I love Benchley's work. I began reading "My Ten Years in a Quandary..." as a child at the cottage nearly forty years ago. I can still read that tattered book and enjoy it immensely. I am less thrilled by this compilation--can't always agree with Nathaniel Benchley's choices and miss some of Gluyas Williams sketches that have been dropped. Get one of the original collections--starting with, if you want, "My Ten Years..." and then, when you decide that you want everything the man ever wrote, you won't be buying stories you already have.

I only found out about Benchley from a short book on Algonquin Round table quotes but I'm very thankful for it--it's shameful that Benchley has basically been forgotten. Why on earth should such a gifted, briliant comic writer be so little known nowadays? There's simply no reason I can think of. He's just as good as Perelman or Thurber, and he deserves much wider reading. This anthology is a pretty good collection of his work, featuring most of his more popular and beloved pieces. What one notices about Benchley is that he really isn't quite so gentle and affectionate in his humor as those who remember him say--he was the original master of what he termed the "dementia praecox" (crazy written humor basically)and when he applies this to ordinary life or parodies bad writing he can be quite cutting. His style is just about perfect--simple but carefully constructed to wring every laugh it can out of subtleties of phrasing and syntax. His parodies of academic writing are among the greatest ever, effortlessly exposing the bad ideas, pretension and willful obfuscation that lurk beyond so many professors' works. His humor is that of a good natured man so bewildered with the modern world that he defends himself with humor, and depending upon the situation that humor can be quietly observant or fast and crazy, therefore reducing its target to nonsense as well. This book needs to be re-printed with a beter cover, and it wouldn't hurt to add more stories to make it a definitive overview of the man's work. Having done so, the book should be aggresively marketed so that it ends up in the humor section of every bookshop in the land. It's the least Benchley, one our greatest American comic writers, deserves.

"A great many people have come up to me and asked me how I manage to get so much work done while looking so dissipated. My answer is 'Don't you wish you knew?' and a pretty good answer it is, too, when you consider that nine times out of ten I didn't hear the original question." That's Benchley. Note the easy, flowing, understated prose (read: no disgusting postmodern Latinizing) that marked this extraordinary humorist's observations on life in America and abroad. Benchley wrote about everything, and everything he wrote showed the same magical mix of cynicism and whimsy.

From the beginning the book provided action and suspense. It had several twists in the story that I was not expecting. I would recommend to younger readers 8-18. This book will teach values and consequences.

Nat is a young boy trying to find his father with the help of a family friend. However, despite his friend's help, Nat tries to find his father his own way by using deceit. He learns that his deceitfulness only hurts others. This book is full of suspense, action, and strange turns of events. It held my fifth grade class in rapt attention! This is a "must read" to children!

This book gives a thrilling account of a young boy looking for his supposedly late father. He uses a treasure map that leads him to find his father. Nat, the main character, uses a family friend to be a means to an end. All the while Nat is tracked by a vilenous man set on killing Nat's father. This is a great book that teaches the consequences of lying and deceit, and adds the compassionate love of a friend as a good balance overall.

This short story is full of intrigue. I am a lover of mystery and suspense. Young Goodman Brown has twists and turns that will surprise you. I recommend this short story for anyone who loves intrigue.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, as a writer and artist, has a
unique effect upon me as the reader. I am a bit put off
by his keep-your-distance...this is my stage, my characters,
my plot...you may observe, learn, but not participate
as experiencer...approach. Thus he is the master artist,
displaying his wares...and they are wondrous. The other
effect of Hawthorne upon me, is that I seem to feel that
his works are as carefully crafted, visualized, and
fatefully fulfilled (using all the motifs, symbols,
and foreshadowing--as well as irony, psychological
insight, and artistic deftness of creative imagination
and clever nuance) as Wagner's operas. Though "Young
Goodman Brown" seems a bit (just a bit,) too blatant
with the symbols and allegory, yet there is something
also immensely satisfying and complete in the intricate
way in which all the parts fit together. "The Artist of
the Beautiful," for me, is the supreme creation in this
collection of stories.
It is Hawthorne's insights, both about human
psychology and artistic awareness and limitation, that
amaze and please me. Here is an excerpt from the haunting
tale, "The Birthmark," in which a perfectionist husband
attempts to remove a small birthmark from his wife's
cheek so she will be completely perfect. The husband
is Aylmer; his wife is Georgiana. The wife chances upon
the volumes which Aylmer has, and one of them is a record
of all of his own experiments. "But to Georgiana, the
most engrossing volume was a large folio from her
husband's own hand, in which he had recorded every
experiment of his scientific career, its original aim,
the methods adopted for its development, and its final
success or failure.... The book, in truth, was both the
history and emblem of his ardent, ambitious, imaginative,
yet practical and laborious life. He handled physical
details as if there were nothing beyond them; yet
spiritualized them all, and redeemed himself from

