I found this book to be okay, I am studying fashion illustration and have problems being able to draw the figures so this helped overall, but some of the figures were a bit too sketchy with too many lines. It was also bit too heavy too carry around to my classes, but that's just a personal thing..

"Fashion Illustration Today" is a perfect book for anyone who has an interest in the amazing art of fashion. It is packed cover to cover with exotic illustrations by many unbelievable artists. The illustrations show beautiful fashions from the '20's , some crazy drawings of garments from the 60's, many elegant evening gowns, modern clothing illustrations , and many very original ideas and styles. If you love fashion, art, or just witnessing some amazing talent, this book will be a wonderful source of ideas, and is guaranteed to be a fantastic adventure!

A brilliant account of Roeg's films by the author of "Elevator Music". It takes a profound overview of an almost unknown filmmaker - a very cult one. Roeg's gems such as "Performance", "Petulia" and "Walkabout" are here criteriously analysed. Roeg is an authentic creator of surreal landscapes and plots, often mixing dreams and drug trips. If you're into mind-blowing stuff, that's well worth a look.

Ever since viewing Roeg's masterpiece 'Don't look now', i became obsessed by the man.

This book, in its deft construction which alternates interviews and analysis, pays hommage to the director and its sources of inspirations.

This book is a welcome addition to a very scanty body of work about the Igbo language. The grammar and pronunciation are very well explained, there are good illustrative examples, and the phrasebook is extensive and useful. There is also interesting material about the Igbo history and culture.

However, the included dictionary gives no guidance about the tones used in pronouncing the words it defines. Words are NOT marked for tone in the dictionary. Since tone is phonemic in Igbo (as in Chinese, for instance) this is a very serious limitation and it prevents the reader from building up a vocabulary by browsing the dictionary and plugging new words into sentences introduced in the phrasebook and grammar sections. If there was a lot of other material available for learning Igbo one wouldn't need to use the dictionary this way, but there really isn't.

Hopefully in a future edition the authors will rectify this sin of omission.

I am 50% Nigerian Igbo, and was born in Imo State. I grew up in America, and had lost my native language. This book has helped me regain the language I thought was gone forever. I think everyone interested in the Igbo Language should read it.

The motivations and behaviors of most of the characters are either random or studid. You cannot make every character in a book crazy / disturbed / disfunctional! It would make no less sense to have any one of the suspects turn out to be the killer, based on a quick rewrite of a few paragraphs. That's not the way a mystery is supposed to work. Too many times, the heroine acts in a way that makes sense only because it will further complicate the plot. Surely no woman would have created this pathetic character. Probably the worst "thriller" I've ever actually finished (saving it from a 1 star rating).

Nicolas Conde' has written a particularly gripping tale about the effect on ordinary people when a serial killer is on the loose. He captures the terror without graphically describing the horror. The actual killing is left to the imagination, which detracts not one bit from this thriller. As you view the events through Carol Warren, author and illustrator of childrens' books, you find your heart pounding with suspense. Carol's best friend becomes a victim, then another friend. Carol is approached at a bookstore autograph session by a man who claims to be an investigator who has a list of suspects. She is both put off and yet drawn to this man. I found this book difficult to put down and smugly assumed half-way through that I had easily identified the killer! Well, happily I was wrong and I was in for a roller coaster of events right up until the end. My only regret is that I have found no other books by this author. I highly recommend "In the Deep Woods" by Nicolas Conde' for anyone looking for a very well written mystery thriller. Enjoy!

Before this 1994 Oxford University Press Edition, ENGLISH-language Readers of Voltaire's famous Book had to make do with Translations from the FRENCH 'Lettres Philosophiques'. Voltaire, however, began writing the Book during his two and a half year stay in ENGLAND, and wrote over half the Letters in ENGLISH. This first critical Edition of the 'Letters' in ENGLISH (the remaining eight Letters are presented in contemporary Translation) are immediately more fresh, more witty, more pointed, more fluid, more Voltairean, than the pallid Translations of other Editions on offer, and, with their characteristic 18th century Spelling (e.g. today's words ending in 'c' ending in 'k', like 'Publick') and Orthography (Nouns capitalised, proper Nouns italicised), give one the pleasurable Feeling of reading a Contemporary of Swift's or Pope's.

