United Kingdom Books

At least in the United States, the demographics of people who are just beginning to use the Internet have changed. The bulk of the new users are now either the very young, or older people who are more technically uncertain. As is generally the case with the youthful brain, the young people need a minimum of direction, most of which must be focused towards keeping them away from the bad stuff. However, the older people need assistance in the very basics, which is where books like this are invaluable.
In teaching a couple of sections of community education Internet classes for elders, two things became very clear. The people in the class really want to learn how to use the Internet and they are capable, but must be treated with more sensitivity than others. Ironically, the hardest problem is convincing them that the old adage about teaching old dogs new tricks does not apply to the Internet. With the proper approach, they can learn how to use it to solve their problems.
This book takes just the right approach in teaching people like them how to use the Internet. Using soft spoken tones and with just the right amount of humor without descending into cuteness, this book provides the helping hand that is needed to get beginners up and enjoying the fruits of the web. Many of the latest controversies are also dealt with, such as the flaps over Napster and the Instant Message (IM) wars. I often field questions about such topics when I teach beginners how to use the net. Most are regular followers of the news and take an interest in what is happening in the world.
The growth in the number of Internet users in North America is slowing down and the background of new users has changed to include more adults who are not computer literate. This creates a different market for beginning books and this one hits that market dead center. With the right approach and covering all the basics, this book will help insure that the Internet continues to expand and serve a broader based constituency.

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet" is an instrumental reference and tutor for anyone wishing to plunge or even tip-toe into the Information Superhighway world! I have found this book outstanding as an preparation aid for teaching an "Introduction to the Internet" class. Much of the information contained in the book may already be common knowledge among internet enthusiasts, but the added bits of information on many topics (including valid websites for help!) are invaluable. In covering the "history" of the Internet, the book even goes into specifics of the past accomplishments and failures, leading up to today.

It's best to have some knowledge of Microsoft Windows (preferably Windows 98) prior to jumping to Internet activity, however. This book covers a few Windows basics.

If you're looking to get a late start into electronic information-age, this book is a good start, and at a pretty decent price!

This ex-pat Jewish Brit loved this book! Not only did it make me nostalgic for home, but it told me things I never knew! This is a concise but complete guide indeed. I fully intend to take it with me on my next trip back to England.

I am planning a trip to London and the surrounding countryside and I stumbled across this guidebook. Because I am Jewish, I was interested in learning more about the culture and history of British Jewish places while I traveled. This book is packed with facts that are presented in a very entertaining way. The author talks about places regular guidebooks miss, and she makes you aware of the great contributions Jews have made to England. The book is well laid out and very easy to use. I can't wait to use it for walking tours when I am abroad!

