5 comments about Agricola and Germany (Oxford World's Classics).

1. This is a good edition of two of Tacitus' works, the Agricola, which is a short biography of his father-in-law, and the Germania, a look at the Roman view of the Germans (timely at the moment in view of the opening scenes of Ridley Scott's film "Gladiator"). I am especially fond of the Agricola, in particular the last few pages, where Tacitus is finished with the biography and can speak about Agricola like a son. His love and admiration for his father-in-law still reaches us, almost 2000 years later. Anyone interested in Rome owes it to themselves to read the source documents, and this is a good start.



2. Tacitus' opens up a lost world before the Christians in what was, for many of us, our mother countries - Britian and Germany. The book is divided in two; the first piece `Agricola' (farmer)is named after the father-in-law of Tacitus. Tacitus gives us part biography and part eulogy in order to confer immortality on Agricola's memory at the edge of Empire among the barbarians. Agricola was loved and honoured by Tacitus, and Tacitus gives an account of his military and political triumphs before being called to Rome. For anyone interested in early British history, warfare or pagan themes observed first hand, this is a must have.

   The second part is an amazing series of geograpgical, religious, and general cultural observations among the Germans. In this age of political correctness, Tacitus' observations are a delicious treat of unfettered notation of racial difference and character that still ring guiltily true about the Germans (good and bad), especially in the first half of the last century. "Their holy places are the woods and groves, and they call by the name of god that hidden presence which is seen only by the eye of reverence." ... "They count, not like us, by days, but by nights." ... "No form of approval can carry more honour than praise expressed by arms."

   Great stuff. Short, entertaining and informative of another time and place.




3. This book contains a pair of early works by the great Roman historian Tacitus. Agricola is an homage to the historian's father-in-law, a Roman governor in Britain during the 1st century A.D. Germania describes the German people and their culture during the same period.

   The author's admiration for his late father-in-law is manifest in Agricola. Sometimes his admiration comes across as tender, sometimes as fawning. Tacitus writes near the crest of Roman world-domination (Americans take note). He frequently adopts the tone of a tourist in a third-world country -- sometimes looking down his nose at local customs, sometimes in fascination at a primitive culture that compares favorably to a Roman empire suffering decay and corruption. He is a loyal Roman and an educated man. As such, he can glorify Rome and, in the same breath, criticize Rome's tyranny and empathize with the empire's victims. Tacitus lends an eloquent voice to Rome's enemies and those facing enslavement. The speech (probably apocryphal) of Caledonian warlord Calgacus before the climactic battle of the Graupian mountain may be the best section of either book. Backed up to the northern tip of modern Scotland, Calgacus tries to rally his men before battle. "Now there is no people beyond us," he says, "nothing but tides and rocks and, more deadly than these, the Romans ... They have pillaged the world ... They plunder, they butcher, they ravage, and call it by the lying name of empire. They make a desert and call it peace."

   Tacitus has no personal connection to any person in the second book, Germania. His writing is more sterile here, but he provides a captivating description that seems part based on observation and part on rumor.

   Tacitus is a pithy writer, given to understatement and the wry aside. The translator does a tremendous job of carrying these qualities across in English. Important books both, Agricola and Germania provide some of our only glimpses of the early ancestors of the English people, the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons.




4. Finally after 91 years of "scholarly" and mediocre translations of The Agricola by self appointed "learned academics" A. R. Birley has produced a work that demonstrates why Tacitus has been regarded as among the best historians and rhetoricians of antiquity. The beauty and the elegance of the original is apparent in this translation, that has been lacking since the translation of W. H. Fyfe in 1908. The love and the sense of loss that Tacitus had for his father in law is still apparent to us, who live two thousand years after them.

   To illustrate the superiority of this translation a few examples follow:

   The first example is the translation of the term "divus" as in "divus Augustus" or "divus Claudius". Fyfe translated this term as sainted, and Birley as deified. Both of these seem to be adequate renditions of the term. However the Leob Classical Library's translation, by M. Hutton, translates the term as "of happy memory." This is curious because in their edition they compare the original Latin on the left with the English on the right. One would think that one of Leob's editors would have just looked at the Latin to see if it at least resembled the English. But this is even preferable to the Penguin translation, by H. Mattingly revised by S. A. Handford, wherein they just dropped the term altogether. Apparently Messrs. Mattingly, Handford, and Hutton felt that we the reading public wouldn't understand roman titles of respect and sought to protect us from this pagan ritualism.

