Hey everyone! Don't even bother paying ANY attention to the ...peter kline spouted in his horrendous review of The Spanish Tragedy. Shakespeare wrote Kyd's masterpiece? Give me a break! And I suppose you're also going to say that Shakespeare secretly wrote Marlowe's plays as well, right? Kudos to Mr. Richard for being a well-informed reader of the English Classics! And as for Mr. Kline, you should do some research ...

J.R. Mulryne's edition of *The Spanish Tragedy* is without a doubt the best that may at present be bought: informative, helpful, intelligent and accurate in introducing the text, presenting it, and glossing difficult words and phrases where necessary. The play is among the most exciting and artistic of its period. Kyd writes, and constructs his plot, with a level of skill comparable to that of Shakespeare, who was much influenced by *The Spanish Tragedy*, particularly in writing *Hamlet*, which is possibly yet "richer", but undoubtedly less clear and focused. Kyd shows us in an extremely sophisticated way the workings of revenge, both at an earthly and at a supernatural level. From the beginning the audience knows, in a way that the characters do not, that the supernatural world will insist on revenge. The pain of those who suffer injustice here on earth and clamour for revenge is painful to behold. Ultimately, however, in a baffling way, evildoers are punished: Hieronimo, the main character, manages to take matters into his own hands after exhausting all other possibilities, and thus ironically enacts the wishes of the higher powers. The FORM of Hieronimo's revenge is extraordinarily interesting: under the cloak of art - of a theatrical plot - he manages to kill his evil opponents quite easily. The tension between "art" and "life" is thus handled by Kyd in a very innovative fashion which still shocks modern spectators and readers. The role of language, too, is called into question: much of the play demonstrates that in real life finally action does speak louder than words, which often do not make their point or simply get ignored. Any reader who wants to get a notion of the superb quality of plays written by Shakespeare's contemporaries is certain to admire and enjoy this striking work of art. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

I reviewed this play a year ago; my purpose here is only to correct some of the astonishing misinformations given by Mr. Kline for fear that some students or others interested in Kyd might be misled.

First of all, there is no evidence that Shakespeare wrote a word of this. The play was ascribed to Kyd by Thomas Heywood in 1612, when Shakespeare was still living. The Spanish Tragedy is not mentioned in Francis Meres's list of Shakespeare's plays made in 1598; and at the very latest The Spanish Tragedy was in existence by 1592, when it was published, and performed as an old play by Henslowe. And how anyone who has read Shakespeare could possibly think the style of The Spanish Tragedy is his is beyond me; both Kyd and Shakespeare possess very distinctive styles, to neither's demerit.

The existence of the earlier version of Hamlet is not doubted. It is mentioned by Henslowe in 1594 as an old play, and alluded to by Thomas Nashe in 1589 and by Thomas Lodge in 1598 (I think). Nashe links the old Hamlet to Thomas Kyd. The fact that its text did not survive is not extraordinary; most plays in the Elizabethan period have been lost as well. The date of Shakespeare's Hamlet is almost universally accepted to be 1600 or 1601.

It is incredibly absurd to even suggest that Henry V may have been written at the same time as TST. Because of a reference to the Earl of Essex's expedition to Ireland, Henry V can be securely dated to the spring or summer of 1599. The Spanish Tragedy was at least 7 years old by then, and probably 12.

I agree that the Spanish Tragedy is worthy of frequent theatrical performance. Just don't pass it off under the mock-guise of Shakespeare.

This is a spectacularly interesting journal. Cook was an odd sort, that's for sure. But a genius? I'd certainly say so after reading his often-daily account of his activities. Really neat book.

This well prepared abridged edition of Captain James Cook's journals is a specialized book of interest to people studying the exploration of the Pacific and/or the British Navy of that time period. Other people might find sections of it dry reading. The book is recommended for oceanography students as the 17th century voyages of exploration formed the basis for later oceanographic cruises.

Cook's voyages carried scientific personnel of that time period, many of whom died from the harsh conditions along with members of the crews. In addition to bad weather, there were diseases and hostile natives (including cannibals). Extensive charting was carried out and, on the second voyage, the Board of Longitude supplied Cook with Larcum Kendall's copy of John Harrison's H4 watch for determining longitude. Observations were made of prevailing winds, currents, temperature, and other things of scientific interest.

