Kieran Doherty is a gifted writer and is able to bring to life whatever subject or person he is writing about. Even in his early days as a reporter for the Clearwater (Florida) Sun, his writing style was clear, crisp and lively. Anyone who purchases Kieran's books is in for a treat and will get their money's worth.

Penn's wisdom was timeless and practical. The truth that scored three hundred years ago is still hitting the mark today. Mr. Taylors' modern language edition sharpens the point for modern readers and helps the spiritual truths penetrate. Without the barrier of archaic language, Penn shines through all the more.

The historical introduction alone makes this book a good buy. Mr. Taylor has boiled a sea of Biographical information into a salty context that gives the reflections a better flavor.

Get it! Read it! Do it!

The wisdom of William Penn is more accessible with this book which puts Penn's words into modern English. I loved many of Penn's sayings and found them still thought provoking and inspiring today.
A short, but clear historical introduction gives the reader a better sense of Penn's times.
Highly recommend. An easy read but weighty thoughts.

This book told a lot about the religion of quakers. I learned a little about being a statesman. William Penn was arrested but only because he was a quaker. They didn't worship in the church of England because they wanted to be their own religion.

William Penn turned his back on his rich family and became a Quaker at a time when the Society of Friends was being persecuted, if not prosecuted, by the Anglican Church. In this juvenile biography of Penn for the Colonial Leaders series Norma Jean Lutz focuses on Penn's role as a "Founder of Democracy" based upon the "Charter of Privileges" he created for the colony of Pennsylvania (named for his father, whose was owed a debt by the king of England which translated into the land grant). In fact, Lutz points out that for the 50th anniversary of Penn's Charter a bell was hung in the State House at Philadelphia which we now know as the Liberty Bell. Lutz spends as much time in this book covering the religious differences that led Penn to become involved in the Society of Friends as it does to the founding of the colony of Pennsylvania. This book is illustrated with historic paintings and engravings of Penn and the Quakers, as well as contemporary photographs of some of the places and sites important in his life. Other books in this series look at Lord Baltimore (who had a disputed land claim against Penn), Benjamin Franklin, Cotton Mather, and John Smith. These books provide nice introductions to the colonists and early politicians who help defined American life.

In an easy-to-read style, author outlines the subject's history and, in what she terms "horizontal history", provides a most interesting outline of salient events during the subject's time period. This approach provides the reader, youthful or not, with an excellent persective of how historical events influenced the development of William Penn. Fast-moving, interesting text will help the youthful reader to develop an interest in historical subjects.

To all those who hope to read this book, don't. I was given two monthes to do so, and was still unable to finish it because it is impossible to read more than 2 lines at a time. It is incredibly boring, and I recomend it only to those who want to know every little insignifcant aspect of Penn's life.

The contents of this book was interesting. I learned a great deal about Penn's political and religious convictions. The author goes a long way to describing Penn's character with its many kindnesses and contradictions. However, it was one of those books that I felt that the author really painted a full picture of the subject but did not do so very captivatingly.

While this biography was interesting enough to keep me reading, the storytelling style prevented it from being highly informative. Little analysis of the times or of Penn is offered, but rather a simple account of Penn's life - thankfully the author, unlike many biographies, maintains an objective viewpoint, bringing in both the good and bad. Slightly recommended, though I personally wouldn't buy it.

I picked up the Slavitt translation of Aeschylus Oresteia off a publisher's overstock rack at a bookstore. I have enjoyed reading these plays, however, Slavitt's translation leaves me wanting.

Some have complained that Slavitt is too modern and a bit too, well, guteral. My greek is admittedly weak, but the Greeks were certainly not prudes and often this aspect is covered up in our translations.

After seeing a few complaints on the web, I tried comparing a few other translations at the local library. In almost all cases I found Ted Hughes's version to be both more interesting and also clearer. Hughes, like Slavitt is not the most "literal" translation, but he makes it a great read.

I am not enough of a Greek Scholar to recomend a more literal version, but it looks like people have good things to say about Fagles's version.

Ancient Greece is a topic that once bored me, but after I read this book, I suddenly became interested in the Ancient World and the great many achievements of the Greeks. I know many people may not read books on Ancient topics, but this one is definately not one to pass by

A bit uneven in spots, the translation is overall easy to read and highly recommended for highschool or lower level university classes. Students unfamiliar with this material need modern diction and syntax, despite what the reviewer from Japan opines, and this translation provides them.

Penn had some excellent things to say and he said them well three hundred years ago. What he had to say is still excellent but, unfortunately, the old language makes the reading a chore. Since a more complete version is available in contemporary language, I recommend Eric Taylor's edition, (0836192052) published by Herald Press. Mr Taylor's historical introduction and endnotes are an added bonus for the inquiring mind.

Penn has some relevant things to say, but unfortunately this version (Applewood) is in the original language -- that is, it's 300 years old. If you want something more readable (and understandable), check out a recently published edition by Herald Press (ISBN: 0836192052, March 2003; Eric Taylor, Editor). Taylor has done a great job of modernized the text without dumbing it down. There's a great historical introduction, a bunch of endnotes, and More Fruits of Solitude which the Applewood version does not include. For my money, the Taylor version is the better choice.

Penn had some excellent things to say and he said them well three hundred years ago. What he had to say is still excellent but, unfortunately, the old language makes the reading a chore. Since a contemporary language version is available, I recommend Eric Taylor's edition, (0836192052) published by Herald Press. Mr Taylor's endnotes and superior historical introduction are an added bonus.