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Toby Flood, who almost got to play James Bond, is on his way down. His divorce to the woman he loves is almost final; his career is fading. Life isn't too bright for Toby at the moment.

He's in Brighton, doing the last few performances of a play that isn't going to make it to the big-time. Brighton just happens to be where his soon to be ex-wife lives with her new lover, the rich scion of a local industrial family. Oh woe is Toby.

He brightens when his beloved calls and asks his help. She owns a millinery in town and she is, she believes, being stalked. Toby, brave man, confronts the stalker, Derek Oswin, a local man who seems more than a bit odd. Toby extracts a promise from Derek that he will leave his almost divorced wife alone, a promise quickly broken.

Derek at first appears to have more than a few screws loose, but it turns out that he has a genius for manipulating Toby Flood. Shrewd enough to realize that Toby will do anything to regain the love of his wife, Derek maneuvers Toby into becoming his weapon against Roger Colburn, Jennifer Flood's fiance.

The Colburn family has a past and secrets to hide: secrets so dangerous that Roger will stop at nothing to keep them hidden, even if it means murder.

I won't spoil things by saying more. Suffice it to say that Robert Goddard's characters are richly endowed: if you're a fan of old British films, you'll see a young Alec Guiness playing Toby Flood. Or maybe even Michael Caine. Richard Burton would have made a perfect Roger Colburn. Every character in Goddard's book suggests its own player.

The plot and sub-plots are totally delicious. There are a number of surprises along the way and Goddard keeps things moving fast enough so that they remain surprises.

Altogether a marvelous offbeat mystery and a delightful read.

Jerry

This is my first Robert Goddard novel, but it certainly will not be my last. This story is wonderfully plotted, fluid and intelligent. Duplicity and intrigue are the order of the day and will keep you reading. Unlike most mystery/suspense novels, Mr. Goddard's manipulations and story telling expertise do not "telegraph" the ending when your half way through the book. Others have described the plotline, I will not do so. Just know that if your in the mood for some engrossing storytelling, this is the ticket.

Difficult to put down. Lots of plot twists. Very satisfying ending. Robert Goddard's books are a favourite of mine, and this is one of the best I have read so far. If you like going to live theatre then this book gets into that world which adds more interest to this book. Try it.

While taking the monotonous train to Brighton, actor Toby Flood muses about his career in which the highlight was years ago when he was a strong candidate to replace Roger Moore as James Bond. Not long after failing to be selected as 007, Toby's career stopped ascending and began the dive that continues today. He knows that though he has top billing in a Joe Orton play, deputy stage manager Mandy Pringle sees support actor Martin Donahue as the near term future. Perhaps adding to his melancholy mood of failure, Toby regrets that his wife Jenny, whom he still loves, has field for divorce.

Brighton hat shop owner Jenny calls Toby to demand he stop the stalker. Hex explains he has not hired any stalker, but will look into it especially when she claims he has a video of one of Toby's films. Toby confronts Derek Oswin, who promises to stop staring at Jenny stating he only used her as a means to meet his hero, Mr. Flood. However, when Derek fails to live up to his agreement, Toby follows up, even missing a performance, However, he will soon miss a lot more as Toby, in his quest to recapture Jenny's love, has become entangled in a domestic dispute involving the affluent Colburn family.

Robert Goddard is one of the best suspense writers on the market today (see BORROWED TIME). As always his tales star a seemingly average individual (this time a B actor who missed his fifteen minutes) placed in lethal situations in which the outcome remains up in the air until the final climax. PLAY TO THE END does that and more as Toby's desperation ploy to regain his beloved turns into a nightmare.

Harriet Klausner

(I read this book when it came out in the UK two years ago. I haven't seen this edition but I assume it's the same.)

All the elements of the classic Goddard formula are on display here: the downcast hero who's managed to screw up his own life, the links to a past wrong, a touch of history that's just enough to thrill those who know the references without being too precious to alienate those who don't. Play to the End tells the story of an actor who is trying to salvage his career and the opportunity presented by a lead role in a lost (and imaginary) Joe Orton play when he's drawn into a mystery involving the ex-wife he still loves. It's the usual thrilling ride with Goddard at the helm. What sets Goddard apart from the hundreds of other thriller writers of today is his ability to marry those twists with a compelling narrative style, genuine character development and intelligent subject matter.

Fans of Robert Goddard will embrace this latest of his thrillers to hit the States. For newcomers who want a mystery/thriller that isn't dumbed down this book is a good entry into the world of the surprise twist that Goddard does so well.

This peek into the lives of two remarkable figures. For anyone who enjoys Shmuelly and Uri, this book is a must. It adresses some core issues within the heart and soul of each and every one of us.

...

