european

This edition of Petrarch's Canzoniere (trans. Mark Musa) is the best English rendering I have seen. Durling's edition, while useful in different ways (I would certainly reccommend both to anyone seriously interested in Petrarch), doesn't provide translations that are nearly as poetic or comfortable as these. Musa's experience from translating Dante's Divine Comedy and Vita Nuova, Boccaccio's Decameron, and even, previously, portions of Petrarch's Canzoniere, definitely shines through here - Musa knows his way around the Italian greats, and it shows in this translation.

While there are other good translations of selections from the Canzoniere, Petrarcch's masterpiece needs to be read as a whole from start to finish in order to be fully appreciated. Petrarch planned and rewrote these poems in order to fit into an overall plan.
Usually I skip introductions to works that I read but I read the first paragraph of the extensive introduction and was quickly drawn in. This introduction was actualy a helpful prologue to the poetry which descibed Petrach's styles and intentions.
A blurb on the book cover says that Musa's treanslations read so well that you are unaware that they are translations. I certainly agree. I do not read Italian but this edition does conain the originals on the adjacent side.
I was surprised at the modernity and musicality of the poems. Petrarch was not just inflouential in his versification but also in his language. Much of his humanistic language has become second nature to us but he invented it.
I rank this book as not only some of the graetest poetry but as one ofthe great works of Western llterature.
These "little songs" are highly readble and like a said before form a sort of novelistic story that I would highly recommend to not just poetry readers but all readers.

Musa's translations preserve all the brilliant visionary beauty & humble humanness of Petrarch's voice. & where would western literature be without Petrarch? He was one of the main people to bring Europe out of the Middle Ages.

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!

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!

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!

It's not only a beautiful coffee table book but a thumbnail sketch of Russian history in the last 100 years.

The detailed and collaborative work of Rett Ertl and Rick Hibberd, The Art Of The Russian Matryoshka is a unique and distinctive artbook devoted to the classic Russian toy consisting of dolls that fit inside one another. 330 full-color photographs illustrate and showcase rare and vintage matryoshka, while the narrative text covers the history of this device as well as the steps of its creation today. The Art Of The Russian Matryoshka is especially recommended for toy collectors and a welcome contribution Russian Cultural Studies collections.

This magnificently designed volume captures the heart of Mother Russia -- and captured my heart as well. Beautifully photographed and written in a lively, readable style. The dolls speak wisely about the history of this great, sad land, and I learned a lot about Russia. It's the perfect gift for anyone interested in Russia or, more broadly, in dolls and how they reflect their times.

This is the latest in Lethe Press's series of reissues of works on the occult. 'The Supernatural In Modern English Fiction' was written in 1917 by Dorothy Scarborough. Given that the series has been uneven so far I did not have high expectations for this volume, and have only now discovered that it is a veritable treasure trove of books and literary history. It covers the period from Horace Walpole's 'Castle of Otranto' and other Gothic romances straight through to the author's own present times in the early 20th Century.

This makes for a literal cast of thousands. I was quite surprised to discover that horror and fantasy were a major part of the world's literary output from the very beginnings of popular literature. From Walpole, Maturin, and Shelley right through to Doyle, Machen, and Blackwood it was indeed a crowded stage. And Scarborough manages to present most of these efforts in a readable and well-organized fashion. Initially we are given a historical approach, but then the themes are taken up separately. Ghost stories, the demonic, the wandering Jew, rebirth, the afterlife, folk tales, and even 'scientific' monsters each get their turn in the sun.

As I've indicated Scarborough writes without any of the boring academic tone which often haunts this kind of material. This makes this volume an entertaining way to hunt down new reading material as well as a help in steering one's way through book stall accretions with a steady hand. Keep a pencil and a piece of paper handy while reading this book, you are bound to find things of interest.

My only regret is the lack of a bibliography. Scarborough is quite up front about this. In addition to the 3,000 or so titles that she drew upon for the book, there was an even larger additional number that she felt should be provided to the reader/researcher. There simply was no room at the inn. Unfortunately, to our loss, the bibliography promised as a second volume never materialized. There is, however, a good index, which will have to serve in it's stead.

