Gertrude Stein's fifty-odd page remembrance of Pablo Picasso is brief in page length only. Her convolved writing style challenges the reader to think within the context of Picasso's own creative processes. This is not a quick read, but I was struck by how Stein had her finger on the pulse of Picasso's drive and desire in painting. Her scope is concerned with the Red and Blue Periods and the start of Picasso's role in the invention of Cubism. As much of a literary challenge as it is a close reading of several important Picasso paintings, including Stein's own famous portrait.

In this epochal gem originally published in London in 1938, Gertrude Stein tells of the arrival and rise of Picasso, and through him, Modernism and the 20th century, filtered through her own performance art. By "filtered" I am not suggesting that it is fiction or distorts its subject; in fact, it's a live action postcard from the epicenter of the man and movement. Not only does it inform with fact, it informs with form.

Stein says with characteristic self assurance that she alone understood Picasso and compared what he did in art to what she did with words, and there is merit in the comparison. Picasso, influenced by the Spaniards, came to believe that truth existed in the conceptual realm, it did not come from the material world. Whereas proceeding generations accepted what they saw before them as truth and responded realistically, Picasso chose to portray his inner vision on canvas and backed away from using models. Cubism became his way of signifying how he experienced the significance of the still life or human form. A person, a tableau was not perceived as the whole but as parts, some of them standing out more prominently than others. Similarly, Stein orders her information according to emphasis, with her characteristic tic of repetition--remember, this is the person who gave us lines like "A rose is a rose is a rose" and "there is no there, there."

Stein does not overindulge herself, however, and imparts a generous amount of lucid thought on how Picasso created and from what and whom he drew his influences. She progresses chronologically through his periods-the blue, the rose, the harlequin, Cubist, calligraphic, etc., up to the point she was writing. This plus salient insights into society, war, creative artists and the 20th century in general make the volume quite a deal in a small package.

As has been written elsewhere (Try Hemingway's A MOVEABLE FEAST, for instance) Gertrude Stein possessed a tremendous ego. She did not express opinions, she stated facts even when the basis for her facts existed only in her head. She also had the irksome habit of repeating the same information many times, often approaching it from slightly different directions. Again, I am certainly not the first to comment on this peculiarity of her writing. That this book is filled with examples of both of the above does not take away from its excellence in revealing much about Picasso and his art.

Stein's fame comes more from her position in the intellectual and artistic community of early to mid twentieth century Paris than from her ability as a writer or poet. It was because of this position that she came to know Picasso so well, and it was as an outgrowth of this personal relationship that this book came to be written.

One area that I found very informative in PICASSO was Stein's analysis of the alternating influences of Picasso's Spanish soul, Paris, and Spain itself, on the various periods of Picasso's artistic development. In this respect, Stein contrasts Spain and France in the following manner: Spain was a sad country with a monotony of coloring while France was the country of Toulouse-Lautrec with vivid colors and images.

With that as a background, she introduced Picasso, as a young man in Spain, painting realistic works in the late nineteenth century manner. This was followed by his first visit to Paris during which he was influenced by the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec. (See illustration #3, "In the Cafe") He then returned to Spain in 1902, staying until 1904. During this period, his temperament returned to that of his native Spain and he produced the darker, more somber paintings of his "blue period." This period ended with his return to Paris in 1904. Throughout the balance of PICASSO, Stein traced his painting cycles and the people and experiences that influenced them.

Picasso revealed to Stein, and she passed on to us, one of the main secrets of his later styles. He saw as a very young child saw, and painted what he saw through those infantile eyes. An infant sees what it sees from very close up and, consequently, only sees one or two of its mother's features at a time. An infant can't focus at a distance and probably couldn't recognize its own mother from across a room. That infant would probably recognize an eye or a nose, or one or two other features. That same child would probably only recognize its mother in profile, and only from one side at that, i.e., left or right profile, but not both. This was the vision that Picasso brought to his art: a recognizable eye, a nose in profile, and these not necessarily connected in any way that makes sense to the eye of an adult viewer. It was one of the geniuses of Picasso that he could utilize this vision in his art, and it was as a gift that Gertrude Stein let us in on the secret.

I have visited the Picasso museums in Barcelona and Paris, and through their displays, have traced Picasso's evolution as an artist. Neither museum was as instructive relative to Picasso's thought processes as was this small book with its many black and white illustrations. For having providing these insights, I can forgive Gertrude Stein for all her mannerisms and displays of ego.

Much more information about Picasso and the literary and artistic personages of his era can be gained by reading this book. I do recommend it.

I love pizza. But anyways on to the review. When someone tries to close down Piccolo's Pizzeria, the Boxcar Children come to the aid of their old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Piccolo, and come up for ideas for mini pizzas, a delivery service, and special coupons. Simultaneous. The boxcar children wonder is someon is deliberately trying to shut down the pizza paler. Are they right?

I agree that this is the best Boxcar Children book. And once again the Alden Children find themselves on another mystery. And this one is not the same from others. As the book begins, the Aldens and Grandfather Alden find out that thier favorite pizza place is in trouble (that nobody can figure out why).

