Thanks to the authors' well balanced account of Donald Crowhurst's early years and his participation in the first non-stop sailing race around the world, this book transcends the nautical genre by far. As such, the story of a rather inexperienced sailor starting a grueling endeavor on a poorly designed and only partially finished boat contains elements from some eminent literary precursors and evolves into a true to life version of crime and punishment.

Devoid of any attempt to overanalyze, the authors start this book with an account of Crowhurst's early years. The daredevil character that is portrayed is well in line with a personality that would feel challenged by an impossible task like the one facing Crowhurst later. On top of that, the recurrent theme of a person breaking into new territory to leave tangled situations behind gives an important clue to his behavior under the stress of his sailing voyage.

Having burned his bridges and created a presumed win or lose all situation, Crowhurst sets out ill-prepared on a partially finished boat, that has already shown clear design flaws and was put together in too much of a hurry. Rather than face obvious defeat Crowhurst chooses the risk and the impossible mission of sailing around the world. Although he initially tries to make the most of the situation, he soon realizes that he will not win the race and possibly not survive a trip through the rough waters beyond the Cape. In a Shakespearean 'to be or not to be situation' this Hamlet decides to perpetrate fraud rather than admitting failure. Making up false nautical positions along the way and forced to radio silence not to give away true position, Cowhurst never leaves the Atlantic Ocean, makes some repairs in Argentina and bides his time while some competitors drop out or make real progress. Ending up in winning position Crowhurst turns himself in a real life Raskolnikov and philosophizes himself into madness and ultimately suicide.

Especially, since the approach in this book is entirely journalistic, analytical and objective this story gives a rare detailed 'play-by-play' account of someone going of the deep end. Based on a twisted interpretation of a line in Einstein's own book on Relativity, decent skills in mathematics and analytical reasoning and quite a bit of creativity, Crowhurst sets his mind on a track that degenerates in self destruction. While this is in no way the first account of advancing psychopathology, both Crowhurst isolation and hardships and the impossible task he has set himself make this a heart wrenching story. Thanks to the excellent introduction there is ample indication that both Crowhurst nurture and nature on the one hand, and Mother Nature on the other, provided him with a challenge he failed to meet.

Thanks to the journalistic approach and excellent writing this story is still gripping in a world whose technical advances have made a repetition of Crowhurst's attempt at pulling a fast one all but impossible. Thus, the portrayal of the sailor's slow mental degradation competes with the very best accounts in fiction.

Towards the end, reading Crowhurst's last log entries, I worried that I myself might come unhinged.

This is not a sailing book -- it is a detective story about what pressure and isolation can do to the human mind. The authors do a wonderful job of assembling and presenting the evidence.

It doesn't matter at all that you know the complete story before you start: A guy's marriage and business ventures are in shambles; he hoodwinks a town into building him a bad plywood trimaran for an around-the-world race; he gets scared and fakes everything by staying in the Atlantic and sailing in circles; he goes nuts and walks overboard.
An amazing study of the human mind under pressure -- I commend the authors.

This book will shake you up. The necessary antidote is "The Long Way" by Bernard Moitessier, a lyrical story about the same race by the man who was winning it, but was so raptured by the Deep that he forfeited the prize and just kept on sailing...

This is my all-time favorite sailing book. The story is gripping, the writing is extraordinary and the reader really comes to care about the characters. Although we know how the story ends, we feel the tension as Crowhurst is swept away by the forces he himself set into motion, a prisoner of pride and publicity. I am thrilled to see this book re-issued.

Heartbreak recollected in sublimity. The long "Daylilies" poem tells of the loss of the poet's family members over two centuries in his New Hampshire farmhouse. Walls, beams, lathe, handmade nails, everything about the house goes into a sense of infinite loss over the centuries and parallels the loss of his wife. We all go into the night, but it's great to go in the hands of a poet like Hall.

At 47 Jane Kenyon, much younger than her husband Donald Hall, should have buried him; but that was not meant to be. In this slim volume of poetry, Hall writes eloquently of his wife's death, his love for her, grief, despair and eventual acceptance of life without her. The poems are best if read straight through. They are highly personal, sometimes almost embarrassingly so. We should thank Mr. Hall for sharing his most intimate thoughts on such a private and painful subject.

Mr. Hall's imagery is beautiful. Listen to the opening lines of "Kill The Day."

"When she died it was as if his car accelerated
off the pier's end and zoomed upward over death water
for a year without gaining or losing altitude. . . "

In the poem "Ardor" lust is described as "grief that has turned over in bed to look the other way." Finally in the concluding poem in the book "Affirmation" Hall describes the indifference of the young to growing old with this wonderful image: "we row for years on the midsummer pond, ignorant and content."

