The Glass Menagerie
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Illusion and Escape
  • Glass Menagerie
  • hits all the right notes
  • A sad story that preaches family unity and self sacrifice
  • more than just readable material
 The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams
Manufacturer: New Directions Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

EntertainmentEntertainment | Subjects | Books | Humor | Movies | Music | Performing Arts | Pop Culture | Puzzles & Games | Radio | Sheet Music & Scores | Television
United StatesUnited States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Williams, TennesseeWilliams, Tennessee | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby
  2. Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays) Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays)
  3. Our Town : A Play in Three Acts (Perennial Classics) Our Town : A Play in Three Acts (Perennial Classics)
  4. A Raisin in the Sun A Raisin in the Sun
  5. The Crucible (Penguin Classics) The Crucible (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 0811214044

Book Description

No play in the modern theatre has so captured the imagination and heart of the American public as Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie. Menagerie was Williams's first popular success and launched the brilliant, if somewhat controversial, career of our pre-eminent lyric playwright. Since its premiere in Chicago in 1944, with the legendary Laurette Taylor in the role of Amanda, the play has been the bravura piece for great actresses from Jessica Tandy to Joanne Woodward, and is studied and performed in classrooms and theatres around the world. The Glass Menagerie (in the reading text the author preferred) is now available only in its New Directions Paperbook edition. A new introduction by prominent Williams scholar Robert Bray, editor of The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, reappraises the play more than half a century after it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award: "More than fifty years after telling his story of a family whose lives form a triangle of quiet desperation, Williams's mellifluous voice still resonates deeply and universally." This edition of The Glass Menagerie also includes Williams's essay on the impact of sudden fame on a struggling writer, "The Catastrophe of Success," as well as a short section of Williams's own "Production Notes." The cover features the classic line drawing by Alvin Lustig, originally done for the 1949 New Directions edition.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Illusion and Escape.......2007-08-23

"Glass Menagerie" provides a surreal tale of the Wingfield family and their diverse struggles with fantasy and reality. Set in St. Louis during the Great Depression, the play revolves around Amanda and her adult children, Tom and Laura, struggling to make ends meet in a St. Louis tenement. Although each cannot grip the realities of the modern world, they seek escape in different ways. Amanda deludes herself into thinking she is still a Southern debutante with many gentleman callers. Laura escapes into her fantasy world ruled by delicate glass animals, her "glass menagerie." Tom, constantly accosted and criticized by Amanda, seeks escape through movies and booze.

Doubtless, the theme of abandonment looms large throughout the play. The presence of their father, although only his picture is seen, plays on all their emotions. Unfortunately for them, he "fell in love with long distances" and abandoned them at an early age. This instills fear in Amanda that Tom would follow the same path and she tries to control his every action. Indeed, her smothering of Tom and her incessant accusations of selfishness lend her an unsympathetic aura.

Williams uses unusual cues and images for a play, as he forsakes the illusion of reality. Indeed, the novel is almost a dream-like existence, as it is contrived from the deep memories of Tom. Although reality may not have a firm hand, the theme of control and a yearn to escape is a biting reality that many people face today. Indeed, Tom seeks to escape the "coffin" of his existence, as he attempts to break away from the iron hand of his mother. Unfortunately for him, this also means abandoning his sister Laura if he chooses this path.

Although it is a short novel and quick read, "Glass Menagerie" provides a powerful message that is applicable today. It has not been lost in a time warp. This, and the fact that it is one of the first plays of Williams, should put this on a short list of "must read" classic American plays.

4 out of 5 stars Glass Menagerie.......2007-06-12

When I first bought the book, the name sounded really interesting, but I didn't understand what "menagerie." After I flipped a few pages, I notice
how dysfunctional, yet almost normal, family the book portrayed. In a way, many people can relate the situation with their personal life.
During the 1940's and after the World War II, many people were in desperation trying to find jobs and create a better life. However, as a result of this mindset, some did not succeed and ended up living in a life of disaster. Such calamity resulted in not only financial misfortune, but also social and mental failure. Everyone seemed to scramble to quickly find a great life, but little did they know, the truth of the reality was that not everyone could succeed at the same time. As a result, many hoped for too much, plunging in a world of delusion. Avoiding reality, several other were just assuming fortunes would find them, creating self-fulfilling prophecies.
In Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams wants to depict exactly that tragedy resulted from constant escapades to fantasy by employing Amanda as the typical woman who just lost her grip on reality. Amanda has lost control ever since her husband had left her, destroying the family. Unable to cope with that reality, she just drifted onto another world. She refused to believe that fact and tried to impose her ideals onto her daughter, Laura. Amanda has always boasted that she was the most popular girl attracting all the find young men. She lived a life of glamour, while everyone stared enviously at her success. However, success took a u-turn and even a crash into the wilderness of failure. Amanda was distraught, devastated by the fact that her husband had left her and her family was filled with shame and quirk. Unable to get a grip of reality, she loses her control and drifts into a fantasy, where everything seems to work out perfectly. She puts too much emphasis on being popular and attracting all the rich suitors. She superimposes all her ideals onto her daughter, Laura, so she could be just like her mother. Unintentionally, she forces her daughter to achieve exactly what she has. Despite Amanda's genuine push, she actually forces Laura off the edge, but she changes and matures into a woman, more open to the world around her. Although Laura grown to be less inclusive and more open to the world, the family has broken apart as a result of Tom's escape. Ultimately, as a result of Amanda's fantasy world, the family has been torn apart into bits and pieces, revealing the notion that the escape to fantasy would only ruin one's life.
Tennessee Williams argues that fantasy is only a false depiction of the world in its most rudimentary image, which causes one to lose control of the complications of reality, inevitably resulting in a disaster.

