United Kingdom Books

This is a very good story, and well told, even if ghost written.

Oddly, it casts the Duke of Windsor in a poor light, and indicates why, quite apart from the marriage question, he was a bad King. Who can read without wincing his account of how he abruptly cut short the presentations of debutantes to him at Buckingham Palace because it started to rain? This was the high point of perfectly harmless society ladies' lives, and he not only walked out in the middle, but caustically observes that he cannot understand why anyone was upset.

And then there is the peculiar passage where he says that he worked out that it would take nearly a month for bodies like the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and others, to present their loyal addresses, so he insisted on them all being done in one day, in one batch, because he could not be bothered to respond to all of them individually. Yet this was his job as a constitutional monarch!

A welcome feature of the book is that it stops at the moment of abdication. Although this means that he doesn't have to explain his conduct during the lead up to the war, and during the war (which is, however, documented in the Duchess of Windsor's memoirs), it does focus the book almost entirely on his upbringing as a Prince, and on the abdication, which are the most interesting things about him.

Well worth reading.

The Duke of Windsor wrote this book in the 1950s while living in Paris. Reading it you begin to get some sense that for all his faults here was an individual of extraordinary personal charm. It was certainly a singular life. Here was a boy who was led to believe he would inherit the throne of the greatest empire on earth but who ends up as a sad fixture on the international cocktail party circuit in the arms of an ageing American divorcee of uncertain past. What happened! The anecdotal style of this simply written book is very enjoyable to read. The passing of the certainties of the Victorian age, the Edwardian twilight, World War I, the thrill of all things new and American in the 20s and 30s: the would be Edward VIII is a uniquely placed witness. History increasingly casts the Duke and his bride as ridiculous even sinister figures. This book helps you to remember that they were human too, falliable, and at the mercy of political and world historical forces beyond their control.

The greatest love story of our century is an understatement.
A King's Story is well known to be ghost written for the Duke and even with constant prodding, he suffered from selective memory.
He seems to forget all his previous "friendships", those familiar with the saga will know this means the married women in his life before Wallis. A great addition to royal book collection, but if you are looking for the facts, hunt them down in Donaldson book. Companion book is the Duchess Heart has it's reasons. Maybe they should have gotten together so the facts in each book matched.

It is quite a sad testament to our times that there are very few true gentlemen left these days. Civility is indeed going the way of the do-do bird, and the days of gents like David Nivens, Cary Grant, Cole Porter, Sean Connery and the good Duke here, are slowly fading into obscurity. That need not be the case and, hopefully, there are few out there who still feel as do I, that it need not completely die. Perhaps if more read the memoirs here, they will become inspired and such a dream can become realized.

The memoirs themselves are quite extraordinary and give one fantastic insight into this legendary gentleman and family. Reading other reviews that quibble over "selective" memory of the Duke, I can only surmise that these come from the very same individuals who grab the latest issues of "In Touch" and whatever other gossip periodicals they can grasp, only to "learn" the inside dirt on various celebs and noteworthy individuals. If that's what you are truly after in the first place, then this is definitely not for you and you should just stick to reading the by-lines or scanning the photos of the tabloids. Otherwise, if you'd like to get a peek into a life of grandeur and civility, and perhaps some tips on how to bring a modicum of dignity to your own, then this is for you.

Enjoy.

If you want to be inspired to really make a difference in the world, read this book. I had trouble putting it down. Bart Campolo connects powerful stories & the good news of Jesus in ways that challenge common views of what it means to really follow Christ. This book is about how to recognize who Jesus is and where he can be found.

The day I picked up this book, I read it from cover to cover. It gives you a sense of the day-to-day concerns of the young people who are living, for Jesus, in places where they're not allowed to go out at night because of the danger of the neighborhoods, of the people they're meeting and caring for, of the failures as much as the successes, of the doubts probably more than the certainties of Bart Campolo, who directs the ministry. In the final analysis, it gives Christians who are facing much less difficult ministries-of-daily-life feel inspired and, especially, not so alone with the questions.

I actually participated in the program that Bart got a lot of these stories from. Not only an amazing program, but Bart's chosen a good selection of stories from people's experiences in the inner-cities of America. Frightening situations, heart-melting situations.... A great compilation of short, encouraging stories. Very honest. Very real.

