floor with laughter.
I recently discovered these books when reading a newspaper article about the frenzy around the release of the sixth book.

I was a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and since there probably will never be another one am glad to find a replacement that is just as good and sometimes better.

I can't wait for the 7th installment, to find out what myths and fairy tale stories will have new light shed on them.

The adventures never seem to end for fairy-tale detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. This time they are investigating a series of thefts of magical items like Baba Yaga's Wand of Merlin, Morgan le Fay's Wonder Clock, and water from the Fountain of Youth. Usually Granny Relda and Mr. Canis help them solve mysteries, but Sabrina and Daphne are pretty much on their own this time. Granny Relda is busy trying to raise money to pay her property tax and Mr. Canis is finding it harder and harder to stop turning into the Big Bad Wolf. Will Sabrina and Daphne be able to find the thief before they run out of time?

"Magic and Other Misdemeanors" is another great entry in Michael Buckley's delightful "The Sisters Grimm" fairy-tale detective series. Sabrina and Daphne continue to grow as characters in each book, especially Sabrina, 12 years old by the end of the book and not nearly as angry as she was in the earlier books. Buckley does a great job of incorporating fairy tale and other legendary characters such as Cinderella, Goldilocks, some of the seven dwarfs, the Queen of Hearts, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and many more. It's always fun to see how he tweaks the various characters - for example, Puss `N Boots is an exterminator, Cinderella hosts a radio talk show called The Dr. Cindy Show, and the witch from Hansel and Gretel is a (not very good) dentist. There's a wonderful sense of humor throughout the book (the magic mirror's computer still being on dial-up and Granny Relda's "recipes" are just two examples of that humor). There are some scary moments, but nothing too frightening. The reason for the theft of the magical items has been done before, but Buckley somehow makes it seem fresh.

"Magic and Other Misdemeanors" is aimed at ages 9 - 12, but readers young and old will enjoy it.

These first issues of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men may not seem that great by today's standards, but taking into account that this was 40 years ago and Stan and Jack started an experimental new line of comics focusing on human drama as much as superheroics, it must be said that they were brilliant for their time. The stories are pretty basic and center around the X-Men's training under the tutelage of Professor X as well as their repeated encounters with Magneto, but the characters these tales introduce is what makes this Masterworks volume a real treat. The Vanisher, The Blob, Mastermind, The Toad, Scarlet Witch, Unus and Quicksilver all make appearances, and boy is it worth it! The battles are well drawn by Kirby, and the humor is there as well, making every panel an exhilirating read. Within a few short issues we can already see most of the characters developing into individuals with personalities, flaws and desires. How they interact with each other is also skillfully handled, and this above all makes X-Men masterworks a fine addition to any X-phile's library.

Although it was self-proclaimed before the X-Men were first published, for me the Marvel Age didn't get started until Chic Stone, Vince Colletta and Joe Sinnott arrived on the scene to ink Kirby's art. As a kid I used to read my older brother's early issues of FF, Spider-Man, Thor, even the Avengers but I didn't start actually buying the things until I saw how Chic Stone transformed the art. I could tell something was different immediately. At first I thought it was Kirby just getting better (which he was), but then I started noticing who was inking the comics. It was like a light switch had been thrown--the art work seemed electrified. It's interesting to see the transition from previous inkers to Chic Stone in this series of early X-Men. I consider him the first "Marvel Age" inker. Later you can see how Kirby and the inkers worked together to put together a product that I have yet to like better. The team of Stan Lee, Kirby and Stone, Colletta, and Sinnott were the real superheroes to me. Their work stood head and shoulders above anything else (and still hold up pretty darn good) around, with the possible exception of Ditko...

This is great stuff! Beyond the simply drawn panels, goofy characterizations and nearly adolescent plot lines there's a real sense of marvel, excitement and virtue that's just absolutely wonderful. To my thinking this book shows the beginning of the combined creative genius of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Over the course of these earliest issues of the "original" X-Men we see Lee's seminal themes of isolation, alienation and intolerance really beginning to take root. At the same time we witness Kirby slowly depart from traditional styles of comic book illustration and gradually come into his own-by issue #10 with the introduction of Ka-zar we see the first glimmer of Kirby's eventual brilliance.
I can't see how anyone could be disappointed with the stories collected in this book.

