The first Trevor book that made one realize that Trevor was more than merely a brilliant funny man. Which is not to say that the book isn't full of laughs--it is. But it's much else besides. Of all his books this is probably one of his richest in terms of character, moral insight, etc. At any rate, certainly a pivotal book for the most artful storyteller now working.

Where the World Does Not Follow combines spectacular photography of China's most remote mountains, with translations of the beautiful and simple poetry of ancient buddhist hermits who once inhabited them. The book opens anywhere to reveal Steven R. Johnson's incredible photographs matched on the facing page, with Mike O'Connor's artfully rendered translations. Each photograph and each poem in this masterful collection is among the very best I have seen, but the greater joy is how - taken together - each pair of photographs and poems creates an object of profound beauty and simplicity. Where the World Does Not Follow is as unique as it is beautiful.

The letters sent between O'Neill and his second wife reveal a much more personal view of life in the spotlight. It exposes the personal grit and scandal of their relationship as well as revealing a more accurate picture of Agnes Boulton. The detailed yet brief background of their lives lends greater understanding to the personal contents of the letters. Most of all, it offers a greater appreciation for the human heart when pulled between love for a companion and a passion for their work. Put down the fiction and pick up this book about a real relationship full of fight and love that engulfs and excites even the simplest parts of a mediocre life! A must read for O'Neill fans and newcomers alike!

MAN OF THE HOUSE reads more like a conversation with a favourite grandparent than the memoirs of someone with fifty years of experience in politics and the book is the better for it. The book is vaguely set up in chronological order starting from his childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts and ending with his retirement from his position as Speaker of the House. But Tip (one feels to be on a first-name basis after the familiar tone of the book) sprinkles many anecdotes and jokes throughout the text, giving it a conversational flavour instead of reading like a straight history.

O'Neill does not try to hide the fact that he is a Democrat and an extremely partisan one at that. However, he does not let his philosophies blind him to what people really are. He remembers the flaws that were present in some of his Democratic colleagues and speaks about the good qualities in the Republicans in Congress. Partisanship never gets in the way of friendship and he recalls many stories of socializing with members of both parties after a day spent fighting legislative battles.

It's fascinating to read about (what is now) history through the eyes of someone who was witnessing first-hand so much of it. An entire chapter is dedicated to the Watergate scandal of the Nixon years and we can see it unfolding as he saw it. Nixon can be seen through the eyes of someone who was not a part of his close inner-circle, but who was closer than the general public. He offers his thoughts on the pardon given by President Ford and his mixed feelings on the subject.

All the Presidents that he worked with are given a chapter of their own where O'Neill offers praise, criticism and a few humourous anecdotes. As expected, fellow Bostonian Jack Kennedy receives the most attention, having one chapter dedicated to him and another to his family. O'Neill describes a man who surrounded himself by a team of people that were the best in the business when it came to getting someone elected, but who really did not have the first clue in how to deal with legislators.

O'Neill describes many of the battles he had with Kennedy's successor, President Johnson, on the subject of Vietnam. O'Neill broke from the President's position and was quite vocal in his condemnation of the war. The deep division in the Congress and the conversations he had with the President are given a lot of attention. O'Neill details how, while agreeing with the sentiments of the protestors, he felt that they were distracting from the message. Every time someone would smash a window in anger during a gathering, instead of reports of general unrest, the story in the press would be that this was another action supported by Tip.

The last two presidents that Tip served with were the two in office during his tenure as Speaker of the House. President Carter, the Democrat, and President Reagan, the Republican, are seen to Tip as being almost complete opposites. Where every conversation O'Neill had with Carter demonstrated the President's obvious knowledge in on a given subject, virtually all Reagan had to talk about were old movies and baseball. The main difference in their leadership styles, and what Tip found so frustrating, was the difference in which the two men viewed the Congress. Carter took a much more passive role, not really understanding the way that Washington worked. In contrast, Reagan would be constantly on the phone to the members of Congress, sweet-talking them into supporting his bills.

This was a very interesting read and I highly recommend it. O'Neill himself comes across as a very warm and friendly person who, in all his years in government, never forgot where he came from. His fights over various pieces of legislation down the years always came down to a simple desire to help the little guy.

Although Tip O'Neill did not represent my views on most issues, this books shows why he was generally respected as a steward of the House of Representatives. Congenial, warm and partisan, O'Neill was a master of the inside game of politics. This book describes his rise in the rough and tumble world of Bay State politics and his battles in the House that successfully elevated him to Speaker (With a little help from Dan Rostenkowski, who embarrassed Carl Albert at the 68 Dem. convention on the orders of Pres. Johnson). People liked O'Neill without always liking where he wanted to take the country. Even he and President Reagan liked and joked with each other while they were locked in mortal political battle over redirecting the United States government.

O'Neill is likeable in this book -- the book is likeable, also.

Tip O'Neill is the definitive old-time politician. A man who still stands by morals and ethics and is resistant to media and other bad things. At least, that's the way his book presents him. In truth he was a very good man who did many good things and the book is an exceptionally interesting look into those events and how he views them.

This book is, without a doubt, the best common-sense book I have yet read on investing in common stocks (and I have read MANY). Although I don't feel O'Neil tries to hype his newspaper (Investors Business Daily) in the book, he does mention it a lot. The reason I say this is because so many other stock market books are really just a bunch of hype to get you to subscribe to investment services, attend seminars, ect. This book is none of that. It is straightforward, common sense ideas stated in terms that can be understood. However, I do feel perfectly comfortable reccomending IBD, I don't think any other financial publication comes close to IBD in quality (even the venerable WSJ). Do yourself a service, buy and read this book and subscribe to IBD. It is money WELL spent !