The Aldens has decide to end thier trip that they have been on. But taking a trip to the pizza place. On the way they meet the manger of the nextdoor factory called The Mighty Mufflers. His name is Maxwell Irons. Right before they had off to Piccolo's Pizza (the name of thier favorite pizza place).

But when they arrive they seem to can't find the pizza place because a billboard is in front of the sign and the pizza place. They can't find a place to park, but they do, but they can't park there because it's for truck only. It is the loading parking space.

The Piccolos has had trouble with thier oven. The gasline has been messed up. They had two waiters leave. And sometimes the Piccolos sometimes do not open up at all. The Alden Children decide to stay back and help out the Piccolos. Mr. And Mrs. Piccolos agree to this.

And soon the Aldens and the Piccolos has more trouble. Somebody has caused a blackout and printed up coupons for kids 12 and under to have them buy a slice of pizza and get free pop. But can the Aldends save the pizza place?

This is one I remember from my childhood, and I have to protest I beleive it is the best Boxcar Childrens book made! The plop is VERY grabbing and interesting - and of course the thought of pizza makes you HUNGRY sometimes. The book is so well written, and will keep your attention so much that you can even smell the ingredients that the Piccolo family (the owners of the Pizzeria) are using.

The protagonist of this book, Derv Nagy, has an apparent physical disability that causes him to be--well--different, but in the end becomes an element in a highly original science fiction novel. Gertrude Friedberg's writing style is simple and unadorned in the extreme, which appeals to me, as I am generally not fond of writing that is so stylish that it distracts one's attention from the narrative. That is no problem here. Should be interesting and understandable to readers from around age 10 on up. I've read a great deal of science fiction, and this one stands out as one of the most unique.

In this book you see the uniquely talented/disabled character of Derv Nagy grow from a very young leaning todler to a towering old man. You watch as his unusual way of birth throws him into what could be the most important discovery of his time. The society that he develops in is well described and very believeable. The love of his wife, who has absolute pitch, and the fear and frustration of keeping a secret are constatly tugging him in different directions. An old run down sky tracking site and the leaning of an old man just might hold the key to unraveling the universe.

I love the way the book was written and the way the author would throw in new things and they would be understandable with out an explanation. I have read the book about ten times in the past year. The Revolving Boy stands out as a one of a kind book, that I will always remember. My connection with Derv Nagy is something that can not be explained.

This was the first real mystery story I ever read, when I was about eight or nine years old, and I madly adored it, except that for some reason the part about the grating brick freaked me out. It has never scared any other child I know who read the book, but for some reason after reading that I couldn't go to sleep for a long time many nights! It really is a well-thought-out mystery - I always thought it was, but after it scared me I didn't dare to read it again for years!

But last week I read it again, and enjoyed it very much again. Of course nothing is as exciting to the adult mind in such a book as it is to a child, but I can still see the appeal in the story and get pleasure from reading it all the same.

Basically the story is... Grandfather's "Surprise Island" has a little yellow house on it. The children sense there is a mystery about it, so they ask Grandfather to tell them about it. He says that a man named Bill lived there with his wife. He disappeared one day, presumably with a large amount of money, and no one was ever able to find where he went. But the Boxcar children are always ready for a challenge and they set off to look for Bill.

Excellent story that all boys and girls should read or have read to them.

When I was a child, I had a very hard time concentrating on reading. That was untill my mom entroduced me to the Box car children. I have never forgotten about those kids. It is my favorite child hood story. I always wished that I had have my own box car to go to. I think it the best fantasy land any child could ever enter.

I liked the part when Benny found a box of money when he was playing with a frog.I also liked the part when the four childern's grandfather told them a story about when he was a boy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting reading about some basketball stars and a stolen trophy. I would really rate it four and a half stars but I wasn't able to. The reason it "would" be four and a half stars is because every once and a while I got a tiny bit bored. I still love reading it because it has more than that. I loved reading about the basketball clinic. I LOVE this book!

I think this book is a wonderful book for anybody to read. If you like basketball and mystery this is the perfect book for you. You will not have nightmares from this book, and you will not be able to put it down.

This series of fourteen stories about teenage life and growing up were written in the style of "popular fiction" for young people in the 50s and 60s. I think the stories are rather groundbreaking for their day in that they're sort of anti-Leave it to Beaver. Rather than a "perfect" and orderly household that's just-so middle class we have a hectic family of four teen and young-adult children and a widowed father who is frequently out of town. While there father is loving and they have a substantial "support system" in each other and in friends and neighbors, many of the conflicts and plot-lines center around very real confusions, temptations and philosophies that teens struggle with. It's nice to see ideas like the value of earning your own money, the dangers of "going steady" too soon, the difficulties of early marriage, the beauty of a simple wedding and the importance of love and understanding in dealing with "difficult children" incorporated into engaging stories. Teens will benefit from grappling with these ideas in a story before they face them in real life.

The stories are very girlish - there's a lot about dating and clothes. They're not great literature, but they have a lot of heart, they're a lot of fun, they're easy to read and I think you'll be glad you met Beany and all the Malones.

