I first read this book over the summer of 1957. I got it through the Weekly Reader book club. I was interested in the classics at the time and David and the Phoenix fit right in. The author made the characters so true to life that I wished for a long time that I could stumble upon a bird like the Phoenix and make it my friend.

This was just a great story and I read it at exactly the right time of my life. When my son was smaller I looked in every used book store and library I could find for a copy. I wanted him to read it so much. Unfortunately time has marched on and he is now 16 and probably will not be interested in reading it. But, I am going to get a copy any way.

I heartily recommend this wonderful book for the preteen set.

I found this book in my Aunt's house when I was a young child, 12 - 15 years ago. "David and the Phoenix" made a lasting impression on me. I never liked to read much, until I read this book. My family lives at the base of a mountain and we did and still do a lot of hiking. Hiking and my love for all animals helped me relate to this book and I have loved to read ever since. My Aunt can't find this book anymore, probably one of her grandchildren got a hold of it, but I wrote down information about the book when I was a kid, hoping to find a copy for myself. I just happened upon that piece of paper and found that it was a 1958 Edition - Selection of the Weekly Reader, Children's Book Club - Education Center published by Follett Publishing Company, Chicago. Manufactured in the United States of America by American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., NY. Published simultaneously in Canada by Ambassador Books, Limited. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 57-8280. I recently tried to find a copy and had no luck. This is my last hope of finding the book so that the children I hope to have someday soon can enjoy it too.

I too received "David & the Phoenix" from the weekly reader book club. Like a first true-love, it is a book that I will never forget. How can a 50 year old man still remember a chlidren's book so well? I have spoken to several others my age who also fell in love with this book. I have a copy and searched for many years before I found a second copy, which I gave to a friend. It has always been my secret desire to write a screenplay of the book. I glad that someone finally has. Who is making the movie?

Several years ago I tracked down Edvard Ormondroyd and spoke with him on the telephone. He is a librarian in New England. I just wanted to thank him. He told me about his other books. I read them all. They were excellent. I especially liked the series with the time travel. They too would make an excellent movie.

My family grew up in this neighborhood. My uncle's father was registering his son for school on the day of the fire. He was catching students who were jumping from the burning building. We lost family friends in this fire. I am a public school teacher. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost a student in a fire. Because of this event, fire prevention week, fire drills, smoke detectors, and other fire awareness is in exisistence. This book brings home the importance of what fire can do, due to ignorance. It is a book of science, spirituality, education, sociology, and history. It is a well researched and well written book. A must read for anyone who finds these areas important.

This book was well written and it recreated the horror of this famous 1958 Chicago fire. I liked the "you were there" feel the authors created by following the events as they unfolded, through the eyes and voices of the survivors and witnesses. I am surprised a book like this didn't come out before 1996. I was in my second year of high school when this occured and it really was a major event that people not connected to the fire talked about for quite some time. Maybe a majority of the participants just wanted to put this behind them. The authors really put together a clear story of what happened on that day. You could feel yourself inside some of the burning classrooms. I am surprised at how quickly the authorities became apathetic about all the death and suffering. I was facinated to read about the judge who went against the evidence and didn't bring charges against the prime suspect. I highly recommend this book for those interested in a rather dark day in Chicago and elementary school history.

