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Book reviews for "Birimisa,_George" sorted by average review score:

My First Two Thousand Years: The Autobiography of the Wandering Jew
Published in Paperback by Sheridan House (July, 2001)
Authors: George Sylvester Viereck and Paul Eldridge
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top 100 novel on the subject of the Wandering Jew & Jewess
THE WANDERING JEW AND WANDERING JEWESS?
AHASVER CD-ROM ISBN 1895507901 (SALE)! "THE JEW" (I-IIII):
"...Audacious and magnificent." "The book is in both substance and method of the highest originality; it is both fascinating and brilliant; the historic pageant is unrolled with a colorfulness and clearness that astonish me. And I am delighted too by the play of implicit wit, the quaint malice of the innuendos, the symbolic pattern sustained throughout." "...fascinatingly interesting and instructive...very ingenious conception and treatment of the various psychological and philosophical themes...I am particularly impressed with your ingenious way of presenting the various phases of psycho-sexuality....A great work." "It is a remarkably interesting idea to present the pageant of the World as it unfolded before the eyes of the same man during two thousand years. Also, to keep him a young man instead of a doddering grey-beard. It is like reading a series of entrancing short stories with the added interest of logical sequence. Their erudition is amazing, and it is presented in a manner that lures one on-and-on, as well as inducing the pleasant belief that one is learning something really worthwhile. It is a big thing to have attempted, and as far as I have gone there is certainly nothing to cavil at." "The book is gorgeous in its epigram and cold satire. It is one of the most brilliant books of sophisticated World-wisdom ever written. It sums up the case of intelligence against life. Isaac Laquedem is the Ulysses of your brain." "`My First Two Thousand Years' looks to me like a big thing." "Instead of leaving the reader stimulated, this would-be entertaining and philosophic tome leaves you prostrated...quality-of-life, so difficult to define to any healthy piece of literature, is absent." "The story captures the reader's interest in the beginning, holding it enthralled through every short chapter to the very end of five hundred and one pages. This number is significant. It recalls those gentle tales of one thousand and one nights." "The halfpenny cynicism in which the authors revel is the type resulting from protracted adolescence. The greatest mystery of it all is that the authors if not their book comes recommended, however guardedly, by no less than Sigmund Freud, George Bernard Shaw, and Havelock Ellis." "`My First Two Thousand Years' has occasional defects, but, out-weighing these, are pages of beauty, clearly seen and transcribed; and chapters of adroit and smiling satire...throughout there persists the restless reach of man toward a forever elusive finality." "This is in may respects and astonishing book, and in all respects one that deserves attention." "Cartaphilus's speculations and comprehensions about life, as without growing older, watching others grow old and idle; his amatory experiences, his judgments of great men of history, his increasing self-knoledge...all these give the book substance and intellectual stimulation, as well as very occasional brilliance. But in no major sense does the book triumph over its inherent difficulties. It is not history surveyed from high philosophical peaks, but history regarded by two intelligent minds. It is all human experience collected and annotated, but not interpreted with any profundity. So is its irony without depth, and its wit without freshness." You would think that anyone might, in two thousand years, grow weary of tryingto solve the riddle of life through sexual orgies, especially if, along about the middle of the fourth century of it, a Chinese adept has taught him two hundred and eighty secrets of love. But not Cartaphilus...undeniably an eenormous achievement." "...a work that must not be measured by ordinary standards....It will be read and thoroughly enjoyed by any lover of good fiction no less than by him who has a preferment for history and biography." "...As a work of creative imagination, Viereck and Eldridge have written a fascinatingly unique and alluring story. It is done with a spareness of words that sometimes approaches the beauty of the Greeks....In summing up the book...it is the story you remember." "...an unusually good story...some readers will detect a slight suspicion of Kraft-Ebbing; our respectable ancestors would have burned the book -- and perhaps the authors -- with a clear conscience. But a good many moderns will read it with enthusiasm." "...too colossal, too powerful, too broad in scope to be tarnished by the tired adjectives of reviewers....No detail is left untold; no intimacy is too delicate to go unrelated....A great work."

