european Books

Literary biography is a tough genre to master, but Hermione Lee has tackled one of the toughest subjects imaginable and emerged triumphant. Even those who have never picked up even an essay or short story by Virginia Woolf feel somehow familiar with her work; Michael Cunningham's The Hours: A Noveland the film based on that has taken her story and turned it into part of pop culture (albeit at a very high level.) That makes the task of producing an unbiased evaluation of Woolf's literary contributions and a balanced view of her life (both subjects of heated debate among her admirers) far more difficult than penning a standard literary biography.
Far from being scared off, Hermione Lee rises to the occasion and delves deeply into every primary source on which she can lay her hands. The result is a triumph. She is able to weave these into a compelling narrative, never allowing the vast mass of detail to distract her or bog down the pace of the book (quite an accomplishment, given the 800-900 or so pages...)Whenever the reader is poised to ask of Lee how she reaches a given conclusion, within a paragraph the answer is presented, deftly and effortlessly.
The result is a highly accomplished biography and one that should serve as a model for any other aspiring literary biographer. The Woolf that emerges is one that stands apart from the existing biographies, all of which have their own flaws (written by a family member, with all the flaws that brings; written to demonstrate that Woolf was first and foremost a victim of sexual abuse, etc.) Lee's Woolf is an independent woman who constructed a life that suited her, however little understood it may have been by those around her. Even her suicide, the darkest days of World War II, make sense in the framework of Lee's narrative, which deals with her previous mental breakdowns, her experiences during the Great War and her fear of being trapped forever in a half-world unable to write.
Even for those not familiar with Woolf's novels or the Bloomsbury Group, this is a very accessible book. Indeed, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the entire period in English literature (which saw a dramatic changing of the guard, from the oeuvres of Tennyson, Hardy and Yeats to those of Woolf, Joyce and T.S. Eliot). It can only help the novice reader approach Woolf's own works with greater understanding and confidence.

I am taking this book slowly and am nearing the end. It is terrific and I find, on the days I take off from reading it, that I miss Virginia Woolf and want to go back to the "place" that is her life. I thank Ms. Lee for giving me a closer intimacy with Virginia Woolf.

this is the best biography of Virginia Woolf to date. The book is broken into four parts based on four broad periods in VW's life: 1882 - 1904; 1904 -1919; 1919 - 1929; and 1929 - 1941. The chapters, however, are theme-based; for example, Chapter 15 is "Bloomsbury"; Chapter 19 is "War"; Chapter 24 is "Monk's House"; and Chapter 37 is "Fascism". This then serves as a wonderful reference book to go back to read about specific events (war) or themes ("Bloomsbury") without having to search through an index for disjointed entries. Of the four biographies I have read of VW (Quentin Bell's, Hermione Lee's, Julia Brigg's, and James King) I recommend this biography as the one to start. King, 1994, was willing to write more about her personal relationships (read, "sexual") and is a good follow-on.

Of the many literary biographies I've read, only Peter Ackroyd's "Dickens" seems to me as "definitive" as Ms. Lee's terrifically compelling book. One finishes it with the sense, however illusory (see Janet Malcolm's extraordinary "The Silent Woman" for a convincing argument that it must be), that the Virginia Woolf found in its pages is essentially identical to the actual woman who lived and wrote and died. Anyone with even a slight interest in her must consider this book essential reading. I found it a real page-turner throughout its considerable length despite being unconvinced of Woolf's literary eminence (except for her sparkling correspondence) and finding her character unattractive (i.e. snobbish, frigid, a false friend, etc.) even by the usual standard for writers.

Probably the best bio of Woolf we are likely to see for some time. Lee has succeeded brilliantly and gracefully in that most elusive and troublesome task of capturing the "spirit" of another human being and then conveying that without simplification or reduction. What is most moving is that Lee allows Woolf her complexity and contradictions, her courage and cowardice, her generosity and meaness, without indulging in a sort of inconoclastic glee in smashing received images of Woolf as victim or feminist icon (or any other of the several and various "Woolfs" to be found these days.) Lee's bio is a stunning feat of sympathetic imagination and rational scholarship which ranks with the other "best" bio of the last 20 years or so, Deirdre Bair's marvelous and beautiful "Simone de Beauvoir." I am grateful to both of these writers.

The IBS short story (but not the movie) certainly IS about a transsexual. Tha character, Yentle/Anshel, is a woman who wants to be a man, and the study of Talmud is a major part of it only because Singer used 19th-early Eastern Europe as a setting. While Yentl is briliant and enjoys studying the Talmud this is not why she gets into her situation. Rather it's a literary mechanism. Singer clearly describes Yentl as a man inside a woman's body, and the reason why Talmud is emphasized is because of the setting in an eastern european jewish community. That is what the most respected men did in that culture; in modern Israel, it would be piloting an F-16 in the air force.

Although Yentl had studied secretly with her father, there were things that she had been hiding even from him: while he slept on shabbat afternoons she would dress up in his clothing, and smoke his pipe. She had not one female friend, then on the morning after the night when Anshel had married Haddass, the parents of Haddass held of the bed sheet and saw the blood. Singer writes that "Anshel had found a way to deflower Haddass", and that Haddass being so innocent and in love with Anshel hadn't realized that what was supposed to happen had not happened. IN OTHER WORDS...something happened SEXUALLY between Yentl/Anshel and Haddass, such that Haddass' hymen ruptured. Singer leaves the precise mechanism to the imagination, but it stands to reason that it was not the spilling of wine on the sheet as occured in the movie. It the short story it is actual blood. It seems hard to imagine but keep in mind that it is a culture wherein young women might never be told much if anything about sex before their marriage, the expectation being that they would find out from their husbands. Moreover the marriage goes on for several months with Haddass believing that her marriage is within a standard deviation of the norm.

