Book Description
The Gypsies portrayed in this book are the Vlax-speaking Rom, the largest group of Gypsies in the United States, numbering 500,000. Not officially recognized as a minority in the U.S. until 1972, Gypsies have led an almost entirely invisible existence here. Now in this fascinating work--the first complete account of American Gypsies--Sutherland has produced an in-depth look at the full range of everyday social life among the Rom. Separate, elusive, complex, and unique among the people of the world, Gypsies have preserved their traditional way of life. How have they avoided assimilation? What keeps them apart? How are they organized, and what do they believe? These and other important questions about these hidden Americans are addressed in Sutherland's contemporary study.
Customer Reviews:
gypsies; the review.......2006-08-08
This ethnography is detailed and well written, without being too long. If you are really interesrted in learning about the culture of gypsies living in America it is worth a read.
An honest view.......2006-02-23
If you are seeking an exciting, and completely false, account of the Roma in America(such as the reviewer above apparently is), then this is not the book for you. There are plenty of books that further damage our reputation with the stereotypes of our people. It is refreshing to read a very realistic account. People, like the reviewer above, need to realize that the stereotypes have caused extreme discrimination, all in the name of romanticized entertainment. If it doesn't hurt them, they don't care. As long as they have a good read, however fictional it is.
If you are seeking the truth about the Roma, then this book will be a good addition to your collection.
A great ethnographic study of a misunderstood ethnic group........1999-09-20
Due to its nature as an ethnographic study the book will apear as a dry relation of facts. However, the book carries get weight and is used in University Anthropology classes.
A Thorough resource.......1999-04-30
A previous comment expressed dissapointment in this book, due to it's scholarly (and thus dry) content. To those looking for excitement and romance about this "fascinating subject," there are countless books out there, weaving tales of unsubstantiated and perpetuated misinformation for the sake of romance. Indeed, someone who wants to find accurate, thorough material on the Rom (especially in the US) with atleast a modicum of objectivity, is probably frustrated by the plentitude of such romantic Gypsy books. Sutherland's book, which has been called "techno-babble," is in fact what serious researchers would call an "ethnography"-- an amazing modern invention (however dry), that if it existed years ago, so much romantic crap about the Rom wouldn't have been accepted in print and thus Gypsies everywhere would probably be less oppressed by other's damaging notions. There are too few real ethnographies on the Rom in the English language, and anyone interested in learning about the Rom population in the US will probably begin their research with this book. It's also important to note that (as the necessity of any ethnography that desires to be somewhat thorough) only a specific group is dealt with in the book, and generalizations about all Rom in the US would be difficult.
Amazon.com
They travel endlessly and seem to appear almost everywhere, yet they are the world's most mysterious people: Gypsies. Isabel Fonseca has done the impossible, entering into their world, living and traveling with Gypsies during several long trips to Eastern Europe, and she has brought back an insightful, highly personal, and very readable account of who the Gypsies are and how they live. The Gypsies have a legendary aversion to "gadje," or outsiders, but Fonseca has lifted the curtain and written gracefully about their lives on the edge of society.
Book Description
Isabel Fonseca describes the four years she spent with Gypsies from Albania to Poland, listening to their stories, deciphering their taboos, and befriending their matriarchs, activists, and child prostitutes. A masterful work of personal reportage, this volume is also a vibrant portrait of a mysterious people and an essential document of a disappearing culture. 50 photos.
Customer Reviews:
Bravo! .......2007-08-16
This book came highly recommended to me. Any book that aims at humanizing and demystifying the Roma people is a step in the right direction. I am a "white" American woman who has lived among the poorest of Gypsy people in the mountains of Romania. I can tell you from experience, these are a strong people, who have endured (and continue to endure) unimaginable hardships and prejudices. Many are unfairly shunned by society and go unrecognized by local governments. They are shoved to the side and forgotten. This book, "Bury Me Standing" is one of those books that everyone should read. You will be amazed at what you didn't know. You will be angry/sad/speechless as a result of what you find out. Read this book and then share it with others. It's a history that needs to be heard.
Gypsy Road.......2007-05-12
Isabel Fonseca has written a cleared-eyed, well documented account of gyspies, focusing on those she visited in Eastern Europe. It is a higly readable, provocative narrative about a population ignored and abused, but with a defined culture that continues to survive at the edge of the modern world.
Journeys with lonely souls- a letter to the author.......2007-01-25
Dear Ms. Fonseca,
Ever since meeting a small group of real Gypsies in New Jersey, USA (they were visiting my church), I have found them interesting. When your book came out (Bury Me Standing) I did not have the time then to read it. That was a while ago, I admit (shame on me), but now that I am half of the way through your book. (Tah dah!) I have some observations and one or two questions!
My `personal' gypsies came to my church, which at the time was kind of unconventional- maybe as unconventional for Christians as Gypsies are for people....maybe that's why they came. We were meeting at a rented banquet room in a Holiday Inn in Paramus, New Jersey on Route 17, the heart of tacky American suburban bourgeois capitalism at its best. At the time my best friend, her teenaged daughter and I hung around together a lot. They were Greek - very Greek, which somewhat prepared me to meet my first Gypsies. (I am half Polish American. The rest of my ancestry is a conglomeration of peoples from Northern European countries, with the exception of Ireland). So there we were, Greeks, Poles and Gypsies. They stayed for the service, (maybe they prayed...maybe not) ...had coffee and cookies/cake with us and as far as I know did not steal anything. But they were colorful. Not in a clothing or makeup sort of way, but they stood out, ya know? They were like a giraffe in a herd of elephants. I seem to like people that are colorful and a bit, well...different.
