The Enid Starkie biography is a moving and remarkable work. Nevertheless , it has some serious mistakes that the readers and mainly the lovers of Rimbaud must know. Starkie stained the memory of Rimbaud accusing him of having done slaves traffic. Detailed studies have proved that this was absolutely impossible. (You can read the books of Alain Borer, Graham Robb, Charles Nicholl...)
Starkie wants to show us a rimbaud that failed in Abyssinia. It seems that he deserved a punishment for having left the poetry. The truth is that Arthur Rimbaud was an excellent trader that made a little fortune.
A few moths ago I went to Charleville. There, the Rimbaud's museum has a place where important studies about Rimbaud are shown. In spite of the Starkie's play is very well-known, it has not earned a place there.

Enid Starkie's biography of Rimbaud, published nearly forty years ago, still stands as both the definitive narrative of Rimbaud's life and a model of literary biography.

Rimbaud was a rebellious, enigmatic, brilliant, and inscrutable poet who, in just four short years between the ages of sixteen and twenty, wrote the poetry which has made him a figure of mythic proportions, not only in French literature, but in the literature and history of Modernism. Starkie, in brilliantly lucid prose and with loving attention to every detail, tells Rimbaud's life story and connects that story to the writing of the poems and the evolution of Rimbaud's views on poetry and the task of the poet.

Influenced by his studies of Kabbalah, alchemy and illuminism, and writing in the long shadow of Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal", Rimbaud precociously enunciated his attack on the then dominant Parnassian school of French poetry at the tender age of sixteen. Starkie examines Rimbaud's original aesthetic doctrine in great detail; in her words, the poet must discover a "new language . . . capable of expressing the ineffable, a new language not bound by logic, nor by grammar or syntax." In Rimbaud's words, the "Poet" must make himself a "seer" by a "long, immense and systematic derangement of all the senses."

From this initial position, Starkie brilliantly details Rimbaud's turbulent relationship with Paul Verlaine and his descent into what one reviewer has aptly described as a "perpetual roister of absinthe, hashish and sodomy." Starkie painstakingly relates Rimbaud's poetry to his experiences with Verlaine in London and Paris. In particular, Starkie convincingly demonstrates, through careful exegesis of the poems and their correspondences with Rimbaud's letters and other biographical materials, that the "Illuminations" (perhaps Rimbaud's most brilliant poems) were written over several years preceding and following "Une Saison en Enfer". Starkie then goes on to demonstrate that the latter prose poems were hardly intended to be Rimbaud's "farewell to literature in general, but only to visionary literature." In other words, "Une Saison en Enfer" represents the rejection by Rimbaud of his original mind-bending iconoclasm--the liquidation "of all his previous dreams and aspirations"--in favor of a rational and materialist aesthetics. Of course, after completing "Une Saison en Enfer", Rimbaud's life moved in completely different directions and there is, unfortunately, no existing evidence that he continued his poetic endeavor after the age of twenty.

Starkie's biography captures the details of the remainder of Rimbaud's life--he died at the age of thirty-seven--with fascinating and attentive detail. And the remainder of his life, as related by Starkie, is a biography in itself--vagabond in Europe, sailor to the East Indies, gun runner and (slave?) trader in Abyssinia, and mysterious cult hero of the emerging French symbolist movement. Indeed, in 1888, more than fourteen years after Rimbaud's known literary career had ended, he received a letter from a prominent Parisian editor: "You have become, among a little coterie, a sort of legendary figure . . . This little group, who claim you as their Master, do not know what has become of you, but hope you will one day reappear, and rescue them from obscurity." Starkie scrutinizes all of these events with scrupulous attention to detail and accuracy.

This is truly a classic of literary biography! (One additional comment: Rimbaud's poetry and letters are quoted extensively in the original French. If you are not fluent in French, you should have Wallace Fowlie's English translation of Rimbaud's Complete Works and Selected Letters by your side as a reference.)

I am a literary bio junkie and this is one of the books that turned me into one. Rimbaud is an excellent subject because he led such a fascinating and contradictory life. He went from being the archetypal enfant terrible and prototypical bohemian poet to an engineer in Egypt without any interest in the Parisian literary "scene" whatsoever. Along the way was his enigmatic relationship with Verlaine and Verlaine's wife. Starkie doesn't answer all the questions we are left with regarding this singular artist. Nobody can. It's not even clear what caused his relatively early death. What Starkie does provide is an intelligently illuminated portrait of Rimbaud and provides us with the background for the well of angst into which he dipped his vituperous pen. I can't believe that Starkie's equally compelling bio of Baudelaire is not listed ........ If this book is out of print, it's criminal. It's almost a companion piece to her Rimbaud. It should also be read by anyone interested in French poetry, literary history, or great literary biography.