This is a book about two souls struggling through a series of letters to make sense of their lives. Uri Geller I have known for over 25 years. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is someone I had never heard of until I picked up this book. Both are sincere family men, yet each has a contradictory aspect, for instance, both are humble yet both have enormous egos. Both feel an incessant aching in their souls. Both are in awe of fame and actively seek to partake of it, in part to verify/justify their existence, and both have rubbed elbows with society's elite.
Uri's cousin, psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, realized that a true purging of the soul, what Catholics call Confession, and what Jews do on Yom Kippur, serves to heal old wounds thus allowing for future growth. This reader has been brought to tears from some of the deeply personal passages which outpoured from Uri's soul. Wounded in battle, with his friends dying around him, and forced to kill the enemy during the 1967 Israeli/Arab war, it is Uri's firm wish that there be Peace between Palestinians and their brethren, the Jews. At his core, Uri is a man who identifies with all religions.
Rabbi Shmuley has also had his traumas, growing up in a divorced family, trying, like Uri, to come to grips with a complicated and distant father. Wise beyond his years, the Rabbi has a lot to say. God is accessible if we open up our hearts. Only the righteous can truly lead a happy life. The Garden of Eden still exists, and is accessed daily by our innocent children.
The duo, at times appear superficial. The Rabbi actually invited Jerry Springer to speak at his classes at Oxford University, and admitted this in print! Uri sees the Pop Idol Elvis as a God. Both Uri and the Rabbi are overly concerned about their fame. However, it is here with the reach of time, that comparisons cease. Ten generations from now, Uri Geller's name will still be known. He asks himself, is it God himself or UFO's who have given him the power to bend metal by mind power alone? This is the quintessential question, which our society is unable to really process. The ramifications are too monumental.
Uri Geller has demonstrated his spoon-bending ability not only to tens of thousands all over the globe, but also to top flight physicists, Heads of State and world figures. For those who understand esotericism (see Ouspensky's text on Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous), this is no small feat. What do these great people think of the world they live in because of Uri Geller? And how has this change in thought impacted their influence on history?
Geller's very eruption onto the world scene in the early 1970's caused a revolution in the fields of cosmology and the quantum physics of consciousness. His impact on art and literature is also consequential. Such movies as The Fury, Dreamscape, Powder, Phenomenon, Matrix, X-Files and X-Men, and on a personal note, my own upcoming novel STARETZ ENCOUNTER, all owe their debt in great measure to Uri Geller. His flame has ignited directly or indirectly, literally tens of millions of minds.
There is much talk in the book about the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps Martin Luther King has already fulfilled that role in our time. Nevertheless, in ancient times, without any doubt, a person, with Uri's abilities would have been seen as a God, a role Uri has successfully eschewed. Having earned a king's ransom finding diamond mines and oil reserves, Uri's door has always been open to his friends, rich and poor.
Uri's very existence creates the supreme metaphysical conundrum, not only for he, himself, but for anyone else who has eyes to see. Struck by a strange light onto his forehead when he was four, Uri has had Egyptian and Tibetan apports fly into his room, he has photographed UFO's, and has said on many occasions that he suspects that his abilities come from extraterrestrials. Well, if that is so, what role does a Supreme Being play in all this? If what has happened to Uri Geller has happened to Moses, Jesus and other historical religious figures from other religions, clearly a monkey-wrench of gargantuan proportions has been thrown into the Biblical mix.

...BR>
If our Creator has a conscious component, then stop and consider, the vast realm this supreme entity has to take care of. Our galaxy alone as 100 billion stars, and there are hundreds of billions of galaxies. I have enough trouble finding my keys when I leave the house! Clearly, a hierarchy of intelligences, which the Rabbi suggests may be angels, makes more sense. Thus, Andrija Puharich, the man who introduced Geller to the West, may have been right all along. An extraterrestrial cabal far in advance of our civilization takes care of our planet. For the most part, they leave us alone. And thus, the ET's do not step in during the Holocaust, because we have been given us free will. But occasionally, through His liaisons, They sprinkle the earth with a few avatars, a list of commandments, a monotheistic paradigm, an ancient savior who give humans the promise of everlasting life, and a modern day superpsychic who can electrify our spirit. I highly recommend this sincere book for opening up a new dialogue on the age old question about the nature of civilization and the source of our being.

I'm not exactly sure why I got this book. I assumed it would be a dry philosophical exchange, but hoped Uri Geller might share a bit about his life as the world's most gifted psychic. I wish I could convey my transformation as I realized I held a book not only to be read, but cherished. The Psychic and The Rabbi is a heartfelt exchange between two of the most exceptional men of our time. I found their honesty breath-taking, their humor refreshing, and their dedication to humanity humbling.

The litmus test of an especially good book is one in which you do not want to put the book down; you want keep reading to conclusion or to exhaustion. This book falls into that category but in a rather unusual way, because normally you are seeking the answer of the plot with a fiction book, or wanting to come to the overall prognosis of the subject. But in this case the book is rather unique in the fact that the subject matter is very changeable with no definite conclusions. The book consistiing of an exchange of letters between two men at the top of their chosen professions as the Rabbi and the Psychic. The reason I found the book to be so engrossing is based on various levels. Firstly the interaction between the two extremely successful men of widely different professions stimulates wonderful engrossing thought in the subject areas of, Is there a god ? and if so why, what's the meaning of life?, why love is so important, what the usual drive for celebrity status is, also where true celebrity status can useful, and so on through many subjects. The two highly intelligent individuals realise from their wisdom that no one human being is an island, we all have our faults and the two men are helping each other with their own personal questions and thoughts about life. Both being honest enough to explain in the process their various and dramatic childhood struggles moving full spectrum to their present high-profile existences. Discussing with refreshing brutal frankness their true inner thoughts, failings, and feelings throughout their lives Both Rabbi Boteach and Uri Geller are apparently vastly different characters but share strong similarities in the respect they are both Jewish, both religious, highly questionable of every aspect of the living experience, and of course both experiencing the intensity, difficulties and opportunities of living at the height of profession and celebrity status. My overall prognosis of the book is that it is a not quick easy book to read, because you want to be able to able to apply your own judgments to their thought patterns, but in the process it is all one could ask from a book, not just superbly entertaining but also extremely thought expanding for the reader in subjects of most importance, like why is humanity existing? They come to their conclusions along with the reader, mind expanding stuff.

This is a deeply moving book. I picked it up expecting a light and amusing read, and yet several times I was actually brought to tears. Uri's voice aches with sympathy for humanity - he comes across as a deeply loving man. Shmuley is a firebrand ... I bet he's a heck of a preacher! You really should read this book. It's outstanding.

Lutyens, the architect of Queen Mary's Dolls' House, also designed the city of New Delhi and the Viceroy's House, one of the largest and most unique palaces in the world. Sadly, he was one of the world's greatest artists, but is remembered only for this (comparatively) tiny tourist attraction.