With fascinating social commentaries
George Sylvester Viereck (1884-1962) was a German-born poet and novelist. Paul Eldridge (1888-1982) was a poet and authored a number of plays and essays. In My First Two Thousand Years: The Autobiography Of The Wandering Jew, Viereck and Eldridge collaborated to write an impressive, 512 page novel that purports to be the story personal story of Cartaphilius (alias Isaac Laquedem), a young man who was the "wandering jew" of ancient myth. An elegant and immortal young man, his "autobiography" provides us with portraits of Salome, Jesus, Mary Magdalen, Nero, Attila, Mohammed, Don Juan, Leonardo da Vinci, Pope Alexander, Rothschild, Spinoza, Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Lenin, Mussolini, and other historical figures. All intertwined with fascinating social commentaries, philosophic observations, as well as history and science based episodes with a new perspective through which we can view them. My First Two Thousand Years is an original and enduring work of literary substance that a whole new generation of readers can now discover with enthusiasm and appreciation.

Celebrates the story of love through Time and Space.
Viereck, later a propagandist in the Nazi Regime, corresponded with Albert Einstein, incorporating the nature of relativity to the story of mankind, using the extra-scriptural legendary characters, the Wandering Jew (Isaac Lakedam) searching the earth for his female counterpart, the Wandering Jewess (Salome) who is similarly cursed to dance forever, for having asked for the head of John the Baptist to be served upon a silver platter. The specific expression of their version as a novel makes for enlightening and fascinating reading on the nature of historical events through the past two milleniums. Please enjoy watching the movie!


Sleep Talk: A Breakthrough Technique for Helping Your Child Cope With Stress and Thrive Through Difficult Transitions
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books (September, 1999)
Authors: Lois Y. Haddad, Patricia Wilson, Judith Searle, and George H. Tucker
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A new Father's thoughts.
I could only image what my two month old daughter thinks as she smiles at me,"I know this man; he is my father, who loves me and cherishes me, and he will protect me. I know his voice because before I was even born, he spoke to me and comforted me. I know that I already love him, even though I can only let him know this with my little smile." Phoebe is at peace with her mother and me because we used the Sleep Talk scripts. And, we are convinced that Phoebe sleeps all night because we continue to use Sleep Talk today.

Sleep Talk works
What this book does is provide words (scripts) of encouragement to read to your child while they sleep to help with problems they might be experiencing. For example, my son wouldn't go to sleep easy AND would wake up more that once during the night. Getting him back to sleep took some time. This went on for two years. We tried everything including the Ferber method. Within three days of using one of the scripts in the book it was easy to get him to sleep. If he did wake during the night he would go back to sleep on his own or be easy to sooth and fall asleep. This was using a script right from the book. Even more amazing was when we would fight with him to give nebulizer treatments. As I fought with him through a treatment I made sure he knew what the nebulizer was and it was good medicine. That night I read a script I wrote using the same words I used during his treatment. The next day he was calm and took the "good medicine." This book provides scripts for many situations and gives you the tools to write your own scripts. It is easy to understand and you can be using the method in short time.

A Wonderful Tool for Childrearing
How I wish I'd had this book when raising my children! It's now at the top of my list for new parents. Not only does the author give specific scripts to use with children as they sleep (with impressive results from clients), she offers wonderful little tidbits on dealing with issues that arise in all families. All of this is presented in a loving, thoughtful, intelligent and logical manner. One of my favorites is the "one-finger" technique. Instead of saying, "No, don't touch that!", she suggests, "You may touch that with one finger." When I'm fortunate enough to have grandchildren, much of what is presented in this gem of a book will be put to good use.


True Leaders: How Exceptional CEOs and Presidents Make a Difference by Building People and Profits
Published in Hardcover by Dearborn Trade Publishing (15 December, 2001)
Authors: Bette Price and George Ritcheske
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Great BOOK - Great INTERVIEW
I read this great book and couldn't wait to interview at least one of the authors. The timing of this book couldn't be better because we need something to restore our faith in True Leaders.

This book was so well written that I felt like I really got to know 25 of the best business leaders; the only thing better would be to have interviewed them myself.

I did interview George Ritcheske on "The Inside Success Show" and and what a treat that was. His book is powerful because he took the time to really discover the secrets of True Leaders - You'll love it!
Here's some of what you'll learn from the book:
** Why you should aim toward becoming a 'True Leader'
** What you can do right now to make people respect you
** How you can avoid the BIG mistakes of BAD leaders
** Why you should lead with passion and trust your intuition
** How you can succeed by treating learning like 'dirty dishes'
** And much, much more ...

