Poor poetry. Either it smothers under tons of academic pretension, or it is retailed as pop entertainment in poetry slams. It seems sometimes that Robert Pinsky is the only one with a good handle on the popular appeal of this emotional/intellectual art. But I bet you Pinsky has this book and refers to it regularly. This is the most hard-headed, economical poetry criticism, completely free of cant and pretension; equally free of stylishness. Zukovsky gives us, as Donald Barthelme once wrote, "the red meat on the rug." The form of the book is disarmingly simple: Selected quotes, side by side, with the occasional footnote. Zukovsky lets you figure things out yourself, and when you refer to his notes, you are nearly always rewarded with the notion that you and he are at least on the same planet when it comes to deciding what is good and what is not so good about poetry. Some of the selections in Middle English or Scots dialect are tough going, but you soon discover that it is as much sound as meaning that is important. In any event, there are plentiful and helpful footnotes. If you're lucky, you've never read any poetry criticism and can leap into this book unbiased and unafraid. If (like your reviewer) you had to read a lot of it in college, you'll feel positively liberated.

the characters and plot are pretty entertaining and the recording is done very well.

This wonderfully crafted edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure story is great for any serious reader of classic literature. It's also great for kids. Who can ever forget Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, or Ben Gunn or the unique bond that forms between the wise youth (Hawkins) and experienced seaman (Silver)? Murder on the high seas. Violent battles on an island full of treasure. People who actually talk the way real people talk. It's all here and more. TREASURE ISLAND is one of my favorite Stevenson stories and I highly reccommend it.

This collection includes some of Stevenson's greatest works. Treasure Island, published in 1883, was his first major novel. It is a tale of daring, treachery, and greed climaxing ina battle for hidden treasure on a tropical island. First published in 1886 Kidnapped was considered by Stevenson to be his finest work of fiction and is a tribute to his fascination with his Scottish heritage.

The remaining selections place Stevenson as a master of the art of fiction. He was working on Weirof Hermiston when he died while dictating it to this stepdaugher

Treasured Islands: Crossing The South Seas with Robert Louis Stevenson by Lowell Holmes (Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Wichita State University) is a personal look at a beloved and renowned author of classics in terms of his high adventures on the South Pacific between 1888 and 1890. Life on the islands, European religious influence, and the saga of indigenous populations are all covered in this dramatic, exciting, and well-researched account. Biographer Lowell Holmes draws upon his impressive expertise regarding the life and work of Robert Louis Stevenson (he produced a documentary film on Stevenson in the Pacific) to deftly craft a work of historical accuracy and insight. Treasured Islands is a very highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library collections, and a "must" for admirers of Robert Louis Stevenson's literary works.

What a thrill for students of the Confederacy! "Marse Robert's" own words come to life in his letters and dispatches of the war years! The editors do a masterful job of beginning each chapter/section with a framing sequence, followed by the respective text of key "papers" written by Genl Lee. From simplistic "love-letters" to his wife, to stratagems dispatched to Jackson, Johnston, Ewell, et. al., the reader is given first hand insights to the personality and thought-processes of the CSA's dominant figure.
On a structural note, the book is set in somewhat small print. A handful of maps are offered. At 900-plus pages, I'd suggest this book for (obviously!) serious students of the war or Genl Lee. Perhaps one should first digest on of the many biographies of R. E. Lee before attacking this Bible-sized epic.

Congratulations to all that contributed to this outstanding book. The history of the Places was carefully and completely researched and presented with beautiful photographs.

I decided to read this novel out of interest both as a musician, and as an A-Level English Literature student. After two chapters I was hooked, and could not put the book down. The thing that puts this novel head and shoulders above all the others is the brilliant characterisation - as a reader, you begin to care for Pelagia, the doctor's daughter; Mandras, her fiance who has been left physically and psychologically scarred by the war; Carlo, the brave but gentle Italian homosexual; and of course, the eponymous Captain Corelli. The writing style also plunges the reader through a range of emotions. The book goes from being hilariously funny, to poignant, to brutally shocking. You cannot help but laugh at a chapter written entirely from Mussolini's viewpoint, in which 'Il Duce' demands that the temperature of Italy be lowered in order to increase the resilience of the Italian youth! Likewise, when an Italian character has his head split by a Greek bullet, and asks Carlo to break the news to his mother, the poignancy is unbearable. De Bernieres' description of Corelli's music is so vivid, you can almost hear the pieces he plays, and the depiction of battles is also brilliant. This book will open your eyes to the fact that not all of the Fascist troops in the Second World War were maniacs - some, like the fictitious Captain Corelli, were ordinary people caught up in a savage conflict.

This book was, quite simply, one of the most enjoyable and enduring I've read for a long, long time. Like a lot of people, I keep thinking there's a book inside me just waiting to get out but I don't think I'll ever be capable of such a masterpiece. Indeed, I don't think I can find the superlatives to express how good I felt it was. I think what makes it so beautiful is that there are so many lovable characters - people that are developed so well in the text that you know them inside out. I felt as if I had lived among them. The circumstances that befall the small Greek island and its inhabitants are so sad and, at the end, it was almost enough to make me weep. Not sadness borne out of the cruelty of the war but of the sadness that came with the love of the central characters. I've lent this book to two friends who both said it was brilliant. A little note for new readers - I found there was a part of the book near the beginning where I had to "stick with it". It's the narrative that explains the Italian/Greek roles in the Second World War. But it's essential (at least it was for me) to fully enjoy the whole book. Read it, you'll love it!