For some unknown reason I keep being drawn back to this book and a related book that is out of print. The out of print book is " The Fire That Will Not Die" by Michelle Mc Bride. Ms. Mc Bride was a fire victim suffereing severe burns. Her account of that horror is as prolific as the accounts of this book. I read the book many years ago and then found it again while a student at the National Fire Academy. Again I could not put it down nor could I for this book. I was a student in a Catholic grade school just several hours north in Wisconsin in 1958 and yet vividly remember praying for those students when the news was made known in school the following Monday. No wire services or CNN back then. I also "survived" two school fires in my own parish school just a few years after the 1958 Our Lady of Angels Fire. We were out of our building, similar in construction, for several weeks each time. I don't understand the connection but after secondary school years and college I was drawn back to my interest in the fire service and became a volunteer firefighter, then career firefighter, and then Fire Chief in Wisconsin. I now serve as Fire Chief in the WI bordering community of Menominee, MI. I had the chance to get near the Chicago tradgedy site this past winter during a hockey tournament but could not find the site nor the cemetary mentioned and shown in this book. MAybe sometime in the future.......... As a fire chief people need to be aware that there are still many school buildings in many small communities that could yet suffer the fate of the "Our Lady of Angels" fire. Many school buildings do not require sprinklers systems. These fire protection devices certainly would've made a difference in Chicago. The fire sprinkler technology was readily available with a successful history of "saves" over the past 100 years! Enjoy the book! Pray for the children, their parents and the scarred survivors. Their lives were changed forever by the euphemism of hell , FIRE. If anyone has a copy of the Michelle McBride book please advise if you want to part with it. Ted J. Pagels, Fire Chief Menominee, MI firepros@aol.com

I am a Certified Public Accountant with a background in financial planning. In February, I purchased the book for myself. The information wasn't new, but it spoke to me in volumes. For Valentine's day, I purchased the book for my assistant and secretary.

I have finished the book once, and have now been going through it a second time implementing each of the seven items.

During tax season, many of my clients ask for advice? What should we be looking to invest our money in? What does the Roth mean? How much insurance do we need? How do we plan for retirement? Should we be making gifts to our children's college fund? Many times I am not able to spend as much time, during the tax season as my client will need to absorb the information provided then begin working on the plan. This book allows my clients the time to understand the basics of financial planning. Know the time requirements on both them and myself to become effective. This is a wonderful starting point.

I often recommend books that I have read on financial planning, but this was the first time that I not only have recommended the book I went out and purchased over a dozen additional copies. I have given them out not just to Smart Women, but young couples, and those looking toward retirement. The information is sound. It's easy to understand. If the steps are followed they will make any client Finish Rich.

It was by accident that I picked up this book. Once I started reading it, I knew it was no accident! In "Smart Women Finish Rich", David Bach has captured and put into powerful language a blueprint for success for any woman (or man for that matter) who wants to create absolute financial mastery! His book illustrates how any woman, regardless of income can take the steps to create financial health, vitality and ultimately FREEDOM. As a success coach and entrepreneur, many of my clients (including myself) are often challenged by financial issues, there is no question that I will recommend this book ten times over due to its powerful and direct message and recommendations. Bach makes taking control of a usually stressful area of life more pleasurable, he helps you access your vision for the future and his writing style is one that makes you feel like he is addressing and coaching you personally. I finished this book excited about the future and have a strong handle what I need to do NOW to create the kind of financial abundance I want, and deserve!

Yes, I am one of those educated, smart women that has not done much with my money, other than spend it on things I don't need! You must be thinking, "she must not be that smart afterall!" Well, I just never had anyone teach me about money, and I never was really motivated to do anything about it. For those of you who think someone else is going to take care you...don't. You need to know about your money...married or single. Reading "Smart Women Finish Rich" has changed my financial life. It contains the information for literally anyone from any walk of life to get started. This book contains forms to determine where you are at right now with debt, cash outflow, etc., and then walks you through ways to save and invest that money, resulting in a secure future. It also clearly explains all the language, basic concepts, and types of funds, retirement accounts etc. After reading this book, you really will have a much better understanding of how to control your finances, and you will NOT be intimidated again. If you read any book this year, read this one. It really will make a difference in your life!

A Child Called "It": One child's Courage to Survive. Author: Dave Pelzer.

As a mother of three children, as a person and, as a professional, I was so incredibly astonished and touched by this story. I got the book about 4 months ago, and I started reading it about 11 p.m. last night. To tell you the truth, I did not stop until I finished it.

