literature

I've read the story/play before getting this book, and I must say the digital images really elaborates a new wave of magic. The digital imaging photographs are great in company with the writing. The colors are fantastic and the typography really promotes the tension of the plotline. For any illustration or fine art student this is one book you must have for reference. It is like taking Disney's Peter Pan into live action, except with lesser background scenes.

This edition of Barrie's classic novel ushers in a new era in illustrated books. Combining photography and state-of-the-art computer wizardry with an illustrator's sensibility that descends directly from the work of such artists as N.C. Wyeth, Arthur Rackham, and Maxfield Parrish, Raquel Jaramillo has brought the tale of Peter Pan and Neverland magically to life. Children will be enthralled by the immediacy and realism of the pictures--able, finally, to see the 'real' Peter, Hook, and Tinker Bell--while adults will appreciate the artistry of her interpretations. This is the original, unabridged novel, though Jaramillo has cleverly found a way to highlight key textual points with captions that can be read aloud to younger fans. This book is a triumph, a joy for young and old alike!

Truly, I was taken aback when I first pulled this gorgeous book out of its wrappings. The illustration and pure magic that jumps out from every page will enchant children all of ages (even big kids like me!) This edition of Peter Pan was written and designed with love for the story; that is evident! You'll find a map inside the cover, showing the Lost Boys Territory, Buccaneer Zone, Deadman's Isles, among other things.

Peter Pan presented like this makes a beautiful coffee table book. You'll be anxious to read this to your children, and your older kids will engross themselves over it, too.  

This is not the Peter Pan we had growing up! I highly recommend this book to parents and children who really appreciate a classic and a keepsake.

After finishing "Precious Bane" by Mary Webb, enjoying it thoroughly, and reflecting upon the story, I came to the obvious question many people ask after finishing a good book, "What was this all about?"
Superficially, "Precious Bane" tells the story of Prudence Sarn, a poor young woman living during the late 18th century in England with her mother and brother on their farm. Prue was born with a cleft pallet and throughout the book struggles with her personal issues about her appearance and how other people outside of her countryside view her due to her "hare-shotten lip." Prue enjoys the solitude and hard work on the farm, the interactions with her neighbors, The Beguildy's, and the rare trips to the market with her brother Gideon. Though Prue rarely deals with people outside of her family, she does find the opportunity to come into contact with the Beguildy family: Jancis, who is in love with Gideon, Missis Beguildy who befriends Prue when Jancis is sent away, and the Wizard Beguildy, who teaches Prue how to read and write. Additionally, Prudence occasionally has the opportunity to spend time with women from around town on Christmas and during the cakings. As well, for a great deal of the book, Prue talks about her love affair with the weaver Kester Woodseaves who she first met when he was called to weave the wedding linens for Jancis and Gideon, and who she eventually ends up marrying by the end of the book.
The story is told through Prudence Sarn's eyes, as in the fashion of a diary or journal looking back on the events of about 10 years past. Over time, we see how Prue develops into a woman, doing manual labor on the farm, spinning, and spending time with other characters. She grows from one unaware of her appearance, to one suddenly embarrassed, and finally to one trusting of those who love her. The timelessness of this plot line, coupled with Mary Webb's writing style and dramatic emphasis on nature make "Precious Bane" a book worth reading.

I am a senior in high school. I read this book under reccomendation from both my father and sister. Precious Bane truly was a breathtaking story. It's a shame it's out of regular print; I think if more people knew about this book, it would be much more widely read. I reccomended it to all my friends in school, and we together convinced our English teacher to use it as material for the course. Unfortunatly we all might have to pay the hefty $14 price if the school won't pay for it! I was hoping to find some used or paperback editions but alas my search has been to no avail!

I inherited a 1920's hardcover copy of this book when my Grandmother died- it had always been one of her favorite books. When I read it, I begin to see why. My Grandmother was a person whose spirituality was unconventional, and this is a theme that strongly runs through this book. Traditional Christianity is there, but so is ecstatic spirituality inspired and manifested by nature. She sees God in nature. There are many many beautiful passages where the heroine is literally transported spiritually by the slight of flowers, or the songs of birds. Traditional beliefs and local magic are explored in detail and with an amazing lack of Judgement ( folklorists take note), and the Wizard, though he is not expected to go to Heaven, is a friend to a poor disabled girl and teaches her many good things. Her struggle for a "normal" life with her disability, a hare-lip, is very touching and inspiring. The author also deals with bigotry, persecution and rejection of those who are different, and the difficult question of what truly manefests Goodness- is Goodness something people truly strive for, or do most people simply go through life follow social pressures? Is the Wizard, who reached out to Prue and helped her with and open heart, a "better" person then the hard hearted comformity driven Churchgoes who would not even allow the Wizard's ( staunchly Christian) wife to enter their homes, condeming her to a lonely life?
There is Magic here, and unearthly beauty seen though the eyes of a sensative young girl, and what must have been a very different exploration of true human nature in those rigid times. A thoughtful, highly recommended book.