First of all the potential reader should know that this book was published in 1917, so the 'Modern' in the title refers to the latter part of the nineteenth century, and the earliest part of the twentieth century.

Secondly, the author omits mention of most of the ghost story authors from that period who are still popular today, e.g. J. S. Le Fanu (first ghostly tale published in 1838) and M. R. James (first collection of stories published in 1904). She also leaves out most of Victorian ladies whose ghost stories are still in print today, e.g. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, E. Nesbit, and Mrs. Riddell.

I would classify this book as an overview of the literature of supernatural fantasy and horror (including a Byronic poem about a vampire). The ghost story as defined and brought to its peak by Victorian and Edwardian authors, receives only brief mention in the chapter, "Modern Ghosts."

Scarborough begins with the Gothic Romance, of which she says: "The mysterious twilights of medievalism invited eyes tired of the noonday glare of Augustan formalism. The natural had become familiar to monotony, hence men craved the supernatural. And so the Gothic novel came into being."

'Gothic' is used to designate the eighteenth-century, pseudo-medieval novel of horror. The author begins with Horace Walpole's, "The Castle of Otranto"--if you are at all fond of Regency romances, you are bound to run across a heroine who is reading Walpole's tale of mad monks and haunted castles, or Mrs. Radcliffe's horrific "Mysteries of Udolpho." These novels depicting "decaying castles with treacherous stairways leading to mysterious rooms, halls of black marble, and vaults whose great rusty keys groan in the locks"--plus a heroine who wanders through spider-webbed corridors at midnight--did not have much staying power. According to Scarborough, Jane Austin finally gave this genre the kiss of death when she satirized their gloomy, overwrought style in "Northanger Abbey," which remained unpublished until after her death in 1818. "The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction" describes many gothic romance peculiarities in detail, while having a certain amount of gentle fun with them.

A chapter on European supernatural literature is followed by the aforementioned chapter on "Modern Ghosts." The author makes much of the effect Poe, Balzac, Hoffmann and other Romantic supernaturalists had on the nineteenth century English and American ghost story. Balzac in particular exerted a strong influence over Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, English author of "The Haunters and the Haunted," and progenitor of that infamous opening sentence, "It was a dark and stormy night..." (yes, that Bulwer-Lytton). Other stories that the author selects for discussion depend more on the Romantic tradition of insanity, gruesome decline, and horrid death to spark them along, rather than a purely supernatural mechanism. (As a matter of fact, Scarborough even published a novel in which the heroine was driven mad by the wind.)

She also expends a great deal of print on Spiritualism (which was already on the decline when this book was written), and the mystical, folkloric pantheism of such writers as W.B. Yeats ("The Celtic Twilight") and Algernon Blackwood ("Ancient Sorceries").

Scarborough draws heavily upon Romanticism, Spiritualism, and folklore for her chapters on "The Devil and His Allies," "Supernatural Life (which contains an excellent exposition on the legend of the Wandering Jew)," and "The Supernatural in Folk-tales."

"Supernatural Science" is the only really dated chapter in this book, with its discussions of hypnotism, the Fourth Dimension, uncanny chemistry, and students who exchange eyeballs. Even here, the author provides interesting commentary on A. Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen (whom she despises), and Ambrose Bierce, among other authors who were popular at the beginning of the twentieth century (and still are).

"The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction" should appeal to anyone who is interested in the evolution of fantasy and horror literature. Try "Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood" by Jack Sullivan or "Night Visitors: The Rise and Fall of the English Ghost Story" by Julia Briggs if your interest is more focused on literature that is entirely devoted to ghosts.

Ever wonder where Horror Fiction came from? How has it progressed from the beginning Gothic story to the stuff it is made of today? This book will answer your questions.

A must have for the speculative fiction lover, this book covers every genre from the early gothic to the ghost stories of the 20th century. First published in 1917, Dorothy Scarbouough covers it all, the madness and the horror of the 18oo's.

