Civilization has grown bored with itself and so in a richly detailed account of a fabled nations collective will, Julien Gracq shows how a people can arrive at a point where destruction is preferable to ongoing decay and stagnation. If you've read Balcony in the Forest you know that Gracq knows something about anticipation and suspense but this is a journey even deeper into the interior of the psyche and is an altogether unique reading experience. Julien Gracq's prose is best read slowly and savoured, he lingers in his descriptions and elaborates each thought with ever richer examples which hone and decorate his meanings. The plot progresses organically and instinctively like a dream unfolding and revealing episode by episode the destructive inclinations of late civilzation consciousness. Dense sensual impressions abound. If French poetry appeals to you as well as the war genre this is your book, though this book far exceeds the normal bounds of war fiction.

Young, rich and idle Aldo longs for something indefinable, something to break the long dreary spell of his ennui. Opting for a post as an observer at a long decaying naval base, Aldo finds a n atmosphere suitable to his solitary, poetic nature. Ruminations abound in impressionable Aldos head. Gracq's prose works its spell on you just as the old fortifications and sea and desert landscapes work their spell on Aldo. Gracq's fabled land is reminiscent of Europe before WWI but the locales remain unspecific to make the experience all the richer, all the more evocative . His words keep you in a heady state of langurous suspense, his theme nothing less than a whole civilizations collective will which in its boredom has decided to invite doom upon itself. A book for true lovers of literature, French poetry,& war fiction though it far exceeds the usual bounds of that genre.

Even in translation you can feel the lyrical intensity and beauty of this novel which creates an atmosphere of tension which no reader will forget easily: Aldo, a young nobleman, has had enough of the decadence of his native Vezzano, a fictitious republic modeled on Venice. He has himself posted to a navy base which was once built to defend Vezzano against Farghestan. The two powers are still officially at war, but nothing has actually happened for 300 years. Now, however, there is a growing tension, not just inside Aldo, who dreams of the unknown Farghestan. People in Vezzano seem to be tired of its eternal stability, they long for action...

Most of the novel's plot takes place near the old navy base, which is surrounded by a desert landscape which is described with mesmerizing intensity. Little incidents are building up towards an explosion which is only hinted at in the book. People waiting for something to happen in a more and more uncanny slience - that may remind the reader of the fact that the book was written before and during World War II. The decadence longing for action, danger and change, however, seems to me reminiscent of World War I. This is not a book of easy historical analogy. It is a unique work of art which stands completely on its own.

This book was originally published in 1927 and was basically ignored.Did 100,000,000 people die because the twin monstrosities of Communism and Fascism were given an intellectual face by the Heidegger's,Sartre's,Pound's,Russell's,Shaw's,Marcuse's and other pernicious lackeys who abdicated their supposed duty to reason and objectivity?Maybe.Maybe not.What is clear is that utopian nonsense,raw power,obvious lies and distortions were ignored by the luminaries of the age,and an intentional not seeing the evil elements of these movements were practiced religiously.It appears that only Orwell,Benda and a few lesser lights called out the age for the sickness and tyranny epidemic to it.The legion of the dead cannot be brought back,but we can hold the bootlickers to the scorn they so richly deserve and use them as an example of how even the brightest can be blind,stupid politically(even Einstein was a Socialist)and not to be accorded authority just because they have degrees and are hailed as Wisemen.Benda was one of the few men to keep the principles of objectivity and detachment from the political arena while holding out for democracy and sanity in an insane age that actively sought to destroy democracy and the ideals and institutions that makes a free world possible.Though the madness of the era had its say, future generations should keep Benda as a shining light when the next fit of crazyness rears its ugly,inevitable head.

This prescient warning of what was to come as the intellectuals abandoned their disinterested critique for service to power bears rereading. Only John Ralston Saul in the Unconscious Civilization and Voltaire's Bastards currently makes the case for enlightened values with the fervour of Benda's wistfull invocation of Christ and Socrates.

This book should have served as a wake-up call when it first appeared in the twenties. The issue it addresses is as pertinent today as it was then: Intellectuals who abandon their calling to guide and instruct the masses according to the principles of the siecle de lumiere to become apologists for nationalist, irrationalist thoughts and deeds. Everybody who is active in shaping public discourse (politician, writers, especially professors) should head this book's warning and think twice before abdicating his or her responsibility towards society.

Pamela Geiger Stephens' Dropping In On Rousseau is an enjoyable and rather elegant picture book that blends the famous Rousseau's classic artworks with simple and engaging color illustrations by Jim McNeill. A bumbling Puffer flies into early twentieth-century Paris to meet the self-trained artist Rousseau, in this cleverly written and presented book that introduces young readers to memorable artistic treasures. Also very highly recommended is the sixteen minute VHS video of Dropping In On Rousseau (CP-6185, $$).

