Peter Bogdanovich has written a book that is for the movie enthusiast. I suspect the general reader may find some of the interviewees obscure, and the topics technical. I feel that is their loss. For the student of film or film history, this is a treasure trove of information, ideas, experiences, and feelings about films taken from interviews with some of the most distinguished directors in movie history. The author's selection is not encyclopedic, but the directors' experience spans from the earliest years of silent film to the present. These men are not just informative, but their strong and distinctive personalities show in each interview, giving the sense that one has actually met and understood many of them. Some of the interviews are brief, or even very idiosyncratic, but the best are delightfully personal. This is a long book, but affords many pleasant evenings of good conversation. It also makes one want to go back and see the films again!

Peter Bogdanovich pioneered the director interview in English, and this wonderful collection will give endless pleasure to film buffs. The book-length interview with Allan Dwan alone is worth the price of admission. Bogdanovich always did vast amounts of study before sitting down to talk with his subjects, and his expertise and enthusiasm encouraged them to open up in a way they usually did not with other interviewers. Anyone writing about the careers of the directors Bogdanovich interviews has to start with his work on them. A fitting companion piece is Bogdanovich's encyclopedic interview book "This Is Orson Welles."

The title was suggested by Howard Hawks who once observed, "...I liked almost anybody that made you realize who in the devil was making the picture...Because the director's the storyteller and should have his own method of telling it." Hawks is one of the 16 "legendary film directors" represented in this volume. It is important to keep in mind that these are conversations rather than interviews such as those conducted by Robert J. Emery in The Directors: Take One and its sequel, The Directors Take Two, as well as interviews conducted by Richard Schickel in The Men Who Made the Movies. It is also worth noting that Bogdanovich is himself a distinguished director of films such as The Last Picture Show, What's Up, Doc?, They All Laughed (a personal favorite of mine), and Texasville. As a result of his own background, Bogdanovich's questions and comments reflect somewhat different interests and perspectives than do those of Emery and Schickel.

I rate all of these books Five Stars but probably enjoyed reading Bogdanovich's book the most because the conversations ramble along somewhat messily, as most of my own conversations tend to do, and also because Bogdanovich is more actively involved in the interaction than Emery and Schickel are. As a reader, I feel as if I were really an eavesdropper as 16 directors casually share their opinions, information about specific films and actors, gossip, "war stories," and overall evaluations of their careers' various successes and failures. At no time does Bogdanovich seem intrusive or manipulative. Moreover, perhaps to an extent he did not realize when writing this book, he also reveals a great deal about himself...much of it endearing and some of it admirable. His passion for film making and his appreciation of the great directors are almost palpable. Readers' interests about various directors and their respective films obviously vary. I include myself among those who are die-hard film buffs and so I enjoyed reading every chapter and every word in each chapter. Indeed, each conversation was for this amateur "gourmet" a feast to be consumed with delight and, yes, gratitude.

The third book in the Brother Cadfael series, "Monk's Hood," is a powerful parable of forgiveness.

The more I read of this series, the better it gets. I recommend it to anyone.

Historically, I have not been much of a reader of mystery writers. The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael have made me a fan of Ellis Peters's writing. She does not write the one-sided characters that too often fill such books. She consistently surprises me with the depth and realistic humanity of her characters. This is seen most clearly in the "villain" of "Monk's Hood."

Peters's vision of medieval Shrewsbury becomes, like Cadfael and fellow monks, more interesting with each book. It is a perfectly conceived (or reconstructed) world in which to act out her tales.

I am pleased to see Brother Robert's return to a place of prominence within the storyline. He is the perfect personification of pomposity-a delightful foil for the straightforward Cadfael.

I give a heartfelt recommendation to "Monk's Hood" and the whole Cadfael series. Check it out.