It is a true story of a woman from a medium class American family, that after being an excellent mother (even more than the average) for several years, starts to have problems drinking alcohol (and others). All at the sudden, she "chooses" one of her boys Dave to become the scapegoat and victim of her problems. She abuses Dave in such particular and dangerous ways, she degrades him, and she humiliates him and does such dreadful things to him that she sounds to me as completely schizofreniac.

On the other side, every one in the family, including his father, let her get away with her torturing, and other people either decided to become blind or deaf, or did not know what to do. What makes your heart break is that the story is seen and told by the child's point of view, it's so, so sad.

My opinion is that this book should be in every household and in every school there is in this world. If you are a Parent read it, if you are teacher read it, if you are a brother, sister, relative, etc. ¡You should read it!.

To put it more clearly, I truly believe that all boys and girls after certain age (even six, eight or nine) should read it. It should be a "must for the reading programs of every school in the whole world", so children, teachers, parents and all professionals that deal with children can know what to do or well to ask for help. Specially children. Whose love is some times so great or their blame so high, that could feel totally lost.

For me: The best book of the year.

This story broke my heart. David was a very brave person to go through his childhood experiences and then be willing to tell the world about the way he was treated. David shows great spirit of mind and body to endure all that his mother did to him. It is sad to think that a mother could abuse one of her own children the way she did and treat the others so well. How could a father let this happen while he was in the home, and even go so far as to accuse a child of provoking the abuse? It is amazing the school system let this go for six years before helping this defenseless child. This is a very moving book and I would recommend it to everyone. I cannot wait to read the next book in the trilogy.

Child abuse is still such an issue which we strive to deny and hide. Dave Pelzer shines a spotlight into the deep, dark, secret crevises of child abuse - and what we see is horrifying. What Dave suffered through was one of the worst cases of child abuse in the state of California. When you read what happened to him, you wonder how it could be or get any worse. Dave Pelzer is an inspiration for every human being on this earth. Never the victim, his writing is compassionate and forgiveness has filled his soul. However, the reader will probably have a tougher time with forgiveness. I believe this book (and his trilogy) should be MANDATORY reading for all teachers. Statistics say 1 out of 4 children in the US are abused. It is imperative teachers know what to look for - and then ACT. Dave's teachers risked their careers for him, and saved his life. Every parent and teacher owes it to themselves to read this book...you'll never look at your own children (or your school kids) again in the same way.

Do you believe in faeries? After reading this you'll want to. There are plenty of books about faeries out there - what makes this one unique is that it is written as a field guide and it is full of beautiful (and I do mean beautiful) paintings and drawings of the creatures described. The book is titled Faeries, but it also contains goblins, witches, selkies and the like. Not only is it fun to read and look at, but if you draw, it's a great artistic reference. (Many of the illustrations in Faeries are used as tattoos today.) Brian Froud is an amazing artist himself and he helped design the creatures in movies such as the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Buy this book if you loved fairy tales as a kid.

This was the book where I first encountered the artists Froud and Lee, and also where I discovered that faeries are indeed either ugly or beautiful, old and young; everything I had ever hoped and imagined, and more. Froud and Lee's breathtaking and altogether masterly portrayal of the intrinsic, metamorphic world of fantasy forever hovering at our fingertips, is truly masterly, and I have never encountered another yet which rates quite as highly as this. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who loves faeries, and/or queries the 'pretty' flower-faeries we tend to be bombarded with today. s This book has all my dreams, nightmares and fantasies woven together in it's intricate, detailed illustrations, the thick, scrawling lead pencil script... I cannot find the words to speak highly enough of this simply unique, marvellous book. I am an avid admirer of Froud and Lee's works, the faery-kingdom, faery poetry, stories, tales, photographs, illustrations, and can never have enough information on that mystical kingdom where people such as Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin vanish to, where a cup of wine can bind you a prisoner, where the young are old, and the old are yound, where anything is possible whether you believe or not. I for one, do strongly believe in faeries, and wish that I could see one. This book is - where are the words to describe it? Magnificent/Fabulous/Beautiful/Moving/Terrifying/Fantastic/Eye-opening - they are only some... I would like to congratulate Lee and Froud on their admirable skill for illustrations, the publishers for - well - publishing this book, and all the readers out there who fell in love with this book, which is a gift from faeryland itself.

