Ireland Books

This book brought back so many childhood memories! I loved how Mr. Greenleaf kept the old Irish charm with the modern revision. Great Job! My nieces and nephews couldn't get enough of the stories and kept asking me to read them again. I also really like the artwork of Mr. Quigley. I definately look forward to any future works of Mr. Greenleaf. A definate MUST HAVE!!!!

Joseph greenleaf has updated this set of classical fairy stories without losing any of the flavor of the original. The illustrations are wonderful, the stories fun to hear or to read. My next suggestion to Mr. Greenleaf is that he produce a CD so that travelers can enjoy these wonderful tales while on the road.

When I found out that Brassey's Military Profiles series was doing an assessment of Francis Drake, I was pleased that this complex and almost legendary figure was going to be summed up in a handy snapshot reference work. At 89 pages of text, this endeavor was quite a challenge. Dudley Wade has managed to include all the controversies and episodes while providing a surprisingly full and fair an appraisal in such a concise book.

My introduction to Drake was a reading of Julian Corbett's one volume 1912 biography (rather than his more scholarly but ponderous 1899 two volume treatment incorporating the dawn of the British Navy). While a handy summary of Drake's career, in just over 200 pages, it was written for a British audience and assumed some background knowledge of the personalities, parties and political-religious quarrels both within England and among its European (principally Spanish) antagonists. Plus Corbett's Edwardian British chauvinism and dated idiom is a bit off-putting. I've since read works on the English "sea dogs" and renaissance era piracy and seafaring, and was looking for a good, brief overview of Drake employing modern (i.e. late 20th century) research.

Chapter 1, Prelude (pp. 3-13). This is a valuable chapter setting the exploits of Drake in total context. This includes the development of seafaring/navigation, maritime trade and conquest, the vagaries and rivalries of the search for routes to the sources of spices (and later, more fortuitously precious metals and gems) in the East, and the rise of Protestant-Catholic (not always so neatly demarcated) antagonism, later focused on the struggle between Protestant England and Caotholic Spain and their allies, pawns, dupes and double-agents. All this is set into English court and religious history - often identical-and the various political intrigues surrounding Elizabeth I.

Chapter 2, Young Man Drake (pp. 15-28). Born of the lesser gentry (economically akin to the present day lower middle class) Drake's father, a tailor by trade, became a preacher in the new Church of England and thus a target for a Catholic backlash against Edward VI's promulgation of a common prayer book. Fleeing local persecution the family wound up living in a ship's hulk converted to a home near Plymouth where young Drake was exposed to seafarers of the port as his father received a very modest stipend to preach the new gospel to them. Here Dudley speculates on the exposure of the boy to the nuts and bolts, or knots and splices, of practical seamanship, while his father imbued him with guiding principles of his Protestant faith and a concomitant hatred of Catholicism - though not of Catholics as individuals. The brief return of the pro-Catholic "Bloody Mary" to the throne marked another stage in the young Drake's career, wherein for his son's safety, his father agreed that his eldest son should leave home at the age of 13. Dudley notes two theories about his schooling in seamanship at this point. One, that generally prevalent in early histories and most popular accounts is that Drake became apprenticed to a coastal merchant, who upon his death, bequeathed Drake his vessel. The alternate account, one seemingly favored by Dudley, is that Drake was "fostered" into the home of a prosperous relative, William Hawkins of Plymouth. Here, Drake would have similarly gained considerable practical knowledge of seamanship while aboard the family's several 50-ton vessels, while also continuing a formal education in the mathematical and navigational skills. Also, here is where the young Drake likely acquired his familiarity with the international diplomatic scene as well as the political savvy to hold his own among haughty gentry. The Hawkins family privateering tradition also imbued Drake with this entrepreneurial and self-directed attitude towards armed adventures. Plus he gained valuable experience in the tricky three-way slaves for gold and produce trade, England-African West Coast - Spanish Caribbean, that danced the fine line between sticking it to the Spaniards and overkill which would get Elizabeth in hot water over her "plausible deniability" sponsorship. Here, in a few close-run escapades, Drake learned the value of Protestant allies and how being charitable to Catholic prisoners and victims could also reap benefits. Plus he acquired his outstanding proficiency in seamanship, both in uncharted shoals and in the vast deep blue, and how to stomach dire adversity with a clear head and cool nerves. The treacherous Spanish attack at San Juan de Ulua, off the coast of Mexico led to some vague charge that Drake deserted the expedition, but his reputation for excellent seamanship was affirmed despite the financial losses. Most importantly, it spurred him to seek revenge on the haughty overbearing Catholic rulers of Spain.