   A second example occurs near the end of the third chapter when Tacitus laments the passage of fifteen years due to the tyranny of Domitian. Birley's (and Fyfe's was similar) translation reads; "So many years have been stolen from the middle of our lives, years in which those of us who were youths have become old men and the old men have reached almost the end of their allotted span - in silence." The Penguin translation reads; "since so many of our best years have been taken from us - years in which men in their prime have aged and old men have reached the extreme limit of mortality, without ever uttering a word." The Leob translation has, "for out of our prime have been blotted fifteen years, during which young men reached old age and old men the very bounds almost of decrepitude, and all without opening their lips." Apparently the Leob and Penguin translators wanted us (the reading public) to understand that the young are now old and the old almost dead, but in their haste to "dumb-down" the original they sacrificed the beauty, the brevity and the profound nature of Tacitus. Furthermore the Leob and Penguin translators apparently didn't realize that it was "us" that had aged and not other "young men" who had aged.

   The final example is from the last paragraph of the Agricola. Birley's translation reads; "Many of the men of old will be buried in oblivion, inglorious and unknown. Agricola's story has been told for posterity and he will survive." The Penguin translation is close and reads; "With many it will be as with men who had no name or fame: they will be buried in oblivion. But Agricola's story is set on record for posterity, and he will live." But the Leob translation gives us; "Many of the ancients will forgetfulness engulf as though neither fame nor name were theirs. Agricola, whose story here is told, will outlive death, to be our children's heritage." The remarkable thing about the Leob translation is that it doesn't even resemble the Latin original with spurious details about children's heritage and engulfing forgetfulness. That is bad but Penguin is worse because the editors added a note that this last passage is "strange". They didn't realize that Tacitus had lifted a line from Horace. One must wonder why these "scholars" learned Latin in the first place if they weren't going read and study the classics. Maybe Penguin's editors simply thought we, the public, would be oblivious to other classical writers and would learn to hate the Romans as they so obviously do.

   There are many other examples in both the Agricola and the Germania that I could quote however; that would serve no purpose. In conclusion this translation of the Agricola reminds me of why I admire and respect the writers of antiquity. Perhaps the reason that the ancients are no longer esteemed isn't because they are no longer relevant to our age but because of the miserable quality of recent translations.




5. While I'm noticing many people here commenting on how great this translation is, I'm going to have to question one glaringly obvious error here - the title of the book *itself* is a mistranslation and displays a severe lack of knowledge regarding the subject matter. How did such an obvious misunderstanding of this material slip by? How well does that bode for the rest of the translation? Correctly, as in the case of the Mattingly (Penguin) translation (and basically everywhere else), this book would not use the term "Germany" but "Germania."
   
   Germania is not to be confused by with the modern nation of Germany. Germania encompassed far beyond the borders of modern Germany and is a specific exonym for a specific region. Confusing the Germanic peoples with "Germans" displays a severe lack of understanding of the subject matter. Not only the Germanic tribes (which made up the majority, particularly after the Migration Period) but also Celts, Balts, and what would become Slavs also existed in this region. Plus you've got Scandinavia in this region as well. Germans?
   
   This is a common mistake for people unfamiliar with Germanic studies to make. This particular subject matter is obscure to many in the English world (despite the Anglo-Saxons themselves being Germanic..) but for a book published by Oxford World's Classics this is not excusable.

5 comments about The Death of Sigmund Freud: The Legacy of His Last Days.

1. The Death of Sigmund Freud is a perfect companion book to the bigger Freud biographies ... a critical addition to the Freud section of your personal library on this fascinating man, doctor, thinker. The author begins the narrative just before Freud fled Vienna for England ... and it ends with Freud's pitiful death.
   
   The comparative exploration of the life of Hitler and Freud as Europe began to change is interesting and well constructed, but the real fascination is found in the details of Freud's working and personal life. I think the real punch in a biography is felt at the point in the book where you feel the subject's been fleshed out ... really captured by the author ... and Freud is now more real and understood in my mind than ever before. He's a mythic personality now. He was back in his day. Edmundson has rendered Freud's human, day-to-day life beautifully ... and what Freud professionally and personally believed, whether it's believable to us or not.
   
   Reviewer Todd Sentell, a Psychology major who graduated "Oh Lordy," is also the author of the hilarious social satire, TOONAMINT OF CHAMPIONS



2. Outstanding book....couldn't put it down. As a psychology teacher this book really put into perspective Freud and his relationship to Hitler and many other prominent leaders of the time. Historically, it brought together so many of the major movers and shakers of Hitler's quest for power. Highly recommend for those interested in Freud or Hitler.



