Actually "The Death of Gwen Stacy" deals with more than the titular fatality and the end of the original Green Goblin in reprinting five classic comic books from Volume 1 of "The Amazing Spider-Man." You also get the previous three-story confrontation between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin that became infamous when the stories did not receive the Comic Book Code seal of approval because of a major sub-plot involving Peter Parker's roommate Harry Osborn being hooked on drugs: (1) "Amazing Spider-Man" #69, "And now, the Goblin," Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr.; (2) "Amazing Spider-Man" #70, "In the Grip of the Goblin," Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia; and (3) "Amazing Spider-Man" #71, "The Goblin's Last Gasp," Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. This was the first time when Norman Osborn remembered who he was along with Spider-Man's secret identity. Of course, the resolution of this crises leaves much to be desired since it is a tentative, at best, fix. The most memorable sequences in these stories is actually when Peter Parker and not Spider-Man takes down Harry's dealer. This trilogy sets up the other story, not just because it is the previous confrontation between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, but because another subplot has Peter and Gwen resolving their current interpersonal conflict.

The key thing to remember when you get to the next pair of stories is that Stan Lee is no longer writing the book and therefore killing off Peter's girl friend was not his idea: (4) "Amazing Spider-Man" #112, "The Night Gwen Stacy Died," Story by Gerry Conway, Art by Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr.; and (5) "Amazing Spider-Man" #113 "The Goblin's Last Round," Story by Gerry Conway, Art by Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr. Of course, the title of that first issue does not appear until the final page, since it obviously gives the game away, but just as clearly that is not a problem for this trade paperback collection. I think Conway did away with Gwen because Peter was getting pretty close to actually being happy and Spider-Man needed to get back to the oppressive sense of guilt that drives him because of the death of a loved one. Now, in addition to Uncle Ben, there is Gwen (Spider-Man was much more responsible for Gwen's death than that of Captain Stacy). Little would we know that the end of this story, where Mary Jane Watson stays with Peter to comfort him after Gwen's death, that this would end up being the start of something special.

Also included in this collection is "The Kiss," by John Marc DeMatteis and John Romita, Sr., which is reprinted from "Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #1," which serves as a poignant epilogue to the main events. This 112-page edition has a new cover by new painted cover by John Van Fleet. I would not exactly say that the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin were "great" Spider-Man stories, but they were certainly important and constituted an impressive one-two punch for consecutive issues. The historical importance would apply to the Lee stories as well. Unfortunately, these events eventually led to introducing the horrible idea of clones into the story line, both for the late lamented Gwen and Peter himself. More often than not, the dead should stay dead, even in the world of comic books.

This is a TPB of the saddest moment in spidey history. The Green Goblin commited his most henous act killing Gwen Stacy ( spideys Girl Friend). But it was also shows a supposed final end (impaled by his own glider) It also left room for harry to take his fathers place.

I loved cooking all the food and the ones i could not cook i sat for hours and stared at the pictures wishing i could.m Very Good job.Know i havemto go and eat dinner and make one of the many recipes i love. To eat all day they are tasty and youm yum yum. Mushi Mushi Ano Nay

I hated history in highschool (could be because the history teacher was fore-mostly the football coach) but found that as an adult I have a passion for it - ancient history, that is. However, this book was my first foray into the realm of history since that time oh so long ago. I was bedazzled with the thought of glorious battles and windy voyages at sea - and as I am mainly a fiction reader, I was unprepared for the sheer amount of _detail_ included in this book. I have found, that while it is very interesting - Gwyn Jones packs SO much information onto each page that I can hardly read more than 10 or so pages at a sitting before I need a breather - unusual for me, as I usually will finish a book in a couple of days. So while the content is well thought out and presented, if you are only a casual reader, perhaps you should get a bit more background on the Viking people first, and THEN attempt to slog through this one. (In either case, I _do_ recommend it!)

