Duke Books

good book with a good variety of writing stiles.i was never bored, and a prety quick read

Todd Robinson here, author of the second story in this collection: DELIVERY.
So I'm biased, so what?
Completely ignoring my story, Danger City is a magnificent collection of young writers who are putting their best work out and trying to make their voices heard. I'm proud to be in their company.
The results are sometimes uneven, but always interesting. Tired of the same old, same old? Give DANGER CITY a shot and read somebody new. Yeah, I'm talking to you, you Dan Brown buying #$%&!!!!
Oh, and for more about me, please check out my website at www.thuglit.com
SALUD!!!

It only gets four because as with any collection of short stories the quality is a little uneven - HOWEVER - unlike most short story collections, the good outweigh the bad here pretty decisively. Stand out stories are the ones that kinda get a little lunatic - Empire Of One by Carl Moore is a total standout with a great concept, clever plotting and puchy writing which has no gristle on its bones whatsoever. Mike Segretto's We All Scream For Ice Cream is at once almost childlike in it's simplicity but deranged in its delivery. Mike Cipra's Loving The Monster is a doomed romance between man and Gila Monster which actually manages to be kinda sad in a world weary way despite the odd premise, Todd Robinsons Delivery is a perfectly executed piece of modern noir and Jeffrey Dinsmore's Faggy On The Streets is an outrageous absurdist black comedy starring the most oddly named pair of cops in modern fiction.

All in all a winner, wrapped in an attractive cover (hey dontcha just hate it when books look UGLY?).

Buy a copy!

84 Charing Cross Road will always be the greatest representative of the genre of literate post-WWII trans-Atlantic pen-pallery. However, this collection of letters between an eighteen-year-old Akron bricklayer and a sixteen-year-old London typist does feature one thing Helene Hanff could not give us: a happy ending. The correspondents whose charming letters from the years 1948-49 comprise this book settled down in 1950 to a marriage the afterword informs me is still going strong as of the year 2006. It's easy to see why in the book, as the correspondents discuss current events and bond over a shared love of books, theater, music, and movies. Their cosmopolitan tastes stand up to the test of time; most of the cultural references were familiar to me some fifty years later (and how I envied them having seen Olivier tread the boards!).

Dear Stephanie, Dear Paul also contains an intriguing element of suspense. In the first half of the book, the young pen pals introduce each other, bond, and arrange to meet; in the second half, having met and gotten along very well, these poor teenagers have to deal with the messy complexities of a real-life romance from thousands of miles away. Paul, typically American, comes on too strong; Stephanie, typically English, withdraws into a protective shell of common sense; letters become perfunctory and infrequent, and it becomes evident that this love is in no way predestined. Of course we know they will end up together -- it's on the back of the book, and anyway I just told you -- but it is an interesting exercise to look for a spot to put a bookmark in the last half of the book and say, "This is where most of these long-distance romances would have ended."

Considering that each book is nonfiction, it is interesting how many themes this book shares with 84 Charing Cross Road, from the typical American/British cultural divide to the deprivation of postwar England and the English gratitude for kindly Americans willing to send over nylons, soap, and canned ham. The book also contains also a strong feeling of the bonding power of art. Most importantly, as with 84 Charing Cross Road, both correspondents are good writers and sympathetic folks (if less worldly-wise and deep than the older correspondents in Hanff's book). Dear Stephanie, Dear Paul is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon getting to know two splendid people in just the way they got to know each other.

I am lucky enough to know both of the authors, and to have listened to the BBC program (on tape) which was broadcast in the late 80s and charmed me with excerpts of the correspondance which lead to their marriage and more than fifty years of articulate life together. Their growing epistletory relationship is as fascinating as the details of postwar life in Britain and the US. I think most readers who have enjoyed, for instance, the work of Helen Hanff, could not fail to be delighted with this.

