In her writing,Stella Tillyard manages to span the difficult gap that separates fiction from non-fiction. Her style is lyrical - almost like a historical fiction - but without the emotive judgement. I find that it makes her books highly evocative and very easy reading.

However that should not lead people to think she has a flare for dubious tabloid presentation. She is quite ruthless in ensuring that her facts are correct, and in 'Citizen Lord' she has stripped away many of the romantic layers that have concealed the true story of Lord Edward Fitzgerald. These were myths that had been spread by Lord Edward's family following his death, and have coloured his story since. The stripping away of these layers makes this book no less interesting, indeed the true story still very much romantic and tragic.

A younger son of the first Duke of Leinster and his wife Emily, a daughter of the Duke of Richmond, Lord Edward was born into privelege and influence. Tillyard traces his gradual move from this life, to one of revolutionary in Ireland of 1798 without descending into either pathos or into judgement.

I was first introduced to Tillyard's writing with her first book, 'Aristocrats' which is also available at Amazon. I would recommend this book as also worth reading, and gives marvellous background to 'Citizen Lord' - it is about his mother, Lady Emily Lennox, and her three sisters.

I think Tillyard is a "Must Read!"

You'll have to look elsewhere for a full picture of the catastrophic Irish rebellion of 1798, but Ms, Tillyard paints a lovely picture of its most romantic leader. I first heard of Lord Edward as a teenager, dipping into Yeats and reading Lord Edward's name linked to Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet..."that wild delirium of the brave...". I have read numerous accounts of '98 since, but found little about Lord Edward in them, save for the melodrama of his arrest and death-an extra-judicial murder, if ever there was one.

So I am grateful for Ms. Tillyard's rendering of the man himself. She gives ample proof of the sweetness of his character, showing how his inborn beauty was nurtured and how it blossomed under the doting care of his formidable and unconventional mother. Their tenderness for each other lights what otherwise is a stark and tragic story. More significantly it gives the lie to the masculinist theory that maternal love weakens and "feminizes" male children. True, young Lord Edward had a "strong male role model"-his tutor, who was also his mother's adulterous lover!-but every step of Mr. Ogilvie's tutelege was directed by the attentive and indulgent Duchess of Leinster. The letters between Lord Edward and the Duchess make lovely reading for any mother concerned with the making of boys into men.

Of course, Ms. Tillyard includes the apparently obligatory expressions of horror about "political violence" a phrase used only in reference to Lord Edward's revolutionary enterprise, not to the ongoing repression and dispossession of the native Irish. Taken against the whole of the book, however, this is only a minor stupidity, one so ubiquitous in books about Ireland published since 1969 that Republican readers can pass over it without undue offense.

The main thing is that Lord Edward Fitzgerald lives on these pages as a beloved and loving human being, worthy of all the praise heaped upon him over the centuries. How often does a shining name in history still shine under close inspection?

Anna Bradley

Omar Khayyam was a multifaceted man who lived at around the time the second millennium of the Christian era was beginning. He was not only a scientist but also a Sufi mystic, and his Rubaiyat (book of verses in quatrains) has evoked much interest and endless debate. The best known English translation is that of Edward FitzGerald. Here is a sample verse:

"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough / A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse---and Thou / Beside me singing in the Wilderness --- /

And Wilderness is Paradise enow."/

Whose imagination can fail to be stirred? But most people see this as a glorification of wine, women and song -- a handbook of hedonism. Could such an earthy and earthly book be in keeping with Khayyam's reputation as a Sufi mystic and a saint? Now towards the end of the millennium, the Indian saint, mystic and spiritual leader Paramahansa Yogananda has commented on the Rubaiyat in his book "Wine of the Mystic." Omar was indeed a mystic. The divine intoxication of the love and joy of God could only be conveyed to the people of his age through metaphors and allegory that described the pleasures they could understand. One must read the Rubaiyat in conjunction with "Wine of the Mystic" to really get to the heart and soul of one of the world's classic books.

i have just recently read this book.it trancends east to west..has a more spiritual value tham most books of this kind ...of couse we all know that Khayyam was a scientist well.. and he shows some of that in his writings... yet these writings come as pleasure ..i would like to extend all of you a invitation to enjoy this book ...it.s a pleasure

For my senior project paper I chose to do the pictures and film of the kennedy assassination. This book helped a lot, and best of all it was not a boring to read. Read this book if you want to know more about the assassintion, or doing a project. Very good. The book by the way has much more information that this on the subject.

