Claimed to be the best of all Greek tragedies, OEDIPUS REX (or OEDIPUS THE KING..."REX" means "KING") by Sophocles is that classic story of the man who was doomed to kill his own father and marry his own mother. Everyone seems to know the basic plot of the story, but how much do you REALLY know?

This new translation of OEDIPUS THE KING by Berg and Clay proves to be successful...everything is understandable and rather enjoyable to read too. It's hard to believe that you're actually reading a play.

I suggest that you DO NOT read the original version of the play by Sophocles first...you might be discouraged by the difficulty of the language he uses. Instead, start with Berg and Clay's translation...it's so much easier to read, and more importantly, enjoy.

I felt that the action and plot was well-woven out, and the story tied together nicely; however, there was one flaw. The ending was too abrupt. Of course, I'm not going to spoil the ending for you now (you'll have to read it yourself) but I WILL tell you that if you're one of those people who hate endings that just leave you hanging, you might not like OEDIPUS THE KING.

I had to read OEDIPUS THE KING as an Honors English assignment (and usually what kind of books we have to read for school are good?). Nevertheless, I found the play interesting, but because of the so-abrupt ending with questions still dangling on the end, I give the book 3 stars. (By the way, in no other Greek tragedy are so many questions asked, so be prepared to have your mind boggled by this book!...Have a spiffy day! -Nick Chu

"Oedipus the King" or Oedipus Rex is the world's first great tragedy. Almost everyone knows the tale of the man who murdered his father and married his own mother. The only question is, which translation do you read? Bernard Knox makes an excellent case for his prose translation of Sophocles classic. This is a version designed for the a filmed version meant for the classroom; as such, it is remarkably smooth and easy to read. There is little poetry left in it; if that is what you seek, look elsewhere. This edition comes with a nice set of introductory essays on the background of the play, the theater, and Sophocles. All in all, a nice little edition.

The only budget series of audio books and recorded drama comes from Naxos. One of their more recent entries is a very modern version of Sophocles' in a translation by Duncan Steen. In fact, some might find it a little too modern with its use of idiomatic expressions such as "You can't pin that on me"--which might be taken as an ironic reference to the final horrible deed of the hero. But when the messenger the agonized Oedipus as calling himself a "mother f..." (although he stops at the "f") the effect is far too "modern" for comfort. You see, given a sound recording, we can only assume that the action is taking place in the nearly prehistoric past. I do not know the tone of Sophocles' Greek; but I do read that it is elegant and decorous. Therefore, I can only assume that this translator is doing his source a great injustice.

On the other hand, the dialogue MOVES. There is an excitement to this performance, although the Creon of Adam Kotz lacks some force. Michael Sheen is good in the title role, as is Nichola McAuliffe as Jocasta, Heathcote Williams as the Chorus Leader, and John Moffatt as Tiresias and the Narrator at the start of the recording. The Chorus itself is cut down to four voices, but they are handled nicely with stereo separation and are quite comprehensible. The music is meager but effectively used.

All in all, a very good if not perfect attempt at making one of the greatest Western plays accessible to a wide audience.

My boyfriend and I bought this book in the British Museum bookstore so we could keep the monarchs straight. For that purpose it is perfect. Each page is about the size of two credit cards, and each monarch gets two pages each- one page for a picture of him/her, and one page for a biography. The brevity of the biography obviously leads to inaccuracies in the interest of cramming it all into a single tiny page. In other words, I don't recommend using it to study for a history test, but if you want to put it in your backpack as you are touring London so you can say "Oookay, now Henry the VI was a [crummy] and weak king" as you stand over his tomb in St. George at Windsor and "Henry VII killed Richard the III, that bad guy from Shakespeare" as you stand next to Henry's tomb in Westminster Abby, it is absolutely perfect for that purpose. However, if you want a more thorough review (and loads of pictures, but less backpack friendly) of each monarch, I very much recommend Antonio Fraser's "The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England."

My only complaint about this book is that it tells a complete falsehood of the blessed Anglican Martyr Charles Stuart. To put this in a nutshell, Queen Victoria had a grudge against several of her predecessors (including Charles the martyr.) During her reign she fabricated the tale that Charles was a self server. On the other hand she tried to make the monstrously evil Cromwell into a champion of constitution and democracy. (Don't take my word for it. Read Winston Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People" 1955). Otherwise, this book is EXCELLENT. It offers a brief listing of the different houses. It also offers a beautiful photograph of each monarch. For the most part, it offers a brief but accurate passage on each of the monarchs. One thing Best does very well is that he goes beyond common and inaccurate opinions of some famous monarchs (including Henry VIII) and gives a scholarly opinion of their contributions to England.

If you want a coffee table book, this is not for you. Though tiny in size, this book is packed with valuable information. The illustrations, which cover all 43 of the rulers, are beautiful. The biographies are short and sweet, providing a basic background on each monarch. Also included are some humorous and shocking facts! I bought this for a friend and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it myself. It's a great value.