I was put off buying a copy of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", due to its popularity (it even appears at the end of "Notting Hill", in Hugh Grant's hand!), but I regret not having read it soooner. There is a very good reason for its popularity. Quite simply, it is a literary work of genius. Despite my young years, I have read many novels, and I have never been so moved. It is sad, without being depressing; historical and political, without being dull; romantic, without being conventional and, for want of a better word, "soppy". It is a novel which embraces the very epitome of the word "perfection"- I have even written to Mr. de Bernieres to commend him, something I have never done before; no author has even made me contemplate doing so until now. Some readers disliked the ending: I can understand their point of view, due to the sheer frustration and tears provoked, but there was a good twist of the plot, albeit somewhat cruel for the reader! Several times, I had to put the book down, to compose myself, that I may continue. I shouted! I roared with laughter! I sobbed! Once, I was crying for 10 minutes solid, laughing through my tears, in spite of myself. I have SO much to say about "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", but frankly, a) I have no words that can be compared to Mr. de Bernieres' and b) I would hate for someone to read my review, and to get their hopes up too much. Please, just read this book. It is a fabulous yarn!

Henry Jekyll is a renowned scientist and a respected man. But lately, his behavior has become strange, reclusive and mysterious. So his friend Utterson tries to find out what he's up to. In the meantime, terrible and strange things are happening by night in the streets of London. As the tale unfolds, we discover Jekyll's dangerous games with his own psyche. He discovers a drug that reveals his evil side, without any moral restraint, and gradually loses control of the drug. The narrative technique of Stevenson in this short masterpiece is simply perfect; its philosophical stand is frightening; its moral implications are relevant; and the construction of the story superb.

The onion-layer style serves very well its mission to reveal every event in a semi-slow but tense pace. The environment is insuperable: the dark, wet and gas-lighted streets of London, where Mr. Hyde's steps resonate frighteningly. The ending is horrifying and very well written and, overall, this is a gem of a book. It should be best read in loneliness, in the dark. It is much more than a simple horror novel, because it says something very real and very terrible: without moral restraints, our deeper self can be unbearably evil. It's true.

Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is an extremely well-written horror/mystery. While a relatively short novel, the intricately woven plot offers all the right details at different points. And at the end of the book, the characters all seem to make sense, with all of the given clues fitting very well.
This story of the nice, mellow Dr. Jekyll and his hidden mad-man persona, Mr. Hyde, is a classic clash of good and evil. The author does a wonderful job of keeping the reader wondering about each one's true identity. From Hyde's first trampling, to his murder, to the bitter end, he is portrayed as the exact opposite of Dr. Jekyll, despite an odd, hidden relationship. Only at the very end is the mystery compltely solved.
What makes the novel most unique is the inclusion of numerous other developed characters besides Jekyll and Hyde, such as Utterson, Lanyon, and Enfield. All in all, this is a timeless tale, a true stoy of inner conflict. What this novel lacks in length, it makes up for in well-developed characters, and a superb plot. A must-read.

Ah, the classical dark tale of Dr. Jekyll and his mysterious, vicous, murderous counterpart, Mr Hyde. One of my favourite books, one that combienes science fiction and horror like few have others have done so well.

A book of suspense and mystery, it is foremost a book about psychology, exploring the sweet duality of Good and Evil. And though Hyde may be Evil, i have doubts about Jekyill being Good itself. No, the doctor is merely a troubled soul longing for freedom, and that's what Hyde gives. Freedon without consequences, a theme of debate even nowadys.

Stevenson's work is simply grounbreaking. It explores so many things: ethics in science; the limits of science and knowledge; how science may affect people. Like The Invisible Man, it talks about the tribulations of scientists and what are their limitations. It's also a dark view of science, for it makes it as something without benefits in the end.

But besides this, its still a horror story, a classical one, with all the old ingredients: dark nights; the london fog; a murderer walking about the streets after the next victims. And he does find a couple of them. In my chilliest moments, i like to think Jack the Ripper himself reed this book and decided to make it true.

As I meandered through the local book store I spotted this paperback on display and immediately noticed two familiar names in great literature, Robert Louis Stevenson and Clive Cussler. I wondered what type of novel a Stevenson relative could write, that would top his namesake's literary contributions, and earn Mr. Cusslers praise. After finishing "Torchlight" I now realize that Robert Louis Stevenson III will be bringing us tales of excitement and intrigue equal to those of his namesake for many years to come, and highly deserves Mr. Cusslers glowing recommendation.

You literally picture yourself alongside Drake and Henderson as they dive on the Norfolk. With the current political turmoil you have no trouble believing the actions and attitudes as given in this "action and intrique" piece of fiction.

A GREAT read and I'm already standing in line for Robert Louis Stevenson III next one.

This is a tale very well told. I am not a mystery reader and the beginning seemed a little slow but very shortly I was gripped by the events unfolding before me. I really cared about what was going to happen, which was by no means obvious. The technical details of deep water diving were very graphic with the consequences of mistakes only adding to the suspense. This is a tale told at many levels with real characters and exciting adventures. Perhaps the best part was the end when, instead of just dropping the ending in the readers lap and shutting the book, the author brings some completion to the different threads woven into the story. This made it very satisfying to complete. I commend the author for truly "finishing" the tale.

My perspective on this book is as a diver who tends to stay in the classic literature section. I happened upon this book while looking for an older Cussler novel; hopefully one less haughty than his more recent works. I found this to be exactly what I have been looking for - a well-paced, mostly believable nautical story with characters well developed, but without soap opera character twists. There were a couple of weak spots, but never more than a page or two, and RLS never lost this reader's focus. For those of you who love a good adventure, but decry the "made for TV screenplay" type of writing which has come to replace true literature, this is your book. If his first story is any indication, RLS will leave Cussler in the dust. Can't wait for the sequel.