This is not quite as good as 1 or 2, but it is still excellent! Shakespeare grabs us with the dispute between Henry VI and York. While it seems to end peacefully it does not, and the war goes on! York's death in 1.4 is another landmark in Shakespeare's writing. The scene (2.5) where Henry finds true terror is horror, sorrow, and yet beauty and yet another moving part of the play. (The son that hath killed his father and the father that hath killed his son.) The war pauses in disaster for Henry and some comic relief is offered. But the horror starts all over again when Edward IV and Warwick have a falling out. The war starts over again, and the King of France gets involved! The scene where King Henry VI is reinstated is a scene of beauty and hope. While all of this is happening, Shakespeare carefully prepares the monstrously satanic character of Richard III. From here, the play just gets more and more bloody. A final moment of horror is offered when the eventual Richard III proudly compares himself to the one who betrayed Christ. In part 4 "Richard III," the real terror begins!

This was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. (possibly his third) Yet, there is nothing to indicate he was only starting out. Right away he grabs our attention with the funeral of King Henry V. Henry V's brothers Bedford and Gloucester help us to see the virtues and strengths of the deceased king. The Bishop of Winchester is well drawn as a comical villain who plots and plans, but never succeeds in doing any real damage. (Not until the next play anyway.) Talbot is memorable as the selfless hero of the play. York is memorable as the hero who defeats Joan of Arc. King Henry VI himself is interesting. First we see him as a helpless infant. By the third act, we see that he has both strengths and weaknesses. He makes the mistake of dividing the command between the rivals Somerset and York. But also, we see that he does not tolerate treason or neglect of duty. There are also many memorable scenes. The garden scene that foreshadows the War of the Roses is well drawn. The scene where York comforts his dying uncle is tragic beauty. Bedford's death in 3.2 has almost a divine tone. The death of Talbot and his son is very lamentable. York's sudden rise to power is captivating. Perhaps Shakespeare's greatest achievement in this play is that he simultaneously shows us England's war with France and the dissension with England itself.

I really liked most of the diagrams and the detailed to the point , whats needed, stuff for the USMLE exam. Will recomend this book for everyones use who are giving USMLE.

when i first got this book, i was dissapointed... its all in table form. 'what is the most common cause of sideroblastic anemia' etc. over the course of my second year, i referred to this book as a reference more and more. eventually i came to depend on it like i do toilet paper ( i dont want to know what i'd do without it). it is one of the most usefull books i own. this book explains everything i want to know, including diagnostic techniques, signs and symptoms, and underlying mechanisms of disease. if you like the recall series you will probably like this book. Golgan also has a similar book called most commons in medicine. it has essentially the same info and much more, and is intended for 3rd and 4th year. if your going to try to use a book for usmle 1, this book is better. if you want a reference book, the medicine one is pry better.

The ideal novel is a perfect confluence of plot and characterization. Usually it starts with an attention getting scene or a section of character development that gets your attention and keeps it, because you want to unravel a theme, an event, or a mystery that has intrigued you.

Historical novels have an additional dimension of interest for aficionados: one wants to revel in the recreation of a time or a place or, better yet, to find anachronisms, so that one can criticize the author's historical scholarship while conveniently overlooking their writing skills in general.

Having said all of the above I want to say that I find "the Owls of Gloucester" an interesting well written summer read, but please, Mr. Marston, don't think that I believe that the 50 monks of Gloucester Abbey drink their ale from glasses! This precious fragile material so rare in 11th century England would hardly be used for holding a monk's ale. I think you mean bowls or mugs of wood or fired clay. Perhaps the abbot drank from a pewter cup, but otherwise.... I might note in praise that my knowledge of the prescribed times of monastic prayer has been increased through reading this novel. I had known of Vespers, Compline, and Nones, but her for the first time I was made aware of Sext.

Late in the eleventh century under the reign of William, Brother Nicholas fails to return to Gloucester Abbey from collecting the rents. He remains missing for two days leading to concern and high tension among the residents of Gloucester Abbey because that is out of character for the monk. Anxiety dramatically increases when two novices, known for their misdeeds, stumble over the corpse of Brother Nicholas, whose throat has been slashed.