It's just not conceivable that Yentl/Anshel is doing this -being intimate with Haddass via petting or whatever for several months - because of a heterosexual attraction to Avigdor. Then finally when she reveals herself to him and he suggest that they (Avigdor and Yentl) marry she says it wouldn't be good and that she's "neither one [gender] nor the other". And so she continues dressing as a man. She does not take a ship to another country as in the movie which would have been the right thing to do had she wanted to live as a woman and study the Talmud. She could have done that in western europe or america, but in the book she didn't and went on living as a man.

I first read this story way back when it first came out -- long before Streisand turned it into a third-wave feminist polemic. (Which, by the way, upset the author, I.B. Singer, so much that he tries to stop production. Unfortunately, he did not have artistic control over the film rights to his story, and so this travesty of his work was produced and lives on in infamy.) Upon re-reading it, I still think it is about a transgender person, not a feminist.

The reviewer here who said that another reviewer "should be shot" (such violent intolerance!) for claiming that Yentl was transgender by making a reference to "even heaven makes mistakes" obviously did not read the book -- because that's word-for-word what Yentl's father tells her on page 8. The story also clearly states that Yentl has "the soul of a man." (page 8 also). So, I suggest ignoring those PC polemicists who are talking about the movie only, which is VERY DIFFERENT from the book, and has ITS OWN PAGE for reviews! (If you haven't read the book, why are you reviewing here in the first place?)

Singer was writing in the 1960s. He wrote respectfully of Jewish culture in this story. He did not mock it the way Streisand later did in her movie. The book has no barkers shouting "Story books for women, holy books for men," and as far as I know, nobody even did that in real life. The line is anti-Hasidic propaganda, as is much of the movie. Streisand's film is a comedy. Singer's story is serious drama.

In the book, When Yentl says, "I wasn't created for plucking feathers and chattering with females," (page 47) is she really speaking like a radical 20th-century feminist about social roles -- or is she speaking literally, on a mystical spiritual level? If she were merely objecting to "plucking feathers" (woman's work) why does she also object to "chattering with females" -- and why use the word "females," as if to stress this is about GENDER? I think she means that she was not created to be a woman, period, regardless of roles. She certainly does not object when her father tells her that she has a man's soul and that "even heaven makes mistakes."

She reaffirms this transgender identity on page 49, where Avigdor asks her, "Tell me the truth, are you a heretic?" Yentl answers, "God forbid!" Clearly, she believes in Orthodox Judaism and respects it, IN SPITE OF her personal dilemma. As their discussion continues: "... All Anshel's [Yentl's] explanations seemed to point to one thing: she had the soul of a man in a woman's body." How much plainer can you get?

But today, in the 2000s, being a female-to-male transgender person is no longer politically correct in the feminist movement. Since the days when Singer wrote this story, the radical feminists have trashed and reviled female-to-male (FTM) transgender people for being "politically incorrect" to the point that they (the feminists) simply cannot stomach the idea that THIS IS WHAT SINGER WAS WRITING ABOUT!!!!!

Yentl doesn't act like a feminist in the book. She doesn't go out campaigning for women's rights. On the other hand, she does enjoy cross-dressing: "On Sabbath afternoons, when her father slept, she would dress up in his trousers, his fringed garment, his silk coat, his skullcap, his velvet hat, and study her reflection in the mirror." (page 8) She also secretly smoked her father's pipe. These are not feminist behaviors, they are transvestite / transgender behaviors.

Yes, there were restrictions against women in the 1850s (which, by the way, is the time frame for this story. Keep in mind that gentile universities didn't accept women back then, either.) But that is NOT the reason that Yentl crosses over to live as a man. If she were merely a disgruntled woman wanting "male privilege," why did she choose to live as a man even after divorcing Hadass? In the Streisand movie she goes back to dressing as a woman and takes a ship to America where, presumably, she will be "free." But that scene IS NOT IN THE BOOK! In the book, she lives out her life as the man, Anshel. Exactly as an FTM transgender person would do.

Regarding the debate here about whether Yentl was a feminist or a transsexual, I weigh in on the transgender side -- for all the reasons other reviewers have already listed here, and which I have also discussed on my Hasidism FAQ website. So I won't reinvent the wheel in this review. I agree that the movie was definitely a feminist statement, but the book, well, that's another story altogether.

We should remember that before the movie, there was the stage play. It followed the book pretty closely, (which the movie did not!) and was very popular in lesbian and avant garde theaters. When I saw the play performed in the 1970s, Yentl was played as the Jewish version of a "butch" lesbian. (In terms of social roles, not machismo. The ideal Jewish male in the timeframe of this story was a scholar, not a redneck.) In the play, like in the book, Yentl remains living as the man Anshel in Eastern Europe. In the movie, Streisand changed this very important point and had Yentl revert to wearing women's clothes and then going to America.