We also have the first version and I bought this one for my younger son. This is such a fun book and every time you open it and look at these pictures (and you will catch yourself doing this a lot!) you see something different. This is wonderful in getting the child to think, look, explore and problem solve and what a fun way to do this!

Joan Steiner's "Look-Alikes, Jr." is a wonderful follow-up to her 1998 "Look-Alikes." This self-taught artist employs everyday items from chess pieces to lasagna noodles, from nail polish bottles to keys, from crackers to ink pens, to construct the most completely realistic little scenes. There are spaceships blasting off towards outer space; middle-class living rooms; classrooms; general stores, and more, all of which are chock-full of items Steiner employs to look like something else. The aforementioned lasagna noodles? Yes, they're here--as curtains! And they look improbably wonderful as curtains!

This is certainly a treat for kids. But you may find that the adults end up buying their own copies of "Look-Alikes, Jr." just so they can sit in peace and be engrossed for hours on their own without having to share this wonderful book with the younger set! Highly recommended!

What a wonderful book! I bought the book as a gift for my nephew and enjoyed it so much I nearly didn't want to give it away! Needless to say my nephew was delighted and loves the book. It's a great way to spend quality time with the younger generation, you will get as much pleasure as they do, finding all the cleverly arranged objects. A great way to wile away a cold winter's eve.

It's a little misleading to have this billed as for "Ages 9 to 12": it's worth reading by people of any age. I'd heard the book recommended by several people that I'd hiked with in Maine, and it lived up to the recommendations, and more so. A simple story, but surprisingly moving. Read it if you plan to climb Katahdin (or climb anywhere above treeline, in the Whites, for example): beware, this could happen to you! My only reservation, at the risk of sounding like an grump, is that the writing style leaves a bit to be desired: I thought I'd scream if the author used the word "fellow" once more! Did kids really talk like this in 1939?

This book is a "must-read" for any person. Forget about the 9-12 age category. It is easily one of the most moving books I have ever read, and you can't possibly put it down until you reach the harrowing end. I felt so sad for Donn Fendler, and could share every single emotion he must have felt. When reading the story, you couldn't help but want to comfort him in his lonely world. It is a true lesson in keeping Faith and believing in God. May God bless you, Donn Fendler. You will always be one of the world's greatest heros of all time.

My grandfather climbed Katahdin in the 30s and, when I was ten, he gave me this book. I've never forgotten it. Now I'm 65 and want to take my son on the same trip, mostly to memorialize Grandpa's hike. What a special surprise and treat for me to see all these great reviews and to find the book still in print. Wonderful! Thank you, everybody.

The machine gunner is an enjoyable book to read. It gave you a sense of what it was like to be a child in World War 2. It's interesting and fun to read, when Chas McGill finds a working machine gun with 2000 live rounds. He tries to keep this secret safe he builds a fortress with friends to fight the Germans in Garmouth Chas's hometown. I recommend this book to anyone because its full of action but historically it gives you information about what it would be like to live in world war 2 times

as previous reviews have mentioned, this is a first rate novel from one of britain top childrens authors, now sadly deceased. It highlights some of Westall's own experiences in war torn tyne and wear - an idea born from his own son (who many of Westall's books are based on - in memorium), when asked by him to stop a leaking roof on the den/base his son and friends had built. Westall states that he felt extremely priveliged to have been invited into their secret world.(hence the den in the book). a very detailed account for those interested in ww2 britain - right down to shrapnel collections found under hedges, to chrysanthemums for christmas. an excellent read, and a book adopted by many schools for english tutoring. This is his best and first book, but try secret lovers, a collection of short stories, and in particular Blind Bill.

