Travel Books

Well beyond the typical books of this genre. Mr Robbins not only tells a story, he does it with an insight into the hardships and the religious intensities of this culture I have never felt before. This book changed me. My ultimate compliment to an author.
Buy this if you want to see beyond yourself, into another world of human existance.

It is clear that David Robbins reveals artistic intellegence surpassed only by the beauty of his subject matter. As I turn through the pages I see metaphore after metaphore expressed by horses as mountains, a mother and child as a great wind, a man bearing a burden to the elevations as great slices of frozen rock jutt upward toward the sky. These metaphores call to us and serve as reminders of endurance, of simplicity, and all that is precious. In the pages of this book, your imagination can be unlocked and your thirst for understanding and compassion unbridled. It is important, especially in this time, to remember the beauty of the human spirit, the beauty of the earth and how they can fit together.

Well beyond the typical books of this genre. Mr Robbins not only tells a story, he does it with an insight into the hardships and the religous intensities of this culture I have never felt before. This book changed me. My ultimate compliment to an author.
Buy this if you want to see beyond yourself, into another world of human existance.

Short and simple will be enough here:

128 pages of mystical beauty that can be found in the Hymalayas and in this book. There is some use of symbolic metaphors of early morning mysts, people, homes, genuine symbols of culture and nature. Movements captured for an eternity. A window to peer through for most of the people that will never be able to experience and see these places and its' people in their lives. There is good in this, for too many people would destroy such beauty and equanimity....

First a disclaimer: I am a friend, and working peer of David's albeit my caim to fame is in an entirely different genre, though my recent work is now following in David's footsteps, metaphorically speaking.

This work is heady. Makes you a bit short of breath at times. Jealous. Beautiful. Not only the subject matter (fifty years of footprints!) but also, for me, it's the formalist quality of the actual photography. He gives us an unwavering horizontal rectangle and fills it with stunning, buzzing, mature compositons and color, whether it be in a blinding whiteout or an early morning smoke with sherpas. His photographs bring us an inherently exotic world (and thus terribly misused) in a style relative to that of Eggleston, Singh, and Misrach. Important work, that overshadows the mostly sad, mediocre books done on this region by well placed trekkers.

This is about the people, and their art of living in such a grand and harsh place. David's own art brings it all home. I congratulate him for bringing this legacy to the world.

So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.

Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.

This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.

Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG

I've only been to New York one time and that was for a short stay on business so I didn't have a lot of time to experience the nightlife in the "city that never sleeps." But, when I do go back, I will be armed and ready with a great reference tool, "Best Bars of New York", by Turner Publishing Group. This is a gorgeous, hardcover book, loaded with great photography along with stories and histories about some of the top nightspots in the Big Apple. The locations in this book aren't the trendy, here today-gone tomorrow type places, but rather the long-established businesses that are often off the beaten track and known only to the locals...but not anymore thanks to Jef Klein's fascinating research.

Klein interviewed people at over 50 locations in preparation for his book, and the stories are truly mesmerizing. As a history buff who loves to visit local historical spots when I travel, Klein's book is the perfect offering, presenting clubs, taverns, and bars that have been around for decades, sometimes centuries! Klein doesn't give you just listings of establishments with notes on fare and prices...it's not a traveller's guide per se. Rather, Klein gives readers and inside and intimate look at the thirty bars that made the cut. You'll learn about the history of each one, and hear stories as if you were sitting barside, talking to the chatty barkeep.

Liquor has been dispensed at 279 Water St since 1794. The site on the waterfront is now the Bridge Café. The site has a history that is colorful to say the least. It was formerly the site of a bordello in the 1850's. When it was purchased in 1979 by the current owners, basement excavation turned up artifacts dating to not long after the revolutionary War period! Today, the café is romantic and elegant, perhaps haunted by a ghost or two, but much more quite than it was a couple of hundred years ago.

Chumley's is one of the more unique bars in the book...a former speakeasy, it has no name outside to identify itself, only the number "86" on the door...one of two doors with the same number, often leading to embarrassing mistakes. The bar had secret exits so its patrons could get out quickly during prohibition-era police raids. The bar was a popular spot among literary figures and the likes of Hemingway, Kerouac, Faulkner, Mailer, Steinbeck, and many others, all tipped a drink there.

The building that is now home to the Corner Bistro has been there since 1827. It's become a West Village establishment that has been frequented by the famous including James Baldwin, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis. Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro.

In all, thirty bars are covered, from meeting places of the rich and powerful, to neighborhood hangouts, Jef Klein brings you all of their unique tales. Take this book with you on your next trip to New York and start your journey to all of these bars!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I had already heard these stories about the usual suspects ("21". King Cole Bar. Fraunces Tavern. The Algonquin Hotel.)... I was looking for other bars that aren't in every other book about famous NYC bars. Basically there are no bars here that are less than 20 years old. Which is sad, because these are amazing too, and have not been done to death. Where is Red Rock West Saloon in Chelsea, which is an amazing and gorgeous place to photograph (with fire-breathing barmaids)? Flute (W. 54th St location) which at one time was owned by Texas Guinan and was a speakeasy? The Ava Lounge, an art deco masterpiece on top of the Dream Hotel?