My mother gave my a copy of "Faeries" for Christmas 1980, when I was 11. I was instantly enchanted with the idea of faeries as real beings, and accepted much of the text as truth. I fantasized about spotting faeries in the woods and rocks surrounding my childhood home, and made many (sophomoric) attempts to copy Brian Froud's illustrations. As an adult I even had a flower faerie tattooed on my ankle in homage to his art

My origional copy of "Faeries" is tattered and dog-eared, most of the pages have fallen out, and are hopelessly out-of-sequence, but I can't bear to throw it away. I count "Faeries" as one of the most influential books I had as kid growing up, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to any child (or adult) interested in faeries or mythology. The book is incredibly well-researched, and beautifully illustrated. The hand-written text can be difficult to read at times, but adds to the wonderful illusion of illicitly reading someone's journal

Bravo for reissuing this book, I am ordering my new hardcover copy today

I bought this book for my husband because he likes to fish. I grew up along the banks of the Red River in Louisiana and enjoy fishing, too...so I was a bit curious about this little tome myself. Hubby and I decided to read this book aloud to each other every night before bed, taking turns with chapters. I have to tell you that I have never, ever laughed so hard in my entire life. Reading this book was a blast...a total blast! The story of how his parents met was worth the price of the book, not to mention the story of how his mother shot the dr's dog. Truth IS stranger than fiction. Mr. Duncan's family is one-of-a-kind and about as eccentric as they get in a very readable way. This book is in my 'I'd take with me if I were stranded on a desert island' collection. I highly recommend it.

A few years back, I talked to a friend I hadn't heard from in a few years and she asked how I was doing. I replied, "Pretty good, but I have this incredible urge to go stand in a river for a couple of weeks fly-fishing." (I've never fly-fished in my life.) She said, "You just read The River Why, didn't you?" Duncan is masterful at playing the reader as well as Gus plays a fish. He sinks the hook into you so subtly, you're not even aware it's there and guides you to realizations about yourself. The River Why may be the most spiritual book I've ever read, and yet is never santimonious. When I travel, I take a copy of this book along to read on the plane. More often than not, I wind up giving it away to a perfect stranger in the seat next to me.

This may be the most meaningful novel I have ever read. Duncan's book takes the reader into a deeply touching world of ecology, wit, Spirit, desire and fish. Lots of fish. While I could heave accolades on the author's fabulous dialogues and descriptions or the level of character development, all of that would be to miss, what was to me, the greatest quality of the book. Duncan takes the reader into the searchings (and findings- kind of) of one Oregon soul. The reader will not only laugh, cry and ponder... the sensitive reader will travel with Gus Orviston and encounter life and vibrancy too scarce in our world. It is a transforming book. Read it. Read it on your knees. Read it while dancing. Read it sailing. Read this book.

I became a somewhat fan of Dale Jr in his rookie season, so this book was a boon to me. I read all of Dale Jr's Nascar insights before ever knowing that he had written a book, and was impressed by his ability to convey emotions and humor in his writing. Now, this book is not about sappy emotion by any means. Dale Jr seems to write just as he seems to live. He's a young man with much potential. He loves to party, flirt, and drink with his buddies. But he seems so down-to-earth in his telling of it, that you can't help but get drawn in. He does a wonderful job in this book of revealing a little more about Dale Jr, the young man and race car driver, all the while dispelling everyone's notion that he is going to be a second Dale Earnhardt. He tells in this book that he is his own man in his own right, paying tribute to his dad for getting him there, but not taking over his personality.

"Hi everyone, this is Dale Jr." begins the Introduction and from that point forward, you sense Junior is talking to you directly.