5 out of 5 stars hits all the right notes.......2007-06-12

3 things make this play stand out as truly spectacular: 1. the stellar plot, 2. the engaging and interesting characters, 3. it's ability to move the reader with its sadness and despair without asking for it. this play is truly a mus read for anyone who loves American literature.

In the story, Tom is a young man given the burden of caring for his mother and sister, Laura. Working at a dead-end job in a warehouse, Tom longs for the day he can be like his father and desert the family, to go on the quest for his own dreams and ambitions. he often writes literature during work and attends the movies every night as a way to escape from his otherwise monotomous life. Tom refuses to accept reality for what it is, and instead dwells in his own wishes, having no regard for his family. Laura, a shy girl who is crippled at the leg, does not interact with anyone outside of her family.

now, i must resist the temptation to say anymore, because i do not want to give away the ending, thus keeping any of you from reading this spectacular play. Set during the Great Depression, Williams oes an excellent job of placing the plot in historical context, because it was a time during which people were depressed and wanted to get out of "the hole", such as Tom. There are many symbols to be found throughout this play, such as the glass menagerie and the unicorn, which makes the play that much more engaging and interesting to read, as you try to decipher them. Williams' tone and style are also very appropriate with each changing character, giving the reader a better view of the characters. All while Williams achieves his rhetorical brilliance in the play, there is an underlying message of the dangers of dwelling in memory and fantasy rather than accept reality and deal with the present. I must recommend this book to anyone who is literate.

5 out of 5 stars A sad story that preaches family unity and self sacrifice.......2007-06-12

This story is a must read! Despite the boring title, it's a true eye opener that questions your ethics and provokes you to contemplate on the troubles of society. Throughout the book, the characters struggle to come to terms of their reality.
One of the main characters is Laura, who is handicapped and is constantly nervous about what society thinks about her and her condition. Her poor understanding of who she is as a person and the exaggerated difference believes she has between others prevents her from ever being fully comfortable around others and even herself .Although Laura believes that society has shunned her from the acceptance that she deserves, Laura has actually shunned herself from the possibility of retaining friendships because of the paranoid thoughts in her own mind. Amanda and the pressure she places on Tom is also a large issue in the play which ultimately leads to Tom's tragic abandonment of the family at the end of the story. Because of her dependency on Tom's paycheck, she placed a huge burden on Tom who soon comes to the conclusion that if he would ever want to achieve his dreams, he would have to completely abandon his family. So, read the book and watch the predicaments unravel in the Wingfield family from Amanda's refusal to accept reality of Tom's dreams , Tom's desperate plea to be free from his obligations as breadwinner of the family, and Laura's personal struggle with being comfortable with her disability. Will Laura ever break out of her shell and lead the normal life she deserves? Read the book and contemplate on the effects of a judgmental society and the dangers of holding on to the past being ignorant of the present.

4 out of 5 stars more than just readable material.......2007-06-12

This book focuses on the individual struggles of the three main characters of the book, but I personally enjoy the story of Tom and Laura who have to cope with problems that many can relate to.

Tom is a young man who has great dreams. This is not hard to imagine because many of us or many of the people we know dream of pursuing great goals in life. This is how we are programmed, what we are taught. But as a young man with a father who has abandoned the family, he must decide between pursuing his dreams or staying home and supporting his mother and sister. Such an interesting situation made me want to sit down and read to see what choice he would make.

Laura is the typical shy girl. However, because she is so self conscious about her crippled legs, she has grown to isolated herself so much that her mother has to worry whether or not she will marry since she refuses to talk to even other women. Instead, she turns to a glass collection for friends and company. Pretty crazy. Now when his hermit of a lady suddenly is forced to meet and converse with a normal human being outside of the household, the conclusion is waiting for you to read and find out. It is not your typical type of ending but it is nonetheless something that was satisfying and compatible.

The play is filled with symbols, which is a real good plus because it make the book all the more interesting to read and dig through. You will notice things like the glass collection, the fire escape, and the unicorn all representing something more than what they are. These are what makes the play more than just a browse through a story--it is more like an adventure or a mystery waiting to be torn apart.
Mirror Universe Part 1: Glass Empires (Star Trek Mirror Universe)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Mirror Universe is one of the best Star Trek concepts...
  • Mirror Universe Part 1: Glass Empires (Star Trek Mirror Universe)
  • Fall of the Terran Empire
  • 2 out of 3 are great stories
  • More adventures in the Mirror Universe!
 Mirror Universe Part 1: Glass Empires (Star Trek Mirror Universe)
David Mack , Greg Cox , Mike Sussman , Dayton Ward , and Kevin Dilmore
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Movie Tie-InsMovie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Cox, GregCox, Greg | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Space OperaSpace Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Star Trek | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Obsidian Alliances (Star Trek Mirror Universe, Bk. II) Obsidian Alliances (Star Trek Mirror Universe, Bk. II)
  2. The Good That Men Do (Star Trek: Enterprise) The Good That Men Do (Star Trek: Enterprise)
  3. Crucible: Kirk: The Star to Every Wandering (Star Trek) Crucible: Kirk: The Star to Every Wandering (Star Trek)
  4. The Buried Age (Star Trek: The Next Generation) The Buried Age (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
  5. Resistance (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Resistance (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

ASIN: 1416524592

Book Description

There are moments glimpsed only in shadow, where darkness rules and evil incarnate thrives. You hope against hope that in your lifetime, evil is relegated to the shadows. But what if it wasn't?