Kingdom Works provides an accurate and powerful introduction to the realities, challenges, and rewards of living and serving as disciples of Jesus among the poor in inner-city neighborhoods. A must read for anyone considering living and/or ministering in the inner-city.

Beginning with a physical description of the British Isles, touching lightly on the earliest cultures of man indigenous to the region, Adams's story really begins with the coming of the Germanic, fairhaired Celts sometime in the 1,000 years before Christ. Britain's literature begins with its myths and legends. This book is an entertaining outline of English history as the background of its literature.

About the legends of Ireland, for example, Adams writes, "There are a great many more stories than the 'Ulster cycle" of Celtic legend, and there is another entire cycle of primitive stories from the south of Ireland, dealing with Finn MacCool, his trusty band of Fenian comrades, and his son the warrior-poet Ossian. Readers of Yeats and Joyce will recognize, again and again, in the characters and episodes of ancient Irish legend, the origins of persons and events, as well as the point of hundreds of allusions, in these modern writers."

Adams does not pretend to write a comprehensive book without prejudice. "There are two long stories to tell," he writes, " and very little space to tell them, other elements of the background must be treated only intermittently...I make no apology for having introduced my own enthusiasms into the literary commentary." After all, it IS his book. He gets to choose what to say and how to say it. It's well that he doesn't apologize because his "enthusiasms" are what makes the book readable and delightful.

This isn't an anthology -- the reader will have to track down copies of works but there's a bibliography and references to writers and their publications are plentiful. He doesn't confine himself to just the well-known literary works, but offers examples of lesser-known works, as well.

This is reading that will give you insight into your travels as well as suggest fascinating new books that will challenge you to see modern writing in a new light. It's an additional perspective on English literature that you'll enjoy pursuing.

This is the best introduction to English history for American students of English literature. Adams is clearly a very gifted teacher. He conveys very difficult and complex historical issues with amazing brevity and surprisingly little bias.

The book is intended to serve as a propadeutic for students of literature and it is by far the best of its kind available. What Adams selects from history is designed to accompany the Norton Anthology. It is like reading a professor's series of notes for lectures but designed specifically to help the student who wants to think about particular literary pieces within historical contexts. Adams gives just enough historical fact to make the literature come alive. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to undergraduates and even grad students who need to refresh.

Most entertaining is Adams's sense of humor and the text is dotted with little places where the reader will laugh aloud. The footnotes are helpful and suggestive, the design of the chapters and their titles easily assist comprehension and a sense of sequence and order. Reading the book thoroughly and attentively will help any student develop context and hopefully write better papers. If you don't have this book and you are a student of English literature, find a way to get it.

This book is an excellent overview of British history prior to 1950 or so. Think of it as a combination "British history for dummies" and detailed time-line of events and literature. Literature and history are undeniably intertwined in real life, and this book reflects that remarkably well. It does talk about literature in detail, but this book is probably better for history buffs or as a companion to a literature book.

Portions of this book are in my British Literature II book. The various things covered include medieval & modern coinage and titles for the peerage -- both chapters are very informative and well-written. Those two chapters alone make this a good buy for anyone who needs resources on Britain. Writers who place their fictional worlds in historic times and fantasy ought to find this a valuable investment.

This book reveals a lot about life as a rock musician. Genya Ravan is a Rock & Roll Queen, and this book is a must for a peek into the 60's and 70's rock world. Genya lived it & tells it all, from her many incarnations as a musician with the FIRST all female rock band, Goldie & The Gingerbreads , lead singer of Ten Wheel Drive, solo artist, & record producer . If that isn't enough, how about starting your life as a prisoner of the Nazi's and escaping with her parents & sister, sharing beds & buses with Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck & others, and reaching the depths of drug addiction & surviving cancer. Genya Ravan is an extraordinary woman, and she tells honest tales that will make you see how it was for one of the original women in rock & roll.

You should read the book, if you were a fan of the Ten Wheel Drive. But you could read it, too, if you are just and simply looking forward to a great story. Just when it becomes incredible, commence to listen to some of her music (you wanted that all the time, you notice)...

It blows you away, no matter what we choose to write, here.