This is an amazing book for three reasons. One: It is truly a page turner. The correspondence of these two young pen pals in the immediate aftermath of World War II turns out to be a real life drama with a plot that couldn't have been better masterminded than a great fiction writer. Second, it celebrates the art of correspondence that, while not dead, has certainly become a hobby for fewer people. Third, it reveals a time in the not so distant past when everyday people, a young blue collar worker and office clerk, enjoyed a deep immersion in the arts. It wasn't PBS. It wasn't elite. It was their everyday lives, and their mutual love of these arts brought them together for a lifetime.

Great to see such an excellent book on Duke Ellington made available for the young adult. Another fantastic biography, though for adults it is so accessible that it would also be a marvelous fit for young readers as well is Janna Steed's Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography. I would highly recommend both these books.

any Book on Duke Ellington is a must.he is a Teacher of Music.this Book reflects alot of his Importance to the Music WOrld at large.his work to me is as Important as MOzarts.you can never say enough about his Genius&Impact.

This is one of the best books I have read thus far for the young adult level. Any collector or fan who is interested in the photographics of Ellington should defintely purchase this book. Most authors use the Smithsonian's photos. This author seemed to concentrate his search for photos to the NYC area. The author appeared to have written the book more out of love of jazz than royalities. I would highly recommend it as a teaching tool for the juvenile and the photos for the collectors. In 105 pages, he has 65 photos.

The strategy guide is quite alright, although it certainly isn't the best. There is tons of room for improvement. And unlike the guides promise to discover all secrets and save all babes, you frequently have look on your own which is a pain... -- trust me. You will not get 100% on all of the levels with this guide, but it is very helpful in beating the game. Also, the guide periodically has minor grammar mistakes, for example instead of ýGorgoný its sometimes misspelled as ýGordoný et cetera.

The guides overall design is very nice, and most importantly its easy to follow. I have come to rely on it on a daily basis so I would defiantly would recommend it. If your stuck on Zero Hour, it certainly worth your five bucks.

This strategy guide is not seamlessly perfect, but if you are stuck on the occasional level this guide is by all means a necessity. Unfortunately, this guide has some negligible and sometimes significant flaws. To begin with, the guide fails to keep its promise of unlocking all secrets and saving all babes. You frequently must look for secrets and babes on you're own -- which, being a hard game as it is, becomes nothing short of a pain in the butt, especially on unusually large levels. So, if you are trying to beat each level perfectly, do not purchase the strategy guide. I guarantee you will not obtain a 100% score on every level. Now don't get me wrong, the guide itself is quite useful and you will certainly beat each level by closely following the guide, you just will not receive a perfect score unless you find the occasional secret and babes on you're own.

As for the guides overall design , they're is little to say besides the fact that is quite nice. It has a somewhat refreshing look and includes some pleasant artwork, which I consider an extra bonus. But most importantly, the guide itself is very easy to comprehend and simple to follow. Needless to say, anyone should be able to use it.

There is another problem with the guide, which is fortunately rather insignificant. The guide has numerous grammar and sentence structure related errors. An example of a common misspelling would is `Gordon' instead of `Gorgon'. Other then that, I don't see anything else wrong with it.

All in all, the guide is quite alright, despite the fact that is contains mistakes. Anyone having difficulties beating Zero Hour will most likely find this guide quite an essential and inevitably come to rely on it on a daily basis -- as I have. Needless to say, it is defiantly worth your money.

I and even you will need it if you own Duke NukemZero Hour

Raffles cigarettes, Raffles Business Class, the Raffles Hotel are all named after Thomas Stamford Raffles, one of the most important Englishmen in Southeast Asia of his time, but now largely forgotten. How many British know that Britain ruled Java for 5 years? How many Indonesians know why they drive on the left?

Nigel Barley, the English anthropologist, and Indonesian specialist, has written an extremely readable account of Raffles' life and achievements, interspersed with fascinating parallels from Indonesia's first President Sukarno's life story. Both came from poor families, both were intelligent, both liked books and both visited the same places. Raffles had only two years of proper schooling.

Raffles was born in 1781 on a ship in Jamaica, joined the English East India Company at the age of 14, as the lowest form of clerk, and worked in London until he was sent to Penang in Malaya in 1803. By the time the six month sea voyage was over, he had taught himself Malay. As Assistant Secretary to the Governor of Penang, he did all the important jobs and in his spare time researched local history and customs. Raffles liked the people and respected them.