Tourists, architectural students, and historians should buy this book. This is the only thorough analysis of any of Lutyens' buildings, and as such, is an important historical document above and beyond its tourist appeal.

I was so enchanted by Royal Collection Official Guide Book to Queen Mary's Dolls' House that I ordered this one figuring (correctly) that there would be other unique pictures. This is the better of the two books - nearly three times as long and filled with more pictures, especially detail shots of the tiny furnishings and decorations. I am charmed by Cripp's method of showing scale: he poses the tiny cricket bat next to a regulation cricket ball, and the little golf clubs next to a real golf ball. This also includes a section on how the house is aging: fading wallpaper, damaged paint, etc. All of the pictures, except for a few that are historic, are in color. This is unfortunately out of print, and may be more expensive, so the purchaser will have to weigh issues of cost and availability for themselves. I think that either would do as a souvenier.

If someone is really interested, I would recommend getting both books. The Royal Collection Official Guidebook is a pretty good buy at $11.95 and a nice supplement to this one. A very few of the shots are in both, but not enough to make them redundant to the person who wants all the information they can get. Generally, the duplicate shots are slightly large in the S-W book. To compare and contrast the two, while the S-W book has more of everything, the RC book still has some unique shots. The photographs in this book take in the entire room, while the RC book often shoots the room at an angle, cutting off part of the room, but what is shown is sometimes in better focus and a bit larger. To compare the shots of the Queen's bedroom, the Stewart-Wilson shot shows the entire bedroom. The Royal Collection shot, at an angle , reveals some additional details such as the fire screen and the chinoiserie cabinet, but cuts off the exteme left-hand side of the room. (Her Majesty has apparently been rearranging her decorative items since the S-W book.) The S-W detail of the 18th century pietre-dure table concentrates on showing the design on the top. The RC detail shows more of the table and the objects normally on it. The historical sections, revealing how the house came to be built are the most different, and the RC book has more pictures of people who participated in creating the doll house and of the room in which it now sits with the Phillip Connard mural. The captions are overlapping, but not identical, and so one gains more information by having both.

England's Queen Mary--grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth II--commissioned the construction of her extraordinary dollhouse (or "dolls' house" as it is referred to here) in 1921, during her own reign. It resides at Windsor Castle, as it has since being constructed there. Designed by Edward Lutyens (famous for his graceful furniture), the house is a reproduction of Windsor Castle right down to the last nail--almost literally.

David Cripps' photography beautifully captures the interiors of this amazing dollhouse, from the grand to the plebian. Here is the linen closet, each batch of towels tied with different-colored ribbon to denote whether they were intended for the nursery, the staff, or the kitchen. Here is a lacquer cabinet with gilded stand, dovetailed working drawers, and gold-leafed decoration. Here is a bed, complete with pillows, bolsters, sheets, blankets, and even a tiny walnut-handled bedwarmer. The toilet, complete with toilet paper discreetly placed in a bowl alongside, really works. The toothbrushes are made of ivory and have bristles made from the hair of a goat's inner ear. In the cellar, bottles of Chateau Margaux are properly corked and waxed and labeled. The pantry shows real bows of Fry's Chocolates sharing space with McVitie & Price biscuits, barley sugar candies in hefty glass candy jars, and Frank Cooper's Seville Marmalade in squat jars tied with brown paper and string.

The garage houses a miniature bicycle with brakes "in perfect working order," not to mention a Rudge motorcycle and sidecar, a seven-seater Rolls Royce limousine-landaulet, a Vauxhall, a "Sunbeam open tourer," and two Daimlers. Gorgeous royal crests are hand-painted on each. The house even has its own petrol pumps and fire appliances, as was normal for large houses in that era.

The house's garden is splendid despite the absence of a single living thing. The lawn, made of cut green velvet, boasts several tiny mowers (both motor-powered and not), and the nearby garden has its own lovely benches, hoes, spades and the like. There is even a robin's nest, complete with eggs, and a tiny, tiny snail.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing in the house is the book collection. Famous authors were asked to contribute their own works. Arthur Conan Doyle obliged by submitted "How Watson Learned the Trick," an original 500-word short story done in his own handwriting. The bookplates for each of the books were designed by beloved Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest Shepard. Rudyard Kipling submitted not only two poems, but illustrated them himself as well. Other well-known authors who gave their own works to the Queen's house included G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, Hilaire Belloc, Rose Macauley, W. Somerset Maugham, and Vita Sackville-West. Topping off the fine works of this distinguished crowd are the leather-bound autograph books--one each for famous folks from stage and screen, famous folks from the military, and famous politicans.

There is even a room for storing the scepter, crowns and other regalia--all featuring flawless gemstones!

The details are endlessly fascinating and the house and its furnishings so well-constructed that without a tennis ball or coin or some other everyday real object, you easily forget that everything your eye falls upon here is miniature. For those who cannot get to Windsor Castle themselves to view the house in person, this book offers a very fine tour.

To further correct the first reviewer, the Doll's House is certainly not a copy of Windsor Castle. It is nothing like it. Windsor Castle is a CASTLE - stones and very old, and big. The Doll's House is an "ideal home" of the early 1020's - albeit intended for royalty and not for your average Joneses.

With a couple of corrections of the first review, I'd like to make sure that it's known that Queen Mary did not commission this dollshouse. It was the original brain child of the Princess Marie Louise, who spearheaded the creation of the house. Queen Mary was "extremely surprised" but agreed. The initial shell of the house was erected in Lutyen's office, then removed to the drawing room of his house in Mansfield Street in London.

It was unveiled to the press, once completed, in the Mansfield Street house, then moved and reconstructed in the Palace of Arts at Wembley. It went from there to Windsor Castle, then to an exhibition at Olympia. In February of 1925, the house was returned to Windsor Castle. The Daily Mail donated a glass case through which we can now view the dollshouse in Windsor Castle.