3. OK, who were the most influential people of the 20th century? Einstein, Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Freud. You can jockey the order, probably add Hitler depending on your definition of "influential", but that's the short list.
   
   Freud's life as a writer/thinker, like Churchill's and Einstein's, was very long. If you want to learn something about this giant, you definitely want to start slowly. THE DEATH OF SIGMUND FREUD is a great way to get a feel for both the man and what he stood for. Mark Edmundson picks up Freud, after a brief introduction about Vienna in 1909, in 1938. Freud is 81, in poor health, and about to come under Adolf Hitler's Anchluss.
   
   Edmundson, in this short volume, gives you a great feel for how Sigmund Freud lived: how his study looked, his industriousness, his love of dogs, his relationship with his daughter Anna, his relationships with his disciples, what Freud's Vienna was like, what he collected, his (ultimately dangerous) love of cigars, etc. Even if the book did nothing more than accumulate these bits of Freud's life in 1938 and 1939, it would be wonderful, because what can an author do beyond transporting the reader to a place and time? And what a place and time! Freud, Hitler, Vienna, Anchluss.
   
   The author also gives readers a great short course on some of Sigmund Freud's work. As certain subjects dominate the last year of Freud's life - the rise of Nazism, his relationship with his daughter, the need for conflict in his life to create brilliant work, his enjoyment and suspicion of fame, his need to shock and create controversy (to name a few) - Edmundson describes how Freud wrote about those matters, quoting from and summarizing Sigmund's most famous theories and ideas, usually from works created decades before.
   
   Even as an introduction to Sigmund Freud, this book is incomplete (though by design). But it gives you a taste as well as a feeling you're following Freud at the end of his life, trying to make sense of it all. You may find yourself, like me, back on Amazon.com looking for a comprehensive biography of Freud and ordering translations of some of his classic works. I'd say that's a pretty high compliment for the book and author.



4. This is not intended as a complete review, as I have nothing to add to the other reviews which appear in this space. However, in what is otherwise a thought-provoking and inspiring book, there are some lapses in German usage which are a little disconcerting. Nouns in German always capitalize the first letter, so it is a bit wierd to see Hitler referred to as "the fuhrer" rather than "the Fuhrer". (And the capitalization would give a better sense of his own self-importance.) Also, in spite of the fact that recent spelling modifications now render the combination "oe" as a single "o" with an umlaut, this does not usually apply to dead historical personages such as Goering or Goethe.



5. "The Death of Sigmund Freud" is a timely look at the last days of Freud since he was facing the march of Nazism, and since after 9-11, the US has tilted quite a bit to the Right, and it is wise to weigh into possible reasons to be concerned about tilting further, and a look from Freud's perspective is certainly interesting.
   
   Since anti-Semitism was rampant at the time, from the book, critics did say that psychoanalysis was right, just that it was a 'Jewish Science' only applying to Jews, an attempt to discredit it. Some of Freud's thoughts on the matter were:
   
   1. Freud called the relationship crowds form with an absolute leader, erotic. Hitler, himself, in his speeches said that he made love to the German masses. Essentially, the crowds become hypnotized. Not that we are anywhere near such a situation, but one surely can notice a more 'patriotic' tone to many of the current presidential supporters and calling dissenters un-patriotic.
   
   2. Inner conflict, between one's ego, id, and superego, is not only inevitable, but desirable to better modify behavior. Seeking some perpetual, peaceful state is dangerous because it is more likely to erupt into really bad behavior. So, public dissent is healthy and should be encouraged.
   
   3. Freud, a Jew, recognized in monotheism, that the ability to internalize an invisible god prepares a person to think more abstractly. He saw Jews' long history with that as allowing Jews to distinguish themselves in math, sciences, law and literary arts, ways which effect some control over nature. Better to have some invisible god, than some human authoritarian one, be it political or some religious one who tries to have crowds focus on him or her. Freud felt that such thinking made Jews more likely to reject pageantry and less susceptible to elevating humans to god-like status, one reason for anti-Semitism to run rampant as Nazis knew they would meet resistance from Jews. Not that one should conclude that Judaism is superior, just that the internalizing of an invisible god is the important part of monotheism.
   
   4. Rather than blame something about Germany, Japan or Italy for the rise of 20th century fascism, Freud felt that internally we are all fascists/fundamentalists, at least potentially. So, it is the inner conflict we need to use to overcome it. Once again, dissent is healthy.
   
   A very interesting book!

5 comments about Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal.