What if you lived in a universe where your life was measured only by what you could do for the Empire? What would you do to survive? Would you sell your soul to free yourself? If you were offered the chance to rule, would you seize it? If you could free your universe from the darkness but only at the cost of your life, would you pay that price?

Star Trek: Enterprise® She seized power in a heartbeat, daring to place herself against all the overlords of the Empire. Empress Hoshi Sato knows the future that could be; now all she has to do is make sure it never happens. For her to rule, she must hold sway not only over the starship from the future but also over her warlords, the resistance, and her Andorian husband. As quickly and brutally as Hoshi seized power, imperial rule is taken from her. Her only chance to rule again is to ally herself with a lifelong foe, and an alien.

Star Trek® One man can change the future, but does he dare? Spock, intrigued by the vision of another universe's Federation, does what no Vulcan, no emperor, has ever done: seize power in one blinding stroke of mass murder. And at the same instant he gains imperial power, Spock sows the seeds for the Empire's downfall. Is this a form of Vulcan madness, or is it the coolly logical plan of a man who knows the price his universe must pay for its freedom?

Star Trek: The Next Generation® Humanity is a pitiful collection of enslaved, indentured, and abused peoples. No one dares to question the order, except at peril of their lives. One man survives by blinding himself to the misery around him. However, Jean-Luc Picard resists, just once. And in that one instant he unlocks a horror beyond the tyranny of the Alliance. Can a man so beaten down by a lifetime of oppression stop the destruction?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Mirror Universe is one of the best Star Trek concepts..........2007-09-16

If you like Star Trek buy this book. But first watch the Mirror Universe episodes so you're not lost. :)

3 out of 5 stars Mirror Universe Part 1: Glass Empires (Star Trek Mirror Universe).......2007-09-14

First story line was good, the second one with Spock was excellent. I really enjoyed reading that one. I really enjoyed reading these books.

The only thing I wish for is that the authors of Star Trek keep track of each other's works so they don't contradict each other. I have noticed, between this one and Book II, especially Book II, there are contradictions between these books and "Star Trek Dark Passions Books one and two".

For example, how the Terran empire fell, who was in charge. In these books Spock was the Emporer. In Dark Passions, Spock was merely a Captain, yet both deal with the Mirror Images. Kira Nerys position is different in both, and their situations are far different. Though their personalities are similar.

I would recommend to read one or the other but not both. Though I enjoyed these two books, I preferred Dark Passions series.

4 out of 5 stars Fall of the Terran Empire.......2007-07-15

There are Trek timeline inconsistencies, for example, the length of time that Terrans et al became subject to the lethal Alliance wouldn't be as long as "generations" as quoted in the book. The episodes seem to suggest less than a hundred years, probably even less than half a century (given that the average human lifespan is about 75 years).

Also, it would seem that the author did not take into consideration "Dark Mirror" (Diane Duane), in which a lethal version of Picard captained a dreadnought Enterprise-D. However, I was able to mentally set aside the Duane work to realise that the canon episodes never included their own Mirror Universe TNG.

The book itself was clearly well thought out, a feasible route to destruction of the tyrannical Terran Empire...unfortunately to be surmounted by the even more tyrannical Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Enjoyable read, even if it does place our favourite characters in an unpleasant "what-if" situation.

Not too keen on the larger font print. 3.5 stars.

4 out of 5 stars 2 out of 3 are great stories.......2007-05-26

I say that two out of three stories are great because the Enterprise era story and the TOS era story were both spectacular. The TNG era story wasn't that great but the author of that one isn't one of my favorites either so I may be biased.

5 out of 5 stars More adventures in the Mirror Universe!.......2007-05-10

Three stories that flow together to form a great picture of the Mirror Universe. Exciting, logical (sorry, couldn't resist) and a joy to read! Highly recommended.
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
 History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ChineseChinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
JapaneseJapanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Augustine, SaintAugustine, Saint | ( A ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Doctors & MedicineDoctors & Medicine | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Lawyers & CriminalsLawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Love, Sex & MarriageLove, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Assyria, Babylonia & SumerAssyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
Early CivilizationEarly Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
HistoriographyHistoriography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Asian American | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Asian AmericanAsian American | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
FrenchFrench | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
VictorianVictorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
EpicEpic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GermanGerman | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
RussianRussian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
SpanishSpanish | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ChineseChinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Conspiracy TheoriesConspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
War on DrugsWar on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
English (All)English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ArabicArabic | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ArmenianArmenian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
CzechCzech | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
GreekGreek | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
HungarianHungarian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
JapaneseJapanese | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
KoreanKorean | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
NorwegianNorwegian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
Persian & FarsiPersian & Farsi | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
PolishPolish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
PortuguesePortuguese | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
RomanianRomanian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
RussianRussian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
SwedishSwedish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
TurkishTurkish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ScienceScience | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
Online ResearchOnline Research | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
Native AmericanNative American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
History of ScienceHistory of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Magic & WizardsMagic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Sailor MoonSailor Moon | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
PilatesPilates | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
HistoryHistory | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology) History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
  2. History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
  3. Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
  4. Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
  5. They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Through a Glass, Darkly: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • You've heard of Italian "slow food"? Now welcome the Venetian "slow book"
  • Way under par
  • Deadly glass
  • Another excellent Commissario Brunetti myster
  • The first Donna Leon book I haven't finished - and don't plan to.
 Through a Glass, Darkly: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
Donna Leon
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Hard-BoiledHard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Police ProceduralsPolice Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Leon, DonnaLeon, Donna | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Blood from a Stone (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries) Blood from a Stone (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
  2. Suffer the Little Children: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Suffer the Little Children: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
  3. Death and Judgment (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries) Death and Judgment (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
  4. Dressed for Death (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries) Dressed for Death (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
  5. Friends in High Places Friends in High Places