A Connoisseur's Guide is a quirky and engaging tour of all the editions of Churchill's key texts. Before a debate over my use of "quirky" in an endearing manner, let it be known to all that Langworth is the major American dealer in books by and about Churchill and as such has a unique view of Churchill as filtered through his work. Others regularly handle Churchill material (including the author of this piece, who, in the spirit of full disclosure, it should be noted is praised in the acknowledgments and cited authoritatively in the text), but none take into stock and send back out Into the world a fraction of the books, pamphlets and magazines that pass through Langworth's hands. Indeed, in his introduction he claims "one purpose" he had in compiling the Guide was to forestall the question most frequently put to him by novice buyers: "What exactly am I holding in my hands?" With this Guide in hand, the answer might still require one more call to Langworth; but once the aspirant grasps the bibliographic language with which he narrates this textual tale, home-schooling should quickly replace classroom instruction. The Guide is put together with admirable clarity, even simplicity. For each text, from The Story of the Malakand Field Force in 1898 to the posthumous ephemeral publications, Langworth first provides an eminently readable redaction, along with some solid background of each book's place in the canon. In these preambles Langworth's voice resonates eloquently, providing a sense that we are being guided by a generous, avuncular Diogenes with knowledge of all things Churchillian. Following his introductory remarks, Langworth deploys excerpts from both contemporary and modern commentators; his use of supporting and dissenting opinions offers a novel approach to understanding how a text was greeted upon publication and how it continues to be perceived. Throughout Langworth relies on the bibliographical research of the late Frederick Woods, who devoted decades to tracing Churchill's works, and whose bibliography, to date, has not been superseded. Langworth states that his goal is to amplify, not expand upon, Woods's early work, and in this, I think he is too humble: he clarifies innumerable pockets of obfuscation transmitted by Woods (one need only read his lucid discussion of The Malakand Field Force to see how far we've come). He also, however, occasionally nudges up against the hubristic: definitionally, Woods is the text with which Langworth is bantering, and insomuch as the preponderance of readers will not be familiar with Woods, his frequent taglines "see Woods" and "Woods incorrectly" seem a bit bullying. Maybe I'm being too pedantic, but the paragraphs devoted to the physical components of the books are similar enough in both format and language to Woods to have generated a feeling that Langworth, now and again, set up his predecessor only to knock him down. Most readers, I suspect, will breeze through the technical patches on book production, press-runs and binding variants and will be rewarded with the concluding categories with which the description of each edition ends. The first of these is labeled "Comments" and in it Langworth incorporates the substantial anecdotal knowledge he has gathered in his decades of handling Churchill books. In these passages he demonstrates the extent to which he has attained true "connoisseurship," that state of grace to which all collectors of objects aspire, and he communicates his wisdom with the ease bred of confidence. For example, in describing the Times Book Club issue of Lord Randolph Churchill he notes: "nicely if not elaborately bound (it lacks the gilt coat of arms) it is an adequate if not dramatic looking set of books." And about the first edition of India:: "softbound copies on the market today outnumber hardbound copies at least twenty to one...." These are, to my mind, truths that could only be proffered succinctly and elegantly after years of study and reflection. In a late interview, the American novelist Bernard Malamud suggested that "clear writing is clear thinking," and in those pithy observations, in which Langworth shares his clear thinking in clean writing, the Guide earns a place on the list of essential reference works devoted to Churchill as author. The Guide is sturdily produced; the photographs are attractive. I wish a number of the more compelling, early books had been shot in color, though some appear on the color dust jacket. To those of us who esteem Churchill's accomplishments, this work offers one more reason to stand in reverence: the titles and text roll across seven decades with clarity and logic. The Guide both elevates and entertains-and you can't ask for much more for your money, can you?

I'm a member of The Churchill Center, of which Mr Langworth is a director, and for years, I've been an occasional customer of his Churchillbooks business. I've emailed or written him a few times over the years, and so I like to think that -- through my pesky and amateurish questions -- I bear a little tiny bit of the responsibility for the publication of this excellent book. Because now that I have this, I won't have to bother Mr Langworth in person any more. I'm sure he rests more easily knowing this.

The 'Connoisseur's Guide' is, without exaggeration, the Book of the Century about the books written by The Man of the (Twentieth) Century. From Sir Winston's rarest and most obscure titles to Book-of-the-Month-Club volumes owned by millions, Mr Langworth has catalogued, evaluated, and given us his excellent personal insights and opinions about them. For each title, including posthumous collections, the Guide gives us a bit of history, excerpts from contemporaneous reviews, and a listing of every known imprint and variant, including translations into other languages.

I'm not, either by temperament or financial status, a collector of fine volumes. I just love to read Sir Winston. And I have found this Guide to be every bit as useful to me as I believe it must be for the most high-end of Churchillo-bibliophiles. Mr Langworth is to be commended for the remarkable amount of work that went into compiling this comprehensive Guide. It is a volume that belongs on the shelf of any student of Churchilliana.

