5 comments about The Western Experience, with Primary Source Investigator and PowerWeb.

1. "The Western Experience" edited by Chambers covers a massive range of topics in a manner that is conducive to the understanding of the material. The book discusses many Social, Political and economic trends for each respective time frame. However, there are some glaring omissions as a historical text. The book will state for example, that a certain organization was established in a certain year, however, nothing further is mentioned. No explanations as to why or as to what purpose said organization ultimately served. Further, the text becomes, at times, difficult to follow, as things are not discussed in chronological order. The reader often has difficulty in distinguishing the year and what specific events where happening elsewhere at the same time. But it must be noted here that the reader most certainly does recognize parallelism within history, as the result of its interconnected, yet non-chronological, organization scheme.

   If must be noted, however, that while it is at times difficult to follow, the book, especially in the more modern history parts, does a relatively good job of remaining objective.




2. I had to purchase this book for my guide to AP European History.

   I had never before had a course in European History and this gave me a disadvantage in using this book.

   Because the text assumes you know who everyone is, the immeadiately tell you every single way history views important people, classes, wars, monarchs, etc.

   Also, the reading can get very tedious.

   However, I gave this book 3 stars because it does offer more than just what happened. It also tries to show the student, "why did it happen."

   TO teachers/professors: Only give this book to your class if they have some experience of European History




3. For any serious student of History, this book is a must have. It gives you the information in such a way, that it is both understandable, and easy to use.

   Very well done to the Authors.




4. This book covers everything I needed for my high school sophomore AP European History class. Though it is at a college freshman level, and I found the reading tedious sometimes because of the information, it is, all in all, no more and no less than the history scholar would need. The authors did a superb job of tying everything together and explaining not only the "when", but the "why" and the "how" of the events covered. No irrelevant information is presented; it is all important to the study of European History. Plus, there is a bibliography in the back of each chapter for further reading and information sources. There is a list of maps, an introduction, and an epilogue, all of which are helpful.
   The book has many helpful maps, charts, and boxes with the chronology of certain important events (i.e. the "fall" of Rome and the Persian Wars.) There are also pale yellow boxes throughout containing sections of literature and poetry from or about the time period that is being covered. The text not only covers major battles and people, but a bit about the lifestyles of the people being studied.
   
   In short, this book is a wonderful resource for all those learning about European History.



5. This book is very broad and does not go in great detail. Good for overviews, or a teacher who is not looking to press you for details. Is written quite simply and plainly for anyone to understand. Keep in mind the viewpoint of the authors when reading this...

2 comments about World Civilizations: Sources, Images and Interpretations, Volume 1.

1. This book is an excellent companion to conventional textbooks in a Global History course. The Introduction and "Consider" feature before each source helps the reader to pinpoint key ideas and important themes in the document as well as provide important background information which aides in the understanding of the source. The wide variety of sources focusing on various aspects of each topic help to provide a well-rounded view of the subject.



2. At only 226 pages for volume 1, this is a short collection of readings, which allows the teacher to assign interesting monographs or classics. What the text does it does well, such as to provide handy introductions to the readings, a few questions to consider for each source, provide maps and some pictures, end each chapter with provocative questions, and covers most regions of the world.
   
   Each reading is two pages or less, and that allows students to get their feet wet in a nice variety of historical events, ideas, and personalities. While I wish some of the secondary sources would present a more complete history of their topics, they have been chosen well and many are selections from top scholars such as A.H.M. Jones on Rome and Euan Cameron on the Protestant Reformation.
   
   Is it Eurocentric? Sadly, three of the fifteen chapters concern Europe from the middle ages onward, but Asia is also well represented, and one finds a chapter on the Mongols and nomads of central Asia. Central and South America is slighted, and Islam's chapter is too brief.
   
   It is overpriced at around $53. For a few dollars less one could assign Worlds of History, ed. by Kevin Reilly, and get more sources, a longer text, better introductions, global coverage, and Reilly's expertise. But the Reilly text is the typical B/W, plain, and dense small paperback of 500 pages, whereas this text by Sherman is large size, full of colorful illustrations and maps, and easier for students to look at. Both books are viable options for world history courses.
   Prof. Christensen, Biola University

5 comments about Introduction to Old English.