DRIVER #8 is a first-rate account of Dale Jr.'s inagural 2000 Winston Cup season, from the Daytona 500 thru the NAPA 500 in Atlanta, Georgia, as told by Junior himself in a fashion even a non-NASCAR fan can appreciate. From February thru November, 2000 you go behind the scenes with a Winston Cup driver, meet with sponsors, mingle with fans, and realize first hand the inordinate demands and weekly pressure put upon a racing rookie in this most competitive circuit, not to mention a "legacy" and budding superstar like Dale Jr. This book is so well scripted, I read all 300+ pages in one evening, and frankly, I haven't done that it quite some time. BRAVO to #8 on another victory. You continue to make your Dad proud!

So if you're a NASCAR or Little "E" fan, or just want to know what all the excitement's about, do yourself a favor, plunk down the $17 and proceed to checkout!

I'm a big Dale Jr fan & I just had to get this book to read. The book tells about his rookie season in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 2000. The book talks about what he would do on race weekends before the race tells & what was going on during the race and he (Dale Jr) talks about his father a lot in the book. I have read this book 2 times and I have to say that Dale Jr and his PR person are both AWESOME! writers. This book is just AWESOME! Every Dale Jr fan needs to go out and buy this book and read it 1 or 2 times.

This book should probably be read every two or three years. It's a wonderful, effective motivational tool. It stresses finding success, happiness and peace of mind at the level you believe that you can achieve. Although THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG has been deemed a management tool, it could also be a personal development and life skills textbook because it works on the mind, not just the business.

According to the author, the differences between the successful people and others include confidence and positive thinking and reinforcement.

You actually feel empowered and worthy after you've read this. These are powerful concepts. I highly recommend this book

David Schwartz's classic success book "The Magic of Thinking Big" is one of the top ten all time best proactive success books. After you have read it you will begin to refer to the earlier part of your life as "before I read the book." Even before you finish reading it the first time, you will be a changed person - it's that incredible. I say first time because you will want to read it again and again. My copy is well read, well read, and well marked. It has been a treasured part of my library and I've recommended it to others countless times.

I consider David Schwartz to be one of the earliest "proactive thinkers" in the world. If you haven't read this book before, get ready for profound wisdom. Schwartz makes it easy to understand that our thoughts are things and have God given powers, far beyond what is commonly taught by others. I can tell you from my own astonishing situations and experiences that, "your success really is most definitely determined by what and how you think."

Schwartz covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Many of his ideas are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to live a proactively life that is God centered and fulfilling.

You will find that this exciting book becomes a part of you. Don't hold back - let it happen. In fact, you should spend 10 to 15 minutes every morning focusing your thoughts on the truths of this book, thereby allowing them to seep deep into your subconscious mind. If you do this I guarantee this wisdom will most assuredly bring you the success and abundance you deserve.

Enjoy the book and your new proactive success life!

It is always shady when you see someone using the usual cliché "This book has changed my life!". While I usually don't
take those comments seriously (too much money wasted in 'life-changing' books, I guess) I have to admit that sometimes
a particular book hits you with more impact than usual and after a couple of years some self-examination might leave you
with the impression that perhaps the author has indeed influenced your choice of paths more than you would have expected.

This was the case with me and Dr. Schwartz's "Magic". I am not an intense fan of self-help and motivational literature,
but do read a title or two now and then. I have read many of the classics like Dale Carnegie's books (almost all), Napoleon Hill's "Think and grow rich", Covey's "The 7 habits of highly successful people" and others like "How to be a start at work",
"The power of positive thinking",Psychocybernetics" and many more that have sold millions, are mentioned everywhere and everybody seems to love.

Maltz, Hill, the list goes on. The fact it that so far no book of this kind has proven to be as effective with me as this one. I
even felt I have wasted too much money. Not the case with this particular book. This is the kind of title where you read things you already know, you are after all mostly just looking for motivation. That extra push to get you going in particular moments when things aren't flowing as easily as you'd wish. And for that use, my preference goes to books that have an honest simplicity. This title isn't verbose, it isn't very technical or full or scholarship, perhaps even some of its examples are fully fictional. The truth is that I don't care about that, because it has proven very effective.

