I watch the History Channel too but somehow missed this. Working for an airline I do not have alot of time to spend on novels etc. But this is right up my gangway. Neat stuff to tuck away in my brain for a rainy day or maybe a gameshow! Glad I saw it here.

Rachlin has compiled an amazing amount of information on a wide range of subjects into this collection. It is a great book for anyone who enjoys history, whether as a hobby or a scholarly pursuit. He keeps the entries short and concise and still manages to provide a thorough explanation on the artifacts. The book is also convienient in its structure, in that you can read a chapter, put it down and leave for months, and then come back and read about another historical treasure.

This is a good book for Triva buffs and History buffs that discribes where all sorts of interesting items have gone and where they are now. This is a book that will make a great one time read and referance book. It is also big and looks good on a book shelf!

This is an interesting collection of essays, interviews, and commentaries, which has been well put together by Susan Sontag. The advice to young writers section is particularly amusing as are Kis's thoughts on his self-chosen exile. I recommend reading the Tomb of Boris Davidovitch before hand because much of the book deals with the controversy Kis faced over that novel, as well as his break from the Belgrade literati.

Kis was a brilliant writer, but as these essays show, completely apolitical. He did not have time for nationalists, internationalists, communists, capitalists any of it, which is why perhaps he went to France to live the quiet life of a University Professor.

Considering that she claims to be a friend of Kis and actually put this work together, it is shameful that Sontag insists on putting a political spin on this collection. She actually claims that the 'gingerbread heart of nationalism' section ranks along with, she claims, Andric's Letter from 1920 as early warnings against Serbian Nationalism. As someone who has translated Andric's story, I can tell you that Ms. Sontag should consider re-reading. The Andric story makes the case that Bosnia is a land of ethnic hatred, ready to explode at anytime, which it obviously did. There is no mention of Serbian aggression or nationalism. Nor does Kis ever pay tribute to any idealized multi-cultural Bosnia, Sontag's cause celebre throughtout the early 90's and repeated in the introduction. Enough politics, however.

Read this work because it tells us a great deal about a wonderful literary stylist, who knew and loved literature. The fact that others would try to co-opt Kis to champion their political philosophies is embarrassing. The book speaks for itself.

Kis is a giant of world literature. This book of biographical pieces, interviews, and essays by Kis allow the reader to see some of the inner workings of that fine mind. His early death was a great loss to literature. What he has achieved, however, will live on forever. I've read A TOMB FOR BORIS DAVIDOVICH perhaps five times, and I'm looking forward to reading it again, and again.

I read Danilo Kis' books " Tomb for Boris Davidovich", "Hourglass" and "Encyclopedia of the Dead". The glory and greatness of this eastern European writer can be comprehended fully only after understanding Kis on the personal level. ""Homo Poeticus" does just that: writer pours his soul to the world by revealing his influences (literary and personal), - and brings reader closer to the great writers of this century such as: Nabokov, Flaubert, Borges, Marquis de Sade...Kis even wrote an essay on the Serbian painter Velickovic. I always respected Danilo Kis' fictional works. Collection of Danilo Kis' essays and interviews made me even more fond of him as a person - and his work. Book's editor, Ms. Susan Sontag, wrote emotionally powerful introduction. Her selection of the work published on this non-fiction masterpiece is absolutely wonderful.

What a great idea: take nearly every year of human history and discuss the events as they unfold into a chain of causality. The effect on the reader is unparalleled.

However, there are historical innacuraccies throughout the work. The reader is best advised to get a "twenty-thousand-foot-level" view of the era that interests them from which to pursue more exhaustive texts.

Every time I pick up this book I am sucked in, following one historical trail through the years and being distracted by another path, and then another. It is set up so brilliantly, each year broken down by category--politics, music, food, religion, etc--and covering both Western and some Eastern history, that it puts all of history into accessible context and perspective. After looking up a detail in 1099 about English royal politics, it is easy to trace the repurcussions year by year, and to quickly glance at the music, the French situation, the new foods, the new theater, the global exploration, the current Chinese dynasty, and myriad other details all the way up to the present. Or just follow Mozart's career, or the Industrial Revolution, or agricultural innovations. Sure, it is not intensely detailed on each event, but it makes a great jumping off point towards other reference material. It is also the most appreciated gift I have ever given. Let's just hope the publisher decides to reprint!

As soon as you receive this book take a few minutes to reinforce the binding because (a) it's big and thick for a paperback, and (b) you'll find that it will spend very little time closed once it's opened. This book is an absloute necessity for those of us who are fascinated by not only the major landmarks of history, but the everyday flavor of past times. This book presents an eternal well of interesting notes and accounts that are organized ingeniously by subject, within years, across time. The cross-referencing that accompanies most entries makes the book nearly impossible to put down. The thoroughness provides a much needed perspective on almost any of today's pressing issues. The international scope only serves to make it that much more interesting for those with a thirst to know something about everything. Truly, you will learn something new everyday - for a long time.