COOKING WITH SHAKESPEARE is part of the 'Feasting with Fiction' imprint and details recipes, table habits, dining and festivities in Shakespeare's times ala his plays and writings. Chapters are divided by food type - mutton and lamb, fish and seafood, vegetables - and provide tips on old-fashioned cooking from Shakespearean times, from how to make Gallantine to making spice cakes. A rich, fun survey of early cooking methods and recipes evolves for modern readers and libraries interested in culinary history.

Here are some of the fascinating facts that you'll find in Cooking with Shakespeare:

In Shakespeare's England, spits of meat were sometimes turned at the fireplace by means of a dog attached to a treadmill.

During Lent, people in Shakespeare's England were supposed to stop eating meat. They could, though, keep eating puffins, because those diving birds were actually considered fish. Stranger still, the tail of a beaver was considered fish, but not the rest of that rodent.

Sugar was so popular among the aristocracy that their teeth were often in advanced state of decay. Queen Elizabeth's teeth were described by a foreign diplomat as having thin lips and black teeth. Sugar was even an ingredient in one of the teeth cleansers of the day.

Shakespeare's plays are full of scenes involving food. Banquets play important roles in many plays, such as The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew. Titus Andronicus concludes with a banquet in which a mother is served a pie made out of her two sons.

Flowers were often eaten in salads, including carnations, rosebuds, cowslips, and violets.

Characters often use food words insult one another. In Henry IV a nobleman is called "dish of skimmed milk," and in 1 Henry VI Talbot is called a ``weake

and writhled shrimpe." On the other hand, food words are often used as terms of endearment. Prince Henry calls Falstaff "my sweet beef," and Perdita is called "The Queen of Curds and Creame."

Shakespeare may well have written most of his plays while slightly drunk. Beer and wine were safer to drink than much of London's water supply. The average person, whether rich or poor, drank about a gallon of beer a day.

Shakespeare never drank coffee, ate a banana, or indulged in chocolate. Those items weren't introduced into England until after Shakespeare died. Tomatoes were known, but were considered poisonous.

Cooking was a sometimes brutal activity. One recipe instructs the cook to ``take a red Cock that is not too olde, and beate him to death, and when he is dead, flay him and quarter him in small peeces.'' Another one says, "``Take a capon and cut out the brawne of him alive.''

The most common flavouring agent called for by cookbooks was rosewater, found in about 20% of the recipes. The most common spices were pepper, ginger, mace, cinnamon, and cloves. Almonds and raisins are called for in about 10% of the recipes, even in meat dishes.

Some advice from a 1578 book about table manners: "When thou has blowne thy nose, use not to open thy handkerchief, to glare upon thy snot, as if thou hadst pearles and rubies fallen from thy braynes." The cookbooks that were published in Shakespeare's lifetime were intended for the aristocracy and the growing middle class. The lower classes ate very differently. For them, a typical meal was bread, cheese, and pottage made from whatever vegetables happened to be in season.

Table forks were not used in Shakespeare's England. People ate with a spoon, a knife (which they brought to the table), and their fingers. Table manners were perhaps a bit rough and ready. One etiquette book advised readers to avoid rinsing their mouths with wine and then spitting it onto the floor.

Many foods were thought to have special powers that could affect one's health. Raisins, according to one writer, would ``increase motion unto venery, and woorke to the erection of the yeard''-- that is, they enhanced sexual desire and gave men a Viagra-like boost. Another author claimed that an infant with the flu should be put to bed on a layer of cucumbers because ``feverous heate passeth into the cucumbers.''

Dietary experts believed that some foods were better for you in certain months. For example, in October, the wealthy were advised to eat apple tarts because they "greatly comforte the stomache." They were also, however, advised to "washe not the head in this moneth."

Bakers were not allowed to sell fancy breads or spice cakes, except during Christmas and Easter, and for funerals. They were also required to imprint their mark on every loaf of bread they sold, so that its maker could be identified if a loaf turned out to be too light or poorly made.