So now that I am finally reading your book I am wondering...how did the Gypsies make you feel, interiorly, inside yourself, when you were there among them? Did you feel safe? Challenged? Was there anything magical or mystical about them or is that all a bunch of crap? (Excuse the French). I am personally involved to some extent with metaphysical pursuits, so this interests me. Did they have one particular religious persuasion and did they keep that separate from any personal/folkloric practices? Do you think they stole more than their wonderfully trustworthy neighbors? (Personally I think all people steal. Polish people steal- we are just not as clever about it as the Gypsies. Americans steal too- only when Americans do it we dress up in suits and sit at fancy desks, no?)
Anyway- some observations : I like your writing style. It is funny in a dry way sometimes, which I like , as my sense of humor is very dry (so I am told). If you did not intend to be comical I apologize. I especially like the paragraph about trying to kill the chicken in the bathtub. (Page 128) .I laughed out loud. It seemed like something my Greek girlfriend would try.
Also: I like your picture on the jacket cover of the book.. If I met you I think I would probably be afraid of you. You are pretty but look a bit tough. And sly. Maybe they rubbed off on you a little, huh? (And no, I am not a man, and not a lesbian either. I am just a regular suburban housewife/nurse with a certain boldness, I guess.)
I also liked all the pictures. Gave everything a sense of reality- that you were not discussing a bunch of Gypsies in caravans in a movie or in the past, but real people that are living now, and being mistreated now. Makes one very nervous. Frightened. Who's this going to happen to next? (I knew they were targeted by Hitler in WWII but did not know they were still singled out in hate crimes in our generation. I am active in the Wiccan movement in the USA, which is now quite out in the open...I am concerned that the furture may hold for us what is has held for the Gypsy- being outcast, unaccepted and always on the fringe, the edge. Always outside, not unified . Vulnerable and targeted.)
I am also wondering- why did you write about Gypsies? As a group in rather challenging geographical areas, it must have been dangerous for you to visit and chronicle them. I tried to figure this out from the sparse notes on the book but you are a mystery woman.
Well, that's it for now. Gotta get back to the book. More later....
January 16...Finally finished the book ! Hazzah! Very nice. I felt somewhat sad afterwards though. They have no unified voice, only weeping for their collective soul. Much misery and heartbreak. I will remember them forever now, each time I see a golden coin. Thank you for a very good read.
That was my letter to the author Ms. Fonseca- hope you enjoyed it!
Kore Gallagher, USA
Excellent.......2006-11-03
A well-researched and -presented ethnography of this mysterious culture. The author's in-depth examination, including interviews and observations, helps to illuminate fascinating realities as well as offer intriguing possibilities regarding the gypsy mind-set and world-view.
Well Research and Developed, If Now a Bit Dated.......2006-09-15
Gypsies,(from Egyptians) or the more politically correct ROM or Roma or Romani have been around in Europe especially, have been the rug that you wipe you feet on before going into "Civilized" Eastern Europe. More than any group, except for the American Indians or Indigineous Peoples of Central and South America, the Rom have been looked at as being below contempt. They are the epitome of dirt, thievery, illiteracy, uncontrolled procreation and uselessness.
On the scale of untermenschen (underpeople) the Nazis listed them with the mentally and physically handicapped as chronically criminal and not worthy of mention in most of their racial laws. They usually qualified under the catchall 'other'. They have suffered mostly because they are a 'people' without a history. Who are they? Where do they come from? What is that language they speak? How are they all related?
Isabel Fonseca spent years with them, learning their customs and language and trying to understand what they are/were. But even she will admit that it is impossible to understand the Rom unless you are a Rom. You are the ultimate outsider, without an advocate
for your rights of nationality and homeland.
In 21st century Europe, where most post WWII nations are mostly ethnically homogenized (with almost all Western European nations having non-statistically significant minorities), they still stand out like a sore thumb. Unlike Turks in Germany, and Arabs in France, what homeland would you repatriate them to? Egypt? India? Persia? if they won't/don't choose to assimilate?
This IS a great sociological study, written with compassion and finese. Read it.
Book Description
This stunning Russian lacquer-style package of twenty-five full-color cards and accompanying book combines the beauty of Russian lacquer box art with the fun of an age-old gypsy system for revealing your path in life.
Customer Reviews:
Yeesh, good........2007-09-22
I found these to be eerily accurate. They told me one thing right off and I thought--"No way." Wrong! These can be almost spooky. The only thing is, like any tool of divination, the less you use it the more accurate it will be. It's like there's a tank that has to fill up again. I also like the fact that these are made to read on yourself--unlike tarot, at least I've head psychics tell me you can't read tarot cards on yourself because wishful thinking has too big an impact on the outcome. Anyway, these cost quite a bit but are a breath of fresh air and the commentaries are steeped in sanity and good sense, too.
A daily ritual..........2007-06-30
These cards are something very special.
ALWAYS accurate...
Buy them and be astonished.