ASIN: 0871139375

Book Description

Donna Leon opens doors to the hidden Venice like no one else. With her latest novel, Through a Glass, Darkly, Leon takes us inside the secretive island of Murano, home of the world-famous glass factories. On a luminous spring day in Venice, Commissario Brunetti and his assistant Vianello play hooky from the Questura in order to help Vianello's friend Marco Ribetti, arrested during an environmental protest. They secure his release, only to be faced by the fury of the man's father-in-law, Giovanni De Cal, a cantankerous glass factory owner who has been heard in the bars of Murano making violent threats about Ribetti. Brunetti's curiosity is piqued, and he finds himself drawn to Murano to investigate. Is De Cal the type of man to carry out his threats? Then one morning the body of De Cal's night watchman is found. Over long lunches, on secret boat rides, in quiet bars, and down narrow streets, Brunetti searches for the killer. Will he unravel the clues before the night watchman's death is allowed to be forgotten?

A fascinating novel set in the intersection between tourism and native Venetian society, Through a Glass, Darkly is Donna Leon at her finest.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars You've heard of Italian "slow food"? Now welcome the Venetian "slow book".......2007-05-24

As someone who is interested in Italy and books, it was only a matter of time before I read a Commissario Brunetti tale. But I guess I should have done my homework first, as it seems that this was probably the wrong place to start. Sheesh, even devoted Donna Leon fans seem upset about THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY.

This is not to diminish Donna Leon's novel too much. It is a pleasant read, with interesting asides about Italy, its culture, and the environmental challenges it faces. But it's telling that I made a note of page 110. That is the first place where anything that could be called "action" takes place. And what happens there? Some glass blowers blow glass. So while I enjoyed this book, it may provide too phlegmatic of a plot for many readers, and it is apparently the wrong place for first-timers to begin.

Highly Recommended: The Shape of Water and the other Inspector Maltalbano books by the extraordinary Sicilian, Andrea Camilleri.

1 out of 5 stars Way under par.......2007-05-07

I previously read A Noble Radiance by the same author and enjoyed it. I grabbed this book while away on business when I finished the other book I was reading. The only good thing to say is that this novel helped me go sleep quickly.

The plot meanders and is not very interesting. Brunetti is basically investigating a threat to someone which gets his foot in the door when something finally happens. Basically, the first half of the book is about something which is only marginally related to the dead body. I struggled to finish the book and will not put it in the pile of books for my wife to read. Instead, it is going in the giveaway pile.

4 out of 5 stars Deadly glass.......2007-03-04

Inspector Vianello asks his boss, Commissario Brunetti to help him obtain the release of one of his friends who was arrested at a demonstration protesting the chemical pollution of the canals of Venice. This leads them into the investigation of the murder of a worker at a glass blowing factory in Murano, the world famous home of the glass blowing industry. The main culprit seems likely to be the owner of one of the factories, a choleric old man who is convinced that his old ways of getting rid of the residue of his business isn't harmful to anyone and who refuses to bend to any new, environmentally friendly rules. What follows is a story of greed, lust for political power and one of Donna Leon's usual great reads about the exploits of the Venetian police officer, Commissario Brunetti and the every day life of the people of Venice.

5 out of 5 stars Another excellent Commissario Brunetti myster.......2007-01-21

Donna Leon not only writes a good mystery tale, but she shows you a picture of Venice and of the people who live there; their attitudes and beliefs. It is refreshing to have the main character in a strong marriage with normal teenagers interacting positively. In this story, Ms. Leon lets you decide in your own mind about the mystery involved, but she deals with some very important issues that the world should be considering. She has developed and strenghtened her characters through her novels, and you anticipate what is happening. She does a have a cynical attitude toward politicians and politics, which is also true worldwide. Commissario Brunetti, in this story, tackles a difficult death in a caring manner. One of the enjoyable characters, Signorina Elettra, continues her control of gathering information, as she has also gained importance through the book series. I strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy a good mystery set among people who have to deal with death and narrow-minded people.

1 out of 5 stars The first Donna Leon book I haven't finished - and don't plan to........2007-01-20

Donna Leon must have cooking something when she wrote this book. It was like she kept checking to see if the something was done in the oven and came back and wrote a chapter to a different book. Some chapters seems totally unrelated to the book. Characters get mentioned and when I thumbed back to see who she was talking about, I couldn't find them. How can someone write such a great series of books and then totally bomb?!! It is a limp and tired story involving an environmental problem at a glass factory. Donna needs a vacation...from Venice!
PS. I never finished the book - it just isn't interesting.
No. 1 Price Guide to M.I.Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures, & More (Mi Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures & More 10th Ed. (Mi Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures & More Price Guide)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • No. 1 Price Guide to M.I. Hummel Figurines
  • Excellent Reference Book
  • Price Guide to M.I. Hummel Figurines 10th Ed. by Robert L. Miller
  • 10 th Edition Hummel guide
  • Price Guide M. I. Hummel Figurines
 No. 1 Price Guide to M.I.Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures, & More (Mi Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures & More 10th Ed. (Mi Hummel Figurines, Plates, Miniatures & More Price Guide)
Robert L. Miller
Manufacturer: Reverie Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Glass & GlasswareGlass & Glassware | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Pottery & CeramicsPottery & Ceramics | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ReferenceReference | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Pottery & CeramicsPottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Warman's Hummel Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides) Warman's Hummel Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides)
  2. Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates: Identification and Price Guide (12th Edition) Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates: Identification and Price Guide (12th Edition)
  3. The Official Precious Moments Collector's Guide to Figurines The Official Precious Moments Collector's Guide to Figurines
  4. Collecting Lladro: Identification & Price Guide (Collecting Lladro) Collecting Lladro: Identification & Price Guide (Collecting Lladro)
  5. HUMMELS 1978-1998: 20 Years of "Miller On Hummel" Columns By Robert L. Miller HUMMELS 1978-1998: 20 Years of "Miller On Hummel" Columns By Robert L. Miller