Basically, this is a pretty good book if you want to read about bars you already know about, but it doesn't take any chances with the "new" generation of what, I think, are the real "Best Bars of New York" around.

I wouldn't say that this was one of the funniest, or even best books that I have ever read, but it did keep me entertained until the very last page. This book had many unexpected, but clever turns that helped the story better progress. I would recommend this book for someone who isn't looking for something amazing, but for a book that is defiantly worth $6.50. (Which is what I paid for it.)

This is a very good book that I have read!! It is very good for teenagers!!!!!

This story by Caroline B. Cooney was delightful. I could not put this book down and read it in a day. The book is written using relatable context and has a similie so adorable, that I can't get out of my mind:

"Nannie was wearing a mauve silk suit and looked rather like a tulip."

I simply loved this book and hope there will be more adventures with Brit and "the girls"!

Caroline Cooney is a master at rapid paced action that takes your breath away.

When I bought HIT THE ROAD, I thought this one looks kind of tame and will be just a light read about a girl helping her grandmother -- NOT! There was nothing light or tame about this exciting adventure. The heroine's downhill race into danger and risk is thrilling. Just when you think things will get better, the danger increases. Caroline Cooney doesn't hold back with consequences, turning a simple drive into a perilous journey.

I couldn't stop flipping pages, eager to find out what happened next, surprised by a few plot turns, and completely satisfied when justice finally prevailed at the end.

It's no wonder that Caroline B. Cooney is one of my favorite authors. Next book I plan to buy of hers: CODE ORANGE.

Linda Joy Singleton

Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney is another terrific YA title by a prolific author. 16 year old Brit's parents have gone on vacation, leaving her under the care of her grandmother, Nannie. But Nannie has no intention of babysitting her teenage granddaughter or being babysat as well. Nannie and her two lifelong friend are determined to make it to their 65th college reunion, and if that means non-licensed Brit doing the driving and kidnapping a friend as well, so be it. Cooney has a real talent for getting inside teenagers' minds. Brit is selfish and rebellious, all without being unsympathetic. The idea of spending time with Nannie isn't what she wants to spend her free time. But as she spends time with her grandmother, she finds that they are in similar places in their lives. Both are on the verge of independence. Brit is about to break free from her parents' authority, while Nannie is just coming under it. Both struggle with the restraints place upon them, and Cooney manages to make the reality of growing old come alive even for a teen audience. This wonderfully written book is enjoyable to read and has a good message a well about doing what's right, even when it hurts.

Dryden and MacGregor have penned a non-fiction examination of Hockey (meant in capital letters) and how it is intertwined with Canadian life. It does a good job of exposing how both Canada and hockey are changing, and touches on topics such as the minor hockey league system, the '72 Super Series, the Gretzky trade, and our enjoyment of the game. For those hockey fans out there, it's an interesting read, even if it is nearly 20 years out of date at this time.

Give me any Ken Dryden book and three hours, and I will return with peace. I love his books about hockey. His commentary on hockey and life in Canada is true to the point. There are books that you read and then there are books that you relive. Dryden's books are expereinced. The flooded pond, the neighbor games, the eternal dream of playing in a old timers league, the continued goal of scoring another goal to win, of coming back in overtime to secure victory. I am 30 years old, and I still skate out on the practice rink with a Canadian jersey on with the imagined roar of the crowd cheering for my favorite player-Sidney Crosby-or really me. I might be 30, but my heart when it comes to hockey is still 10. This weekend I watched my nephews play hockey for the first time, one of them scored his first hockey goal ever in league play. He will never forget that goal. I know, I still live hockey, it lives in me, for I am Canadian. The cold chill of playing on cold rinks flows through my blood. It is more than hockey, it is "The Game."

Although the title causes Americans of my acquaintance to laugh, this book really does a wonderful job of examining (if not always explaining) what the game of hockey means to Canadians. If you have read "The Game" and thought there was nothing more to be said about hockey and Canada, think again.

Especial highlights are the early sections discussing small-town Saskatchewan and the importance of the rink in drawing the community together; the stories of particular players with NHL dreams; and the memories of members of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. Phil Esposito, the heart of that team, is not surprisingly the guy with the best stories about what it all meant. The following section about Soviet hockey, which elevates the faceless Russkies into real guys and fellow players, is almost enough to make a Canadian root for them. (Almost.) And the writers' take on their own recreational play, and what it means to them, is illuminating and sort of touching. Once again, as in "The Game," Ken Dryden manages to depict himself as an amazingly inept Hall of Famer, always panicking under pressure and getting in the way of his defensemen -- "I could talk and chew gum at the same time, but breathing did me in." There's no false modesty here, the reader gets the impression that Dryden held himself to impossibly high standards. Still, when he explains that he now plays defense because he has fulfilled his goalie fantasies, and playing defense allows him to have new ones, it's nice to know he still enjoys the game. (And I have to admit, I howled when I got to his dry remark on playing defense and who's responsible when a goal is scored: "I've changed my mind -- it IS always the goalie's fault.")