VAV
The best deck. .......2007-06-27
I fell in love with the Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards the first time I laid them out. I love the way all of the cards are used. Finding matches takes concentration and is fun. The advice in the book is like having a trusted aunt to guide you. I would recommend this book to anyone. I have multiple copies for gifts and in case anything should ever happen to my original deck, I have another.
Eerily Accurate!.......2007-06-19
I love these cards even though most of the time they tend to lean toward the glass being half-empty, from my experience. Even so, they're amazingly accurate, especially with the short-term results; my mind is *still* boggled from them calling it that I'd be fired --- I'd thought "no way!", and a day or two later, found out "yes way!" LOL! I've got my fingers crossed that their other, more enjoyable predictions for me will come true.
They also are a wonderful complement to a tarot reading, such as a Celtic Cross reading --- either for clarification on a Gypsy card reading, or vice versa. It doesn't hurt that the cards themselves are *gorgeous*. Full of rich color and beauty. My favorite card is the Heron. (I believe #17.) Definitely recommend. :-)
Not for me!!!.......2007-04-11
I was really looking forward to getting these cards - the concept seemed unique and fascinating. However, when I got them, I was very disappointed. There are too many gloom and doom cards (it would almost make you dread a reading) - and the explanations for the cards are very narrow as compared to tarot cards. There wasn't any room for interpretation, imagination, or getting that '6th sense' feel for the question you asked. If you love tarot because of the never-ending learning and twists and turns that comes with each reading, you won't like this method.
Book Description
At the age of twelve, Jan Yoors ran away from his privileged, cultured Belgian family and home to join a wandering band, a kumpania, of Gypsies. For ten years, he lived as one of them, traveled with them from country to country, shared both their pleasures and their hardships--and came to know them as no one, no outsider, ever has. Here, in this firsthand and highly personal account of an extraordinary people, Yoors tells the real story of the Gypsies' fascinating customs and their neverending struggle to survive as free nomads in a hostile world.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-07-05
I really enjoyed reading about Gypsy life. When traveling I would see gypsy caravans here and there in Europe and have been fascinated by their life. This book having been told through the eyes of someone that lived in their world yet came from ours was really engaging. I was surprised to find out about the culture and many rules for making this life work. Also, it was so different than I expected since Gypsy life is very stereotyped; as with most groups there are good and bad members. Jan Yoors was fortunate to have been attached to this kind and loving group of travelers. I was amazed that his parents allowed him to continue to travel with the Gypsies at such a young age. I would be interested to know more about how they could reason that out. Also, it would have been helpful if the book had a glossary for the many words used to describe the Gypsy customs. This book has encouraged me to learn more about the Gypsies.
One of the best Romani resources........2006-08-02
I am of Romani descent, my ancestors were Czech, and as a girl my great-grandmother told me fascinating stories about her family's nomadic lifestyle. For me, Yoors' work was a continuation of my grannies stories. Of all the material I have read on the Romani, I found "The Gypsies" to be the most concise. Yoors had the amazing opportunity to not only observe the Romani society, but also to be absorbed into it. The readers are given the rare gift of seeing dual sides of the story. Because of his young age, he was able to enter into their society with few cultural biases. At the same time, because he was a gaje he was able to appreciate and embrace the cultural differences. This is a wonderful chronicle of a beautiful culture, which unfortunately is fading fast. For infomation on present day Romani, "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonseca is a great resource.
Oliver's opinion.......2006-05-19
First I have to admit I am a gaje. However, I have an adopted grandson who is Gypsy. He is from a small town in Hungary near the Russian border. I have read a number of books related to the Gypsys and without a doubt this is absoultely the best as it deals with the lives of the Gypsy rather than the meaningless statistics of them or the hardships they have endured. The book left me with a number of unanswered questions such as what happened to Pulika and some of the others that Jan Yoors was associated with during his travels. I have somewhat of an understanding of why Yoors wrote the book in the manner in which he did because of the phylosophy of the Gypsys and their concept of today, completely disregarding yesterday and tomorrow as well as his deep feeling for those with whom he was associated. I found the answer to my questions by reading a follow-up article which answered most of my questions. That article is located at the following website and I would suggest reading this article only after reading the book. It is most unfortunate that Jan Yoors died at such a young age as he obviously had much to offer humanity in its consideration and accepatance of those who are unlike ourselves, but who at the same time have much to offet our society, regardless of the differences in customs and heritage. My grandson has taught me much about being different, which is a lesson much appreciated. Jan Yoors has done mankind a great service in sharing his experiences with us. God rest his soul and give him peace as the Gypsys would want. The site for a follow-up is http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/narrative/digest/notable/gypsy-mjones-010178-a.html
Entertaining.......2006-03-15
I am only about 30 pages into the book, but it is very informative and entertaining. I originally read - Bury Me Standing - and though it was thorough and concise, -The Gypsies - is a view of life with the nomadic Rom as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Colorful, whimsical, mysical.
MB
Transports us to another world, another time.......2006-02-13
I have to confess to not having read this book in over 30 years, when I was young and easily impressed, but it's a book I've never forgotten. It may have been the source of my own wanderlust (satisfied, fortunately, by the US Army).
Gypsies are universally scorned, often by people who never even met one. Reading this book taught me more than about Gypsies, but also the need to keep an open mind in the face of uninformed prejudices. (As if a Jew wouldn't know that.)