ASIN: 193248535X
Release Date: 2006-10-23

Product Description

Now, for the first time in full color, the latest edition of the most widely respected price guide to M.I.Hummel collectibles includes thousands of listings and a larger number of photos than ever before. Compiled by internationally known expert Robert L. Miller, the 10th edition of this classic provides the most up-to-date secondary market prices. Universally recognized as the most complete compilation of M.I. Hummel values, this book provides a numerical listing of all M.I.Hummel designs issued by W. Goebel, a history and explanation of back stamps and other marks, a profile of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel and biographies of the sculptors who bring her illustrations to three-dimensional life. Sharply detailed, full-color photos of every piece make this newest edition the most valuable guide ever.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars No. 1 Price Guide to M.I. Hummel Figurines.......2007-09-22

It is the most up to date and complete guide that I have found for Hummel values. It has enabled me to place the proper amount of insurance on my Hummel collection and know what my collection is worth.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Book.......2007-07-08

If you're a collector of hummels, you must have this book. The history on each hummel piece is outstanding. The details are just fascinating. Love the book!

5 out of 5 stars Price Guide to M.I. Hummel Figurines 10th Ed. by Robert L. Miller.......2007-04-29

Great book - easy to use - wonderful color photos - a must for Hummel collectors!

5 out of 5 stars 10 th Edition Hummel guide.......2007-04-11

Excellent guide and most helpful as a reference tool. Color pictures provided are much better than the previous editions which were in black and white accurate descriptions with rare variations are an invaluable tool in accessing values of the figurines. Olszewski miniatures are also included A great value

5 out of 5 stars Price Guide M. I. Hummel Figurines.......2007-03-25

Fabulous experience. This book is in excellent condition and it was shipped very quickly! Thanks for an awesome transaction!
Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great resource!
  • Easy to use.
  • Fun remakes of classic tales
  • Read, Write, AND Have Fun?!
 Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays
Joan M. Wolf
Manufacturer: Scholastic Professional Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
CinderellaCinderella | Fairy Tales & Folk Tales | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
PedagogyPedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
HumanitiesHumanities | Specific Skills | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Language ArtsLanguage Arts | Specific Skills | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Scholastic Teaching ResourcesScholastic Teaching Resources | Scholastic | By Publisher | Books
Similar Items:
  1. 12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays 12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays
  2. Stories on Stage: Children's Plays for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 15 Play Scripts From 15 Authors, Including Roald Dahl's The Twits and Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School Stories on Stage: Children's Plays for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 15 Play Scripts From 15 Authors, Including Roald Dahl's The Twits and Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School
  3. Theatre for Young Audiences: 20 Great Plays for Children Theatre for Young Audiences: 20 Great Plays for Children
  4. Fractured Fairy Tales Fractured Fairy Tales
  5. 25 Just-Right Plays For Emergent Readers (Grades K-1) 25 Just-Right Plays For Emergent Readers (Grades K-1)

ASIN: 0439271681

Book Description

5 Funny Plays with Related Writing Activities and Graphic Organizers That Motivate Kids to Explore Plot, Characters, and Setting
Humorous Twists on Fairy Tales to Get Kids Reading!
What happens when Cinderella wears shoes she¹s made from recycled materials to the ball? Tap into students¹ sense of humor with five lively plays that take the plots, characters, and settings of traditional fairy tales and turn them on their heads! Includes character parts written at a variety of reading levels, book links, and writing activities that help students build on traditional fairy tale structures and write in different genres.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great resource!.......2007-05-29

I am a [...]teacher in a school where many of the students are ESL learners. I came across this book when I was looking for a way to help my students develop their reading fluency. Let me just say, my class has LOVED acting out these plays! I only wish I had discovered it earlier in the year so that I could have more time to work with this book. I would highly recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars Easy to use........2006-07-01

The scripts were fun to do for a drama class of 9- 12 year olds.Some were a little preachy about the point of the story, but the the kids laughed a lot.

5 out of 5 stars Fun remakes of classic tales.......2005-08-24

I actually got this book for my kids so that we could read them together at night. It turned out that this book is actually written for use in a classroom. (I didn't realize that it was by Scholastic when I bought it.) Fortunately I am just 2 classes away from being a teacher, so I can get some use out of it. This book would probably not be too useful for families--unless you are the Von Trapps and all the cousins are visiting.