The photos that decorate this book are equally beautiful, from the prairie kids playing on a frozen slough to the professionals displaying their remarkable ability to a member of Team Canada (1972) jumping for joy as a Russian player offers a wry yet respectful salute. The photos are grouped according to section and I find it telling that the only photo of Dryden as a Montreal Canadien is one of him and a bunch of his teammates grinning in delight at having apparently won some kind of inter-squad scrimmage trophy. This photo is grouped with the recreational player section and tells an enormous amount about how Dryden felt about the game even as a professional.

Dryden and MacGregor describe Canada as "an improbable country," and they mean that in a good way. What holds us together as a nation are the bonds we have made among ourselves, and hockey is one of those bonds. I was reminded of that this year during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when a mailing list I subscribed to for the CBC news reminded subscribers of schedule changes because "there's hockey tonight." I hadn't watched much hockey in years but somehow, living in Texas surrounded by US culture, it felt like home to watch Larry Robinson hoist the Cup once again.

These are two great hockey writers, and they have produced a book that, even ten years later, is a joy.

I can see why Canadians love there game so much through this group of essays they are very interesting I wish americans loved hockey as much as the Canadians do then I wouldn't be the only hockey fan I know

"So what can a 10-year-old book on ice hockey really teach me about the sport and Canada?" I wondered as I started Home Game. The answer is pretty much everything. Dryden, who writes in a delightfully unhurried style, takes us through the game as it is played by enthusiastic amateurs, by teenagers desperate to break into the NHL and by the professionals themselves. And by probing how hockey took root here, Dryden provides the best analysis of what it means to be Canadian that I have ever read. My job in Ottawa is to explain Canada to the outside world and of all the tomes I have read so far, this must be the most illuminating. Rarely do you come across a book which so clearly explains what fires the soul of a country. Buy it now!

Rivages have become the best-selling guides of their kind in both Europe and America. Originating in Paris, they set the standard for excellence with their fabulous color photographs, superb maps and candid descriptions of the most remarkable hotels of Europe. Each book also contains a restaurant guide to the country and a color atlas pinpointing the location of every hotel and inn. More than 500 establishments are profiled in this guide.

I'm not usually a guidebook fan, preferring instead to do tons of my own research from a variety of sources. Sometimes my friends ask if I'll plan their vacations for them, because I come across some of the most unusual and memorable places to stay that they've never heard of. This book had such special, wonderful information (and photos!) of so many charming and unusual places in Italy; it truly was a gem of a book. I stayed at several of the places recommended, and they were even better in person than in the book.

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

I have used the book on three road-trips to Italy and it never failed to be very helpful. I have stayed in about ten of the hotels mentioned in it and they were, with the exception of one, very close to the description given in the book. I think it is the best travel-related guide I know.

I used this book in conjunction with information I discovered on websites, travel magazines and books. The places definately had character and charm. More upscale type places (probably not for the backpacking type)and extended lodging options available.
Places listed here were difficult to find in the typical Frommer and Fodor travel books. E-mail, website address, #'s all available in the book. Trusted my instincts and booked several places from this guide and all were EXCEPTIONAL. Would use again

How often can you read a book that can synthesize practically everything you know, cross reference subject matter, and at the same time inform you about the world and societies as you know them in a way that is informative to people possessing a high level of aesthetics and knowlege of history, art, and literature. There are few books like this for us, but this is one. Essential to expanding your point of view.

Harold Bloom writes that what makes some authors great to the point where their work approaches the canonical is "strangeness, a mode of originality that either cannot be assimilated, or that so assimilates us that we cease to see it as strange." This meditation on ruins will surely withstand the test of time as well or better than some of the memorials of history that it describes. It has piqued my interest in something that I'd never given much thought to. I have been within walking distance of a couple of places the author writes about, and passed on the opportunity to visit them. Histories comprise more than half of my leisure reading, but somehow I couldn't muster the curiosity to explore a historical ruin in the same way I would with museums & historic landmarks (that are still in one piece). This wonderfully written book has changed that for me. Highly recommended, a book that you will likely want to re-read every few years, and take with you on visits to Rome, Sicily, Wales and more.