The Big Liddell is a very valuable resource, as a number of other reviewers here have observed. It truly is the premier work of its kind. But it has a few drawbacks.

1 - The sheer weight and bulk of this tome makes it a dedicated desk reference. In fact, you might consider building a special shelf or desk just to hold the book.

2 - The offset printing flaws mentioned by other reviewers is a significant problem. Portions of some entries are not even legible.

The Big Liddell is the kind of book that would be much more valuable in digital format than in print. There's been talk about an electronic version for some time, and it looks like we might finally get one soon ...

The "big" Liddell & Scott is the one to buy when you're about to do your doctorate. Until then you would be better off with the Intermediate, and not just because it's only about a third the price and much easier to carry about. The Intermediate has a much clearer typeface and many students find its material more easily accessible.
The ninth edition of the "big" Liddell & Scott has been offset so many times that the print is faint and verging on the illegible. My copy actually has pieces of print missing. The Clarendon Press ought really to have the whole thing revised and reset. But what a daunting task! (It will probably end up being republished on disk.)

This review is for the Abridged Liddell-Scott Lexicon...

I own the Intermediate sized Liddell as well, and I must say I actually prefer the smaller one. When I took a class where we read "The Apology of Socrates" by Plato, my professor recommended avoiding the Intermediate edition. At first I thought perhaps he was wrong, and I used it to translate some passages. After spending a lot of time sorting through it, I found that I agreed with him. The Intermediate Liddell does have locations of word use in original sources, and has slightly more vocabulary, but for the beginning and intermediate Greek reader, the Abridged Liddell is preferable. Navigating through the abridged edition is far easier and it often assumes a lesser knowledge of Greek, thus it includes some conjugated forms, which then point you to the correct verb. So as you can see, the abridged edition should suit the needs of most classical Greek students. Also, the editors took care to make sure that virtually every New Testament word is included.

Are there drawbacks to the Liddell-Scott? The Victorian English often gets frustrating. We rarely use words like hither and thither anymore. Also, when more morally explicit Greek words are defined, their definition is in Latin. Also, the original printing abnormalities, such as certain parts of letters being cut off from words, remain.

Learning Greek is a rewarding, but daunting task. The task is often made more difficult by grammars and lexicons that assume the reader knows more than he or she does. The abridged Liddell is perfect for the average student. When you want to dive in deeper, learn word origins, search sources, or just want to say you own the most complete Lexicon out there, you should buy the full size Liddell-Scott. Until then, the abridged edition works!

This book is hard to read. It is hard to wade through the cruelty.

There are stories here of families being split apart by an uncaring master class. Children were callously sold and permanently separated from their parents. Husbands and wives were similarly split up.

Frankly, it makes you sick.

Then there are the stories of brutality. Again it makes you sick. How could the slave owners have sunk so low?

If you are looking for well written stories that bring the institution of slavery to life for you, this is not the book. What you get here are very short and very simple reports by individuals. There's nothing here that you didn't know already. This is not a great work of literature.

This is just a punch right in the nose to make you wonder how slave owners could have been so cruel.

In this beautiful, historical collection of slave narratives and photographs, we are given a look inside the lives of actual slaves being interviewed as part of a project conducted by the Works Progress Administration. With more than forty interviews, UNCHAINED MEMORIES is a work of art that provides a well-rounded look at the lives of slaves. It includes insight into their living conditions, thoughts about slavery, their families and even the details of actual slave auctions. It is a sometimes sad collection, but much needed to help us understand the progress our ancestors have made in the world.

Through their accounts, we are able to see the pain and suffering as well as the spirit and pride of those born into slavery, learn from it, and pass it along to our children. This is a wonderful resource for not only African American families, but for anyone interested in history and the period of slavery and its impact upon the African American race. It is compiled with the grace and dignity deserving of a people who have been through so much!

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

"...Oh freedom, Oh freedom, Oh freedom over me. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free"
__Old Negro Spiritual

The words of the spiritual above must not have been uttered to these beautiful human beings who have graciously allowed interviewers from the 1930's Governments Works Progress Administration to chronicle their life stories. For if the words above had been uttered, the slave experience, from an intimate and painful point of view, would never have received the credence they due. Tales of slavery are still passed down from generation to generation, and traditions still are followed but to see a book like Unchained Memories is special. Quite simply, this is a beautiful book. I'm so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read it and experience it and learn from it. I can treat the book as a textbook, a factual accounting of the lives of former slaves who have wonderful stories that they don't mind sharing with the world. For that reason alone, this book has earned a permanent place on my coffee table, for all who enter into my house to experience. Something about the actual words of former slaves bound in book form validates an agonizing time in American History.