In 1808 the Company transferred him to Malacca, further down south, to gather intelligence about Java. England was at war with Napoleon and worried that the French fleet would use the Dutch colony of Java. The English blockaded Java. The French, who were in nominal control, quickly surrendered to the British army. The victory was hardly noticed back in Europe.

At the age of 30 Raffles found himself the sole ruler of Java, whose civilisation he found enchanting. He was the Lieutenant-Governor and set about changing everything. The first thing he did was abolish torture, which was part of the Dutch judicial process. The Dutch believed in monoplies. Raffles believed in free trade. He revised the customs regulations entirely. Java's finances were in chaos. The Dutch had little interest in the welfare of the people, but Raffles ruled like a benevolent dictator. He abolished the importation of slaves and reduced the local rulers' powers. Living in the National Palace in Bogor, he created the Botanical Gardens. Later he discovered the World's largest flower, which was named Rafflesia arnoldii after him. The island was surveyed for a new land tax. As a result Borobudor, the largest Buddhist temple in the World, was "discovered" outside Yogyakarta. He even bothered to work out the traffic regulations and followed the English rule of driving on the left. The Dutch drive on the right but they were not concerned with such matters.

With the defeat of Napoleon Raffles and Java were unimportant and he was fired. He was not even allowed to supervise the transfer of power back to Holland. Exhausted he returned to England with 30 tons of luggage, many pieces of which are now in British museums, such as the Raffles Collection of the British Museum. Interested in everything and a true scholar he wrote the monumental The History of Java, which is still in print. He was knighted, became a Fellow of the Royal Society and married for the second time. After 30 months, in 1818 he was back in Indonesia and given the Company post in Bengkulu in Sumatra.

Raffles enjoyed his time in Bengkulu. His new wife gave him four children. He abolished gambling, freed up the pepper trade and set up schools. He visited the ancient city of Singapura and secured his greatest triumph - the founding of Singapore in 1819. The good times, however, were not to last - three of his children died. Raffles and his wife were also dangerously ill. He had a brain tumour, which was to kill him in six years.

Desperate to leave in 1824 they had to wait three months for a ship home. Their clothes and 122 boxes of research papers, animals, plants and books took up a third of the vessel. After a day at sea, the ship caught fire and they lost everything. It was the greatest blow ever to Malay literary studies. He eventually made it back to London and despite ill-health established the London Zoo and became the first President of the Zoological Society.

In 1826 Raffles' Javanese bank went bankrupt and he lost most of his capital. Then the Company presented him with a bill for £20,000 for accounting irregularities. To cap it all they demanded repayment of the expenses in founding Singapore. Raffles died later that year. The Company were surprised that he had so little money and reduced their claim against his estate to £10,000, thereby leaving his widow with nothing.

Nigel Barley retraces Raffles' steps, including visits to Nias and Bali, and entertainingly recounts stories of the people he meets along the way. The book is also a modern travelogue. Raffles accomplished a lot during his short lifespan of 44 years. I recommend this book warmly.

Murni
Ubud, Bali

In this modern day journey in the footseteps of Stamford Raffles, Britain's premier imperialist in southeast Asia, Nigel Barley injects his customary humor into both history and travelogue. Barley's hilarious books on anthropology are recalled in his wry humorous history of Raffles (founder of Singapore and namesake of the still-standing hotel there that served as the principal watering hole of England's expats) and even more humorous record of Barley's travels in his footsteps.

In Singapore, Raffles is something of a patron saint. A shopping center carries his name, a subway station, a school, a hotel, and even the business class of Singapore Airlines has been branded "Raffles Class."

It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that the city of Singapore features prominently in only one short chapter in Nigel Barley's "In the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles," which is the title of the English edition I have read. Penguin Books has probably realized that the title "The Duke of Puddle Dock" (a moniker evoking Raffles's humble background and high ambitions) is a bit unfortunate when it comes to marketing this hybrid between a travel book and a biography.