materialism by his strong and eager apiration towards
the infinite. In his grasp the veriest clod of earth
assumed a soul. * * * The volume rich with achievements
that had won renown for its author, was yet as melancholy
a record as ever mortal hand had penned. It was the sad
confession and continual exemplification of the
shortcomings of the composite man, the spirit burdened
with clay and working in matter, and of the despair
that assails the higher nature at finding itself so

miserably thwarted by the earthly part. Perhaps every
man of genius, in whatever sphere, might recognize the
image of his own experience in Aylmer's journal."
The greatness of that insight is that it not only
applies to Aylmer, but it also obviously is something
which Hawthorne as an artist of the imagination
had grappled with himself -- while still having to live
in the practical world of matter, being assaulted by
its harassments, sicknesses, weakenings, dangers,
limits...and being forced to scratch out something by the
way of making a living for himself and his dependents.
Yet he feels somehow compromised and humiliated by the
ironic joke of having the transcendent consciousness
and soul imprisoned in the body's corruptible matter.
Here is Hawthorne the Artist expressing it so well
in "The Artist of the Beautiful": "He knew that the
world, and Annie as the representative of the world,
whatever praise might be bestowed, could never say the
fitting word nor feel the fitting sentiment which should
be the perfect recompense of an artist who, symbolizing
a lofty moral by a material trifle, -- converting what
was earthly to spiritual gold, -- had won the beautiful
into his handiwork. Not at this latest moment was he
to learn that the reward of all high performance must be
sought within itself, or sought in vain."
The insight and artistic sensitivity and psychological
understanding more than outshine the stand-offish
stage manager and manipulator of effects.

"Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories" brings together 7 tales by the great United States author Nathaniel Hawthorne. These stories date from the 1830s and 1840s, and reveal Hawthorne, well-known today as a novelist, to be a talented practitioner of the short story genre.

These are stories of weird science, romantic and professional obsession, thwarted love, witchcraft, guilt, and the quest for beauty. Irony and tragedy mark many of the tales. Hawthorne takes us from the rugged American frontier to a sunlit Italian garden. The title story is a strangely compelling evocation of the Salem Puritans and their obsession with Satanic conspiracies. Also impressive is "Roger Malvin's Burial," a devastating psychological tale.

If the only Hawthorne you know is the author of the justly-celebrated "Scarlet Letter," check out this collection. Overall, this book is a good choice both for classroom use and individual reading.

Richard Woodman's Nathaniel Drinkwater series has always had a dark Gothic air about it. The darkest entry was undoubtedly Under False Colours' predecessor A Private Revenge. Series readers will be happy to know that this entry is nowhere near as dark and tragic as A Private Revenge. It is perhaps more similar and related to the earlier Baltic Mission. It's like Baltic Mission in that it is more cloak and dagger than sea story.

However, Under False Colours is not a rewrite of Baltic Mission in a different location. Much has happened to Nathaniel Drinkwater since Baltic Mission and Under False Colours is the conclusion of events that were initiated in Baltic Mission and which propelled the action through In Distant Waters and A Private Revenge. A Private Revenge left Drinkwater a deeply psychologically scarred man. In Under False Colours Drinkwater begins to heal the deep wounds left from the horrors of the earlier novel.

This entry begins with an attempt to deceive the French by getting them to believe that Britain is supplying military aid to the Czar in defiance of Napoleon's Continental System and his treaty with the Czar. Things go awry and Drinkwater leads a trading mission into Hamburg and as is typical of this series, twists and turns fall more twists and turns. The climax occurs at sea following a tense build up and chase.

