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Book reviews for "Miles,_Barry" sorted by average review score:

Bob Dylan in His Own Words
Published in Paperback by Music Sales Corp (1993)
Authors: Bob Dylan, Barry Miles, and Pearce Marchbank
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Starting A Dylan Book Collection?
This is really a (the) great book for the base of a Dylan book
collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.

The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.

A must for any Dylan fan
Bob Dylan fans will enjoy this book that features over 100 pages of Dylan quotes on subjects ranging from music, the 60's, drugs, love, his idols, songwriting, and more. Everybody knows that Dylan was a wily and occasionally malicious interviewee, and this book reflects that. I laughed out loud several times at his witticisms directed back at the hollow questiosn that were put to him. However, there are some very pointed answers that he serves up here as well, that seemingly give a real insight into his persona, his life, and his views. There are also a lot of high-quality pictures. My only complaint is that the book is a little short-you can easily read it all in one setting, though it's probably a book that you'll go back to time and again to see what Dylan offered up on a particular subject-it would have been nice, for instance, if it had a section where Dylan commented upon particular songs of his, such as was done in the Leonard Cohen book in the "In His Own Words" series. Still, Dylan interviews are always hard to come by, and this is the best copendium you'll find featuring them.

Best Interview Book Around -- Fun
This book contains a compilation of Dylan's own words, transcribed from interviews, press conferences, radio, and TV shows. Complete with scores of pictures, In His Own Words is a must for any Dylan fan. Dylan dons persona after persona, and the results are quite entertaining.


John Lennon in His Own Words
Published in Paperback by Music Sales Corp (1995)
Authors: John Lennon, Barry Miles, and Pearce Marchbank
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Fascinating and pure Lennon.
This book can teach you a lot about John Lennon, from his childhood to his political views. Even if you don't like John Lennon as a person, you can't help but to be moved by his views. He was right in everything he said and is truly missed.

Just what the title says "in his own words"
I read this book "In His Own Words" last summer and I really enjoyed it. I keep it on the nightstand by my bed and look at every now and again. The book isn't one he wrote but a complilation of things he's said and his opinions. The book is funny in some places and well...not funny in others. I recomend this book for anyone who likes John Lennon, or wants to learn a bit about him.


The Tortoise and the Hare Continued...
Published in Hardcover by Discover Writing Company (01 April, 2002)
Authors: Barry Lane, Miles Bodimeade, and Aesop
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Acknowledges that there is no such thing as a pat ending
Written by Barry Lane and enhanced with the artwork of Miles Bodimeade, The Tortoise And The Hare Continued... is a charming and very highly recommended children's color picturebook that extrapolates from Aesop's famous "slow and steady wins the race" parable. As we all know, the tortoise challenged the hare to a race, and the tortoise won because the hare was lazy... but what happened the next day? And the day after that? Continuing the story of tortoise and hare exploits, and introducing new morals along the way, The Tortoise And The Hare Continued... is a delightful story that's just a little closer to the real world than most, since it acknowledges that there is no such thing as a pat ending. The final moral: "Made up stories can improve real lives."

New Morals
Great book that teaches you to see past the end of fables. The illustrations are a riot! Especially when the Tortoises hire gophers to help them win the next race. I can see how teachers could use this inventive book to inspire children to create and reshape their own fables. Moral: Buy it!


Conversations With Contemporary American Writers: Saul Bellow, I.b. Singer, Joyce Carol Oates, David Madden, Barry Beckham, Josephine Miles, Gerald Stern, Stephen Dunn, Etheridge Knight, Marilynne Robinson And William Stafford.(Costerus NS 50)
Published in Paperback by Rodopi Bv Editions (1985)
Author: Sanford Pinsker
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The last Dodo.
This Book is about a king who lives in a castle. He has a baker called Adrian.The King always eats eggs. Adrian makes the king chicken eggs,goose eggs,duck eggs.Then he shouts More More More! The Next day he read in his Newspaper that a dodos egg was spotted on an island.So he told Adrian to prepare the boat.To get to The island.


Seashore Chronicles: Three Centuries of the Virginia Barrier Islands
Published in Paperback by University Press of Virginia (1999)
Authors: Brooks Miles Barnes, Barry R. Truitt, and William W. Warner
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An excellent reference of the Virginia Barrier Islands
Those who live on the beach are subject to some of the more momentous forces of nature.... storms and hurricanes. In few other places has this been the case more than along the Virginia coast....and this work explores all those who lived in this treacherous margin between the mainland and the ocean. The book covers the continuing shifting of the islands through time, as well as their attempts of being habitable. The most celebrated ponies on the seaboard get their due...as well as some famous people who owned land or visited the area. It also serves as a valuable lesson to those who may wish to live in the apparent peace and solitude of the shore....for it can change at a moment's notice. It is one of the most balanced local histories I've ever read...and is told from the perspective of those on the islands, a very nice touch. Those interested in the Mid-Atlantic should run and buy this book while it's still in print.