I've read lots of book on the Kennedy assassination, and without question LEGEND ranks as the best, along with the other two books in THA ASSASSINATION CHRONICLES. LEGEND reads like a spy thriller, taking lots of twists and turns, studying the hidden agendas of all government agencies that had something to gain or lose by revealing Lee Harvey Oswald's real purpose in Russia. Through a careful analysis of the available evidence, Epstein points the finger at both the CIA and KGB for hiding and obscuring key facts about Oswald's life in Russia, and uncovers evidence that indicates Oswald was more than he appeared to be. Even handed and thouroughly documented, LEGEND is a must read in assassination lore.

as interpreted by Yogananda. Here Yogananda does a commentary
on "the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam." Also an interpretation. Yogananda made
the fatal error of believing that there was only one religion or truth. And that he,
himself, could discern it in all religions. He did that with the Bible. He does
this here with a Sufi poem. But this is a fine book. Very beautiful. But Yogananda's
Self-Realization Fellowship was and is Hinduism straight up the middle. Not
Original Christianity and Original Yoga as he claimed. So this book is an Islamic
poem as interpreted by a Hindu. And I think that you had better realize that
before you buy this book. And it is a beautiful book. Yogananda was always a
great writer. Most of his books are real "choppy" because they are taken from talks.
But when he wrote, it was excellent. He was quite a writer. And it comes out
in this book. But if you want the "real stuff," buy Yogananda's "God Talks to

Arjuna." Thank you.

"It takes one to know one," is here shown to apply to mystics. In this award-winning volume, Twentieth Century Indo-American sage Paramahansa Yogananda applies his irrepressible spiritual pursuit to Omar Khayyam's Twelfth Century masterpiece. Like most cultures through the ages, Kayyam's Persia was much friendlier to his mainstream career (in mathematics and astronomy) than to his spiritual revelations. The wondrous poetic beauties which sparkle through his Rubaiyat express his personal, non-canonical insights into Enlightenment (aka: the Kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Samadhi) are in metaphors - symbolisms whose spiritual implications register only for those "who have eyes to see" - who have themselves had a glimpse of higher spiritual realms.

The publisher of Wine of the Mystic has included an eye-opening foreword to this volume that puts these complexities into perspective, including 1) the fact that Edward FitzGerald (translator for the most famous English-language editions) only grudging acknowledged the mystical significance of the work, 2) FitzGerald's poetic techniques that faithfully capture the *spirit* of stanzas even when they are not linear translations, 3) the tradition among Sufi mystical poets of using wine as a symbol for Divine Intoxication.

Why should a poem that is merely (on the surface) a hymn to the joys of drunkenness survive for a millenium and continue to fascinate cultures around the world in languages so unlike its author's? In his introductory words, Yogananda summarizes the miracle of FitzGerald's (apparently materialist) translation by called him "divinely inspired to catch exactly in gloriously musical English words the soul of Omar's writings." To those who have received a hint of the Divine Intoxication, a deep intuitive chord may be struck by Yogananda's explanation: "Profound spiritual treatises by some mysterious divine law do not disappear from the earth even after centuries of misunderstanding, as in the case of the Rubaiyat."

As to the book itself (Wine of the Mystic)? The awards it has won, the beauty of its color illustrations, tastefully selected type faces, and rich reproduction make this volume irresistable immediately upon opening its pages. Readers are then embraced by Yogananda's sensitive and unprecedented bouquet of insights as they are welcomed to a never before dreamed of wine-tasting.

There is *no* edition to compare. This volume will reward your reading and re-reading for years. A gorgeous gift item.

CONTENTS:
Introduction of author's (Yogananda) insights.
Foreword of publisher's (Self-Realization Fellowship) history and spiritual perspectives on the Rubaiyat's.
Presentation of each Rubaiyat quatrain, along with FitzGerald's translation, Yogananda's glossary of spiritual symbolism, Spiritual Commentary, and Practical Implications for the reader's spiritual work.
Addendum reprinting all of the verses (FitzGerald translation) without interruption.