I expected and did find the stories to be dated having been published 40 years ago. However, I still found volume one to be a very enjoyable read. I will continue with the X-Men, there are many more volumes to go.

This X-Men Masterworks reprints Unncany X-Men #1-10! These issues were originally published in 1963. they are reprinted in a full color Hardcover format published by Marvel Comics. The Marvel Comics creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created this strange science fiction world of Mutants! The X-Men team roster consist of Cyclops,Iceman,Angel,Beast,and Marvel Girl. the X-Men's Mentor is Professor X. He trains the X-Men to use their Mutant powers for the good of Mankind. the first issue features the first appearance of the X-Men,Professor X, and the super villian Magneto! Buy this X-Men Masterworks edition. Highest possible recommendation! if you want to get Unncanny X-Men#1-10 in full color, this is the place to start! Make Mine Marvel!

I homeschool and this is a good book for teaching K and 1st grade kids their "place" in the world. It starts with a girl mapping her room and extends all the way to her place on the globe. It is a really fun easy way to introduce geography/maps.

What a great book. Great pictures. After reading it we sat down and made a map of my 4 year old's room. If only it explained the difference between living out in the country (like on a farm) and living in a different country (like China or Australia). But I can't complain. We love it!

I homeschool and this is an excellent book for teaching elementary school kids their "place" on the map. It starts with a girl mapping her room and extends all the way to her place on the globe and back again. An excellent teaching tool for putting things in perspective! Not enough words to make this a bedtime book, but enough to cause interaction and learning.

I use this book in PS and Elem. settings to set up lesson plans related to maps and how they can be used. This book helps children to relate maps to their own environments.

My daughter is six years old, and it's tough to explain some of the more complex concepts like time and space. This series of books does a great job using colorful illustrations and text that's a lot easier to understand than anything I could come up with myself! Besides, I am a map and globe lover, so this book especially keeps our attention. I also recommend Sweeney's other books, including the one about Time.

"Men in the sun", a novel by Ghassan Kanafani, is one of the most breathtaking realities that the Palestinian people lived in the modern history (that we know). "Men in the sun" is neither a story about Yasser Arafat's legacy and his PLO's sense of politics nor a debate on Oslo and Madrid agreements. The novel is a piece of art that visualizes the Palestinian tragedy and extreme reality.

It is the story of three men's quest for a better life. They plan to migrate from the "occupation cage" to a new "promise land" where they meet the "promised demise" in the desert, the home of the original Arabs and Bedouin.

The dream of the three Men is the dream of every man who loses the feeling of being at home at some time. The work to achieve that dream requires a struggle with harsh acquired values of life. The result is not guaranteed.

Struggle, suffer, dreams, hope, fatigue, thirst, and death will form an amalgam that would describe the Palestinian identity which has been evolving during the last decades.

I wanted to write more about the details but you would like to read it yourself. The symbolism in this story is just intriguing. In fact, the trends can symbolize the migration of any man to any "self-imposed exile", where "enforced dreams" replace the simple -but lost- passion, love and happiness to form a complex and bitter reality.

The novel ends with a beautiful and so influential paragraph that tries to raise the question of why the 3 men (main figures of the novel) did not try to knock on the walls of their symbolic "prison" (Empty tanker) or at least shout to ask for help.
"Why? Why? Why?", The "Why" of Kanafani while concluding is: why did not some of the oppressed people reject the abject reality? Why did not they fight for their life and freedom? Could it be that they were so hopeless and tired, or were they so afraid from going back to the occupied home? Did they prefer death to losing their dream?. The questions were asked by Kanafani in the past to project on present exprience and to reflect the suffer of the palestinean-age on the future memory.

This book gives you an idea of the suffering and neglection of a nation, on the watch of the whole civilized world.

This collection of short stories is a brief, but poignant look into the life of people living in Palestine. At the same time, the stark writing illustrates many universal themes forcing readers to reevaluate life as they know it. The writing is plain and easy to read, but ultimately, deep and impossible to dismiss.

The stories were great. Well written, poignant, the most so being the one involving the tank.

Written and published in the 1950s and 1960s, this slender volume of stories by Ghassan Kananfani speaks of the displacement of Palestinians in ways that are timeless and still fresh today. They speak of loss more than hope, and although the author was an activist and spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Front, he seemed in these writings to simply bring attention to the human cost of political struggle in the Middle East. He himself was killed by a car bomb in Beirut in 1972.