Whose School is It, Anyway?: Parent-Teacher Conflict Over an Innovative School (Praeger Studies in Ethnographic Perspectives on American Education)
Published in Hardcover by Praeger Publishers (1981)
Authors: Barry A. Gold and Matthew B. Miles
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Informative, Concise
This book was an informative and unparalleled look at a school system paradigm. Sociological in method, humanitarian in form it explored issues in school reform that have yet to be recorded. Required reading for students and experts alike.


Zappa: Visual Documentary
Published in Paperback by Omnibus Press (1900)
Author: Barry Miles
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Excellent visual companion to Zappa
This is an excellent companion to your Zappa collection. It might be of little interest to those totally not in the know about Zappa; unlike Bet Watson's excellent "Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play" however, it is not incomprehensible to the novice. The chronological flow and the wealth of biographical material is a fine bonus, as are the hitherto rare photos of Zappa with various family members. Of particular interest are the bits about Zappa in the Czech Republic - his welcome there, his interaction with Vaclav Havel - did you know he set up a company to represent Czech business interests in the US? (The book does not go into detail on how the Bush administration arm-twisted Havel into withdrawing this accreditation from Zappa, but that is another story) For the hardcore Zappa-phile, there are shots of Zappa with the earliest Mothers, a rare photo of the legendary Studio Z, Zappa with Beefheart, and so on and so forth. Unlike most of the quickie picture books designed to cash in on the latest boy/girl/whatever - band craze, this book will stay by your bedside for years.


The Beat Hotel: Ginsberg, Burroughs & Corso in Paris, 1957-1963
Published in Paperback by Grove Press (10 July, 2001)
Author: Barry Miles
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Interesting friends, interesting lives
Throughout 1957 and 1963, members of the Beat movement - primarily Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, and Brion Gysin (and Peter Orlovsky, although he was mostly just along for the ride with Ginsberg) lived (on and off) in an old, low rent hotel in Paris at 9 Git-Le-Rue. During these years they experimented with various literary forms and a multitude of drugs, and created a large body of their work. There were many interesting relationship dynamics going on amongst them all, and most of all this book focuses on those relationships and how they affected each of their respective creative output.

The author is in love with both Ginsberg and Burroughs though, so the narrative is somewhat skewed. He seems to have unfavorable reactions to Corso's drinking, for instance, but practically glorifies Burroughs' practice of drug-induced creativity. Still, it's an interesting account of the time spent in Paris.

ok! but lots of repetition
I lived at number nine rue Git-le-Coeur from 1955 until 1958 and visited there often until 1960 and knew most of the people mentioned in the book. I was an ex-Korean War Vet studying on the G.I. Bill as were thousands of "Americans in Paris" in the 50,s. I can attest that most of the events related are accurate. The Hotel was special because of the freedom the owner granted us: cooking in our rooms, decorating them, allowing overnight guests, etc.) I believe it was the Hotel that helped form the "Beats" rather then the other way around since it was a creative beehive before they got there. My main argument with the book is the insistance of the hotel as being sordid, rat-ridden and dirty. This was not true. I never saw a four-legged rat there and the only roaches were the cannibis kind. The rooms were swept and mopped daily. It was a great place to be even before the "Beats" arrived and should not be defamed by exaggeration at the expense of the wonderful blue haired MadameRachou who owned it and took care of us, her Americains.

Fascinating, Scholarly Sketch of Literary History
The first time I read this book, I turned back over to the first page and read it again. It was that good. I am a huge Burroughs fan, and I learned a new appreciation for Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Brion Gysin. The grist of this book provides insight into the day-to-day maze of creativity whose epicenter happened to be Post WWII Paris. If you are looking for a fresh, lively, intelligent glimpse into the creative process of Burroughs, Gysin, Corso, Ginsberg and others, this is the book for you.


Ginsberg: A Biography
Published in Paperback by Virgin Publishing (2001)
Author: Barry Miles
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the only book that you need if...
this book may not be the best biography on ginsberg but it is the only one i know of that tackles the later years. i have the original hardcover version of this book but i knew nothing of mr. ginsberg's later years. this new edition fills in the blanks. allen's later years were just as interesting as the former. it also shows the depth of character that allen possessed even to the end.he was indeed a 20th century boddhisattva. i miss him.