It doesn't hurt that the author was also a gifted writer. This book is a delightful read from first page to last.
[May 2005: Have discovered another, maybe better, book on Gypsies: BURY ME STANDING, by Isabel Fonseca. Less romantic, more factual, more pieces of the puzzle filled in.]
Average customer rating:
- A selection of seven articles that Steinbeck wrote in 1936
- Was It Really A Novel?
- . . .a prerequisite to In Dubious Battle. . .
|
The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Heyday Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
History | Subjects | Books | Africa | Americas | Ancient | Arctic & Antarctica | Asia | Australia & Oceania | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Europe | Gay & Lesbian | Historical Study | Large Print | Middle East | Military | Military Science | Russia | United States | World
Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
General | Steinbeck, John | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Steinbeck, John | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Labor & Industrial Relations | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Art | Arts & Photography | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Shakespeare, William | Shaw, George Bernard | Stevenson, Robert Louis | Stoker, Bram
Essays | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Cather, Willa | General | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Irving, Washington | Melville, Herman | Poe, Edgar Allen | Twain, Mark | Wharton, Edith | Whitman, Walt
Labor & Industrial Relations | Politics | Nonfiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Journalism | Writing | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
-
Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath
-
Life in a California Mission: Monterey in 1786 : The Journals of Jean Francois De LA Perouse
-
Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family
-
Steinbeck: A Life in Letters
-
Under God
ASIN: 1890771619 |
Book Description
Recently listed in the Top 100 List of the Century's Best American Journalism
Gathered in this important volume are seven newspaper articles on migrant farm workers that John Steinbeck wrote for "The San Francisco News" in 1936, three years before _The Grapes of Wrath_. With the inquisitiveness of an investigative reporter and the emotional power of a novelist in his prime, Steinbeck toured the squatters' camps and Hoovervilles of California. Here he found once strong, independent farmersthe backbone of rural Americaso reduced in dignity, beaten in spirit, sick, sullen, and defeated that they had been "cast down to a kind of subhumanity." He contrasts their misery with the hope offered by government resettlement camps, where self-help committees, child nurseries, quilting and sewing projects, and decent sanitation were restoring dignity and indeed saving lives.
_The Harvest Gypsies_ gives us an eyewitness account of the horrendous Dust Bowl migration, a major event in California history, and provides the factual foundation for Steinbeck's masterpiece, _The Grapes of Wrath_. Included are twenty-two photographs by Dorothea Lange and others, many of which accompanied Steinbeck's original articles.
Customer Reviews:
A selection of seven articles that Steinbeck wrote in 1936.......2003-03-09
Readers seeking a full experience of John Steinbeck's literary style won't want to miss Harvest Gypsies, a selection of seven articles that Steinbeck wrote in 1936 about the plight of migrant farmworkers during the Dust Bowl migration. Black and white photos accompany his report on conditions and experiences, weaving a masterful selection of insights which go beyond history into personal observation.
Was It Really A Novel?.......2000-11-08
Were the "Grapes of Wrath" published today, it may like other recent books, have been classified as historical fiction as opposed to a novel. I am thinking specifically of "Artemisia" that was published as both in different countries. How the work is classified is not critical, as either way it is one of the finest pieces of literature that has been written, and for many people, Steinbeck's finest work.
"The Harvest Gypsies" is a collection of 7 articles that Mr. Steinbeck wrote as a journalist. All were concerned with the issues he dealt with in the resulting book. This small volume is greatly enhanced by the photographs of Dorothea Lange, and the introduction of Charles Wollenberg.
One of the people the book was dedicated to was "Tom", actually Tom Collins, who was a manager of a federal migrant labor camp in California. The lines of fact and fiction are eventually blurred with him, as Tom Collins was the model for the character of "Jim Rawley" manager of "The Wheatpatch Camp" in "The Grapes Of Wrath". Ms. Lange's photographs could have been illustrations for Mr. Steinbeck's book, for when viewing them you can pick out the faces that could have accounted for the members of Steinbeck's epic.
This is a very brief book, but it portrays the migratory farm workers lives, as being even worse, if that can be imagined. A novel always offers the ultimate refuge of being fiction; these 7 articles and their photographs take away that solace. The brutality, random murder, and disease that was rampant, and the State of California that allowed the behaviors, are atrocious. In the context of one of the writings, one of the large growers who sanctioned the killing and starvation that was part of the agriculture industry stated that, "without a peon population the economy of California could not function". Steinbeck takes this statement of arrogance and ignorance, that is routinely spoken by any exploiter, and logically demonstrates that were this indeed the case, the state could no longer exist. For were it to continue to exist with its fascist policies, the most basic of Democratic rights would have to be absented.
Milk, that played so prominent a role in the book is spoken of extensively in the articles. Many of the most painful parts of the book were so common in reality, that the book may seem mild at times.
No matter how many times you have read the book, once this collection of articles are read, the experience of the book will not only change, I believe it will be enhanced.