If you are looking for something to motivate you (in any area), I suggest you try this title first. The effect with you might be quite different.
Perhaps Napoleon Hill's style suits you better (I truly disliked his books) or maybe some other author. But to many of us, Schwart'z approach is perfect. I first read this over a year ago, and can now look back and see certain aspects that were definitely made easier because if it. Overall, the only thing I regret is not having found this title much sooner in my life (I'm 27), but it will no doubt still prove useful for many years.

As a side recommendation, I suggest you combine this with the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, or the more accessible "The Art of Virtue" also based on Franklin's words, Dale Carnegie and as much wisdom and self-examination as you can come up with. The results won't be magic, but I'm pretty sure the improvement will be easy to notice.

The history of the Panama Canal, and it's construction is very unique in itself. The references of all the French names (although I couldn't pronounce all of them) were very interesting and kept me hooked. I'm a history buff, so naturally, I like to read historical books.

After nearly a hundred years of owning the Panama Canal, on December 31, 1999, the United States gave the Panama Canal back to the nation of Panama. When Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a pathway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the nation of Panama did not exist; it was a part of Columbia.

When prospectors discovered gold in California in 1848, all that changed the author, David McCullough writes in the book. The Panama Railroad, at the time, was the most high-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange. Building a canal through this area that would be approximately fifty-one miles seemed to be an easy situation for investors, but it turned out that it took over four decades and an army of workers to complete the canal. In the book it mentioned that enough soil, rock, and dirt was removed to build a pyramid a mile high.

When the construction began, McCullough notes that the leader of the project was Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt. After President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrated the purchase of the canal, the United States entered the picture. A revolution took place that removed Panama from the rule of Columbia.

David McCullough is a very unique and interesting author and writer, and he kept me captivated while reading this book.

The historical aspecets of the book are accurate as far as my research has gone on the Panama Canal. This book is just fasinating because of the history that is involved. When Theodore Roosevelt bought the canal and a revolution occured between Columbia and the United States, the United States won, and the canal became ours. But remember, on 12/31/99, we returned the canal to its rightful owner, the nation of Panama.

I found Mr. McCullough's book about the building of the Panama Canal to be well written, extra-well researched, and highly entertaining! I would recommend this book to anyone who truly wants to know what it took to build such an engineering marvel. Having lived in Panama twice and visited on many occasions, I can attest to the fact Mr. McCullough's book is THE SOURCE for accurate information on the canal and it's builders (both French and American efforts). I would also recommend purchasing the NOVA video, which Mr. McCullough narrates, called "A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama". He even quotes out of his own book on screen! I've never read a book so intricately and fastidiously researched. MUST READING for the true Canal enthusiast.

"The Path Between the Seas" is narrative history at its best - the story of perhaps the greatest engineering feat of modern times. Writing in the clear and lucid style for which he is noted, historian David McCullough traces the creation of the Panama Canal from its earliest inception by the French in 1870, to its completion 44 years later by the United States.

McCullough skillfully weaves personalities and events together to create a powerful narrative replete with political intrigue, financial scandal, and triumph over tremendous adversity. The author first acquaints the reader with the leaders of the French attempt to build the canal - Ferdinand de Lesseps and his son, Charles, and Phillippe Bunau-Varilla, among others - and tells of the ultimate failure of their venture, and their disgrace due to financial scandal. McCullough then chronicles the ultimately successful American attempt to build the canal. Here is seen the political intrigue (the U.S. backed Panamanian revolution against Colombia, with the complicity of President Theodore Roosevelt, Secretary of State John Hay, and Bunau-Varilla); the successful war against yellow fever and malaria, led by American doctor William Gorgas; and the organizational and engineering genius of two American Chief Engineers - John Stevens and Colonel George Goethals - which led to the completion of the canal in 1914.

"The Path Between the Seas" is more than just the story of how the Panama Canal was built; it is a well researched, historically accurate, and at the same time lively and highly entertaining account of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Highly recommended!