The Brothers and the novices panic while Sheriff Durand stuns the Abbot when he insists that the opportunity to kill the victim was only available to one of monks. In the area to resolve another minor land dispute, Domesday Commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret travel to Gloucester Abbey to conduct their own investigation. They quickly conclude that the murder of Nicholas is just the start of an evil that will kill again and ultimately destroy the abbey unless stopped.

Instead of turning repetitive and as boring as resolving an insignificant land dispute (just ask Ralph), the tenth is a delightful fresh treat. The "locked door" who-done-it is cleverly designed and fun to follow as the lead sleuths struggle with a closed mouth abbot and an irate sheriff wanting them to stay out of his business to solve the case. Historical tidbits interwoven into the plot enhance the murder mystery. However, the key to Edward Marston's latest William era tale is the depth of the support cast which enables the audience to visualize medieval times inside a strong investigative novel.

Harriet Klausner

excellent tables, charts, graphs, just like the last written step I; a comprehensive source with good organization; as well, it is easy to read, understand, and remember. only problem: no pagination; u have to manually number your own pages and similarly enumerate the indices.

This book is excellent for someone preparing for USMLE Step 1.It has some excellent tables and the material is so easy-to-read style. It is a great source of pathology review.it has a whole lot information yet in a very concise form and the tables are especially very helpful.

Everybody who is preparing usmle knows this is "THE book" for pathology becuse is medicine oriented ;but I remember when I took the class with him(Goljian) he mention about a new book more clinically oriented he was preparing I allredy pass all the steps(with good grades) but I would like to have a new book from him

I am so grateful to have near Goljan's Path Review. Although it has an outline format it is a lot more complete than others.....concise, to the point. As a reader you almost feel as if someone is by your side taking your hand and explaining WHY certain things happen the way they do.

Readers should note that this site does not distinguish between the various editions of Shakespeare, so the reviews you read may be for audiotapes, modern translations, etc. I am reviewing the Kenneth Branaugh BBC Radio recording of Hamlet. It is adequate, which I consider high praise for this challenging play. Like Branaugh's movie a few years later, it includes the entire text of the play, which is a nice way to remind yourself of some issues you may have forgotten.

The performances are pretty good, and include Branaugh (of course) as Hamlet and Derek Jacobi as Claudius, giving us a hint of the performances they would later give in the movie. No one's performance really blew me away, although Jacobi was excellent.

Ultimately, the play loses quite a bit when transferred to audio only. There's a lot to be conveyed with stage placement, physican action, expression, etc. Somehow, listening to the play limited my imagination on those issues, preventing my from using my "mind's eye" to the fullest.

Hamlet is considered, by many scholars, the pinnacle of Shakespeare's dramas. If you haven't read it yet this this Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism edition would be a great place to begin.

The text notes that are included with the play are very helpful to understand some of the more difficult language nuances that are inevitable with any Shakespeare. The structure is well laid out and conclusive. It complements the complexity of Hamlet very well.

Of course Hamlet is one of the great paradoxes and mysteries every written. The search of finding yourself and what it is that fuels the human spirit. Hamlet can be a very confusing play because of the depth of substance. However, the critical essays that suppliment the reading make it very accessable.

Each of the critical essays are of different schools of literary criticism: Feminist Criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, post-structuralist (deconstuctionist) criticism, Marxist critism, and finally a New Historicist criticism. Before each critism there is clearly written introduction to explain the motives and histories of that type of criticism.

This edition of Hamlet will not only introduce the reader to more Shakespeare, but also explain the play and help to familiarize the reader with literary criticism too. It is a beautiful volume that cannot be more recommended if you are wanting to buy a copy Hamlet.

Hamlet has always been thought of as one of the classics of literature. I could not think of another book which deserves this title more. The story of a Danish pricne who learns from his fathers ghost that his father, the king, was murdered by his brother, Hamlet's uncle, who then went on to marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is overcome by a longing for revenge, but also indecisive. Shakespeare creates a great amount of tension between the chatacters with powerful confrontatoins and biting language. It is a suspenseful tragedy, filled with anguish.