So nu, what was the relationship between Yentl/Anshel and Avigdor? They were study partners -- chaverim in Hebrew -- a relationship that doesn't seem to exist outside of the Orthodox Jewish community, so here's some background. The Talmud is written in dialogue mode with different rabbis agreeing and disagreeing on various points of Jewish law and theology. Talmud is traditionally studied out loud, by two people hotly debating, going point-by-point over the discussions on the page together. In the traditional yeshiva world -- even today -- the schools are not co-ed. So naturally, your study partner is going to be the same sex as yourself. And very often, your study partner is also your very best friend. You not only sit together in school, you confide in each other, hang out together, encourage each other in life's struggles, etc. And this can be a very close relationship. But it's not sexual. It's male bonding. If Anshel had joined the army, then he and Avigdor would have been "buddies" who fought battles together.

Anshel loves Avigdor, yes. But as a study partner, not a lover. What Anshel misses in Avigdor when he changes study halls is not sexual attraction, it's their learning together. Nobody else in the yeshiva is as serious or as brilliant a student as Avigdor. Nobody else is an intellectual match for Anshel -- and so, he studies alone.

When Anshel reveals to Avigdor that s/he is really the woman Yentl, Avigdor suggests that they could get married and still study together -- but Yentl/Anshel says no. S/he tells him that s/he is "neither one [sex] nor the other" and that s/he has "the soul of a man in the body of a woman." This teaches us that Yentl DID INDEED have a gender identity crisis. If she had just wanted to study Talmud, if she were in love with Avigdor, she could have married him and that would be that. But she chose instead to remain living as Anshel for the rest of her life, even without Avigdor. In other words, she chose loneliness and loss of friendship over going back to living as a woman -- a choice that many a real transsexual has also made.

Now, one issue that has not come up yet in the debate here is this: What exactly did I.B. Singer mean by "the SOUL of a man in the body of a woman?" Is this used figuratively, i.e., with "soul" meaning interests, ideas, disposition? Or did Singer mean it literally -- that the eternal soul of Yentl was male, trapped in a female body? If it was figurative, then why does Yentl's father explain it by telling her "even heaven makes mistakes?" I think it is meant literally -- that a male soul has incarnated in the female body named Yentl. Perhaps it was reincarnation (Singer did believe in that.) This was/is one explanation in kabbalah (Jewish mysticm) for what we now call, in scientific terms, "gender dysphoria."

When Singer was writing in the 1960s, "gender dysphoria" was assumed to be caused by a mismatch of social roles, such as a girl being raised as a tomboy. And that's how Singer portrayed Yentl, with her father teaching her "male" things. But even today, when women are free (in Western countries at least) to openly pursue any type of studies or career or lifestyle they want, there are STILL female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals who claim to have male souls trapped in female bodies. Many of them were NOT raised as tomboys, either. The issue for them is not social roles, it's gender identity.

Recent research seems to indicate that this inner conflict is caused by a difference in brain structure. (Nature, not nurture.) Apparently, there is a part of the brain that is hard-wired to "feel" male or female -- and if this is out of sync with the rest of the body, you have a transgendered person. Had Singer known this in his day, he might have focused less on Yentl's dislike of sewing and cooking (the so-called "women's work"), and more on her inner identity crisis about feeling male. But he was a man of his times and he used the literary devices available then. When he wrote this story in 1962, DNA had not even been discovered, and there were no MRI machines to map the activities of the living brain. He assumed (wrongly) that a Yentl became what s/he was because of how she was raised. 21st-century readers need to keep this in mind when they read this story.

The movie does attack the issues of feminism - albeit somewhat unrealistically. Yes, as one reviewer put, there are many restrictions on Chasidic women (and men!), but not necessarily in an oppressive manner. The laws of Judaism are really quite complex (and no I am not orthodox). Nevertheless, I believe the book is a story about s transsexual, Yentl (Anshel) who felt as though she were a man in a woman's body. Incidentally, she was brilliant and capable of the complex studies of the Talmud, but the book has very little to do with feminism or oppression of women.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent read, highly recommended. For the period on which it was written, Singer was very much ahead of his time in tackling such an issue.

There's quite a debate going on in these reviews, so let me return to the main point of these reviews and state that this is an excellent story and well worth reading. As others have pointed out, in adapting the book to a movie, Barbra STreisand made substantive changes in the story, changes that Singer himself did not approve of. It's definitely worth going back to the original text and reading the story as written.

The story is not only a moving tale of the bind a Jewish woman of late 19th or early 20th century Poland puts herself into in order to fulfill her need to study and learn, but a rich portrayal of both the joys and strictures of that society that is now gone (as are so many of Singer's stories). It helps to know something of Judaism to understand many of the references in the story but it is not critical to the reader's empathy with Yentl/Anshel's position.

And yes, the character as portrayed in the book is undoubtedly portrayed as what we would now call transgendered. It is not simply that Yentl wants to study Torah, because if that were the case she could marry Avigdor and continue to study with him; Avigdor offers her this option. She herself says she is not one or the other. I also love Singer's implied explanation for transgender identity as being that of a soul of one sex incarnated in the body of the other. It makes a deep kind of sense to me in both a spiritual and experiential way, and adds another dimension to this story.

This book is very short, really a novella, and is illustrated with interesting woodcuts that portray both moments from the story, and various Jewish ritual objects like spice boxes and the pointers used to read Torah scrolls. Do seek this book and other works of Singer's out, you won't regret it!