This wonderful book has photographs of the letters written by Princess Marie Louise to all the firms and manufacturers involved in the dollshouse creation, as well as numerous photographs of the interior and furnishings. Pictures of tiny dollshouse ledgers, keys, and even a garden snail grace this book.

A. J. Raffles was certainly not the first heroic rogue found in English literature, but E. W. Hornung's creation is among the most popular. Raffles himself was an amateur cracksman, an audacious, skilled burglar, one specializing in jewel and art objects. Raffles was contemporaneous with Sherlock Holmes, although, thankfully, Holmes never set his sights on Raffles, perhaps due in part to the fact that E. W. Hornung was married to Conan Doyle's sister.

Who is Raffles? A gentleman, a capable cricket player, a product of a respected British public school. Although his life style was in keeping with that of a British gentleman, his financial state was often precarious as he had no inherited wealth. With few career options, Raffles discovered that he had a talent for crime, especially those that required careful planning, as well as substantial self-confidence, even audacity. Surprisingly, few Victorian critics expressed concern with the moral implications of Hornung's stories, perhaps because that in the end Raffles does not entirely escape retribution. And even in the interim not all of Raffles exploits fully succeed, at least suggesting that a career in burglary does have limitations.

Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1898) is a collection of eight connected stories, each one flowing into the next. They include The Ides of March, A Costume Piece, Gentleman and Players, Le Premier Pas, Wilful Murder, Nine Points of the Law, The Return Match, and The Gift of the Emperor. Any fan of Sherlock Holmes will certainly enjoy these fascinating Victorian tales.

This Penguin Classic edition of Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman offers an extensive introduction, an eight-page chronology of E. W. Hornung's life and career, and a detailed listing of further stories, readings, plays, screenplays, articles, and literary criticism. Also, the editor, Richard Lancelyn Green, provides helpful end notes.

In his introduction Green observes that these tales can be viewed as an extension of the school story, where the prank becomes a crime and the school master a detective. I quite agree with Green's insight. I had wondered why the antics, actually crimes, of Raffles and his chum Bunny had vaguely reminded me of Rudyard Kipling's humorous school tales in Stalky and Company.

An unexpected connection: Raffles plays a significant role in a zany tale titled W. G. Grace's Last Case, a comedic tour de force by William Ruston published in 1984. The setting is London, however, in an alternative universe peopled by a remarkable cross section of literary creations from Watson and Lestrade to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London is partly in ruins as the failed Martian invasion was only the year before (as so effectively reported at that time by the famous journalist H. G. Wells).

Yep this book pretty much gives you a take on what would happen if genius detective Sherlock Holmes were instead genius cat burglar Justice Raffles. Raffles commits high collar petty theft for fun and profit. He steals jewelry etc and uses his connections as a gentleman to sniff out new opportunities. At one point as he describes the many middle men involved in reselling a piece of stolen jewelry as he explains to Bunny how crime doesn't pay - financially anyway. Often he steals something just because of the challenge involved in stealing it, which leads to interesting and varied stories for us to read. Bunny is his unwitting and later witting accomplice. He narrates the stories, as a sort of Watson to Raffles' Holmes.

These were very charming stories. If you like Sherlock Holmes and other victorian fiction then you will probably like these.

When Bunny (a public-school nickname) finds himself hopelessly in debt, and on the verge of ruination, he turns to an old school chum of his, A.J. Raffles. It turns out that Raffles can help him, but not in the manner he had imagined. Having found himself in a similar predicament years ago, Raffles took a novel solution, he became an amateur cracksman, that is, a cat-burglar. Remarkably free from any sort of moral qualms, Raffles takes Bunny on as his assistant, and together they lead a life of gentleman criminals. Sometimes they score stunning coups, and sometimes they suffer humiliating defeats; this is the life of Raffles and Bunny.

A man who was Arthur Conan Doyle's brother-in-law and friend wrote this story in 1899. This book reflects the more gentle style of Victorian literature (as also seen in the Sherlock Holmes stories), where the emphasis is placed on dialogue and suspense, rather than gunplay and action. Raffles is a gentleman, one without a moral compass, but one does know that there has to be a comeuppance somewhere, right? This is a wonderfully entertaining book, one that I recommend to you.

A.J. Raffles is the consumate English gentleman. He's quick witted, polite, has a spotless appearance, excels at cricket . . . and earns his living by burglary.

Horung's Raffles is a sort of counter to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, using his intellect for theft rather than for detection. With his sidekick and chronicler Bunny, Raffles has a series of adventures where pulling of the crime is the key, not catching the criminal. Oddly, Raffles, though a scamp, isn't a monster. He's not a killer, although he contemplates it in the story "Wilful Murder". Also, he's not always sucessful, as in the story "Costume Piece", where Raffles and Bunny escape by the skin of their teeth, empty-handed.

This book is good fun all around. The Penguin edition adds to the fun by extensively annotating the text, giving insight into Horung's sources and motivations. Definitely recommended for people who like Victorian stories, drawing rooms mysteries, crime novels, and mild satires of conventions.

[The following review refers to Penguin Classics edition of 'Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman' by E.W. Hornung, edited by Richard Lancelyn Green]

This book (originally published in 1899) is the first collection of stories about A.J. Raffles, 'gentleman thief' and first-rate cricket player. E.W. Hornung, who married Conan Doyle's sister Connie, presents a unique pair in English literature: they are Raffles, debonair and handsome thief (but the world knows him only as a cricket player) and 'Bunny' who records the adventures of his friend in the tradition of Watson.

The collection has eight stories: 'The Ides of March' (telling us how they met each other after their schooldays), 'A Costume Piece,''Gentlemen and Players,''Le Premier Pas,''Wilful Murder,''Nine Point of the Law,''The Return Match,' and 'The Gift of the Emperor,' in which Raffles vanishes before us ... for now.