1. As a learning tool, Peter S. Baker's Introduction to Old English succeeds marvellously in that it is concise and clear without erring on the side of oversimplification. The ordering of chapters is intuitive and the key concepts are easily accreted along the way; in comparatively little time readers will acquire a wealth of knowledge, and in its practicality the book is sure not to intimidate the uninitiated.
   
   The basic review of English grammar is both thorough and efficient without being overly pedantic. Unfortunately, more and more students of English are finding themselves ill-equipped and poorly acquainted with the basics of grammar. Baker's review will familiarize them with the grammatical essentials while simultaneously providing a useful review to those more accustomed to them. There is sufficient treatment of the main topics in the text without any superfluous explication that might confuse the introductory reader. Baker's plain English explanations are unambiguous and, where possible, he offers Modern English correlates and analogues that effectively frame the linguistic topic being discussed.
   
   The chapters on the style and grammar of poetry are essential resources. Poetry makes up such a significant part of the extant Anglo-Saxon literature that it would be a failure on the part of the author to leave the student stranded in the intricacies of the form. Taking the chapter on reading manuscripts into consideration, as well as the appendices, Baker helps the student build a truly solid foundation upon which to base further study. The glossary, for example, allows students who are as yet unfamiliar Anglo-Saxon word forms to easily find what they are looking for, and will furnish them with the skills they need to approach more ambitious dictionaries.
   
   The companion web site provides a variety of resources for the student. The Old English "Magic Sheet" is a tool that students will find invaluable in their initial approach to Anglo-Saxon Literature. As the student refers to it repeatedly in his or her reading, he or she will quickly become more familiar with the forms and may soon be weaned off of it. In each chapter there are references to relevant "Old English Aerobics" exercises online, which can assist students in need of some basic practice with the material. The ability to look up a word, part of speech, or clause with the click of a button is a testament to the work that was put into developing the resource. While I must applaud the author's forward thinking and effective use of the technology, getting online may yet provide challenges at times for certain students, and the exercises themselves can prove somewhat short and elementary. A simple solution to these minor problems might be to include self tutorial exercises in a new edition, or to publish a companion workbook at some point in the future. To my knowledge, no such resource exists in Old English, and it must be said that there is simply no substitute for routine practice when learning a new language.
   
   These minor concerns are truly subordinate to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Though the book itself may not be a substitute for practice, passages appropriate for initiates to tackle and translate are included in the anthology, and students will find themselves far better equipped to approach Old English after having covered the main topics. It was with great pleasure that I found my own abilities dramatically improved after simply having covered the sixteen initial chapters. Introduction to Old English proves to be not only an exceedingly effective primer with regard to Anglo-Saxon literature, but an invaluable reference to accompany further readings and studies within the context of the language. Every student of Old English should sleep with a copy of this book under their pillow.



2. Professor Baker's relatively new book is the best one-volume start for someone learning Old English outside of a classroom setting. It is significantly better for this purpose than Mitchell's book, although Baker does not convey quite the same sense of enthusiasm that Mitchell does.
   
   In addition to the expected format for a book such as this, which consists of grammar-oriented instruction, graded readings, and a glossary, there are excellent chapters on metrics, manuscript reading, and a fine bibliography and set of recommended readings. He even provides a chapter for the reader who might be deficient in common grammatical terms.
   
   The highlight of the book, though, are the links to the online exercises, which provide a much more convenient method of practice. Focused practice is essential when learning a language, and the online exercises are much better than the usual handful of perfunctory exercises provided in graded grammars. In many such books, answers to the exercises aren't even provided.
   
   In summary, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn to read and appreciate Old English on their own.