. . .a prerequisite to In Dubious Battle. . ........1999-04-15
Three of Steinbeck's social novels--In Dubious Battle, The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men--are enhanced after reading this work. This work is the prelude to three of Steinbeck's most socially poweful novels. To fully understand what Steinbeck is striving to accomplish with Battle and Wrath, and to fully round out your history/literature lesson, it is essential to understand something about the socialist movement--birth of communisim--and the general exploitation of the fruit-pickers of California. The big businesses of that day, not much different from various big businesses of today, treated employees like machines--replacing them as needed--after being hurt on unsafe equipment, etc.--without regarding their well-being, or considering the hungry mouths of their families. The Harvest Gypsies is a crutial text in the study of California before uniouns began revolting against the machine.
Product Description
`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.
Customer Reviews:
Check and see.......2007-06-21
I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.
Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22
Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.
Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05
We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:
a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;
b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;
c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.
Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:
It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.
Fomenko goes by the following axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.
Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?
The Russians:
Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.
The Westerners:
Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.
The Chinese:
Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.
The Arabs:
Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.
The Divinity:
Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.
According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.
St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."
Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09
After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.
However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:
- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.
I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.
The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.
It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?
Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.
Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30
If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?
Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.
Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..
Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.
Average customer rating:
- Gypsies of the World - a Voyage in Words and Pictures
|
Gypsies of the World
Nebojsa Bato Tomasevic ,
Rajko Djuric ,
Rajko Uric , and
Dragoljub Zamurovic
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Bargain Books | Stores | Books | Arts & Photography | Audiobooks | Biography | Business & Investing | Calendars | Children | Computers & Internet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Film | Greeting Cards & Accessories | Health, Mind & Body | History | Home & Garden | Humor, Comics & Pop Culture | Literature & Fiction | Mysteries & Thrillers | Nonfiction | Parenting & Families | Reference | Religion & Spirituality | Romance | Science & Nature | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Sports | Teens | Travel
General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0805009248 |
Customer Reviews:
Gypsies of the World - a Voyage in Words and Pictures.......1997-10-05
As a historian, I have to choose my books wisely, especially when I am referring them to another. For the past several years, I have been studying the history and culture of Gypsies, and have read several dozen books on the subject. This work, by far, has remained my favourite. Not the type of book used in a dissertation, Gypsies of the World is nevertheless a constant pleasure, and a reminder of why I am so fond of studying the marvelous race known as the Romani. The book traces the path of Gypsy migrations from their homeland in India and Afghanistan through the Middle-East, across the Bosporus to Europe, and to the tips of Spain and Britain. It is the account of the author's travels through these lands, accompanied by some helpful and some not so helpful guides. Throughout, snippets of historical and cultural anecdotes remind us of the well-seasoned traditions of these people. The pictures are, for lack of a better word, breath-taking. This book is a must for those who have read the works of such autho
Average customer rating:
- Excellent deck for those who want something a little different
- Movie and RenFaire "Gypsies"
- A Personal Favorite
- Be a Gypsy - or at least use appropriate cards...
- Simple, Effiecient and Full of Energy!
|
Buckland Romani Tarot: In the Authentic Gypsy Tradition
Raymond Buckland
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards
Tarot | Divination | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Personal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 156718099X |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent deck for those who want something a little different.......2006-01-07
Being a great fan of borderless cards, the Romani deck was already destined to be a favorite in my tarot deck collection. The colors in the images run the gamut from bold primaries to soft and muted pastels and earth tones. Those who appreciate the symbolism of color in tarot will enjoy this deck for that characteristic. The same is true for the use of crystals and gemstones, although without the accompanying book, it would be difficult to determine which stones were which in the jewelry worn by female and male characters on the cards.
The addition of a brief description of the history of Romani gypsies and their way of life was a bonus for me - learning that Romani society was a matriarchal one also explained the use of a female figure for the Magician. There is further detail about Romani culture where appropriate in the discussion of individual cards. Buckland does not stick with the traditional names for the trumps - instead, they are labeled "one" to "twenty-one" with the Romani translation for each. (The back of the guidebook gives a brief Romani/English dictionary, with definitions of the words used in the text of the guidebook.) Court cards are Page, Knight, Queen and King.
Buckland has named the four suits in the Romani (gypsy) language. Koros are cups, koshes are wands, bolers are pentacles and chivs are swords. The elemental correspondences remain the same as in most Rider Waite Smith (RWS) clones, with koshes (wands) representing fire and chivs (swords) representing air. This deck was a refreshing departure for me from other RWS-like decks. In many of the cards, it is easy to apply traditional interpretations. However, there are few cards - most notably the Nine of Chivs - which have an interpretation all their own, and it is for the reader to determine. The text of Buckland's guidebook does not compel the tarot reader to accept a specific interpretation of any specific cards. He has the reader examine all the details of a card and interpret the one that really "pops" for the reader at the time of laying the spread. In fact, Buckland urges the reader to study this deck (and any other) intensively, reading as much about tarot card interpretations as possible, "[b]ut then, put the books away and go by your own feelings." This is a liberating admonition, particularly for intuitive readers, as it gives the reader permission to fully explore and interpret the meaning of a card once laid in a spread, relative to the Seeker and the card's position in the spread.
Notwithstanding some reviewers' comments about the quality of Lisanne Lake's art (if I were looking for a work of art, I would invest in art, not tarot cards), an excellent deck for those who are looking for a fresh perspective.
Movie and RenFaire "Gypsies".......2005-06-07
I bought this Tarot out of curiosity, because I've found some (not all) of Mr. Buckland's books useful or entertaining. The set does have its intriguing points; however, it doesn't quite achieve what its creators seem to be attempting.