"Monk's-Hood" is Ellis Peters' third Brother Cadfael mystery, following nicely on from "One Corpse Too Many". It is set at the close of the year 1138. Almost six months have elapsed since King Stephen's army laid siege to and finally took the English town of Shrewsbury. But, whilst the King may have withdrawn his forces, and departed the town to impress his claim to the English throne on other areas of the Kingdom, murderous deeds are still afoot on the Welsh Marches. And, once again, Brother Cadfael finds himself firmly in the midst of it all.

The tale this time involves the mysterious poisoning of a guest of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, by means, what's more, of one of Brother Cadfael's own healing concoctions. With his own - as well as the Abbey's - honour at stake, Cadfael refuses to let matters lie, especially when the sheriff's somewhat over-zealous sergeant appears to be rather hastily leaping to the wrong conclusion as to who is responsible for the dire deed. To add further complications to the task before our mediaeval sleuth, Cadfael suddenly finds himself confined to the Abbey precincts by a more than usually overweening Prior Robert. As always, though, Cadfael's greater humility and wit (aided somewhat by divine providence) win out in the end, with our hero triumphing over arrogant authority of both secular and cloistered varieties.

Ellis Peters uses her own flawless wit and easy flowing prose to spin an enchanting and compulsive story around the central mystery, although the book is not really of the classic whodunnit mould. Her ingenious tale of family intrigue unfolds at a wonderfully leisurely pace, with the reader following a tantalising breadcrumb trail of snippets of information, released at just the right rate to ensure that the reader does not solve the mystery before Cadfael himself. Along the way, we learn something of the complex political and social webs common to Mediaeval life on the English/Welsh borders, as well as much more about the past life of the book's central character. As ever, attention to historical detail is meticulous.

Whether you read this book in sequence or not depends on how much of a purist you are. Reading later volumes before this one will give away something of the book's very ending, though not so much that it will in any way be spoiled. Reading this (or any later ones) before the first two would be a mistake, though, as that undermines some aspects of the first volumes' mysteries. There is no need to have read any earlier volumes, though, if you just want to pick this one up and enjoy it!

One nice thing about historical mysteries is that they withstand the test of time so well. The Brother Cadefel series is now well into its third decade but the writing (and the reading) remains fresh and entertaining. This book won the British Silver Dagger (top runner up for best novel) in 1980 and it could still be a contender.

This episode has Cadefel defending the child of his childhood sweetheart after the poisoning of her new husband. We learn a bit more about Cadefel's background - both in Wales and as a Crusader. Hugh Beringer returns as the honest and smart deputy. I also rather liked Cadefel's new assistant, Mark - a monk with spunk. The action takes Cadefel to the Welsh borderlands and it's fun to see him in a new context.

Bottom-line: Not exactly a page-turner but a wonderful read to savor and enjoy over a couple of days.

Maass provides a vivid and brutal picture of the realities of everyday life during the Bosnian conflict. On the experience of being a war correspondent, and in portraying the suffering of the victims, he is outstanding. However, the book fails to present any serious account of the causes of the war, and seems to lack an understanding of the religious and historical realities of the region surprising in someone so fond of Rebecca West's masterpiece, "Black Lamb & Grey Falcon." Maass is fond of making the point that England and France have a traditional historical emnity, and comparing this to the hatred between the Bosnians and Serbs. This seems to miss a few basic realities, such as the fact that the Anglo/French dislike has never involved (at least for the last five hundred years or so) systematic brutalisation and ethnic hatred on a Balkan scale. Maass also seems a little too blindly anti-Serbian, and to believe, oddly, that US military intervention would have been a panacea for the region. Also, while it raises important questions about the realities of evil and the breakdown of society, it fails to present any real answers to these questions, instead escaping into banalities. Ultimately, a well-written, important book that fails because it is a deeply American account of what is a European tragedy.

May 5th 1999 - One surviver of Bosnian war -

I read this book six months ago, and gave it to my friends who are from the same city in Bosnia as I am. I survived a part of Bosnian hell and will never forget it. The book gave me a beautiful feeling that there were people who cared about Bosnians during the war and did their best to inform the world about the horror which was happening there. The book is honest and I couldn't believe somebody has written it in the same way I would do it. I would like to thank Peter Maass from the depth of my heart and wish there were more people in this world who really care about our planet.