Randy (Dr. Proactive) Gilbert
Author of "Success Bound" and editor of "Proactive Success" ezine

Learn from success stories!
Instead of the usual single sided text written by an individual corporate leader on what a wonderful contribution to America they have made, this book explores the commonalities of many successful leaders in and out of the corporate world. Readers will find the writing style to be easy to read and easy to learn from with the "Explore and Discover" section at the end of each chapter. The length is long enough to get an solid overview of the concepts presented, yet short enough to keep the reader anxiously turning pages.

Kudos to authors Bette Price and George Ritcheske for presenting a fresh approach on the leadership topic!

Can't put it down!
This is a wonderful book that anyone who wants to lead should read. It is also a great read for those who want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of management within their own company.


The Reluctant Dragon
Published in Paperback by Troll Assoc (April, 1989)
Authors: I. M. Richardson, Marlene Ekman, and Kenneth Grahame
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A classic for all ages.
Thank goodness this classic tale is still available for readers of all ages. The timeless nature of this tale endures. A satisfying tale and delightful ending for everyone.

A Treasure!
Author of historical fiction.

This book is a treasure for your library. It brings endless pleasure, and is the kind of story that spans all ages.

It is the tale of a boy and his dragon who lives up on the Downs. In spite of the bad reputation dragons have, the boy and he become quick friends. Saint George shows up to do battle with the reluctant lizard, and the boy arranges a mock battle, unbeknown to the villagers that pleases everyone.

Andrew's book Report
(...) THE BOOK IS ABOUT THIS BOY WHO MEETS THIS DRAGON AND THEY
BEACOME FRIENDS THE DRAGON TELLS THE BOY STORY AND NONE ARE
TRUE. BUT ONE IS TRUE THE DRAGONS FAUTHER DIED WHEN A KNIGHT
FOUND OUT ABOUT HIM WHEN THE DRAGON WAS LITTLE. THE KID
HEARS ABOUT A KNIGHT NAMED ST. GEORGE HE TELLS ST. GEORGE
ABOUT THE DRAGON. THE NEXT DAY THE KID SHOWS ST. GEORGE THE
THE DRAGON THE DRAGON DID NOT WHANT TO FIGHT. THE NEXT DAY
ST. GEORGE TOLD SOME OF THE DRAGONS TALES TO THE VILLAGE.
THE TALES WHERE ABOUT KNIGHTS AND DRAGONS FIGHTING. THAT
AFTER NOON THE DRAGON HID IN THE CAVE AND ST. GEORGE FAKED
TO KILL THE DRAGON AND WAS FAMOUS.

(...)


The Shaman's Bulldog: A Love Story
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (November, 1998)
Authors: Renaldo Fisher, Renaldo Fischer, and Michele St George
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The Shaman's Bulldog
If you love English Bulldogs and believe that they are superiorly intellegent along with being emotionally in touch with their owners, then this book is a must read for you. I laughed at the funny capers of Faccia Bello that reminded me of my own bulldog. It also made myself and my bulldog's "daddy" cry at the emotionally compelling story of love and the reality of the loss of a dear companion and friend.

My entire perspective on dogs has been altered.
I cannot look into my dog's face the same way anymore-I can't watch her sleep the same way-my entire perspective on dogs has been altered. I cried from Chapter 3 to the last page.

Carlos Castaneda meets Lassie.
This book in in the genre of Carlos Castaneda meets Lassie. Which is a catagory of books not yet written. Wonderful.


The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook
Published in Paperback by Firefly Books (March, 2002)
Authors: Don Baratta and George Walker
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The Sicilian Gentleman
For anyone out there who is Sicilian/American, this is a great cook book. The author's stories are great. Brings back memories about what your grandpa might have said. I'm going to make the "Ricotta Pie" (recipe in book) for the holidays this year to keep up the tradition of our wonderful heritage. I enjoyed reading through this cookbook as much as I enjoyed the recipes in it.