The Machine Gunners is a wonderfully written story. The descriptions of WWII life are amazing. All the characters are carefully built up and grow a lot throughout the story. The one drawback to the "majesty", is the abrupt ending. In one chapter they cut off each story line in somewhat of a cheezy way. No invasion ever happens, and the kids are split up, never to meet again. Overall, the book is action-packed, quick reading and totally unpredictable.

Actually, I read this book quite a few years ago, when it was first published.
Since then, I've re-read Nop's Trials, along with every other book that Donald McCaig has written.
While I have enjoyed all of Mr. McCaig's books, Nop's Trials is by far the best.
It's a great story that will be long remembered, not just by Border Collie owners like myself, but by any dog or animal lover.
Nop's Trials is a story that could be made into a great movie!

I first read a condensed version of this story years ago, and it haunted me. I had to learn what I was missing and was highly pleased recently to attain a copy of this complete book for my very own. McCaig writes in a very simplistic, to the point style which flows smoothly and quickly, telling a story of how an honest, hardworking farm man loses his newest stockdog in an unfortunate series of events which only seem to bring the two even closer together at the end. Nop's trials describe not only Border Collie stockdog trials--herding sheep and such for prizes--but the trials he must endure just surviving, wondering if he will ever see his master again or work again on his farm. It is intriguing to note that while you may occasionally "hear" what the dog's point of view is, he is speaking in his own dog language which humans may interpret or misinterpret as they will. A great read for any age, there are a few disturbing scenes described which may upset very young or particularly zealous animal lovers of any kind. Overall, this book deserves its place with all the other great animal stories like Watership Down, Tailchaser's Song, Firebringer, White Fang, The Black Stallion, and The Plague Dogs.

This is a fantastic book for dog lovers, and Border Collie fans in particular. Written in a very readable style, with subtle humor and warmth, it is hard to put down. I especially liked the insights into the thoughts of the individual dogs, and their "conversations". It is very obvious that the author both loves and understands dogs. However, I did find some scenes concerning the abuse of dogs to be highly upsetting, even though the actual abuse was not generally graphic but the results were obvious. To be made aware that people treat animals so inhumanely left me feeling very distressed although the book, as a whole, was wonderful.

I read Kazantzakis absorbing and compelling verse novel over a two-month period, rich and crazy as a Christmas fruit cake, and only to be nibbled in small doses. This is a deeply flawed work of consumate art; flawed, because it expresses a weltangshaung and philosophical stance utterly at odds with the complexities and values of the human spirit which it still succeeds in celebrating in verse of passion, intensity and beauty. Flawed, because it defines the human spirit in terms of the unsubtle, extroverted, violence of masculinity at its most obnoxious, a Nietzschean ubermensch driven to sweep through the human mind like a panzer division; flawed because it present a vision of utter and self-serving solipsism.

But of consumate art in that within those paramaters it creates, with a richness and intensity rarely encountered in modern literature, a detailed, elaborate and sensory world of image, passion and experience; and in positioning the human spirit dancing at the edge of the abyss, in celebrating the defining moments and relationships of life, it ultimately triumphs over its own weakness.

Its stages of the soul's evolution, its imagery and its passionate invocation of the sun link it with the old warrior-cult of Mithras; and while the leopards, elephants, drunkards and maenads seem at first more of Dionysos, the elegance and elegaic elements also link the work with the Greek Apollo, and the discipline of an exact and exacting verse.

Essential to an understanding of the twentieth century vision - and also to an understanding of what made so many of us passionately feminist.

A long, long time ago, I read this book and it changed the way I read literature. Kazantzakis' book goes beyond writing - it is a vivid exploration of the flame that consumes man. To go back to reading the frivolous so-called literature of today almost seems pointless. I am just thankful that Kazantzakis left us with such a rich body of work to read. The libraries were full of his books twenty years ago, but today I rarely find them on any shelf. To those of us who were lucky enough to discover him early, we know that he is the best kept secret of the twentieth century.

First of all, good luck trying to find a copy. Second of all, you have to be a Kazantzakis fan to get through this book. Read Last Temptation or Zorba first, fall in love with his work, then read this. Third, I don't know if this book will appeal to women because it is extremely masculine. That said, it is written with a scriptural density, beautiful even in translation. If you hate Victorian novels, you've found your nirvana.