Chapter 3, To the Spanish Main and Beyond (pp. 29-47)continues the saga of the imperfectly "sponsored" freebooting raids on Spanish maritime treasure and communications. It provides a handy summary of Drake's circumnavigation -- a covert operation that forever cemented his place (and that of his diminutive galleon the Golden Hind) in history. Drake's summary trial and execution of a dissident captain, the courtier Thomas Doughty, is handled deftly. Interestingly, Dudley suggests that this incident underlies Drake's shipboard piety, as a guilty conscience plagued him.

Chapter 4, the War of the Armada (pp 49-71)j is a very good summary of the Armada campaign and Drake's role. Dudley's criticism of Drake's apparent insubordination in failing to keep formation has to be seen in light of the epoch's rather lax concept of "command and control" and discipline among adventurous and independent-minded sea rovers.

Chapter 5, The Final Raids (pp. 73-83)shows Drake's waning powers of judgment and self-confidence.

Chapter 6, Who Was Francis Drake (pp 85-89) neatly reviews the controversies and possible explanations for Drake's checkered career as an adventurer, commander, local politician and mid-level aristocrat who was never accepted by the "landed gentry" who haunted the court of Elizabeth I at a time when her power abroad depended on the likes of Hawkins, Drake, et. al. -- men who were fanatically loyal to Queen Bess's England but who would not brook any interference from petty politicians, or a Queen's conservatism inspired by their court intrigues.

Drake: For God, Queen, And Plunder by military historian Wade G. Dudley (Visiting Assistant Professor, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina) is a fascinating, informed and informative, military and historical biography of Sir Francis Drake, the famous high seas plunderer of fifteenth century England, who was fueled by hatred of Catholic Spain and his devotion to his Protestant queen Elizabeth I. Highly recommended reading, Drake is a very carefully researched and engagingly told account with an especial focus upon Drake's nautical and military tactics.

I'm extremely impressed. I think this book would make an outstanding addition to any Renaissance-lover's, or garbaholic's, bookshelf.

It is not about how to make Italian-persona clothing. Instead, it focuses on how Florentines of the Renaissance used clothing to make social statements. Along the way, it examines some things that garbmakers would like hearing about (one table lists various color combinations found in gowns and linings), but mostly, it's about the sociology of fashion.

Chapters:

* Craftspeople and tailors (including how clothes-making guilds were organized and the role women played in these guilds)
* Tailoring Family Honor (how Florentines viewed honor and how they thought honor was expressed through clothing)
* Family Fortunes in Clothes (how much they spent, and a bit about the secondhand clothes market)
* The making of wedding gowns (you'll love learning how many opinions went into one and how totally political it all was)
* Trousseaux for Marriage and Convent (how they differed, and lists of what went into each)

And stuff about sumptuary law, information about layers of clothing, types of dyes (and an examination of mourning clothes), types of fabric, and clothes as depicted in art -- and how art might have distorted how people really wore clothes. Embroidery is also covered.

Needless to say, the painter Ghirlandaio features pretty prominently here. There are also b/w repros of portraits, unfortunately not super well detailed, but there are a few here I haven't seen before. There are also appendices that are very useful -- lists of currency and measures, categories of clothiers, yardage required for various garments, glossaries of what yardage terms meant, and a HUGE bibliography and glossary of terms.

It isn't a physically large book, clocking in at around 300pp, but it's very rich in detail, and the writing is pleasant to read. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to immerse in the period -- and DEFINITELY for any Renaissance costumers out there. It might not be a bad idea to have some basic grounding in the period before reading this, but it's written well enough that if any is required, it isn't much.