With insights into Sicilian culture and culinary styles
The recipes comprising Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook were gleaned from the author's Sicilian background and provide over 150 dishes from pasta dishes combining meats and vegetables with stews, sauces, and soups. All come embellished not with color photos, but with the author's insights into Sicilian culture and culinary styles.

Sicilian Cooking and Salty Opinions
Back in print--at last--is "The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook," which Don Baratta originally self-published back in the 1980s. It's a very personal effort, an hommage to his late father, who was born in the little town of Mussomeli in central Sicily and who came to the U.S. in 1905. The elder Baratta was a man of strong opinions; for example, he didn't consider many mainland Italians to be Italians at all or, as he put it, "anything north of Palermo is Swiss." The younger Baratta minces no words either, and often in this book he and his father combine delightfully: "Cauliflower is a much-hated vegetable in this country [the U.S.], yet it need not be so. It is usually boiled and accompanied by small groans. A non-Italian guest once watched with interest the respect my father paid this detested food. Her curiosity broke down her ancient reservations, and she tried a piece. The result was near-disbelief in the lively flavor. The Old Man flatly pointed out (indifferent to the insult he offered the poor girl's family), 'If it had been prepared correctly, you would have always liked it!' So much for polite chatter. He remained unrepentant all his life."

There's much more of the same in these pages, and plenty of recipes--many of them unusual and delightful (Sicilian cooking is ine of the richest and most varied cuisines in the Mediterranean basin). The pages are large, the type is clear, and there's only one recipe to a page. So whether you try the cauliflower recipes--or the cardoons or the meat and seafood dishes--you're in for a treat. Still, the best part of this book is the salty talk of two Sicilian gentlemen--the one who wrote it and the one who inspired it.


Simply Heavenly!: The Monastery Vegetarian Cookbook
Published in Paperback by Hungry Minds, Inc (February, 1997)
Authors: George Burke and Abbot George Burke
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THE BEST VEGAN COOKBOOK EVER!!
please please PLEASE reprint this book, after reading so many great reviews I decided that I must have it!! And through much searching I found it at icon book store. I was so happy. I mean, to be honest I LOVE meat, however, I'm vegetarian for religious and health reasons. So when I saw someone say that they showed you how to make fake meat. I jumped at the chance!! This book is excellent!! No more spending lots of money on already processed veggie meats. I'm so happy. I love this book!!! If u find it GRAB IT QUICK. If you became a vegetarian because you hate meat, then don't even bother with this book. Because the stuff tastes real. Now I can have my fried UNchicken, and be happy and healthy. Beef, chicken, sausage, bacon, ham, fish, scallops, shrimp, cheese. You name it, this book tells you how to fake it. I'm so glad I have found this book.

Like I said, this is the best book for meat lovers who have gone vegetarian. I love my vegetables and all, but it's a good change from eating tofu all the time (even though I'm a tofu fanatic). With the techniques in this book, you can make almost any dish from other cookbooks. I love it!!

Anyway, I'm through rating and raving.
Peaces
:-)

The canonical un-meat cookbook and more
This cookbook tends to be difficult to find, but if you want to prepare vegan faux-meat meals, there's simply no better cookbook. Burke's marinades are clever and obviously honed, and really live up to his promises.

Beyond his gluten techniques, all the other sections are great, too, and quite a few of the recipes are very simple and fast to prepare, which for me is a very important factor in purchasing a cookbook.

One important distinction is that while some vegan cookbooks embrace the view that vegan cuisine is fundamentally different from omnivorous cuisine, this cookbook is something of the opposite. Much of its focus is on using vegan foods to emulate meat, dairy, and eggs.

That's great, and I'm often in just the mood for the BBQ gluten (which is a spot-on match for good barbeque, incidentally) or any of his other great meat substitutes. But it's kind of a novelty, at some point, and so it's not one of those cookbooks for which I could say, "This is the only cookbook I ever use!" or such.

Still, that's not much of a detraction. Sure, sometimes I have to turn to another cookbook for what I want, but *Simply Heavenly* covers many areas, and it's the superlative for all of them. Put another way: I have never been disappointed with a recipe from this cookbook.

If you can find a copy of this, snatch it up quickly. It's inexpensive, contains great information, and fills what would otherwise be a very notable gap in my cookbook collection.