This fascinating book covers the life of Genya Ravan, who, among other things, founded Goldie and the Gingerbreads, the first all female rock band that played their own instruments, fronted the ground breaking rock band with horns Ten Wheel Drive, recorded multiple solo albums and was the first female major label record producer. The story is an exhilarating roller coaster ride which begins in a concentration camp, takes you through rock stardom, drug addiction and finally recovery from cancer. Along the way many famous icons of rock history are described first hand and Genya's experiences should make for a real page turner for any fan of rock music as well as an inspirational story which can be appreciated by all.

This book is just incedible. I've been a fan of Ten Wheel Drives Brief Replies & her (just rereleased) Urban Desire & And I Mean it albums, but I was not expecting the intense story about to unfold before my eyes. Holocaust survivor, first all girl band, first woman music producer ect. Does it realy take a hit record to recognize a true original? You must buy this book & get blown away! Also go to www.genyaravan.com SHE'S NOT DONE YET!

Perfect for Map Lovers or just for Navigating your way around the many small streets, mews and byways of London. Easy to use and as complete a street guide as you will find.

...it must be good! When I spent some time in London, I got this book based on the recommendations of several Londoners. It truly took me everywhere. And, it's in bookstore and cornershops around London too. That's a testament to it's use and reliability. I'm going again soon and intend on purchasing the newest version!

London A-Z, (pronounced "A to Zed" in the UK), is the essential guide to navigating the complex maze of streets that makes up London. This atlas contains every street, alley, passageway and cul-de-sac in the city, and you can't do without it if you live in, or intend to seriously explore the city.

The true testament to the quality of the atlas: It's the one thing you'll find in every delivery van, taxi cab and potential house-finder's car.

If you do not want to get lost in London - buy one of these!! -they are invaluable to finding tube stations, Post Offices, Train Stations and for even just trying to figure out where you have ended up! I lived in London for 3 years and I still use one, every street is included so that wherever you end up you can quickly and easliy find your way. It also lists all the Post Codes, because some addresses in London may be just listed as SW7 - and to find out WHERE that is you can just look at the front map refeence or in the back index. Every street and tube station is listed in the index..and there is a handy Underground Tube Map on the back - ALL you need in London! Much easier to use than a map.

For those of us who travel to London to buy anitiques--or who daydream about doing that, this book is priceless. It offers so many good tips about where to shop for what, and it is written in an accessible, light-hearted style. What beautiful photographs accompany the text!

In addition to sharing an insiders knowledge of the London antique scene (with good, clear maps), this is also an attractive book with numerous beautiful photographs and interesting commentary. It is a worthwhile find even if you aren't going antiquing in London. If you are, it is essential.

I love this book,it's brilliant! What I love best about it is: 1) it identifies areas in London that have antiques areas
that I didn't know about and 2) it has web sites and URLs of dealers that aren't easy to find with an internet search engine. I'm no stranger to London having grown up there and a regular visitor, but this book covers the antiques world in greater depth than I knew existed; and when I can't be in London, I'm a constant internet shopper and having all these website addresses
is wonderful!

I found this book very helpful and informing. A veteran antique dealer who has been shopping london for 15 years, I discovered places I had never visited before. It was easy to read and to use. A must for antique shopping in London!

This is one of Farwell's earliest works. I think I have read everything he has written and I am always amazed at the high quality and readability. This book is about Henry M. Stanley, and Africa through his eyes. Farwell refuses to allow modern prejudices to enter into the story. Stanley is unique - emotionless yet idealistic, shy yet driven. Read this book not only to find out about the man, but for the incredible adventures. For an excellent 1 volume history of African exploration, read Africa Explored by Christopher Hibbert.

Is this kind of man even made anymore?!

I just finished reading this a second time (last was 1998), and it amazed me even more this time around.

If you ever think you've gotten into a tough situation, read about HMS & realize that, in fact, your situation is really quite trivial.

Excellent biography of Stanley, who had an incredible life. He was illegitimate, abandoned by his mother, put into a work-house, and had an all-round awful childhood until meeting the kindly fellow in America who adopted him. But the meat of the book is Stanley's three major trips in Africa: to find Livingstone, to explore and continue Livingstone's work, and to relieve Emin Pasha. Each involves amazing hardships and adventures and Farwell does a wonderful job of giving lots of detail and colour as he relates these exciting trips. Worth reading by anyone who has an interest in Burton but isn't sure what to turn to next.