Under False Colours does not have the same level of blood letting that some of the earlier entries in the series had and all Bolitho novels have. Instead it gradually builds up tension while exploring the conditions in Napoleonic Europe. What I found particularly interesting was the role of Jewish merchants in Hamburg and London. The Jews of Drinkwater's Europe have an underground communication system that acts as a conduit to and from the continent. Woodman nicely underplays Drinkwater's surprise at being treated so well by Jewish merchants. The kindness of the Jews would have come as a very pleasant surprise to a Christian of Drinkwater's era, not because we wouldn't expect them to be kind but because the Christians of that era wouldn't. One can see barriers beginning to fall, as paradigms are broken.

Under False Colours is an entertaining novel with some nice surprises in contrast to the nasty ones of A Private Revenge. It's a worthy entry in the series but not one of the best. I suspect that it is a bit of a respite from desperate action to follow in the last three years of the war as Woodman brings it home for the reader.

This is the replay from Sheridan regarding the publishing orders:

=== It was a question of US Rights becoming available - a slow and difficult process. Next spring we will do the first three and the rest will follow in chronological order.

Sheridan House ====

Richard Woodman has spent most of his life at sea, is an eminent Naval historian and the author of several books on Naval history, plus many fictional books. This background and a superb command of the English language make his books a joy to read. His intimate knowledge of square-riggers takes you inside the ship - you are THERE with the crew, battling the elements or the enemy, feeling each blow.

This book expands on the theme of the struggle against Napoleon - Nathaniel Drinkwater, now Captain, is increasingly involved in espionage and subversion as the Secret Service draws on his special talents to undermine Napoleon's empire-building.

Following orders from Lord Dungarth, head of the Secret Service, Capt. Nathaniel Drinkwater adopts the disguise of a dissipated merchant mariner (almost too successfully) to sow the seeds of a threat to Napoleon's Russian alliance. It all turns sour and plans are wrought afresh, landing Nat in French custody and meeting an old female adversary. Not much in the way of action, but the tension and intrigue more than make up for that.

As usual, excellent descriptions and tension-building make the pages fly by - and the author's notes fill in the facts behind the tale. A series to read, savour and re-read.*****

It was a long book for such a short book.

Don't get me wrong, this is a classic book well deserved for that title.

It is a very complicated and intricate story with mystery, love and evil.

You have a woman, Hester Pryne, who is beyond her time. Strong, beautiful, stubborn, honest and a mother without a father.

There is the father, the priest Dimmsdale, a man tormented by his secret. He is weak and is broken down by the secret he feels he cannot tell and tormented each day by it.

The long gone husband, Roger Chillingworth, sinister and revengeful. All he can think about is tormenting the two lovers, to break them down slowly.

There parallels and many themes that are very subtle and unnoticeable. Beautifully written with delicate underlying dialogue that tells it's own story.

This isn't a book for everybody. In order to really understand this book, you need to understand theme, archetypes, motifs, and the relevance of light and shadow. As my American Literature teacher says, bring you own experiences into the story; you will understand it a lot better.

I loved this book. I resent being told I have to read anything. But I still found pleasure out of it. In this book Hester commits adultery and is forced to wear an "A" declaring her sin. You will see early on the hypocrisy of the town. Why not make someone where an "L" for liar or an "T" for theif? Hester is a complicated character. She is not trashy like I first expected. Not at all. This book has a lot of symbolism that I found beautiful. There are plenty of twists in this book. Don't watch the Demi Moore movie of The SL. It is completley different from the book. I recommend this book to everyone.

As a career counselor at a local school I am always looking for new and innovative approaches to career exploration. This kit was interesting and really used a unique method for inviting the reader to take a hands-on approach to career and self development. Not really much new for many of us who have read a great deal of self-help material, pretty much says what I have already heard. I really liked how it focued on finding a good match for your personality type, good way to promote job satisfaction and retention. Pretty good material - a bit over priced.

This book shoold be in everybody's library. It is helpful, informative and full of information for anyone on a career path and wants better relationships. You will never be the same again. It is both innovative and interactive! A beautifully produced work.

This early reader features George, a boy who drums for the army of British General Gage, and takes place in Concord and Lexington on the day the American Revolution begins. At 61 pages, with simple vocabulary, this would be a good selection for a young reader interested in history. The companion volume, 'Sam the Minuteman', tells the story of a boy on the side of the rebels on the same day. Nice illustrations in red and blue.