Soo Good!!!! This book has EVERYTHING!
I've been a vegan for 7 years. When I started out, I bought a ton of cookbooks. Now, this is the ONLY one I need. The recipes are easy and things I actually like to eat! Most vegan/vegetarian cookbooks are composed entirely of things with ingredients like avocado, eggplant, weird stuff I've never heard of, and always whole wheat everything, with a major lack of flavor and many recipes that don't even turn out! This book, on the other hand, has EVERYTHING, from interesting new exotic stuff, to (what most new vegans REALLY want), ways to make all your old favorites vegan and still just as good or BETTER! There are literally 1,400 recipes in this thing, and every single one I've tried is good. Want to make barbecue chicken? It's here. Eggplant parmesan? Yup. Vegan pizza that actually tastes like real pizza, with "cheez" and everything! Of course. Every imaginable style of cakes, cookies, pies, and puddings? You bet! And tons of delicious yummy vegetable dishes, fake meat dishes, soups, salads ... and random stuff like pancakes, biscuits, vegan fudge ... Basically, this book has EVERYTHING (and it's all 100% vegan). :)


New Grub Street
Published in Paperback by Houghton Mifflin Co (June, 1976)
Author: George Gissing
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Whither Arnold's "Sweetness and Light?"
I found Jasper Milvain, the "alarmingly modern young man," to be the most interesting character in Gissing's New Grub Street for a number of reasons, the most significant of which is that he evinces what can only be considered a modernist's consciousness in his approach to writing. That is, while it soon becomes clear to the reader that Milvain represents the antithesis of what Edwin Reardon personifies-i.e., the work of literature as an emanation of author's native genius-and thus one of the intercalated plots of the novel involves the incremental success of Milvain as a modern man of letters, and the concomitant gradual abjection of Reardon. In a manner of speaking, then, Milvain and Reardon's fates emerge from a common source, namely some sea change in the reading public's (the consumer's) preferences and tendencies.

Milvain identifies as vulgar the most lucrative market for the product of the man of letter's labor. The vulgarians, or "quarter educated," drive the market (479), and since they have been determined to desire nothing more than chatty ephemera, they have successfully opened an insuperable gulf between material success in writing and artistic success. Reardon's psychologically penetrating novels just aren't in demand. Therefore, there emerges quite an interesting conceptual shift within the nascent hegemony of the quarter-educated as established by their purchasing power: what was once considered healthy artistic integrity has transmuted into a peculiar kind of petit bourgeois hubris, if, in the new paradigm, the writer is more an artisan than an artist. Therefore, Reardon's artistically-compromised and padded three-volume novel, written with no other end in mind than to pander to the vulgar reader, nonetheless achieves only modest success because, the fact that it is indistinguishable from countless other similar works glutting the market aside, his novel is infected from his irrepressible integrity, and thus his novel becomes a strange sort of counterfeit, a psychological narrative masquerading as a popular novel. Reardon thus becomes a sort of Coriolanus among writers.

Milvain, on the other hand, is a sort of Henry Ford among writers; he reveals his particular genius when offering advice to his sister Maud about how to write religious works for juveniles: "I tell you, writing is a business. Get together half-a-dozen fair specimens of the Sunday school prize; study them; discover the essential points of such a composition; hit upon new attractions; then go to work methodically, so many pages a day" (13). In other words, Jasper has managed to streamline and to mechanize the writing process. He studies previous works, abstracts formulae from them, isolates the elements of these formulae, and then deploys and rearranges these elements to give his own writing a patina of originality. By treating writing as an exercise in manipulating formulae, Jasper exchanges "authenticity" (whatever that word means anymore) for the convenience and efficiency of not having to grapple with his own potentially mutable and recalcitrant genius. Jasper did not invent writing, just as Ford did not invent the automobile. But like Ford did with automobile manufacture, Milvain discovers those aspects of writing that lend themselves to mechanical reproduction. Thus he is able to capitalize on his time and effort, and effectively becomes the very machine Reardon believes himself to be but never actually becomes because of his lingering notions of artistic integrity (352).