In the aftermath of the war in the Balkans, it became quite a "fashion" to be reading about the Bosnian war and it seemed like alot of people started writing about the history, politics and cultural background of an area that was largely neglected before. Peter Maass' book could easily have been another telling from a Western journalist's/ politician's mistaken perpective, where they accuse the Yugoslav -- Muslims, Serbs, Croats and everyone of having been fighting and killing each other from day one. Instead, he has a produced one of the best personal accounts of the Bosnian conflict. Rather than confronting the issue in a me vs. them scenario, Maass crosses the line and tries to identify with them, the victims of conflict, and an indifferent international community. Maass sets a background for readers who have zero knowledge on the war or countries involved and his strong, frustrated, bitter and angry voice moves readers to the suffering that went on in the region known as the Powder Keg. A phenomenal book on a complex situation, Maass has done justice to the countless nameless people who were affected by the war by bringing their story to the surface and telling the truth as he saw and experienced it.

"Instant Emotional Healing" is one of the most important books that I have ever read. The book is well written and the techniques are easy to learn and use. I use the techniques in the book often, and am much more emotionally balanced and happy as a result. The techniques can be used for simple irritation and frustration to serious phobias and lifelong emotional problems. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

If you have a problem, or if you ever had a problem that creates stress in your life, you could benefit from this book. This book is extremely well written. The authors explain scientific theories supporting why this method of self help works in very engaging and concrete manner. The result is that you read it, understand it, and are willing to try the simple exercises. You will experience well-being by connecting and grounding your thoughts and emotions in just a matter of minutes. It is so easy to learn. I feel so good that I'm coming back at to buy a few more copies to send to my favorite people.

This is the best book on Accupressure for emotiona or EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Procedures are very well explained with lots of diagrams. Doing the balancing and Polarity Reversal techniques they have mentioned relaxes anybody. I was able to resolve couple of emotional issues very easily within minutes. This technique really works! You can also use it to improve your performance. Highly recommended.

Perhaps many of those who had previously read The Fifth Discipline were not aware (until now) that Peter Senge later co-authored this book with Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith. Why read The Dance of Change? Its in Learning Organizations." Yes, there are challenges. Lots of them...and many are indeed formidable. And yes, obviously, without momentum, efforts to energize or re-energize any organization will fail.

My own experience suggests that there will then be at least three whatever was undertaken was doomed to fail; also, therefore, that such efforts should never be undertaken again; finally, defenders of the status quo (whatever it may be) will become even more aggressive in their opposition to change in almost any form.

Of course, Senge understood full well when he wrote The Fifth Discipline that those who attempted to implement an appropriate (emphasis on "appropriate") combination of his ideas and suggestions would encounter all manner of resistance. In my opinion, that is why he then co-authored the Fieldbook. (I strongly suggest that it be read only after reading The Fifth Discipline.) Here is how The Dance of Change Change)

The Challenges of Initiating (Not Enough Time, No Help [Coaching and Support], Not Relevant, Walk the Talk)

The Challenges of Sustaining Transformation (Fear and Anxiety, Assessment and Measurement, True Believers and Nonbelievers)

The Challenges of Redesigning and Rethinking (Governance, Diffusion, Strategies Purpose)

As you can see, Senge and his co-authors provide a cohesive and comprehensive system with which to achieve and then sustain (emphasis on "sustain") "profound change." Once again, I want to stress the importance of carefully selecting what is most appropriate from this wealth of material. The selection process should be unhurried but expeditious. It should include only those who are wholeheartedly committed to achieving "profound change." Moreover, their number should not threaten effective communication and collaboration. My final suggestion (not necessarily Senge's) is to proceed with a "Big Picture" clearly in mind but to focus on the sequential completion of specific tasks according to plan. Like buildings, learning "blueprint," sufficient resources, materials of the highest quietly, inspiring leaders and effective managers, talented associates, and (most important) a shared commitment. Obviously, your organization will need its own "blueprint." Success or failure when implementing it will depend upon its own people. It cannot be otherwise. View The Dance of Change created by Senge and his co-authors, therefore, as an invaluable resource...and proceed accordingly.