To read In Ruins cover to cover is a continuous delight, but you could dip in anywhere and find yourself enthralled in an instant. Michael Woodward has a well-stored memory but wears his erudition lightly. He is now the director of the Holburne Museum of Arts in Bath, but his book surely reflects the five years he worked in Sir Hans Soane's museum in London. That incredible collection, housed in Soane's own home and left, by his direction when he bequeathed it to the nation, exactly as it was at his death, is a wondrous assemblage of antiquities. It appears chaotically haphazard but indeed was not, and the contents of this book have something of the same quality. Vignettes, quotations, anecdotes, reminiscences of journeys among ruins, romantic elegies, musings deeply felt, pour helter-skelter from Woodward's lively mind. The book has its structures; it has its themes. They are not starkly revealed but the underpinnings are there.
Woodward's opening chapter launches us, appropriately, in Rome. The Romans believed their city of 800,000 people was eternal and why not? Rome had walls ten miles long studded with 376 towers, crossed by nineteen aqueducts feeding more than 1,200 drinking fountains and close to a thousand public baths and the whole decorated with 3,785 statues - and all this dwarfed by colossal public buildings. How could such magnificence perish? The extraordinarily elaborate water supply provides the clue. The barbarians broke the aqueducts and soon the population was a poverty-stricken remnant, perhaps 30,000, huddled beside the Tiber. "From the fall of classical Rome until the eighteenth century" Woodward reminds us, "the only houses in the Forum were the cottages of lime-burners and the hovels of beggars and thieves." What were left were magnificent ruins and those ruins have inspired poets, artists, philosophers and theologians down the centuries. They even inspired the Fuhrer who after his first state visit to Rome decreed that all Nazi monuments should be built of marble, brick and stone - no concrete. The ruins of the 1,000-year Reich must be suitably grandiose - that is, like Roman ruins! And how grandiose the Roman ruins were! In the Middle Ages men thought the ruins of the baths of Caracalla were the work of giants. The chapter is chiefly devoted, however, to the Colosseum, and a whole series of characteristic reflections and vignettes, stories and quotations from literary visitors of different centuries. He also laments - not for the last time - the work of those who have destroyed an extraordinarily inspiring ruin in their efforts to preserve a monument. "Poets and painters like ruins, and dictators like monuments." The Colosseum was once a giant's garden haunted by owls and nightingales. Now it is sterile. It is a recurring theme. Ruins are important in their own right, not just because of what they once were, and should not be relentlessly cleaned up and re-pointed to make them permanently monumental. The trees, shrubs, creepers and flowers, are all part of the inspiration of ruins: "bare ruined choirs in which the sweet birds sing."
Through successive chapters we follow Woodward's schoolboy steps to Verulam (Roman St Albans) and share his disappointment that the walls were insignificantly low: Roman ruins but nowhere near so grand as the ruins of Rome. The older Christopher, however, sees them as an exemplar that reminds us of the mortality not just of Man but of his works. Francis Bacon, ennobled by his king, took "Verulam" as his title to remind himself that all pomp and state is but passing vanity. Woodward follows the footsteps of the tormented ploughman poet, John Clare, to a ruined arch and scattered stones, all that survives of a town destroyed in the Wars of the Roses. There he was inspired to write "Elegy on the ruins of Pickworth". Bitter at the inequalities of wealth he saw around him Clare was consoled by the "exemplary frailty" of men's possessions.
At first I marvelled at Woodward's courage in boldly inviting comparison with Rose Macaulay's justly famed The Pleasure of Ruins. He had nothing to fear. It stands the comparison very well. Late in the book he devotes a long admiring passage to Macaulay's extraordinary life. She was, he tells us, an early and potent inspiration and it shows.

Everything you wanted to know about ruins but hadn't thought to ask. The role ruins play in the imaginative life of European culture: a reflection on mortality and the transience of civilizations, among other interpretations. Modeled after "The Haunts of the Black Masseur" it is often fascinating, consistently well-written but on occasion seemed to go on too long. The last chapter was the most moving as the personal histories seemed the most tragic and affecting. An intriguing cultural history, as told by an obsessed historian as a labor of love.

Its' difficult to describe this book, or even what its about...but I couldn't put it down for two days (The time it took to read it). I suppose the best way to describe reading it is that is was like sitting down at a nice pub by the fire and listening to a very, very interesting person speak.

Woodward has that all too rare combination of being extraordinarily intelligent, thinking and feeling, and able to express it.

Have you ever looked at a ruin, and found your imagination running away? Have ever wondered why ruins seem to evoke more thought from people -from poets like Shelly (covered in the book) and artists of the Romantic period?

Short of going there and contemplating yourself, this book is the next best thing, in fact, i would recommend if before anyone goest to see

Japan seems unusually well-represented by travel writers with the skills to really bring the country alive. Perhaps it's the nature of the society there that both brings out amusing mockery in some authors (not this one) or lends itself to serious reflection (very definitely this one.)

It's strange -- in reading this book, rightfully considered a classic, I was brought to mind a book called 'Dinner with Persephone' by Patricia Storace. The two writers couldn't be any less similar, but both are fascinating characters whose books (and this is not a complaint) are far more about themselves than the lands in which they find themselves. In less worthy hands, such a trip could be like being trapped on a Jehovah's Witness bus, but Ritchie brings enough interesting detail and understanding of Japanese life to make this journey rewarding.

"I hear they are building a bridge
To the island of Tsu.
Alas...
To what now
Shall I compare myself?"
- old Japanese poem, included at the start of the book.