Also of interest is the fact that Albert Yule is a sort of synthesis of Milvain and Reardon. Like Milvain, Yule attempts to streamline his own literary production by delegating some of the labor to his daughter Marian. However, like Reardon, Yule clings to the superannuated notion of the necessary individuality of writing: "[h]is failings, obvious enough, were the results of a strong and somewhat pedantic individuality ceaselessly at conflict with unpropitious circumstances" (38). In other words, Yule fails to recognize the obsolescence of the lone, learned genius within the realm of literary production. A market of vulgarians who demand occasional literary confections simply does not expect Works of individual genius. Moreover, even if they were in demand, works of individual genius are too ponderously inefficient to keep pace with the rate at which they are consumed. Therefore, Yule straddles the either/or proposition personified by Reardon and Milvain: One may preserve his artistic integrity and write "for the ages"--hence Yule, Biffen, and Reardon's fetishization of Shakespeare, Coleridge and authors of classical antiquity--and starve in the process, or one may write "for the moment" and actually turn a respectable profit.

The shadow of Charles Darwin indeed looms large over the events and characters of New Grub Street. The growth market brought about by the advent of the "quarter-educated" vulgar class, and their discretionary income coupled with their callow aesthetic sensibilities and truncated attention spans, represents a nascent economic, if not ecological niche, for certain social creatures to occupy. However, it's not simply a matter of being able to adapt one's skills to the tastes of these consumers. One must also be a prodigious enough writer to keep pace with an equally prodigious rate of consumption. Individuals like Milvain and Whelpdale are adequately adapted to this niche in that they satisfy the demands of this niche in terms of both content and output. Reardon panders to the vulgar taste only grudgingly and after long resistance and thereby cannot meet the production demands of this niche. Biffen absolutely refuses to pander at all. Alfred Yule does attempt to pander, but his mode of literary production is too inefficient to meet production demands, and he is also largely ignorant of vulgar literary taste. While more in touch with the vulgar reader than her father, Marian Yule is as inefficient in her literary production as her father. Therefore, each of the characters named above are equally maladaptive, albeit for various reasons, and thus their extinction by the novel's end strikes the reader as somehow inevitable. Whereas Milvain and Reardon's widow Amy are left to come together as the triumphant niche occupants and thus reproduce themselves in their offspring, should they decide to produce any.

The Hateful Spirit of Literary Rancour
George Gissing's 1891 novel, "New Grub Street," is likely one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Certainly, in its descriptions of literary life, be it in publishing, or in my own realm of graduate scholarship, the situations, truths, and lives Gissing portrays are still all too relevant. "New Grub Street" itself points to the timelessness of Gissing's portrayals - as Grub Street was synonymous, even in the eighteenth century with the disrepute of hack writing, and the ignominy of having to make a living by authorship. One of Gissing's primary laments throughout the novel is that the life of the mind is of necessity one which is socially isolating and potentially devastating to any kind of relationships, familial or otherwise. "New Grub Street" gives us a world where friendship is never far from enmity, where love is never far from the most bitter kinds of hatred.

The anti-heroes of "New Grub Street" are presented to us as the novel begins - Jasper Milvain is a young, if somewhat impoverished, but highly ambitious man, eager to be a figure of influence in literary society at whatever cost. His friend, Edwin Reardon, on the other hand, was brought up on the classics, and toils away in obscurity, determined to gain fame and reputation through meaningful, psychological, and strictly literary fiction. Family matters beset the two - Jasper has two younger sisters to look out for, and Edwin has a beautiful and intelligent wife, who has become expectant of Edwin's potential fame. Throw into the mix Miss Marian Yule, daughter of a declining author of criticism, whose own reputation was never fully realized, and who has indentured his daughter to literary servitude, and we have a pretty list of discontented and anxious people struggling in the cut-throat literary marketplace of London.

Money is of supreme importance in "New Grub Street," and it would be pointless to write a review without making note of it. As always, the literary life is one which is not remunerative for the mass of people who engage upon it, and this causes no end of strife in the novel. As Milvain points out, the paradox of making money in the literary world is that one must have a well-known reputation in order to make money from one's labours. At the same time, one must have money in order to move in circles where one's reputation may be made. This is the center of the novel's difficulties - should one or must one sacrifice principles of strictly literary fame and pander to a vulgar audience in order to simply survive? The question is one in which Reardon finds the greatest challenges to his marriage, his self-esteem, and even his very existence. For Jasper Milvain and his sisters, as well as for Alfred and Marian Yule, there is no question that the needs of subsistence outweigh most other considerations.