William Shakespeare was a genious when it came to breaking down the human psyche, and Hamlet is perhaps one of the most complex plays when it comes to human emotions. It is undoubtably one of his finest works, full of very complex, interesting characters, and a wonderfully chaotic plot. There are innumerable theories on Hamlet, why he is so indecisive, and if it all comes down to an oedipus complex. whatever way you interpret it, everyone can get something out of it. I feel like I am priveleged to have read such a wonderful play.

Hamlet is a character that I can relate to in some ways, being a very indecisive person myself. I felt I could connect with him better than many Shakespeare characters, MacBeth, Ceasar, Juliet, Helena or Hermia. That is one of the reasons that I enjoyed Hamlet so very much. I wish that everyone could love Hamlet as much as I did, but I know, especially being a high-school student, that it is a little much for general reading. For high school students, like me, I very strongly recommend this book, if you really like Shakespeare, and aren't looking for a quick read. Otherwise, it might be a little to much to tackle, if you don't really enjoy Shakespearian tragedies. For anyone who has time required to comprehend such a complex work, and is looking for a masterpiece of literature that will keep them thinking, Hamlet is the book for you.

This is an adult version of the Arabian Nights tales that most kids grow up with. By adult I do not mean that it contains a lot of sexual material, however there is some, so this book is probably not appropriate for children. Stories like "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" are included in here, along with some more obscure stories like "The Hunchback's Tale". If you're interested in learning about stories from the middle east, this is the book for you.

I just wanted to point out that most of these reviews refer to the previous version of this book that is no longer available from .... I gave this book its average grade, because as of yet I've not read this SEQUEL. Please note that this book does not contain Sinbad, Aladin, or many of the other classic stories (though it does seem to expand on the shortened earlier edition). Check the chapters to make sure you're getting the right book. Given the original however (which I have read) I'm sure this is an excellent edition of the tales.

Encourage ... to not only carry this book, but its predecessor too.

This is a sometimes brutal, mostly wonderful, anthology of tales weaved into the story of a corageous young woman who uses her enchanting narration as a means of survival. All of the magical stories take place in a long gone world with cultural differences that might offend sensitive readers. Yet the morals of the book never clash with our present values and it provides us with a look into a world since forgotten. The tales and fables are ingeniously connected, stories within stories, and are captivating and full of fantastic characters, wonderful places and legendary creatures. This is the source of many common children stories such as Aladin and the Genie, The travels of Sinbad, and Ali-Baba and the forty thieves. I recomend it as a nightly read for small children during story time, with a small warning for mature content.

I read this book in 9th grade. I am 26 years old now and still think about the morality and symbolism of human nature I discovered in "Lord of the Flies". I decided to write this review all these years later after watching the first installment of the TV show "Survivior". I saw a lot of similarities. In "Lord of the Flies" we are given a sort of scenario...what if a group of young adolescent boys were left abandoned on a deserted island. This is what happens...and as I describe some of the scenes from the book, compare them to that of a real life TV show a lot of us watch. Maybe like me, you'll see a more animal, evil side to these "real-life" strategy survival shows. On this deserted island a natural leader is born, Ralph. He is kind, and understanding of the fears his fellow students face. He accepts responsibility and delegates "chores" for the other boys to do. They must tend a rescue fire. They must hunt for food. They must tend to the wounded pilot. Ralph chooses the path a responsible adult might. Soon some of the boys become lazy. They do not follow Ralph's rules. These unruly boys are headed by another natural leader. The more "wild" and fun-seeking Jack. Jack and Ralph argue. To maintain control the boys find a large shell ....the conch....and whoever holds it has the right to speak. This attempt at order works for a little while but soon Jack dismisses the control the conch holds. He and his pig-hunting, lazy friends split from the original group and leave to another part of the island. They want to "do their own thing". They defy rules and organization which Ralph feels is the key to survival. Meanwhiile Ralph and his friend Piggy struggle to keep their small group in order. It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain adult responsibility. For the youngest who fear Jack and his clan, Ralph becomes almost their savior, their security on an island of unknown. Soon Ralph's pack decides they too are tired of rules, and one by one leave to join Jack's ideas of senseless fun. Jack represents abandonment of control, living purely through pleasures. This is where you can form a million metaphors between the two clans of boys. Jack and his bandits become so wild and animal-like near the "end" that they actually start hunting Ralph in the manner of a real pig-hunt. They have forgotten society, basic humanity, and most of all..they have forgotten they were once all friends. This kind of behavior echoed alot of the back-stabbing things I see on TV and in the government, religion, everywhere in real life. Read this book and never let yourself abandon what you truly beleive to be good in your heart...Let us compare this book of instinct and leaders and followers to our own lives....On a personal note....Jack always kind of reminded me of Adolph Hitler and his control over his followers during the war. I would love to hear some other thoughts via e-mail. If you are reading this book for school, like I did once, really try to think about some real-life comparisons you find between the pages of Golding's work of art.