The most compelling of these stories is the novella "Men in the Sun," which tells of the efforts of three men being smuggled into Kuwait from Iraq and the truck driver who has offered to help them across the border. The fierce desert heat represents the terrible odds against their ever being able to escape the consequences of war and loss of homeland. But this is only one theme among many, as Kananfani explores traits of Arab character which seem to intensify inner conflict and erode the ability to act purposefully. The story "If You Were a Horse" concerns itself with superstition, fear, and overwhelming regret that divides father from son and leads to misfortune. The book includes an informative introduction by Hilary Kilpatrick.

Lovable book! Easy to read but makes you think of your own life, silly little things and big questions of meanings. Just loved it, and will read it thousand times more.

This is a beautiful book about overcoming the differences between us and learning to live together. The book is set in Moominvalley. The Moomintrolls are away when their very different friends come to visit. Moominmama and Moominpapa figure mainly as inspiration for the other characters as they learn to get along with each other.

I fear that this is sounding preachy. The genius of Ms. Jansson is that she never preaches. Read the book, you'll see what I mean - it's lovely!

Tove Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator who wrote many childrens books including the famous Moomin series. Here, the setting is Moominvalley which is basically the natural beauty and pristineness of Finland, populated by Moomins (who look like little hippos which stand upright and are fluffy) and a host of other weird and wonderful creatures. The action is mainly centred around the family with Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomintroll the kid. They set a tone for the whole series as Tove infused them and their whole universe with experiences of her own family which seem to have been a very bohemian, artistic, tolerant and warm lot. This makes the books great reading for kids from an early age as they invoke a wonderful sense of fun and silliness as well as acceptance and openmindedness.

One thing I remember from reading these as a kid is that the plot didn't really matter. In some books, it's hard to say exactly what happens. Rather, it is the atmosphere that I found the most important. In this book, the Moomins have gone away leading the other characters to miss them. Combined with the autumn feel in Moominvalley, the book has a melancholy feel and focuses on the side characters and their strengths and insecurities.

A great series overall, filled with imagination, surrealism, fun and warmth.

Well, this piece of Moomin anthology is a more serious one. I read it first when I was 10 in my home Poland, and did not like it much. It is not so full of joy, energy and adventures as the "Summer" or "Valley". Since that time though, I have read it at least 10 more times, love it, and highly recommend to all maturer Moomin-lovers.
It is a bit melancholic, played not in a G-major notation, rather e-minor, maybe even with a flat... November mists, wet forests, grey seas, you will remember it forever!

"November" is both intensely passionate and cold: it focuses on the empty spaces of the Moominfamily, and those who wanted the Moomins to fill the emptiness of their own souls.

The Moominfamily represents happiness, everything that is good about childhood, summers, or functional families: generous, nonjudgmental, forgiving, carefree. Their absence inspires horrific nostalgia (especially if you have read the previous books)-- and indeed the author follows the emotions of the characters as they struggle with their own emotions, personalities, and less-than-perfect relationships with each other. It sounds grueling, but the souls of these characters are described absolutely empathically, touching the heart of the reader like dream music. The story is about greyness, but the experience of reading it was one of the most colourful, memorable and healing experiences of childhood.

The plot idea of people becoming free from their dependence on happiness is utter genius-- it shows great hope for humanity that we finally have somebody expressing this idea more succinctly than our ancient texts. It's also extremely comforting when we're dealing with our own grieving or nostalgia, or with the tough issues of gaining inner freedom.

Tove's treatment in "November" of the concepts of emotion, memory, longing, love, freedom, purpose, relationships, joy, and death are brilliant, haunting, tender... a nourishing story when we find ourselves at an Ending and our inner landscape surprises us with its breadth.

This is an excellent first book to give a teen who is not sure about investing as a good place to put his or her money. It is written with teens in mind and has tons of real-world examples to which teens can relate. It is a good start to get teens exciting about making their money work for them. I got it for my 16-year-old nephew who was skeptical, but is on board with taking control of his own financial future.

This book will basically focus on the way the stock market works and how to invest in it. It also tells you how much you can save in the future. It is the meat of the book when it comes to the stock market, but the book will also teach you the cost of bad habits such as smoking and the upsides of credit cards if used right. The book teaches you how to get your money's worth in the bank, teaching you everything from how they make money to what a cd is. The worst thing about this book that annoyed me so much, I took off a point, was that they try to write the book in a type of slang format. Going from saying the word dawg and writing rock lyrics about the book. This is very annoying, but the tips this book gives are just too valuble to detour you alway.