Part of the problem is that Lissanne Lake simply isn't a very good artist. She has trouble with perspective: things that should be seen foreshortened aren't (this is particularly obvious in the suit of Swords, or "Chivs" as Buckland calls it). Figures in many Minor Arcana cards seem crudely or hastily drawn: this isn't the conscious, self-accepting, *deliberately* childlike imagery of Noble and Vogel's "Motherpeace" Tarot; it's simply bad drawing. (The Nine of Cups -- "Koros" -- is, anatomically speaking, appalling.) It's difficult to focus on the significance of the card or the image when distracted by pictures more poorly drawn than they need to be.
Hand in hand with this is Buckland's insistence on the significance of very small details. He'll describe a particular figure -- the woman pictured on the Queen of Wands ("Koshes"), say -- as wearing "necklaces of amber, lapis lazuli, garnets, and alternating jade and carnelian" beads ... and then go on to explain, in specific and excruciating detail, the significance of each of these stones. This is somewhat pointless if the user has to look such details up in the guidebook every single time the card turns up, but that's the only way it can be done, since the "necklaces" are depicted only as brownish beads (amber? copper? wood?), blue beads (lapis? sapphire? turquoise? faience? Each would have a different meaning), red-brown beads, and alternating red and green beads. Similarly, what's the point of having the characters in the Three of Cups surrounded by crocuses ("represent[ing] youthful gladness") if the picture shows only purple dots, or specifying that the flowers in the Four of Cups are "narcissus, a symbol of reflection, disappointment, and disdain," if they look like only yellow blobs? If the details are important, make them visible.
(One instance isn't just bad art, it's bad research: the pink wildflowers in the Eight of Cups card are specified as being "primroses ... [signifying] seeing through deception"; but wild primroses are yellow, not pink.)
The "borderless" layout of the cards is another drawback, since the captions have been laid directly on top of the images -- sometimes with unintended results. Of Card 21, in other decks called "The World", for instance, Buckland points out that the four animals shown -- bird, fox, rabbit, and snake -- can easily represent the four traditional elements of air, fire, earth, and water. But on the card itself, it's hard not to overlook the rabbit, since it's almost completely hidden behind the caption frame.
And then there is the cultural bias. Understand, I mean no disrespect to the gentleman who gave the world the immortal "Magick of Chant-O-Matics". But I wish someone would inform Mr. Buckland, who claims "Gypsy" heritage himself, that "Gypsy" and "English Gypsy of the early 20th century" are not synonymous. The illustrations and the descriptions in the book seem to reflect a specific and heavily George-Borrow-influenced vision of "Gypsy" life and culture -- what Ian Hancock called "the figure with which the Gypsy is today most often associated: a composite Gypsy, wearing Spanish flamenco dancer's dress, traveling in an English Gypsy caravan, playing Hungarian Gypsy music".
I don't regret buying this set, but it's not going to become one of my regular decks.
A Personal Favorite.......2005-02-04
I have only been reading tarot cards for about 10 years, but this deck is priceless to me. It was given to me by someone very close to me, and ironically, they share the same last name as the creator Raymond Buckland. I was amazed how accurate these cards were the first time I used them. I have read from a few tarot decks before, and this is the first deck that made me feel like the answers just flowed from the cards. The Romani Deck allows flexability and interpritation, where most seem to be set in a specific pattern of what the cards meant.
This deck is also so beautiful, that you almost feel like you're inside the pictures. My personal favorite is the 3 of Chivs. The amount of detail that Lissanne Lake has put into her artwork is truely breath-taking. Anyone can become a gypsy with this deck. It makes it so easy to understand why gypsies are believed to have magic in their soul. This is deffinately a deck that I will recomend to my friends, and someday pass down to my children.
Be a Gypsy - or at least use appropriate cards..........2003-04-14
I don't own very many Tarot decks - I've never been interested in collecting them. I'm a lot more interested in using a deck that speaks to me - a deck that allows me to be a better reader for others.
I find the vibrant colors and highly evocative imagery of this deck to be one of the more interesting I've ever used. The basic images aren't that different from other decks that you won't know what the cards mean anymore, but they're different enough to allow you to gain a whole new insight on the Tarot by using this deck.
The four cards that are shown in the picture section give you a good idea of what some of the cards from this deck look like. I'm particularly fond of the secondary interpretations that one can divine from these cards. Are those Gypsy children getting a drink from the cups on the stairs of the Six of Cups or are they spiking a cup with a Gypsy love potion? It's up to the reader to decide - based on the cards around you in a reading.
The art is fantastic and reminds me a lot of the supposed Gypsy heritage of Tarot cards, although some people might be put off by that type of imagery. The colors and symbolism give me a great insight when using this deck to give readings to others.
The book is very informative and it's use of the images from the cards enhances it's value to potential users of this deck.
But it's not too overpowering for new Tarot readers either, and that's a big plus. This deck might work well at a carnival or renaissance fair if you want to give it an ideal flavor. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Tarot reading, especially if you are interested in Tarot readings for other people, and not just self discovery.