"New Grub Street" profoundly questions the relevance of classic literature and high culture to the great mass of people, and by proxy, to the nation itself. For England, which propagated its sense of international importance throughout the nineteenth century by encouraging the study of English literature in its colonial holdings, the matter becomes one of great significance. The careers of Miss Dora Milvain and Mr. Whelpdale, easily the novel's two most charming, endearing, and sympathetic characters, attempt to illustrate the ways in which modern literature may be profitable to both the individual who writes it and the audiences towards which they aim. They may be considered the moral centers of the novel, and redeem Gissing's work from being entirely fatalistic.

"New Grub Street" is a novel that will haunt me for quite some time. As a "man of letters" myself, I can only hope that the novel will serve as an object lesson, and one to which I may turn in hope and despair. The novel is well written, its characters and situations drawn in a very realistic and often sympathetic way. Like the ill-fated "ignobly decent" novel of Mr. Biffen's, "Mr. Bailey, Grocer," "New Grub Street" may seem less like a novel, and more like a series of rambling biographical sketches, but they are indelible and lasting sketches of literary lives as they were in the original Grub Street, still yet in Gissing's time, and as they continue to-day. Very highly recommended.

Grimly Realistic Novel of Literary Life in 1880s London
"New Grub Street," published in three volumes in 1891, is George Gissing's grimly realistic exploration of literary life in 1880s London. While it is a remarkably vivid novel, it is also an accurate and detailed depiction of what it was like to be a struggling author in late nineteenth century England, "a society where," as Professor Bernard Bergonzi points out in his introduction, "literature has become a commodity, and where the writing of fiction does not differ radically from any other form of commercial or industrial production."

"New Grub Street" is the contrapuntal narrative of two literary figures, Edwin Reardon, a struggling novelist who aspires to write great literature without regard to its popular appeal, and Jasper Milvain, a self-centered, materialistic striver whose only concern is with achieving financial success and social position by publishing what the mass public wants to read. As Milvain relates early in the novel, succinctly adumbrating the theme that winds through the entirety of "New Grub Street":

"Understand the difference between a man like Reardon and a man like me. He is the old type of unpractical artist; I am the literary man of 1882. He won't make concessions, or rather, he can't make them; he can't supply the market. I-well, you may say that at present I do nothing; but that's a great mistake, I am learning my business. Literature nowadays is a trade. Putting aside men of genius, who may succeed by mere cosmic force, your successful man of letters is your skillful tradesman. He thinks first and foremost of the markets. . . . Reardon can't do that kind of thing, he's behind his age; he sells a manuscript as if he lives in Sam Johnson's Grub Street. But our Grub Street of today is quite a different place: it is supplied with telegraphic communication, it knows what literary fare is in demand in every part of the world, its inhabitants are men of business, however seedy."

Gissing brilliantly explores this theme through the lives of his characters, each drawn with stunning depth and verisimilitude. There is, of course, Reardon, whose failure as a novelist and neurasthenic decline destroys his marriage and his life. There is also Reardon's wife, Amy, a woman whose love for Reardon withers with the exsanguination of her husband's creative abilities. While the manipulative and seemingly unfeeling Milvain pursues his crass aspirations, he also encourages his two sisters, Dora and Maud, to seek commercial success as writers of children's books. And intertwining all of their lives are the myriad connections each of the characters has with the Yule family, in particular with the nearly impoverished Alfred Yule, a serious writer and literary critic, and his daughter and literary amanuensis, Marian.

It is Marian--struggling to reconcile the literary demands and expectations of her father with the desire to lead her own life, struggling to escape the claustrophobic world of the literary life--who ultimately, pessimistically challenges the verities of that life while sitting in its physical embodiment, the prison-like British Museum library:

"It was gloomy, and one could scarcely see to read; a taste of fog grew perceptible in the warm, headachy air. . . . She kept asking herself what was the use and purpose of such a life as she was condemned to lead. When already there was more good literature in the world than any individual could cope with in his lifetime, here she was exhausting herself in the manufacture of printed stuff which no one even pretended to be any more than a commodity for the day's market. What unspeakable folly! . . . She herself would throw away her pen with joy but for the need of earning money. . . . This huge library, growing into unwieldiness, threatening to become a trackless desert of print-how intolerably it weighed upon the spirit."