We can all take from these poems, if not comfort, at least the knowledge that we are not alone in our own losses. As in all good art, the particular becomes the universal.

At 47 Jane Kenyon, much younger than her husband Donald Hall, should have buried him; but that was not meant to be. In this slim volume of poetry, Hall writes eloquently of his wife's death, his love for her, grief, despair and eventual acceptance.
The poems are best if read straight through, I think. They are highly personal, sometimes almost embarrassingly so. We should thank Mr. Hall for sharing his most intimate thoughts on such a private subject.

Mr. Hall's imagery is beautiful. Listen to the opening lines of "Kill The Day."
"When she died it was as if her car accelerated
off the pier's end and zoomed upward over death water
for a year without gaining or losing altitude. . . "
In the poem "Ardor" lust is described as "grief that has turned over in bed to look the other way." Finally in the concluding poem in the book "Affirmation" Hall describes the indifference of the young to growing old with this wonderful image: "we row for years on the midsummer pond, ignorant and content."

As in all good art, the particular becomes the universal.
the pier's
end and zoomed upward over death water

I thought this was a wonderful book. I enjoyed Thayers use of poetry to exrpress the emotion in the story. The language used in the text is of very high quality and when read by an adult to a child, the child is able to thourghly understand. The illustrations play an important role with the text. They not only enrich the text, but they tell a story in itself. We can feel the emotion of the players and the crowd through Polacco's work. Overall I thought this was a wonderful book and reccomend it to a child of any age.

Thayer's classic ballad, 'Casey at the Bat,' is greatly enhanced by Patricia Polacco's brilliantly achieved, big-hearted illustrations. Ms. Polacco captures emotion, action, and character through wittily exaggerated, slightly loopy pictures, and through lots of uncrowded background shenanigans. It's very cinematic: She effectively isolates action through extreme close-ups, and extends time through a montage of events occurring within a single picture. Like the auteur she is, she even adds some opening and closing story elements (while leaving the poem intact) that augment the poem's appeal to the younger reader.

This book is simply great fun to read aloud; you'll find yourself wanting to memorize its evocative imagery and epic aspirations:

"Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongue applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip."

You and your youngsters will love the humor and the drama in this a classic rendition of Thayer's beloved poem. Infants and toddlers will enjoy the bright pictures, and all readers will appreciate the perfect teaming of Thayer and Polacco.

Casey at the Bat tells about mighty Casey and his missing 2 strikes - like messing up in life.

I originally picked this book up for the Akhmatova translations, but I found the interviews highly informative. Though I am not a published poet (in spite of describing myself as the most spaced out poet on the planet in a few reviews), I have been to Ann Arbor, Michigan and New Hampshire, and I was surprised with how similar some of our experiences have been. I have been to a writing workshop, so it was possible for me to follow the process by which she has shared and refined poems before attempting to have them published. I have also been to church and taken part in discussions in that context, and was not surprised that Jane Kenyon never found the courage to submit the final poem in the book, "Woman, Why Are You Weeping?" to that process. People don't usually talk about `apathy and bafflement' while "waiting/ for the bread and wine of Holy Communion" after having been to India. (pp. 205-09).

It would be awful for me to joke about the contents of this book, but I think I found a joke by Jane Kenyon in the article, "Poetry and the Mail," originally published in "The Concord Monitor," 16 August 1993. "All poets share one thing, however--a daily dependence on the mail. `It is joy, and it is pain,' as the great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova once said, though not about the mail." (p. 128). The poem itself, "Like a white stone in a deep well," (p. 16) is included in this book. Memory is mentioned in the second line, and in the final line of the poem, and must be what Anna Akhmatova was thinking about, or about "how the gods turned people/ into things, not killing their consciousness." (p. 16)

Most of the poems by Kenyon in this book show up in the Interview with Bill Moyers (1993). What I find most modern is the open discussion of depression, crept up on with a question about the melancholy of winter in the poem, "February: Thinking of Flowers." (p. 151). In a poem, "Having it Out with Melancholy," the second part starts with a list of pills that takes up three lines, and I would bet that none of them ever appeared in any book that Freud read. I like the poem "Otherwise" on pages 168-69. The last one in the Moyers interview was "Let Evening Come." (pp. 170-71). I suspect that most of the readers of this book will be serious poets. It is difficult to imagine another group who would be eager to contemplate an article like "The Physics of Long Sticks." The last paragraph of that article is devoted to the question, "Why can't people be more like dogs?" (p. 103).