Popular juvenile writer L.M. Weber wrote 15 books about the Malones from 1943-1969, which are now reissueed by Image-Cascade. The books are sturdy editions of the classics which even have the pictures from the dustcover printed on the paperback bindings, a particularly nice touch for those of us who remember the classic dustcovers. If you want to buy them all you might buy directly from the publisher as they offer a discount if you buy the entire series.

On the books: this is a very wholesome series from the post-war, baby boom days when older teenagers of the middle classes were just beginning to debate the question of dating behavior, independence from parents, early marriage and sexual activity. Each book centers around one sort of moral dilemma that organizes the action of the characters In this book we are introduced to the Malone family when their widowed father has to be away for sometime and their stepgrandmother comes to pick up the slack and organize their lives for them. How each of the Malone children from the oldest, recently married Elizabeth, to horseriding Mary Fred, historian Johnny, and determined housewifely youngest daughter Catherine Cecilia or "Beany" as she is known to all and sundry, deal with the question of independence and self-determination is the theme of this particular book. The series carries us through several of Beany's boyfriends and her search for an ideal, sensible mate, ending in a last novel that discusses a point very early in her marriage to Mr. Right, Carlton Buell. The plot devices of the books are rather formulaic; they often turn on information one character has and does not share with the others, or a belief that one character has that turns out to be wrong. Characterization is very flat and unsophisticated and as the series goes on, there is a great deal of repetition of characterization devices that takes up more and more of the book each time. But these books were beloved in their age and are definitely nostalgic to read again. Still, they take us back to a point in American history that has a reputation of being a peaceful era and we see that even before Vietnam and the 1960s teenagers were dealing with moral dilemmas and wondering how best to grow up. Beany and her siblings also provide good moral examples, since they always struggle but in the end do the right thing. Strongly recommended, even they are a bit oldfashioned nowadays.

The Boxcar children solved many a mystery but can they save their cousins' pineapple farm from becoming bankrupt. Does this also have something to do with the Black Pearl that everybody is afraid to mention?

I have not read many Boxcar Children books but I found this one to be very interesting. The mystery was fairly well thought out and it had a satisfying ending. The characters aren't too complex, but what can you expect from a kids' book. I would recommend it to young readers that enjoy a good mystery.

This is an excellent book written by a brilliant author. It details the line of progenitors leading up to Darwin's theory as well as the historical milieu in which Darwin swam during his lifetime and some of the forces, social and otherwise, that influenced him prior to Origin of Species and beyond. Himmelfarb gives an insightful criticism of Darwin's theory working simply from the internal organization of Darwin's thoughts. Himmelfarb is so brilliant in her analysis that my only criticism of the book is that she didn't critcize the theory in a more detailed fashion.

But it is a very readable and accessible book, and one that clearly points out some of the failings of Darwinian theory, many of which have been picked up by other critics over the years. However, I suspect that for the more sophisticated critic of Darwin, this book lacks sufficient scientific evidence--though it remains a fine history of the person, his theory, and its reception at the time of publication.

All of the books I have ever read about Darwin either extoll him a a perfect, God-like creature, or vilify him as a demon. This book provides a comprehensive view of Darwin as he was, that is, as he saw himself and as others saw him. I was surprised to read that Darwin had many predecessors in the development of his theory, and that the flaws of the theory (which are significant) were generally recognized long before the challenges of modern science pointed them out. If you want your fancies about Darwin tickled, read others. If you want the facts, read Himmelfarb. I strongly recommend this book.

While exploring Dragon's Mouth Cavern, the Boxcar children encounter a group of suspicious, unfriendly people, including a man who refuses to identify himself, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Lyme who try to scare the young sleuths away, and Crystal Hollowell, who lies about where she works.Can the Boxcar Children solve this underground mystery?

This is my favirote Boxcar Children book. But if you compare it with other books it,s just o.k.

Hello, I'm going to do a book review on Mystery in the Cave by Gertrude Chandler Warner! Would you ever want to be trapped in a cave for a long time in the dark? Here are two important things that happened in this story. First, they found a rock in the way so they could not get inside the tunnel. Also, they found an underground stream below the cave and there the Boxcar Children found a missing boat and Benny's headlamp! I like this story because there was a lot of an action. Also, the mystery was hard and I like hard mysteries! The pictures helped me understand the story a little bit better. The message the author shared was Caves are not just for fun there also are treasures! Why doesn't anybody want them down there? This is the best story!

This book was easy and fun to read!I reccomend it to any person or child!

My daughter told me about this book and how she thinks it deserves "4 stars". She said that this book was about the Aldens (also known as the Boxcar Children) and how they get new neighbors. They make friends with the neighbors and start to build a treehouse. They discover something mysterious while looking out of the treehouse. She wants me to read the book to find out what happens. The book didn't deserve a five-star rating because she found it not to be as exciting as she hoped it would be.

The Boxcar Children and the Mystery of the Tree House was a very good book to read. When the Boxcar Children get new neighbors they help them build a tree house. The neighbors have insisted on getting a spy glass for the tree house.When they find the missing spy glass they look through it and find a mysterious room from the people that were there before them. Read this book when you get the chance to you'll love it.