The stories in this book are sea tales in Conrad's tradition of pessimistic, psychological fiction. Typhoon is particularly good, but the other stories are interesting as well. If it seems like Conrad is just writing adventure stories, well, that's just not true. He's writing about the most important themes, and setting them against a backdrop of exciting seafaring and travel.

If a reader finished Heart of Darkness, and enjoyed it, then that reader might want to pick this book up next, and give it a whirl.

As a set text it did not seem to be the most interesting of choices. However the the autobiographical style of "Jo's" life is both imaginative and capturing. Although slow in parts, the tension of the second world war keeps you gripped throughout. The quite alarming experiences forced upon the boys makes the journey you share with the author, one of the most touching stories of childhood striuggles in french literature. Certainly not what I expected.

This is a very well written book on the Prophet. It is like other books that are on the market but this one has a unique author. His background leads one to read just to see what is said about the Prophet Joseph. This book is a great source for general history of Jospeh Smith.

Although I have not read all of his short stories, I find Faulkner's tales to be poigniant reflections of American life, without being overtly obvious in their symbolism. The reader draws as much, or as little, as he wishes from Faulkner.

Being a work of 'uncollected' stories, it does not have the consistency as, say, These 13, or others arranged by Faulkner, but it does have its gems.

Consider it the "B-side" to a great album collection, some of which you may otherwise never have read, but worth it read, nonetheless.

If Joseph Heller's life had to be put into a book, this would be it. This book can give you all the information you need to know about this complicated man with a twisted mind. It was extremely comprehensive and organized.

From the Editor's Preface: "_Understanding Contemporary American Literature_ has been planned as a series of guides or companions for students as well as good nonacademic readers."

Well said. _Understanding Raymond Carver_ is the kind of thin textbook you would expect to read in an undergraduate Figures of Literature class at a public liberal arts college. Saltzman only scratches the surface of literary criticism and interpretation regarding Carver, but adequately. For students: you will find decent quotes to support your research papers. For nonacademic readers: you will find brief critical analyses of your favorite stories.

Here's an illustrative section:
"Because Carver's locations are unexceptional, they are deceptively lulling, seeming immune to eventfulness; yet all the while, in familiar homes and neighborhoods, acts of brinkmanship regularly take place. What, for example, could be less precipitous than a waitress serving a customer? Yet in 'Fat' the event looms monumentally in her consciousness. Breathless and repetitive, the narrator anxiously tries to 'sell' her friend on the significance of the tale of her incredibly fat customer as if she had just been implicated in some vague parable. However, she cannot pin down the reason its having unsettled her so: 'Now that's part of it. I think that is really part of it.' 'I know now I was after something. But I don't know what.' 'Waiting for what? I'd like to know.' "

"Perhaps it is the surprising dignity and pleasantness of the fat man that is so remarkable -- one can easily surmise what sort of course [sic] treatment she is accustomed to -- and that causes her to defend him against the rude remarks of her co-workers. Perhaps his use of the royal 'we' to refer to himself, as though he needed to measure up verbally to his size, makes her realize how dwarfed and submissive she has been. Or perhaps the jokes about her being 'sweet' on him lead her to evaluate her relationship with Rudy, who is similarly incapable of appreciating feelings she can hardly approximate. (During their lovemaking, she imagines herself to be so astonishingly fat that Rudy disappears within her bulk.) Her inarticulateness stakes out the limits of her growth of consciousness. Significantly, although she believes her life will change -- the meeting with the mysterious fat man surely heralds it -- she characterizes herself as passive, waiting for a transformation. 'Fat' concludes with the narrator prepared for something different but at a loss as to what that 'something' could be or how she would go about initiating it. Insight extends no further than dissatisfaction."

Saltzman provides an overview of Carver's style and themes; has a chapter for each of the four major collections (_Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?_, _Furious Seasons_, _What We Talk About When We Talk About Love_, and _Cathedral_); and one for selected poems. His conclusion "feels" dated (the text was published in 1988), but is otherwise adequate.

Overall, this is a good text, worth having if you are a dedicated Carver reader.

Although there have been some changes in the town since this book was written, it still serves as a good guide to this village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is well worth a detour if traveling between Baltimore and Gettysburg.

The "Unique Cherub" is a concept found in some Jewish mystical texts of the early Middle Ages. The Cherub serves as an intermediary between God and this world, so that anthropomorphic descriptions of God which are found in the Bible are said to refer to the Cherub. Also, some people felt that prayer should be addressed to the Cherub rather than the unknowable Absolute. J. Dan explains in detail the contents of an obscure group of Hebrew texts which agree with this way of thinking. He speculates as to the authors' identities, motivations, and relation to other mystical groups such as Hasidei Ashkenaz and early Kabbalah. While his conclusions are tentative, this is a valuable effort by Prof. Dan in a field still not widely studied.

This book breaks it down to the basics. Any coach or athlete can obtain a lot of knowledge from this book. The athlete who combiens hard work and dedication with the principles in this book WILL WIN.

This book is filled with clear illustrations that depict the periods of art history. It gives a visual understanding of the various styles of art used through out history. It is a wonderfull addition to any home or school library.