Jane Kenyon's poetry reawakened my muse and my love of poetry at a time in my life when I sorely needed it. I have read everything of hers I can get my hands on, and when I found this book I was thrilled. It is like sitting down in the living room with her. I always felt so close to her, like she was my friend, and this book almost makes that impossibility possible.

Jane Kenyon is sorely missed; her volumes of published poetry are cherished members of my library. How wonderful to have now a collection of her translations and her occasional prose pieces. She was as observant and trenchant in essays about gardening or hiking as she was in her best verse; this collection is another chance to hear her voice once again. For all her fans, this volume is a must. For those who don't know her work, it might be a good introduction, and it will surely lead them to her published collections which, thankfully, remain in print. A warm tribute to a much-loved writer.

Mr. Burgett was a 19 year old paratrooper in the 101st airborne who had the luck (good or bad) to witness some of the fiercest fighting that took place during the second world war. This book provides you with the feel from the trenches of those terrible dark days when it looked like the Wehrmacht and Hitler's Germany were striking forward again. The terrible cold, fear, and the brutality of the combat spring to life in this well written account. This text is an easy and quick read, I finished it on one 3 hour plane flight.
Mr. Burgett participated in multiple attacks and defenses and his writing of them is extremely detailed as I suppose those memories linger quite clearly. This is not a book of strategy or an overview of the Battle of Bastogne, but simply how one man experienced the combat and the losses. No quarter was given or asked for. Prisoners were given no solace as there was no food, medicine or even men to guard them. This was combat in its rawest form. A good reminder to all of what war really is in its basic form - young men killing other young men. Mr. Burgett experienced this at arms length and is kind enough to share his experiences. Read this and be thankful for the freedom from fascism that we share!

Thirty years ago, when I was in junior high school, I read Mr. Burgett's first book on his actions as a paratrooper during the Normandy Invasion. Over the years, I must have re-read this book probably twenty times. It was that good. Most books tell us what this unit did and what the other unit did, but Mr. Burgett tells us what he and his fellow squad members did. I can't believe there is any better history than that to tell. In his latest book, Mr. Burgett tells us about the second most important battle that the United States Army fought in Europe in 1944. I have ready many books on the Battle of the Bulge and I feel that this was one of the more important ones that I could have read.

I read my first book on the Bastogne over 25 years ago and perhaps four more in the intervening years including Ambrose's superior "Band Of Brothers". Burgett's work here stands alone. The hand-to-hand combat he describes on 12/22/44 in the Bois Jacques was riveting. In this single operation, Burgett and the other 57 remaining members of his company (A of the 506) and a collection of the remaining few men of C company, after days of no sleep, little food and bitter combat, again engaged the enemy in sub-zero weather, and destroyed an entire enemy battalion. He was 19 at the time. This is an extraordinary book, written by an extraordinary man from an extraordinary generation. This well crafted work by one who was there gives us a clear view of just how extraordinary they were and how much is owed.

I enjoyed Nop's Trials but found the story a bit depressing. The ending was satisfying though. I had difficulty with the dog's chat as they spoke like Quakers do.."thou art a good dog" etc..but I got used to it. However, this dog dialogue could have possibly been left out. The author has written very sensitively and honestly but I felt he could have used a bit more decorum in one part of the book that depicts sexual intimacy between the main character and his wife. Other than that it is a novel of some integrity and you can learn some things about Border Collies which I found interesting. A good weekend read.

Nop's Trials is one of the best books I've read. Nop is Lewis Burkholder's loyal sheep dog, and Lewis is Nop's dedicated master. Nop's Trials is the story of one man's dedication to his incredible Border Collie, Nop. Nop is stolen on Christmas Day, and is sold and given to many people. Lewis searches and brakes laws just to get his dog back. This book is a must read for any dog or animal lover, or Border Collie fan. Nop's story will make you cry, laugh, and you'll be hooked from page 1.

Actually, I read this book quite a few years ago, when it was first published.
Since then, I've re-read Nop's Trials, along with every other book that Donald McCaig has written.
While I have enjoyed all of Mr. McCaig's books, Nop's Trials is by far the best.
It's a great story that will be long remembered, not just by Border Collie owners like myself, but by any dog or animal lover.
Nop's Trials is a story that could be made into a great movie!

While working one night, John Dortmunder accidentally sets off a burglar alarm, an occupational hazard for a thief, and winds up hanging from the rafters of the local convent. Although the occupants are an order of nuns who have taken a vow of silence, they manage to let John know that in return for not turning him into the police, they would make use of his specialist skills. They want him to rescue a young nun who was taken from the convent by her father and is held on the top floor of a 76-storey building.