3. Dr. Baker's "Introduction to Old English" is probably the best book for a person to use who has no previous experience with either Old English or traditional linguistics. I used this book as an undergraduate taking a graduate Old English course and found it most enjoyable and useful. Each chapter is quite easy to follow, and usually contain at least one "mini-text" which are short texts in Old English that you can read along the way. This method is especially useful; by the time you begin with the anthology of literature located in the back of the book, you've already read some simplier passages of Old English.
   
   The book is worth its retail price simply for its collection of literature. Included here are the "The Wife's Lament", "The Wanderer", "Wulf and Eadwacer" and excerpts from "Judith" and "Beowulf". This book is even helpful for someone who has no previous study in the history of the English language, although those who do will find this book superbly accesible.



4. I bought a copy of Baker's Introduction to Old English while taking a graduate course in order to supplement the other texts used. I found this to be a fantastic resource for the solo learner. The explanations were precise yet easy to understand and the exercises helped to illuminate the grammar points. I really enjoyed the online exercises, standard these days in foreign language courses, which quickly allowed me to grasp concepts. All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Old English.



5. Introduction to Old English, is, overall, very well laid out. It is easy to understand and presents new material in an ordered way. My one problem, however, is with the practice sentences and texts. They require a much higher knowledge of Old English that could be expected at the very beginning levels. Besides that, there are no major problems, and it should be an otherwise good experience.

5 comments about Dancing at Lughnasa: A Play.

1. I had to read this for a theatre class, and it turns out that I loved it. It's a glimpse into a life we wouldn't normally know, and Brian Freil gives us the opportunity to embrace these characters. If you're looking to deepen the meaning of your life, start with learning and experience something new. Try this.



2. A few years ago, my drama instructor suggested that this play should be performed. No one had ever heard of it before, but after listening to a brief summary, everyone was practicing their Irish accents. Through sheer luck, I was cast in the play (as Christina)and today I still cannot put the script down, it is that good. The cast size and setting is extremely small, which in this is case works really well because each character is so complex that any additional clutter would take away from the overall experience. But even if not seen performed, the script is great on its own. Although the plot is almost depressing, Friel mixes enough subtle humor and wit that the play does not loose any of its energy. This is a play that really should be made known to many more people.



3. This is the story of the summer of 1936 and a family of a poor irish family making there way through it. Michael is the main character/ narrator of the work and the play is really his memory of that summer.

   The story centers around five sisters, Michael, Michael's father, Gerry and their recently returned brother, father Jack. The play begins as Jack returns from spending 25 years in Africa. Soon after his return Michael's father, Gerry returns unexpectedly. The play then proceeds to play off the idea of paganism and christainity through a number of characters and situations.

   Not horribly long at about 70 or so pages it is an interesting story. Though reading it isn't the same as seeing it preformed. So many things are visual and reading the lengthy descriptions of scene set ups can be tiresome it's worth it to get to the great scenes and dialogue. The recent movie by the same name was a great intrepretation of the play but it was just that an intrepretation. So many great scenes were left out. To get the full experience read the play.




4. Set in Donegal in 1936, during Ireland's change from an agrarian to a more industrial economy, Brian Friel's haunting ensemble drama of five sisters and their priest brother reveals the economic, social, and religious pressures in the rural community of Ballybeg on the eve of the harvest festival of Lughnasa. Forty-ish Kate, who sees herself "in charge," is the only real wage earner in the family. Rigid, severe, and completely lacking in humor, she believes pagan celebrations, such as Lughnasa, which provide fun and enjoyment in the countryside, are "uncivilized." Her brother Jack, the priest, however, on furlough from his missionary work in Uganda, is now virtually a pagan himself. His work has shown him the need of the poor for happiness, dancing, and community celebration, even if it is not church-sanctioned.
   
   The other Mundy sisters help illustrate the ironic chasm between Kate's attitudes and those of Fr. Jack. Maggie, the fun-loving, free-spirited, and most humorous of the sisters, constantly bursts into song and dance and longs to go to the town dance. Christina feels no shame whatever about her love-child and thoroughly enjoys the summer visit of his father, Gerry Evans, with whom she dances spontaneously. Aggie and Rose, who earn small wages knitting gloves, work tirelessly as the family's sad, "unpaid servants," constantly chafing against Kate's imposition of her own values on them. When the local priest fails to rehire Kate because of Fr. Jack's apparent paganism, the family is devastated, but it is at that moment that they recognize the need to celebrate life itself.
   