1. I have always been facinated with the old west and its heroes. This book by Stuart Lake was very well written and exceptionally entertaining. I am in the middle of reading it for the second time. Especially interesting are the quotes from Wyatt Earp himself. The legends own words bring a sense of realism and authenticity to the writers story. I would recomend this book to anyone and hope the publisher puts it back in print.



2. A tremendous amount of research went into this book and it shows. Very well done.



3. I just finished this most interesting biography of Wyatt Earp and I found myself both fascinated and a bit skeptical. I was fascinated by the life of Wyatt Earp as it was written by a man who interviewed him over a period of time. I was impressed with the research that the author, Stuart Lake, appeared to have put into his project. He had interviewed a number of surviving witnesses to the life of Earp. He also had a number of newspaper accounts and appears to have located a number of valuable documents in the course of his research. The book wasted little time in getting to Wyatt's career in law enforcement in the American West. The bulk, and I mean just about ALL, of the book is spent on his career in Wichta and Dodge City, Kansas as well as Tombstone, Arizona. The many famous (and not so famous) outlaws and lawmen of the Old West move in and out of the story on a regular basis. Stuart lists an almost endless number of feats of daring by Wyatt Earp in the process of making his case for Earp as the greatest of all men of the American West. Many of the events are depicted in great and compelling detail. Many of the parties are quoted, presumeably, from the memory of Earp himself. There is never a dull moment in the life of our hero, especially considering that all this action took place over a relatively short period of time. The book, at times, reads like a well-researched dime novel. For a chance to re-live the wild, wild West, it has little competition.

   As for my skepticism, I came away wondering first of all; did all this really happen? Perhaps it did but our hero (and I am not trying to be facetious, Wyatt Earp truly is a hero) does it all seemingly with one hand tied behind his back. My other reservation has to do with the politics of the times and places. There are only good guys and bad guys and no exploration as to the motivations of either side except for good and evil. I found myself wondering if I were the only source of information about the events of my time and I had to relate to the world in 50 years or so the events I had witnessed. Take the Invasion of Iraq, the presidential election of 2000, or the impeachment of President Clinton. I certainly could make a claim as to who was the "bad guy" and who was the "good guy" while somneone else of a different political persuasion could make the opposite claim. There is no one to speak for the opposing view in this book. The author quotes frequently from the Tombstone "Nugget" but always prefacing the unreliability of the source. I found myself wondering if there might not have been something of another side to the events in Tombstone. The labor strife in mining communities of those days was very significant; just study the history of Butte, MT. Is it possible that Earp supported the powers that be and the miners looked for support from wherever they could get it? Maybe not, but it would have been helpful if the author tried to give a bit of an impartial look at the motives of the opposing side in Tombstone. That said, and realizing that this is about Wyatt Earp, not the miners, this is a book well worth the time of any fan of the American West.




4. It's long been suspected that either Wyatt Earp embellished the stories told to Lake, Lake embellished the stories Earp told him OR Wyatt's WIFE encouraged Stuart Lake to embellish the stories through her own exaggerations and what not... whatever the case, this story is not the true tale of Wyatt Earp, the man.
   
   It's a decent fictional account and contains many of the legends that made him famous, but ultimately time has revealed it for what it is... a yarn.
   
   Read it to be entertained, but don't read it if you're wanting to know the true Wyatt Earp.



5. Wyatt Earp Frontier Marshall starts with a bang and just gets better! It tells the amazing story the man and the legend. The forward starts with:
   
   "Wyatt Earp was a man of action. He was born, reared, and lived in an environment which held words and theories of small account, in which sheer survival often, and eminence invariably, might be achieved through deeds alone. Withal, Wyatt Earp was a thinking man, whose mental processes were as quick, as direct, as unflustered by circumstances and as effective as the actions they inspired."
   
   This book is a story of a time gone by, of adventure and amazing people such as Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson and more. The place was the old west. The men were a breed of hearty soles who survived by their wits, cunning and athleticism. Some died young; others (such as Wyatt) lived to a ripe old age. All had amazing stories to tell.
   
   Stuart Lake worked closely with Wyatt Earp in the closing months of his life to prepare this book. He also interviewed scores of eyewitnesses to verify circumstantial details, studied hundreds of document and files of frontier newspapers, and exchanged thousands of letters between competent old-timers in preparing this work. In other words Lake did his homework!
   
   It is obvious Lake is deeply impressed with Wyatt Earp and takes on the job with a humble attitude. In the closing lines of the forward he says: "... --my own feeling in offering the life-story of Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal, is one of notable inadequacy in the presence of the material of which this book is made."
   