Dortmunder's flair for getting himself into and out of impossible situations are highlighted again as he attempts to breach the defences of a building that seems as impenetrable as any well guarded fortress can be. The ever-changing motley crew that he works with is made to seem even more motley by the inclusion of the skirt chasing (but never catching) Wilbur Howey. Tiny Bulcher is again along for the ride in all his menacing glory as are two regulars Andy Kelp and Stan Murch.

It's the humorous ways in which Dortmunder deals with setbacks that gives the book it's charm. Interest is added by limiting the field of play to one building. How to get in, save the girl and then out again is the problem he faces.

This is yet another satisfyingly entertaining entry in the Dortmunder series that proves this time that he has a caring side, or maybe it's just his guilty, greedy side rearing it's head again. Whichever it is, it's a pleasure to see it.

This book, about career crook John Dortmunder and his attempt to rescue a nun of the silent sisterhood is one of the best Dortmunder novels Mr. Westlake has ever written. The atmosphere is tense, since the book is about rescuing somebody as well as getting off with a lot of money, and having to put up with the nun's fascist father. This book is an enjoyable reading for all.

John Dortmunder becomes St John when his latest caper drops him into a convent. The sisters see it as divine intervention so they ask him to rescue a kidnapped nun from her tyrannical father who is having the Catholicism deprogrammed out of her. Only Dortmunder could gather a group of thieves to rescue a nun and end up facing a mercenary army set for a Central American Revolution. Full of hilarious incident after hilarious incident, this is the Dormunder gang at its best.

I wish I could drop millions of copies of this book from the sky. It should be required reading by every human being. Has the author been on Oprah? Larry King? Good Morning America? Today? Rosie? How about a PBS special? If so, I'm sorry I missed those segments. If not, then where's his publicist? Can we get rid of Dr. Laura and replace her with Donald McCullough?

It would be such a lovely world if we were all to get back to the basics of mutual respect and consideration. There would be a lot less stress in today's world if everyone followed the very simple principles in this book.

Buy it, read it, share it, and most importantly, DO IT. You'll stand out among the herd--that's for sure.

This is an excellent book. The author writes about how society has lost its basic manners, and how important it is that we get those back. He includes a lot of personal stories to use as good examples, and in each chapter, he talks about the way he thinks people should act in different situations. This is not an etiquette book, and Donald McCullough makes that clear. He admits that he would probably never know which fork to use at a fancy dinner party. Rather, this is a book on how we should all show proper respect for one another. He makes some great points, and at other times, will have you laughing out loud at his stories. It's very heartwarming, and I wish every human being would read this!

Short and sweet. For anyone who loves to get a hand-written thank you note, a birthday card in the mail, or the perfect gift just because-this book is for you. Donald McCullough first is a magical writter, and second a wise and kind teacher.

We need to get back to the nature of caring and doing the little things that make human life special. Saying please and thank you are such fundimental human feelings, the loss of these words in our language will no doubt be the loss of the very threads that help to create the weaving which is the nicer side of our human family.

The gift for all ocassions (I purchased 20 of them!) and a great place to start with the kids. Help us keep the sweetness of human kindness alive, read and enjoy "Say Please, Say Thank You...!

James Wright was of course one of the 20th century's great master poets. Each poem in this book bears his stamp of completely precise, beautiful communication. His writing can teach about the art. It does, though, seem kind of pretentious to me the way this one approach to poetry, which has its sense in it, is the only way for the words to be poetry, which James Wright must have believed or he wouldn't have done it that same way every time.

This collection of Wright's work includes his experiments with formal blank verse, translations of German poets, experimental prose pieces, and characteristic free verse that made him one of America's strongest national poets with a regional identity. Wright's topics range from the pastoral landscape of people, wildlife, and industry near his Ohio hometown to the philosophical challenges of individuality, death, renewal, and union. The gray mountains, coal trains, steel bridges and murky Ohio River take their places beside docile horses, musical insects and colorful characters. But never does Wright falter to the mere reporting of a landscape through his poetry; the vision is always fresh, exacting, tense, and redemptive. I have used his work with many of my English students, and the feedback is celebratory. If you are a fan of poetry or a student of the craft, familiarize yourself with this book. Donald Hall's wonderful preface does justice to one of America's most fondly remembered poets.

James Wright's mastery of the traditional formal elements of poetry coupled with his contemporary and timeless themes makes his collection of poetry one of the best I have ever read. The first reading of his works leaves the reader wondering. The second brings comprehension. The third and any subsequent readings mesmerize as Wright's web of imagery and contemplation becomes more intricate. It is a shame that more readers do not know of his fascinating works.