I went through an Amish Phase where I had to know all about Amish culture, and I read about everything I could find. I even visited a small Amish community tucked away in the Montana mountains. But the best book I found was this little gem, because it gives you a peek into the way the Amish themselves think and feel. Basically the book is a compilation of reader-submitted articles on a variety of subjects that have been published in an Amish-only circular. Everything from how they perceive their weaknesses as a community to their struggles with "young people" and changes to tradition - a MUST READ if you want to feel as if you were actually a fly on the wall of an Amish quilting bee or farmer's get-together.

You will find this book engaging on several planes. There is a Sadness and a Joy, a Quaintness and a Moderninity. And don't be too surprised if you find yourself thinking there is a little Amish hidden inside yourself.

How better to learn about the ways and lifestyle of the Amish than from their own words? Very informative and interesting! I feel all books are priced too high though and for that reason I am giving only four stars!

Beautifully gathered stories of home life and community in the Amish settlements. Enjoyed them alland the reflections they gave. Like a quilt of people put together I enjoyed this very much.

We drove into Lancaster Cnty. yesterday to "see the Amish." I picked this book up (for a bit more than it is offered here at Amazon) and breezed right through. It is interesting - to say the least - and quite provocative. It debunks many of the idealized stereotypes I had of the Amish and portrays them as 'normal' people who have deliberately (and sometimes not deliberately) chosen a very separate Christian walk. Very inspiring, too. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the Amish & Mennonites as well as all Christians. We can learn much from the quiet people in the land.

Anyone who has ever visited Amsterdam knows the curious magic of that city, its canal-lined streets, polyglot population, and unconventional mores. But few are aware of Amsterdam's rich literary life. Manfred Wolf brilliantly redresses that cultural gap in Amsterdam, A Traveler's Literary Companion.
In what may be the best in an excellent series, Wolf, Professor of English at San Francisco State University and leading expert on Dutch literature, introduces the reader to an Amsterdam of gaiety and sadness, beauty and squalor, hope and despair. The selections are arranged thematically and geographically and include "City and People," "Canals," "Red-Light District," "Gay Amsterdam," and "Jewish Amsterdam." Among the provocative essays and stories are Remco Campert's "Soft Landings," Hermine Landvreugd's "Staring out the Window," and Margo Minco's "The Return."
To read this fine collection is to come a step closer to overcoming what Cees Nottebom observes in the opening selection, "Amsterdam": "This is my city, a token for the uninitiated. She will never reveal herself to the outsider who does not know her language and history, because it is precisely language and names that are the keepers of secret moods, secret places, secret memories."

Divided into sections including "City and People," "Canals," "Red-Light District," "Gay Amsterdam" and "Jewish Amsterdam," Manfred Wolf's wonderful new volume, "Amsterdam," is both travel guide to this quirky, classy, multi-cultural city, and an introduction to the writings of a number of Dutch literary greats. Through these samplings one is exposed to Dutch traditions of tolerance, freedom of expression, hatred of fanaticism, love of compromise and at the same time the occasional and peculiar manifestations of Dutch small-mindedness. It is the perfect book to accompany a visit to Amsterdam as well as the perfect volume for gaining insights into this imminently civilized city, if one lacks the opportunity to travel there. Don't miss it.

When I first learned of this collection of Dutch fiction, I was enthusiastic about the concept (a literary anthology for the traveler to Amsterdam) but at the same time a bit apprehensive about whether selections could be found which would give a taste of this historic and many-sided city without compromising either readability or literary merit. I needn't have worried. For the most part the translations are first-rate, and the short stories and excerpts from longer works are well chosen, both for quality and the information they convey about various aspects of the city. It is refreshing to see the work of eminent, but little-known (in the English-speaking world, at least) Dutch writers like Gerard Reve and Maarten `t Hart in English. The beauty of a book like this is that it can mentally prepare you for a visit to Amsterdam (or possibly even inspire you to plan one) in a much more subtle and ultimately more enjoyable way than any standard guidebook can do.

This is a rich and intruiging collection of Duch literature that should be of interest to anyone visiting Holland and seeking insight into the true culture of the country, which is far too often clouded by many popular stereotypes. I lived in Holland for two years and enjoyed picking out not only the references to familiar places, but also the small details of Dutch character, customs, history, and lifestyle that transported me back to the "real" Holland that only the Dutch--and insightful travelers--come to know. The selections are varied and of high literary quality in their own right, and are worth reading even if were one not planning a trip to Holland. But after finishing this book one might very well consider doing so.

I don't have a whole lot to add to these great reviews other than stating that this book deserves its current five-star rating. The excerpts are well-chosen and they really help the reader see into the lives of the Dutch from multiple angles. The fact that the excerpts are bite-size makes this an especially desirable book to take with you to read on the plane or in your hotel/apartment each night.

I am leading a group to the Netherlands next year and this will likely be required reading.

This is a wonderful book combined with an extraordinary collection of plates. The only problem is that virtually all the references in the text do not refer to the correct plates. This is really disappointing is such a fine, and expensive, book.

The Anatomy of Glory is a wonderful account of Napoleon's Guard, from its beginnings during the Revolutionary Wars to its end after Waterloo. The text is highly readable and engaging. The accompanying prints are wonderful, as are the useful appendices. I would recommend this to any student of Napoleonic history. The Tondu and his Grumblers seem to march across the pages of this seminal text.