The novel THE LORD OF THE FLIES focuses on the defects of society and their relationship with the defects of human nature. The story begins when about fifteen prep shool boys are stranded on a Utopia-like paradise island after their plane crashes. They immediately try to set up a social system like any modern-world people would. Through democracy(a vote) they crown an attractive, intelligent boy named Ralph as leader. They crown a wild, power-hungry boy named Jack and a mellow, calm, an most importantly peaceful boy named Simon as his assistant-leaders. As the novel progresses Jack, who is also the leader of the choir(the group of boys who represent the military) becomes very violent, power-hungry and mutinous and attempts several times to overthrow Ralph before finally leaving the group of boys to form a tribe of his own. This split is what drives the book forward into the amazingly complex and symbolic novel that it is. It is through this split that Golding tries to explain the main theme of his novel. This theme being of course that the defects of society can be traced back only to the defects of human nature and that shape of a society depends upon the ethical nature of the creatures that inhabit it not anything else no matter how perfect or logical it appears. With this theme set in place Golding then begins to use complex symbolism such as the symbol of the sow, who represents the human conciense,and Piggy who's glasses represent the sane, accurate view and who himself represents the sane voice of society. It is through these characterizations that Goldings novel becomes the writing of a genius. If you are a psychologyst who hasn't read this book-READ IT! If you're a person interested in the study of society read this book! Thanks, Nick McCulloch,15

I cannot even use words to explain the sheer beauty of Golding's writing. The novel is about british boys whose plne crashed on a deserted island, but they are devoid of any adults. They begin to live life on their own and their true animal instinct divulges from the depths of their souls.
I read this book for my ninth grade English class. I usually do not enjoys books in class as much as I do books I read on my own, simply because I did not chose them and I fell as though I am being forced to read them. The Lord of the Flies is more fascinating than any book I could ever pick for myself. The words are strong enough to lift a house. My eyes were stuck to every words Golding described with such thouroughness. The words are more thick with detail than one's eyes could every see. Every word is important and expresses a new meaning to the nature of man kind. I am daring you to take a chance by reading this book, even if it is not forced upon you. You may have a completely different view on the genuine nature of yourself.

Critics of this book have an agenda to defend the orthodox position that Will of Stratford was the author of the Shakespeare literature. Ogburn devastates that view, as any impartial reader will realize. Whether the 17th Earl of Oxford was the true author is arguable, but he makes a very strong case. No case is perfect--the Stratfordian position least of all. I say this as a journalist who was asked to evaluate both sides and my assessment appeared in the Dec. 1992 Delta Airlines Sky Magazine. I might add that Ogburn will give you an appreciation for the literature like no other, regardless of your attitude on the authorship controversy.

This is a prodigious attempt to put into one volume ALL of the doubts about the authorship of Shakespeare's works, and ALL of the evidence and speculation concerning the claims of supporters of Edward de Vere. Eminently readable style-- although Ogburn gets his back up and descends into mild ranting occasionally--it's not as long as it looks. Some of the wilder speculations have been pretty much disproven, and some of it reads like second cousin to that of Conspiratorialists (Kennedy assassination, black helicopters, etc.) -- but the sheer weight of concordances between de Vere's life and what can be inferred about that of the Author is so great, that if even 25% of what Ogburn writes can be dismissed, the remainder is unsettlingly compelling. One will read standard biographies of Shakespeare with a great deal more skepticism thereafter. Absent a smoking gun, it's not a battle to be decided in our lifetimes, but this book should be read by people who care about Shakespeare -- even those who disagree with the premise.

