Gardner's talent ain't bad. But Gardner himself once said, "I'm the greatest writer since Chaucer." Well, Chaucer's books are in print hundreds of years after first appearing. Gardner's books are almost all out of print not long after his death! Poor John Gardner. He so desperately wanted to obtain immortality through his works. His life and ego should be a warning to all those ego-ridden artists who step on other's toes, and ignore their kids, for the sake of their art...Give it up. You ain't going to be immortal either.

... He was brash and loud and came off a bit like Ig. Reilly in his critical writings. As a result, his fiction has been ignored and forgotten by many academics and that's unfortunate, because Garnder was probably the most gifted prose stylist of his generation.
Nickel Mountain is a relatively simple pastoral tale, without most of the magical metafictionist hoo-haw of some of Gardner's better known work. It is, however, his best novel. Too often the term regional fiction is used dismissively to indicate that a work is of limited local interest. This is regional fiction in the best sense, as it uses a profound understanding of Upstate New York and its people to tell a universal and deeply felt story. The writing is profoundly elegant, the characters precisely and respectfully drawn.
That the same area produced Fred Exley and Richard Russo seems remarkable. Something in the water.

books are defenseless against the ignorant. I bet it was Stephen King who wrote the review below.

Excellent book with a wealth of information on the building of dory's. A little inconsistant with the plans from boat to boat, but overall, a great book to have and to use.

This is a classic book about a classic form of boat: the dory. John Gardner's expertise and enthusiasm are clearly communicated with great writing and illustrations. It's a wonderful history of American small craft as well as an excellent guide on how to build them.

This book has a wealth of information, for those interested in building dories. Clear and consise explanations, as well as a great how to build chapter, were excellent. I have begun building a swampscott dory, and would be lost without this book. Anyone interested in building wooden dories would be wise to have this book in their collection.

In his penultimate novel, John Gardner finds a mature, more confident voice; the baroque tour-de-force he unleashed in certain earlier novels is supplanted by a simple and straightforward narrative that exibits the estimable writerly trait of knowing what to leave out. The story concerns an elderly brother and sister "living together in profound conflict" (-dustjacket), an uneasy truce that escalates into full-scale war when curmudgeonly James L. Page takes a shotgun and blows Sally Page's TV back to the hell whence it came. This pulpy tripe casts a strange spell over her as fact and fantasy merge. The novel-within-a-novel grows, frankly, tiresome; what Gardner is getting at (ostensibly something about art's relationship to life, a trifle didactic if so), and how her cheap novel relates to the primary narrative, is obscure. It will, however, provide grist for English- and Philosophy-major mills. The main tale, meanwhile, is one of Gardner's most accessible -- funny, with expertly observed characters, and ultimately so moving it astonishes.

I no longer give 5 stars to everything I like, but this is a book I return to again and again. It is a great 5 star book by a great 5 star author and a brilliant teacher (see The Art of Fiction). I hope it will be reissued so that more people can discover a gem of twentieth century writing. Do whatever you can to find a copy. It's a true hoot. Hopefully your local library will still have October Light in the collection.

John Gardner has created two great characters in 72 year old James Page and his older sister Sally Abbot. James, born on the fourth of July, is fiercely independent. His life's work has been caring for "dumb animals: horses, dairy cows, bees, pigs, chickens, and, indirectly, men. " James is truly shocked by Sally's disrespect for his opinions on the state of things in general. "Though he was never a great talker--certainly not in comparison to her, she could lecture your arm off--he knew a signifcant fact or two, knew by thunder, a truth or two--a truth or two that was still worth getting out of bed for."

Sally Page, a widow, has moved in with her brother James, because once the well to do wife of a dentist, she is now destitute. Sally does not adapt well to James' idea of a good life (one without television, nuclear energy, opinionated females, or home improvements.) "She'd preached him a sermon off television about the Equal Rights Amendment. He'd been amazed by all she said--shocked and flabbergasted, though he knew from magazines that there were people who believed such foolishness." They shake each other up, "She'd seemed as astonished by it all as he was, so astonished to discover what he thought that he almost came to doubt it," and ultimately survive themselves and each other.