   The narrator is Michael, Christina's love-child, now in his fifties, who sets the scene and comments on the action throughout. Though Michael himself participates in the action as a child, the child is invisible to the audience. The characters speak to him as if he were real, and the adult Michael responds, but to the actors on stage, it is the narrator who is invisible. The message of the play is far stronger here than that of its film version, starring Meryl Streep. In the play Kate is more hostile, and the fates of Aggie and Rose are revealed early, not withheld till the end. Fr. Jack's paganism is not regarded as a mental aberration in the play, and the "clan of the round collar" is opened to scrutiny. The play, though dark, is ultimately a joyful celebration of life itself, a life not bound by organized religion. Mary Whipple



5. It was in verry good shape, and the shipping time was OK.

5 comments about The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton (Modern Library).

1. For many of us, this is the volume of Milton for which we have been waiting. The Notes are useful without being overwhelming & the selection from his prose work is very generous. Overall, this is a significant offering to all lovers of poetry, 17th Century literature, and theology. Together with the newly published edition of Shakespeare's First Folio, this edition of Milton is the bedrock of English Literature and should not be read, but re-read for a lifetime.



2. As far as "Paradise Lost" is concerned, this book has superb annotation that is not as overbearing (though useful) as the edition by Fowler; notes are clear and concise, with verse cross-refrences and citation of many commentators. As an undergrad, I can greatly appreciate such reader friendly texts that elucidate obscure or outdated words and phrases, affording a lot more time to enjoy Milton otherwise spent in a dictionary. It also has a great introduction to PL, as well as selected illustrations.



3. You can get the Complete Poems in a dozen different editions, so the heart of a new collection like this is in the notes. I hoped the editors would gift us with a new Milton, find some way to shake up the stereotype, but alas, their poet's the government-issue Great Man swaddled in lightning and footnotes.
   
   Kerrigan, Rumrich, Braden and Fallon--all senior Miltonists, all men--don't feel much need to justify the grand tone and theological speculations of the `Miltonic' to our more secular, less Baroque age. We also don't get a real peek into the controversies and battle lines of modern-day Milton studies. The result's a handsome, helpful, kind of innocuous edition of an indisputably great poet; great in a way that makes you wonder how much work greatness, as Milton and his editors here conceive it, really does for us anymore.



4. The obligatory remark encompassing modern appreciation for Milton was given to us from T.S. Eliot, who believed that, "of no other poet is it so difficult to consider the poetry simply as poetry, without our theological and political dispositions... making unlawful entry." It is impossible to surmise and internalize Milton's poetry without also having to take in the historical aura of the radical man - the Milton of Parliamentary holy war and old-timey religious conservatism. His dour presence floats down to us through filtered history and infuses his poetical works with our new, never-ending quest to search for the motivation of the artist through his or her art. It is this unfair, skewed lens through which we seek the man through the work that we distort "Lycidas" into a declaration of war against the Anglican priesthood rather than a young poet's fearful hope of obtaining Fame before he, too, dies. This skewed lens that views "Comus" as solely a piece of political resurgence of a disgraced Earl's family rather than a confident poet's first attempt to fuse epic aesthetics with austere Christian doctrine. And this skewed lens that lessens the infinite importance of "Paradise Lost," its indelible impact on all major writers in English since, to a longish document of literary curio of occasional allegorical significance.
   
   There is a great deal of time, politicking, and structure to overcome when reading Milton, whether just being introduced to his work or continually engaged with it. These troubles in reading him seep through most of his poems and prose. And even without the myth of the poet clouding his meaning, he was a terribly learned writer, and his work can be difficult to approach for even the casual scholar.
   