The reason I decided to read this book is that the idea of ambling around some quiet Japanese islands with an Ozu nut sounded like a good time. And I was not wrong. I can only echo most of the sentiments expressed by reviewers above. This is a wonderful book.
Ostensibly, it's a travelogue, and a farewell letter to a Japan that was fading from existence when Richie made his trip in the early 60s. While I'd be the first to sympathise with Richie's remorse at the changing face of Japanese society (had I experienced it, that is!), I visited Japan for the first time last year and when reading this book on my return found many of my impressions reflected in the book (if much more eloquently than they existed in my head) Furthermore, while the book undoubtedly appeals to many at some stage of "the syndrome" as Richie calls it, it is really a book for anyone who has wished to cast themselves off for sea, and utter those words that bracket Richie's story, and that title this review. This is a man who has sought a world in which he will always be a stranger.
In the afterword to the original edition, the author states that Japan is a mirror to the western soul. Perhaps it's not so much that, as that other cultures cast our own ways into relief and force us to ask questions of ourselves; for many westerners, the questions that Japan asks are fascinating.
As other reviewers have noted, prudes or puritans ought to be a little wary; others may wish to be a little subjective about which lines they read between. Still, something had to happen in Onomichi to stop it turning into a lecture on Ozu I suppose.

Regarding this new edition. I have to agree with Willy D's comments. I can put up with the two columns of print (sort of giving it the book a bottom of the backpack quality; to take out and meditate on at random), and I haven't even bothered with the new introduction. But while the new afterward is interesting, the omission of the old one is a bad mistake, and worst of all, the replacement of the beautiful photos in the original edition (sorry I forget the photographer's name) with some tacky little low contrast snaps of places visited is very sinful. Perhaps the next edition could fix these errors up...?

So if you can, get to the library and find the crusty old 1971 edition, but whichever version you read, I highly recommend this terrific book by a wonderful writer.

Honesty is a characteristic of Richie's writing, along with humor, insight, and detail. He's often quite brutally honest, in fact, and though he hides little about his own failings, he's sometimes a bit more judgemental of others. But aren't we all and his observations are so entertaining, sometimes astonishing, that I always have a hard time putting his books down.

There are times, however, when Richie's judgement wears on me. The qualities that allow him to do his best writing, his marvelous detachment and curiosity, seem to make him miss aspects of the humanity of those he's observing. He romanticizes where it serves his personal needs and dismisses, sometimes churlishly, where he becomes tired or irritated with the scene and the people who he then allows to become only part of that scenery.

I recently had the enormous pleasure of reading his Japan journals while traveling Japan. The journals extend to 2004, well after "Inland Sea," and I find less of the irritating Richie in them.

In the final analysis, I just can't help mostly loving Richie. This small volume is just another gem in the wonderful body of work from this writer who should be appreciated as a writer, not just as a writer on Japan.

Donald Richie wrote a journal in 1962 which formed the ground work for everything in the book. In the 9 years until he decided to publish his journal/book, he reprised the journal with additional insertions, in which he sometimes took pieces of his experiences within Japan, that although they did not occur in the Inland Sea of Japan and during the time the journal was written, he nevertheless recognized them as very much a part of what he considers to represent Japan before modernization. Although it is unknown what exactly didn't occur within Japan's Inland Sea, it is undeniable that the book is a masterpiece of a travelogue that very much captures the essence of everything he specifically mentions. He may well have written the journal with the expectation of it being published eventually, once he was ready.

In many ways it is hard to think of it as a travelogue due to the fact that Donald Richie has already experienced half of his life within Japan, and what appears to be an individual reflecting much of his personal life into the narration. It comes across more as an journal written by an individual whom by this point into the published version has become established within Japanese culture and integrated his life within Japan, and is so able to absorb himself into his encounter, that a deeper visual presence of this world and his psyche emerges integrated into this work, that not even a well developed visual experience within cinema could do it justice.

Donald Richie has written many books on Japanese Cinema, namely Kurosawa and Ozu. His visual thinking style is very evident in this book, and I must mention he has a gift for visualization. Compared to Alan Booth, he appears to be far better at writing, and is a far more reflective an individual. Able to decipher the meaning to things, he doesn't simply note down the illogical peculiarities of the individuals he encounters. A note of warning though is that Richie has some definite vices, namely he acts upon sexual gratification with young women, and almost gets taken away with a high-school girl. He doesn't do anything illegal in the story (at least, not that I'm totally familiar with, given the time and place, and nothing with which you couldn't do, and get away with, in the US.) Although he does so during a marriage, and his actions would well be chastised by many readers, he is who he is. The end notes of his book (in the first edition, published 1971) do tell the reader of his decision to keep much of the journal writings intact without any changes made to the events. By doing so, some may find his encounters reason enough to steer clear of the book; however I must let you know you will be missing out on a very memorable experience.