I'm glad I discovered this book, it will remain a favorite for years to come.

This is as great a satire as Catch 22. As in Catch 22, underlining the satire is a passion for humanity and a merciless assault on those who abuse it and profit from preying on it. It is far superior to The King David Report which is not at all funny -- as Voltaire has shown in Candide, ridicule is the most potent weapon in social criticism.

there are only numerous books can be said that are as good as this one (one of them is also by stefan heym - king david report). layer upon layer of plots all conected and interconected. challanges the free mind as only a "prisoner" by choice in e. germany (Mr. Heym) can invent. walks on thin lines between christianity and judeism leaving no mythical stone unturned. if u were lucky enough to hear about this book, BUY IT, READ IT and tell your friends. p.s : for true lovers of literature

"The Wandering Jew" is based on an old legend which narrates the tragic life of Ahasverus, condemned to an ever-lasting life of misery, until the second coming of Christ, for having refused his master Reb Joshua (Jesus) a resting place when on his way to the Golgotha. It is a personification of exile and Christian condemnation of the Jewish people. Stefan Heym has elaborated on this legend giving it a broad philosophical dimension, with deep moral passion. Ahasverus is a moral character, standing between evil and good, with a revolutionary mind and wishing to understand and improve human condition. Thre are three parallel, interlock plots, the main one taking place in Luther's Germany where the Minister Paul von Eitzen strives holiness through his ministry (disguising his ambition, greed, and sexual impulses), and at the same time fascinated by the power of evil. Although the moral issues brought up are not a novelty, S. Hyem shows courage and passion in his convictions and invites the reader to thoughtfully participate in a dramatic show of human nature. A most wonderful book!

Like coconuts, Voltaire believed that English free institutions could and should be transplanted everywhere. This has special appeal to Americans who also hold strongly to this belief about their political institutions. Bunuma's book ranges to other Anglophiles up to Isaiah Berlin, taking in other figures like the soured -philes who turned into -phobes like Kaiser Wilhelm and Karl Marx.

The book sparks like an intellectual firecracker - varied characters like Voltaire, Alexander Herzen, Nicklaus Pevsner, inhabit the pages. Overall the book will fascinate anybody who might even have just a minor interest in the history of ideas.

The book is at his best when covering Bunuma's own experiences and those of his own family - his greandparents were German Jews who moved to England early in the 20th century. These were remarkable people - in the 1930s, they took in 12 Jewish refugee children, yet in 1945 at the first family Christmas after the war, they shared their Christmas meal with two German prisoners-of-war from the local camp.

Sadly, examples of forebearance and humanity like this are all too scarce now in a world where violence and brutality seems to be daily celebrated in the mass media. Bunuma's anglophile love of English commonsense and pragmatism leads to fear for the future of English liberalism. In an acute observation, he recalls how the liberal Kingdom of Bavaria became the breeding ground of Nazism.

His account of a Tory party conference and the perversion of old English values that went on, is scary. However, personally I feel his fears may not come to pass, since I write after the wipeout of the Tory party in the recent English election (2001). But anyone who has encountered a squad of English football fans on the rampage will know exactly where Bunuma is coming from.

As an Irishman, I can relate to Bunuma since his juvenvile favourites of English public schoolboy adventures exactly mirror my own. While recognising English hypocrisy aboout class boundaries and its former exploitative Empire, I can see where British stubborness made the difference between liberty and those who sought to destroy it. For Britain to lose the great tradition of tolerance exemplified by Locke, Burke, Mill and Orwell would be an awful tragedy. Thanks to Bunuma, that may now be much less likely.

This is simply a delightful book,in which Dutchman Buruma (whose grandparents were German Jews who fled Germany)intertwines his and his family's experiences with England with the experiences of many Anglophiles and Anglophobes. It makes for a very easy, rewarding reading. Buruma talks about many Europeans who loved or hated (and frequently loved and hated at the same time) England. First he deals with that most acute of observers, Voltaire, and his question of why can't the world be more like England?, the land of liberty, the rule of law, tolerance and restraint. Marx, Pevsner, Herzen, Kaiser Wilhelm II and many other politicians, philosophers and artists are portraited here in their relationship with these crucial island.
The book is fast, sharp, funny, erudite, full of interesting anecdotes, and most of all a book about ideas and attitudes. it is one of the best books I've read recently and it is totally recommended.