Unchained Memories is well researched and magnificently laid out. At the beginning of every chapter is an introductory text that accounts for the tenure of the time, followed by a poignant quote and then brief narratives begin. My one regret is that the narratives are so short, when biographers obviously spent a great deal of time with these people. I am grateful that there is an extensive bibliography at the back so that I can, at some point, go and read the entire account by the former slave. Oh where will I find the time? If you read this book, I would highly suggest that you get a copy of the HBO documentary of the same name and watch it as well. There is nothing like "hearing" the words spoken by African American actors of today in the vernacular of the time.

I'm glad that Unchained Memories was published, and quite fittingly made its debut during Black History Month. These former slaves are the reason why Black History Month is perpetuated now and a fitting tribute for remembering from whence we as a nation have come.

As a result of hearing Bill Littlefield interviewed on the radio, I decided to buy this book as a gift for my son's little league coach. It looked so delightful that I couldn't resist reading it before I gave it to him. The book includes amusing and interesting anecdotes on a large variety of topics relating to baseball. Between the writing and the terrific photographs, Baseball Days keeps one's interest throughout.

I approach any book written by a Boston-area sports figure with skepticism. Mr. Littlefield, however, displays the same equanimity, intelligence, and heartfelt love for the game of baseball in this book as he does on his weekly National Public Radio show "Only A Game." The book is a collection of essays, but between the volume's flowing design (new essays do not start on a new page) and lively writing, it reads more like a conversation. Though each piece holds up on its own, their arrangement invites the reader to keep turning the pages, as the author steers the topic "From the Sandlots to the Show" (the book's subtitle). Tryout camps, zealous fans, rain delays, old players, weekend leagues, fielding, it's all in Littlefield's book. He writes with grace, and humor, and a sharp eye for observation. The book is also made beautiful by many great photographs throughout. I wouldn't hesitate to give this as a gift to any baseball fan, no matter what their team affiliation, Little League or Major League. It is, quite simply, one of the best books on the sport I've yet read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I was reading it. The perfect salve for the sting of the offseason cold.

I review other baseball books on my baseball...........

This is an unusual book - a clear and straightforward but none-the-less intriguing memoir of the kind of life that was led by the fairly small group of administrators that upheld European (British) imperial power in the 20th century. The author eschews a political agenda but nevertheless was witness to some of the more significant events in the colonial history of Southern Africa, the rise of nationalism, the fall of White Rhodesia, and the peculiar and some thought perverse relations between Malawi's Dr Banda and apartheid South Africa. There is a subtext to this book - that the practice of colonial Government in the 20th century could be benign and well intentioned, contrary to the mythology of brutality and force. Interesting for students of the period and a good read both for those who were involved in it and for all who like to understand reality rather than myth.

This is an excellent, highly readable book, of interest to a far wider audience than those who simply want to know more about the history of Malawi. Phillips tells the story of the transition from Nyasaland - a British Protectorate with a white colonial government - to Malawi - an independent African state. This story is illustrative of a wide sweep of history in Africa and even in other parts of colonial empires: it is the story of the passing of the late colonial era and the birth of independent developing nations. Phillips tells this story from the most engaging point of view, and with great narrative power. He was there: at the beginning of the story he was an Assistant District Commissioner representing the Queen in a huge tract of Africa almost completely free of roads; at the end of the story he was Minister of Finance (equivalent to Secretary of the Treasury) in a Black African Government. Phillips' experiences are unique, and provide a unique insight on this fascinating passage of history. Read this if you have any interest in the history of Africa, in the sunset of the colonial age, in the social history of that strange creature - the colonial administrator, or in the social, economic and political development of the African state. And, if you do have a particular interest in Malawi, you will find this a treasure trove: background to the enigmatic figure of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda from one who knew him personally from both sides of the colonial divide; a fascinating picture of a colonial Governor; the story behind the ill-fated attempt to create a Federation of states in Central Africa, and much more. I found the story of the Nyasaland Railways particularly fascinating, bringing in a personality who later became famous for other reasons - "Tiny" Rowland.

This book was very concise, helpful, and to-the-point about each topic in its content list. The items are (for the most part) helpful tips that are boiled down from more complex strategies for the games discussed. A few of the items are redundant and/or are just too common sense to be part of the numbered title. But most are appropriate, important, and well described. I would have liked more general detail on money management and casino details, but it's a good beginner's primer on many games and a good supplement to other more thorough books.

Walter Thomason who wrote the excellent "21st Century Blackjack" has assembled a who's who of gambling writers to give tips on all the games. The book works! Anyone interested in a quick-hit course in casino gaming will do well to buy this book. A very good job.