As the nature of the protagonist tells you, none of the stories are so-called detective stories though they involve crimes or even murder. There are a few elaborate descriptions about how to, say, steal diamonds, and Raffels surely uses interesting ruses, but today they are no longer fresh, and many readers would detect his tricks before the slow-learning narrator Bunny does.

But the characters are very lively, especially Raffles, who could be very cynical, nasty, or even dangerous if he wants to. Holmes might have refrained from openly despising Watson's thick head; Raffles never does, who looks as if having fun, completely mystifying poor Bunny who is left in the dark until the very end of the story. And in spite of the familiar gimmicks, the story itself takes often unpredictable turns.

[About Penguin Classics edition] Penguin is perhaps the only critical edition of Raffles stories. Though it includes only eight stories (Raffles later comes back, as Holmes does), this edition has nearly 40 pages of helpful notes, plus Richard Lancelyn Green's informative introduction (more than 50 pages) which covers the biographical matters about Hornung, the possible models of Raffles, and the further reading list. Everything is written with detailed facts, which clearly indicate the editor's love toward the Raffles stories. If you have already read all the Raffles stories, this book still is worth your money.

Having recently rediscovered The Beatles (as in, I had gone a few years and not listened to their music), it's amazing to me the number of people still writing about them. The fascination is itself, fascinating.
This book is yet a different approach from many others: the writings of journalists and "observers" who covered the decade, both up close and from across the ocean, as well as some recent entries.
One of the elements of this book that makes it worth reading is the sense that you are not prying this time...not delving into private moments or contributing to the guilty pleasures of fan gossip.
This is a true journalistic, sometimes intellectual appraisal of what happened during those ten years in and around The Beatles: a time when the world was morphing from post war aesthetics and ethics into the mind blowing sixties and all that it encompassed for the generations to come.
Keep this book on a table and just pick it up from time to time. It's not a straight read, so enjoy it at a leisurely pace while you listen to some Beatles' tunes...it's all good.

I loved it. This is a collection of some of the finest writers of our time, writing about the finest group of our time. It's divided into two parts; 'Together' and 'Apart', with sub headings under each of those. Each piece is either an expose', piece of poetry, newspaper article or magazine article.

The first story is appropriatly titled, 'The Afternoon Hours',from the book, 'The Day John Met Paul'. It goes from there, with a varied selection of writings from every concievable type of writer from Gloria Steinem to William Mann. Some of the writings are quite controversial like one piece by a journalist named Paul Johnson called, 'The Menace of Beatlism'. This appeared in a British journal in 1964, and it's very interesting to see how people were divided along the generational lines at that time. This leads me to the famous, William Mann article from 1963, which established the group as serious musicians and song writers when everyone over a certain age was saying they were a gimmick with no talent. Mann who was certainly over 30 was a visionary, ahead of his time. He was also a musicologist who knew what he was talking about, even if John Lennon did think he was talking about "Exotic birds". I loved that article and was glad it was included. Another facinating piece stands out. A Gloria Steinem expose' which appeared in Cosmopolitan in 1964. Most of her piece is about trying to get close enough to John Lennon to interview him during the boys' '64 North American tour. Even though she was given permission to do the interview, she finds it impossible to penetrate the Aspinall, Evans, Taylor shield that was erected around them because of their growing distrust of the media. I don't know what she had been planning to ask John because she never really gets to do a proper interview. Instead we are treated to a revealing look at the Beatles behind the scenes, on tour, complete with groupies and assorted hip friends like Bob Dylan and his manager (this was after the pot party, so Dylan had become a permanent fixture by this time.) Gloria even gets to go to the concert, a charity event at the New York Paramount, where she stands at the front of the stage with three very pretty girls from Philly who were just hanging out with them. You know like friends of the band...hmmm. Their are other groupies around also, and with typical 1964 decorum, Gloria discloses what she sees with the utmost taste, leaving the reader to fill in the spaces of what it NOT said. At one point she reports that Paul had barracaded himself in his bedroom, refusing to come out. This made the groupies from Philly cry. As you can see, I loved this article. I thought it was very revealing, and Ms. Steinem leaves you wanting more.

There are other standout articles like the 'looking back' articles, "Ten Great Beatle Moments" from a 2002 news piece, and "They Were the Most Brilliant,Powerful,Lovable Pop Group on the Planet...But Now They're Really Important", from Q Magazine in 1995. Interviews with the fabs like a 1965 Redbook interview with Ringo. One of the best parts is, the last section called 'A Way of Remembering' which includes writings from fans about the Beatles' impact on their lives. One that stands out is from a man who was in the navy at the time of the Beatles first visit to the states in February 1964. He is on leave with his navy buddies and staying at the Deaville Hotel in Miami Beach, where the Beatles are staying. He spys them in the hotel bar and he goes on to tell what his first impression was of this strange group of guys from England. He encounters Lennon standing next to him, ordering drinks at the bar, and the ensuing, brief exchange they have turns into a hilarious misunderstanding of British and American slang. It could have been an episode of 'Seinfeld'. I couldn't stop laughing.

This book is wonderful. If you are a Beatles scholar you will find it invaluable. It's one of my favorites, and I've read many. You will learn a lot more from these pages than you will ever learn from books like 'Shout' or 'The Love You Make'. There were one or two exposes' from the 'Pepper' period that I thought were pretentious and boring, but those are few. The things I wish were included are, pictures of course, and the 1965 'Playboy' article is missing. If you haven't read that, you are missing a very important piece of Beatle writing. Luckily you can see it online. Don't miss it. In the mean time, this book is a must.