   Wyatt Earp's adventures are at the frontiers outposts of Dodge City, Wichita, and Tombstone. The story of the O.K. Corral in Tombstone is a highlight, but there are many other highlights as well in this great work. Highly recommended for anyone with a yearning for real life adventure!
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

No comments about The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431-1519.

3 comments about Slave Narratives (college).

1. Slave Narratives is a compendium of writings and recollections by a diverse group of writers who exposed the realities of slave life in pre-Civil War America and thereby challenged the conscience of a nation while laying the foundations of an African American literary tradition. Included are the late 18th century narratives of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw and Olaudah Equiano (both of whom were abducted in Africa and brought across the Atlantic); the "Confessions" of Nat Turner (leader of the deadliest slave revolt in American history); the memoir of Sojourner Truth; "Running a Thousand miles for Freedom" (the story of William and Ellen Craft's escape from Georgia); "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (Harriet Jacobs' complex and moving story of her resistance to sexual and racial oppression; the narrative of the subversive "trickster" Jacob Green; as well as the writings of Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, and Henry Bibb. Slave Narratives is a searing collective portrait of American life before emancipation and would prove a core title for any Black Studies reference collection or reading list.



2. Ten original slave narratives provide important testimony to the slavery experience and the longing for freedom and provide insights into how a diverse group of writers challenged literary traditions by expressing their pain and anger. From 18th century slaves abducted in Africa to later activists, this provides a fine cross-section of experiences.



3. This book is a collection of ten narratives that document the nature of American slavery from colonial times to the eve of the Civil War. There are some familar narratives, particularly that of Frederick Douglass (who has a volume of his own in the Library of America series) as well as many writings that were new to me.

   There are two writers from the colonial period,a short account by James Gronniosaw and a loner narrative by Olaudiah Equiano. The latter book has a first-hand description of the notorious "middle passage" -- the transatlantic journey by which Africans were transported to a life of bondage in the New World. This book also features accounts of life at sea during the mid-18th century that reminded me of Patrick O'Brian's novels of sea life during the Napoleonic era.

   There are two narratives in the book by women. Sojourner Truth's narrative, as told to a woman named Olive Gilbert, appeared in 1850. It tells the story of slavery in New York State (where it was not abolished until 1827) and introduced me to a strong-willed woman who combined abolitionism with strong religous passion and a commitment to woman's rights. Harriet Jacobs's account, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" appeared in 1861. Written in a Victorian style, it still tells the story of the trials of a young woman who resisted her master's advances and hid for seven years in a narrow attic before escaping to freedom.

   "The Confessions of Nat Turner" became the basis of a controversial novel by William Styron. It is an account recorded by a local attorney, Thomas Gray, of Turner's description, while in jail waiting execution, of the slave rebellion he led in Virginia in 1831. This is a spare account but to me much more impressive than what I remember of Styron's novel.

   There is a lengthy account by a slave named Henry Bibb written in 1849. This book describes several escapes, and a slave prison of almost unbelievable cruelty in Louisvill, Kentucky. I found this perhaps the most riveting narrative in the collection.

   Jacob Green's narrative appeared in 1864. This is a short tough-minded book by a person who was not afraid to fight back.

   The narrative by William and Ellen Craft (1860) describes how a husband and wife disguised themselves to make a 1000 mile journey from Georgia to freedom. (Most escapes occured from the border states, which were themselves extraordinarily difficult.)

   William Wells Brown, like Douglass, went on to a literary career after his escape from slavery. He was the author of the first published African-Novel. His narrative (1847) is short but documents convincingly his escappe from slavery in Missouri.

   This collection will help the reader understand the nature of slavery in the United States from its beginning to its end. The volume is part of the Library of America's admirable attempt to produce uniform series of the best in American literature, thouught and history. The narratives of American slaves included in this book amply deserve their place in a series that documents the American experience, both for good and for ill.

2 comments about Alexander The Great (Pitt Paperback; 94).

1. J. R. Hamilton's book is a thorough account of the life of Alexander the Great. Starting with his youth in Macedonia he discusses all the major points of interest in Alexander life, such as the Callisthenes affair, the murder of Kleitos and Parmenion and so forth. Hamilton does not try to paint a coherent picture of Alexander, but tries to find the "truth" by assessing the validity of various sources. The advantage of this method, i.e. not squeezing historical facts into a pre-fabricated picture of Alexander is however one of the literary weaknesses of the book; it lacks a drive, an overall assessment of Alexander.