Don't be fooled by Steven McLeod's review. This book is not an English translation of the French poet's work. It is printed entirely in French with no side-by-side translation. Just don't make the same mistake I did and send it as a gift to a non-French speaking friend!

(By the way, my three stars mean nothing as I couldn't read the book either, but was required to fill-in the field to submit this "review.")

I am not a writer, nor a critic. I am a mere reader who appreciates good works. This is one of my staple books, which I often reread and recommend to people who I feel might have the mind to appreciate genius. This is the best translation I know of and as a necessary feature of translated poetry, it includes the original French text, as well. Baudelaire reveals the beauty within darkness and exposes the darkness within light. Brilliance has always been rare, but I would say now it is more rare than ever within the literary field. This may very well be due to books like this going unread by the majority of the population. This is a wonderful book to enhance a person's writing depth, and their understanding of the world. Other great author's and books are: Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud, Mallarme, Antonin Artaud's Anthology and The Death of Satan, Lautremont and Maldoror by Issidore Ducasse, All of the Marquis de Sade's works, Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust, Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, Anne Sexton's Complete Works, La Batarde by Violette Leduc, the diaries of Anais Nin, and Sylvia Plath's poetry.

... This book does indeed include the original French version in its second half, and Richard Howard's breathtakingly vivid and vital English translation in its first half. This is the definitive English translation of Les Fleurs du Mal, and by far my favorite.

As to the substance of this remarkable book of poetry, Baudelaire's work is one of such groundbreaking genius on so many levels that it may never be equaled. He has achieved Gustave Flaubert's great aim of "le seul mot juste" (the unique right word) with such consistency that one can only smile in amazement and wonder. The aural music created by this poetry intoxicates as the meaning of the words strikes deep into the heart of the reader, putting into words thoughts and feelings that he could never express. These alternate with shocking and horrifying images that bring to mind Kafka's "Metamorphosis." Longing, irony, desolation, desire, betrayal, anger, melancholy, ecstasy, alienation, and more are Baudelaire's subjects, and his words are the arrows in his quiver that never miss their mark. A few of my favorites are: The Albatross, Elevation, Hymn to Beauty, The Head of Hair, The Cat, Spleen III, The Clock, and Hymn.

As a look into the human heart and mind, I rank this work with Michel de Montaigne's "Essays." It would also land on my list of universal, desert-island books.

I approached Noddy with a bit of trepidation, for a number of reasons.

First, I remember being a huge fan of Noddy in my own childhood. Would it stand the test of time, would my fond memories prove unreliable.

Second, there is all the bad press Noddy has received over the years - some of it hysterical over-reaction eg reading homosexuality or paedophilia into the relationship between Noddy and Big Ears - i have read both over the years.For pete's sake! Friendship is a hallmark of children's literature and childhood, surely!

Third, the racial and sexist stereotyping. I think some of that has been "cleaned up" to make it more compatible with contemporary values.

I was pleasantly pleased when I re-read Noddy, and my son started asking for the stories. They are not earth-shatteringly well-written (in fact some of the writing is a quite banal, and a bit dated / twee). However, they are reasonable stories that have a place in a child's literary experience.

Some of the moralism is a bit heavy-handed, and there is definitely an authoritarianism evident in Blyton's writing. She was a product of her time and class, and she does tend to patronise a bit.

But on the strength of that, I would never support "banning" Noddy, or even prevent children from reading them. They are good early reading books for the independent reader. as long as a child has access to the great range of children't literature, I see no problem. There are, after all, only 6 of these books. They don't repeat endlessly in the way some of the more modern series books do.

Enid Blyton captures a child's heart and starts them on the wonderful adventure of reading with her Noddy Series. These were some of the first books I learned to read when I lived in Scotland and have treasured them since. I have read them to my children and grandchildren and still get delight from reading them again to myself! Everyone should experience Noddy!