The pleasure of laughing out loud one minute and then crying quietly in recognition almost in the next moment are among the literary gifts that Gardner bestows. Within the main story of the crises in James and Sally's relationship, precipitated by the murder of Sally's television set, is another lurid, slyly compelling trash novel, a "blockbuser," which Sally reads while locked up in her room subsisting on a diet of apples. Sally's relationship with the book she is reading are some of the most satisfying moments in October Light. "She began to fall in with the book's snappy rhythms, becoming herself more wry, more wearily disgusted with the world..."

As the spat between James and Sally becomes more grave and less of a rollick, Sally's trash novel becomes an hilarious rollercoaster ride. Sally hangs on for dear life. We learn through her musings a little more about the past and why the two siblings have only each other to rely on now. Much occurs to resolve the spat between James and Sally. And it's all perfectly satisfying, like true October light. If this book were a painting, I would imagine a Wyeth interior with a Bosch on the wall. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare to be entertained.

John Gardner was such an excellent writer that his artistry, like that of Hemingway, may go unnoticed by many readers. From the epic poem "Jason and Medea" and his translation of the Sumerian "Gilgamesh" to this novel and the later _Mickelson's Ghosts_, every line is eminently readable. In _October Light_ he moves far beyond his most popular work, the bildungsroman "_The Sunlight Dialogues_", to a novel of intense and intimite characterization. Fans of Gardner's student and disciple Richard Russo should be sure to read this book, which is unquestionably one of the greatest modern novels.

It's a good book, but it has a cheap "perfect" binding.
After reading it a few times, pages started coming loose.

This collection of complete boat plans, instructions, and boat-building tips is simply wonderful. Mr. Gardner was a man with the common touch and the ability to communicate clearly--all of these boats are aimed at the "amateur" builder. He has no axes to grind; his designs include all of the traditional construction techniques plus glued plywood and taped seam plywood; there are rowboats, sailboats, and powerboats. The articles are also sprinkled with historical and editorial commentary. I'm reading it for the fourth (or is it fifth?) time. When I finish my canoe...

This book (actually a collection of two earlier books) is full of great boats with their histories and the plans and instructions to build them. It covers a range of tradional small craft with and emphasis on New England work boats. A variety of construction techniques are discussed. It's a compelling read whether you're looking for a boat to build or just love boats. I couldn't put it down.

Baum wrote a dozen or so Oz books in the early 1900s. The movie was made from the first in the series. "The [Marvelous] Land of OZ" is the 2nd in the series, and possibly the best.

The short chapter from page 71-81 reaches a level of perfection attained only rarely in the history of literature, and is certainly equal to even the best passages of Mark Twain or James Thurber. I can't read that passage out loud to my kids without going into a fit of laughing myself to tears. I wish I could reprint it here.

You must try if you can to obtain the wonderful hardcover (or sometimes called 'library binding') edition that goes by the ISBN number of 0688054390. It is a stunning, faithful, amazing facsimile of the original 1904 edition complete with its beautiful color-illustrated endpapers and dozens of gorgeous original color plates and black and white illustrations so charmingly integrated with the text.

I snapped up a dozen and gave them away as birthday gifts for kids age 7 and up. I don't know if there are any left in print, and it's a good bet these will go up in value. Fine first edition OZ books command a pretty penny.

I am most familiar with the fantasy world of Oz through the classic musical film starring Judy Garland. "The Marvelous Land of Oz," by L. Frank Baum, could be read as a sequel to the film. Three of the film's most important characters -- the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and good witch Glinda -- are important characters in this book (although Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion do not appear).

Baum creates a marvelous cast of new characters to interact with the three familiar ones mentioned above. Central to this story is Tip, a young boy whose unhappy life with a mean witch will probably remind some readers of Harry Potter's less-than-ideal home life with the Dursleys. Tip's escape from the clutches of the witch Mombi is the start of a fantastic adventure that leads him to the fabulous Emerald City, to an encounter with an all-female army led by a bold conqueress, and to relationships with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and a host of equally fantastic beings.