5 out of 5 stars Read, Write, AND Have Fun?!.......2004-07-09

I find Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper a valuable resource for ideas for helping students read and write for a variety of purposes, one of which is for enjoyment! Teachers are always looking for practical and intriguing ways to teach writing and build students'motivation to write, so the creative ideas for addressing national language arts standards and teaching writing for a variety of purposes found in this book are treasures.
Students and adults appreciate the zany fairy tales J.M. Wolf includes in this book, and the many practical resource ideas for presenting fairy tale plays really do work. The fractured fairy tales hook students' interest, and the related writing activities and resources are useful supplements to the language arts curriculum.
The Whole World Over: A Novel
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Whole World Over: A Novel
    Julia Glass
    Manufacturer: Pantheon
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    Psychological & SuspensePsychological & Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
    TerrorismTerrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    September 11September 11 | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Three Junes : A novel Three Junes : A novel
    2. Digging to America Digging to America
    3. The Emperor's Children (Vintage) The Emperor's Children (Vintage)
    4. Theft Theft
    5. The Brambles (Vintage Contemporaries) The Brambles (Vintage Contemporaries)

    ASIN: 0375422749
    Release Date: 2006-05-23

    Book Description

    From the author of the beloved novel Three Junes comes a rich and commanding story about the accidents, both grand and small, that determine our choices in love and marriage. Greenie Duquette, openhearted yet stubborn, devotes most of her passionate attention to her Greenwich Village bakery and her four–year–old son, George. Her husband, Alan, seems to have fallen into a midlife depression, while Walter, a traditional gay man who has become her closest professional ally, is nursing a broken heart.

    It is at Walter’s restaurant that the visiting governor of New Mexico tastes Greenie’s coconut cake and decides to woo her away from the city to be his chef. For reasons both ambitious and desperate, she accepts—and finds herself heading west without her husband. This impulsive decision will change the course of several lives within and beyond Greenie’s orbit. Alan, alone in New York, must face down his demons; Walter, eager for platonic distraction, takes in his teenage nephew. Yet Walter cannot steer clear of love trouble, and despite his enforced solitude, Alan is still surrounded by women: his powerful sister, an old flame, and an animal lover named Saga, who grapples with demons all her own. As for Greenie, living in the shadow of a charismatic politician leads to a series of unforeseen consequences that separate her from her only child. We watch as folly, chance, and determination pull all these lives together and apart over a year that culminates in the fall of the twin towers at the World Trade Center, an event that will affirm or confound the choices each character has made—or has refused to face.

    Julia Glass is at her best here, weaving a glorious tapestry of lives and lifetimes, of places and people, revealing the subtle mechanisms behind our most important, and often most fragile, connections to others. In The Whole World Over she has given us another tale that pays tribute to the extraordinary complexities of love.
    Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • The Maltese Falcon
    • Very exciting and convenient
    • The first benchmark
    • A classic
    • Well worth the time.
    		 Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)
    Dashiell Hammett
    Manufacturer: Library of America
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America) Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America)
    2. Crime Stories and Other Writings (Library of America) Crime Stories and Other Writings (Library of America)
    3. Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America) Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America)
    4. Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s: The Postman Always Rings Twice / They Shoot Horses, Don't They? / Thieves Like Us / The Big Clock / Nightmare ... / I Married a Dead Man (Library of America) Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s: The Postman Always Rings Twice / They Shoot Horses, Don't They? / Thieves Like Us / The Big Clock / Nightmare ... / I Married a Dead Man (Library of America)
    5. Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America) Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America)

    ASIN: 1883011671

    Book Description

    Complete in one volume, the five books that created the modern American crime novel

    In a few years of extraordinary creative energy, Dashiell Hammett invented the modern American crime novel. In the words of Raymond Chandler, "Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse.... He put these people down on paper as they were, and he made them talk and think in the language they customarily used for these purposes."

    The five novels that Hammett published between 1929 and 1934, collected here in one volume, have become part of modern American culture, creating archetypal characters and establishing the ground rules and characteristic tone for a whole tradition of hardboiled writing. Drawing on his own experiences as a Pinkerton detective, Hammett gave a harshly realistic edge to novels that were at the same time infused with a spirit of romantic adventure. His lean and deliberately simplified prose won admiration from such contemporaries as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner.

    Each novel is distinct in mood and structure. Red Harvest (1929) epitomizes the violence and momentum of his Black Mask stories about the anonymous detective the Continental Op, in a raucous and nightmarish evocation of political corruption and gang warfare in a western mining town. In The Dain Curse (1929) the Op returns in a more melodramatic tale involving jewel theft, drugs, and a religious cult. With The Maltese Falcon (1930) and its protagonist Sam Spade, Hammett achieved his most enduring popular success, a tightly constructed quest story shot through with a sense of disillusionment and the arbitrariness of personal destiny. The Glass Key (1931) is a further exploration of city politics at their most scurrilous. His last novel was The Thin Man (1934), a ruefully comic tale paying homage to the traditional mystery form and featuring Nick and Nora Charles, the sophisticated inebriates who would enjoy a long afterlife in the movies.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The Maltese Falcon.......2006-11-07

    An intriguing plot with just the right blend of wry humor, sex and secrets.

    5 out of 5 stars Very exciting and convenient.......2006-06-19

    I do like these stories, though they are so rough! It is very helpful to be able to have them all together in this one good volume, I think. But it is dangerous to read them late at night, because you either get too excited to sleep, or you dream of bad men with their car headlamps switched off in the dark!

    5 out of 5 stars The first benchmark.......2005-08-19

    Very nice edition of the master's novels. In addition to my love of Hammett's prose, I am fascinated by the subtle political aspects of his work: he was the first crime writer to question the status quo so frankly. K. C. Constantine said, "The crime writer is society's stoolie", and Hammett is still a reliable informant.