This wonderful book is not just A TRANSLATION of the Rubaiyat, it is a collection of deep spiritual discourses which are meant as an exhortation to the soul (what we essentially are) to transcend beyond this ephemeral world of temporary illusion and to ever constantly search for the real truth which lies within every one of us.

I wish I could have met him! I feel sure that the translation as good as it is does not capture his wisdom and brilliant verse.
"Omar" still sends a message of love that transcends to all people.
My favorite is:

"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask if Wine, a Book of verse--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
And Wilderness is Paradise enow"

That is a pot of gold! Cherish it if you can?

omar khayyam is a much romanticized poet; his work is essential to any collection of books. fitzgerald's translations bear as much relevance to the victorian era as much as khayyam's work bears as both a Muslim poet and a timeless wordcrafter for the ages to admire and appreciate.
this edition is extremely useful, with christopher decker's insightful notes always a helpful guide to the multiple editions of the poetry and an excellent source of knowledge on khayyam's work as well as the victorian age.
i would recommend this book to all readers, since it's the essential translation of the rubaiyat. christopher decker is to be highly commended for his excellent work.
to quote keats on another translation-
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise--
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
...BR>buy this book and enjoy it-- it's a good friend.

Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is an enormous accomplishment although it is not true to the original Persian (the Avery/Heath-Stubbs version is more faithful). Another important fact to note is that FitzGerald worked on his translation over a period of several decades and eventually published four different editions. Modern editions are often a compilation of bits and pieces from each of FitzGerald's four editions, something that doesn't always make for the smoothest reading. This Critical Edition, edited by Christopher Decker, goes a long way towards overcoming these problems.

In this edition, an introduction written by Decker provides very good and much needed background for Khayyam's work. Most importantly, all four of the author's editions are included in their entirety, first individually and then, in an appendix, by quatrain, so one can compare the texts. A table providing the sequence of the quatrains is also provided, a pronunciation guide and a small glossary. An added bonus, to be found only in this edition, I believe, is the inclusion of FitzGerald's Latin translation of the poems.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is beautiful and classic poetry encompassing simple quatrains where East seems to meet West in a mingling of Eastern mysticism and Western language and expression of the nineteenth century.

Anyone who is serious about these gorgeous poems will find this text most useful. Although this is not the most visually beautiful of the translations, it is certainly the most comprehensive and the one that will most enhance your knowledge. Definitely worthy of adding to your collection. In fact, a necessity.

Who has not heard or read these lines of beauty?

"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse -- and Thou," or "The Moving Finger writes; and having writ, Moves on."?

These lines are from the first translation of The Rubaiyat by the English translator and man of letters, Edward FitzGerald (1809 - 1883). While it retains the spirit and philosophy expressed in the original quatrains, FitzGerald's translation was so free in its rendition as to be virtually an original work.
Omar Khayyam, poet, astronomer and mathematician was born in Persia in the latter part of the 11th century. His surname, Khayyam, means "tent-maker" although that undoubtedly referred to his father's trade more than to his own because actually, he was independently wealthy. He was a friend of Nizami, the Vizier of Baghdad who founded the great college of Baghdad, where Omar Khayyam was taught. Omar Khayyam lived in seclusion until Malik Shah appointed him Astronomer Royal, who, along with eight other scholars, revised the Muslim calendar. It seems certain that Khayyam was a Sufi mystic and kept his spiritual life hidden from superficial worldly minds.

"Omar," Paramhansa Yogananda has said, "by a very large number of Western readers, has come to be regarded as a rather erotic pagan poet, a drunkard interested only in wine and earthly pleasure. This is typical of the confusion that exists on the entire subject of Sufism. The wine is the joy of the spirit, and the love is the rapturous devotion to God?"

The Rubaiyat as well as the Tales of the Arabian Nights are not love stories about drunkards, genies, and magic caves filled with treasures, but mystical stories based on the religion of Sufism. Their encoded symbolism, when revealed, is deeply mystical and meaningful.