   Which is why this edition of Milton's poetry and prose possesses a magisterial significance over all other currently and formerly published editions. William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon have done a remarkable job of assuaging the gaps between wizened Milton and a contemporary readership. As stated in this edition's general preface, the aim of this publication was to make his "poetry and prose...almost entirely modernized." The numerous footnotes (thank God, an edition that sagaciously gives us the explanations on the same page as the text, rather than the obsolescent Oxford World Editions than continue to insist on annoying, certainly close to psychically debilitating when reading, endnotes hidden in the last coarse pages of the book) flesh out the world and the mind of Milton for the interested reader, lessening the mental interruptions caused by frequent Google searches for this ancient God, or that historical figure, or that poetical allusion, which editions with fewer, less thorough, or even no footnotes require as supplement to make Milton tenable.
   
   This is a comprehensive publication, the likes of which I wish were made more often. It is a shame, hurtful to our overall cultural integrity, that we generally look on Milton as a religious wacko, or his work as a quagmire of venous allusions, because his poetry his so achingly beautiful, his philosophical observations still probing and important to our time, his love to reunite the past literary traditions with the current so drastically needed by our disenfranchised society hammering itself slowly to pieces in search of something dear to hold on to and unite our affairs. Like the thousand pieces of Osiris' scattered body that Milton offers us in "Areopagitica" as an allegory to fractured Truth, we too can find meaning in Milton's embattled name and work in the difficult, pluralistic today.



5. Somewhere in the illegibly tiny notes to the Riverside Milton are some valuable bibliographic citations and other good information. So if you are a Milton scholar I'm afraid you can't make any excuse to avoid consulting that poorly designed doorstop. Also, if you need original spelling, Riverside is a convenient place to check.
   
   If you are anything other than a Milton scholar who needs to check all the commentaries & annotations of all the editors -- if you are one of the rare persisting "general readers" curious to read everything -- then this Modern Library edition, "The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton," is a much more usable and friendly answer to your needs than the Riverside.
   
   ML's bigger and better font & less stark paper color make a real difference if you plan on reading literature as opposed to making use of a reference book. Both volumes offer extensive selections from Milton's prose; Riverside's best advantage is including Milton's "Treatise of Civil Power" (1659). (Riverside also has all the prolusions; ML just nos. 1 & 7. On the whole, the representation of Milton's prose oeuvre is a wash.) ML's best advantage in the prose, and it is a weighty one, is its treatment of the crucial "Christian Doctrine." Riverside's CD looks more complete than it is, because it widely (and inconsistently) fails to note where omissions have been made. Riverside omits passages of crucial interest to the reader of Paradise Lost. ML gives a very complete and thoughtful selection from CD (lightened by removing most series of proof texts), but its greatest advantage here is providing plentiful & good footnotes, including many references to Paradise Lost. Shockingly, and unconscionably, Riverside provides NO annotation to Christian Doctrine. In my mind, this clearly betrays an assumption that you, the reader, are not actually interested in reading this important work. Flannagan hollowly claims that the (overrated) authorship dispute has "forced" him to print the text without footnotes. (I suspect the fact that Merritt Hughes did not annotate CD--one of the few blemishes in that great edition--also has something to do with the omission.) All you have to do is browse through ML's excellent footnotes & selections to realize how much you're missing here.
   
   Riverside's failure to cross-reference is a more general problem. For example, if you read Paradise Lost in the Riverside, when the footnotes refer you to "Areopagitica" or "The Reason of Church Government," you are only given page numbers in the Yale edition--even though the relevant passages are right there in the Riverside! In comparison, ML always provides its own page numbers, so that you can go read that passage from Areopagitica now, without a trip to the library.
   
   As I said at the beginning of this review, I will not lie and deny that Flannagan's notes often go beyond what is available in ML. But it's hardly as if ML's scholarly notes are a subset of the good information in Riverside--ML has excellent notes on sources and allusions, so there are great references to Aristotle & Anselm, the Iliad, and so forth, that are not also found in Riverside. Sometimes Riverside's notes just try too hard, as when we get three verbose lines defining Aristotle's notion of form, with no attempt whatsoever to apply its meaning to the poem before us. ML is certainly better on glossing the difficulties of Milton's English, and in general ML tends to provide little nuggets of literary appreciation in its critical notes, rather than to try to sum up a status quaestionis.
   