You may also wish to consult Isaacs' Dialogue in which he addresses many of the same issues but from somewhat different perspectives. I also recommend Bennis and Biederman's Organizing Genius as well as O'Toole's Leading Change. Their own experiences, insights, and suggestions may also prove helpful to your efforts. I wish you great success!

The core premise of the book is that the key to achieving and sustaining significant change lies in changing people's basic ways of thinking. Those of us who have worked with organizations to achieve meaningful change, quickly come to realize that the central challenge is the engrained patterns of thought in the minds of people. That is the ultimate challenge that this work sets out to tackle.

The question one is left with, as with many books of this type, is not the value of the book (it is excellent), but How many leaders of change will read this volume, take its insights to heart, and ACT upon them?

The book is divided into three sections around the challenges of initiating, sustaining, and redesigning and rethinking. Within these sections are the ten key challenges to profound change. The notes from the field provide a record of organizational change initiatives and specific approaches taken by GE, Hewlett-Packard, British Petroleum, Ford, Dupont, and others. The book includes case histories, round-table discussions, team exercises, checklists, and solid guidance.

This work is densely packed with valuable insights, guidance, and developmental techniques. It offers enormous potential to receptive and motivated readers who are able to move from thought to action. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates, author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

Of the FIFTH DISCIPLINE SERIES books, THE DANCE OF CHANGE is by far the most important for you to understand. THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE and THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE FIELDBOOK are wonderful, valuable books, but they largely avoid the tough question of how to sustain a Learning Organization initiative. Based on lots of experiences in different companies, THE DANCE OF CHANGE is the most realistic, thorough, thoughtful work on achieving large-scale organizational change that has ever been my pleasure to read. I immediately found it helpful in overcoming some of my bad habits (including falling in love with my own jargon rather than using common English). Since I first read the book about 9 months ago, I have found it affecting my consulting practice by causing me to focus more on lasting change, than immediate change. That's an important lesson for everyone. Like THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE FIELDBOOK, THE DANCE OF CHANGE allows you to focus on the areas where you need help the most. The beginning is a wonderful systems-dynamic analysis of how successful change occurs, and how it can be derailed. Like THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE FIELDBOOK, you do not need to read THE DANCE OF CHANGE from front to back. I found myself skipping around, and enjoyed the experience. Even if you do not want to have a Learning Organization, you will find THE DANCE OF CHANGE very valuable for giving you direction on how to achieve permanent, valuable changes. On the subject of achieving the strategy you wish to implement, I strongly urge you to also read THE BALANCED SCORECARD. These books are good complements to each other. For picking up on your most important issues, you will find Peter Drucker's MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY to be invaluable.

The Fourth Way is a collection of questions and answers transcribed at meetings with Peter Ouspensky (or is it now PC to spell it "Uspenskii"?), a teacher of the fourth way system presented by Ouspensky's teacher, G.I. Gurdjieff. There is great substance in the book, and if one were able to distill it all, it may be that it contains practically everything one might really need to know about awakening. But substance must be transmitted in a form that is palatable. I, for one, have always found The Fourth Way (the book, that is) unbearably tedious and didactic. Ouspensky was without doubt a sincere man, and he may well have been a great teacher. His writings (and I've read 'em all, including his papers at Yale's Sterling Library, which contain a few gems) also reveal him to have been stuffy, pompous, and very, very intellectual. Reading The Fourth Way, one might imagine that awakening is not only a terribly complex matter, but requires familiarity with a vast array of concepts. Tain't so. Partly because of his era, and perhaps because it pleased him to imagine that he possessed information that was truly unique, Ouspensky also labored under the illusion that the fourth way system was, as he liked to call it, "esoteric." This is quaint, but what was "hidden knowledge" to Westerners sixty years ago can now be found in countless works in almost any bookstore, and is taught by genuine teachers of Buddhism, Sufism, and other traditions. One need not join a fourth way cult led by some self-appointed Gurdjieff wannabe and get humiliated and milked in order to awaken.