I recommend it to anyone of any age.

This books gives the true value of savings: a life worth dreamings about and investments we make for it to see it happen. This is a sweet and funny little book that makes money look exciting as a tool and token. I see this book as the clues to playing a cool video game. (More, like the hint book.) It's so casual that you think your reading Reader's Digest. You never feel confused! Math teacher's, parents, middle schoolers, high school students, college students, retirees: you'll love this book.

This book has reinforced what I have been preaching to my 17 year old for years......1) save and invest your money early, 2)live within your means as you get started in life (used vs new car), 3) attend the local university (keep student loans to minimum) and 4) practice a healthy lifestyle and you will soon learn that by the time you are 30 you will have more financial freedom and less debt than 90% of Americans.

I wish I had been taught the discipline for the first two items as it wasn't until age 40 that I reached financial freedom. Fortunately for him, he is a believer after reading this book. Maybe along the way he will guide others in the right direction.

I only skimmed this book (after all, I own almost all the other TMF books!), but I think this book is by far one of the best financial books for **any** new investor, regardless of age. While other books may have more content, this is one of the most approachable financial and investing books I've read. (Plus, its worksheets **force** you practice what you read!) Readable by adults, too!

Malloy's deeply moving words about love, loss and life are so intense that the reader is actually able to experience what the author expresses so beautifully. I continue to collect her works as I have yet to find another author that compares. Her words fill in our "lack of" when describing the incredible depths of our human emotions. The reader will know the author intimately and will find self-realization in the everyday life subject matter about which she writes. Powerful and insightful. Reflection and renewal of one's own emotional being will be envoked after the first page. Malloy is highly deserving of the recognition that she was never awarded. Only the Bible could be more moving. ....

I was introduced to Ms. Malloys words by my 9th grade English teacher while preparing for a speech tournament. I had never read poetry like that before, didn't know poetry could be like that before. Her words were honest and real and no holds barred.
Because of this one book I have been writing poetry for the last twenty years myself. Everytime I go into a book store I look for her books, old or, hopefully new. They are a rare find. I even wrote this poem in her honor, circa 1985.

Merrit

How could I know exactly
What you meant
Understand your heart
When I'd never seen your face.

I felt like you
Were close to me
It didn't matter that
We'd never met
You had touched me
With your pen
Said things I'd felt
All along
It was as though
You knew what I was feeling
Before I even
Felt it

I had met you
on paper
You were like an
Old friend
That maybe
I understood
your soul
Because you
Understood
Mine

I just wondered
How you Knew
Your words
Were on my mind

If you are looking for a collection of poetry to make you laugh, cry, and smile, then this is the book!

I was introduced to Ms. Malloys words by my 9th grade English teacher while preparing for a speech tournament. I had never read poetry like that before, didn't know poetry could be like that before. Her words were honest and real and no holds barred.
Because of this one book I have been writing poetry for the last twenty years myself. Everytime I go into a book store I look for her books, old or, hopefully new. They are a rare find. I even wrote this poem in her honor, circa 1985.

Merrit

How could I know exactly
What you meant
Understand your heart
When I'd never seen your face.

I felt like you
Were close to me
It didn't matter that
We'd never met
You had touched me
With your pen
Said things I'd felt
All along
It was as though
You knew what I was feeling
Before I even
Felt it

I had met you
on paper
You were like an
Old friend
That maybe
I understood
your soul
Because you
Understood
Mine

I just wondered
How you Knew
Your words
Were on my mind

I cannot recall who handed me this book of poems in 1976. Obviously it was someone who knew what an "incurable romantic" I was during my years as a single male. Although I was a big fan of Wordsworth, Byron, Keats and many of the pop music lyricists, I was so moved by Merrit Malloy's prose the all the so-called "classics" have never since seemed so lofty. Merrit and I were both living in L.A. at that time, and I could not resist finding her through her local publisher who offered me a mailing address. With my letter of gushing praise, I boldly included a couple of my own poems. Shortly thereafter, she actually wrote to me and included a phone number. We spoke -- she also has a lovely voice -- and set a date for tea (I think that was the beverage mentioned). Shortly before our scheduled rendezvous, she called to cancel, but said we could try again. I phoned once or twice after that, but do not recall ever getting through to her again. Merrit, if you're reading your reviews, I have not forgotten your poems and the kindness you showed by contacting this fan. We can still meet for tea whenever you're ready.