Henry M. Stanley was the first human to cross equatorial Africa. And he did it roughly four times, fighting beast, insects, disease and the most violent, primitive peoples ever encountered by an explorer. This account of his entire life is fascinating: raised in a Scottish orphanage, adopted by a New Orleans merchant, fought in the Civil War on the side of the South, journalist and -- all training for the hardships of his true calling -- explorer. On his first trip he finds Stanley to deliver the famous quote -- two more trips each more astounding than the preceding are to follow. He retires as a hero of the British exploration community. This book is a gem, well written by an author who rightly reveres deeply his subject. This is a must read for anyone who enjoyed "Undaunted Courage." Stanley is 20 Lewis and Clark's rolled into one man. Maps are good for a paperback.

This fascinating and delightful book takes a different approach to most others on the subject of the medieval book of hours. Rather than assessing the books as art objects, it focuses on the very personal annotations and amendments that owners have made to the text, giving us an intimate glimpse at how the owners used and regarded their books. The books are no longer mere objects, but extensions of their owners. There is an academic movement currently examining readership, and this adds significantly to it as it examines the most commonly owned book of the middle ages.
The author is an important authority in historical studies of the English Reformation, but this work, derived from a set of lectures, is very readable for a more general audience interested in the history of books and literacy. The illustrations are of excellent quality (even if some librarians were mystified as to why he wanted to photograph pages covered in scribble!).

As in his wonderful "Voices of Morebath," Eamon Duffy uses artifacts of daily living to illuminate the effect on real people -- great and not so great -- of the Reformation's massive changes at the top on everyday life. Names scratched out of prayer books, new prayers or names written in, sections and illustrations removed -- his use of " a librarian's nightmare" of "defaced" prayer books, books of hours and other devotional materials shows the filtration of changes on high down to society in general. The section on Richard III's prayerbook is particularly interesting.

As always, a beautiful reflection of the depth of profound religious feeling of the late middle ages. Hopefully books such as these will allow us to understand the beauty of the art as well as thought that was dedicated to higher aspirations for life itself.

Marking the Hours is a superior book. And those who've seen my other reviews, including of Duffy's Stripping the Altars, know I can be hard to please.

Are you interested in church history or in illuminated manuscripts? Then this is a must buy. In fact, I lugged this book (It's not small!) with me to Oxford for my studies, and it came in very handy for a tutorial essay and more.

Do you just like medieval art? Marking the Hours is very well illustrated. Just looking at the pictures and reading the captions is a pleasurable education.

Duffy does take sides on some questions concerning English church history. (He is a devoted Catholic.) But he's fair and not overbearing in this book at least.

I can't praise the book enough. If this area interests you in the least, Marking the Hours is well worth buying.