In most households cooking was done over an iron frame containing wood or coal. Wealthier homes had ovens and fireplaces for cooking. The kitchen at Hampton Court had three fireplaces, each one eighteen feet wide, six feet deep, and seven feet high.

According to one legend, Shakespeare died after drinking too much with his friend Ben Jonson.

Anyone who has had the good fortune to travel to the UK will hit many of the great sights and cities - London, Edinburgh, York, Durham, Bath and more. But in your quick travels you may have wondered what the British locals feel about those unassuming or even visually disagreeable towns you zip past by train or drive through to get to Stonehenge, the Lake District, Glencoe, Glasgow, searching for Robert the Bruce.

At the beginnings of Rick Steves European Guidebooks, there are large maps of the country in question. All of the larger cities are marked in colours of black or grey. Black locations are "places of touristic interest". But the grey locations are "places of little or no touristic interest." What are these "grey places"?

There is now a remedy - The book "Crap Towns" showcases and exposes those areas of grey, with despair, boredom, and poor council planning leading the way. The lack of jobs, a future, or simple healthy entertainment can lead to a downward spiral of alcoholism and chaz violence. Thatcher's dream fulfilled, and one unlikely to be fixed any decade soon.

Readers of the UK "Idler" magazine submitted letters filled with memories, testimonial, fear, dismay, sadness, bemusement, hope for the distant future. All so that a book could be compiled of the 50 worst cities and towns the UK has to offer.

I will only list a few of the 50 - the fun is in being surprised. Hackney, Hull, Peterhead, Croydon, Morecombe, St. Andrews, Bexhill-On-Sea and Brighton.

The book is thoughtful, blunt, bitter and humanist. The letters written to the Idler and put into the book are thoughtful, funny and informative. The black and white photographs are perfectly chosen and will leave you invigorated in your bleak mood. (Although you may find photos of shattered cars, strewn garbage, misappropriated human waste and the polluted (and unnaturally warm) ocean next to Leiston nuclear power plant

Because this is a British book with British readers in mind, it helps to have a good feel for British slang, culture and perhaps history. But no matter. I cannot recommend "Crap Towns 1" (or its equally strong sequel) highly enough.

A review can hardly do justice to the honesty and photography of this eclectic celebration of crap urban environments that surround everyone.

Politicians may wish to ignore, and residents look past, the utter crap of their physical surroundings. It takes the Idler to open our eyes and admit the dreariness and squalor present in the corners (or centers) of our existence.

Even the aesthetic judgments of the work can be taken as fact. "Ugly" may be debatable in most contexts, but not in any of those in this book.

Thanks for helping us to admit that there are stones unturned in even the most celebrated cities. Under these stones, we find crap. Now what?

Terry Arthur seems to have improved on his earlier book, 95% Is Crap. This time - and I agree - he seems to think that politics is now ALL crap. He does it in such a way that you just have to laugh at the absurdities and inanities that our politicians come out with, and the way that their polices invariably have the opposite effect of what they intended. This is great stuff. You have to laugh or you'd cry...

This gem of a book rips into political crap- the nonsense our politicos routinely spout to us. Based on direct quotations, its twelve chapters are arranged according to the nature of the crap rather than the subject matter; crap on education, for example is to be found in several chapters (Newspeak Crap, Contradictory Crap, Illogical Crap, Cheeky Crap, and so on). It maintains a running narrative between the quotations making for easy reading. It is also very funny, especially if you like a trenchant, irreverent, and folksy style.

Many of the quotations are from the UK, but the book has a strong international flavour, including large helpings of crap from US, EU, and UN politicos. Indeed, it's fascinating to see just how interchangeable their crap is.

Try these examples of "One Rule for Them Crap":

(i) The UK Health Minister arguing that a "leaked document.....demonstrated that there is a more open culture in the National Health Service". The "leak" came eight months after the Government received the document!

(ii) A European Commissioner (imposing a fine on Microsoft) telling us that "no company is above the law" to which Terry Arthur retorts "unless you're a company of bureaucrats", pointing out that the European Union's own accounts have not been signed off for at least twelve years.