Anyone hoping for a Bill Bryson-like Travelogue into the Manners and distinctive Details of the ENGLISH, or a FRENCH 'Gulliver's Travels', will be disappointed. The 'Letters' are a Travelogue of Enlightenment Ideas, and can be divided into three Sections - Religion (Voltaire celebrating the Tolerance of many Religions in ENGLAND compared to the Catholic Tyranny in FRANCE); Philosophy/Science (offering a breathless Digest of exciting new Theories and Discoveries by Locke and Newton), and Literature (decrying the barbarous Irregularities of English theatre compared to the coolly classical French, but praising the occasional poetic Vividness and greater dramatic Force of Shakespeare - how nice of him!). Voltaire often distorts political Conditions in ENGLAND (e.g. the economic Persecution of Catholics) to extol the Country as a Beacon of Liberty.

Although Voltaire writes ENGLISH very well (considering he had only begun learning it the Year before commencing the 'Letters'), his Language lacks the satiric Bite and linguistic Inventiveness of a Swift or Gay, and so feels comparitively thin. Although there is a complex Irony working throughout, with the 'I' of the fictional Letter-Writer shifting functions (satirical, explanatory etc.) depending on the Subject, the most enjoyable Parts are those most straightforwardly polemical, such as the Attack on Reactionaries hostile to the Growth of Science, or the refreshingly irreverant Approach to the Bard.

How you enjoy these Letters depends on how much Voltaire you can take. His brave Attacks on Intolerance, Fanaticism and Absolutism can never be forgotten, and his Advocacy of the actively Intellectual over the submissively Superstitious was crucial in developing the modern Era; but his relentless Promotion of Reason can itself appear intolerant, shortsighted and incapable of dealing with more inexplicable Mysteries. He mocks the Ancients' philosophical and scientific Errors, asserting the linear Progress of History and human Endeavour, assuming, as did those ancients, that his Age has got everything right. The 25th Letter exposes the limits and inflexibility of Voltaire - taking uncontextualised Excerpts from Pascal's 'Pensees', he attempts to demolish the Jansenist's Christian Logic, but only exposes himself as a poor Reader forever closed to true Mystery, Poetry and Complexity.

This critical Edition includes a valuable Introduction detailing Voltaire's Experiences in England, contextualising the Letters and proving the Importance on his artistic Development of the Writer's Contact with the ENGLISH Language. An interesting Textual Note explains the Genesis of the Work, and the Status of the various national Editions. Appendices include a long Excerpt from Voltaire's Essay (in ENGLISH) on Milton, and a biographical Appreciation by Goldsmith. The Apparatus is somewhat let down by the Notes. Because this Edition is considered a primary Text, rather than a Translation, Cronk assumes the reader to be a Student in FRENCH Literature, and neglects to translate Quotations on occasion, or to identify unfamiliar (to this Reader, anyway) Personnages.

This book is, justifiably, not as famous as _Candide_, but is still a great sample of Voltaire's thinking--and therefore a great example of Enlightenment discourse. In these letters Voltaire criticizes France by praising England, and begins to develop ideas about religion, democracy, and social convention that he continued to work on throughout his life. For my taste, _Philosophical Dictionary_ is more exciting, but these letters are more inviting, and also give insight into the connections between England and France that obviously lie at the heart of their historical antipathy.

This is a good book to have if you own a Norwich Terrier.
There are not to many books on the Norwich.
The person who wrote the previous review spelled Norwich wrong.
Even in my Vet's computer the program has it spelled wrong.
Norwich is not even listed in the animal shelter's computer program.