    5 out of 5 stars A classic.......2004-08-26

    "A Classic"

    What makes a classic? In the case of a detective novel, it is a book that can be read and reread and that gives pleasure on each reading. The Maltese Falcon is now seventy-five years old, yet it continues to amaze, to amuse, to engage.

    You may know the plot, but you still can't remember every twist and turn of the unfolding story, and you are surprised by details here and there you did not previously notice, or had forgotten. You may know the principal characters-the cynical detective Sam Spade, the seductive adventuress Brigid O'Shaughnessy, the exotic Joel Cairo, the crafty Caspar Gutman. But they are so expertly drawn, so powerfully realized, that you learn more about them on each reading.

    You may already have committed some of the most famous lines of dialog to heart ("The cheaper the crook the gaudier the patter"-- "You're good. You're very good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get into your voice when you say things like `Be generous, Mr. Spade'"). Yet you continue to discover more, and you continue on each reading to relish the bite, the humor, the intelligence of Hammett's prose.

    It's practically impossible to read this book without thinking of the motion picture starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. Don't try. John Huston's script departs here and there from the story line of the novel, but not in any serious way. Most of the changes are efforts to streamline the story and make it fit the standard (for 1941) length of a screenplay. And the best lines spoken by Bogart, Astor, Lorre, and Greenstreet are pure Hammett. The movie is true to the spirit of the book, and if you are familiar with both you can love them both.

    At age seventy-five, The Maltese Falcon is a classic, and there is good reason to believe that in another seventy-five years it will still be one.

    5 out of 5 stars Well worth the time........2004-07-28

    I have read all five novels at least twice. Will go for three times when winter arrives.
    Into The Looking Glass
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • An excellent start to a new series
    • It's up to an esteemed physicist to investigate and to ultimately confront the demons
    • Could have been better
    • Entertaining like a video game - feels one-dimensional
    • Not Ringo's best work
    		 Into The Looking Glass
    John Ringo
    Manufacturer: Baen
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Mass Market Paperback

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    AdventureAdventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    Space OperaSpace Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    AdventureAdventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    All 4-for-3 DealsAll 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7)
    2. Ghost (Paladin of Shadows, Book 1) Ghost (Paladin of Shadows, Book 1)
    3. Kildar Kildar
    4. Choosers of the Slain (Paladin of Shadows, Book 3) Choosers of the Slain (Paladin of Shadows, Book 3)
    5. Fearless (The Lost Fleet, Book 2) Fearless (The Lost Fleet, Book 2)

    ASIN: 1416521054

    Book Description

    Baen now launches an exciting new science fiction adventure series by the New York Times best-selling author: When a 60-kiloton explosion destroyed the University of Central Florida, and much of the surrounding countryside, the authorities first thought that terrorists had somehow obtained a nuclear weapon. But there was no radiation detected, and, when physicist Dr. William Weaver and Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller were sent to investigate, they found that in the center of the destruction, where the University¿s physics department used to be, was an interdimensional gateway to . . . somewhere. An experiment in subatomic physics had produced a very unexpected effect. Furthermore, other gateways were appearing all over the world¿and one of them immediately began disgorging demonic visitors intent on annihilating all life on Earth and replacing it with their own. Other, apparently less hostile, aliens emerged from other gateways, and informed Weaver and Miller that the demonic invaders¿the name for them that humans could most easily pronounce was the ¿Dreen¿¿were a deadly blight across the galaxy, occupying planet after planet after wiping out all native life; and now it would be Earth¿s turn, unless Weaver and Miller could find a way to close the gateways. If they failed, the less belligerent aliens would face the regrettable necessity of annihilating the entire Earth to save their own worlds. . . .

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars An excellent start to a new series.......2007-09-26

    John Ringo has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me in the last few years. I think he does military sci-fi plot better than just about anyone writing today. He moves action along with just the right mix of talk and splatter to keep readers interested and wanting more. If he has an Achilles heel (and thus the guilt) it is his rote assumption that all who do not share his political views are mindless drones or useless boobs. It makes his characters into caricatures at times and truly represents a weakness inherent within the otherwise fascinating and engaging worlds that he creates. That being said, "Into the Looking Glass" is a thrill ride from start to finish combining interesting plot and plenty of action. The ruminations on muons, quarks and bosons can sometimes get a bit dense, and a brief trip into the mind of a fuzzy alien god in the center of the book is just plain impossible to understand, but this is an enjoyable ride and an excellent start to what should be a great series.

    5 out of 5 stars It's up to an esteemed physicist to investigate and to ultimately confront the demons .......2007-09-03

    John Ringo's INTO THE LOOKING GLASS tells of a huge explosion which destroys the University of Central Florida and which leaves doorways into another world in its aftermath. It's up to an esteemed physicist to investigate and to ultimately confront the demons these gateways will discharge from other worlds.

    2 out of 5 stars Could have been better.......2007-09-02

    While this book has managed to keep me mildly engaged in the story, it is a definite disappointment. The characterizations are two dimensional and the author just fails to do anywhere near as much with the premise as he could have. Let's face it: Ringo starts with a fascinating concept, with wormholes opening up to random worlds all over the place. That's an idea with a lot of potential, much of which he ends up wasting. The result is readable and entertaining enough to follow through to the end -- but far short of what it could be. Which is why I give it 2 stars; it's an average story where the author should have been able to give us something outstanding.

