As a teacher of American Literature for almost 20 years and now a librarian in a high school this 3 set volume has been invaluable to students who want to find out about women who contributed to American society. The well known names are profiled but more than that, the more obscure contibutors are documented. Students have appreciated finding what they need and then get excited to discover more information about women other than the one person they may have been assigned to research.

This book is an academic study of the persecution of Buddhism in Japan in the first half of the Meiji era--i.e., in the late nineteenth century. It may be of interest to different readers for different reasons:

(1) It's a study of a particular period in JAPANESE HISTORY, highlighting "the dominant ideological concerns of the period and the consequences of those concerns for individual and institutional action."

(2) It's a study of PERSECUTION and responses to it, using as a case study the Meiji Buddhists, who managed to transform themselves from heretics to martyrs.

(3) It's a study of JAPANESE BUDDHISM. Meiji Buddhism was "caught in the crossfire between Shintoists, enlightenment thinkers, nationalists, imperialists, economists, Confucians, and the newly emergent scientists and historians . . . as they did battle over the correct interpretation of 'civilization and enlightenment.'" Japanese Buddhism not only survived persecution but, in responding to this persecution and also to critiques from within, managed to reconstitute itself as nonheretical. This was done so effectively that the Meiji persecution of Buddhism "is all but forgotten in chronicles of Japanese history," and the "modern Buddhism" produced by the Meiji Buddhists came to be central to Japan's self-understanding.

Ch. 1 examines the critiques of Buddhism in the Tokugawa era that set the stage for persecution in the Meiji era--historicist, nativist, and economic critiques. Ch. 2 examines the Meiji persecution of Buddhism and some Buddhist responses to it. Ch. 3 examines the creation of a national ideology and the institutions designed to promulgate it, including the Great Teaching Academy, and the Buddhist-led countermovement that closed the academy and transformed Buddhism "from a persecuted other to a paradigmatic martyr of the illustrious heritage of the nation." Ch. 4 examines the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago and its role in Japanese Buddhism's self-(re)definition as modern, cosmopolitan, and universally applicable. And Ch. 5 examines the way in which a unified vision of Meiji Buddhism and a new history were created and how they were used in producing a Buddhist claim to religious universality.

I read this book mainly to learn about the Japanese Buddhism that was transmitted to the U.S., and I was interested to learn that it wasn't just Western Buddhists who were responding to accusations that Buddhism is passive or who were touting Buddhism as an eminently rational religion. Japanese Buddhists were already refiguring Buddhism as socially useful and as compatible with an enlightened society and a scientific worldview.

I find "Redgauntlet" one of the less satisfactory novels in the Waverley series. Certainly, it has the local flavor, the dialect, the imaginative description of evocative landscapes all his novels have, but it is not a blast as some of the others are. The plot involves a fictitious third Jacobite rebellion, and it is interesting to see how Scott (especially in the notes from the Magnum edition, included in this edition) argues this time not for the historicity but for the historical probability of the events described. While Scott is often hailed as the inventor of the historical novel, "Redgauntlet" also shows him to be a forerunner in the historically probable novel--a genre practiced to great effect by our present-day history buff, Umberto Eco.

But probability alone does not a great novel make. Darsie Latimer's character is even less probable than his semi-historical counterparts, such as Edmund Waverley and Henry Morton. And this is strange, since moving further into fictionality, one could argue, a writer might allow themselves more latitude to make a character interesting, even if certain circumstances remain historical. Is this a conscious effort on Scott's part to show, after the fictionality of history, the fictionality of fiction?

Scott disturbs narrative conventions even further when the conspiracy against the Hanoverian King George III completely fails to materialize--ironically, for what seems to be the silliest of reasons: the Pretender (or the Chevalier if you're a Jacobite), Charles Stuart, refuses to give up his mistress. Thus, the main plot of the novel sizzles out and really not much happens in these 400 pages. Mind you, I personally don't need much to happen, but the 19th century novel did. Scott as a postmodern writer? That is pushing it too far, but this novel awaits a postmodern critique enlightened by a reading of Eco and Bakhtin.

That said, there are some really interesting things going on. Apart from the "regular" set of characters of Scott's Scottish novels, this one features an orthodox Quaker who is the epitome of anti-militant mercantilism. The form is also quite new for Scott--the novel is an epistolary, a set of letters between Darsie Latimer and his friend Alan Fairford. Thus, the novel's first-person point of view is split, and this provides for interesting contrasts.