One comes away from this book with a sense of discovery and exhileration! Read for yourself about the ludicrously weak case made by scholars who are entrenched in the mythology of the man from Stratford, contrasted with the man who in every way in his life and background fits the Shakespeare of the poems and plays. Join Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Henry James, Charles Chaplin, Orson Welles, Sigmund Freud and many other creators and thinkers who have disbelieved the authorship of the man from Stratford. Read Ogburn's magnificent book to see why Freud said, "The man of Stratford ...seems to have nothing at all to justify his claim, while Oxford has almost everything." This is the most extraordinary literary dective story of all time. And when that time comes, as it must someday, when Oxford is rightfully acknowledged as the author of Shake-speare's works, Ogburn's deeply felt and thoroughly researched book will be a classic that true scholars of Shakespeare will be indebted to and treasure. If you love Shakespeare, read this book.

From the outset I was very intrigued by this book for its bold take on the authorship question. Sobran presents his evidence in a very scholarly and concise way that does not alienate the lay reader or the Elizabethean scholar. However, I must say that Sobran makes the same mistake that all Shakespearean scholars seem to make when writing or doing research on the works. These stories were plays and need to be viewed in that light and not as novels or as poetry. In performing Shakespeare's plays, I have noticed uses of certain words and phrases that are consistent across many of the them, showing that they were written by the same person. Shakespeare was a child of what would be considered today the middle class and attended a Stratford school that among other things taught Latin. Hardly the education or social background of "country bumpkin". The issue of the will not being up to the standard of the plays is ridiculous. The will served as a means to protect his youngest daughter's inheritence from a man he despised and for the settlement of his estate, not as a theatrical project to which he loved. The issue of Shakespeare's lack of knowledge of far away lands is as well ridiculous, because the settings of many of the plays were patterned after a typical English town or city with a foreign name slapped on there for the setting. If the Earl is the author, where did he learn to write plays? In this time acting was considered an extremely lowly profession. Why would a man trained in leading arts of his day and in an age where nobles were known and encouraged for writing great works, choose to write in secret and in such a lowly form? Also to use Sobran' own arguement: "How would a nobleman know so much about regular townspeople?" The plays are full of well formed and interesting non noble characters. How would a man so removed from the daily lives of these people know so much about them? Sobran's book while interesting and thought provoking fails to provide an adequate substitute or cast considerable doubt upon the man from Stratford.

This is a fascinating book that makes an very solid case for Edward DeVere, Earl of Oxford, as the true author of Shakespeare's works. Sobran breaks down all the myth and reverential pseudo-biography that exists around Shakespeare into a list of known facts. There is a temptation to bill anyone who questions the authorship of the man from Stratford as a member of the lunatic fringe, however Sobran is a careful journalist. He uses documented evidence to build a case against the curiously personality-less figure of the historic William Shakespeare being the author of such works. He convinced me, on literary and sociological grounds, that it was far more likely that Oxford is the author of the works. Fascinating and easy to read.

"Alias Shakespeare" is one of those books that very subtly alters your perspective on history, literature, and how greatness can come from misinformation just as often as from fact. I held a relatively open mind about the Who Wrote Shakespeare discussion until I read this completely believable, unerringly well-presented and well-documented argument that Shakespeare, as we know him, is actually no one we know at all.

By the end of the book you truly won't know what to think-Mr. Sobran has taken a volatile, passionately contested topic and presented his ideas clearly, concisely and with sincere conviction. He uses very straightforward logic and circumstantial evidence to demonstrate the great number of similarities in the Earl of Oxford's life to the topics and themes of Shakespearean plays and poetry, and then goes on to examine how the circumstances of William Shakespeare's life argue against his authoring the plays. There's also a wonderful appendix featuring the Earl of Oxford's early poetry (he stopped publishing at his peak-which is curious) to help you 'get a feel' for his similarities to Shakespeare's published works. It's fascinating and great fun to delve so deeply into what is a great puzzle of style and authorship. What a great way to exicte a new reader about the plays!