I concur with the supportive opinions expressed here that this book, The Anatomy of Glory by Commandant LaChouque, et al, is the ultimate reference material for serious students of the History of the Imperial Guard.

I first came upon this wonderful book as a Senior at the University of Minnesota in 1984. My senior thesis was a study of Anglo-French Diplomacy during the Napoleonic period, and I find this book to be a wonderful source of information, not only information concerning the History of the Guard, but also more generalized history of the period itself.

This book, as stated, has a fabulous collection of artwork from the Anne Brown Collection at Brown U., and also does a wonderful job getting down to the nitty gritty concerning the Marshals, the Campaigns, the Politics of the Period, etc. Commandant LaChouque leaves no stone unturned in this hugely successful documentary on the Era.

The fact that this book centers the majority of its attention on Napoleon's Guard specifically is especially attractive to me since even now with the advent of the Internet it's still a bit of a tooth pull to get so complete an analysis of the history of one of the most courageous, loyal and dedicated organizations of professional soldiers the world has ever seen...La Garde Imperiale! These hardcore heroes richly deserve to be remembered, and this book does their memory ultimate honor.

The day I lost my original copy of this book was a sad one, and I'm very pleased I have now had, thanks to Amazon.Com, the opportunity to get a replacement. I most highly recommend this book for any gung-ho student of Napoleonic History...Vive L'Empereur!

I first saw this book and read it in high school. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my Napoleonic library. It is full of information unobtainable eslewhere in English. The superb illustrations, from the Anne S.K. Brown Collection at Brown University, greatly enhance the presentation, Mrs Brown also being the translator. The book traces the Guard from its inception during the Revolution, its emergence as the Guard of the Consuls, and into its final evolution in 1804 as the Imperial Guard. The personalities who populate it are a truly talented and colorful group, from Pere Roguet, to Napoleon himself. The book almost appears as a personal narrative of the author, Commandant Lachouque, and while he has been accused of being somewhat biased, his references used for the book itself are impeccable. That the book has already stood the test of time is a virtue in itself. The new Introduction to the latest edition is by Col John Elting the noted suthority on the Napoleonic period, and new information on the Guard was discovered by him for this introduction. It not only enhances the Guard's formidable combat reputation, but the book itself. This book is a must for every Napoleonic enthusiast.

The glory of the Imperial Guard resounds above all others in the annals of war. Created, built and nurtured as a bodyguard for Napoleon, it grew from a brigade of fewer than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became 'a human fortress which no one but [Napoleon] could dominate and no enemy could penetrate'. And, on such battlefields as Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram and Waterloo, it won the laurels of undying fame. Written by France's foremost historian of the Napoleonic Wars, Commandant Henry Lachouque, and translated and adapted by Anne S. K. Brown, this sumptuous work is enhanced by over 180 illustrations, including 86 plates in full colour. This new printing from the second, revised edition of Lachouque's masterwork will be especially welcomed by students of Napoleonic history. The plates alone are uniquely valuable as a source of uniform colours and style, and the text provides the definitive history of an elite body of men. With its vivid narrative and lavish illustrations, The Anatomy of Glory can lay justifiable claim to be one of the most magnificent books on military history ever published. The critical acclaim that greeted it upon its first publication provides ample testimony to its reputation. The Anatomy of Glory is both informative and entertaining: a work of unquestionable quality - termed a masterpiece by Elting - and a monumental contribution to Napoleonic literature.

More than two milliion poeple died in Auschwitz, 80% of them Jewish.
Principal sections in this book addres the history of this camp,the
perpetrators,the inmates,escapes and even underground resistance.
An excelend one-volume on the history of Auchwitz.

This was the single most well-written book I have found on this topic. The authors present the reader with a very large amount of facts and knowledge in an incredibly articulate manner. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Excellent and detailed account of all aspects of the Auschwitz/Birkenau complex and its subcamps. The illustrations and pictures of the installations and camp add a new insight into the history and functioning of the camp and gives a different perspective on the technology and mindset that led to the mass murder and annihilation that took place there. As reader of holocaust literature for nearly 35 years, I consider this to be a definitive work on this subject.

I purchased this book along with BELZEC, SOBIBOR, TREBLINKA: The operation Reinhard Death Camps.

I find it a cold study of what took place here. It does not give us any feeling about the people who operated this horrible place.
Other than a cold statistical study of the SS guards there is nothing. You don't get the feel of Hoess, Mengele, or Marie Mandel, or Irma Grese that the Reinhard book gives us of Globocnick, Stangle, and their vile ilk. Just as it does not give any real feeling for the millions of innocencts who were slaughtered here.

It is a very informative work, but a cold autopsy of a hellish place.

Michael Ryan calls the book "cold". I have a large library of books on the Holocaust that look at through many eyes. Often the books by survivors are filled with emotion and facts as seen from a narrow view. A scientific study gives us the facts in as much detail as possible ON THE POINTS STUDIED. Read Hoess's autobiography for possibly the best understanding of the minds of many of the participants.

