Romola is constantly called Eliot's weakest novel, with even serious critics reluctant to praise it. However, it was seen in the 19th century as Eliot's masterpiece. Some of the blame for the novel going out of fashion must rest with F.R. Leavis who said that "few will want to read Romola a second time, and few can ever have got through it once without some groans." If Leavis, viewed as one of the great literary minds, thinks this, then more average readers like us are bound to be put off.

True, the start of Romola is bogged down in detail, but it is introduced by a wonderful, stirring and majestic 'Proem' which sees the Angel of the Dawn sweeping across the Earth and loftily states how humanity is the same now as it was when Romola is set. After this, the notes are best ignored - consult them separately, and concentrate on getting into the book. It is a stirring and sometimes hard read, and moves one with awe at what Eliot has created - you really feel you are experiencing Florence in the 15th century. There is one scene that stands out for me - the haunting and almost surreal episode where Romola drifts by boat to an apparent coastal haven. Images of peace and life are reversed disturbingly.

So ignore Leavis and the dissenters. If you've read another Eliot, you'll like it. If you haven't, maybe start with something else, but come back, for it's a rewarding read

Given the majority of Eliot readers begin with Middlemarch, I found myself in the unique position of not only beginning with Romola, but also on a subject that I find most interesting. That of Renaissance Italy. Beginning at the death of the great Lorenzo di Medici in '92 I read this great novel twice. Once quickly as any other Twenty-First century paperback; the second, slowly, with more respect for the intellectual scope within the pages.
After the first attempt I was mildly disappointed. I came away with no true sense of the whole that is fifteenth century Florence and a bewilderment at the inconsistent central characterisation of Tito Melema and his golden-haired wife, Romola. The supporting actors were brilliant, from Fra Girolama's fantatical Catholicism to Bratti's salesmanship. But I was left disappointed, believing in the superficality of Tito, the maddening naivety of Tessa, and the almost puritanical martyrdom of Romola.
So I re-read it. Slowly.
It is now extremely clear why this great work of english literature is, as Eliot herself puts it, a "book of mine which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood".
Each scene is mesmerically depicted, the infintesimal attention to details and Eliot's total control of her subject matter shines through.
Renaissance Florence wasn't so well depicted by its contemporaries.
From Tito's waking at the Loggia de' Cerchi to his final fall at the Ponte Vecchio his character moves through a full range as you would expect from a man in his early twenties. His child-like mesmerism coupled with his Greek tutorage gives rise to a cherubic man whom Florence loves. His fatal flaw is his desire for love and a single terrible lie he gives that, like Murphy's Law, evolves into a a stigma that alters his very persona. What is all the more damaging is that you truly believe he is unaware of the pain he causes. He is truly egocentric, in an almost blameless way. For Romola, you cold argue the opposite. Indeed she is potentially more culpable. Her fierce intellectualism is offset by a descent into a world of religious supersition, a world where religion is used as a political tool. Throughout she has the knowledge of where her actions will take her and a terrible sense of duty and restrains her. From the beginning, with the story we hear so often of Tito's escape from drowning, to his final near drowning at the hands of the mob, to his strangulation by his father there is a certain bitter justice until all that he leaves is his proud and world-scarred wife Romola and the innocence that he preserved with Tessa. Tito's move from innocent 'hero' to startled villain is an excerise in human failings. Yet it is not a sufficient single human tragedy, as Eliot says, "Florence was busy with greater affairs, and the preparation of a deeper tragedy".
In many respects 'Romola' is Eliot's King Lear. The parallels are many, including Baldessare's depiction. There is no Edgar, nor Edmund but the Fool is here in many guises. In taking one of Shakespeare's finest themes, Eliot has given true life to fifteenth century Florence and it is, perhaps, best encapsulated by Romola's final statement to Tessa's son, Lillo:
"There was a man to whom I was very near... who made almost everyone fond of him, for he ws young, and clever, and beautiful...I believe, when I first knew him, he never thought of anything cruel or base. But because he tried to slip away from everything that was unpleasant, and cared for nothing else so much as his own safety, he came at last to commit some of the basest deeds - such as make men infamous."
So, Eliot's 'Romola'. Read it, delight in it because it truly is, as the author can rightly claim, one of the finest works in english literature.