The new characters are really great, but probably my favorite is Jack Pumpkinhead, an artificially-constructed, pumpkin-headed being brought to life by magic. Jack has a childlike innocence that I found quite endearing. Also memorable is the ornery but courageous Saw-Horse, another magical being.

There is a curious undercurrent of subversive gender politics to the book; although the main party of adventurers are male, the most powerful characters in the book are ultimately its female characters (both heroic and villainous). And one jaw-dropping plot twist (which I will not ruin by revealing!) furthers this theme.

This book is quite simply a wonderfully delightful story, well-told by Baum and superbly complemented by John R. Neill's whimsical illustrations. And despite the fact that it's a fantasy, I felt that the book has some relevant real world themes, most notably the ideas of respecting diversity and valuing "unusual" folks. And the friendship between the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman is especially heartwarming. "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is a great classic for both adults and young people.

The title of my book is "The Marvelous Land of Oz." It is by
L. Frank Baum, who is well known for writing the Oz books. I think that anyone, who is six years old, or older, would like the book. Even people who are 100 years old would laugh out loud at this hilarious book.

The story takes place in Oz, a magical land that has strange and funny people. This book is a sequel to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Many of the characters and parts of the story are very funny.

The Emerald City of Oz is a beautiful place until General Jinjur invades it with her army. The scarecrow, who is the king of Oz, and his friends, try to regain the throne only to find that there is another real heir to the throne!

Tip is the book's main character. While many of the characters are very unusual, Tip looks like a human and is from the country of Gillikins. He gets in bad trouble with Mombi, who is evil and he runs away to the Emerald City. He becomes friends with the Scarecrow and tries to help him return as king.

The genre is adventure. Here is an example:
Tip thought this strange army bore no weapons whatsoever, but in this he was wrong. For each girl had stuck through the knot of her hair two long glittering knitting needles.

I give this book 5 stars because it was so good I could not put it down, and I read all 119 pages in only two days.

The epic of Gilgamesh would, of course, be of historical interest regardless of its content, since it seems to be the oldest written narrative in human history. Its relevance, however, goes far beyond the purely archival -- the story is engaging and powerful, and addresses fundamental questions of humanity. The combination of these two important characteristics makes for a classic creation of human culture; it is somehow comforting and at the same time humbling to know that people 3000 years ago struggled with the same questions with which we struggle still today.

I have read several renderings of the Gilgamesh epic, and in my opinion this version by John Gardner and John Maier is the best overall. It is probably the most direct translation you will find. The original text from which this translation is drawn (the "Sin-leqi-unninni" version) is written on 12 stone tablets, each of which has 6 columns of cuneiform. (The appendix includes pictures of some of the tablets, along with commetnary about the translation process.) Gardner and Maier have preserved this format, dividing their text according to the tablet and column divisions of the original. They have also, for the most part, translated line-by-line from the original, rather than reorganizing it as many other renderings have done.

The result is a work of disarming simplicity. Taking little or no poetic license, Gardner and Maier allow the text to speak for itself. Not being a reader of Akkadian myself, I cannot say how literal or accurate this translation is; I can, however, say that, to me as a reader, it FEELS authentic, and I think that is at least as important. The story has a timeless quality which, in other renderings, is sometimes obscured by excessive verbal flourishes on the part of the "translation" -- not so here.

On its own, the text would make this book a worthwhile purchase, but there's more to this translation than just the story. Extensive commentary follows each column, providing a wide range of helpful information. Since this translation draws only from the Sin-leqi-unninni original tablets, which are damaged in some places, the commentary gives occasional pointers to other versions, and attempts to piece together missing sections. There is also historical and cultural background where appropriate, explaining for instance the various gods referenced, and more literary commentary on the story itself.

And, though I have not addressed it specifically as yet, the story is remarkable. It covers a broad range of emotions, and manages to tug at the heart in several ways. In some places, the action is simply stated without emotional exposition; in other places, the language becomes more expressive, and probes the souls of the characters.