To Mr. Frantzman I would suggest that this book is 600 pages long, but certainly not ALL INCLUSIVE. I doubt that anyone could possibly write a single book (or a set within a rational time) that can deal "fairly" with every facit of the camp. My first book was the seminal "The Destruction of European Jewery" by Raul Hilberg who a few years ago I had a chance to meet and discuss issues. He said that it would take a library of books (which I have) to cover all the aspects of the Holocaust, and still we would only know ABOUT it. And he was right. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN DETAIL--BUT DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND HOW A NATION COULD DO SUCH A THING. Aways there are the "insane"--but a NATION? But what about Pol Pot, Africa, etc. Even many of those who survived (and I have known a number) cannot stretch their minds to understand. And some of my friends were in the first batch of American soldiers to enter a camp, and to their deaths they could still FEEL (and have nightmares about)it--but not understand how it could happen.

This book contains various translations of ancient works relating to mystery cults. A great deal of focus is placed on Greek and Roman works. This is therefore a nice reference to the topic.

I found the translations to be, for the most part, clear, accessible, and to preserve a great deal of emotional power that these original sources had. This is an extremely important work on the subject.

The book is informative and well presented. It was required reading for a Masters Class, and it augmented the other required reading, as well as the classroom information. The author writes commentary on the background of the mystery, and then the sacred text.

Ever hear of the ancient mystery religions from the ancient mediterranean world that supposedly influenced the new testament? This is just about the best book to actually read up on what the mystery religions consisted of. A good tool to check out for yourself if there are or are not any parallels between the mystery religions and new testament content.

As Marvin M. Meyer explains in his excellent introduction, the Mysteries (from the Greek myein = to close) were associations of individuals: 'The Mysteries were secret religious groups composed of individuals who decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound realities of one deity or another. They joined an association of people united in their quest for personal salvation.'

Unlike the Catholic Church or State religions, the Mysteries had no power base and no organized structure. They were an easy target for those who considered them as enemies or serious rivals in their power search. The Catholic Church attacked them fanatically in speech, picture and scripture. After becoming the official religion under Constantine the Great, the Roman Church convinced emperor Theodosius the Great to commit one of the most savage crimes against humanity: he ordered in A.D. 391 the abolition of all pagan mysteries and the destruction of their sanctuaries, giving at the same time a religious monopoly to the Pope.

This book contains excerpts of very well known works like 'Bakchai' by Euripides or 'The Golden Ass' by Apulejus, but also texts which are difficult to find.
The editor wrote a small introduction for each of the mysteries considered together with excellent bibliographies.

Not to be missed by all those interested in Ancient history.

A very useful source book, I use it often. The division of the book into specific religions/cults makes it easy to use.

The only thing lacking are images/diagrams to supplement the texts.

The chapters on Isis, Osiris and Mithras are excellent.

This is a wonderful book. It really fleshes out the remains of Rome's ancient monuments

We're planning a trip to Rome and like to prepare by reading about places we'll be seeing. This gives a very good explanation of the Roman building remains in an interesting manner.

Great book
love to see rome then and now
makes history come alive

This book uses overlays to show what Ancient Rome looked like when everything was new and in good shape. Then, you can flip the overlay and see how things look now. I always wondered how things looked then and wished I had a time machine to go back to those days. This book is the second-best thing to a time machine. The artists have done a great job of reconstructing the famous buildings, forums and temples. The book is well worth the money and is less expensive from Amazon than buying it in Rome.

This is a great book but way too expensive. I could have bought the exact book in Rome for less than half the price from a vendor at the Colosseum but decided to wait until I got home.

A lot of people hear the word "Art" and think of a painting on the wall or a sculpture proudly displayed on a table or mantle. The lush images in this book remind us that we can incorporate "Art" into every physical part of our lives. There's no need to sacrifice form for function or beauty for utility. All you have to do is look at the woodwork, the floors, the lighting, the walls, and, yes, the decorative objects--in short, every aspect of an art nouveau home--to see "Art" in the smallest detail. Art Nouveau exemplifies the principle of "Art for Life".

This is the book to get on Art Nouveau. The authoritative essays are well annotated, and an excellent bibliography is included. The illustrations are very fine. Of course this is a nice "coffee table book," but really this is a wonderful reference book for scholars of the Fin de Siècle-Belle Époque. Highly recommended!

A book of incredible detail and beauty. I first saw this book in my local library and decided I simply must have it. There are print art, furniture and jewellry, arcitecture examples and more. Worth the purchase price to the last penny!

This is a rare gem among art histories: A well researched book that an average person will enjoy as much as a researcher. What makes this book stand out from other books about art nouveau is how thorough it is (It is phone book thick) and the quantity and quality of the pictures. All the reproductions of art in this book are color, with the obvious exception of older photographs of artists and occasionally architecture or artifacts that no longer exist except in black and white pictures.

The book takes the theory that art nouveau was part of a social response to industrialization. So the art is defined as art that used a return to nature or investigation into magic to try to make sense of the world. Art works are organized by what materials they were created from (jewelry, ceramics, textile, commercial advertising prints). Paintings and some examples of the other medias are grouped by country with a historical write on art nouveau in that geographical region.

This book is great. The high quality color reproductions and so many of them are worth looking through again and again. If you are at all into art nouveau then you are likely to love this book. Libraries should make this available because of the wonderful high quality color reproductions.

First off, thank you Paul! I have loved Art Nouveau from childhood, before I ever knew what the style was called. It is somewhere in my blood. ART NOUVEAU, 1890-1914 (pronounced Art Newvo) is like something from a dream. The photographs alone are worth buying this book for!