It is Marian, too, who ultimately becomes the romantic victim of Milvain's aspirations, the powerful language of Gissing's anti-romantic subplot twisting into almost gothic excess as he extends the metaphor of London's fog to Marian's sleepless depression:

"The thick black fog penetrated every corner of the house. It could be smelt and tasted. Such an atmosphere produces low spirited languor even in the vigorous and hopeful; to those wasted by suffering it is the very reek of the bottomless pit, poisoning the soul. Her face colorless as the pillow, Marian lay neither sleeping nor awake in blank extremity of woe; tears now and then ran down her cheeks, and at times her body was shaken with a throe such as might result from anguish of the torture chamber."

"New Grub Street" is deservedly regarded not only as Gissing's finest novel, but also as one of the finest novels of late nineteenth century English literature. Grimly realistic in its depiction of what it was like to be a struggling writer in late nineteenth century London, it is also remarkable for its historical accuracy and its literary craftsmanship. If you like the realism of writers like Harding and Zola, then "New Grub Street" is a book you must read!


Portrait of the Panama Canal
Published in Paperback by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co. (October, 2003)
Authors: William Friar and George R. Goethals
Amazon base price: $11.87
List price: $16.95 (that's 30% off!)
Average review score:

A Fasinating read while transiting the Canal
I purchased this book while transiting the Canal on the maiden voyage of the Norwegian Star . This was a historic trip, as the ship was the largest tonnage vessel to transit the canal. It also paid the largest fee of $214,000. The ship was designed to exacting specifications and barely cleared by width and length. To read the book regarding the canals history while transiting at the same time was exciting! The book's read is light and most informative. It added a great deal for me to what was already a "Trip of a Lifetime". I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age. Truly Awesome!!!

Leisure reading while cruising the Panama Canal
I purchased this book while on the maiden voyage of the Norwegian Star from Miami to Los Angeles while transiting thru the Panama Canal. It was a historic trip as the ship was the largest tonnage vessel to transit the canal. The vessel was nearly as long as the locs could hold and the width was at its maximum as well. I understand the vessel paid the highest recorded fee of $214,000. To read the book and learn about the incredible construction of the canal both in the early 1900's and still today as we were actually transiting the canal was exciting. The book added to the most Awesome trip. The book was a fasinating read and very informative, making my trip truly a once in a lifetime adventure. I would highly recommend this book to others.

Perfect combo of writing and art
The first thing you'll notice about this book is the beautiful photos, marking the canal's history and beauty. The second thing you'll notice is this is no ordinary coffee table book. The writing is substantive, informative and engaging. It makes a great gift for someone who's going to Panama or has been there.


They Shoot Canoes Don't They? and Other Stories/Audio Cassettes
Published in Audio Cassette by Dh Audio (October, 1991)
Authors: Patrick F. McManus and George S. Irving
Amazon base price: $16.99
Used price: $34.95
Average review score:

pretty funny
I didn't think this book was quite as funny as A Fine and Pleasant Misery, but I still enjoyed it. I get a kick out of reading humorous literature about the outdoors, however, I'm not really into hunting and fishing, two activities that McManus spends a lot of time on. I mostly enjoy the stories about camping, hiking, and general wilderness survival.

favorite author of all time
Patrick McManus is the greatest reading material I have come across in years. I found his books in my local library and have read every one three or four times. McManus tells storys that make outdoorsmen laugh because they know his hysterics are all true. I can relate to most of his humorous tales myself. A must read for all outdoor enthusiasts.

Pat McManus....outdoor humor champion
Ahh The legend of Pat McManus...lost person, helpless person, hopeless person. i have personally read and heard every book/audiocassette in the series, and not a single one of them has failed to split my sides with gales of laughter, without resorting to profanity or direct hostility, McManus regales us with stories about a time period that most people would have thought there was'nt anything funny about, He brings Hilarity from Horror. If your an outdoor enthusiast, or a sportsman of any type, or you just enjoy seeing the underdog win sometimes, then get this book, and hold on for the ride of your life.


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