In this book, the author puts forward a series of arguments in support of the thesis that Christopher Marlowe was the author of what we know as the works of William Shakespeare. The argument that the man known as Shakespeare was not the author of the works of Shakespeare has been going on for some time and there are sound reasons for this position.
The first and foremost is that Shakespeare seemed to lack the necessary education to write such prose with the references to mythology and other works of literature. This would have required a lengthy and extensive education. Secondly, the final products seemed to have just appeared, there are no historical artifacts such as marked up drafts, notes or anything in this area. Finally, Shakespeare seemed to lack the writer's arrogance and need to make sure that his name is on everything generated by his hand. Each of these facts by itself reduces the chances that Shakespeare was the author and in combination lowers it down to the most unlikely range. Pinksen recounts these arguments against, although this is nothing new in the area of Shakespearean scholarship.
Of course, if you conclude that Shakespeare did not write the material, the next and obvious question is "Who did?" Pinksen argues that it was the well-known and established playwright Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe's fame as a writer predated Shakespeare's so Marlowe certainly had the background to write the works of Shakespeare.
However, there is one very serious problem, according to the historical record, Marlowe was killed in a tavern brawl in 1593. Rather than being accorded a burial fit for a talented author, his body was thrown into a common grave with plague victims. Given that there are few historical records of William Shakespeare until 1592, the years 1585 - 1592 are sometimes referred to as Shakespeare's "lost years", there is a problem with the Marlowe as author thesis. Fortunately, for Pinksen, this "coincidence" supports his thesis. The question is, "Is it evidence for the Marlowe authorship or simply the historical event that makes the conclusion possible?"
At the time of Marlowe's "death", there was an extensive crackdown on freethinking in England and the price of dissent could be the loss of your head. Only Sir Walter Raleigh had the courage to stand up in Parliament and defend the people who questioned the church's authority. Of course, Raleigh was eventually convicted on false charges of treason and executed. Marlowe also had a history of being a government spy, so his life was at great risk at the time of his "death."
Pinksen's thesis is that Marlowe's death was faked and with the help of his friends, he went into hiding and continued to write. His material was then funneled through those friends to a minor actor named William Shakespeare, who agreed to be the front so that the plays could be put before the public. Absent significant documentation, Pinksen's case is based on Shakespeare's apparent lack of education, that Marlowe was an accomplished writer, the sudden rise of Shakespeare when Marlowe was gone, some expressions in Shakespeare's work and similarities in the styles of Marlowe and Shakespeare. The problem with some of the expressions is that the works of Shakespeare are full of simile and metaphor and one can find it easy to reach their desired conclusion.
In conclusion, there is sound evidence to doubt that Shakespeare actually wrote Shakespeare, if there were not, then the issue would have been settled long ago. However, the arguments that Marlowe was the author presented here only reach the point of making it slightly plausible. Even in the last years of the sixteenth century it was very hard to fake one's death and manage to live and produce material of this caliber for over a decade after that supposed death. Nevertheless, the arguments themselves are interesting to read and are a sound contribution to scholarship in the area of "Who really wrote Shakespeare?"

I pity anyone who chooses to debate Daryl Pinksen on the issue of Shakesepeare authorship. Marlowe's Ghost is a taut and remarkably accessible investigation of Marlowe's death and the merits of the Marlowe-as-hidden-hand-behind-Shakespeare theory. Pinksen writes with a legal precision that really cuts to the core and avoids B.S. and fantastical claims. What I really admire about the book is Pinksen's intellectual honesty that comes through on every page. When the Marlovians make a weak point, for example, he acknowledges it, without trying to stretch a piece of evidence to suit his thesis. And what is the overall effect of the book? Highly convincing reasonable doubt about Shakespeare, country bumpkin, having penned the greatest literature of the Western World, and mountains of circumstantial evidence pointing to the genius and shadowy Marlowe as the author. In fact, when I was reading his meticulously persuasive examination of the Shakespearean sonnets, for instance, the thought that kept running through my mind was, "How could they have been written by anyone other than Marlowe?"

After reading Pinksen (and, might I add, after reading Blumenfeld's latest), Shakespeare as author doesn't pass the laugh test.

Pinksen provides an excellent, well grounded and insightful introduction to the argument that the works commonly attributed to Shakespeare were actually written by Christopher Marlowe, another playwright.

It is of particular note that Pinksen grounds his argument in Marlowe's revolutionary contribution to English theatre, a role acknowledged by mainstream literary scholars. He also draws entirely on mainstream literature to show that Shakespeare's works are not only indebted to Marlowe, but are generally seen as a development of Marlowe's works.

Pinksen covers a lot of ground, including Marlowe's apparent `murder' in 1593 and the grounds for doubting his death; the reasons for questioning that Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the works attributed to him; the relationship between Shakespeare and Jonson; the many allusions in Shakespeare's works to Marlowe's; the role played by the actor Shakespeare and in producing Marlowe's post-1593 works; and the autobiographical dimension of Marlowe's works as Shakespeare. Pinksen also discusses stylometric computer analyses of Marlowe's and Shakespeare's works. Interestingly, Pinksen draws an extended parallel with the blacklisting of authors during the McCarthy era, which to this day leaves a number of films wrongly attributed.

Last but not least, Pinksen shows that Marlowe is the only one of the alternative authorship candidates who had any real need to obscure his authorship, considering that he was a fugitive from the law who had probably been helped in his escape by people at the heart of Elizabeth's government.