A clearly written, well-organized review of the full range of Viking history, from dim origins to far flung diaspora, to gradual fade. The story of the Greenland colony's disappearance is bone-chilling: like a subtle horror story, or a disturbing anxiety dream about neglect and loss. The mystery of it, and the other-worldly setting, raised the hairs on my spine. The book is an ample exploration of the entire gamut of Viking history, and strives to redress some of the demonization that has traditionally beset Vikings in history, presenting the archaeological evidence (such as it was in the late 60's--which is to say, not bad) alongside the contemporary accounts (including the fascinating diary entries of Arab travelers). Much of Viking history is a puzzle, so one must bear with some of the writer's detective work regarding placenames, dates, saga deconstruction and principal actors; but it helps to know the basis of the author's conclusions--where the firm ground is, and which claims are more or less tacit. The footnotes and bibliography are extensive and helpful.

For me, Gwyn Jones's 'History of the Vikings' is, quite simply, far and away the best single-volume work on this subject in the English language. It first appeared back in 1968 (I first read it in the early 1970s), but has been repeatedly updated in the light of new scholarship and, unlike many works of that vintage, still reads as freshly as when it was first published.

The scope is comprehensive. He starts the story with the earliest references to Scandinavia in Greek and Roman literature (the Scandinavians didn't start writing their own history until well after the Viking period) and carries it right through to the defeat of the last Viking invasion of England in 1066. The start point couldn't be set earlier; the end point is perhaps a little arbitrary (anyone who has read Orkneyinga Saga knows there were still people around in the 12th century AD who hadn't heard the Viking age was over), but you've got to draw a line somewhere. Geographically, he covers the full sweep of the Viking world, from Newfoundland to the Volga and all points between. Unlike many writers, who treat the Viking phenomenon largely from the viewpoint of the people they attacked, he gives full weight to the Vikings at home and to the slow and painful integration of the Scandinavian homelands into more or less (often less) unified kingdoms.

Like all serious modern Viking scholars, he is healthily sceptical about the saga and legendary sources, but he uses infinite care and judgement in extracting the sparse grains of historical fact from them. He makes skilful use of the remarkable range of material from the Vikings' neighbours: monastic chronicles from Western Europe and Russia; King Alfred's debriefing of a visiting Norwegian merchant; the Byzantine Emperor's strategic review of his northern borders; and - most surprising to the newcomer in the field - the several surviving reports by Arab diplomats. He has also taken full advantage of the advances in Viking archaeology over the last 35 years. It is salutary to remember that back in the 1960s there was by no means complete acceptance of the Anse aux Meadows site in Newfoundland as Viking.

The treatment is largely narrative, but it never degenerates into a relentless chronological grind because he pauses from time to time to insert thematic chapters covering matters like ecology, ethnography, ships, navigation, and so on, and he alternates the viewpoint between the Scandinavian homelands and the Viking movements overseas, both peaceful and warlike. Also, while pursuing broad trends and root causes with scholarly acumen, he clearly relishes the personalities in Viking history, from the legendary King Dag ("unlikely death of an unlikely king" says the index entry), via Gunnhild Mother of Kings ("a famous but somewhat fictitious northern lady"), to Harald Hardradi, last and greatest of them all - warrior in Russia, captain of the Varangian Guard at Byzantium, and King of Norway, whose claim to England (the unreliable legend says) won him only seven feet of ground - "because he is taller than other men".

Jones expects from his readers the same intelligence and interest that he deployed in writing his book. He makes no compromises on coverage or on the level of debate, so the book is factually dense (or factually rich, as I prefer to see it) and closely argued, but it is never a heavy read. His style comes out of the heart of the Welsh way with English - immensely fluent, allusive, full of cross-cultural reference and the occasional sly aside. If you like that sort of thing (and I do - it must be the genes from my own Welsh grandmother) it is a huge source of entertainment, over and above the purely factual richness of the book. On the other hand, it may be a time-waster for those who don't catch the references - for example, you won't understand Jones's sly little comment on Al-Tartushi's description of Danish singing unless you know that the Welsh have a certain conceit of their own ability in the matter. But it's a great read anyway!