By far the largest part of the book deals with Indonesia. Barley interweaves accounts of his travels with biographical pieces about Raffles and Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia after the country became independent after World War II. Barley quotes extensively from the primary biographical material he used for the book. Both the "woven" structure and the long quotes make it difficult for the reader to really become engrossed in the life of Raffles. Perhaps Barley wanted to create some distance between the modern reader and his 18th century subject. In this case, however, the distance becomes such a gap that it is easy for the reader to lose interest in the book itself.

The Raffles who emerges from this book is most of all a man longing for recognition; a paternalistic officer of the British East India Company, good natured, benevolent, optimistic, learned, not very good at handling opposition, but very open-minded about what he sees in the Far East. Humanistic and dedicated to accumulating knowledge, he is not even thwarted by the loss of three of his four children or of all his treasures. When the ship on which he wanted to return to England sank off the coast of Sumatra, he lost his entire natural history collection: "One hundred and twenty-two cases of 'curiosities' were destroyed as well as all Raffles's papers. It was enough to break most men. But, as always, his greatest comfort was the love shown by his former subjects. The morning after their return to Bengkulu he began to redraw the maps he had been working on for years and sent locals into the forests to begin collecting specimens anew." (255) When Raffles finally returned to England and died at the age of 45, he left almost nothing. "Raffles had been unusual in spending freely on science and learning and had never stinted on creature comforts and hospitality, signs not of love of luxury but rather largeness of spirit." (264)

Barley is an entertaining writer with a fine sense of humor. Had he devoted more space to the historical background of the late 18th century and England's emerging imperialism in South East Asia, I would have enjoyed the book even more. One thing to remember from this book, though, is definitely Barley's description of the Durian, a local fruit beloved by Singaporeans for its taste and prestigious price: "the fruit like a football-sized conker, whose taste is halfway between caramel and swamp-water, with an after-whiff of rancid armpits." (135)

I still have my original 1983 edition of this book, because I couldn't bear to part with it. It has neat characters (who can resist a blonde, gorgeous Duke with ulterior motives) and keeps you guessing. A great read, lets hope it's reprinted soon!

You can get the plot pretty much anywhere, and at first glance, the Duke's Wager, seemingly, is very formulaic. Young innocent bookish virgin heroine + titled promiscuous handsome rake. In this case, two of them: the younger and less dissipated Marquis of Bessacarr, and the truly legendary Duke of Torquay. However, while the secondary characters are not very well developed, it is understandable when you see how powerful the characters of Regina and the hero (yes, he is still a hero) are. It leaves little room to flesh out extraneous characters, and maybe that's why the book is so compelling: it propels along by the force of one man alone; I knew who I wanted Regina to be with even before she appeared on the scene.

Written in the 80s, it dates itself a little in that the characters have semi-soliliquies a la Woodiwiss, but with infinite times the intelligence and a fraction of the mind-numbing dullness. All the characters say "for" when they mean "because" and there are several typos, but this remains, undisputedly, Layton's best work, if not the top 10 romances I've ever read.

If you read one book by Edith Layton, read this one. Regina, the heroine, is a woman on the cusp of a delimima, starve and be virtuous, or accept the protection of Jason, Duke of Torquay. The conversations/decisiions between Regina and Jason are some of the best ever written in a romance novel. This ranks close to Georgette Heyer's best such as "The Devil's Cub" or "These Old Shades". Jason shows multiple sides to his personality as he finds himself both wanting Regina and hoping she will continue to decline his offer. If you have read her other books and wondered about who the Duke of Torquay was....then this is one you should read.

I continue to use this book as a practical and teaching resource. It is a good balance between the science and engineering aspects of environmental quality. The examples and problems are understandable for most undergraduates, and can be adapted to be more quantitative, if needed.

I used this book as base for teaching of Environmental Technologies at university. It is really good, easy to follow and addresses the main aspects of environmental pollution control. The only aspect that it does not cover is soil pollution. One strong point: the figures, graphs, exercises are very good!