Some readers may be deterred by one byproduct of the translation's careful adherence to the original: where there are gaps in the original text (due to damage to the stone tablets), Gardner and Maier have simply left the gaps in their translation. This is unusual; most renderings attempt to smooth over such gaps by drawing from other sources. This is only a superficial problem, however. Gardner and Maier DO draw from other sources to complete the picture, but they wisely do so in the commentary rather than attempting to patch the text itself. This allows the reader to assemble the whole picture himself where necessary, rather than having it handed to him preassembled from undisclosed fragments.

All in all this is a wonderful book. It concisely provides a clear version of the story and a wealth of relevant commentary.

This is one of the oldest known heroic poems, with some versions dating back to the Old Babylonian age about 2000 BC. What survives of the twelve tablets that make up the Gilgamesh epic tells a story about a king of Uruk, named Gilgamesh, who goes on an epic search for immortality with his companion Enkidu which leads him through many adventures and eventually takes him to a Noah-like sage who tells him the story of the flood.
Much of the twelve tablets on which the poem were written has been lost, but enough survives (through various copies and versions of the work) to be able to piece it together into a fairly coherent form. Gardner and Maier do an excellent job here of presenting the text, of translating it in a reliable and enjoyable manner, and of providing sufficient notes (actually, over half this book is notes!) to give the reader a very good feel for this beautiful poem.
This is an epic in many senses of the word, but it differs somewhat in scope from the Greek and Medieval heroic poems that we have. Still, for fans of the epic, for those interested in Homer, Virgil, Dante, or Milton, Gilgamesh provides an interesting look at an early Babylonian/Sumerian text.

Anyone who doesn't like this book must have difficulty in the face of the sublime. Not only is the Gilgamesh epic itself one of those rare gems of ancient literature, but the Gardner/Maier version is an extraordinarily accomplished translation. The book is one you will want to read multiply, to own and consult at regular intervals, as gradually the other major works of Western culture (the Bible, the Odyssey, etc.) are filtered through its astonishing lens. I love it.

I would agree this is more of a reference for the seasoned XPath/XSLT programmer. I'm a intermediate java programmer with some decent background in xml. I haven't really been able to get that much from this book in the way of examples. It's very light on examples.

Any book that takes the dense, tedious specs and translates them into layman's English is always worth it and very welcomed. The form of the translation in this case are a number of very clear and focused examples. Sure, one could trail and error and deduce the behavior of the stylesheet, but who has that kind of time? This book will serve you very well if you need a quick jumpstart into XSLT and XPATH. I await a similar volume on XSL:FO.

In my XSLT work, I feel I refer to this book more often than the other book on my desk (Michael Kay's XSLT Programmers reference). This book exudes a much greater level of technical detail, especially when relating to XPath (a thorough understanding of which is incredibly important to any XSLT developer). The explanation of XPath Axes and Nodetests was extraordinarily helpful (it is a better reference than the standard itself).

The information provided for each XSLT element is quite detailed, and explains in great detail how those elements are used in actual stylesheets.

I suggest anyone interested in doing hardcore XSLT development have this book on your desk. While this is definately not in the league of "XSLT for Dummies", it certianly is an perfect reference for the seasoned developer trying to push XSLT to its limits.

The five issues of the class Forties series ALL-STAR collected here show a transitional period with the Justice Society of America: this is, is Roy Thomas explains in his intelligent introduction to the volume, just before the great series of Justice Society stories that have been so classically remembered by comics enthusiasts. This has the first of those stories, the marvelous "Revenge of Solomon Grundy," with its superb artwork (especially in the Joe Kubert Hawkman chapter) and terrific narrative suspense. The other stories collected here are a mixed blend: the Psycho-Pirate story is enormously disappointing, but the Brain Wave story "The Dreams of Madness!" is particularly surreal and nightmarish, and the Landor story has a nifty gimmick. There's too much dreary Johnny Thunder antics for my own personal taste in these stories, and not enough Wonder Woman (why wouldn't they let her participate in the adventures?), but it's got a great Forties feel to it.

I never grew up durring the Golden Age. And you don't need to be to enjoy this book. This book reprints All-Star JSA issues #3 - 6. The book features the VERY first Super Hero Team! The stories are corney, sure, but it's still fun and entertaining to this day. Like one reviewer said, if you get one Archive you'll want to get them all - it's that good! Comic fans will love this book, and it's other volumes.