Simple, Effiecient and Full of Energy!.......2002-08-14
After taking a very interesting tarot reading in downtown sau paulo, I was hooked this original method of divination. I started looking around for something that displays the tradition in itself and is also well designed to learn from and for quicker reading. Many books were on the subject, some kits which contain the decks too. However, most were designed in a way that only experienced tarot readers would be interested. I lost my desire after a while. Then, I came across the Buckland Romani Tarot kit. I was impressed by the cover art done by Lissane Lake so I bought it as a last chance pursuit. Three weeks later, I was literally being paid a visit by friends and relatives who were amazed by the degree of accuricy and speed of my previous readings. It took me two days to get the actual hand and with the amazing, thorough guide book that comes with this deck, I quickly became a Gypsy myself! This is an amazing kit, just looking at the deck itself i sense the power within. If you're interested in tarot and you want to be a part of this amazing art, buy this and only this!
Average customer rating:
- Now this was a hot romance!
- Gypsy Lord
- So good. Love it!
- One of the books that got me hooked on romance!
- What a great stroy!
|
Gypsy Lord
Kat Martin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Martin, Kat | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Martin, Kat | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Historical | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
-
Devil's Prize
-
Bold Angel
-
Nothing But Velvet
-
Innocence Undone
-
Wicked Promise
ASIN: 0312928785 |
Book Description
He was Dominic Edgemont, Lord Nightwyck, heir to the Marquis of Gravenwold. But he was also a dark-eyed, half-gypsy bastard....When tall, handsome Dominic sees one of his Romany band whipping a beautiful, flame-haired captive, he never dreams she is a pampered heiress stolen fro the English court. To have her, he will pay a king's ransom and make himself her lord.Lovely Catrina forbids Dominic her bed, but her fiery temper is no match for his cool determination to take her as his lover. Still, she will not be passion's slave forever. She and her Gypsy Lord will meet again-in a glittering London setting, far from the rustic tent they shared. Will her desire for revenge overwhelm her natural urge to love?
Customer Reviews:
Now this was a hot romance!.......2007-02-07
All in this series were great romantic reads. Dominic had some significant issues to deal with being half gypsy. Catherine is just the temprest that will take ahold of his heart and the passion will melt the wall he has around his heart. I absolutely loved this book. It was full of emotion and also had a bit of a mystery involved with who was trying to kill Catherine. These two were both passionate individuals that were perfect for each other.
Gypsy Lord.......2006-11-04
This book was awesome, true to form for Kat Martin. I have all her books, and I have never been disappointed with any of them!
So good. Love it!.......2005-10-17
I really love this book, especially the second part in England after they met again. Catherine has such spirit I adore her. It broke my heart at the scene in the gazebo. It's so touching. I am going to look for a copy as my own.
One of the books that got me hooked on romance!.......2003-08-28
I began reading romance novels almost two years ago. I have always been a voracious reader and shunned romance writing - assuming it would be all formula and no real story. Gypsy Lord was one of the first romance books I read and it greatly influenced my decision to begin reading romance novels seriously. Since then, I have discovered a wonderful array of excellent romance writers and have enjoyed this genre tremendously. Recently I picked up Gypsy Lord again to see if it still seemed that same rich and sexy story I recalled. I was not disappointed. It was as great on this second read as I had remembered it.
Dominic Edgemont, the Marquess of Gravenwold, is half English and half gypsy. His mother had raised him in the gypsy camps of France until his noble English father claimed him at the age of eleven. Since that time, most of Dominic's life had been spent at his father's English estate or in English schools. Dominic hated this new English existence and hated his father for deserting his mother. Although Dominic was still allowed to see his mother, the visits were infrequent and short. Gradually he had come to accept the English way of life. Although he was his father's bastard, Dominic was his heir to a vast fortune and estate. He is considered a dark, intriguing man among London society. It is rumored that he may have some gypsy heritage but he is still considered a most desirable man. Dominic rarely attends functions of the ton but is always a source of great speculation when he does. The ladies, always hoping to get a look at the mysterious, handsome man, wished Dominic would honor them with his attention. Dominic, however, seldom noticed any lady and remained an enigmatic and fascinating personage.
Catherine Barrington, Countess of Arondale, is a young noble woman entrenched in the social activities of the London ton. She is one of the wealthiest heiresses in England and knows she must marry and produce an heir. However, she is not very interested in marriage. Of course, Catherine is highly sought after in the marriage market. One night at a social event, she hears of the mysterious nobleman with the rumored gypsy heritage, and tries in vain to get a glimpse of him. He is much the talk among the ladies and Catherine wishes she could meet him. Within a few days of this party, Catherine is kidnapped, sold as a slave, and is taken to France. She lives a cruel life, beaten and abused, and is eventually sold to a gypsy.
Dominic, now twenty-eight years old, is spending several months with his mother's gypsy caravan in France. Since reaching adulthood, Dominic had chosen to spend these months each year with the gypsies of his childhood. Now maturity was forcing Dominic to accept his dual heritage and leave one behind. Although he loved the gypsy life, he knew he must now live in England year round. His father was close to death and he knew his responsibilities would require much of his time. Dominic hears a woman being beaten one night and runs to protect her. He discovers a beautiful young lady, obviously with no gypsy heritage, and in his attempt to keep her from harm, buys her from her gypsy owner. Dominic, of course, has just purchased Catherine, knowing nothing of her English heritage, and the love story begins. He is very attracted to her and informs her of his desire for her. Although he has saved her from a beating and worse, his expression of desire insults Catherine. She has changed from a quiet noble lady to a seemingly viscous and confrontational woman. She will not allow Dominic near her and their battle of the wills is one for the record books. I got a little tired of Catherine's hatefulness toward Dominic since he had rescued her from the whip of an enraged gypsy, paid a fortune for her, and treated her kindly when all other gypsies regarded her only with hostility and suspicion. But if she had not been so willful with Dominic, the physical aspect of their relationship would have begun earlier and somehow part of the story would have been missing. Although Dominic doesn't consider himself to be a gentleman, he is gracious and polite (mostly) to Catherine.
