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This book is by one of the first authors to recognise that communication skills are important in science, and that they are a craft that has rules and principles that any student can learn relatively easily. It deserves to be treated as a classic, and should be compulsory reading for any student of the life sciences.

I can recall reading it with much interest during my PhD in the 1980's, when it was about the only work available in this field, and various biochemical societies in the UK made it available to students. Much of the advice on straightforward communication style is still extremely valid today. In the later 80's and 90's, the field of writing skills took off, and now most University bookshops have several shelves of books on writing skills and how to write a thesis. Booth's book is short, direct, and the advice is very practical. Read it!

This book is about a family who is always getting into the most ridiculous problems. One example is: Mrs. Peterkin, Elizabeth Eliza and the three boys all want to go for a ride, but the horse won't go! They try whipping it, giving it food and lightening the load, but to no avail. They ask the Lady from Philadelphia(whom they are always asking everything!) what they should do. She looks out and suggest that they untie the horse from the hitching post! This is just one of the many hilareous stories in this book. The Peterkin family is always getting stuck with problems, and the lady from Philelphia saves them again and again. This is a must read for anyone who can read!

Concise, very interesting examples and text explanations. A must have for any error currency enthusiast.

For a British soldier, (Lieutenant) under the services of the Nizam of Hyderabad in the 19th century India, turned writer Philip Meadows Taylor certainly proves his prowess as a writer through this book 'Congessions of a Thug', no wonder the book turned out to be a 'best seller' in 19th century England.

The main character AMEER ALI comes to life at the outset and the story of this 'Thugee' unravels before the reader without much interruption from the author. The story is about plotting,murder and mayhem excuted with precison, conviction, with ease and without remorse for that is the way of the 'Thugee'. Though Ameer Ali and his merry men were social parasites and the very embodiment of evil, Taylor quite successfully managed to bring out the many facets of the man and his men as an impartial observer and master story teller. Lastly, the historical nature of the book can not be overlooked considering the fact that similar group of bandits (called Dacoits) still exists in certain parts of India, Chambal Valley comes to mind.

A fascinating book indeed and worth reading.

family, group, taxon, terrestrial, slugs, ecology, starvation, conservation.

Better than the literary crit stuff that has been published on Isherwood, and miles ahead of the various attempts at biography, these 'Conversations' give a portrait of the whole man. It really is the best there is on the life of Christopher Isherwood

This is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of interviews and profiles on the legendary miss Welty that were published in various magazines and newspapers. Great for research into Miss Welty's thoughts on writing, writers, and her work.

I'm glad I found this book. I also bought the new "True Bones." You know a writer has finally made it when "they" start publishing books ABOUT him, eh? Very good!

Jim is a great writer, poetic in a totally accessible way. Don't like poetry? Read his and you'll be a convert. I've read nearly all his work.

Jim is a GREAT conversationalist. This book lets you into that world for the first time. (Well, the interviews are reprinted and gathered from other sources, so perhaps you've seen them already.)

I'm looking forward to "True Bones" as well: the bio-pics section of those longhair 70's days is just great! I see they now have a Jim Harrison Society, too. Cool.

For such a huge talent, I hate to say anything at all detracting, but we fans have our rights. : ) We might hold our heroes too highly and so feel overly free to grump about them on occasion. But artists aren't always the sweetest about their fans either! Each side says "Nag, nag, nag, it's always something." : ) Anyway, I have one complaint: he let some of the usual obligatory Hollywood vibes into his books. The old geezer gets the hot babes thing. Sure, it makes the Homer Simpson in us go "Wooo! Wooo!" And of course he writes it well. But I consider that his ONLY limitation. But Jim has always been up front about his need to pay the bills and play the ONLY game that writers are allowed to play if they don't want to teach or starve: the game with Hollywood. It's either feast or famine. (Something must be done to change this!)

His only other limitation isn't hardly his fault perhaps. And actually it's of course just as exciting to read about as is duffer-babe stuff. (--Until one senses the HABIT behind it.) Anyway, it's this jet-set stuff. Maybe it's unavoidable when H-wood is writing the checks. Hey, I don't know that world. Jim does the pinnacle of Everyman very well: but he loses it when he laterals into aristocracy. His dualism of cabin/mansion, stew/caviar is cute and he does work hard to confront it, but it's a slight sticking point.

Still, for me, he goes farther than others, so who could hold it against him.

In "Conversations" we get great insights into the guy and the game. How many top writers today hammer at MFA's like he does? He's pretty honest about Hollywood as well. Hey, his pals there helped him when others wouldn't. He's up front about that and about the banality of the place. At the same time, he gets high on the power, the talent and the $1000 dinners. Who wouldn't? He keeps the books as open as anyone anyway. And I really appreciate him for that.

We have to admit in this country that if someone wrote the actual literature that would keep our culture alive THEY WOULD STARVE TO DEATH. I think Jim is very clear about this. I'm not sure how many other writers who 'made it' are as candid. But he's a 'flyover' and values candor like so many here do.

American literature isn't dead. And it has a LOT MORE still to do. Well, of course, ALL the work that hasn't been done since the era when Jim and a few of his pals were in their prime. Maybe Jim has already hit his fiestiest home-runs. He has a champions legacy to lean on (even if it won't pay the bills!). But there are writers out there who have picked up the ball and have been moving it further all these years. They just haven't seen print yet. Due to the MFA lock. But not for long! "Flyover" spirit lives! Uh, not to doubleplug but: http://.....com .

Interviews with Maya Angelou from the 70's and 80's -- all of them fascinating, and all of them showing her growth as an artist and as an individual over the years. I've been listening to a lot of her work on audio tapes lately, and this historical book of where she's been and what she's had to say about living, writing, politics and more is an excellent addition to absorbing her other words.

hello
i finally found one no one has reviewed! anyway i strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in norman mailer but maybe doesnt want to go thru a novel to get his ideas. Norman is an articulate person and the format of interview and dialogue here places his ideas and opinions in the center without allowing to much superfluity.
he talks about...running for mayor of new york, making films, women and men, vietnam, media(there is a good discussion with m macluhan too) politics, sex, art, writing...
that said i should say that i rented it from the lib, but it really is concise and informative with a minimum of repetition.
(and if you want a similar read but more essayish find "cannibals and christians").