This story features interesting characters, like Spectre, Dr. Fate, Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern, Hour Man, The Atom, Hawkman (also features Hawk girl in one issue) and my favorites Sandman and Jonny Thunder!!! All are classic heros that even appear today, like in Comics such as "Spectre" (Who is Hal Jordon now) and "JSA" written by Awsome Writer Goeff Johns.

Buy this book if your a comic fan! Even if you aren't into comics, it's a great place to start and learn. (May as well Start at the begining of Comic Histroy)

Anyone who is a true fan of comic books will truly appreciate this hard cover edition of the first Super Hero Team--The Justice Society of America. This team of heroes set the stage of their silver age counterparts, as well as, the Justice League of America. I am glad DC has put together these Archive Editions as an easy way to capture hard to find and out of print titles. You could easily spend thousands of dollars and long hours at comic conventions to buy back issues. I for one am hooked. Once you buy one, you'll want to buy the whole set.

Plumbers are just as important as our philosophers--that's the message of this book. If we don't respect both--neither our theories nor our pipes will hold any water. Gardner does not oversimplify education and say that every student should go to college: he only demands that you choose your own path and go at it full tilt. Excellence is the only thing that Gardner demands. This book is a call for Americans to be great: Americans love to be great, Gardner argues. They just need the leadership to inspire them.

I have read the most excellent first edition and this 2nd, too. These books pose interesting questions for the next generation of "Teachers" and the Educators that we spend money to support. The first edition has a preface or introduction that should be re-printed so that the Modern Reader can compare the two. This should be Required Reading in High School!!!

This book packs alot of punch for it's conciseness (155 pages of text).

Gardner starts off with observations of some important tensions in the American value system, namely between a society in which one's rewards are strictly related to one's performance versus a society where equality of results is more valued; the conflict between freedom and equality.

Next, there is a discussion of education. "Education as a Sorting Out Process" is the title of one of the chapters. There is a discussion of how standardized tests and various degrees are used as markers of talent and merit. Gardner puts forth the controversial opinion, which I agree with, that too many people in our country go to college because they feel like it is the only path that is truly respected and valued in our culture (he wrote this in 1984 so I think this applies even more so to today). The idea is that college is only one kind of education, an academic one. But some people are more suited to technical or vocational education or simply to learn by working, rather than manipulating abstract symbols, composing essays, etc... Life and society require all kinds of different skills and math, science, literature, and other intellectual skills are just one dimension.

Third, there is a discussion of the many forms of excellence (related to the many kinds of education discussed previously). In our society, we value scientists and Phds and CEOs but there are excellent plumbers, excellent gardeners, excellent teachers, excellent volunteers, excellent parents, others who are excellent and contribute in big ways but are not given the same prestige in our society. He talks about continueing to learn through one's life; and not just academic, book learning, but learning about oneself, about relationships, about managing one's life, taking care of the ordinary business of life, developing character.

Lastly, there is a discussion of excellence and leadership in the context of the big organizations (government, large corporations, small companies) that most of us find ourselves working in day to day. He talks about expecting alot from people, holding them up to high standards and making them feel like they can make a difference.

Overall, this is a book about HIGH STANDARDS. It is about maintaining high standards in the activities we choose to pursue and thus contacting what is deepest and best in human beings: our desire to grow, develop, and be the best we can possibly be, as individuals and together as a society. As Socrates said to Bill and Ted, "Be Excellent to Each Other".

It is a good written book. It explains things very well in general. It is not as complicated as other genetic textbooks

i have read this book once but i am very keen to read again this book so i want to read this book and for that i want to see the review of this book.

If you are looking for a book that describes classical genetics in great details, this book is not for you. To me, the main effort of the authors is to focus on the modern idea of how geneticists think and work. The organization of the text is nicely arranged so that readers can understand the concepts in one chapter that lead to the more advanced one in the next chapter. The materials presented are not too "introductory", and it is not too difficult for a typical undergraduate student to understand either. Also, It can properly serve as a good reference for a graduate student, like myself, when a time of need in some genetic concepts!