Picture a child, ready to tackle listening to a "chapter-book" read by a caring adult. Or a child ready to try to read a "chapter-book", after building up skill with single-story picture-story books. In both cases, Enid Blyton's "Noddy", especially the first six titles in the original series, are amongst the very best of these early-listening or early-reading "chapter-books". It's true that people object to golliwogs, in any form, even when they are kind and friendly, as many of Blyton's are. It's true that many people read nasty things into the substitute-parent role played by Noddy's good friend Big-Ears the Brownie. True, they do (or did) share a bed, on one occasion, when Noddy visits. It's true that Mr Plod the policeman is a bit of a bumbling fuss-budget. These early (usually stupid or prudish) objections have been eliminated in recent sensitive revisions. No golliwogs now. No bed-sharing. Sweetness and light. Fortunately the books are as good as ever. Noddy is a little wooden nodding-headed toy, who is afraid of the toy lion Old Man Carver is making, so he runs away - and finds himself helped by Big-Ears, and is taken to Toyland. Now Noddy needs to be dressed, and to make himself a house. In later books he needs to find a way of earning his sixpences. Noddy is really a young child playing at growing up. He gets into trouble, occasionally. Yet his heart is always in the right place. But when he let's the animals out of Noah's Ark, there is community uproar. Is he really a toy? Does he really belong in Toyland? And is he a GOOD toy? Enid Blyton's wonderful toy fable-fairytale, brilliantly illustrated by the artist Beek (whose illustrations inspired Blyton), was deservedly an instant classic. The controversy came later, and should now be set aside. Noddy is still a classic, almost a nursery epic of growing up to be a good person. Pinocchio without the moralising or horror, and with much warmth and humor. Noddy wants to build the roof of his house first, ! so he can build the walls and stay dry if it rains. Later, perhaps regretably, Noddy became an industry of books and merchandising. But the first six titles are outstanding of their kind. Very highly recommended.

I found this book very exciting. My favourite character is George, who is never afraid of anything, and Timmy the dog who always comes to the rescue. In this story I found the spook trains very spooky, and enjoyed imagining them racing undergrond! However, I did not like the fact that the adventure seemed so short.

Five Go Off to Camp is a great book but in my imagination I do not like the look of Lewis and Tiger Dan! I have read other Famous Five books and liked this one the best. It was very exciting and very risky but the brave Five never stop their adventure. I did not think there would be any thieves in this adventure but something always pops out in their holidays! Don't stop now Five! You have got plenty more adventures to come! If you're sensitive about cruelty to dogs you may not want to read it.

This book is completely worth the money... You'll have fun reading it! I got hooked on it right when I started, this book has it all... action, suspense, adventure etc.

I recommend this book to all readers!

I remember reading this book as a child and loving it. Recently while stuck at home with the chicken-pox I decided to dust off and reread my old famous fives. This one is still one of my favourites. I particularly loved the scene where the children decide to scare the Sticks with animal noises echoing through the tunnels. Even as an adult that still cracks me up! And does anyone else love reading about the food the kids eat? The scene where Julian barged into the kitchen and removed the roast chicken and treacle tart still makes my mouth water - and I've never tasted treacle tart!

THIS STORY IS EXCITING,AS WELL AS FUN!ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT AS EXCITING AS ONE OF THE STORY "FIVE FALL INTO ADVENTURE"I THINK THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET!

Another great Famous Five Thriller. What often puzzled and still puzzles me is the appetitie these kids have. It borders on gluttony (yet they do not appear to put on weight), for when they "escape" to Kirrin Island, I am fearful that their boat will capsize in light of the amount of food they bring on board. Again Blyton displays her ability to build up a very interesting climax where "goodness" triumphs over "evil" in the end.

France seems to produce more than its share of wonderful stylists who don't have much to say (Georges Simenon also comes to mind). This is a lovely, cozy read, but I'd sure like to know what the other reviewer found that is especially about women or directed toward women. I find what Janet Flanner said about Colette much more to the point, something to the effect that there was hardly a tree in French literature until Colette came along. What she does--and does supremely well--is describe flowers, insects, trees, whole gardens beautifully and precisely. For this reader that's quite enough.

I first read this book back when the earth was cooling. When I wanted to reread it, I couldn't find it, so I bought another copy. I've loaned it out, never had it returned, bought it again, ditto, ditto, ditto.
I've probably bought this book 10 times over the past 20 years, and that's no doubt a record for me.
People associate Colette with Cheri and her other erotic and somewhat scandalous writing and life-style.
Sido (her mother) and My Mother's House are written in an altogether different tone: lyrical, idyllic, dreamy, funny (of course; she's a very funny writer), nostalgic.
Read these two companion books, usually sold in a single volume, to get a real taste of what it was like to spend your childhood in rural France before the turn of the last century, in an eccentric household run by an unusually permissive mother and a much older, loving but distant father.
To read these books is to be sucked into another era by a writer uniquely skilled at her craft - and most of all, it gives you a fresh appreciation for the child who became Colette.

There are many Colettes, and I cherish them all. But the one dearest to me is the Colette who wrote so lovingly and voluptuously of her early years. In "My Mother's House" and "Sido" Colette writes about her family, her childhood in the country, and the creatures - human and otherwise - which informed those years.

In her writing about these years, Colette describes the inner life of children, country life, and her parents and their odd, affectionate and often difficult relationship with each other and with their children. We have the sense of lives tied to the earth and the turn of seasons, particularly through loving descriptions of her mother, Sido.

These two memoirs are not about "not much" as one reviewer puts it, they're about the sensuality of life, about enduring bonds of love and of blood, and about the education of a writer. Perfectly gorgeous work, and highly recommended.