My husband purchased this book, but I'm going to write a review for it. He loves it, BUT...read the other books referenced in this book first, otherwise there may be some spoilers in this book. My husband only read part of it and then ordered one of the other books before he reads the essay about it in this book.

Flannery O'Connor has offered a challenging call for Christian artists to be good at what they do. She has reminded the church that beauty, the senses, and art must not be neglected.

When I first read some of Flannery O'Connor's short stories I was baffled and a little disturbed by them. This book helps the reader to gain a deeper appreciation of O'Connor's craft, of her use of the grotesque, and how she exercises her art. To read O'Connor merely on the surface is to do it all wrong. There are many levels on which she is writing and on which she can be read. These essays not only serve as a guide for those seeking to understand O'Connor and her art, but in a more general way they serve for all readers and writers alike, by providing insights on the craft of writing.

I haven't read anything by Flannery O'Connor since "All Things That Rise Must Converge." I fell in love with her stories. There is so much life in them. I read this work to get an idea about her "sitz im leben", her life-situation, her milieu. A lot of it is correspondence, and there are some presentations as well. I am wondering if it speaks to the modern would-be novelist as much as it spoke to writers of her time and place. She says that one needs to write out of the context of where you are: the place, the people, the geography. This is mandatory, not optional.

This book is for writers. I appreciate her writing about how to be Catholic in the South, a very small minority. She has contributed much to finding faith in the stories of life, even violent and brutal stories. I look forward to my next work of hers.

The recurrent subject in this first-rate collection of essays and occasional pieces is the business of writing. O'Connor was scrupulous in her insistence that the writer begin with the humblest of materials, the sights, sounds and smells of the concrete world. She found unreadable, apparently, those writers who had nothing to offer but one abstract psychological insight after another. At the same time she recognized that writers skilled only in giving the world's body a fond description would never transcend mere competence. And of writers merely competent, she asserted that there was in her time a glut. What distinguished the writer of the first rank, always a rare bird, she maintained, was vision, vision of a sort, allied with the aforementioned competence, that enabled such a writer to reveal through concrete events something of the mystery of our existence and experience on this odd planet. Such vision, she consistently held, was a gift that could not be learned in creative writing classes. Therefore, when asked if she thought such classes for writers stifled many talented practitioners, she quipped in her memorable style that such classes, unfortunately, "didn't stifle enough of them."

The best part was the account of the expeditions to the Andes to collect blues, it brought a much-needed real world element to the book, to counter the strangely third person stance, and musty approach. The combination of taxonomy and a dead author's research just lacks much punch, though the authors make a valiant effort. One of the authors frequently refers to himself by surname, which seems odd; it happens maybe a hundred times or more in discussing the recent research into Blues, and how it intersects with Nabokov's work. The book is part primer on biodiversity, taxonomy, field biology, and part homage to Nabokov's genius. It must be unique in it's attempt to combine these elements. I love butterflies, South America, and am a biologist, but I found it overwritten, just too many words for what it was trying to get across. The style was also a problem, it needed to have more verve, less reserve.

At first blush this book appears to be a footnote to a writer who had an eccentric hobby. Since Professor Boyd's definitive biography some may consider that there was little else to explore. The scientific achievements of Vladimir Nabakov were not lost but perhaps overwhelmed in the literary story.
Nabakov's Blues does more than just dust off the lepidoptry papers. The book is in the final assessment a celebration of how science and research are never a sterile academic exercise but a reflection of greater issues of the beauty and elegance of intellect at work.
During the course of shedding light on the under recognized research we are reminded that the mundane work of classifying and sorting often underpins more glamorous tasks, but are also given insight into the many quiet achievers in science, who often take considerable personal risks to complete research which is part of a greater whole and leaves them only as a name in a arid catalogue.
We are too prone to identify the heros and not those who without clamor or boasting actually do the work.
Nabakov himself never "promoted" his science although he made it clear that his butterflies were an integral part of his life. We grow to specialise and those who can travel in literary circles as well as science are rare. The authors Johnson and Coates do themselves demonstrate that they too can travel the literary salons and the research laboratories, and write an elegant supplement to Professor Boyd that transcends that status to become a commentary on the man who was in many ways a true renaissance figure.