2. This effort by J.R. Hamilton was decent, but I felt it was lacking in detail; in fact, excluding the maps, chronology, etc., the narrative is only about 150 pages. For a figure of Alexander's stature, that's just not enough.
   
   I can also say that Hamilton wrote this book for those already somewhat familiar with Alexander and his contemporaries. I knew of his parents, Philip and Olympias, but many other names, like Hephaestion, Callisthenes and Cleitus (to name a few) were new to me. And unfortunately, Hamilton sometimes mentions them quite briefly, as if assuming the reader already knows who these people were, and the state of their relations with Alexander. Other times, he refers to important events as if the reader knows the story; I often did not, as this was the first book about Alexander I have read. Again, this made for some difficult reading until I got an understanding of the main people and events of Alexander's life.
   
   Still, the book does appear to cover all of the important milestones and events, albeit sometimes briefly (for example, only one paragraph is devoted to the story of the Gordian Knot). But Hamilton does a good job of discussing some of the more controversial deeds of Alexander, like the burning of Persepolis and the murder of Cleitus. And he also provides the opinions of many other historians, both ancient and modern, helping the reader to decide for himself about Alexander's acts.
   
   Overall, this was a fine work by Hamilton. However, if you are new to Alexander, I would suggest another book first, perhaps Arrian's Anabasis of Alexander. Once you have a general understanding of who Alexander was, this book will help you to gain an even deeper insight.
   
   Three stars.

5 comments about Letters of the Dragon (Bruce Lee Library).

1. This book provides another view of the legendary Bruce Lee. I really enjoyed reading his thoughts on the martial arts, his work (film and books) and his family. The letters to Linda showed how much he loved his wife and children. I know this is part of her life too and she may want to keep it private, but I would have liked to see some of the letters she wrote back to Bruce.



2. Great book. I liked reading about Bruce Lee's thoughts and ideas



3. I thought this book offered a completely different perspective of Bruce Lee and offered quality reading into the personal life of a famous martial artist. His letters were very honest, thought-provoking, and genuine from beginning to end. There was one very short and disturbing letter towards the end of the book which, in my opinion, was a significant clue as to why he passed so early and I hope other readers can understand this clue as well.

   John Little did an extraordinary job of presenting the letters in order and importance as with all of his books on Bruce Lee. Highly recommended!




4. This collection of correspondence gives the reader a chance to peek into the mind and life of Bruce Lee. We get to tag along on his first trip to the US since his birth, his friendships, his marriage, his children, what he thought of the jet set, how the dog was eating, father-son bonding, etc. His heart went into every word, as his hand interpreted the flow of his mind.

   Bruce's widow, Linda Emery Lee Cadwell, mentions in one of the forwards that until the last year of his life, Bruce didn't have enough money to make excessive long distance phone calls. I'd hate to sound selfish, but, lucky for us.




5. Bruce Lee books or papers about him and his success are the best basis for every serious training martial artist. BL & his JKD are open minded, only truth development we can join this world.

1 comments about Hemingway: The Homecoming.

1. Michael Reynolds achieved the Mt. Everest of biographies with this five-parter about the complex, self-contradictory, vain, politically problematic and always fascinating Hemingway. The book concentrates on that period between the publication of "The Sun Also Rises" and the completion of his first draft of "A Farewell to Arms" three years later. It takes us from Hemingway's drafty art studio in Paris where he lived during and after his divorce from Hadley and the embarking on his marriage with Pauline Pfeiffer.
   
   The pressure's on when, after the publication of "Men Without Women" in 1927, Hemingway needs to follow up "Sun..." with another equally brilliant novel. He frets with an idea about a son's journey from America to Europe with his father, a spy-for-hire. But then drops the idea. He marries Pauline, travels around France and Spain, writes a couple of more great short stories before launching into his tale of a wounded American soldier's love affair with an English nurse during WWI. Hemingway went from Paris to Key West to Pigotte, AK (where Pauline went home to deliver their new baby) to Montana, back to Oak Park to deal with a terrible family tragedy and back to Europe, all as he composed "Farewell." What's so wonderful about Reynolds telling it is how emotionally caught up in these events you get--after all, Hem's wife delivered him a new son AND his Oak Park family collapsed and needed Hem to build it back up, both WHILE WRITING THIS BOOK--a heroic feat on Hem's part of artistic discipline. There are sections of Reynolds' book that left me in tears, especially his gorgeous closing sections where you really feel Hemingway has arrived at the threshold of myth--he's left his Oak Park boyhood and his young apprenticeship in Paris with Stein, Pound, etc. behind and come into his own--as a writer, a personality and a genius.
   