Bill O'Neil lays out a very objective, acurate and evidence-based method to choosing stocks. He explains 7 key aspects of a stock that you should check off before you should think about buying. He then explains how paramount it is to know the market direction because 3 out of 4 stocks will follow that trend. I'm also baffled with the reviews about people losing money with this book. It's clear they didn't read it to begin with as he explains in clear, everyday english when to cut your losses. He reminds us of the most common mistakes investors make as well. I started picking stocks back in November and 3/4 of them have double digit % gains while the market has tanked. Here's to you Bill O'Neil!

Using William O'Neil's tactics have earned me 140% return on my money in seven months. This when the market has not been rising, but struggling been sideways most of the time. I've only spent a few minutes combing through 'stocks in the news' for each stock pick and I was a winner 10 out of 11 times. I don't see how anybody can create an easier, more reliable system, or a faster easier source to find winning stocks. I paid William O'Neil $200 bucks for his paper and his imformation earned me $31,000 so far this year. Don't be stubborn and don't be stingy. Get the guy's paper, memorize his book and submit yourself to it. Your retirement fund will thank you, and so will your favorite charity.

One of the comments on the back cover says it pretty aptly: "A compassionate, shattering character study, more short story than play." This is basically a 30-page monologue by one of the characters, with an occasional interjection by the other. It centers around the feelings of Erie (the main character) for the previous night clerk at the hotel where he lives (Hughie), who has died. I found it hard to really like Erie, and I was disappointed with the sudden transformation of the new Night Clerk at the end. However, it has to be said that this play would be great for choosing a monologue for acting class or an audition.

My class had to read Hughie as an assignment. I have read Beyond the Horizon and have fallen in love with the complete intimacy in which O'neill writes his plays. He used personal experience and showed us a new way to think. This is an incredible play to read and even better on stage.

Birds in Brazil is a big book, beautifully produced on quality paper. It is exhaustive but never exhausting on the topic of Brazilian birds . The color illustrations are beautiful, but unfortunately they are separate from the text about the birds. That is the book's only fault. The text is in smooth and enticing English, and where the same birds are to be found migrating to the United States, the information is quite comparable in completion and interest to the American field guides of Roger T. Peterson. That leads me to believe that the information about birds that we don't experience will be equally accurate. This book is captivating and well worth the price. It is a coffee-table style book that we will be proud to use and to display.

This out of print book is the perfect field guide to take on a hike or a visit to the park, or just to check out the butterflies in your yard. Just 95 pages long, it is not too big to carry. The authors have provided color pictures and descriptions of all the butterflies one would be likely to come across in the Pacific Northwest. This eliminates a long search through a general reference book and makes most identifications a snap. There is a nice introduction to butterflies as well as taxonomic and common name listngs. If you would like to learn about the region's butterflies, this is a fine book with which to begin.

Shakespeare in this play shows how love is not human but surrealistic. Love does not answer reasonable questions. It is a fundamentally unreasonable attitude that brings the lovers to absurd behaviours negating all logical, political and historical values. Love has no limits even if history will prove stronger and the lovers will be destroyed. Shakespeare beefs up this theme with a language that is so rich that we are fascinated by the words, the symbols, the symbolic value of words and acts. He is particularly rich in his style that is entirely, words, poetry, actions, and even feelings, organized following some simple symbols, particularly numerical symbols. In this play Cleopatra appears as being the core of the symbolism and she carries with her the number eleven that comes from the old English runes with the meaning of fate, of fatal defeat, of a flaw that cannot be corrected or escaped. It is her destiny to bring Antony to his defeat and death, just as it is Antony's fate to be governed by this woman and led to his own destruction because of his love for her. It also shows how the Emperor is able to use this fatal situation in order to capture all powers and to impose his absolute will on the Roman Empire. He seems to be the one who plays not well but with all the assets of the game up his sleeves, and he takes them out one at a time when the situation is ripe for these assts to become the key to is ascension to absolute power by defeating those who may oppose him.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Cleopatra may be a somewhat ambiguous female character, but I totally loved her, and Bill's portrayal of her. I don't know if he expected the reader to judge her, but I suspect not. The harshest criticism of her comes from Octavius Caesar, who himself doesn't do a single noble thing throughout the whole play. She is fully aware of the fact that she is a sensual, passionate woman- which has no negative effect on her ability to rule Egypt. Her biggest faults are her violent temper (which I suspect is just part of her passionate nature) and her tendency to lie when it suits her (either for sport or for serious politics). Antony (I feel) is actually kind of a loser compared to her. His insincerity runs deep- he marries Caesar's sister in a political move, although he had repeatedly pledged his undying love for Cleopatra. She forgives him, because she truly loves him, even though he doesn't do anything to deserve forgiveness. Antony never fully allows himself to love Cleopatra. He constantly is overreacting to the slightest indication that she might be betraying him or whatever. It is one of these overreactions (combined with an ill-timed lie on Cleo's part) that ends up destroying them both. Even in the end, Cleopatra's death is more dignified and better conceived than Antony's messy and fumbling suicide.

Anthony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's difficult plays, and so I suspect the ratings on the play are low because it's a more mature play than Romeo and Juliet. Here we have two middle age lovers who part of the time are foolish with lust/love and the rest of the time are tough minded heads of state. The "tragedy" is that they can't be both and survive. This is not a play for the young folks, I'm afraid. But if you want some heavy drama where the characters are spared nothing and given no slack, read Anthony and Cleopatra (hint: Cleopatra's suicide is more political statement than a crazy wish to die with Antony). Better yet see it performed by some real actors some time.