   Finally, a pet peeve: the Riverside misprints ghastly wrong Greek in places where ML has been more careful.

No comments about Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History.

5 comments about How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads (Counterpunch).

1. I'm a librarian, not a linguist. In fact I didn't even buy this book. My uncle did. But once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I grew up in the Bronx, among a lot of Irish and Irish Americans (my own family among them--and believe me, they're not always the easiest people to live with!). What struck me about this book is what it says about how pieces of the Irish language found their way into American slang. It's funny but my best friend's grandmother, who worked for years as a waitress at Schrafft's, was a native Irish speaker who grew up in Donegal. Whenever she was with her three sisters, they would invariably resort at some point to Irish, which could be annoying because it was hard to avoid the feeling that they were talking about the rest of us! When I once brought this up, she said it was their "secret language." Another time I asked her if she read books in Irish. She laughed and said that Irish was a language that "LIVED ON THE TONGUE, NOT THE PAGE." I thought about her answer when I read this book. It seems to me that this book says pretty much the same thing, and I certainly recognized many slang words that were a part of growing up in New York City. Although I usually don't read books of this type (I prefer novels--especially Alice McDermott!), I really enjoyed this one.



2. Until I heard about this book in the New York Times I thought that the only Irish words to make it into the English language were galore and lug. It is truly amazing to see how many words came from the Irish. I also never realized how many Irish came to this country not speaking English.
   
   I highly recommend this book, however it is so repetitious it feels like I'm reading the same page over and over again. The author definitely should have hired an editor.



3. Eye-opening research, although, in all fairness Mr. Cassidy over-reaches, as in his explanation of the term "86". Still, the writing is personal, lively and fascinating. It's a good read and I recommend it to anyone interested in linguistics. Put this next to your copy of David Maurer's The Big Con.



4. I'm no expert here so I won't join the fray on whether or not every suggestion Daniel Cassidy makes is accurate, but there are many things that make this book a terrific read. From his moving story on how the idea of the book came to him in the first place, to the riveting historical information in the opening pages -- including Peter Quinn's fascinating introduction -- to the great list of slang-from-Irish possibilities and the stories behind Cassidy's thinking, this book is what my Irish mother would call the "bees knees" (see page 88!). And if you have the chance to attend a reading by Cassidy, don't miss it! His passion is infectious and he sings a great Irish "secret song."



5. This volume represents a labor of love. The book takes a hunch and a few documented loan/foreign language words from Irish common in American English slang and expands it to discovering the Irish roots of a great number of slang terms. This volume needs to be viewed as a historian's process of discovery. It presents information at mostly the hypothesis stage. The book cannot be evaluated from a linguistic perspective. Daniel Cassidy makes it very clear that he is neither a linguist nor an Irish language specialist.
   
   Cassidy's volume makes an important contribution by documenting concerns and hypotheses of some Irish Studies researchers. However, his argument could have been much more convincing by having an Irish language specialist and linguist specializing in the field of etymology as co-authors.

5 comments about Immortal Poems of the English Language.

1. I have several books of poetry at home, but this one is my favorite. It is a good collection of poetry from the time of Middle English to almost to the present. There are a few modern poets I would like to see included that haven't been yet. Maybe someday someone will update this wonderful volume.

   It starts with Middle English poet extraordinaire Geoffrey Chaucer, with excerpts from the Canterbury Tales and other writing. I would like to have seen Beowulf and some Old English poetry included. There are excerpts from anonymous poets of Middle English leading into the "Shakespearean" times where English is becoming more modern.

   Shakespeare of course is well represented, with passages from plays as well as poems and sonnets. This is true for some others like Marlowe, too.

   By the time after the Elizabethean period, English poets were not confined to England. There are Celtic poets like Robert Burns of Scotland, Dylan Thomas of Wales, and several Irish poets and American poets well represented in the later part of the book.