Have you ever visited an art museum and wondered what people were thinking as they stood for extended periods of time in front of a masterwork? Have you ever wondered what it was that you were missing that everyone else saw? "Dropping in on Rousseau" might be just what you need to help you better understand how to describe, analyze, and interpret works of art.

While "Dropping in on Rousseau" is specific to the artwork of the self-trained French artist, Henri Rousseau, many of the descriptive, analytic, and interpretative skills that the book introduces can be applied when looking at other art objects. Although the book is categorized as a book for children, the skills that it introduces and fosters are skills that could help adults as well as children learn to understand art better.

This is a book that belongs in every well-read child's home collection. It is a book that should be in every school library. Beautifully illustrated and well written," Dropping in on Rousseau" will appeal to children and adults; it is a perfect companion to the animated video of the same title.

This book was so helpful in finding great places to eat in Paris. We'd find ourselves in a different area of town either for lunch or dinner each day. Simply pull out the Out to Eat book and find the food or restaurant we wanted to visit. Fair warning on dress code or reservations. We didn't NEED this book, but it made the trip easier...

We recently visited Paris. We armed ourselves with this book as well as a few others for cross-referencing. The LP book was dead-on for each restaurant. Although we consider ourselves very picky and privileged eaters, we were 100% satisfied with our choices. The book was invaluable not only for food but for neighborhood and bar information.

i highly, and happily, recommend this book!! there are beautiful images and it is an excellent study of his work. absolutely wonderful, all exhibition catalogues should be treated this well!

Julian Chapuis' superb Tilman Riemenschneider covers the master sculptor who worked during the late Middle Ages, creating fine pieces. He was one of the first to abandon polychromy: this documents about fifty of his works in an intriguing new title.

If you are looking for a well written easily understood C++ book, this is it. I've been in the MIS business for 15 years and am currently attending Penn State. This book as enabled me to recieve A's in all my C++ courses. The book starts off slow for the novice user, showing basic concepts. Within weeks the reader can master the most challenging C++ algorithms. I refer to this book as the C++ bible. Definately worth the investment!

This is the best book I ever read in my entire life which gave me all the details about the c++ programming language. The author of this book professor Hennefeld are the best teacher and the writer in the entire world that is why I am taking him for the third semester in a row for my computer and info science major. The book is so clear that anyone who has no background in C++ can master this language and yet the best c++ reference book for any professional.

I have worked and socialized with many doctors who I thought were well off when it came to retirement savings. When they approached 60 to 65 years old, they couldn't afford to retire and maintain the lifestyle they wanted. How sad! I don't want to end up that way.

This book had everything I need to plan my retirement. Easy to read and informative, I have already recommended it to many of my colleagues. Thanks to the authors for recognizing the need for such a book for lawyers like myself.

This is an excellent book for just about everyone. It includs a quick, detailed summary of how a ship more than 100 tons lifts of the ground. It answeres many questions and is fun to read. You will get your money's worth out of this one.

For whom would like this experience of traveling without moving, this book seems the most appropriate device. Jump into the mysterious world of Argol, a mix of a Gothic Novel atmosphere, of medieval remembrances, of a modern tragedy in a both contemporary and oriental design. This three characters drama - a "huis-clos", we should say - takes place in a world which could't be identified as of any time, neither space. Nevertheless, one can't help a feeling of knowing this place - but where ? In this setting, three characters, two men and a woman, meet. Of their relationship, nothing is clearly established. These three friends, two of which are visiting the other for an indecise amount of time, seem to interact through electric fluids, in a surrealistic sort of communication that overwhelms dialogue and creates a delightful sensation to the reader, both surprised and attracted. I myself felt this magnetism that surounds the characters. It is a disturbing strangeness, without any of the obviously violent treatment of a ghost story or of a thriller : just the sweetness of Britany and a total absence of worry, like in a dreamed holyday time.

For those wishing to upgrade their grasp of chaos theory, dynamics, nonlinear data analysis, with an introduction to related aspects of complexity including fractals and complex systems, this is the best book I have yet seen, and supplements the excellet visual dynamics books by Ralph Abraham. It arose from the upper level course taught by Sprott at the University of Wisconsin. The book is well supported by his website, which will always keep the book updated. It is nicely hands-on with lots of exercises and a programming project with each chapter. For those impatient to write programs, having a program like Berkeley Madonna to solve systems equations is handy for exploring some of the example systems. It has three excellent appendices, one a catalog of 62 dynamical systems, another useful mathematical formulas, and the last a compilation of useful journals. I found it incredibly comprehensive covering all aspects of the many subjects. And exceptionally clear, updating any necessary mathematics with clear explanations...