This has to be one of the most delightful books I have read in recent years. When I picked it up, I thought it was going to be about the American obsession with all things British in popular culture. You know, the glut of Jane Austen movies, Masterpiece Theatre, BBC productions, etc. But that's not what this book is about at all. It is a highly refinded examination of European attitudes toward England as found in the writings of politicians, political philosophers, and artists and as reflected in the experiences of Buruma himself.

I was thoroughly impressed by Buruma's ease in discussing the political ideologies of the 18th and 19th centuries. I was also particularly delighted to read the chapter that discusses the lives and work of Nikolaus Pevsner and F. A. Hayek, two favorite authors from my college days. Buruma is a lively and engaging writer who is sure to please anyone with the least bit of curiosity about the past and with a love of England and what it represents in its deepest and most profound senses.

Besides two long and boring passages that, in my opinion, do not add anything to the main story, this book is Stefan Zweig's masterpiece.
The emotions, repressions, frustrations, fears, joy, expressions, gestures, are well studied and described by the author, with the most intimate and subtle details.
The most poignant scene is when she caressed his hand. He did not love her, just pitied her, but what he felt when she caressed his hand was stronger than making love to any woman he had ever desired before. The description of her caress - and of his emotion during that caress - is irrefutably the strongest in literature. A moment of pure bliss...

"Beware of Pity" is a brilliant book by one of the world's great writers.

This fascinating "psychological" novel is reminiscent of "Rebecca" in the way the story unfolds slowly and then totally envelops the reader. I actually read it straight through the first time, had to miss the next day's work. I've loved it just as much with each reread.

Zweig writes beautifully. He demonstrates elegance, economy, subtlety. There is never a wasted word.

While you are at it, read his short story "The Royal Game."
These are two examples of fiction at its very best.

The scenario is settled at the beginning of the XXth century, right before the outburst of WW I with the murder of the prince of Austria, an event subtly knitted to the action taking place in the novel.

25 years old lieutenant Hofmiller, protagonist and narrator, is the prototype of the young man who has never cared much about anything but his own career and who has taken everything for granted during his whole life. Being good hearted, he hasn't yet experienced a strong attachment to a woman, nor he had even been deeply loved by any.

He describes himself as a not very thoughtful or introspective person, whose only worries were related to his horses and his position in the army.... until he meets Edith Von Kekesfalva. She is the lamed daughter of a Jewish rich man who became an aristocrat by purchasing the nobility title and changing his name.

Due to a gaffe Hofmiller commits [inviting the girl for a dance] a dense and excruciating relationship between both starts. The author delves deep into all the intricacies such a bond entails and the situations which arise when pity rules human behavior and is entangled with sincere love. Although the book may not seem very engaging at the beginning, the interest grows as the tension increases between the characters, leading to the dramatic circumstances that trigger the wonderful end.

Perhaps this review isn't justified (I have only read the section on Camus), but this book is a marvel. Tony Judt has created perhaps the most endearing written portrait of Albert Camus I have ever read. If you are interested in the artist's life, please do yourself a favor and read this book (then read Olivier Todd's full biography). Albert is presented here in a most proper fashion: ambiguous but dignified, somewhere between Pascal and Nietzsche. (Much like the characters in his works, no?) FYI: Judt has written a forward for the new translation of "The Plague" - due out soon, I hope. To summarize: Thanks, Tony.

Though this book is not intended to offer three character sketches per se, it has done more to bring these great twentieth-century Frenchmen to life for me than any other work I've read. Judt is able to bring some continuity to the idea of intellectual integrity by not only describing what each of these men stood for but also what they stood against. Yes, they all stood against Communism (with a big C), but each of them stood against elements of political and intellectual fashion in defense of their own convictions as well. Blum stood against malice. Camus, against moral relativity. And Aron, against intellectual ignorance and conformity. Together they did more to defend the human condition from political and intellectual tyranny than all other twentieth century French intellectuals. This is a powerful look at how the temptations of intellectual and political affiliation need not take the place of rigor and conviction. And, to be honest, it's lucid presentation of each character nearly brought this one to tears. Deserves to be read by a general audience, or anyone who continues to be mystified by these great French figures.