This book is almost divided in half. Most of the first portion of the book takes place in the gypsy camps in France. The second half of the book occurs in England. The eventual meeting of Dominic and Catherine in England, when each discovers the other's title and position in society, is priceless. The chemistry between these two is fantastic and covers nearly each page during the last half of the book. The sensual scenes rate about a 3.5 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines) but don't let that mislead you. This is one of those books that doesn't need specific descriptions of the sensual scenes to produce the chemistry between the leads.
Kat Martin continues to be one of my favorite romance authors. Her books are never shallow and she has the ability to write typical romance plot lines and make them seem totally atypical. I have now read eleven Martin books and I would give at least six of them a five star review. Only one of the eleven seemed weak to me. If you have not tried Kat Martin books, I recommend that you begin with some of her older novels. She has a very large backlist and nearly all of her "out of publication" books are available online for reasonable prices.
What a great stroy!.......2003-05-23
This is a very entertaining and moving tale of how badly love can go wrong, and how quickly love can make it all right again. I truly loved this novel. Catherine and Dominic are both head strong, stubborn, but also very passionate and very much in love. It takes a very long time for the both of them to realize just how much they love each other, and because of their stubborn pride, and they constant misunderstandings their love almost doesn't come into being. They both fight to keep their current lives under the control they feel they need, and struggle to stay apart from each other as if they know that in some way a life together would bring an end to all that they had promised themselves.
I found myself wantnig the best for both characters and scolding them for being so stubborn, but with that in mind I can never doubt Ms. Martin's ability to make a character true and believable. This was a book that kept me reading hour after hour and wanting to know what would happen next. I enjoyed it throughly, and would recommend it to everyone.
Book Description
Bent willow furniture, an early American craft, was a familiar sight on the front porches of America until the 1930s. Now in an easy to follow, step-by-step instructional book, one of America's foremost makers of twig furniture shares the technique. Starting with a basic arm chair, he also shows the creative possibilities of the form. Each step is illustrated with a full color photograph, making it easy to construct garden furniture for your home.
, 200 color photos, 8 1/2" x 11"
Customer Reviews:
The book is well worth owning, the title is a bit of a stretch.......2006-08-23
I've got two willow furniture books so far, this one and "Making Bent Willow Furniture" by Brenda & Brian Cameron (Amazon has both), and think this one may just be the better book for the beginner. You don't get as much in the way of furniture design (there are three pieces in the book, the two most likely to be valued are on the cover)but for what you do get there is a lot of detail shown here.
Not as much information on the Willow itself as the Cameron book, the method of construction for the chair is very similar but simplified in some ways which will make it easier for the first time chair builder. Fewer tools are listed, that will help (and give a more rustic appearance) you get started as will a very detailed set of photos covering just about anything you'll need to know.
I'd like a few more details given to such things as using nails and cutting/storing the willow you'll use but think this book is really worth owning. Anything you don't find here the Cameron's probably have in their book but this one will have enough to get a chair done for you. I think I even like Mr. Willow's chair design variation a little bit better.
Great book.......2002-05-06
How anyome can call this book garbage is beyond me. It is extremely helpful if you are serious about making a willow project. The step by step instructions are very helpful especially if you are a beginner. The pictures are clear and very helpful. I would recommend this book above all others and I have them all. Would really like to meet this author and thank him personaly. The only problem I had was finding the ardox nails recommended in the book.....
Great way to delve into making willow furniture.......1999-09-26
Bim Willows "how to" book on making willow furniture is a great place for beginners to look for basic information. Easy to follow, concise, with many clear and helpful photographs make this book worthwhile. It has been a lot of fun!
An easy-to-understand course on how to build a willow chair.......1999-09-24
This book is a simple mini-course that provides explicit directions, through clear photos, for building two willow furniture projects. I can't think of any other treatment that would so clearly teach the contruction techniques involved in making this style of chair. Any reader can be assured that she will be able to create a perfect copy of Bim Willow's chair design through the use of this book. Further exploration of rustic chair building is dependent on the motivation and imagination of the reader, as general concepts of rustic furniture design are not covered. Other titles, (Mack) cover history and design. This book beautifully serves its purpose as a beginners guide to building that first rustic willow chair.
overstuffed garbage.......1999-09-08
this booked is filled with pictures and worthless info. There are much better books, by much better furniture makers. If you want to indulge in someones ego trip read thos book
Books:
- Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
- The Sight
- Introduction to Precious Metal Clay: Instructions for Creating Fine Silver or Gold Jewelry Using Thi
- Secret Rendezvous
- Nature's Art Box: From t-shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natur
- The Diversity of Life
- The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln
- Race, Sex and Gender in Contemporary Art: The Rise of Minority Culture
- Parenting in the Smart Zone
- My Weird Little War