Yes, it bristles with Glossaries and Appendices and Notes like so much barbed wire. (And if you actually read the Penguin editor's introduction, it's a sure thing you'll never read the novel: she makes it sound like about as much fun as chewing rocks.) But don't let all that deter you. You may have some rough going at the beginning, mostly because Latin and Greek scholarship is so important to the plot. Use the notes and they'll enhance your enjoyment of the story, but ignore them and you're still in for a thrilling tale gorgeously told. Tito Melema is one of the great characters in fiction, and he's someone we all know: a thoroughly despicable human being who has no idea he's anything but a nice guy. Eliot has wrought a dreamy and hair-raising hybrid of fiction and history, infused with her own astonishing insight and complicated sympathy and delivered in her matchless prose. I loved this book.

An excellent collection of articles from start to finish.

After reading this book, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that I might just be "playing around". I've been to different schools and practiced on my own, never thinking quite as deeply as I needed to about Kung Fu. Mind you, I thought pretty deeply about it, but after reading Polishing the Sword, I think maybe I need to spend MORE time training and less time "playing" Kung Fu.

His articles are dead-on, he politely skewers myths, delusions, phoney Kung Fu and detrimental Kung Fu practices. Not many books on Kung Fu take the time to analyze what the Kung Fu student must BECOME in order to achieve Kung Fu.

Not many books focus on finding the right school, choosing the right style and developing the proper attitude and respect for the art.

This should be required reading for any Kung Fu student. It teaches no forms, tells no fairy tales, it is for the modern, Western Kung Fu student to study and re-study in his/her quest for authentic Kung Fu.

Also, it approaches the MUCH needed subject of Martial Arts vs. Fighting Ability. That alone was worth the price of the book.

Are you Wu Shu or are you a Poseur?

Graydon Webster Northern Shaolin Student

I found this book a few years ago, when I was researching martial arts. The authors conclusions matched many of mine perfectly, only he actually had credibility! This book will teach you volumes, I guarantee it.

GREAT overview of Kung Fu principles. The best MARTIAL ARTS books I've bought. You won't find new techniques or demonstrations of forms, but you will find overall principles used in Martial arts (e.g finding a good Kung Fu school, proper breathing, differences in traditional Wushu vs Contemporary Wushu, usage, training). And no I'm not affiliated with the publishing company or Sifu Hsu's school(Kenpo, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do for 14years). Just my humble opinion of a overrall great read.

The second book in the trilogy picks up the action where the first book ended. Spidey and Bishop are now in a world familiar yet very different. The rest of the X-Men have to try to save the world from Kang's evil plot - and fighting some villains they normally don't fight to do so.

This book continues with the elements I enjoyed in the first - lots of action, lots of cameos, lots of cliffhanger chapters. This trilogy continues to be one of the best super-hero novel(s) I've read in a long time.

I guess I wrote something about the series for the first book, but I want this to stop popping up on recommended books so I'm writing another review. If you want to know what I said, check book one in the series.

Well there aren't many books around that you would not want to put down till you have finished reading it. But this book is certainlyone that fits in to that catagory. From begining to the end, this book will keep you in suspense. I just don't think that words can do justice describing this world. Just imagine being in a wrold where the X_men have become evil and killed or impresioned all the other superpowred humans. Imagiane wolverine free to kill at will. Well stop reading this and buy this book now. I promise you it will not disapoint

This light-hearted venture into the world of Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire and bookstore owner contains much of the sharp, witty dialogue of the previous books in the series only sharper and wittier. The discussion between Bernie and Carolyn over the sexual preference of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone is priceless. This is a sometimes-confusing mystery involving a series of events that sees Bernie burgle an apartment, return the booty and then re-enter the place to plant evidence after finding a corpse in the bathroom. Bernie sets out to work out who committed the murder, plus who committed a burglary that he's been mistakenly charged with. This is a most entertaining mystery that continues to keep you thinking, while providing plenty of smiles along the way.

Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores how an ordinary, but intelligent, "honest" person might go about pursuing a life of crime as a fastidious and talented burglar who isn't proud of what he does, doesn't like to hang out with criminals, and really gets a big thrill out of breaking and entering . . . and removing valuables. As you can see, there's a sitcom set-up to provide lots of humor. But the humor works well in part because Mr. Block is able to put the reader in the Bernie's shoes while he breaks, enters and steals . . . and evades the long arm of the law. To balance the "honest" burglar is an array of "dishonest" and equally easy-money loving cops. As a result, you're in a funny moral never-never land while your stomach tightens and your arm muscles twitch as tension builds. To make matters even more topsy-turvy, Bernie at some point in every story turns into an investigator who must figure out "who-dun-it" for some crime that he personally didn't do. It's almost like one of those "mystery at home" games where the victim comes back as the police investigator, playing two roles. Very nice!

So much for explaining the concept of the series. The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams is the sixth book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading Burglars Can't Be Choosers and follow it up with The Burglar in the Closet, The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, and The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian. Each story in the series adds information and characters in a way that will reduce your pleasure of the others if read out of order. Although, I originally read them out of order and liked them well enough. I'm rereading them now in order, and like it much better this way. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart comes next in the series.

As this book opens, Bernie has been going straight . . . for almost a year. Barnegat Books, a used hard cover book store he owns and operates, has been providing his living rather than burglary. Then, he receives a double shock. His new landlord is Bordon Stoppelgard, and with his 30 year lease at an end, Mr. Stoppelgard announces that the new lease will be for $10,500 a month rather than $875. How can Bernie afford that? He can't. Then, Stoppelgard comes into Barnegat Books to buy a first edition of Sue Grafton's "B" Is for Burglar for $80 plus tax. Bernie tries to refuse him the sale, but Stoppelgard insists, slapping a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. Then he laughs at Bernie for selling a five-hundred-dollar book for so little.

But Bernie's sorely tempted to burgle again . . . both for the money and the thrills he gets from burglary. That temptation is particularly great just now because Bernie knows that the wealthy Martin Gilmartins will be out for the evening. Bernie does his best to avoid temptation . . . and succeeds. His only slip is to call Mr. Gilmartin from Carolyn Kaiser's apartment to ask him how he liked the show . . . a call that can be traced by the police when Mr. Gilmartin discovers a burglary has been committed and valuable baseball cards are missing. Bernie's alibi isn't very good because he decides to go out after leaving Carolyn. Someone might think he was visiting a fence to sell the baseball cards. What to do?

Most people will find The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams to be the very best book in the series. The plot is deliciously complicated and unusual. There are mysteries galore to solve, and it's not clear until near the end who did what to whom. The satirical references to mystery novels and novelists are priceless (these include wickedly twisted misstatements of Sue Grafton titles and stories, and a hilarious sequence about cats solving mysteries referring to the Lillian Jackson Braun books). The book also introduces Raffles, Bernie?s new mouse-exterminating-assistant cat who is always on the paper chase, and Carolyn's offbeat theories about women and cats. The baseball card trivia about the Chalmers Mustard Ted Williams set will delight any collector or fan. The comic sequences had me laughing out loud as Bernie finds unexpected surprises as he employs his burglary talents. Bernie also discovers a new source of income which most readers would not have anticipated. Some of the new characters will also amuse or delight you, even though they are only in this book. In essence, there's enough good material in this book for four excellent novels. And it's all nicely pulled together.