This is an extremely well-put-together anthology of writings about the Beatles, spanning their entire career as a group and then following each in their post-Beatles years. It includes most of the seminal reviews, interviews and articles about the Beatles from beginning to end (such as the Maureen Cleve/Lennon interview, the William Mann London Times reviews legitimizing the Beatles as serious musicians and songwriters, sections from the Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, excellent writing on the elusive George Harrison and his musical contributions by David Simons, and much more) and essays on why the Beatles still matter.

The book is set up in three distinct parts

I. Articles written during the Beatles years, in chronological order.
II. Articles written about individual Beatles post-Beatles, arranged by individual.
III. Articles and essays about the Beatles legacy.

I knew quite a bit about the Beatles before reading this book, but I learned much that was new and interesting that has heightened my appreciation of these fine musician/songwriters and their legacy.

Five stars, and then some. A+

This book is a delightful Beatles' smorgasbord of their writings; articles about them and a plethora of anecdotes. Although I wish photographs of the Fabs had been included, I still really like this book and heartily recommend it. Five Stars plus and a resounding "yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Although I may be a bit biased (I'm the author of one of the books excerpted here: "Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Beatles And The Paul-is-Dead Hoax"), I thoroughly enjoyed this compendium of Beatles writings, past and present. Some really interesting articles and book excerpts are included in this tome, including many appearing for the first time in decades. My only gripe: no photos. However, for the price of a movie ticket, it's a real bargain.

That the illustrator, Ronald Paolillo, is the same man who played Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (under the name Ron Palillo)? Welcome back, Ronald! You are an excellent illustrator and I can wait to see more of your work.

I have the book and have since purchased the cassettes. A must for your family. Wesley Eure does a fantastic job narrating this story.

This is a great book. Both my kids and I really enjoyed it. It's filled with surprises.

You might think this book is babyish because it is about toys in santas sack but it is not.The author puts so much emotion and so much adventure into it that it is the perfect book for young teens!! If you are 9-13 and like fantasy I think you will love this book.

Great book! A little boy loses all that his life is only to find out the real meaning of joy and love. Well developed characters - some funny bits. And some tears. Short chapters make this an easy read for children's attention spans. Good classroom book - a chapter a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas during quiet time.

If you have a fee day, you can plan a mini vacation Right Here. No need for long drives or plane rides. Liz Nelson has managed to do all the planning, gather the important ingormation, and entice us to explore our own back yard. It was so nice to find a book I can use as a refrence for trips and activities in the North Shore area. It's a great book to pull out when planning weekend entertainment for out of town friends and relatives, and it is a perfect idea generator for those days when the kids think there is 'nothing to do."

When I travel I always plan ahead and study the areas I visit. Unfortunately, when I am at home, I never take the time to do the research. Now, the work has been done for me, so if I want to have a fun local adventure I have everything I need Right Here.

Whether you are new to the area north of Boston or a long time resident, you will find Liz Nelson's Right Here an invaluable guide to reservations,historic sites, museums, parks, bike paths, walks and more. I recommend it enthusiastically to our visitors of all ages and use it myself. Although I have lived north of Boston for 40 years, I have learned a lot from Right Here, and it provides visitors to the Salem Witch Museum with a wide variety of travel opportunities north of Boston. An excellent collection! Alison D'Amario, director of education, Salem Witch Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

I've lived in this area for 10 years and have barely begun to scratch the surface of all the region has to offer. Liz Nelson's little book is now my official personal guidebook to the historic and adventure-filled Massachusetts north shore.

The places she takes me to visit range from the extraordinary (quirky historic homes with unusual architecture and jaw-dropping memorabilia) to the serene (quiet walks amid sea spray roses in search of eagles and seals) to the ridiculous (snow tubing down a ten-story-high hill of ice!?!) to the adventuresome (whale watching!) So no matter what my mood, no matter what the season, I can find a day trip that's just right.

And no matter who accompanies me, from my 85-year-old mother, to my adventuresome outdoor-loving friends, to visiting cousins and their kids, we can always find a suitable jaunt "Right Here"!

I especially appreciate the TRIP TIPS -- complete and thorough driving directions, details about admission fees, where to park, and how much time to allow to thoroughly enjoy each place -- even helpful little hints such as "Disregard the 'Private Road' sign."

The best part of this little book, however, is the way it's written. Because Liz Nelson writes as though she's in the middle of her own exploration of each place, it's as though you are being accompanied by your own personal, not to mention observant and wryly amusing, tour guide.

Whether you're a visitor to northern New England or a seasoned resident, you can't go wrong with this little book. All the locations are easy driving day trips whether you're coming from Portland, Maine; the Concord or Manchester, New Hampshire areas; or from Boston.

This little book gives detailed and exciting information about the historic significance and the great beauty of 52 important and interesting places near Boston. It is especially valuable for nature lovers, and all of the trips described are suitable for children as well as for adults who would like to know this lovely area better.

I've lived in this area for 20 years, and love all the local activities that there are, but when I picked up this book at the local bookstore, I realized that I hadn't heard of most of the places Liz Nelson wrote about! I visited a few of them, and they are all amzing! Whenever I'm looking for something to do in the area, or a family activity, I pick up Right Here to see what else there is to be discovered! Great Book!

Thank you for republishing the book I remember from my childhood (back in the Jurassic)! I read it out loud to my sons (12 1/2 and 8 1/2) and they love it!

this book is a true life story of Robin Hood and his sweetheart Marian in England. the author had investigated a true life story and not a legend.and how Handsome robin hood met the charming fair maid marian met??? This biography in precise and accurate in every history happened in England for both of them. This book of Robin Hood and Maid Marian seems to be a heaven corresponded that these two birds shall meet when the ripe and right time comes.