Regardless of the usefulness or uniqueness of the methods, however, the book itself is turgid and one of the most boring of its genre. This does not make it any more "practical" than a book that is interesting or inspiring; it simply makes it more boring. It's like being given unnecessarily unpleasant medicine by a musty old aunt who imagines that she knows all anyone could possibly know about health care. Now Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous is a different story altogether. It not only contains most of the essential material, but presents it in a way that holds the reader's interest. That one's a classic, and strongly recommended.

One aspect of this book, The Fourth Way, that affects some negatively is it can seem to present an avalanche of separate ideas that can seem to overwhelm. Learning to awaken and practicing to awaken shouldn't seem like an act of trying to hold a thousand different ideas in your mind at the same time. Yet, as you study the ideas that are presented in this book (and the Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution and In Search of the Miraculous, to name two of the other more famous ones by Ouspensky...) you find that there are a handful of central ideas presented that have more weight and that act as a center-of-gravity of the entire language. When these central ideas are identified (Self-Remembering, Non-Identifying, Separation, External-Considering and the subtle practice of Transforming Negative Emotion are five of the most central ideas of the entire Work language...) you can then sort out all the rest of the seemingly vast array of things to observe or do or not do or ponder, etc...and see where they fall and where their place is relative to the central ideas and practices. Always re-orienting yourself by the light of the central ideas and practices. This book, the Fourth Way, also presents the cosmological side of the Work. Five of the central ideas of the cosmological side are the Ray of Creation, the Law of 3, the Law of 7, Scale (or, 'Degree') and Relativity. These ideas are used as metaphor and as models to understand the psychological side. This book is not dry and 'overly' (choose your own word) intellectual (nor is it boring if you are truly enthusiastic about learning rare ideas of a high order, ideas, by the way, that may indeed be found in various religious writings and schools but are hardly presented in such practical and precise and, yes, poetic and mysterious language). These ideas ARE poetic and mysterious and your understanding of their inner meanings and connections (not to mention your ability in actually practicing them) can increase as far as you can climb with your effort and your inspiration.

This should NEVER be the first book bought or read about "The Work," or "The Fourth Way"--which is why its title is so problematic. It is preferable to start almost ANYWHERE else, even (though not preferably, in my opinion) that bizarre opus known as "All And Everything."

However, for those who know and are serious about these ideas in their more practical form, and who try to incorporate them into their daily life, this is a treasure. PDO was able to take any of his students' questions and with laser-like precision, and a total lack of obfuscation, elucidate upon anything critical to Work. Whenever I feel stuck, or need a jolt of inspiration in my efforts I can use the index in the back and instantly re-connect with the ideas in their most sharp relief.

To read this through the first time will almost certainly prove trying, especially for those who have no valuation of this as anything above "B influence" work (or in non-Work language, all other "spirituality" and "literature") from elsewhere. But if you need knowledge, it's in these pages and you can refuse it or accept it in any form you see fit--linear or non-linear.

Of the chronicles of Brother Cadfael that I have thus far read, "St. Peter's Fair" is the most "mystery-like." No cut and dried solution springs to mind as the plot unfolds. This one had me guessing for some time.

All the regular ingredients of the previous stories are here: Political wrangling, personal intrigue, a love story, and of course--a murder.

Cadfael once more is a treasure trove of wisdom. Some of his lines here are classic. Cadfael is a very noble, very humane, world-weary protagonist. Ellis Peter has truly created a detective for the ages in him.