It's surprising to note that professor Carole Collier Frick's DRESSING RENAISSANCE FLORENCE: FAMILIES, FORTUNES AND FINE CLOTHING is the first in-depth study of the Renaissance fashion industry. Here are insights into the social and political meaning of clothing in Florence, with black and white photos throughout displaying changing styles and fashion innovations, visual impressions and how family fortunes were invested in wardrobes. A fascinating college-level study, recommended for any collection strong in fashion or Renaissance history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Dublin Carol by celebrated Irish playwright Conor McPherson is a new sort of Christmas Carol, and a tour de force for three talented performers.

The demons that haunt this work's leading character are all in his own head and of his own making - alcoholism (would it be an Irish play without it?), family abandonment, failure to succeed. In McPherson's usual style, the dialogue runs summarily from pathos to humor and back again using earthy language and varied pacing, interspersed with poignant little Christmas moments. It leaves the audience to decide for themselves what the leading character will do at 'the end of the day'. I'll say no more about it.

The entire work takes place on Christmas Eve day - a time for hope, introspection, and whiskey. The leading character, John Plunkett, an undertaker's assistant, has just returned from yet another funeral. His young, gangly and untried assistant, Mark, is the perfect foil for John's stories, advice, and for providing the audience with plot/background exposition. We learn how John got to be in his current position, the ruinous road that lead him there, and what he may have learned from his past experiences and mistakes- if anything. The final of the three not-so-wise characters, Mary (hmmm, Mary? a Christmas Eve visit?) provides the catalyst of the story. I will not reveal her relationship to John nor the reason for her visit; suffice it so say that her tidings are not glad nor her news of great joy.

Does John Plunkett learn his lesson? Does he make amends? Change his life? Unlike Dickens' holiday work, the answers to these questions are less discernable.

A timeless and deeply human story of loss, hope and getting a second chance that will touch everyone's heart. Witty, charming and very well written, I read it once for the story, then a second time to grasp all the unspoken emotions between the lines. I just know I'll read it again.

Handsomely produced, elegantly assembled, and consistently engrossing: these actors read the stories with appropriate sensitivity, wit, pathos, and distance. The detachment of Joyce in his "voice" on the page is re-created well. When I have taught students "Araby" or "The Boarding House," the chance to hear the language repeated as its author would have meant it to be rendered makes these stories come alive for a classroom six thousand miles and a century away from early 20c Dublin.

Although all of the stories succeed, those in the center of the book emerged when conveyed aloud most enlighteningly. Clay, A Mother, A Painful Case, and most of all Two Gallants, After the Race, and Counterparts all hit my ear with more force than they had when I had only read them. These stories are often overlooked compared to the others, but the skill that the actors brought to these more prosaic, less lively, and more nuanced examples of Joyce's careful craft deserve special acclaim. The packaging keeps the CDs securely in place, is itself compact and well-designed, fitting its outwardly austere & Edwardian yet subtly decorated and inviting contents.

Students, the curious newcomer, the experienced teacher, and those who read the book out of delight and not duty: all will benefit from the music on the page that by a technology Joyce himself spoke into at its early gramaphone stages is now digitally preserved so that those of us all over the world and a vastly changed world later can be entertained and instructed. I think JJ might have been pleased at this version of his pioneering, eloquent, yet accessible and moving, accounts of his imagined neighbors and municipal counterparts.

James Joyce was absorbed by music, people, languages, acting and actors, and though an exile from his native country and city, his literary consciousness was forever embedded in Dublin. He had an unerring ear for Dublin dialogue.
At night I turn out the lights and listen to these CD's, to the cadences of the people talking, and to me these Dubliners endlessly gossiping are in the room with me. Joyce's narrative adroitness, his choice of words, his lyrical descriptions, and above all, his sense of place are brilliant facets of a genius.
Stephen Rea's sensitive reading of "The Dead" is worth the price of this set of fifteen stories read by fifteen different mostly Irish personalities. The characters in the stories live and breathe, become real. Joyce was meant to be read aloud. It's good talk, conversations that you become a part of.
In these stories Joyce is very accessible. In Finnegan's Wake he became Jackson Pollock--obscure and difficult. In "The Dead" you can feel, touch, hear, and taste the snow that is falling outside the house while inside two old sisters are giving their annual bright and cheery party. It's a story of tenderness, love, regrets, and lost lovers, but it is mainly full of life, good times, fellowship, and above all humanity.