The man is a brilliant writer, and one you will not find too common-place. It is also an incredibly rare experience, even more so that time has passed since then. Not to mention, the book does not come across as a book written from memory, as the writing takes a very concerted effort to engage the reader as though the reader were Donald Richie, living scene by scene in real-time. And more importantly is that the book is even better with some of the hilarious aspects of his adventure, and is much more believable with accuracy than Alan Booth. Not to mention, is Donald Richies noticeable appreciation for the Japanese people, despite clear impression to avert from some of the fine nuances that are presented in their culture, and which one might believe that he is seeking to escape his own cultural background, as if a vagabond in search of his soul. In this way he seems to have a sad and endearing appreciation for something that doesn't entirely isolate itself to Japan, although in many ways unique to it. In part because he gets caught into the moment of his experience, he sometimes steps back and picks at nuances, sometimes disrespectfully callow; though this is rare for him in this instance. Read it and maybe what I said will make sense, as I didn't write this too well.

RMP

I really could not praise this book enough. It is one of my favorite books of all time and a truly astounding piece of "travel writing". However, this edition is a bit wanting.

The new afterward is very good but a bit sobering, confirming that, yes, to a large extent the place you have just read about is now dead as the dodo, all too effectively ending your "fever dream". Also, the new pictures are junk. They look as though they came from a Lonely Planet guide, whilst the original edition had beautiful, mysterious, haunting, high contrast photos that came across more like paintings.

Most puzzling is the page layout which consists of 2 columns per page, like a magazine article. Why? So it looks like something from "Outside" or GQ? Needless to say I preferred the musty tome from the library that read like some brilliant forgotten diary.

This book about a Roman Catholic monk, Mark Gruber, and his extra-ordinary journey from the green fields of the U.S. to the deserts of Egypt is just breathtaking. As a member of the Coptic Orthodox church, and of Egyptian stock, i simply found Mr Gruber's plain and truthful telling of his experiance just so refreshing. It's funny, this man spoke more wonderfully about the Coptic people then most people at my church think of themselves. He showed them for their weaknesses, and their strengths, just as he saw it. It has helped me to appreciate who I am, my background, and my traditions so much more.

This book is great if you enjoy stories regarding exotic lands and peoples, and an honest telling of their journey.

The comtemplative monk is a baffling figure to Westerners, even to many Catholics, and moreover, most Westerners probably do not think very much of the Christians in Egypt, which we tend to think of as a wholly Muslim nation.

Fr. Gruber's evocative descriptions of Coptic monasticism and spirituality beautifully illustrate how inner conversion and contemplation are the heart of the Church. In the West we often hear an emphasis on practical action, or social justice, over and above contemplative prayer. Fr. Gruber's writings about the Copts show how contemplative prayer nurtures us and gives life to all our actions. It is a great window into a neglected and persecuted Christian population, and an inspiration for our daily lives and relationship with God.

This memoir of the year that Fr. Gruber spent among the Coptic monasteries of Egypt is fascinating. Fr. Gruber lovingly describes these men and their piety, along with the phenomenal faith of the Coptic lay people. There appears to be a direct line back to the conferences of John Cassian in the lives of these monks, but that perhaps is because Fr. Gruber has crafted the chapters in such a way to invite the comparison. But maybe not. These men live lives of remarkable holiness. I loved the image of people grabbing them by the ankle and holding on till the monk will bless them. I also loved the hike in 130 degree heat, and realization that the cave he has been brought to, and in which he spends the next three days, probably saves his life, in that it is much cooler than the monastery, nothing is swimming in the drinking water, etc. At any rate, I highly recommend this book. I do agree with the review that states this treats more of his exterior life than interior, but why should he discuss his private life with us. Also, there is another book (can't recall the author) called "Coptic Nuns" that makes a nice companion to this book, in terms of knowing more about the culture.

I just finished this book and absolutely loved it. It thrills me to see someone who is not Coptic, slowly develop a deep since of your mindset and feelings. The monks must have truly accepted the author to share so much with him and in turn, the author poetically describes everything to the reader.

For anyone that is curious about us (the Copts) and our religion, this book is a wonderful introduction. It capture a very true sense of who we are, what we believe, and how we worship God. I can't thank the author enough for bringing to light, this hidden treasures of my culture.

I don't know which was more interesting, the author's anthropological observations or his spiritual journey. Both fascinating and enlightening. Originally, Br. Gruber sets out to study the fathers of monasticism with a scholar's eye (albeit a fellow Monk-scholar), but the desert and those who live there transform him eternally.

This book is a fresh drink of water! Here are my favorite passages:

"In all of this," Abuna Elia said, "the desert was a teacher for Abraham. The desert teaches us how helpless we are, how much we depend upon one another for survival. It is with a complete sense of dependence, a complete sense of helplessness that we must approach God, and that we must approach one another in terms of possessiveness and control."

"By complete openness and availability to one another, we are obedient to each other in matters of charity. We are at each other's service.... But at the same time... our relationships must be ordered by a surrender, a letting go, a sacrifice. We own no one; we possess no one."

"Abuna Elia assured me that the sacrifices we make in our lives as Monks, as Christians, will always be enfolded in layer upon layer of the sacrifices that went before us."