For second graders who have to read history books for school, this book is a good option. The vocabulary is manageable and the storyline is interesting. The author brings the Revolutionary War to life in a personal way which delights young readers. (Mom's part) This is information you normally do not learn in class. The Minutemen are people in the Revolutionary War who can load their guns in a minute. That's why they're called the Minutemen. (Munroe Woodward's part, Age 8)

I read this book, along with Sam the Minuteman, to show writing and historical perspective. The book is probably intended for the lst grade readers. There are 61 pages in the book, 1/4 of the pages are full page illustrations. This book tells of one moment in history from the perspective of a British boy, as opposed to Sam the minuteman, which is the same moment in history told from the perspective of an American boy. The moment in history explored here is the beginning of the American Revolution. All of the kids from ages 4 to 10 liked hearing this book. ...

Following on BALTIC MISSION, Woodman again shows us British-Russian enmities, but here far, far from the European scene of the previous seven novels. Now 1808, Capt. Drinkwater's frigate rounds the cape and heads to the Northern Pacific, experiencing a long slide of morale among his crew of sailors too long without shore leave. For once he is not on a spy mission. He encounters a dishonorable Spanish captain and perfidy, intrigues his way through Spanish San Francisco with the help of a beautiful woman, runs afoul of bad luck and helpless defeat, and is bested by a Yankee mountain man. The book climaxes in a series of violent encounters with the Russians, who are moving on (British) Oregon from Alaska in alliance with Spain. This is an unusual but true setting for one of the more remote encounters of the Napoleonic Wars, the world's first true World War of global empires.

These are well-crafted and authentic sounding stories, but without the infectious humor of a Forester or O'Brian, or the gusto of Lambdin. Woodman writes in a style that is a little too serious and grim to evoke my empathy or wonder, and skips too quickly through the battle scenes. He doesn't quite seem to love the sea and those who sail upon it. IMHO, the better sailing-navy authors I've read would rank as: O'Brian and Forester, Lambdin and the new Stockwin, Woodman, with real Capt. Murryat and Adm. Mack below the line. (Sheridan House omits three of the early books from its Drinkwater republication list, but is printed on better stock than the earlier, execrable but much cheaper, Time Warner pb edition.)

Here we see Nat in command of Patrician, a cut-down 64 (Antigone having been too badly damaged in the previous battle); neither he nor his men were allowed leave for reasons of national security and his first task is to hang a deserter - not an auspicious start to a trip round the Horn.
Mother Russia is in evidence again and there are hints of desertion that become all too real after landing on a deserted island; the little freedom the crew are given is curtailed as they sight, then sink a prize; more desertions as they repatriate the prisoners, then sabotage almost completes the felony. To say more would reveal too much, but there is more than enough intrigue and action to hold the attention.

Slightly different from the previous 7 in the series, it appears stilted and chopped into seemingly disparate paragraphs, which throws one initially, but ultimately works very well as the hints and threads of the plots are drawn together. As usual, the spare, accurate descriptions leave one in no doubt as to the relative positions of the protagonists in each action, making it enjoyably easy to follow the sequence.
Again, this is based on fact, the surprising thing is how many of the characters really existed.
An exceptionally fine read *****

I became addicted to the Nathaniel Drinkwater series with the first installment. In my opinion the Drinkwater series is greatly underrated in the genre. Woodman has managed to create a niche between the lyricism of Patrick O'Brian and the furious action of Alexander Kent. Woodman writes well but sparingly and creates realistic characters with depth. Drinkwater, his prime creation, is the most realistic of any protagonist in the genre. He is a decent man who makes mistakes and doesn't always have control of the situation. He doesn't have the personal magnetism of a Bolitho or Ramage nor does he have the brilliance of a Hornblower. He does his duty to the best of his ability and ultimately is successful.

In Distant Waters starts out ominously where Baltic Mission left off. Having brought sensitive intelligence back to England Drinkwater and his crew are immediately dispatched halfway round the world more for security reasons than from necessity it appears. Drinkwater must begin by hanging a deserter who in his own mind shouldn't be hanged under the circumstances. The demands of duty outweigh all other demands. The hanging casts a pall over the entire novel and is undoubtedly a motivator for some of the later problems.