Nine Lives Too Many
The Daemon in Our Dreams
The Rice Queen Spy
Clawed Back from the Dead

Robin Harris has demonstrably added to what has been called "The Pearl of the Adriatic"'s historical foundation in a delightful way. Not only is "Dubrovnik" well researched, it is also a joy to read, particularly passages describing the complexity of Dubrovnik's trade until the Napoleonic Wars. One travels to Dubrovnik, looks at history - Harris has done much to shed light on Dubrovnik's great walls and its rich cultural preserve.

Gregor Dekleva

Simply put this is a must have book for any person interested in Croatian history, especially the city of Dubrovnik (the Croatian Athens). The author pulls together his information from an exhaustive list of mostly non-English resources and puts them together in a very orderly and interesting manner. The author brings life to the history of Dubrovnik (not that he would need to) which makes for a very interesting and easy read. I personally loved this book from beginning to end and can only hope the author produces more books on Croatian history (perhaps the next one could tackle the history of Split?). Overall, an excellent piece of work and a great price for a book that should be in every serious Croatian historian's library.

It has photographs, maps, etc. on at least every other page. It covers nearly all of the major archeological findings up to the end of the B.C. years. Written in a easily readable style by a person who cares more about the quality of the concrete evidence than making surmises or speculations from it. I would have liked more associations made with what's been found in Britain and the Continent, but it's still a five-star overview.

This book, by the archaeologist who excavated Newgrange, is an excellent resource for anyone interested in European prehistory. Though subtitled "An Introduction to Irish Prehistory," the book does not shy away from indepth scientific and archaeological evidence, either supporting or refuting conventional theories; thus, the book would be better classified as intermediate to advanced. One would be hard pressed to find a better resource of Irish prehistory.

...but very well recieved in the scholarly community. This is a reliable, well written resource on what can be a very tricky time and place to do research in. Top marks!

O Croinin's book is an accessible and exciting source of information on Gaelic culture - a must read for anyone interested.

This work contains the poems written by Yeats from 1889 to 1914. It includes some of the classic poems of twentieth century Literature, "No Second Troy", "The Song of the Wandering Aengus"
" The Lake Isle of Inisfree" " When you are old" and many others.
Yeats is a poetry who draws on Irish folklore and myth but his great power is in the music of his language, and his lyric celebration of life.
Enjoy.

As a student, who is hard on cash, I found that this collection of poems by the great Irish author and poet W.B. Yeats was definitely an excellent collection to buy and read. This collection encompasses all of the collections written by the young poet during his early period. Particularly notable are "The Shepherd to His Beloved", "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" and other poems that have become immortal over the years. There are also poems that deal with Irish myths and legends and several poems written as dialogues or plays. This is an excellent collection that will introduce you to the worldd of Yeats if you haven't yet been introduced and further your understanding of this Irish genius.

Britain. Wow, what a place. End to end it's colorful (hence the gray thing in the title, little reference to the weather, you know) it's weird, and it's not afraid to celebrate its peccadilloes. It's so interesting there it makes me wonder, as I always do, why the locals ever felt the need to leave and, oh, I dunno, bug the Irish so much. That said (hey, it was my sworn duty) this seriously is a neat book and I enjoyed it a lot. It's full of stories almost too odd to be real and places that call out to you to visit. From cursed chairs in innocuous pubs, to aliens and crop circles, to festivals that merrily commemorate the droolingly insane side to life---shin-kicking contests and Guy Fawke's Day---this island has it all and this book tells you about it. When and if I go next summer for the first time in nine years, I'm going to check out as many as I can of the freakish locales Benedict le Vay (any relation to Morgan le Fay, I wonder?) writes about. Read this book and come away with more respect than ever for the eccentric-loving people who gave us Eastenders, "classic" literature, and one darn cool flag (quite honestly worn over there as underwear) the Union Jack.

I'd often heard that Britain had a tolerance for eccentrics, but I never knew to what extent. Some of these people are really, really weird, and they put more effort into bizzare hobbies, old local customs, and freaky sporting events than you would think possible. Wouldn't it be interesting if Americans spent more time going to blood sausage throwing contests than kid's sports tournaments? Together with Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island", you could spend a extremely interesting vacation in Britain without ever going near any of the usual tourist haunts.