"Abuna Elia said, 'When God asks us to make heroic sacrifices, it is not because he is heedless of what we are giving up; he is profoundly aware of it. When we are offering gifts to God, we are not really offering much, unless, at the same time, we are also submitting all those things that are valuable to us. We must submit to God's will everything which is dearest to us, that which is our only one of something, that which we love, that which is even beyond our ordinary capacity to imagine losing. Otherwise, all of our prayers and protestations of fidelity are somewhat strategic and not genuine or sincere." pp42-43


Later, during a time of pilgrim visits, the author is left with the small children to care for. He builds a fire and answers their endless questions about heaven, about "what it is like to see Jesus there," about Mary, about who God is. Night falls and the children keep talking until they fall asleep by the fire.

"So there I was, sitting by the dying fire, with all of these sleeping children around me. I looked at them in the starlight and the moonlight and was touched by the fact that they are so filled with faith so innocently seeking God. This is the second time since coming here to Egypt that I have found myself in exactly the same setting, surrounded by young people asking questions and listening to answers, tiring themselves out into exhaustion and sleep. And, just as before, there is once again that stabbing realization that none of these are my children, that I shall never have children such as these to instruct and teach."

"I looked up at the sky on this beauiful, clear desert night. I thought to myself that I had never seen such an array of stars, so numerous and so bright. Then, of course, at this moment, the passage from the Book of Genesis came to mind where God said to Abraham, 'Look up into the night sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so shall your descendants be' (cf. Genesis 15:5). So there I was sitting, looking up at the night sky, knowing how impossible it is in the desert night to count the stars. And even while I was feeling the special poignancy of not having children, I suddenly realized that these children all around me are not only children of Abraham, but they are also mine as well. For I have instructed them in faith, and I have given them tonight a greater realization of their own religion, their own spirituality. I have placed them confidently in the presence of God." pp 84-85

The first half of the twentieth century was filled with constant change and development; it was an exciting time to be alive. "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is a focus on the woman herself, but a bigger focus on the city she lived in and its constant change through two world wars, a great depression, and so much more events. Filled with countless photos, both color and black and white, "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is a seminal look at the woman and the city, sure to please fans of her work and New Yorkers alike. "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is highly recommended for community library biography collections and students of the history and culture of New York City.

This book provides an armchair walking tour of the meaningful places for the writer Dorothy Parker in NYC. It is also an excellent accompaniment to the Portable Dorothy Parker.

You hear the words "Dorothy Parker" and you think of New York.
I really enjoyed this book and it was a pleasure reading about Dorothy's apartment's and frequented locations. I knew a bit about Dorothy, from her works and "What Fresh Hell is This", but did not know about New York - I did not know where Uptown was or where Downtown was (I think NY is the only place that has both) but now I do. Plus with all the other interesting items and photographs makes this an essential book for a Parker enthusiast to have and use on their visits to New York.

(A good book for a novice,like me, wanting a nice introduction regarding the life of Dorothy Parker---with photos)

This is a well-written and well researched book about Dorothy Parker.
This book is very compact and therefore this is a wonderful introductory book about the famous writer.

This book is filled with photos of all the places that Dorothy Parker lived throughout her life. Dorothy moved ALOT & therefore the author had to research all the places that Ms.Parker frequented & resided at during her entire lifetime. Also, the author interspersed information about Dorothy's life ,the famous places she loved to visit (eg: THE ALGONQUIN)and all the people that she associated with (eg: Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald,etc...).

There are no places or points in time like New York in the 20s. Dorothy Parker wrote about it, and now we write about her. I wish I could slip into a time machine and drink a martini while spying on the Round Table. Amazing. I would love to take the tour.

This has been one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Parfitt traces the origin of the Lemba, a self-described Jewish tribe in South Africa. Although its oral tradition is vague some elements recur persistently: "Our forefathers came from Sena... They came from the North... they built Great Zimbabwe...". Tracing backwards the journey that the Lemba took over the course of many generations, Parfitt travels North from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi and, ultimately all the way to Yemen. Along the way, he encounters proof of the Lemba's passage and demonstrates that their oral tradition is, indeed, correct and they originated in Yemen.

Subsequent genetic testing brought further support to Parfitt's conclusion. This is detective work at its best, without the crime.

There is not a dull line in this book - I just got it after reading the author's Ark of the Covenant. It is one of the most remarkable journeys across Africa and the Middle East written in the sort of prose that is fast disappearing. The subject matter you feel is real. the charcaters are real. It's a journey with a point. It's a real mission. And a wonderful read.

It should probably be no surprise that the two most peripatetic peoples in the ancient world, Jews and Africans, should sooner or later have encountered one another.

Tudor Parfitt, a British academic, traces the origins of a Southern African tribe known as the Lemba, whose history both recorded and unrecorded embraces a claim to Jewish ancestry and identity.

Relying on scant written data and on the Lemba's own oral traditions and reports by contemporaries, the author traces backward the journey that the Lemba took over the course of many generations. Parfitt travels North from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and, ultimately to Yemen.