   The poets are arranged chronologically in the book, but there is are indexs of titles and poets alphabetically at the end of the book for cross referencing. This book has over 600 pages, but it is still a small paperback and will fit in a coat pocket, which is where my copy often lives, dog eared and highlighted all over the place!

   I had heard of most of the poets in this collection before I got the volume, but there are some I hadn't heard of and am glad to know. This is an excellent beginning collection, easy to carry and easy to read. Being a mass market paperback, the printing is not the best, but the poetry certainly is.




2. A dear friend of mine had this book and I was intrigued. Although he had an edition that was dated back in the 50's, it was very worn out with its brown loose pages. Depsite that, I read some of the greatest poems that you can imagine and some familiar ones that I knew but not in its entirety. They were some of the most beautiful words written on paper. I decided to get my own copy and got a new edition for my friend and was thrilled with emotion. I knew I gave my friend a renewed treasure that he can now read without worrying about the pages falling out of its binding. I truly recommend this book of poems to anyone who really wants to feel well written words in verses that are truly beautiful and memorable. Get this book!



3. As with all anthologies, there will be a number of reviewers sniffing in an offended manner at the dearth (or glut) of Cummings, Yeats, Aiken, or Pope, but any 600 page anthology, by it's very nature, must be incomplete. I purchased this compilation three years ago for long flights and such and it has yet to disappoint. For the size and price of this work, one would be hard-pressed to do better.
   
   As for content, all the major poets are more or less liberally represented. Cummings gets short shrift, and several of Yeats' most memorable pieces "An Irish Airman Forsees His Death", for one) are excluded. Yet I am certain novice and old hand alike will find this work passes the time admirably.
   
   Having been with me through several housheold moves, military action, and cramped backpacks no self-respecting piece of literature should have to endure, my copy is now fairly falling apart. Yet when it expires, I will buy another copy. No other anthology, especially in terms of price, convenience, and memories, could ever compare.



4. As other readers have said this anthology contains selections from the great poets of the English language from Beowulf to the middle of the twentieth century. It is the kind of book which can be read and reread for years upon years. I would however take exception to the claim that it is the best anthology of its kind. It does not have explanatory material provides no introduction to the poets, no interpretation of their work. There are other anthologies ( Among them ' The Concise Treasury of Great Poems' by Louis Untermeyer) which do so. Nonetheless the bottom line is that this Anthology contains very much of the greatest poetry in the English language.



5. I too love this anthology. A passionate love of poetry has been part of my upbringing. Let me say that both my mother, Gene Derwood, and Oscar Williams, my biological father, contributed to the selection of the greatest of the great poetry of the English language. Thus we have the contribution of a husband and wife team. Reviewers have mentioned updating this volume, but what has happened is that modern poetry writing no longer follows a firm tradition. Modern poetry is a shotgun blast. There are no recognizable standards for universal selection. Plath is recognized because you cannot divorce her from her suicide. Ginsberg you cannot divorce from his beard and little clanging bells, a media invention. Bob Dylan you cannot divorce from his being a song writer and media invention. If you are not a media invention and only a poet, what chance do you have? So Immortal Poems represents classic taste before media took over the American mind. The media is immortal these days, not poetry. Selecting from contemporary poets not using traditional standards would be difficult to do. I would still love to do it. For those interested in Oscar Williams there is information now available on the web. Just search it with oscarwilliams and see what their world was like in the twentieth century.

3 comments about Henry IV, Part I (Folger Shakespeare Library).