What is thankfully missing from Pinksen's book are any unwarranted speculations about Marlowe's life after his faked death, bar for that he continued writing plays. Neither does Pinksen worry about numerous fringe issues, such as the identity of W.H. or the Dark Lady, which have occupied other proponents of Marlowe. A few minor flaws or unwarranted speculations can hence be forgiven.

Overall, Pinksen's book is an excellent and well written counter to the currently predominant anti-Stratfordian claim that Shakespeare's works were written by the Earl of Oxford.

First a disclaimer. I wrote an introduction for Daryl Pinksen's book, Marlowe's Ghost, and so you'd be right to guess I like it.

The further truth is that 7 years ago I made the first documentary to explore the theory that Christopher Marlowe was the actual author of the plays and poems we still attribute to Shakespeare. It's called Much Ado About Something. Daryl happened to see my film on PBS and was so intrigued that he began to wonder if the theory could be taken further. He wrote Marlowe's Ghost to find out.

Well, he's done a magnificent job of it. He sets up the legitimacy of the quest by showing how highly scholars have always valued Marlowe's plays, and how often they've been compared to Shakespeare's. He delves into the sonnets, always assumed to be autobiographical, and finds that indeed they are, but revealing of a Marlowe in exile rather than a London theatre impresario called Shakespeare. He reports tellingly that in recent times blacklisted authors have had to hide their true identity, as we suppose Marlowe did, and they too got away with it.

Finishing Marlowe's Ghost, I would say that while the evidence remains circumstantial that Marlowe did not die in a knife fight at the age of 29, Pinksen amasses so much commonsense support for this proposition that he "nails it," as the saying goes.

In any case, whether you are persuaded or not, you will find this a most satisfying theory, if you can get over your protective feelings for Shakespeare. You'll discover too that Marlowe is such a fascinating character; so talented, so complex, and so worthy of a longer life with more works to his name, that you can't help wanting it to be true.

But be careful. This theory is addictive and Pinksen's book, along with that of Samuel Blumenfeld, The Marlowe-Shakespeare Connection, is a dangerous dose of delight.

An unforgettable and beautifully written book that should not be overlooked by any student of the Great War. A work of personal impressions which left me in tears at times. Mr. Dyer touches the reader with cutting realism and deep emotion.

If you've ever wondered why it is you have a particular empathy with the soldiers of the first World War, especially of Flanders, this book is for you. It goes a long way towards explaining that peculiar fascination we have with the bravery of those who died, and how the details of this war, almost a hundred years later, can touch our hearts today in a way that nothing else can.

Geoff Dyer presents in this book a moving and multi-layered outcry against the slaughter and consequences of World War I -- the "Great War". The main theme is remembrance, private and public, and the manifestations of both in the post-war years in Great Britain. The role of well-known British poets who served and died in the War is woven throughout. This book is well written by a literate and talented author; however it may be difficult to follow for those not well steeped in the history of that period, and especially the fate of British Army units in various Western Front battles. The basic subject is well covered in printed literature; what Dyer adds here is yet another dissection of the far-reaching impacts of the cataclysmic years of 1914-1918.

I must confess that I bought this book only because Geoff Dyer wrote it and he is my favorite author and I am a completist. I figured it was an early novel, something to give me insight into his development.

Imagine my disappointment when it arrived and I discovered it was History. Mind you, I love history (check the other reviews I've written), but I tend to find a subject and read everything I can about before I burn out and move onto something else and I really couldn't be bothered to develop a new fascination for the Great War with so many others still going.

A year later, on a whim, I brought the book with me on vacation and found myself in Paris dining alone after marching against the war. It was the first book in my bag that I grabbed and by the end of dinner I was getting all choked up and teary-eyed. By chance sitting not so far from the Somme with this book in my hands, thinking of a war not yet started, at the table in the corner, it was very affecting. But I think anyone who is interested in this perspective will find it moving whether in peacetime or war, in Nebraska or Tokyo or Egypt.

The book itself succeeds because it's not about numbers and casualties, but how we remember these struggles and how we forget them at the same time. It succeeds by placing the reader not in the conflict, something he/she could never know, but in his/her own seat: remembering that which wasn't experienced. To say more would be to demean the book and Dyer's superb writing so just read it.