Natives throughout the Pacific would go to great lengths to obtain iron, expecially axes, even prostituting their wives and daughters (willing or not). Natives would attempt to steal items, if they could, leading to numerous confrontations including one in which a boat crew of the Adventure (the consort ship of the second voyage) were killed and eaten by the Maori natives of New Zealand.

Cook's journal ended several weeks before his death. The editor fills in details from journals of other people who were on the voyage, and speculates on the reason he was killed by the natives in Hawaii.

The book includes maps of Cook's routes on his voyages. It also has an index listing the names of the various individuals mentioned, with an indication of their positions on the voyages or their other positions if they were not active participants.

This re-issue of the Beaglehole edition of the Cook journals attests to the enduring importance of Cook as the exemplar navigator and Beaglehole as his nautical Boswell.

The writing is elegant and subtle and the fascination of the recital enduring.

Best there is no other!

Without a doubt, Furbank's work is a great resource for any student of Forster. While working on my thesis , his book was always close at hand. Forster readers will appreciate the attention to detail that helps enliven any reading of one of Forster's novels.

The must-have biography that almost every researcher of E.M. Forster uses among her/his basic material. Furbank was appointed by E.M. Forster himself as his biographer. The book contains photographs and it covers a lot of detail. Although the extensive detail sometimes gives an impression of digression it in fact enhances the 'scientific' value of the book, since it provides information about E.M. Forster for research from many angles (ranging from Bloomsbury Group to liberalism &c &c). Moreover, the detailed descriptions at times almost read like a novel (for instance the section on E.M. Forster's travels to Italy). Many letters are included - some by E.M. Forster, some to E.M. Forster, some about E.M. Forster - and make for an enchanting account. Very informative.

A marvelous book exploring not only the history of wine making in Long Island but also how it began in this country. It also provides a nice story of the wineries and the people behind the wine. I recently came across the book while visiting a specialty wine shop in New York. I never thought much of New York wine before but after reading the book, it served as an excellent guide this past summer as I visited many of the wineries.

Now I wish they did one for New York State.

A toast, to the to the Authors and the wines of Long Island.

"The Wines of Long Island" by Beltrami and Palmedo As an occasional visitor to Long Island's East End, I was pleasantly surprised when someone gave me a copy of the second edition of "The Wines of Long Island". Not knowing much about wines, just knowing that I enjoyed drinking them, I was pleased to read a book which not only dealt with the subject at hand but offered a general course on differences between wines. There are finely described sections on each variety. (Did you know that the name merlot comes from merle, the French name for blackbird?) There is a spendid chapter on the history of wine-making on Long Island. We are told why the region has the potential, particularly on the North Fork, to become a great region. Then there are attractive accounts of the wine-makers currently in the business of producing these wines. What made them go in to what can be a difficult life; what do they deal with in producing these wines? While talking about these wineries, the authors make no judgments on the wines, it is up to us to do that. The colorful photographs are also an enticement to anyone to want to visit these wineries. Before a visit, it is my opinion that they should not be without a copy of "The Wines of Long Island".

This is the fascinating and absorbing life story of a Mescalero/Chiracahua Apache man -- one who, when he was just a small child, knew Geronimo. Told in his own words, the story is annotated by a white ethnologist, Opler, who made a study of the Apache people over several decades and knew this man very well (the first section of the book explains the culture and historical context), so that all references made by the speaker can be understood by any reader. As he recalls events of his life, he draws the reader deeper into his experience: from his respect and love of the old Apache ways, to the stress and anxiety created by tribal and family disruption caused by government interference. He speaks often and at length about the uses of spiritual power as found in plants, animals, and the earth. This book was apparently written as a textbook for cultural anthropology at Stanford University, but it also deserves our attention for its humanity and for the intriguing story it tells.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for quick building or construction reference. Excellent for Design students.

This is a very high quality pictorial describing places, people and events in Cedar Grove, N.J. A very well done specialty item that should appeal only to those who are interested in Cedar Grove, Essex County or New Jersey history. For any of you who were raised there, as I was, and moved away, as I have, this book is just wonderful for the memories. Best of all, no Sopranos here, although the popular HBO program is set primarily in Essex County.

Forster is civilized in a way few people are or ever have been; it's a rare treat to peek into his personal scrapbook to read his favourite quotations and thoughts upon them.

You'll wait a long time to find another book stuffed with this kind of sheer intellectual value. Again, a rare treat.

This book is a 1997 NCSS Notable

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