   A beautiful, evocative, heartfelt tour de force.

5 comments about Dreaming with His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera (Discovery Series).

1. Marnham's biography provides a rotund, finely textured portrait worthy of the rotund Rivera. Marnham's Rivera is a technically blessed meta-Mexican eternally adapting his extraordinary gifts and solitary vision to the economic and political exigencies of Europe, Mexico, and the United States. Marnham's Rivera loves only art and as a consequence was - as we all now know - a bad husband, bad father and horrible politician but - as we may not know- never truly a bad man. Marnham is able to write with enormous respect for Rivera without losing his critical edge. For example, throughout the book, Marhnam's continuously tests Rivera's own autobiographical assertions against more conventional notions of truth with amusing irony but without condescension. Marnham never loses sight of Rivera's genius.

   The biography contributes fascinating details about Rivera's European years from his studies in Spain to his days/nights as a sometimes participant of the cafe society of the Free Republic of Montparnasse. Likewise, Marnham's discussion of the Rivera/ Kahlo visits to the United States is fascinating. Though this fills in large gaps in Rivera scholarship, my major criticism is that Marnham failed to dedicate comparable effort to Rivera's role in the intellectual currents of post-revolutionary Mexico. For instance, scarce mention is devoted to the contrasts and rivalries between Rivera, and the other notable mutalists of his day, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Marnham also ignores Rivera's artistic legacy in Mexico or the United States. While Rivera did not invent nor perhaps truly even master mural art, Rivera is certainly the premier inspiration for "public" artists on both sides of the border.

   For an interesting and literate discussion of Rivera and Mexican muralism, I recommend Octavio Paz, Essays on Mexican Art.




2. No footnotes, inadequate bibliography, and surprisingly, almost no mistakes. He reports on time and place in a constructive way and dispels Rivera's own myths about himself humorously. Very good read.



3. With various books written on the life of Diego Rivera this one is a must have. Anytime a subject is studied, it this case the life of arguably the greatest Mexican muralist, it is worthwhile to have various perspectives before coming to one's own conclusion. In that regard this book is invaluable as the author doesn't give you a softball and is quick to point out the inconsistencies in other versions of the larger than life Diego Rivera's exploits, including his own autobiography. The book itself is a fascinating portrait into the life of the celebrated Mexican muralist's life, beginning with the unusual circumstnances of his youth, his sojourn to Europe and studying art in France, his mingling in the bohemian lfestyle with various artists and intellectuals of his era, including his at times not so friendly rivalry with Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, his return to Mexico, his politics(communist) and the troubles he had since he usually mixed art and politics, his many, many love affairs, his multiple marriages including several to soul mate Frida Kahlo, his association with Trotsky(and his wife), his work in the United States and his later years in Mexico where he remained productive in spite of failing health. It is all here, both the believable and the unbelieveable, meshing together for a fascinating look at a man that could literally charm the pants off of the most beautiful women of the world. Included are two seperate groups of pictures that include rarely seen vintage photographs and color prints of his most famous works. Every now and then I read a book that I want to savor and take my time. Like a special meal or an intimate moment, this book was one that I wanted to savor once I began. I wanted to make it last because it was so enjoyable, knowing that the inevitable consequence of my reading would make it end I almost regretted finishing the book. I took days to read the final chapters in the hope that somehow the experience would not end. I would highly recommend this book to those that are interested in Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Mexican art or history. It is a book that paints more than a picture, it is more like a grand mural that captures the fantastic life of Diego Rivera. This is a highly enjoyable book and an indispensable aid in understanding the complex makeup of one of the true giants of art in the twentieth century.



4. Diego Rivera was born in the magical city of Guanajuato. This fact alone made me pick up this book and then buy it. I visited Guanajuato in 2002 and fell in love with the twisty roads, the Baroque facades of the Templos and the Basilica, the Easter-egg colored houses and the general feeling that one had been dropped down in a 18th Century Spanish town. Rivera left it with his mother at the age of six, but the city of his birth, with its recent mummies and Day of the Dead festivals left its mark on him.

   Rivera lived in Mexico City until 1907, when he left for Spain and for the next 15 years lived there and in France. He picked up a common-law wife and then a lover- a portent of things to come. He met and was friends (or sometimes enemies) with some of the greatest artists of the period, including Picasso, Mondrian, Modigliani and Matisse. He worked in classic style until he accepted Cubism, only to move toward Cezanne-style art, and eventually to develop his own style. He eventually became one of the greatest of modern fresco painters. However, his character was far from flawless. He lied about his past often and in different ways, depending on the situation, was not very careful about personal hygiene, and also often ran away from relationships to avoid unpleasant realities.