(iii) George Bush defining success or failure in Iraq as "whether schools are being built or hospitals are being opened", leaving The Times to point out that "In the chaos of Iraq, one project is on target: a giant US Embassy".

For once the recommendations on the back cover do not exaggerate:

"Behind the jokey title and lively, entertaining style, Terry Arthur has produced a devastating expose of the intellectual confusion, political deception and economic ignorance that have come to dominate public pronouncements. His precision of thought, clarity of language and lightly-worn scholarship have resulted in a book that would have won the warm approval of George Orwell." Sir Antony Jay, co-author, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.

"Mr Arthur has presented us with a user's manual to politicians. Anyone who reads it will not merely laugh out loud, but will be armed against all future attempts by the political class to lie, obfuscate and prevaricate. To this end some philanthropist should pay for a copy to be sent into every household in the land". Simon Heffer, Associate Editor, Daily Telegraph.

I can just echo the substance of remarks of the other reviewers on the contents. As an avid reader of mystery fiction, I can visualize opening a page at random and picking my next book to read. As a computer programmer, I look at books like this and envision how I would write the program that would generate this information. If the author did not use a computer program, I am doubly impressed. This book should be on the shelf of every crime fiction aficionado. If not on your shelf then that of your local library.

This book is a must for any inveterate reader. It lists all the mystery writers, their varied pen names, the characters, book titles, films made from mystery books, and other curiously interesting bits of information. The price is daunting but is well worth it, believe me. This is one of those books that one can spend many happy hours just browsing through. The book is divided into two volumes with Volume 1 being the Author Index with 889 pages of mystery writers listed alphabetically by last name. It includes all known pseudonyms used by a particular author, along with the titles of the works, and the names of any characters created, series or one-shot. It also has the dates of publication and lists the publisher. A few examples of pseudonyms. Did you know that Stephen King also writes under the name Richard Bachman. Of course you did, everyone knows that. But did you know that Dean Koontz, popular mystery writer, also uses the names David Axton, Brian Coffey, Anthony North, Owen West, Deanna Dwyer, K.R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, and Richard Paige? How about Donald Westlake, author of the ever-popular 'Dortmunder' series of serio-comedic mysteries. He also uses the names Curt Clark, Tucker Coe, Timothy Culver, Samuel Holt, and Richard Stark. Lawrence Sanders sometimes uses the names Lesley Avaress or Mark Upton. John Creasey, author of the 'Toff' series, has more than a dozen different pen names he uses, and must hold some sort of record for sheer number of nom-de-plumes. Why pen names you ask? The book doesn't answer that question. In fact it doesn't even address it. This tome is strictly a presentation of facts; no long boring narratives. Who knows why an author elects to write under a different name than its own? There must be as many logical, or illogical, reasons as there are authors. Choose your own. Volume 2 is divided into seven sections, to include a Title Index (326 pages), Setting Index (98 pages), Series Index (24 Pages), Series Character Chronology (18 pages), Film Index (136 pages), Screenwriter's Index (48 pages), and Director's Index (29 pages). The Title Index is a veritable treasure trove of information to aspiring writers. It shows which titles have already been used and how often. For instance, did you know that there are five books with the title "Watchers"? Or six called "Tunnel"? There are over 2,100 that begin with the word "Murder" and 700 that begin with "Mystery". This listing alone would be worth its weight in gold to a writer struggling to find that just-so correct appropriate title. The Settings Index is another source of information to the aspiring writer. It lists the locale of all the works listed in this opus. Almost any location is listed, from cities to states to countries. For instance, did you know that there are 15 books listed as happening in Rhodesia, 4 in Monaco, and 9 pages of stories occurring in New York City! The Series Index includes the name of the character listed with its creator. Again, this is invaluable to a new author. Imagine if you will, writing the perfect mystery and sending it off to a receptive publisher only to be rudely informed by a sympathetic editor that the character's name you thought was original has been in used for over 40 years by another author. Embarrassing, to say the least! Not to mention the re-write time involved in changing all the myriad references to your not-so-original creation. The Series Character Chronology lists by year of introduction each series character along with the type of character (inspector, police, detective, priest, lawyer, doctor, etc.) country where usually located, name of the author, and the number of books this character appears in. The Film Index lists movies by title, with the title of the book origin, the author of the book, the studio name, and the year of the movie. The Screenwriter's and Director's Indexes are self-explanatory. To summarize, this book is a joy to own and to the aspiring writer, invaluable with the information that can be gleaned. It is heartily recommended and would make an excellent "special" gift at Christmastime or birthday.