One example is the magic lamp of Aladdin. First, the meaning of the name: AL is Arabic for God, "ALLAH." DDIN is a transcription of the word DJINN (or we would say in the West, "Genie.") But in Arabic it means SPIRIT. Thus, ALADDIN means "The Spirit of God." Well, what is the magic lamp, then? The magic lamp is something we all possess in the depths (cave) of the subconscious, the MIND. What would it mean then that the "Spirit of God" rubs the "Mind"? This refers to the practice of meditation. By focussing on an idea, a single thought, our minds are capable of bringing about any reality we dream of. We are the co-creators of our own universe, our own lives. As Pogo, the comic strip character, said: "We have met the enemy, and it is we-uns." We are responsible for our own self-undoing, just as we are responsible for creating our own lives.

Secrecy and the practice of hiding deep truths behind a veil of exotic symbolism was the way the Sufis protected themselves against persecution for their unorthodox views. It is similar to the deep mysticism of the Jewish Kabala. The Sufis called their secret language QBL. The alchemists of the West used another example of hidden mysticism. Do you think they were really trying to transmute lead into gold, or were they trying to transmute the gross material of our bodies and souls into the golden glory of the spirit? If you think so, read John Randolph Price?s book published by Hay House, The Alchemist?s Handbook. Nostradamus and Leonardo daVinci also hid their writings in obscure diaries and secret codes.

Paramhansa Yogananda accomplished much of the mystic discovery about Omar Khayyam in his book, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained. Paramhansa Yogananda was one of the great spiritual beacons of the 20th century. His Autobiography of a Yogi, first published in 1946, has been a best-selling autobiography for the past fifty years. Yogananda was born in India in 1893 and sent to this country in 1920 where he founded the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, California, a non-sectarian and universal organization. His close friend and editor of the book on the Rubaiyat, J. Donald Walters, also known as Kriyananda, wrote: "Yogananda's charity, compassion, unshakable calmness, loving friendship to all, delightful sense of humor and deep insight into human nature were such as to leave me constantly amazed."

The first time I encountered this book was in the 10th Grade and I have been mesmerized by it ever since. The author gives extraordinary metphors and allows the reader to interpret the poetry how it best fits them. He speaks of most of the joys there is on this wonderful world and takes you to places you have never been before. I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who loves poetry.

If you want the best of mysticism and poetry, read this beautiful and deep book. I've fallen in love again with reading poetry, and I've been given a new understanding of eastern wisdom.

Even though the commentaries are full of esoteric wisdom, Yogananda writes in a poetic style that is easy on the eyes, mind, and soul.

I quote from Yogananda here: "Come, fill the Cup of Consciousness with the divine wine of bliss! Cast away your material desires (deceitful, because forever disillusioning), and fling into the crackling fire of fresh spiritual enthusiasm your robe of penitence for having ever indulged in them."

Of all the books I've read on Tibet (about 6), this stands out as the most personal account. Thubten Jigme Norbu, eldest brother of the Dalai Lama tells in tender detail about his childhood as the son of Tibetan peasants, his discovery as an incarnate lama, and his life in the Buddhist monasteries. It's interesting to read about this earlier perspective of the Dalai Lama's family members. Thubten Jigme Norbu learned of his brother's discovery as the Dalai Lama, and of his flight from Tibet to India from a distance. He mentions that because of the great differences in age, and the distance between their home and the monasteries where they were installed, the first time he and all his brothers ever sat down to dinner together was after the Chinese occupation. I really enjoyed reading about the little details of his early life, and the great amount of emotion in his story.

What came across in this story of Tibetan life before and after the Chinese occupation, is the sweet, gentle, and loving nature of the two authors. This is the story of a tragedy, but is not depressing. I've been recommending this book to friends because it is very uplifting and encouraging, besides being very readable. The Tibetans really had something in their culture that was of value, a pervading spirituality that was cheerful and peaceful. And yet, they didn't feel any need to convert others or force their religion on anyone. The authors of "Tibet is My Country" don't address the corruption in the Tibetan government or other problems, but those issues are realistically addressed by the Dalai Lama himself in "Freedom in Exile." This is a light charming nostalgic look at a lost way of life.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a classic poem, which sings to the better angels of the human spirit. Far from a paen to drinking, the poem is a deep spiritual meditation. Look deeply into Omar the tentmaker's poem, with your mind open to the spirit underlying the poem, and you will find the "one true Light." This edition is particularly good, because it contains two of Fitzgerald's five translations. The second edition is mature and somewhat darker than the first. I highly recommend this poem to anyone open to beautiful poetry and Truth.