Here are the chapters along with two or more of my favorite works from each:

1 THE STYLE AND THE AGE
Emile Galle' "Hand." Hot-worked glass with patination. French, 1904. Victor Horta, Hotel Tassel (Tassel House) First-floor landing with view towards staircase. Brussels, 1893.
2 ALTERNATE HISTORIES
Gustav Klimt, Pallas Athene. Oil on Canvas, Austrian, 1898. Museen der Stadt Wien, Vienna. / Doorway with two jambs and a pillar from the 11th-century church at Urnes, Norway. Late 19th-century plaster cast.
3 THE CULT OF NATURE
Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, pair of magnolia lamps. Gilt bronze and carved glass. French, c.1903. / Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, Le Figuier de Barbarie. Lamp of patinated bronze and carved glass. French, 1903.
4 SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE
"Spiritualism: In philosophy the state or condition of mind opposed to materialism or a material conception of things." Madame Blavatsky, Theosophic Glossary, 1892.
Rene Lilique, Dragonfly Woman*** corsage ornament. Gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones and diamonds. French, c.1897-98. Calouste Gullbenkian Museum, Lisbon. / Gustav Klimt, Judith II (Salome). Oil on canvas. Austrian, 1909.
5 THE LITERARY HERITAGE
6 ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
Tsuba (sword guard). Iron with gold and silver inlay. Japanese, c.1700-1800. / Inro (small container). Wood with black, gold and brown lacquer and glazed pottery., Japanese, c. 1775-1800. Signed Mochizuki Hanzan.
7 ARABESQUES: NORTH AFRICA, ARABIA AND EUROPE
(left and right) Glass flasks from Persia (Iran). c, 1885. / (centre) Glass flask by L.C. Tiffany & Co. ***American, 1896.
8 LE STYLE ANGLAIS: ENGLISH ROOTS OF THE NEW ART

James McNeill Whistler, Peacock Room for the Frederic Leyland Hourse, 1876. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. / Alexander Fisher, peacock sconce.** Steel, bronze, silver, brass and enamel. English, c.1889.
9 THE AGE OF PAPER
Camille Martin, Portfolio, L'Estampe orignale.* Tooled mosaic leather. French, 1893. / Henri Bellery-Desfontaines, L'Enigme. Colour lithograph. French, 1898.
10 MOULDING WOOD: CRAFTSMANSHIP IN FURNITURE
Rupert Carabin, table, Wood. French, 1896. [I wish you could see this photo.** Two nude women on either side of the rectangular table have arms outstretched to hold the x top left of it, and their heads are the top right side of the x and their knees are bent to go down the bottom right of the x respectively.] / Eugene Gaillard, dining room** [black and white but oh I can see it in full color!] L'Art Nouveau Bing, Expositioin Universelle, Paris, 1900.
11 THE NEW TEXTILES
Henry van de Velde, dress** Belgian, 1900. / Otto Eckmann, Five Swans. Woven tapestry. German, 1896-97.
12 THE NEW CERAMICS: ENGAGING WITH THE SPIRIT
Agathon Leonard, part of a table setting: Jeu de l'echarpe. Porcelain.* French, 1898. / Weduwe N.S.A. Brantjes, dish.** Earthenware, Dutch, c.1900.
13 THE NEW GLASS: A SYNTHESIS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DREAMS
Louise Comfort Tiffany, vase.** Glass with applied and marvered colours, combed. American, 1895.
14 MODERN METAL
Horta House, view from the music room towards the dining room. *** 1898-1900. /Fernand Dubois, candelabra.** Electro-plated bronze. Belgian, c.1889.
15 JEWELLERY AND THE ART OF THE GOLDSMITH [one of my favorite chapters]
Phillipe Wolfers, orchid hair ornament, gold, enamel, diamonds and rubies.*** Belgian, 1902. / Ren' Lilique, iris bracelet.*** Gold, enamel and opals. French, 1897. / Rene Lalique, damselflies necklace.*** Gold, enamel, aquamarines and diamonds. French, c.1900-02. / Rene Lalique, winged female figure.*** Bronze. French, c.1899-1900. / Alphonse Mucha, bodice ornament.*** Gold, ivory, enamel, opals, pearls, and coloured gemstones. Czech, c.1900.

Ok, time for just the chapter titles and most essential loves listed from each chapter. This gives you an idea of how comprehensive this book is!