How will Bernie save the store? Who took the baseball cards? How will Bernie solve the other puzzles in the book? You are making a big mistake if you don't read this book!

The theme of this book is whether honesty or dishonesty pays better . . . and why. Where do you see dishonest people doing better than honest ones now? Will that continue? Why or why not?

Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Given the Splendid Splinter's recent death, I couldn't resist this title, and in the process, I discovered that Lawrence Block is one of the more clever authors of this day. Our hero is a used book seller and a part time burglar, who tends to use his skills for good rather than evil. One minor complaint is we are often led down a path, only to be filled in later by Bernie the burglar of a fact he had been withholding the reader for a few chapters. But all in all, this light hearted book is fun, and easily readable. I plan to try out more of Mr Block's works.

In many years of buying investment books, this was one of the few that gave me something I could really do, and that worked as it was supposed to.

It's rare to find a source of information that provides a historic and present-day world perspective.

Insurance and annuity contracts are not subject to Swiss withholding tax, unlike bank accounts and other Swiss fixed income instruments. Under certain conditions, they also enjoy tax deferred status for US residents and are exempt from US withholding taxes.

Perhaps I missed the point. As anyone who reads a book about Ansel Adams, I am also a great fan of his work, and like many others too, a photographer with no claim to fame.

The amount of interesting information in this book regarding the life of Ansel Adams is wonderful. The people he knew, the places he's been, and the struggles he's undertaken are all part of a dazzling portrait of the man we do not know simply from looking at his work. It is a book which provides historicaly interesting snapshots from his life (literally, and figuratively), and lets us see glimpses of the lives of other great artists too.

What I found unpleasant was getting to know someone I may not have liked as a colleague or friend. The opinions or thoughts which flow from the pages of this this autobiographical are not always as polished as the photos we have come to know and love. In fairness, the man is not his work, and the work, likewise, is not who he is as a person. I have seen them both now, and prefer the work over the man (at least as he presented himself to me). I also thought that many of the events or persons which Adams spoke of where ALMOST done so by way of 'name dropping' in order to gain attention for himself (i.e. 'see who I know'). This was unnecasary I thought, and only made me wonder why he felt a need to do it that way, if indeed it was intentional.

I was particularly troubled by one of his closing observations on the value of photography as a fine art form, and how a photograph is, beyond all others, the most difficult form of art there is to create. I should think Michael Angelo, Monet, Picaso, or hundreds of other amazing artists through the ages may be inclined to a different viewpoint, even if they wouldn't admit to it.

Matt Lang

First of all, the reproductions of Adams' photographs in the hardcover edition are excellent. The text is designed to relate to the photos, directly or indirectly, without distracting too much from the photos. Adams does tend to lean towards the philosophical towards the end of some chapters, perhaps with a well-founded basis.

However, I think it is fair to say that Adams has "visualized" himself in a stylized and abstract manner, not unlike his photographs of the wilderness, cropping any rough edges of his life and ultimately contributing to (even propagating?) the myth surrounding his life.

After reading his autobiography, I am now looking forward to reading his biography, written by Mary Street Alinder, his editor in the present effort. I hope that she reveals some of the driving tensions and flaws in his life, much in the same way James Gleick filled in the more sombre details of Richard Feynman's life that he glossed over in his autobiographies.

If you're looking for a great bio on Ansel Adams, this is the book for you. It is a great, fact-filled book.

I bought this book because of the excellent reviews it got. However upon reading this I can't see any justification for these reviews. First of all it is very high level; I mean appropriate for your manager's, manager's manager maybe. This book is all about fawning over Diffie Hellman and philosophizing about how pki should be used etc. There is no technical information in this book, no code, no flow charts, no diagrams, no data structures. It doesn't even explain how pki is applied, for example to ssl. All the real information in this book could have been condenced to a few pages. I really needed this book to be good and it was not. Look if you want to go to a cocktail party and impress someone with no technical exposure then maybe this is your book. Otherwise there must be better choices.