This is a very comprehensive book, filled to the brim with information for the infertility patient. It's a great resource, but some parts are written in a very technical way, with a lot of medical terminology. I didn't read it from cover to cover, but do use it often as a resource.

This is one of three or four books that have been our most frequently used reference books during the whole infertility process. It's well written, informative, and contains a great deal of useful information. I would definitely recommend it as one of the first books that a couple buys.

The one downside to the book for me is the index. It's not very detailed and so I find I spend more time searching for topics than I should have to.

Dr. Richard Marrs' book is the most wonderful purchase I've made in a long-time. I have several "fertility" related books, and this book is the most "dog-eared" of the lot. He has a great conversational style, and he explains the "theory" behind the treatments. That way as new techniques are developed, it's easy for the informed patient to understand why treatment plans change because the fundamentals are so well understood. Highly recommended reference book for all IF patients!

At last an academic tome which deals uncompromisingly with major sociological and socio-literary issues, and yet written in a language which is accessible to the interested lay reader. Too often professors sit in their ivory towers, unaware of the needs of a wider reading audience, but Dr Blyton manages to find a lucid and coherent style by which she entertains, but also informs and challenges. I had to re-think many cherished and long-held intellectual positions, but the reward for buying into Dr Blyton's refreshingly unpretentious world-view, is a novelty of persepective lacking from most "literary" thinkers/writers of our day.

I loved the Famous Five as a child and found them very funny as I got a bit older. Marvel at how much the kids can eat and be infuriated by George being "as good as a boy" and Anne always playing the soft little housewife. Despite this, the books are a lot of fun and I used to pray that God would send me back to be one of the Famous Five after I died!

I am now at my 31 yrs old, and have a son "Edo", so I mention my name as mama edo. I am the Indonesian citizen. I had read almost all of A Famous Five Stories & all children's book created by Enid Blyton (in Indonesian version), including this title, since last 1980 when I was 10 yrs, up to 1985. This book is a great story, so when we read it we also can imagine about the beautiful Kirrin island, the naughty George, funny Timmy dog, the cute of Anne & the brilliant boys Julian & Dick. We almost know the character of all stars at that book. We can join them on their great adventure. I had a funny dream that someday may be I can visit that Kirrin Island & introduce The Famous Five team, join their great adventure, although I knew that it was only the fiction. Now in my 31 yrs old I still remember most of "A Famous Five Book", especially for this book. and I have my own litle library to keep all of that books. May be I can pass it to my children, so they also can read it. This is good for their imagination.

Manning Coles was the pen name of a pair of British authors who produced a series of spy stories that began realistically in WWI and ended more fancifully in the Cold War. Along the way they developed a skill in dialog and situations that made their stories a delight to read. Toward the end of their career they produced a few books in which the principal characters are ghosts. Although there are elements of action and intrigue, they do not form the focus of the stories; the focus of the stories comprises the exquisitely mannered spirits and the flavor of life that they and their agile travelling companion bring to those about them. Those of you who recall the original stories win twice; not only do you get to relive these moments, you get a marvellous introduction. The second book in the series is Happy Returns. It has just (7/00) been released, but read this one first.

Manning Coles's best books are full of humor, and this one is up there with the best. As Sally and Jeremy Latimer, of the current day 1954, are having car trouble, they are helped by distant relatives, James and Charles Latimer, (and their monkey) both long dead. "Bad guys" are out to get them, but with the help of the ghosts, good wins. To disclose more of the plot would spoil the mystery aspects, but this is a very fun book.

This book, and the other two Manning Coles ghost stories, were favorites in my family as long as I can remember. My parents had the original books, which got misplaced years ago, and my sisters
and I have looked for them used with only occasional success. What a delight to see them again! For sheer fun, it's hard to beat these, and some of the scenes are priceless. Have fun!

As I haven't made tassels before, just been impressed by their elegant look, I decided to read the whole book first. I've now done that and I'm ready to start. This book is easy to read and understand and I feel confident that once I've tried a few times I will master these beautiful accessories.

It's a useful referance book for various techniques. This book shows many ways to create a tassel (cord/woodheads/ect), not just one tassel with slight variations and additions to it. I found the basic tassel diagram confusing as a beginner, it looks hand drawn. The written instructions are good. I also like the descriptions of threads and how they affect the tassels shape, movement, and texture. The tassels are plain, but the info is good!

"Beginners" is in the title, but you won't give up the book when you gain experience. It's filled with tips, ideas, and shortcuts that make the learning experience fun and keep your interest high. Whether you want to make a simple tassel in fifteen minutes or develop a complex tassel as a project, reach for this book for instructions. This is the tassel book to buy first. You won't give it up.