For me, Scott sort of shot himself in the foot with this novel. His earlier novels ("Redgauntlet" is the last of the Scottish novels, written eight years before his death) lead one to expect a major action to happen before the denouement, and this one avoids that a bit too artificially. It seems that Scott was at pains to stick to history, and his own political convictions, a bit too much: a fictitious Jacobite rebellion is OK as a narrative vehicle, but it shouldn't interfere with the peaceful Great Britain (in which Scotland was in many respects subsidiary to England) that Scott himself inhabited and advocated. And so narrative excitement has to give way to Scott's pacifist politics--an honest choice, which Scott consistently maintains in all the Waverley novels--and character development and politics take precedent.

A final note: Scott has always proven himself a masterful and honest critic of royalty and nobility, especially of those characters he seems to love. "Waverley"'s Mac-Ivor is chastised for his political obstinacy, in "The Fortunes of Nigel" King James I (a Scot) is rebuked for his fickleness and corruption, and in "Redgauntlet" the formerly charismatic Stuart proves effeminate and tragic (dying an impoverished alcoholic, in the footnotes). And often enough, these tragic characters are of more interest than the somewhat ineffectual and sometimes foolish main characters: something for readers of literature to sink their teeth into.

This is a great book for any new teacher who needs to learn about the special education realm. It has great info. on the various laws and various techniquest to assist the special needs student.

In an afterword to "Xaipe," the book of poems by E.E. Cummings, George James Firmage notes that the title is derived from a Greek word whose simplest transliteration is "khi-ra" (with accent on the first syllable). Firmage further notes that the book was published by Oxford in 1950.

Xaipe is a curious collection of sequentially numbered poems. Many of the poems are very visually oriented; Cummings plays with with word division, punctuation, and the arrangement of words on the page. He often warps and reshapes language like a sculptor using clay; reading some of these poems is like deciphering a series of strange hieroglyphics.

Much of the book is also ear-oriented. Cummings demonstrates his mastery of rhyme, meter, alliteration, and repetition. He even includes a number of sonnets; sonnets, that is, as channeled through his experimental sensibility.

The tone of the book varies: cynical, satiric, revelatory, even tender. Cummings often uses seemingly invented words: "livingest" (from poem #1); "unteach" (#5); "fingeryhands," "whying" (#14); etc. One of my favorite poems is #22, a sonnet that begins "when serpents bargain for the right to squirm."

But is there an overall theme to "Xaipe"? I'll leave that to each reader to answer. But I sensed in the book as a whole a distrust of officialdom and a wariness of war, and a sense of skepticism about humanity; I felt at times that Cummings was resisting the rationality and formality of language and seeking a pure experience and attentiveness that actually transcends the written or spoken word.

"Xaipe" feels like a prolonged experiment, and while the experiment may not be wholly successful, it is nonetheless marked by flashes of genius. Definitely a volume of poetry worth exploring. For a stimulating companion text, try something by the philosopher J. Krishnamurti.

ý bought this book with enthusiasim and paid lots of money.but its so insufficent that ý now think its only for students. it doesnt have detailed knowledge about new oncological surgical pirincipals and thecknics.

My review is slightly influenced by the fact that Dr. Bloom has performed two unrelated surgeries on me. Both were for liposarcoma, the first in 1995 was imbedded in the small muscle in my axilla (underarm between the bicep and tricep), and the second in March, 2001 in my trapezia(shoulder). Dr. Bloom was recommended to me and my primary physician by a local surgeon in Danbury, CT as one of the top two soft tissue cancer surgeons in the New York area. These operations were both on my right arm, the last being March 20th and I played an hour of tennis yesterday with very little pain. As far as his book, from a layperson's view it is quite interesting to see the incredible detail that the surgeon encounters to ensure not only that the cancer is eliminated, but that the person can still function in the best possible manner once they are healed. My mother had both a colon and liver resection 6 years ago, and now I can visualize what she had done. It is still mysterious to me but I appreciate it more nonetheless. If you are going to have cancer surgery, you may want to consider sending your surgeon an anonymous copy of this book! If you are a surgeon or practioner, this has to help your craft. The price may seem a bit steep, but when you consider the quality of the artwork and that the book will probably not make the NY Times bestseller list, it is well worth it.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT I GET IN TOUCH WITH DR. NORMAN BLOOM. IF ANYONE HAS AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE I CAN REACH HIM, PLEASE SEND IT TO ME AT :dcent50@aol.com

The Prince and the Pauper was a classic example of early literature. It was written like every other Mark Twain book, in old English dialect. I could understand it, but at times I had to read some areas over again to get what he was saying. I read this book for a literature assingment, and I did not enjoy it. Some areas of the book are funny and quite charming, but overall the story is really hard to get into. If you like fairy tales or stories from medievil times, this is the book for you. I really think I could have read a book better than this one with my time though. I also recommend: "Princess: A tale of life under the veil in Saudi Arabia" By: Jean Sasson

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

This is the story of a prince and a pauper who switch places because of their uncanny outer resemblance. They obviously go through many trials and ordeals - the pauper trying to learn the ways of royalty, and the prince having to witness and undergo the results of some of the ridiculous laws and practices of the period.