In "St. Peter's Fair" Cadfael is up against one heck of a baffling case. He and Hugh Berengar (my favorite secondary character) team up to try and solve the murder of a visiting merchant. I have no desire to give the ending away. I will only say that "St. Peter's Fair" has the added bonus of a chase scene.

"St. Peter's Fair" is a worthy entry in this series. The more I read of Ellis Peters, the greater my respect for her becomes. I recommend this book highly.

St. Peter's Fair is another excellent Brother Cadfael chronicle by Ellis Peter's. She continues the story of a monk inside the monastery, who has already seen much of the world. St. Peter's Fair opens with a controversy between the locals and monastery. The local people of Shrewsbury feel that the monastery is reaping unjust benefit from the fair without giving the town its just due. Soon a merchant at the fair is found murdered and a local is implicated.

Cadfael uses the skills he developed outside of the monastery to help track the murderer. Aiding him is Hugh Beringar, who was introduced in a previous chronicle. Cadfael continues to develop as a warm, loving human, who has a sense of justice.

Ellis Peters is a must for any fan of medieval tales.

The great Saint Peter's Fair brings merchants from miles around to Shrewsbury. The fair of 1138 had been canceled by the siege of the city. This year's fair seems to go better than usual except for the murder of a participant. Brother Cadfael begins the fair interpreting for a Welsh merchant who speaks no English, and ends up in the middle of a very confusing and dangerous political plot. This book is interesting reading from start to finish.

This is probably my favorite of the "chronicles." I discovered Brother Cadfael through the series on PBS and went to the books out of curiosity. The books are ever so much better than the television representations, for the richness of history, setting, characterizations, the wealth that Peters can deliver in such "short" books. ONE CORPSE TOO MANY is not only a good mystery but a pleasing adventure, a contest of wit and will between Cadfael and the newcomer Hugh Beringar. Even if you don't generally read mysteries (as I don't), this book and most of the others in the series are true delights.

Set against the backdrop of civil war-torn England in 1138, "One Corpse Too Many" is the second book in The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael. Shrewsbury (the home of Cadfael's Abbey) is caught up in the conflict between Empress Maud and King Stephen. The Castle is laid siege to and seized by Stephen. Stephen then executes ninety-four of Maud's supporters in Shrewsbury. Yet, when a count is taken of the bodies, there are ninety-five corpses. Thus the mystery begins--and Cadfael, the monk/herbalist of Shrewsbury springs into action.

I cannot make heads or tales of whether I like "One Corpse Too Many" as much or more than the first book in the series (A Morbid Taste For Bones). Both books are quite good. However, with the exception that they are both mysteries featuring Brother Cadfael, they are quite different. This gives me great hope for the rest of the series. The character of Cadfael is developed successfully and Peters avoids being formulaic.

I missed some of the characters from "A Morbid Taste For Bones" (particularly the pompous presence of Prior Robert). Yet there are some great new characters in book two. My favorites are "the boy Godric" and the wily and resourceful Hugh Beringar. The dual love stories of "One Corpse Too Many" add another dimension to the book.

Cadfael's closing comments (in which the title phrase is used) are well worth the price of the book. All in all, I give "One Corpse Too Many" a heartfelt recommendation.

Ellis Peters is one of my favorite authors--with anything she writes. The woman is just awesome!

No matter what she writes about, it's always interesting and not without humor and often makes you think about issues still relevant today. She is what I call a literate writer--a 'thinking person's' mystery writer.

One Corpse Too Many is a fascinating book in which Brother Cadfael must figure out who the extra body is and why they were murdered. As usual, he rivals Sherlock Holmes in his use of close observations and minute details that always solve the mystery. This book also introduces my second favorite character in the series--Hugh Berengar. When he first appears, one doesn't know if he's good or bad, as he and Cadfael are two of a kind when it comes to cleverness.

I would recommend any of Peters' novels and any of the audiocassettes and especially the A&E television series of Brother Cadfael, played by Derek Jacobi who also reads some of the books.