Khayyam's poetry is a beacon of honesty and courage in a writing form rife with the romantic,silly and childish.Poetry has almost exclusively been the domain of the mystifiers and the pretentious.Khayyam's message is looked down upon by the people who don't have the courage to be pessimists and instead hide behind their daddy in the sky or in some metaphysical womb.Khayyam, like Lucretius,looked honestly around him and drew the conclusions we all know deep down to be true but are usually to weak to admit.Khayyam knew life was an absurdity and the greatest absurdity was not to enjoy yourself and do and think as you please.After all, this is the REAL religion that the world has always adhered to,whatever its pretenses to the contrary.After reading Khayyam almost all other poets seem insipid by comparison.Every poem is exquisite and has the ring of truth.Never mind if Fitzgerald's translation is not faithful to the original Persian;the miraculous,yet simple truth of Khayyam comes through just the same.If you buy one book of poetry in your life make this book the one.

I first read this work of art a month ago, and many times after that. My parents were surprised that I, being 14 years of age, liked it, although I think anyone with a bit of an understanding towards life would enjoy it. Being Persian myslef, and knowledgable towards the history of Omar Khayyam and his time,I read this book in Persian, English and French. Although I think that without doubt anyone who is able to should read the Persian edition, the English translation did not lose the touch and certain charm of the works. Don't underestimate your children either. I mean hey, give it a shot, they might like it!

This is an very readable book about the marriage of one of the most famous US President's and his glamorous wife. The book opens with a short story about Jackie and details her early life very throughly. The book continues on telling how Jack and Jackie met, courted, and their marriage, ending with the death of President Kennedy. The book tells about the birth of the Kennedy's second son, Patrick who only lived a few days, how the Cuban missle crisis helped to define JFK, and JFK's hidden illness. The book is written in very easily understood prose which makes the book pleasurable reading. On that note, I do not think this book would be considered a piece of scholarly work. This is a good book for those looking for an easy read about the John and Jackie Kennedy.

I love biographies, and have read several on the Kennedy's. This is one of my favorites. It gives you a very in depth look at the real relationship between Jack and Jackie, which is, as the title says, "All Too Human". The book, which reads almost like a novel, starts with the first meeting of Jackie and Jack, and carries you all the way through until Jack was assassinated in November of 1963. Edward Klein was a personal friend of Jackie's for a number of years, which made him privy to alot of information. Some points of interest include Jack's affairs and womanizing, Jackie's feelings on being a politician's wife, Joe Kennedy's role in their relationship, how the death of their son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, brought Jack and Jackie closer than they'd ever been before, only to have it taken away on that fateful day in Dallas, and Jackie's relationship with her parents. Of course, there is a ton of other information in this book, but these are just a few. After reading this book, I read "Just Jackie: Her Private Years", which is also by Edward Klein. It picks up where "All Too Human" leaves off (shortly after the assassination of JFK). I highly recommend both books to anyone interested in reading about the Kennedys and Jackie O.

I like to think of myself as a Kennedy expert- I know almost every little detail about the life of this amazing family. Actually, it's become a major fascination over the last few years. I wrote an extensive report on the family and did a great deal of research and came across this book, which I just reread. Again, I was completely mesmerized by this wonderful book by Edward Klein. He was really lucky to have know the family and have such an intimate relationship with these very tortured people. Many seem to forget that they were human like everyone else and had their share of problems and upsets in life. Klein, as a friend of both Jack and Jackie's, makes the story come alive with word for word converstaions from those who were closest to the Kennedy's. I was especially touched by the end of the book where Jack is shot on that fateful day in November of 1963. I cry everytime I read it and think how horrible it must have been for Jackie to not only witness her husband's death, but move on after the tragedy with grace and dignity. I highly recommend this book and if there is anyone who has a similar interest in the Kennedys, please e-mail me. This book is really worth the read.