Like many of Mark Twain's books, this is another satire that makes fun of the values that society holds to be important. In this story, Mark Twain points out how people place so much importance on outer appearance. A prince and a pauper, who, despite their outer resemblance are very different people, switch places, without anyone noticing. There is more to a person than their looks, and this is one point stressed throughout the novel.

The one complaint I have about this book is that there wasn't enough written about Tom Canty, the pauper who became a prince. I found his situations much more interesting than those of the true prince, but this was only a minor point.

I would recommend this book for ages 12 and older. Younger people could read the story, but miss the underlying meanings in certain situations. I wouldn't call this book a "Must Read" but it is a good introduction to classic literature.

Ever wondered what happened when the Enterprise returned home after its 5 year mission. Captain Kirk gets promoted to Admiral. Spock goes home to Vulcan. And McCoy haves some Medical Lectures. But All in all the crew reunites and this story has 2000 years in the making rather then 5. I enjoyed this tale. It keeps my attention span. A good edition to the star Trek Library.

"The Lost Years" starts 'The Lost Years' series, wich tells us the tale of the crew of the original Enterprise in the years between the original five year mission and "The Motion Picture".

"The Lost Yaers" the novel is very well written by Jean Mary Dillard and contains great characterization, but lacks seriously in terms of plot developement.

The book begins with the crew leaving the ship behind, an overly long phase with painfully uneventfull scenes, that contribute nothing important to the story, and offer frustratingly few character insights.

This phase is followed by the unsuccesfull introduction of some of the characters' (mostly Kirk's) new lives after Enterprise.

The story kicks in far too late, and is as predictable as expected from a plot that only covers the latter half of a book.

The biggest problem with this book is the fact that almost all characters involved in the story just happen to be the familiar characters of the Enterprise crew who are introduced to the story via ridiculously unbeliavable coincidences. Mix that with two-dimentional additional characters, magic, Tarod reading and prophesies, you get a slightly entertaining book with no credibility to back it off. A waste of a good premise.

this book. It was a good account of the period after the original 5 year mission. I enjoyed it so much I have bought the next 3 books in the Lost Years saga.

I just read Good-Bye Mr.Chips and I thought that it was a decent book. It was about an older man who had been a schoolmaster at an all boys school. The school was very reputable. Everyone at the school knew and loved Mr. Chipping. They called him Mr. Chips. He was a humerous character and everyone laughed at his jokes. He would make the new boys feel welcome and he taught well. The story is about him recollecting his memories while working at Brookfield (the school). He worked there for about 60 years and expreienced many things and got to know many boys. Everyone liked him and hated to see him go.

Good-Bye Mr. Chips is a short story about a man named Authur Chips. He is a headmaster at a school named Brookfield. Mr. Chips, as he is called by his students, is a very old fashioned Latin teacher. Throughout the book he encounters many different situations and his reactions display his charming and noble character. He cares about people and influences the lives of all who come in contact with him.
Although there is not much action, Good-Bye Mr. Chips is captivating in its own way. It's easy to read and short enough that it does not become boring and monotonous.

Good-bye Mr. Chips was a good book for short, recreational reading.
Mr. Chips is an elderly man who tells about his life as a school teacher.
He also tells all about his wife, whom he loved very much, but whom died an early death.
Through out the book the stories of the past are told by Mr. Chips as he sits in his chair drinking tea. He is very kind and
he loves the boys at the school.

This book is a persistent favorite, and I admit to enjoying it tremendously as a school student. However, "Looking Backward" would not be read today if it weren't for Bellamy's extraordinary vision of a socialist utopia that was in stark contrast to the realities created by 20th Century Communism.

Bellamy himself wanted to distance himself from "Das Kapital", published 40 years before "Looking Backward." The godless society was not his vision; instead he created a perfect society of people who were naturally good, and, with the proper upbringing and values instilled, would report for their assignment in the work corp, deal unselfishly with their neighbors and work hard and selflessly for the common good. Obviously, Bellamy was not a student of human psychology, nor a keen observer of children, who exhibit cruelty and selfish nature pretty much as soon as they can walk.

The story is badly written as a novel--Bellamy relies on stilted conversation for exposition of his ideas and the idea of a mesmerized insomniac sleeping peacefully and unagingly for years locked away in an insulated capsule while his house burned down around him is silly even by science fiction standards. Nevertheless, the vision of symphony concerts piped in by advanced technology (radio broadcasts and sterophonic sound), the distribution of goods by automated means is extraordinarily prescient, even if these enterprises today are for profit and not free for the taking as in "Looking Backward."