When you put elegant Chinese prose with an exciting, twisting story, what do you get? Outlaws of the Marsh! This book tells the story of Song Jiang and his outlaws, in what can be sometimes hillarious, thrilling, terrorizing, and the list goes on and on.... however, don't read it if you like boring stories or like to go to sleep at night. This will keep you coming back for more every time. Great reading and worth the price. Another book to be recommended is "The Three Kingdoms",which The Outlaws refers to.

If you read one saga in your life, you would die happy having read Outlaws of the Marsh. This is a particularly good translation and edition in that they take perhaps eight or ten different versions of this story and pack it all together in one bit so you get more quality tale for the buck. Mr. Shapiro even discusses the differences between several of the versions in the beginning of the book.

The saga takes you through a few decades of this roaming band of Chinese warriors in a land of corruption and evil. Though they are no angels themselves (in fact they are demons on Earth), they fight together for loyalty and honor in the name of the Emperor during the Song dynasty.

The descriptions of the battles are vivid and enthralling, and the window into the culture of that time is truly something to cherish.

An ancient story such as this is not something to be taken lightly, though it has plenty of humor, sorrow, and action to captivate the attention of all ages. Characters such as Sagacious Lu, Stumpy Tiger Wang, and Liu Kui the Blackwhirlwind, will forever be a part of you in your travels. Chairman Mao, himself, actually carried this book with him during the Long March in China as a constant reminder of the proud traditions of the Chinese people.

Am I the only person who loves these books and thinks they're absolutely hilarious because of the Sidney Shapiro translation? I feel very shallow, because the stories and characters are certainly fascinating, but I get an enormous kick out of such lines as this:

"Frigging monkeyshines! Who says I have any Right Honorable XImen in there!"
"Don't hog him all to yourself! Let me have a lick of the juice too. Think I don't know?"
"Little ape! What do you know?"
"Stingy as cutting vegetables with a hoof-paring knife in a wooden spoon, aren't you?"

And the fact that they keep saying things like, "I don't give a tooting fart!"

I apologize for this not-very-intellectual assessment of the books, but they kept me laughing out loud and reading choice passages to people. I love them!!!

I already had a web site when I got this book...but I got itanyway to see if I would learn anything new. Wow, I did, and it's a great book. The directions are really simple, and it lets you make a great web site. They have step by step instructions to make a sample web site that really exists... It's really neat!

My 10 yr old ordered this book through his school and was able to build his own web-site in less than a week. Absolutely fantastic! I had been trying to teach him HTML and web-page design for quite a while and was getting nowhere. This book accomplished that effortlessly. It presents step by step instructions (and manages to keep the content interesting and engaging all the time). The book is easy to read with plenty of useful examples and insight. There should be follow-ons for this book - leading to advanced HTML (and related) techniques for designing and implementing web pages.

I bought this book at my sixth grade book fair at my school. It was my first introduction to HTML and web design, and I've been constantly designing websites ever since. The book is fun to read and is easy to follow, and within a week I had a website already created that had my personal picture, my personal biography, and my favorite links. I showed it to my teacher at school and impressed her quite a bit :) Now I'm building websites constantly (...). I highly, highly recommend this book for kids and adults alike!

All book lovers should read "The Making of a Bestseller." All hopeful authors must read it. This isn't another one of those formulaic, "how to" texts. This author has thoroughly researched the publishing industry, and the book abounds with provocative and inspirational experiences. Aspiring authors will be heartened to find the impressive company they're in as the voices of well-known writers speak of the trials and tribulations encountered on the road to publication. Mr. Vanderbilt's book not only provides encouragement to hopeful authors, it presents a frank and invaluable overview of the publication process. No reader or writer should miss this one.

This book was lent to me by a University Professor who recommended it as the most comprehensive and thought-provoking study of the publishing industry he's read in years. I couldn't agree more. As a potential author, I found The Making of a Bestseller an encouraging and thought-provoking work. It offers a clear look into the world of publishing, therefore, demystifying the process for those of us just embarking on this sometimes frustrating journey. Insightful and uplifting, one cannot fail to come away without a great deal of encouragement. I, for one, found myself wondering, if F. Scott Fitzgerald faced similar adversity and prevailed, why can't I? One thing we writers must learn: A thick skin is required in this business. This book is not for the unrealistic or faint-hearted. But neither is a career in writing.

For anyone who loves good writing, THIS IS ESSENTIAL READING. It's a well-kept secret. If you want the real low-down, get a copy now.