This book provides historical information on the Norwhich and general dog care information, that is standard in this series. The color pictures are a nice touch and show the Norwhich in their best adorable poses. It is good for the first time dog owner who may need general information on the Norwhich and general dog issues.

Mr Bornoff has apparently done a lot of research for this book, although no bibliography is given to take the interested user to a level beyond his colloquial interviews. To be honest, there were several places where a lack of more scholarship was not only disappointing but misleading. In several instances the etymology of Japanese words was mistaken (although the author used the same answers you might get from an average Japanese). Typograhical errors also abound, making it a distracting read. The book is also insulting in that the author's opinion's on several subjects, from prostitution to homosexuality, form a thick veil which prevents him from presenting more objective data. Also, to devote a scant few pages to the topic of homosexuality (while peppering those pages with his own revulsed bias) was a major disservice. Nearly anyone writing in 1988 could have found much more on the subject. As others have noted, the book is dated. Japan has changed greatly in the intervening years, and the book is best viewed as a snaphot of attitudes (barely facts) of 1988. On the positive note, the author does go into greater detail on historical content than similar books to date. A bibliography, again, would have enhanced this material greatly.

readable trip to different areas of Japanese history and society.Examines impact of social upheavals on the status of women. Considers contemporary and historical issues (geisha to "compensated dating")

Julie Phelps

This novel, written as No. 9 in the series, is based on historical events occurring in 1800. It follows No. 6 (Ramage & the Guillotine) which seemed to be set in 1801, and is one of the sequels to No. 7 (Ramage's Diamond) which seems to be set historically in 1804. Dudley Pope seemed to have a major problem setting his later novels in proper historical order. Readers continuing the series should be aware of that problem. The novels must be read in numerical order for development of Ramage's career, love life, etc., but after No. 7 they seem to drop back to circa 1799 and then progress forward again to 1804. Among other things, the series puts the frigate Calypso in continuous service with the same crew from circa 1799 to 1805. The frigate and crew become caught in a time warp. The novels are OK to read in numerical order if one ignores the technical and historical glitches.

The present novel has an interesting plot, starting with discovery of French brandy in the ship's water casks. Ramage is sent off to deal with privateers operating out of the Dutch island of Curacao. As in other novels in the series, Ramage replaces a real life Royal Navy captain, in this case the captain of the frigate Néréide. He continues his extraordinary exploits, destroying enemy frigates, capturing privateers and, in fact, capturing an island. There is enough action thrown in to keep the novel interesting, but I sometimes wish for a more believable character. In contrast, Richard Woodman's novels in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series are diligent in correctly following historical events (Woodman provides dates on his chapter headings), and Drinkwater is a much more believable hero.

In #9 Capt. Ramage continues his Caribbean cruising, now out of the Jamaica Station under a purely political Admiral (i.e., one with no practical experience or understanding). This is the first book in several with any gory slaughter in it, here either privateers' victims or a long, running fight ashore. By planning--glimpses of which we get to see and guess their purpose--and always by surprise, Ramage avoids taking losses and instead metes them out to his enemies. Still, Ramage manages several more of his special bloodless surprise conquests that earn him citations in the Naval Gazette. As his conquest of another beautiful foreign lady who falls within eyeshot would not! The theme of this novel is honour, what it is, who has it, and what it requires. We get to see Ramage as a diplomat on his own--a role not previously seen even when he was "Governor" in Book 4. Plain to see is the difference between honorable and dishonorable conduct as the situations between the Dutch, British, and French--and various privateers or rebels--suddenly alter, and then shift again. The key is that governments are never honorable and steadfast, only some of their "regretful" citizens. Curiously, the one map doesn't name the islands featured here, the Dutch Aruba and Curacao, leaving readers as blind as if we were chartless in shoal water! The book's wrap-around cover art is different from that shown above on amazon.com (= picture from #8), but no more sensical (a frigate in pursuit with no headsails set?). As ever, Dudley Pope is precise and accurate in his descriptions, although it certainly helps in following the ship manuevers if you know the difference between starboard and port tacks and remember where Pope says the wind is from.