NABOKOV'S BLUES

Nabokov's Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius. Kurt Johnson, Steve Coates. Cambridge, MA: Zoland Books, 1999. Pp 372 $27.00

In his Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America Alexander Klots wrote of the genus Lycaeides that "the recent work of Nabokov has entirely rearranged the classification of this genus." The response of Vladimir Nabokov, the acclaimed author of Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, was "That's real fame. That means more than anything a literary critic might say."

Nabokov was born in April 1899 and his reputation as a leading literary figure of the century he was almost born in seems secure; the Random House Modern Library proclaimed Lolita the fourth greatest novel of the century and the memoir Speak, Memory, the eighth greatest work of non-fiction, thus Nabokov was the only author to feature in the top ten of both lists. It is well known that Nabokov had a strong interest in lepidoptery. Often however it is dismissed as mere dilettantism, or seen by academics and critics as a source of Freudian symbolism. Nabokov himself detested such phenomena as the crass observation that "insect" and "incest" are anagrams, and attacked "the vulgar, shabby, fundamentally medieval world of Freud, with its crankish quest for sexual symbols." Full-time lepidopterists were either ignorant of Nabokov's work or regarded it as amateur dabblings; perhaps they also felt resentment at this part-timer who was nevertheless dubbed "the most famous lepidopterist in the world."

Kurt Johnson is a lepidopterist associated with the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, while Steve Coates is an editor at The New York Times. This, their first book, fights on many fronts; it tries to restore Nabokov's scientific reputation and give some account of lepidoptery's place in his life and literary work; pleads for the oft-ignored discipline of taxonomy, more important now than ever in the light of the crisis in biodiversity; and is an exciting scientific adventure story ranging from the "incorrigible continent" of South America to the squabbles of the world of academia.

Nabokov's scientific work belongs in every sense in a different era; he represents one of the last of the gentleman naturalists. Lepidoptery was an interest inherited from his father, a prominent Russian liberal assassinated in Berlin in 1922. It remained constant throughout the upheaval of the Russian Revolution and exile in Cambridge, Germany and France. On coming to the United States in May 1940 he soon visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York City with certain puzzling specimens from Europe. In Autumn 1941 he visited Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and found the collections in disarray, and first as a volunteer and then as a part-time research fellow in entomology he endeavoured to straighten it out. This was typical of the war years; considerable lacunae existed in academia and were filled with available workers with little regard for their professional training.

Nabokov's paper Notes on Neotropical Plebejinae is the key in the reassessment of his position in science. It was a pioneering classification of the Latin American Polyommatini, a diverse group of Blue butterflies with members from the tip of Chile to the Caribbean. This paper established a broad framework of genera for later researchers to insert new species. In 1948 he left the Museum of Comparative Zoology to become Professor of Russian and European Literature at Cornell University. This marked the end of Nabokov's formal association with the world of lepidoptery, and with the publication of Lolita Nabokov's fame became a two-edged sword as far as his scientific reputation was concerned.

In the 1980s a series of expeditions to Las Abejas, a jungle enclave near Dominican Republic's Haitian border, began to turn up new specimens of what were known as Blues. Over the next decade and a half, Johnson and other lepidopterists travelled all over South America, becoming increasingly aware of the crucial relevance of Nabokov's classification system to the multiplicity of new species they discovered. In these chapters the authors make us aware of the biodiversity crisis which means species are becoming extinct faster than science can ascertain their existence. The humble place of the taxonomist, seen by some as a drone of biology, is scarcely deserved, considering the importance of this work. The authors are also at pains not to judge Nabokov by the standards of today; some of his beliefs on mimicry and evolution appear scientifically unorthodox, but reflect that when he was working these issues were still being resolved.

This book will provide both enjoyment and enlightenment to any reader interested not only in Nabokov but in the relationship of the arts and sciences, the current state of natural science and the biodiversity crisis. The crucial question for Johnson and Coates is "Was Nabokov a true scholar of Lepidoptera, or merely a dilettante whose contributions were remarkable?" The casual observer might wonder how "mere" a dilettante would make "remarkable" contributions, but the question is deeper; seeing Nabokov as a scientist gives the understanding of his life and works a whole new dimension.