Everything you wanted to know about Ginberg and more.
This is the ultimate Allen Ginsberg biography. It goes into detail about all aspects of Allen's life from his childhood with emotionally disturbed mother Naomi (for which Kaddish was written) to his death from liver cancer in 1997. All his crazy times with fellow beats (Kerouac, Burroughs, Corso, etc.) are well documented and events which are eluded to in his poetry and journals are brought to light. If you have any interest in Ginsberg this is the book to read.

A chronicle of the history of the Beats.
Although the writer focuses on Ginsberg, his life chronicles the history of the Beats, how they came to be, and their seminal contribution to the spawning of the radical 60's in America. Must reading for anyone interested in this era and the effect of the Beat movement on American culture and mindset.

I especially enjoyed the intimate perspective from which it is written, honing in on Ginsberg's persona in every day settings. It brings Ginsberg and his cronies, Burroughs, Kerouac, Cassady, etc., alive in a profoundly personal way.


Naked Lunch: The Restored Text
Published in Hardcover by Grove Press (07 March, 2003)
Authors: William S. Burroughs, James Grauerholz, and Barry Miles
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Whats going On?
I am actually in the middle of the road when it comes to liking this book. Obviously it must have hit me strong enough to write a review about it, but I can't see where it would be "life changing". I think that the over-the-top 5-star reviews are a little much, but this book does (at times) create horrific visions and shows that the book shouldn't be totally ignored. Most of the book is a chore to get through. To me, the book seems like short stories (if you can call them stories) chopped up and mixed together.It is very hard to follow a character or even know which character we are looking at. You can basically tear the pages out of the book, rearrange them in any random order, and read the re-ordered book and it wouldn't make that much difference. As A matter of fact I believe that is how the book was put together in the first place. I will remember the book by is its dark and sickening sexual images. Burroughs does a good job of making you feel very uneasy, almost sick at the images he throws at you. Once more, the book isn't that great of a casual read since it has very little character developement or plot, but the language is used very well and is an inspiration for new authors. If you want to read it but don't want to dish out the dough just borrow it from the library...it is there most of the time.

A Counterculture Literary Classic: Essential Burroughs
What else can I say, other than that this is "the" book that has brought William S. Burroughs the most fame(infamy?) and glory. Most people interested in Beat Literature choose Kerouac for insight, but I feel that Burroughs gets to the root of the Beatniks' most defining element: Drug use/abuse. His style is unrelenting. His prose harsh and ragged, not unlike himslef for some 15 odd years of his life in which he lived as a junky. I urge the reader to not read this book in sequence from beginning to end as a traditional novel. Instead, read a chapter or two at a time. Then, set it down and leave it alone for a day. The next day, return and continue reading. Each pargraph; each page is a message unto itself. Burroughs uses a rehab center in a place called Interzone, the character William Lee, and a sadistic orgy to help convey the over-all idea that the junky is a sad and tragic individual. But, what makes the junky so tragic is not his position in life. It is the sad fact that he put himself there in the first place. And, to spite himself, the junky's body must continue this act even though his mind says no. It is sad that this book has not been given the credit that it is due. Only at the end of his life did Mr. Burroughs begin to reap the rewards of his, and his comrades' work. As though he couldn't stand another minute in the world of the straight and narrow without a friend(Allen Ginsberg, the last Beat), he died after a life of extreme hardships and bittersweet success. Needless to say, this book sums up Burroughs' early life on the streets before any real intimations of success. It is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those of you who prefer "popular" literature. It is for those of us who seek the truth, and read books about certain topics for an element of reality.

Like rubbernecking at a car accident...
As an avid Stephen King and splatter-movie fan, I can still say that Naked Lunch is the most genuinely disturbing book I have ever read. Written under the influence of what was apparently a really bad heroin fix, Naked Lunch is the stuff of nightmares. I can't stress this point enough: Burroughs doesn't just cross boundaries of good taste, he utterly destroys them with sadistic glee. No stone is left unturned, no taboo left unbroken.
That said, this is a pretty enjoyable read. The lack of a coherent story line may annoy some people, but it also shows how sporadically the author's hallucinations appear and disappear. The only main character seems to be heroin. This is the literary equivalent of the film Eraserhead; dark, morbid, sickening, and about as close to a nightmare as the conscious mind can get. And like Eraserhead, it's impossible to fully interpret or ignore once it's in view.


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