Over the years, there have been many attempts to establish a
"Deep Inner Meaning" for "Lucky Jim," but I wouldn't pay them
much attention if I were you. "Lucky Jim" is simply a hilarious
book. For me, it was a revelation -- I had no idea that a book
might leave me with my sides aching, weak from laughter, yet
ready to laugh again, as I recalled the phrase or the incident
which had initially tickled my funny-bone.

One reason the book is so funny is that it gores some very
Sacred Cows. In its time, those sacred bovines very definitely
included provincial academics who were seriously into
Elizabethan madrigals and recorder concerts; Amis had the
genius to see these daffy eccentrics for the incredibly comic
figures they really were. Even more outrageously, the novel's
hero gets the girl of his dreams and escapes the dreary provinces
for a happy career in London, by abandoning the academic life
and going into (are you sitting down?) BUSINESS. Into... TRADE.
It is hard to imagine anything more non-U.

In short, a masterpiece of comic English prose!

Highest possible recommendation!!!

  Some people--a few who have written reviews here--don't seem to find Lucky Jim very funny. It's their loss. The rest of us think this book is hilarious. Read the opening paragraph of chapter 6: if you don't think it's the best description of a hangover, pass this book by. But I think you'll be hooked.

And it isn't really a satire: for those of us who teach, it's hard to find one thing that is out of place in Lucky Jim. Senior professors are still, often, bores and pedants; many women professors still like to dress like peasants; and most of us find that our classes attract the Michie's of this world rather than the three pretty girls.

It's so funny that it's easy to overlook how well constructed, and how well written, this novel is.

The only thing wrong with Lucky Jim is the horrible cover on the most recent Penguin edition. (But horrible covers are themselves a venerable academic tradition.)

Kingsley Amis is one of my favorite writers, and Lucky Jim (1954) of course is probably his most famous novel. It's also his first novel, which makes him one of those writers who spent their entire career trying to live up to early success. Despite Lucky Jim's preeminent reputation, several later novels are at least as good: I'd mention as my personal favorites The Anti-Death League, The Green Man, Ending Up, The Alteration, and The Old Devils.

I think this is my third reading of Lucky Jim. It remains a very enjoyable book. It's the story of Jim Dixon, a history lecturer at a provincial English university shortly after the second world war. Jim is involved in an unsatisfactory relationship with a drippy fellow lecturer called Margaret Peel, who uses emotional blackmail such as implicit suicide attempts (she took sleeping pills after breaking with her previous boyfriend) to keep him on the string. He hates his job, and he hates his boss (Professor Welch) if anything even more, while worrying that he won't be retained for the next school year. He hates phoniness in general, particularly that represented by Professor Welch, who is into recreations of old English music (recorders and all).

The plot revolves mainly around Dixon's growing attraction to Christine Callaghan, a beautiful girl who is nominally Professor Welch's son Bertrand's girlfriend -- but Bertrand is also fooling around with a married woman, and he's a crummy artist to boot. Also, Dixon is working on a lecture about Merrie Olde Englande, which he hopes will impress Professor Welch enough that he can keep his job, but every sentence of which he hates. The resolution is predictable, if rather convenient for Dixon (involving a rich uncle of Christine's), but it satisfies. The book itself is really very funny: such set-pieces as Dixon's hangover-ridden lecture, and his disastrous drunken night at the Welch's, remain screams after multiple rereadings.

I should say that some things bother me a bit. Some of Dixon's stunts (such as stealing a colleague's insurance policies and burning them) seem, well, felonious. And of course Margaret Peel really is someone he's better off breaking up with, but the way Christine is presented as naturally good because she is beautiful does seem rather sexist. Still, all this can be laid to accurate description of a certain character -- and if we root for Jim (as we more or less naturally do), it should be with some uneasiness.

All this said, Lucky Jim is deservedly a classic of 20th Century fiction, and an enormously entertaining book.