The authors seem to suggest that a healthy relation between CP Snow's "two cultures" requires not a facile "unity" but a deep appreciation of both the humanities and the sciences. Nabokov's quote "Does there not exist a high ridge where the mountainside of 'scientific' knowledge joins the opposite slope of 'artistic' imagination" is often quoted in this context. Far from an airy abstraction, this refers to a specific example; Nabokov's 1952 review of a book centred around the drawings of John James Audubon; Nabokov found Audobon's butterfly drawings inept, and wondered "can anyone draw something he knows nothing about?" Nabokov considered a knowledge of natural science indispensable for a truly cultured sensibility; he was shocked when his literature students at Cornell University were ignorant of the names of local trees and birds.

We see Chekhov and William Carlos Williams as doctors and as writers; we see Primo Levi as a chemist and as a writer. Johnson and Coates convincingly try to persuade us that Nabokov should be seen as a writer and as a lepidopterist. Nabokov himself said "whenever I allude to butterflies in my novels ... it remains pale and false and does not really express what I want it to express, what, indeed, it can only express in the special scientific language of my entomological papers."

I picked up the paperback of this book because I'd heard about it when it was in hardback. For anyone who is fascinated by science, literature, history, sociology and much more, they will find the blend of story, information and insight in this book satisfying and enlightening. Its never gets dull because you're reading about a historical literary figure, and his biography, tons of information about science and exploration, the scientists who completed the formative work Nabokov began at Harvard before becoming famous after Lolita, and how this all fits together in todays biodiversity crisis and squabbles over whether Nabokov was really a bona fide scientist or just an boyish aficionado. I felt I had learned a great deal from this book but also enjoyed it. It is a great blend of historical fact, new stories, and insight the into world's environmental dilemmas. I also had no idea of the complex ways in which Nabokov interwove butterflies and their images and symbols into his novels.

This book is a fun read for anyone with an interest in the personal histories that shape authors, in biology and/or in the environment and ecology. It provides great insight into the scientific passion that moved one of the more interesting figures in literature, and nicely weaves the tale of Nabokov's first passion, lepidoptery, providing many interesting biographical details (including his wonderful sense of humor!), and the modern day story of the scientists who continued his work and discovered that his scientific legacy was truly as important and inventive as his literature. It discusses the science in a way that is interesting and easily understood by the non-scientist, but does not diminish the nature of the scientific information conveyed. In addition, it shows how the science impacted the literature. How interesting that a butterfly-gathering trip would provide the backdrop for Lolita! I found this book to be very interesting, informative and entertaining, and I highly recommend it.

Have you ever considered the advantages to having your nose on your face? Or what life is like for a boneless chicken? Or lamented a night of homework? Then this book is for you! Jack Prelutsky's collection 107 poems are silly, catchy, and classic. Readers bounce from poem to poem, carried along by James Stevenson's squiggly illustrations. Though this is a fast read, Prelutsky's odd characters, like the Underwater Wibblies and Drumpp the Grump, will keep you giggling.

These quirky poems will entertain readers both young and old. Prelutsky's poems are made for reading aloud, and audiences will enjoy listening to the made-up names and punchlines. Stevenson's artwork, which can also be found in The New Yorker, fits perfectly with the singsong style of the poems. The black and white drawings wobble and flutter around the text, interacting with it. Prelutsky's work, combined with Shel Silverstein's, makes for an excellent introduction into the world of poetry for young readers.

This is a great book to share with friends and families because it is funny and a lot of the poems seem true to what kids are thinking and feeling. Some of our favorites were, "An Alleycat with One Life Left," "Homework! Oh, Homework!," "The Nothing-Doings," and "I Wonder Why Dad is so Thoroughly Mad." This is a great book for everyone!

My child came home from her gifted/talented school requesting the book. She loved it in her classroom and has already read most of it.

This book introduced my son to poetry at age eight and he became an avid fan. He became so enthralled with poetry that he began to write poetry himself. He even wrote a very insightful poem as one of his college entrance essays. Prelutsky retains his inner child and writes from a child's point of view--hard for children to resist. A must have for your home library.

I think that this a great way to introduce poetry to kids that may believe it to be boring or stuffy. My son would ask me to read these to him over and over. We did a lot of giggling over some of them.