16 THE CONCENTRATED ESSENCE OF A WRIGGLE: ART NOUVEAU SCULPTURE
Jean Dampt, The Fairy Melusine and the Knight Raymondin. French, 1894.
17 THE PARISIAN SITUATION: HECTOR GUIMARD AND THE EMERGENCE OF ART NOUVEAU
Hector Guimard, principal entrance to Le Castel Beranger.** Paris, 1898.
18 VICTOR HORTA AND BRUSSELS
All the photos from the Victor Horta House!
19 MUNICH: SECESSION AND JUGENDSTIL
Franz von Stuck, The Sin. Oil on canvas. German, c.1906.
20 SECESSION IN VIENNA
Josef Hoffmann, Palais Stoclet, detail of tower.** Brussels, 1905-11.
21 GLASGOW: THE DARK DAUGHTER OF THE NORTH
22 LOUIS SULLIVAN AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
Adler and Sullivan, Transportation Building, Columbian Worlds Fair. Chicago, 1893.
23 BARCELONA: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERNITY
Lluis Domenech i Montaner, auditorium of Palau de Musica Catalana.*** Barcelona, 1905-08. / Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, detail of fascade.*** Barcelona, 1904-06. / And all photos of Antoni Gaudi, Sagrada Familia!***
24 BUDAPEST: INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS AND NATIONAL CAPITAL
Odon Lechner, interior of The Museum of Applied Arts.*** Budapest, 1896./ Zsolnay factory, vase. Prcelain-faience covered in Eozin glaze.** Hungarian, 1899.
25 THE NEW ART IN PRAGUE (where my violin was made)
Oswald Polivka, entrance to the Novak Building.** Nove Mesto, prague, 1901-04./ Interior and exterior photos of Osvald Polivka and Antonin Balsanek, the Municipal House
26 HELINSINKI: SAARINEN AND FINNISH JUGEND
27 MOSCOW MODERN
Elena Polenova, plate from Mir Isskustva. St. Petersburg, 1900.
/ Fyodor Shekhtel, both photos from the Riabushinsky mansion.*** Moscow 1900-02.
28 LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY AND NEW YORK [another one of my favorite chapters--I adore L.C.T!]
Everything! Four Seasons window. Leaded favrile glass. American, 1897.
29 TURIN: STILE FLOREALE, A LIBERTY FOR ITALY?
The coolest chair I've seen in a long time: Carlo Bugatti, chair.*** Parchment over wood, copper, paint. Italian, 1902.
30 A STRANGE DEATH...
"Decorative Art can no longer exist any more than the 'style' themselves...Culture has taken a step forward and the hierarchical system of decoration has collapsed." Le Corbusier, L'Art decoratif d'aujourd'hui, 1925.
ILLUSTRATED OBJECT LIST: ART NOUVEAU 1890-1914 EXHIBITION, NATIONAL GALERY OF ART, WASHINGTON. Perhaps the best for last, has thumbnails of 375 additional pieces! I love it!

Listening to King Crimson The Power to Believe...awesome too.
Soar!

I purchased this book because of my great interest in birds (not hunting) and I particularly have an interest in the other birds of his menagerie. Frederick seems to me to be a truly Renaissance man before his time who had indoor plumbing, an extensive traveling library and who was a very creative architect of many of his palaces and lodges (which were more extensive than those of others). I am still searching for more information about how the many parrots and other exotic birds were housed and cared for, though I see that (in this book) that he had a large preserve for the large wild animals (elephants, lions tigers etc) and another just for hunting birds - no mention is made of the lovely gentle creatures and their care. My especial interest is in the Umbrella Cockatoo -so well described on page 59 of this book as "white parrot" but with details and it is apparent that there were at least numerous green parrots as well. I will keep searching and if anyone knows of a book showing his care of parrots please email vldazzle at Cox.net.

This is the perfect book for whoever wants to learn about what falconry was like a long time ago. However, I would not reccommend it to anyone who wants to learn about present day falconry. After you get your license, I would reccommend it. The reason I say this is because it can confuse the apprentice. It confused me. It does teach a lot though, and can give insight to diff. ways of training hawks. Belongs in every falconers library!

Frederick II was one of the very few brilliant minds of the Middle Ages who opossed the Pope and the teachings of the Church, even, it is said, declaring Jesus, Moses and Muhammad [...]. Patron of arts and Science, warrior and writer, it is also said that he spoke nine toungues (in an era when most members of the highest nobility were unable even to read). He was known as Stupor Mundi (Astonishment of the World), a Pope declared him the Antichrist, was twice excommunicated, and Dante sent him to the fires of Hell in the Divine Comedy. This book, about one of his passions, hunting, should therefore be in the shelves of every learned reader of the world. It is a fantastic source of information for falconers, historians (both of the Middle Ages and of Science) and for everyone interested in the history or the life of this great King, who, when crowned, wore a robe with this inscription wrote in Arabic: "May the Emperor be received well, may he enjoy vast prosperity, great generosity and high splendor, fame and magnificent endowments, and the fulfillment of his wishes and hopes. May his days and nights go in pleasure without end or change". So be it.

Beisdes being an incredible tract on falconry (modern ornithology has yet to surpass it, really. Doubly impressive, considering Frederick was writing some three centuries before the scientific revolution). This book is a cross-section of one of the most profound minds in all of Western history. Frederick the Second was the most magnificient of all the latter day emperors. From nothing he raised the throne of the Roman Empire to transcendant limits, defied both God and the Church, and brought in the fabled "third age" for the superstitious people of medieval Europe, who believed that he was either the bringer of Peace before the apocalypse or the Anti-Christ himself. His memorable utterance "...I am tired of being the anvil. Now I shall be the hammer!" was the inspiration behind Nietszche's work 600 years later. The Empire died with the next brilliant generation of the Hohenstaufen.

In light of all this, his book of falconry is indespensible. It shows us Frederick the Renaissance man, engaging in Scientific method in an era of revealed truths, and it shows us Frederick the hunter: shrewd, catching every detail, and always for the love of the chase. This book will amaze you to no ends!

As a practical guide to modern falconry, I don't believe this book would be as helpful as some on the market, but as a primary source from the middle ages it is first rate. The intricacies and details of the hunt, the housing, the care given to the birds, hounds, etc. . . . for this, the book is priceless. If you are looking for summaries of the hunting practices in the middle ages, Marcelle Thiebeaux and Anne Rooney are among the best authors to seek. If you want the actual details of the way it was by someone living at the time it was practiced, there is no better source than Frederick II's book (and few even close).