Carlisle and his co authors have written a book that will allow the Security practioner, as well as the Security techie, to understand the basics of PKI Infrastrucutres. I had the opportunity to meet Carlisle at the Secure Summit this past Jan., and we had a very interesting dicussion about this book, how he came to write it, etc. Just sorry I didn't have my copy for an autograph. I have ordered my 2d copy, sent the first copy I bought to a buddy who needed to understand the innnards of PKI. This book is an easy read but loaded with good data on PKI. I would recommend this book to managers who need to understand PKI but don't need to do the technical pieces. For my part, I am Security professional with over 30 years experience.

Its not Entrust's fault if they are the only PKI vendor that actively supports standards, develops the most technologically advanced and secure PKI solutions, and carry out the best practices.

This books can show you an interesting and practical method that will help you ending your CRM pains.
A intelligent aproach to a very dificult discipline.

Chairman of the Customer Marketing Institute, co-founder of consulting group MSP Associates, and CRM "guru" Jay Curry takes readers on an international journey "through the pyramids." Using the "rest of the world" as the foundation to the pyramid structure, Curry shows readers how to build on suspects and prospects and carry them to the top of the customer pyramid. From inactive customers to top tier clientele, Curry offers valuable information, trends, statistics, and real-life

examples.

This is not simply a book about customers. It is a handbook for anyone who has customers. Curry goes beyond traditional customers and offers his version of the e-Customer and special considerations for marketing to this virtual audience. Filled with action items, the book is formatted with numerous graphics in a manner that is easy to digest and quick to place into service.

Whether you are a small business owner or a manager in a multi-division corporation, this book has information you can read today and use tomorrow, building a customer pyramid with not only a firm foundation but also a top filled with satisfied, and profitable, customers.

Now Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the hottest area of marketing. This book explain that CRM is the activity of getting customer in, moving customer up, keeping customer in. Authors written a clear, step-by-step guide of CRM. Authors introduces the "Permission Pyramid" and the "e-Customer Marketing Pyramid" to explain the nature of "virtual customer relationships" and how to use them to create, keep, and upgrade customers. I think that this concept is simple and clear. but it explain all of CRM.

Fop Flop In the most elegant apparel Nothing but worm silks In the finest golden thread And superior king red velvet sashes

You'd think I would have known better? I couldn't blame them who wouldn't? cut air with scissors while sewing their needles into invisible cloth for the very low price of..... silk a loom golden thread a full bag of coins Oh those Villain Scoundrels! Now, I know not to buy such vestments with rather large investments Oh what a bratty gnatty I was For I thought I was cool but truly a fool Why emperor you look rather bare, that's quite rare! I was in such a pursuit For only a birthday suit I must admit now Me, My very own self yes indeed, your emperor himself have become a stupid and incompetent dandy All for the Imaginary Image! and now I live happily ever after, no more garb well, that is until the next apparel discovery (Now if you'll excuse me there's a clothier waiting at my door who says he's created the latest design in Pajama attire)

Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.

the book was very touching.it made feel as if iwas far away from God, and it made me realize how far my relationship with God really was, and i'm just glad that Malcolm Potts and Roger Short brought me back to reality...

This book is a MUST for anyone who considers themselves an unbiassed thinker. If only there were a text like this when I was in college. It will appeal to anyone interested in anthropology, sociology and/or zoology. You don't have to agree with the arguments of the authors as they are the flavour enhancers of the proverbial "food for thought". The beauty of this book is it's personal affect of invading your waking and sleeping hours with questions. Wonderfully stimulating, the best thing I have read in AGES. What a legacy.

This book was written by my uncle who has always been an inspiration in my life. This book is just another extension of his Greatness! Malcolm Potts takes his work very seriously. I know that this book will and has already made changes in my life as far as human sexuality goes. It will make me take my sexual desires and actions to a new and much safer level.