1. The events of ths play follow "Richard II." Bolingbroke/Henry with the help of Nothumberland and others defeated Richard II and got crowned King Henry IV. But in this play, King Henry IV learns that political gratitude is short lived. As early as 1.3 King Henry IV has a falling out with his former allies Northumberland, Worcester, and Hotspur. In fact, King Henry IV's behavior almost borders on psychotic. In a great scene of Shakespeare reversal, Northumberland and Worcester regret having helped Henry IV to the crown, and they even express sympathy to the former King Richard II. (Such is politics.) Well, Richard II's consolation prize begins to kick in, and revolts against Henry IV are underway. Meanwhile, Henry IV's son, (the eventual Henry V) is still a youth. And he spends much time with his friends who engage in some criminal activity. And it is here where we meet the famous Falstaff. Falstaff is a rogue who engages in not so desirable behavior such as robbing travelers and drinking too much. At one point he even accepts bribes from people to avoid serving in the king's forces, (not to mention keeping the would have been soldiers' salaries for himself). But despite all this, it is virtually impossible not to like him. He is comical in every sense of the word. And at times, his concern over Prince Henry does seem genuine. (In 2.4 he is somewhat worried that Prince Henry will be in danger from his father's enemies for obvious reasons.) Moving back to the main plot, King Henry IV rebukes the prince for engaging in his meaningless activities while there is a rebellion rising. It is interesting that King Henry IV brings up how he defeated Richard II and compares Prince Henry to Richard II. (In history, this may have not been the smartest move. Henry V never really approved of how his father got the crown. This is prevalent in 4.1 of "Henry V.") Nevertheless, Prince Henry agrees to shape up so to speak. Later, Falstaff has the comical scene where he enters with subpar forces. (Cheap labor so to speak.) When Prince Henry is not so pleased, Falstaff boldly answers: "...man, mortal men, mortal men" (4.2.68). The battle comes and Shakespeare cleverly inserts a scene where Henry IV is wounded, but Prince Henry rescues him and: 'redeems his lost opinion.' Things start to look good for Henry IV, but Northumberland is still at large. And the grounds for "2 Henry IV" are in motion.



2. Not only was the book in perfect condition I received it in 2 days -- no I didn't upgrade the delivery method! Fabulous!



3. No one told me Shakespeare did cliff-hangers! Why do high-school teachers and undergraduate professors hide the good stuff from us and force us to read the most painful and incomprehensible stuff?
   
   Prince Henry Percy and his buddy Falstaff are hooligans getting up to the most deplorable delinquency, but that's OK because Henry is, well, a prince and all this is only youthful hijinks. Henry Hotspur, a cousin of the Prince, a soldier's soldier, a man's man (and Will leaves that question mark hanging in the air) is off to the wars at every chance he gets. King Henry is getting ready to get back to the Crusades and this is making his senior nobility antsy.
   
   This play was a study in insults. Not the boring, repetative use of three or four profanities that passes for insults in mainstream America, but poetic, extended metaphors that denigrate in detail. Hotspur's descrition of a foppish senior officer's interference on the battlefield was a delight (act I, scene iii). My own military experience made this vignette especially enjoyable.
   
   And the play ends as a battle ends, but with many issues unresolved and war looming in the near future.
   
   I really enjoyed this one. It was dour and cynical, but with many lighter moments provided largely by Falstaff. Next up, "Henry the IV Stikes Again; King Henry the IV, Part II"
   
   E. M. Van Court

5 comments about Norton Anthology of Literature by Women (Boxed set, Volumes 1 and 2).

1. Norton anthologies traditionally provide a thoughtful and diverse selection but I was enormously disappointed in this volume. The stories included were surprising and I was very pleased to see authors included that I never would have thought would be, such as Octavia Butler and Ursula le Guin. However, the footnotes felt as though they had been written for high school students, or perhaps for people who lived under a rock.
   
   Bob Dylan needs to have an explanation?
   
   In addition, the pentacle is not a sign of the occult.
   
   If Norton got the facts right, I would be very pleased with this volume but because they are lacking... I can only give this four stars.



2. This book is great! Too bad I didn't have to take the class after all.



3. Was shipped insanely fast, I think maybe a day? But anyway, just in time for the semester to start on Monday! Thanks again Amazon!



4. I ordered a set of books and the price was great and really fast delivery. Norton Anthology of Literature by Women (Boxed set, Volumes 1 and 2)



5. This book was required for my college course. Even so, it is surprisingly worth reading for those interested in women authors and their works. It has a sampling of most eras, including modern. It also includes a mini-bio of each author. It includes excerpts from novels, short stories, essays, speeches, and poems.