The route, the date and to some extent the mission are similar to The Happy Return, a trip round the Horn in 1808 to play havoc with the Spanish. Readers of the genre will know what neither Drinkwater nor Hornblower knew, that the Spanish will change sides. Like Hornblower in The Happy Return Drinkwater will not find out about the switch in time and must pursue subsequent plans accordingly. At this point the similarities end. While Hornblower was in firm command of his ship, Drinkwater's leadership and crew loyalty are tenuous. Drinkwater has the added complication of needing to deal with the Russians without complete orders.

In Distant Waters proceeds from bad to worse and if the reader didn't know this was a series would wonder if things could ever work out. Drinkwater must deal with a crew that quite rightly believes that it has been mistreated (not by Drinkwater's hand), limited information, perfidious and dishonourable enemies, and an overall sense of gloom. The Drinkwater series is gothic in nature and In Distant Waters is one of the most gothic in the series. Fortunately for Drinkwater he has his wits about him, his faithful Tregembo and the redoubtable Mr. Q.

The novel features only one major sea battle in its climax. However, there are a number of minor engagements plus a steady progression of action that builds suspense to a thunderous climax. When the climactic battle occurs, it is a release from the tension and gloom that have built up throughout the novel.

The Nathaniel Drinkwater series is excellent and In Distant Waters is a strong entry worthy of inclusion. If you haven't read the earlier novels read them. If you have read In Distant Waters then proceed immediately to A Private Revenge.

I want to review the book about light

THE best picture book about NY: photographers managed to catch the beautiful light that makes New York so magical!

After reading many architecture and photography books about NYC I knew this book was a keeper when I noticed it at a used book store in Boston. I have yet to find a more visceral or beautiful collection of photos about the great city. Likewise, the collection of prose is equally captivating and informative to read.

Psychology as a field has undertaken a roller coaster ride in the last century. Not only has it been split up into many disparate fields, it has been viewed by some as not being subject to scientific analysis. This has resulted in the development of the "behavioristic" field of psychology ala the work of B.F. Skinner. At the other extreme, one has seen the rise of psychological theories, such as Gestalt theories, that make no attempt to be scientific, agreeing that such an effort is unproductive.

This book is closer to the latter point of view, but perhaps not by intent. It could be viewed as a collection of the author's opinions on the "objective" need for self-esteem for every individual human being. He does recognize though, and states explicitly that psychology as a science is still in an early stage of development, a sign of this being in fact its division into many schools of thought. The first chapter of the book called "Psychology as a Science" is then a brief attempt to define what the author considers a scientific approach to psychology. In his words: "science is the rational and systematic study of the facts of reality; its aim to discover laws of nature, to achieve a comprehensive, integrated knowledge that will make the universe intelligble to man". And later he says that: "a new science is born when, out of the countless questions that man asks concerning the nature of things, certain questions are isolated and then integrated into a distinct category-isolated and then integrated by a defining principle that distinguishes these questions from all others and identifies their common characteristics." This definition though is too narrow, for it does not include the most important aspect of scientific practice: the use of experimentation and the resulting need for statistical and other forms of mathematical analysis. The reader will find none of this in the book, and hence it would be justified to classify its conclusions as "prescientific", or "philosophical".

This is not to say that the book is uninteresting or not worth reading. There are some very provocative ideas in it, and if further scientific analysis were included, it would be a very important contribution to scientific psychology. If self-esteem as the author views it, is an objective need for every human being, and this can be established using the usual tools of experimentation and statistical sampling, this would have profound implications for just how humans should interact and what kind of goals they should set for themselves. In addition, his assertion that mental disorders are "thinking" disorders are very much in line with current computational models of the mind, although this connection is not discussed by the author.

The first few chapters present a clear picture of how the human mind works and why it makes sense for it to have evolved this way. The author develops his ideas further from this foundation. This book is one of my All-Time favourites and ranks way up there with Atlas Shrugged for the excitement it caused in me when confronted with fundamental philosophical and psychological truths.

This book is not just about self esteem but reveals the truest essence of psychological health. Slowly but surely the individual who already has moderate to high self esteem begins to experience a profound sense of self and personal empowerment by integrating the principles laid out by Dr. Branden. From a sense of self and life comes the formation of individuality and personal values. From these, the potential to actualize our deepest values. From this, the ability to discriminate the unreal from the true. From this the trust in our own minds. From this the ability to experience a universe that is open to us.