I've read all the Ramage novels and I'm a fan. This is just a friendly suggestion to the reader that when you get to this one you might consider to proceed rapidly through the first half of the book. Read the first sentence of each paragraph and then decide whether to read the whole paragraph or not. The author gets especially carried away with descriptions of things we, the seeker of naval action, don't give a damn about -- local vegetation, birds, geographical names (and their histories). Mr Pope can be forgiven for waxing on about his interests (because he has given us so many exciting stories up to this point), but I voted to pass up large portions.

Make no mistake, the exciting part does eventually arrive, but even then is a bit rushed and abbreviated. And, the ending definitely leaves a bunch of loose threads (e.g., what happens to the duel between Ramage and the obnoxious General?).

Ramage and his happy crew sail back to adventure off the Tuscan coast of Italy again, haunts where he first rescued the beautiful Gianna, the Marchesa of Volterra, escaping from the heel of Napolean. Now she's presumed to be his victim again, but will Ramage happen upon traces of her, or of the wife he married just before she disappeared at sea? In the meantime he has been tasked by the Navy to rescue some noble (and well-hidden) hostages, and he must try several ruses to outwit the clever French. This story and its allusions will make more sense if you've read Ramage no. 1 (and the rest of the series).

Among the interesting vignettes Pope loved to slip in are how to up anchor on a lee shore or cast a log line to determine ship's speed. Usual McBooks excellence in typography, with those lovely swash capitals (oops, the swashbucklers appear in no. 17). This time the cover art is misleading, since this is another story featuring Ramage's ingenuity, guile, tact, and luck rather than bloodthirsty battle.

When the Ramage novels were reprinted, they were left in a mishmash. This one is listed as number 13, but chronologically it appears to be one of five Ramage novels that go after "Ramage & the Guillotine" which is listed as No. 6, and before "Ramage's Diamond," which is listed as No. 7 (see my Listmania listing). The readers are left a bit adrift trying to determine the correct chronological order (necessary to understand some of the plot). The Peace of Amiens lasted from March 1802 to May 1803. This novel starts at the end of the peace with Ramage and his bride caught in France. The author borrows material from C. S. Forester's Hornblower series to orchestrate Ramage's escape. There is then a sub-plot as Ramage regains command of a frigate (although the author seems to forget details like which year he had Ramage promoted to captain).

At his point, history goes off track. The author places the prison colony on Devil's Island considerably before its time (Victor Hugo had things right when he had Jean Valjean sentenced to a prison galley). It is an interesting plot as Ramage uses trickery to capture enemy ships. However the author fills up space with side degressions to describe flora & fauna, weights of ships' stores, etc., when you sometimes wish he would get on with the story (was the author getting old at this point or was the publisher, perhaps, paying him by the word?). As noted by a previous reviewer, the cover art is unrelated to this novel. There are some errors reflecting bad research, e.g., the Dutch still had a monopoly on nutmeg in 1803.

The cover picture of ships in battle is completely false. This is a novel of naval guile instead. Ramage is a master of ruses de guerre, of victories with a short butcher's bill featuring his regular cast of characters (cf. "Ramage's Signal"). Following the life-changing events of the previous book ("Renegades"), Ramage is on a peaceable sailor's honeymoon when he finds himself newly behind enemy lines. The story of his escape and pursuit of a devilish captain to Devil's island prison includes vignettes of the oft-blockaded port of Brest, the ifyness of planning an action, diagnosis of alcoholism, the formation of trade wind clouds, messing below decks, books of secret signals, and how to fire a cannon on a pitching deck, as well as various tactical decisions that Ramage discusses with his officers.