If you like military historical fiction in a story that has a beginning, middle and an end, with lots of action, tactical and weapon descriptions then enjoy this book. I reckon it is better than his English Civil War series, at least it doesn't "wander" as much. I would, however have appreciated some maps. I have yet to read "Knave of Swords" but am looking forwards to going backwards to the prequel.

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Genesis Of The Grail Kings examines the historical fact that is NOT in question: the Bible has been written, rewritten, translated, and edited numerous times by numerous groups and individuals over the last two millenia. Why? How? What did the earlier versions say? What's the story behind The Greatest Story? Many reasons, both sacred and profane, and you'll find them and the supporting research in this book. Laurence Gardner illustartes this clearly and with considerable documentation. He shows the paper trail all the way back. In the places where he makes a speculative foray, he says so. His material is better written than Zecharia Sitchin's. The book is tighter, with more clarity, and despite being non-fiction, moves along with the taught feel of a well-written mystery novel. If you are a fan of the "ancient astronaut genre" you will really enjoy this as well as his other two books, Bloodline Of The Holy Grail and Realm Of The Ring Lords. For this kind of material, it's just about the best of it's kind.

Sir Laurence Gardiner's 2 works "Genesis of the Grail Kings" and "Bloodline of the Holy Grail" were two of the most interesting, well researched and thouroughly engrossing works I've read in a long long time. Although each works well as a stand-alone book, I thouroughly recommend readers read BOTH works.

Drawing upon ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian records, in the case of "Genesis of the Grail Kings", and drawing on priveleged genealogical information protected by the various European Royal Houses and the Scots Royal House of Stewart, in the case of "Bloodline"; Sir Laurence backs up his topics with detailed, fascinating research.

I wholeheartedly recommend both books for readers interested in learning true facts concerning such topics as the following:

-An ancient bloodline dating from before Sumerian times was preserved from ancient times, up to Jesus' time, and the present day. This bloodline had been genetically enhanced, firstly thru the ingestion of Annunaki "Star Fire", and later thru the ingestion of alchemically altered monatomic white gold powder. -Gravitational and time/space anomalies presented by alchemically altered monatomic white gold powder, and how modern science is now just beginning to rediscover these ancient secrets. -The nature of Sumerian Kingship. -How the first few books of the Old Testament were recombinations and retellings from far older and more complete Sumerian and Mesopotamian records and legends. -The facts about many of the parables in the New Testament, in that they were coded references to political situations, and not depictions or descriptions of supernatural phenomena. -The true facts concerning Jesus' heritage, birth, upbringing and training, familial relations, and marriage to Mary Magdalene. -The true facts concerning Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. -The role, and original importance, of women such as Mary Magdalene in the Church. -How the Roman Catholic Church was able to usurp unearned, power wealth and authority, and how the Church sought to maintain that hold on wealth power and authority by: preventing the true facts concerning Jesus to be brought to light; suppressing, distorting, and then denying the role and importance of women in the Church; controlling the roles and options open to women in society; suppressing intellectual and individual, and artistic freedoms thru such instruments as the Inquisition.

-The rise of the European Royal Houses, and in particular, the suppression of the Scots Royal House of Stewart, by England. -The role that enlightened, properly instituted, and properly managed government plays in securing the freest expression of individual liberties.

And many more points too numerous to mention.

In short, I hope that readers will take these two books to heart and will find them as beneficial as I have.

Regretfully I had to borrow my hardcover copy from the main public library in order to read it, because I am still waiting to get the copy I purchased from amazon.com since Nov. 10, 2001. It truly gives the "Usually Ship within 2-3 days" a very difference meaning. As usual Mr. Gardner does not cease to amaze you with his astronomical knowledge of ancien documents, scripts, clay tablets or scrolls pre-dating the bible. I equally greatly enjoyed his previous book "The Bloodline to the Holy Grail" Only time will tell with further discovery of "lost documents" how accurate his tabulation and agglomeration of all these sources are. Highly recommended to all interested in biblical history

File on the Tsar is interesting as a compilation of escape theories popular in the 1970's, most of which have since been proven to be false, particularly in Radzinsky's The Last Tsar (which would be a good book to read after this one). Still, the writing style is engaging and the photos are well chosen. Take it's theories with a grain of salt and it is a fun read.

Sadly, with the advent of DNA and the fall of the iron curtain there is less and less mystery in history.

This book is a fine example of the fog and questions which surronunded the death (or disappereance) of the russian imperial family. However, as time has moved along, we now know that most of the ideas the authors suggest never occured.

That said I liked the book and felt that it gave a good treatmeant of the context within which the last Tsar and his family met their tragic end. The reader must always exercise caution about the conclusions even as you enjoy the text.