The author of this book is my prof. at NYU and he is simply amazing. He is the best history prof. I've ever had, and words can't describe how intelligent this man is. I'm enrolled in his course titled "History of Europe since 1945" and I must say that the prof. is a walking encyclopedia, and really knows everything there is to know about Europe. I haven't had the chance to read any of his books yet, but I will look them up at the NYU library soon.. I have so much reading for his class I don't think I'll be able to do any leisure reading for the rest of the semester, but I'll pick up one of his books this winter break.

I bought this book to read to my daughter until she is old enough to read on her own. I thought the story was intriguing, with multiple prince sightings and the illustrations were absolutely extraordinary. This book is a delight to look at, never mind read.

Craft adds quite a bit to Charles Perrault's original terse version of this tale, including a scene with a wounded bird being tended by Cinderella. The bird is reminiscent of the Grimm brothers version, however, and serves a nice touch at the end. It is not the story which is so outstanding about this book, though. I was introduced to Craft's work through my college's poster fair, but nothing prepared me for the exquisite nature of her work in "Cinderella." This version embodies all the fantastic and beautiful elements which we want to see in a fairy tale like "Cinderella," but so often illustrators take an avant-garde approach, or seek to focus on Perrault's prose and ignore the chance to fully realize the story visually. However, we all know the story - we want to SEE it. Craft obliges by bringing the story to life luxuriantly and without holding back. She deserves a hand of applause.

Another absolutely amazing book by K. Y. Craft. Here she brings us a "more genuine" retelling of the famous tale - far more rich in detail than the Disney production. The pictures are lush images from dreams, and the story is more detailed and enjoyable. If you are looking for an alternative to the Disney version (one in which the sisters are not physically violent with Cinderella) this is the one that will make a young girl's dreams soar. My 3 year old loved it when she got it for Christmas, and it is still a favorite. I also recommend "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by K. Y. Craft as well, which is available in an affordable paperback that should not be missed.

I gave this collection of short stories as a housewarming gift. My friend says that this is not bedtime reading, so, WARNING, this collection of short stories can promote nightmares! However, she states that in the daytime, the stories are excellent.

It almost feels like a guilty pleasure, reading these stories and enjoying them so much. No self-willed stylistic twitchings, no self-conscious twisting and burnishing of sentences or opacity. Pure brilliance, sentence by sentence and, more important, story by story, is what the collection comprises. Somehow, Singer writes page turners that gratify the heart as much as the head. Even if you're a fan of post-modern ironists, take a look at these stories. You'll probably love them. And you don't have to have a working knowledge or, or interest in, Judaism. Beware, however. Disaffection for this collection is a strong indication of a mind in search of a soul.

Invidious or not, comparisons between writers--particularly if they inhabit similar genres--are inevitable. Hemingway used the analogy of boxing: Faulkner could go, say, ten rounds with any of his contemporaries but would be knocked out by Joyce. (I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea.) Well, in every book about the craft of fiction I've read, and nearly every interview with contemporary writers, Chekhov is acclaimed as the master of the short story. Singer is rarely mentioned. When he is, it's often with a patronizing wink, as if he were a quaint old boor to be respected more for nostalgia's sake than merit. In fact, Singer is the undisputed heavyweight champ of the short story. His stories seem less crafted than channeled, as if Singer had a pipeline to Heaven and was God's amanuensis. Henry Miller said that reading Singer was like "eating pie." In other words, pure pleasure. He's right, but along with the pleasure, these stories go straight to the soul and stick. It's not hyperbole to say that Singer's stories capture and convey life--and sometimes the afterlife--in all its humor, sadness, beauty and wonder. Buy this book.