While the book makes highly entertaining reading, it is dangerous in its glibness. Dangerfield's account is often referred to as a fundamental source for the women's suffrage movement in Britain, but his manipulation and outright suppression of facts willfully twists the contributions of the Pankhursts, radical feminists whose thinking was far in advance of its time. One often has difficulty identifying which he hated most: the incompetence of the Liberal Party or the women fighting for political recognition.

This book is the classic account of Edwardian Britain and is on the suggested reading list of the Institute for Edwardian Studies...It was written by a contemporary journalist and is a great read. However, it focuses a great deal on the political side and lacks objectivity. An excellent counter-weight to Dangerfield is David Powell, The Edwardian Crisis. This is a first-rate academic revision to what Dangerfield and past scholars have written about the Edwardian period, but it is not really for those new to the subject.

Whoever you are and whatever you do you can find soemthing to take away from this book. Essential for an understanding of politics in a democracy, and better because it gives readers an example to learn from, rather than just theory. Also a great study in human relationships and the tragi-comedic nature of life. Probably one of the best and wittiest books on history/politics ever written.

I'm a lover of Shakespeare's works. I found a used copy of George Krapp's 'Troilus and Cressida' at a local book store. This Modern Library version is an reprint of his classic translation. If you love to read the sources for Shakespeare (Plutarch, Chaucer,Homer and Ovid) then I believe readers will enjoy this poem.

CHAUCER : TROILUS AND CRISEYDE. Translated into Modern English by Nevill Coghill. 332 pp. New York : Viking Press, 1995 (Reissue). ISBN: 0140442391 (pbk.)

Nevill Coghill's brilliant modern English translation of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' has always been a bestseller and it's easy to understand why. Chaucer was an intensely human writer and a great comic artist, but besides the ribaldry and sheer good fun of 'The Canterbury Tales,' we also know he was capable of other things. His range was wide, and the striking thing about Coghill's translations are how amazingly faithful they are to the spirit of the originals - at times bawdy and hilariously funny, at other times more serious and moving when Chaucer shifts to a more poignant mode as in 'Troilus and Criseyde.'

But despite the brilliance of Coghill's translations, and despite the fact that they remain the best possible introduction to Chaucer for those who don't know Middle English, those who restrict themselves to Coghill are going to miss a lot - such readers are certainly going to get the stories, but they're going to lose much of the beauty those stories have in the original language. The difference is as great as that between a black-and-white movie and technicolor.

Chaucer's Middle English _looks_ difficult to many, and I think I know why. It _looks_ difficult because that in fact is what people are doing, they are _looking_ at it, they are reading silently and trying to take it in through the eye. This is a recipe for instant frustration and failure. But fortunately there is a quick and easy remedy.

So much of Chaucer's power is in the sheer music of his lines, and in their energy and thrust. He was writing when English was at its most masculine and vigorous. And his writings were intended, as was the common practice in the Middle Ages when silent reading was considered a freakish phenomenon, to be read aloud. Those new to Chaucer would therefore be well advised, after reading and enjoying Nevill Coghill's renderings, to learn how to read Middle English _aloud_ as soon as possible by listening to one of the many excellent recordings.

Coghill certainly captures the spirit of Chaucer, but modern English cannot really convey the full flavor and intensity of the original. Learn how to roll a few of Chaucer's Middle English lines around on your tongue and you'll soon hear what I mean. You'll also find that it isn't nearly so difficult as it _looks_, and your pleasure in Chaucer will be magnified enormously.

As usual, Chaucer has come through as the greatest poet of Middle English. This is by far the best expansion on Homer's epic poetry to appear since Publius Vergilius Maro's Æneid, and I'm sure Augustus would have enjoyed it just as much! Shakespeare's adaptation, Troilus and Cressida, is an excellent play but does not give this poem justice. I would definitely recommend it to any serious fan of English literature!