Despite the fantasy, the total lack of understanding of human nature and the clumsy writing, this book is still an enjoyable version of Utopia and especially fun for younger readers.

Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward is not a great work of literature. The character development is minimal, there is little plot line to speak of beyond the main character's mysterious transportation from the end of the 19th to the end of the 20th century. The dialogue is stilted and is often rendered simply as responsory monologues. Not so interested, huh?

Well, it is an important book. It was the most popular book of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and thus has great value as a historical work. Bellamy gives an interesting commentary on the social conditions of his time, and provides an interesting answer -- though another interesting weakness is that Bellamy never bothers to explain how the transition to his utopian economic structure occurred; it was simply "inevitable."

So if you're assigned to read this for school, read it for what it is: a piece of late nineteenth-century history. Just don't expect anything belonging to the canon of Great Western Literature.

Having never really heard of this novel or its author before, I was rather surprised to discover how immensely popular it was at the end of the nineteenth century. Edward Bellamy does an excellent albeit sometimes pedantic job of communicating his socioeconomic views and provides an interesting and informative read, despite the fact that the utopia of his fictional creation is a socialist nightmare in the realm of my own personal philosophy. It is very important to understand the time in which Bellamy was writing, especially for a conservative-minded thinker such as myself who holds many of Bellamy's views as anathema. It was the mid-1880s, a time of great social unrest; vast strikes by labor unions, clashes between workers and managers, a debilitating economic depression. Bellamy, to his credit, in no way comes off as holier than thou; his wealthy protagonist recognizes his own responsibility in seeing the world in the eyes of the more prosperous classes, basically ignoring the plights of the poor and downtrodden, having inherited rather than earned the money he is privileged to enjoy, etc. This makes the character's observations and conclusions very impactful upon the reader.

While I do respect Bellamy's views and understand the context in which they germinated, I cannot help but describe his future utopia as nothing less than naïve, socialistic, unworkable, and destructive of the individual spirit. Indeed, it sounds to me like vintage Soviet communism, at least in its ideals. Bellamy is a Marxist with blinders on. I should describe the actual novel at this point. The protagonist, an insomniac having employed a mesmerist to help him sleep through the night, finds himself waking up not the following morning in 1887 but in a completely changed world in 2000. His bed chamber was a subterranean fortress of sorts which only he, his servant, and the mesmerist (who left the city that same night) even knew about, and apparently his home proper burned down on that fateful night and thus his servant was clearly unable to bring him out of his trance the following morning. It is only by accident that Dr. Leekes of twentieth-century Boston discovers the unknown tomb and helps resuscitate its remarkable inhabitant. 20th-century life is wholly unlike anything the protagonist has ever known, and the book basically consists of a number of instruction sessions by the Leekes as to how society has been virtually perfected over the preceding 100 years. There is no more war, crime, unhappiness, discrimination, etc. There are no such things as wages or prices, even. All men and women are paid the same by virtue of their being human beings; while money does not exist, everyone has everything they possibly need easily available to them for purchase with special credit cards. Every part of the economy is controlled by the national government, and it is through cooperation of the brotherhood of men that production has exceeded many times over that of privately controlled industries fighting a war against each other in the name of capitalism.

Bellamy's future utopia is most open to question in terms of the means by which individualism is supposedly strengthened rather than smothered, how a complex but seemingly set of incentives supposedly keep each worker happy and productive, how invention or improvement of anything is possible in such a world, and how this great society does not in fact become a mirror of Khrushchev's Russian state. Such a society consisting of an "industrial army" and controlled in the minutest of terms by a central national authority simply sounds like Communism to my ears and is equally as unsustainable. Of course, Bellamy wrote this novel many years before the first corruptions of Marx's dangerous dreams were made a reality on earth. As I said, I disagree with just about everything Bellamy praises, and I think almost anyone would agree his utopia is an impossibility, but I greatly respect the man for his bold, humanitarian vision and applaud his efforts to make the world a better place. In fact, many groups organized themselves along the lines of the world Bellamy envisioned, so the novel's influence on contemporary popular thought is beyond question. Looking Backward remains a fascinating read in our own time.

I should make clear that the novel is not completely a dry recitation of socioeconomic arguments and moralistic treatises. Bellamy makes the story of this most unusual of time travelers a most enjoyable one, bringing in an unusual type of old-fashioned romance to supply the beating heart of a novel that had the potential to become overly analytical and thus rather boring reading otherwise. He also managed to grab me by the scruff of the neck and shake me around a couple of times with his concluding chapter, quite shocking me with a couple of unexpected plot twists. This great humanist of the late nineteenth century can teach us all something about what it means to be truly human, although I fear that his socioeconomic theories are themselves far too romanticized to have much practical relevance in the lives of modern men and women.