Gramercy! This is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. From the first page, the slightly archaic English prose lends an air of authenticity to the book (or at least makes it feel a little more old-fashioned). Nathless, I never had any difficulty keeping up with Robin's many adventures--and there are many of them in this book! For the most part, each short chapter contains an isolated episode, making this a great book to read anytime, anywhere. Occasionally, a lenghty episode may be split among two or three chapters. The Robin Hood of this book is a wonderfully believable character--well skilled at archery, but less so at some other activities. In sooth, while he seems to have good intentions, he can come off a bit arrogant at times.

From Robin's bold meeting with Little John on a narrow foot bridge to his humorous first encounter with Friar Tuck from the opposite bank of a stream, we learn how many members of Robin's Merry Men came to join the band. We see how Robin's men fall in and out of favor with authority, and we watch his growing interest in the lovely Maid Marian. Packed full with knights, castles, bows and arrows, daring rescues, odds bodikins, and a host of unforgettable characters clad in Lincoln Green, this book provides a much needed escape from the hectic world of today to the English countryside of eight centuries ago. Highly recommended!

McSpadden stays true to the Robin Hood legend and in my opinion this is the best portrayel of Robin Hood I have read and I recently read five other book about Robin Hood and find this one the best. If you are looking to buy Robin Hood then get this one you wont regret it, trust me on this one. I like how Robin Hood is the best archer in Sherwood bet is not as good in other forms of combat so it makes him seem more human, but not ordinary like many other book about him.

This is a delightful version of the classic Robin Hood. I especially love the illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt, and the timelessness of this leather bound edition. We see Robin hood as handsome and brave. The romance between him and Maid Marian is bitter-sweet. The book is divided in chapters, yet can be enjoyed by children and adults alike without being boring. I personally keep it on my bookshelf, away from little hands.

Should you be planning to visit London with a specific interest in accumulating an unbelievably detailed history of London, English and the British Empire, this book with its accompanying CDs is for you. It is also a must for teachers and students dedicated to learning about the historical events and personalities that molded what is today's London, the center of once Britain's Empire.

The book and its two CDs become a virtual tutor of history that brings to life the people and places of England. For the tourist, when in the presence of London's famous places, buildings, churches and statues, the author cloaks each in a history lesson by itself. Similar to the recordings and headsets that one uses when touring an art museum, if and when visiting London's sites, one will require a portable CD player. Of course, a tandem headset is essential when traveling with another person. If one is not actually visiting London, the book by itself or the playing of the CDs at home or in one's car, will provide a wealth of knowledge and information about London, the city that Dr. Johnson once commented, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."

Unfortunately, the artisans commissioned to build, sculpture, paint or create London's monuments to persons or events over the centuries also were inadvertently inconsiderate by not placing this extensive and priceless collection of artifacts in chronological order. For example, when visiting the area of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament, one has to accept a mosaic of chronological confusion that spans more than a two thousand year period from the Romans to Elizabeth II. Mr. Wayne has done a brilliant job of research in that his book and CDs provide a cornucopia of historical facts on everything and everyone from pre-Boadicea to post-Winston Churchill.

Even when visiting the more famous tourist attractions such as Piccadilly Circus for example, Mr. Wayne will explain that the most photographed statue in London, the statue of the Greek god of carnal love, Eros, in the center of the fountain in Piccadilly Circus, was actually intended to be the statue of the Angel of Christian Mercy to honor the Seventh Earl of Shaftsbury. (Although I personally lived in London for almost eleven years and studied British history, this anecdotal fact somehow escaped me until now, thanks to Mr. Wayne.)

The reader, or listener, will also become familiar with the works of Christopher Wren after the great fire of 1666, his architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral and another fifty-two churches he designed in Greater London.

This book and accompanying CDs are virtually a college course in the history of almost everything one can see while touring London. It is NOT simply a tourist's guide to London or a collection of interesting observations but a highly researched and magnificently delivered history to an inquiring mind. For those with an insatiable thirst for learning about British history, Mr. Wayne's book has my unqualified recommendation.

Royal London In Context is a unique book/CD set. Robert S. Wayne, also the author of Venice in Context, knows all the secrets and introduces you to historically significant locations, complete with historical facts.

Joel Godard is the perfect guide and he narrates the entire journey. He "literally" guides you through London in a step-by-step fashion. I just listened to this for the first time and I feel like I've been in London exploring Westminster Abbey and peering through the gates of Buckingham Palace. I started to feel homesick for comforting foods like fish and chips with vinegar and meat pies. When I was there as a teenager, London was fascinating, but no one was there to tell me what I was viewing.

Tour One: Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Winston Churchill's statue - interesting information about why pigeons don't like landing on his statue.

Tour Two: Westminster Hall, Oliver Cromwell, Richard I, Old Palace yard, Victoria Tower and Gardens, Emmeline Pankhurst

Tour Three: George V, Henry VIII Chapel, Chapter House, Jewel Tower

Tour Four: St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey

Tour Five: Westminster Abbey, Broad Sanctuary

Tour Six: Cabinet War Rooms, Robert Clive, Cenotaph, 10 Downing Street

Tour Seven: Horse Guards Parade, Banqueting House, Great Scotland Yard, Old Admiralty

Tour Eight: Charles I, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Column, George IV, Church of St. Martin-in-the-fields

Tour Nine: Piccadilly Circus, Eros, Church of St. James's, Jermyn Street, Fortnum & Mason, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Arcade

Tour Ten: Ste. James's Street, St. James's Palace, Pall Mall, Queen's Chapel, Queen Alexandra Memorial, Friary Court

Tour Eleven: St. James's Park

Tour Twelve: Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria Monument

On the inside front cover there is a map of the tour area. In the back cover, there is a clear envelope for the CDs. So, you could take this book with you and carry it around while you are on the tour. The pictures help you locate various historic monuments and buildings. The tours only take up a third of the book. The rest of the book is dedicated to history, royal palaces and fortresses and getting around London (on foot or with public transportation like the Tube).