While somewhat dated, this is probably the best introduction to the period. I use the word "probably," because I am not an expert on Early Modern England, and therefore I do not know the entire literature available. What I can say, though, is that Russell's work is magnificantly written. The presentation of ideas is crystal clear and the writing is emotive and witty. In short, its a page turner (for a history nut). The glossary is incomplete but very helpful, and the revised bibiographic essay brings the reader closer (1988) to the contemporary historical debates. Having effortlessly read this book, I can easily engage more specilized studies of the period, like Russell's equally reccommended (though for different reasons) "The Fall of the British Monarchies 1637-1642," or Jonathan Scott's "England's Troubles."

This is THE essential title for any student studying the Early Modern British period. Informative, descriptive and passionatly imaginative this book brings together the threads of some of the greatest historians throughout the age (e.g. Clarendon) and intertwines them into something unique, bold and pioneering. Leading the thrust in revisionism Russell aproaches his work with a 'through' analysis of events (one even Wentworth would admire!). The way in which he combines facts, figures and enthusiastic description is one to be admired and one, as a devoted A-Level History student, I was eternally indebted to and grateful for.

This a fundamental book for all those who are interested either academically of personally in the history of the Reformation, specially in the XVIth and XVIIth centuries. Prof. Dr. Trevor-Hoper analyses deeply several aspects of the cultural, religious, economical and social history of that time of history. It is a key book for students, social scientists, historians and scientists of religion.

Fascinating history of the witch trials from their beginning in the hands of two monks trying to 'civilize' relatively pagan regions like the Alps and Pyrenees until their peak at the time of the deaths of Galileo, Descartes, and Kepler, and the birth of Newton. One learns that the Swedish Cristina, who attracted Descartes to Stockholm as her philosophy teacher, put the end to the witch trials there, after her father had contributed to the world the Thirty Years War. A good starter for anyone interested in the intermittent decline of the influence of religion in the west as the enlightenment caught steam.

I bought this book because I thought it was about Crowley cause I read the title wrong. It is actually a biography of Israel Regardie. it was a wonderful book, his life is more interesting than previously believed. Israel's life becomes another way of living with the occult as opposed to Crowley's extravagance.

This is a superb biography of Israel Regardie who is responsible for great Occult classics such as 'A garden of Pomegranates', 'The Tree of Life' and countless others. The question you need ask yourself is, are you a Freud person or a Jung person? I was always a Jung person and so from an Esoteric point of view I always found Regardie far more instructive and interesting than Crowley.

Through the eye's of Regardie, helped along by Suster's flowing objective style, we gain a valuable insight into the existence of the former under the wing of the Beast himself. Regardie was infact Crowley's secretary for some years and this is as much a story of two great lives intertwined. I thoroughly enjoyed this work and gained an immense respect for Regardie for being the ultimate, cooler head prevailing, in all circumstances.

Some lovely moments at the end have our author spending time with
Israel in old age somewhere in California, Regardie mimicking the old Beast as he calls out in mock Crowley fashion...

"Love is the bleedin law, love under bleedin will"

Priceless stuff. Who was the greater Magician? I'll let you work that out for yourself.