Along the way, he confronts evidence of the Lemba's passage and demonstrates that their oral tradition is, indeed, correct that they originated in Yemen where they embraced Judaism. Subsequent genetic testing brought further support to the Lemba's claims indicating not only a high proportion of Jewish genetic markers but specifically those markers associated with the Cohanim, the Levitical priestly caste of ancient Israel.

Starting off from Lemba villages in Vendaland, South Africa where he encounters Lemba customs such a circumcision, food taboos and a devotional life that to all appearances seem Jewish, the author retraces the quasi-legendary path of the Lemba's forbears through Southern, central and Eastern Africa and the Arabian peninsula, along the way embracing the lore and romance of King Solomon's mines and the building of the walled city of Great Zimbabwe.

This is a delightful story, delightfully told. The author's writing style is lively, mixing the styles of the travel essayist, the novelist and the scholar and gives rise to a rarely-encountered kind of work that is so compelling that once begun it simply cannot be put down.

I think that this book is very important because it preserves the legacy of the Lemba on paper, a legacy that for centuries, has relied mainly on oral traditions. The Lemba tribe, who presently reside in various parts of Southern Africa, have kept a tradition for hundreds of years that they are Jews, and Parfitt takes the journey to explore these claims.

The author, Tudor Parfitt, starts off in the northern parts of South Africa in Vendaland, where many Lemba reside today. From here he goes to the Zimbabwe ruins, then to Malawi, briefly to war-torn Mozambique, up to the east coast, and off to Yemen in search of "Sena," where the Lemba attest that they came from. In all these areas he finds interesting facts through his research about the Lemba and their history.

There is no doubt that the Lemba contributed to the building and livelihood of the Great Zimbabwe civilization that flourished in the 14th century, but the big question here is just how big was their role? With the history of the Lemba becoming more popular, I think this debate is going to resurface once again as to who built the ruins.

This book relies on earlier descriptions of the Lemba by mostly European and Arab explores. Parfitt really makes good use of these. The book also highlights the indelible influence that colonialism has had not just on the Lemba, but on all African societies. It also underscores the prevailing attitudes that many "white Africans" today have on black Africans.

The genetic evidence presented in the afterword makes for a good ending to strengthen the core theme in the book. I highly recommend Journey to The Vanished City and I think it's an excellent, scholarly work.

The author's quest for the origins of the Lemba, a Southern Africa tribe with certain Semitic customs and a folk memory of Jewish origins, took him from Johannesburg via the Limpopo province of South Africa, through Zimbabwe and Malawi to Tanzania and ultimately to the Hadramaut in South Arabia.

In Johannesburg's Soweto township he encounters his first Lemba people and researches the tribe in Wits University library. Then he takes the train to Pietersburg where he visits Lemba scholar Professor Mathiva at the University of the North and makes excursions into the surrounding areas of the Venda and Lobedu tribes where he encounters Mojaji, the famous Rain Queen. The known history of the area, including the colorful figure of Joao Albasini, spices up the narrative.

In Zimbabwe his journeys take him to Bulawayo, the Matopo Hills, Mberengwe and Dumghe Mountains, Masvingo and the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. On the way he takes part in a Lemba tribal assembly. The next stage takes him to Malawi and a short way into Mozambique where he sees the town of Sena from afar. In Tanzania he visits Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo and Tumbatu, concluding the African leg of his journey.

His research finally leads him to Yemen where he visits Sanaa, Aden and the Hadramaut towns of Habban, Terim, and ultimately, the town of Sena on the Wadi Masila, where he discovers that the Lemba clan names are familiar to the area.

Along the way he has funny ecounters with a wide variety of interesting people. The travelogue is interspersed with relevant quotes from an impressive array of explorers, missionaries, scholars and ethnographers, including Joao de Barros, Livingstone, Junod, Mauch, Schlomann, Schapera, Van Warmelo, Jacques, Von Sicard and Roger Summers. Their observations - including the legend of Monomotapa - are engagingly woven into his always arresting travelogue.

The Afterword contains the results of genetic research conducted in 1996/97 that shows a significant similarity in DNA between Jewish groups, the Lemba and the Hadrami of Terim and Sena. For more detailed and up-to-date information, please consult DNA and Tradition by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman. The Buba clan of the Lemba has a high frequency of the Y-Chromosome type called the "Cohen Modal Haplotype" which is known to be characteristic of the paternally inherited Jewish priesthood.

For a very thorough ethnographic study of the Lemba, I recommend The Lemba: A Lost Tribe of Israel in Southern Africa by Magdel le Roux. It is a selective comparison between the social and religious practices of early Israel and the Lemba of today.

Journey To The Vanished City contains plates with black & white photographs, maps of Africa and Yemen, 18 pages of notes arranged by chapter and an index. The book is a most engaging read on account of the author's humour, wit and flowing narrative style. There is not one boring moment in this fascinating account of a journey in search of lost origins.