If you want to take a sightseeing bus, that is always an option. There are ideas about taking a river cruise or information on why you should stop in and see St. Margaret's Church and not just head straight to the Westminster Abbey.

While this is a book for the Independent Traveler, I don't see why you couldn't buy two or more and take a walking tour with friends and family. You can then listen to this CD later to recreate your entire London tour. After listening to both CDs, I wish I was going to London with my mom in September. She is going to love this book and she will have an entire month to explore!

Even if you don't plan to leave for London right away, this Book/CD set is perfect for when you are sitting out in the sun or cooking or doing just about anything that involves wishing you were traveling in Europe. Royal London in Context is the perfect gift for friends and family. If you are heading to London, I highly recommend taking this book with you because it is like having your very own personal tour guide.

~The Rebecca Review

What a great idea -- an audio tour of London! The book is engagingly written and beautifully illustrated, and it's full of very practical information (when you exit the Tube station, turn left. . .). If you enjoy audio tours of museums, you'll enjoy this book and CD. They'll turn Royal London into a museum that you can peruse at your leisure.

Full color photographs on almost every page add an enhancing touch of visual splendor to Royal London In Context: The Independent Traveler's Guide To Royal London, a detailed introduction to the pageantry, pomp, and circumstance of British royalty. Featuring an audio CD with 12 audio tours delightful for vacationers and armchair travelers alike, interesting anecdotes of the British royal family, and all one needs to freely explore London at the freedom of one's heart's desire, Royal London In Context is a very highly recommended travel guide. If you are planning a visit to London, then begin planning your itinerary with a careful browse through the pages of Robert Wayne's Royal London In Context.

A number of years ago my parents went to London. What did they want to see? They wanted to see the Queen, the Queen Mother and every place where the royals hang out. Although I have been to London many times, I wasn't much help to them. I don't share their interest in the royal family. And because they don't like tours, they had to sort it out for themselves. As a result, they didn't see much more concerning royal England than the crown jewels and the events outside Buckingham Palace. I've felt guilty ever since for not being more help.

Now, if they had wanted to go at a time when Royal London in Context was available, they would have had a marvelous time!

This book has many fine qualities to recommend it compared to other guides of London. First, the tour information is much more extensive, both in terms of how many tours and how much information is shared about each one. Second, you have an audio CD that you can play as you tour (this is like having a self-paced tour in a museum by using a portable acoustical guide). Third, you have excellent material on the history of the Royal Family which will add helpful information that most people don't know . . . unless they were English history majors in college. Fourth, the book provides much more detail about traveling around than any other travel guide I have seen for the London area. And fifth, buy my no means least, the book is slanted to the royalty. I have seen no other travel guide that makes any attempt in this direction.

How good is this guide? Well, even if you think you're not interested in the Royal Family, it's still a helpful guide that I would recommend to anyone for a first visit to London who's interested in British culture and history. The tours are ones that most visitors to London would love. The many details about what you are seeing in the book and the audio CD can greatly enrich your experience in London. In addition, there are many color photographs in the book so you can see what you will be visiting . . . which will help you choose what you want to focus on.

If you are planning to travel with someone and want to use this guide, I suggest that you take a portable CD player that will let you plug in two headphones. In that way, you can both listen at the same time as you walk about.

Have a jolly good time!

Say hello to Prince Andrew if you happen to bump into him!!

While taking an African American literature course in college I was introduced to this novella written by William Craft. It is a must-read for American and African American history classes. The novella is a quick and easy read, with the capacity for great discussion and in-depth analysis. Humor, suspense, mystery and action is all provided in this wonderful tale of escape and hypocrisey.

Ellen and William Craft were a young (mid-20's) slave couple who made a daring escape to freedom. Light-skinned Ellen cut her hair short and dressed in the suit and tophat of a white planter. Since she was illiterate, her husband William made a sling for her arm, so she had an excuse not to sign hotel registers. And since she had a womanly voice, the couple devised a poultice tied around her jaw indicating she had a bad toothache and could not speak. William played the role of his white massa's slave. And the couple traveled by train, steamship, and wagon to their destination in the north. They soon became popular lecturers in the United States and Europe. This is a remarkable story of daring and bravery and should be read by everyone. Anyone who wants to introduce their children to good historical fiction should get them The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave.

This book is a captivating account of the injustices of slavery and a amazing story of two fugitives running for there freedom. This book is a great story that should be taught in schools and should not be ignored in American History classes. It opened my mind to the horrors slavery actually caused. It represents a part of our history that should never be repeated. 5 plus stars.

I read this for a college history survey course before it was mistakenly announced that the book was out of print. The book was dropped from the syllabus, but I am glad I read it anyway.

The first and shortest part of the book is William Craft's powerful account of how he and his wife Ellen executed a daring escape from servitude in Georgia. Their plan was remarkable in its ingenuity: The almost white Ellen, outfitted with a master's clothes and a poultice on her face to prevent incriminating speech with strangers, and her husband William, disguised as a servant, escaped to freedom in the north. Travelling by rail, the pair exultantly crossed over into Canada and from thence headed for England.

The second part of the book is a third person summary of the couple's travels after their ambitious escape. It follows them from Georgia through the slave and free states, in which they were well received and protected (especially in Boston), up to Halifax and across the water to England. I found the final two thirds of the book the most enjoyable, as it treated of foreign travel, in which I have a keen interest. Both portions of the book are beautifully written and often gripping. I hope a few of my classmates read this before that announcement. This book is both pleasurable to read and historically vital.

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is a must read for all American history students and should be required reading at least at the high school level. This book gives the reader a first-person view of that "Peculiar Instition" known as slavery and to what lengths one will go to achieve personal freedom. This book will change your view of slavery forever.