This was a text book for my Environmental Security class. I learned a heckuva lot, and I really enjoyed reading it, too. It's well organized and helps you understand some technical issues relating to the environment without going over the non-technical major's head. The study/homework questions at the end of each chapter weren't too difficult and helped a lot in learning the material.

Three points about "Few and Chosen" by Duke Snider: (1) All of Duke's choices are highly defensible, except, of course, his unwillingness, out of modestly, to list himself as the greatest centerfielder in Dodger history. (2) Most of his choices are players the Duke played with: Roy Campenella as catcher, Gil Hodges at first, Jackie Robinson at second, Pee Wee Reese at short, Carl Furillo in right. Sandy Koufax as the best Dodger lefthander ever, of course, could be the best lefthander ever on any team. The Duke's choices are wise and interesting. (3) Perhaps most interesting is that a recent, excellent book about writing uses Duke Snider's reputation to make an interesting point. The book is "Honesty in the Use of Words" by Martin Naparsteck, and it's about using ethical choices, rather than mechancics like spelling and organization of an essay, to determine what is well written. If we had more honesty in writing, like Naparsteck wants us to, we would have fewr Enrons. Naparsteck refers to "The Duke Snider Syndrome." It is a reference to the fact that Snider, in the 50's, was as good as, maybe better, than the other two centerfielders playing in New York at the same time, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. He hit more home runs and had mroe RBIs in the years they all played in New York. But many people today don't know who the Duke was, while they remember Mickey and Willie. The Duke Snider Syndrome, therefore, according to Naparsteck, is the tendency we have to narrow everything down to two choices, when, in effect, there is always a third, and maybe a fourth and fifth and sometimes dozens of other choices. The Duke Snider Syndrome: a fine reference to great, almost forgotten, baseball player. (Hey, read both books, Snider's and Naparsteck's, ya know).

Perhaps there sould have been two books: The Few & Chosen Brooklyn Dodgers and The Few & Chosen Los Angeles Dodgers. The Duke of Flatbush has basically wrote about the former. Did he forget the Dodgers moved to L.A. back in '57? Which is funny because he went with them and he is from SoCal. There are some glaring ommisions to Duke's top five lists for each position from not selecting more deserving LA Dodgers. How Steve Sax (2nd base), Eric Karros (first base), Mike Scioscia (catcher), Jim Brewer and Mike Marshall (relief pitcher) and especially Orel Hershiser and Don Sutton (right handed pitcher) are not included in Edwin Donald's rankings is beyond me. His Brooklyn memories are wonderful, but he needs some guidance evaluating LA Dodgers as the Dodgers have now been in Los Angeles (50 years) almost as long as they were in Brooklyn (67).

The Duke has written a wonderful book here that really brings the reader down baseball's memory lane in fine style. It's printed on very high quality glossy paper & the photos therefore are shown with great clarity. Duke was the best of the three great Centerfielders when they all played together as starters in New York City from 1954-1957 (the other two being Willie Mays & Mickey Mantle). Unfortunately, The Duke's career ended sooner than those two (due to injuries), so today he is not as well remembered & not as often spoken or written about. Some of my favorite parts of this book are Johnny Podres' description of the greatest catch he ever saw (in 1953, by The Duke), & Don Zimmer's explanation for why The Duke didn't receive all of the credit as a great fielder that he deserved. In this book, Duke lists the Top 5 Dodgers of all-time at each position. I agree with just about all of his choices; he surprised me by remembering how good Preacher Roe was & ranking him as #2 Lefty Pitcher behind Sandy Koufax, which I believe is accurate. The one ranking I don't agree with is his listing of Centerfielders, because his own modesty prevented him from ranking himself in the Top 5. C'mon Duke, we all know that you're Number 1! A very high class book in all respects.

I really enjoyed the book besides the fact that it proved really helpful for all the papers I have had to write so far. The concepts are clear and the bibliography extensive so it is really a starter in other directions.