Walter Thomason and other experts such as Frank Scoblete, Henry Tamburin, and John Grochowski have written a very good book. Each piece of advice is short and to the point. The book is very well designed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a good grounding in most of the games.

Pentland communicates in complicated jargon that only Gurdjieffians understand. Thus, only Gurdjieffians will have any use at all for this book.

this is a very good book worth exploring. an earlier review gave this book two stars and made reference to this material having lost its freshness. not true. the ideas are the same and still allow the reader to think more carefully about life.

it is alway easy to find excuses not to read...don't ignore the truth.

Lord Pentland directed the Gurdjieff Work in the US for a great many years until his death. This book offers some of his insights collected at group meetings, where he was responding orally to queries from people of varying levels of understanding. His responses are NOT "formative ramblings", as one reviewer of limited understanding suggests, but flow directly from Lord Pentland's presence in the moment of response. This is a wonderful book, particularly for those involved in the Gurdjieff Foundation who are familiar with the formof a group meeting. Those who are not may be put off by the format, unless they take the trouble to establish a contemplative state in preparation.

Roth's book is an incredible survey of many of the greatest violinists, including some who are becoming forgotten by my generation.

It is true that his opinions are sprinkled throughout, including his irritating comments about on-off vibrato.

In case readers haven't noticed, it's a crime that he has lumped all women violinists together into a short section and essentially belittled their contributions. Kyung-Wha Chung and Anne-Sophie Mutter both offer more than, say, Pinchas Zukerman will ever amount to.

To his great credit, he helps to introduce some wonderful insights into the playing of Henryk Szereng, Leonid Kogan, and Arthur Grumiaux (along with several others). This book is a must for every violin lover in an effort to remember and preserve the memories of these great musicians. Roth also is relaying a message to the next generation of violinists: help preserve the art of violin performance, but remember that musicianship and honest communication are of the utmost importance.

In this comprehensive volume, Mr. Roth focuses on the great violinists' PLAYING and recordings, rather than on biographical information. Since he is a professional violinist and critic with tremendous experience, many of his viewpoints are insightful and edifying. For instance, he convinced me that Paganini, as well as all the legendary violinists of the 19th century, probably didn't play as well as we imagined. A violin student can learn a lot from reading this book, e.g. he can try to emulate and assimilate all the merits of each great violinist.

Yet, because the thrust of this book is his evaluation of the violinists' playing, he cannot avoid being subjective. For example, his ears are hypnotized by the tone and vibrato of Heifetz and Kreisler. He thinks that one should use vibrato for every note in a lyrical passage, and he believes that a white vibrato-less note has absolutely no expressive power. Therefore, he criticizes many violinists, including Oistrakh, for using vibrato in an "on-and-off" manner.

After reading this book, I had the IMPRESSION that Mr. Roth's list of the greatest violinists ever PROBABLY goes something like this:

=1. Heifetz =1. Kreisler 3. Oistrakh 4. Szeryng 5. Perlman 6. Kogan

He also greatly admires Szigeti, Grumiaux, as well as Menuhin and Elman (in their youth).

Among today's younger generation of violinists, he probably thinks Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Maxim Vengerov, Sarah Chang, and Leila Josefowicz are the most promising.

I wrote the above assumption to give you an idea of Mr. Roth's taste. But even if you disagree with him, this book is still worth reading. It provides much valuable information you'll not find elsewhere, including opinions expressed by the greats themselves and a vast survey of the violinists' discography. Though Roth's comments are inevitably subjective, his professional observations can be taken as a reference, especially when you've got to understand his tastes. Of course, if you dislike Heifetz, you can pretty much ignore most of his adulations.

Having read more than a few books on violinists, I can honestly say that this book is in a class by itself. It is far more insightful and analytical than any other book of its genre. While it is indeed colored by the subject evaluations (some of which I disagree with) it is a provocative work that that depicts many of the subtle details that most other commentators do not illuminate(ex:impulse vibrato)As for the reviewer who disputed the author's claims-I agree that Michael Rabin's recording of the Paginini 24 caprices has been surpassed by others, notably the early recording by Ossy Renardy, and more recently by Shlomo Mintz(yes, it's even BETTER than Midori's!) As for the Dvorak concerto, Midori's may be better than the well known recording made by Milstein in the 1960's, when he was still great-but past his prime. Listen to his first recording(unfortunately in mono) to hear the greatest performance of this work you will ever hear. And as for Gil Shaham- he is truly a great violinist, but not quite a great musician. Perlman is both, although Shaham may have a slight edge in technique. Moreover, Perlman's superiority is predicated on his charisma, which surpasses Shaham and just about all other violinists around. While Perlman is somewhat overrated and isn't my favorite player, it is safe to say that Shaham will never achieve the popularity and renown of Perlman, or possess the same degree of individuality. I admire Shaham, but he will never be the best player on the planet.