   Rivera joined the Mexican Communist Party (MCP) in 1922. After three failures at having a permanent relationship with a woman, he married the rather obsessional young Communist Frida Kahlo (who was twenty years his junior) in 1929. In that same year he was expelled from the MCP because of various internal party intrigues. He then became friends with the exiled Leon Trotsky, who repaid him by having a short affair with Frida. Frida, to make matters more complicated, was repaying Rivera for his affair with her sister. Because of his association with Trotsky, Rivera was not readmitted to the party again until 1954, after the death of Stalin. This summery only touches on and can hardly do justice to the complicated world of Diego Rivera, one of the most complex of men.

   Patrick Marnham presents in this book the convoluted ins and outs of Rivera's life, his many affairs and his association with the art world and the Communist Party in vivid detail.

   This is a fascinating study of this very complex and often selfish man who was also a great artist. It is also a window into a very confusing and turbulent time in the history of the World. It is a work that should be read by all interested in understanding this period and the modern world that rose from it.




5. I am surprised that other readers enjoyed this book, especially readers who like Rivera. I had the distinct impression that the author, Patrick Marnham, did not like Rivera. Rivera's larger than life personality can probably not be claimed to be understood by many people, and perhaps Marnham's total want of understanding is the source for his dislike.

   While this could be one of several books to read about Diego Rivera it should not be relied heavily upon. Marnham does not seem to approve of many of the characters he writes about in this book . I don't think he has an appreciation for colorful people. I felt he was a very supressed and uptight person writing about some very free spirits.

   A biography of Rivera seemed a poor subject choice for him. Perhaps being an art critic would be a better suited undertaking for him. Or maybe since his grasp of history seems good his temperment would be better suited to writing dry fact based history than attempting to discern the subtlties of the human character.

   He made several assertions that he represented as fact. One that springs to mind was that Frida Kahlo commited suicide. While that May be true, it also may not be true.

   Marnham collected information about Diego Rivera, where he went, when he went , etc, but gave no real sense of warmth of Diego Rivera. Since Rivera was a man of such great passion it was disappointing to have only a two dimensional portrait of him drawn. I felt I knew alot more of Marnham's personality after reading this book than of Rivera's. But touché I felt much the same about Marnham as he did Rivera, I didn't like him much.

3 comments about Alexander the Great (The Norton Library).

1. I have read a number of books on Alexander the Great and finally decided to read Wilcken's biography on Alexander since it is cited in so many other works. While the book covers all the high points and is generally favorable in its treatment and view of Alexander, it fails to give any real detail about the man, his life or his military exploits. If you know little of Alexander you will find the highpoints here. If you are looking for something new, the only information that I had not seen before was the author's speculation about Alexander's future plans; and the author's discussion of the legacy of Alexander. There is an interesting discussion in the introduction about earlier Alexander biographies.



2. A very good start for the college student who is interested in learning more than myths about Alexander and the world he was born into. Not a psychological portrait but straight history, in the old style [it was first published in 1931]. It should be balanced with other works if one wants a full portrait of Alexander. It can be dense at times but it's rewarding.



3. This is a smoothly done work. The author, a product of the older German school of history, has been expertly translated here. This book reads easily, and the reader quickly gets swept up into the interesting and insightful text. This a fairly straight-forward bio of Alexander. Those wanting to know his sexual escapades should consult more modern works. Here such is only hinted at.
   
   The main stength of this book seems to be its comparative analysis. The author shows how Alexander evolved in his strategy of conquest. He is also skillful at showing how he managed his various titles as ruler, being Hegemon to the Greeks, and Divine King to the Asiatics. There is limited discussion of the great battles of Alexander, although reference is made to the Oblique Order which he developed from Epamiadas of Thebes. The early chapter concerning Philip also sheds light on his accomplishments and how they would influence his son.
   
   The concluding chapters discuss the legacy of Alexander. Useful reference is made to how Caeser planned to model his three year campaign of conquest on Alexander in the East before he was assassinated. Tthe legacy of Alexander with the Romans is also interesting. There is also a good deal of how the Diodachi Succession wars developed, and how these various rulers spread Hellanism throughtout their empires. Alexander can be seen on many different levels. He is many things to different people. Here we find a pretty unbiased account, which is on the whole favorable toward his accomplishments and deeds. Readers more familar with recent bios may wish to consult this work to get a clear, concise and uncluttered account.