Matei Calinescu's _The Five Faces of Modernity_ is an impressive intellectual history of five concepts central to aesthetics (i.e. the theory and philosophy of art) in the past two centuries-- the concepts of 'modernism', 'the avant-garde', 'decadence', 'kitsch', and 'postmodernism'. After an introductory discussion on the concept of 'modernity' itself, each of these concepts, or 'faces of modernity' is discussed in detail. This discussion generally includes an account of the word's origins and changes in its usage, close readings of important texts that used these concepts in exemplary or revolutionary ways, and a critical analysis of the assumptions that underly the term's application to aesthetics. Throughout, Calinescu ranges quite broadly in his scope, drawing upon texts from throughout Europe and the Americas (both North and South).

Calinescu's account is far too rich and complex to summarize here, but on the whole, the history of aesthetic thought he provides is based on solid research, compelling analysis, and insightful observation. In the process, he makes some astute, and rather surprising observations about how these aesthetic terms were initially used to describe politics or social thought, and only came to be applied to aesthetics later (this is especially true with 'avant-garde')-- yet, their aesthetic application is fundamentally shaped by their earlier social-political associations.

Although this book is quite solid, I do feel that it has some shortcomings that can't be ignored. First and foremost among these is that Calinescu's bizarre characterization of Romanticism. The Romantics, he rightly noted, were crucial in the development of modern aesthetics-- and in the notions of modernism, the avant-garde, and decadence in particular. However, his account of Romanticism is one that I simply do not recognize-- basically reducing it (somewhat inaccurately, I would add) to "the relativization of beauty" and the abandonment of the notion of eternal, transcendent truths or ideals. Part of the problem here is that Calinescu limits his discussion of Romanticism to France, focussing on Chateaubriand, Stendahl, and Hugo. If he had discussed the major German Romantic thinkers or the British Romantic poets, this account of Romanticism (and the role he assigns to it in developing a concept of 'modernity') simply could not stand.

The second main shortcoming of the book is that it focuses overwhelmingly on literary art. Painting and other forms of art are discussed a little bit in some of the chapters (particularly in the one on kitsch), but for the most part, Calinescu's book focuses on prose and poetry-- not on the visual arts (or still less on music). I think his account of some of these concepts (particularly 'modernism' and 'avant-garde') wuld have been greatly improved by considering them.

Still, those criticisms are relatively minor-- this is a great book and an important one on this subject. Highly recommended to intellectual historians, art historians, and those who are interested in a good 'history of ideas' account of these five aesthetic concepts.

Calinescu succeeds in a very difficult department: definind five concepts that have become common places in criticism. Calinescu's reviews is insightful, comprehensive an very well documented. It offers an excellent introdution to the novices and a useful guide for investigating the concepts to the initiates. Calinescu is probably one of the finest critics in this topic and his book exceeds authors like Hobsbawn.

This is a great book. Much more thoughtful than most of the more fashionable post-colonial or globalization writers. Ong demonstrates how the Chinese transnational community confounds notions of peripheral non-westerners, or transnational community as weapon of the weak. She also demonstrates how the contemporary world is creating the context for the rise of China. The ultimate antidote to babble about how we have moved into a world beyond identities and geopolitics.

Aihwa Ong uses the example of the international (and now transnational) diaspora of "guoqiao" or overseas Chinese to look at the construction of flexable citizenships. These communities, she argues, increasingly construct their cultural identities through a pramatic assesment of the best strategies of advancement, irregardless of national place. In this way, Hong Kong capital has been key to the transformation of mainland China, Malaysian Chinese send their "parachute" kids to America for education, and the Singapore leadership brings in Harvard professors to help them construct an alternative modernity centered on conceptions of Confucianism.
She addresses the ways in which race can still form a glass celing, even when transnationals have all the right cultural capital, and the way "traditional" gender roles are reestablished to meet the need of the (male) transnational class to have a (female) foundation in one place. She also discusses the ways in which the advanced agency of the transnational class is dependant on a much more restricted class of people.
Although some of Ong's conclusions demand reconsideration in light of the Financial Crisis of '97, the return of Hong Kong and the events of 9/11, and although her tone occasionally waxes chauvainistic, much of her analysis still rings true.

A must read for anthropologists and other social scientists interested in the process of globalization.