    Then there's the politics that have been referenced in so many other reviews. Although I lean to the progressive side, I've certainly enjoyed books by politically conservative authors such as Poul Andersen, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven. Unfortunately, Ringo fails to work his politics into the story with anywhere near their success -- so, instead of enhancing the story, Ringo's politics just distracts. If you're liberal, it's just annoying. If you're conservative, you might still be disappointed that the author didn't do a better job of effectively working in his political views.

    Summary: I bought this as a close out item for $5. If I'd paid more, I would be seriously disappointed.

    3 out of 5 stars Entertaining like a video game - feels one-dimensional.......2007-08-28

    While John Ringo is at times capable of brilliant characterization, strong back history and vivid descriptions, he doesn't give us this in "Into the Looking Glass." The story feels rushed, the characters are undeveloped and generic and the whole concept - which had the potential to be super cool - ended up leaving me saying "meh." Basically when the physics lab at the University of Central Florida - Orlando - explodes in what appears to be a nuclear fireball (but isn't) a strange "hole" is left, which appears to be a rip in the fabric of space. Other holes start appearing, first nearby, then spreading out across the country, then across the world. When a hostile alien race comes through and begins to attack, the military must hold them off while the scientists try to find a way to shut down the holes.

    As I said - a cool concept. It's just too bad it wasn't developed as fully as it could have been. This could have been spaced out over several books, allowing for fuller development of the characters, fuller development of the story and back history of the various aliens encountered, etc. Unfortunately, that was not the case. This is, unfortunately, the worst Ringo book I've read. Entertaining enough, in a fluffy way, but not one I'll be likely to re-read any time soon.

    2 out of 5 stars Not Ringo's best work.......2007-06-28

    Maybe he was tired, or in a hurry. The basic idea is interesting, but there are too many inconsistencies.
    The first major head-shaker is when Tuffy shows up. For a brief, obviously-for-the-purpose-of-foreshadowing-only, appearance: If any real physicist found an intelligent alien at the site of a huge mysterious explosion, would they; a)spend the next 100 pages learning to communicate and finding out all they could from it, or, b) utter a cliched expletive and go off to stupidly help send a soldier into the cause of the explosion?
    For Ringo's answer see page 48 and chapter 3.
    Next, we discover on page 84 that our hero, a hot-shot multi-degreed physicist AND a martial artist, has no clue how to use a gun.
    This may be barely believable, until we get to page 178 and discover our gun-naive hero has "over a hundred hours" in a prototype combat suit (thought I'd wandered back into "A hymn Before Battle" here) and then, to clinch the goof, page 187 where we find Our Hero expertly, and one-handedly, shooting aliens with a Bushmaster. He mows down more on page 322. Dang, where'd he learn to shoot like that?
    The answer is, he didn't. First Ringo needed him to be gun-naive for the cute scene in the farmhouse where he nonchalantly shoots aliens while carrying on a cell-phone conversation. But later, he has to know how to shoot, so he does. Characters, to be consistently believable, have to do and know things for plausible reasons, not just because the plot requires some action.
    Tuffy finally shows up again at page 270, where we find the government allowing this alien, which it knows nothing about, in the middle of a war with aliens, to live a nice quiet life with its little friend and her aunt in a nice suburb. Aaargh! What alternate universe U.S. government is Ringo imagining here?
    For those who enjoy the mass slaughter of bad-guy BEMs, Ringo is your man. For those who want to see some engaging characters and intriguing plots, this book isn't going to be for you.
    I know Ringo can do better; the 'Hymn Before Battle' series proves that. I do wish he would stop turning his series over to other writers, though. So far all have been a step down and I've stopped buying them, David Weber being the notable exception.
    Louis Comfort Tiffany At Tiffany & Co.
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Beautiful
    		 Louis Comfort Tiffany At Tiffany & Co.
    John Loring
    Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    United StatesUnited States | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    ModernModern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    Art NouveauArt Nouveau | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    Artists, Architects & PhotographersArtists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    Glass & GlasswareGlass & Glassware | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    JewelryJewelry | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    Pottery & CeramicsPottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany
    2. Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artist for the Ages Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artist for the Ages
    3. Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum Collection: Garden Museum Collection Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum Collection: Garden Museum Collection
    4. Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
    5. The "Lost" Treasures of Louis Comfort Tiffany The "Lost" Treasures of Louis Comfort Tiffany

    ASIN: 0810932881

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Beautiful.......2003-12-29

    This is an unbelievably beautiful book! The photos are very good quality, the information accompanying them is interesting. Also loved the chronology at the end. Very lovely and well done.

    Books:

    1. The Quilter's Directory of Embellishments: 40 Step-by-Step Decorative Techniques from Applique and Embroidery to Tassels and Trims
    2. The Secret Garden: Dawn to Dusk in the Astonishing Hidden World of the Garden
    3. The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
    4. Trilliums
    5. Tropical Interiors
    6. Victorian Lace Today
    7. White Christmas: Decorating and Entertaining for the Holiday Season
    8. 1000 Glass Beads: Innovation & Imagination in Contemporary Glass Beadmaking
    9. 390 Traditional Stained Glass Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
    10. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

    Books Index

    Books Home

    Recommended Books

    1. Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money
    2. Building with Structural Insulated Panels
    3. Terrorism, Media, Liberation
    4. The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara
    5. The Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording
    6. Alice The Fairy
    7. Vascular flora of Bedford County, Pennsylvania: An annotated checklist
    8. Quicken 2001 for Macs for Dummies
    9. Student Problem Sets f/w The Economy Today, The Macro Economy Today, and The Micro Economy Today
    10. Highwire Moon