They don't write 'em like this anymore! Or if they do, I wanna see them!

The pleasantly bewildered Bertie Wooster and his Vulcan valet Jeeves return to Totleigh Towers, in Totleigh-on-the-Wold (now Wodehouse KNEW how to make great names) to the house of the Bassets. They must contend with enormous curate Harold "Stinker" Pinker, his devious fiancee Stiffy Byng, the perpetually creepy Sir Watkyn Basset, his wannabe-Nazi friend Roderick Spode, fish-faced Gussie Fink-Nottle, and--worst of all--the soppy Madeleine Basset, who constantly believes that Bertie is madly in love with her.

With a cast like that, things are bound to go wrong. To steel up his courage for fiancee Madeleine, Gussie writes down degrading things about Sir Watkyn and Spode in a leather notebook--and promptly loses it. The blackmailing Stiffy Byng takes the notebook and will give it to Gussie if Bertie convinces her fiancee, Stinker Pinker, to steal a policeman's helmet.

Still here?

The characters are caricatures, but they're GOOD caricatures! Stiffy is almost amoral, the yin to the conscientious Stinker's yang. Spode is his usual blustering, swaggering self. Sir Watkyn reminded me of a small yipping dog just waiting to be squished. Madeleine is still mooning about fairies and bunny rabbits. And poor Bertie is mixed up with them, an innocent soul in a world of very strange people.

Read the book, and for heaven's sake watch the TV adaptation!

In his excellent introduction, Alexander Cockburn notes that "the true Wodehouse fan has the concentration of a butterfly, fluttering inconsequently over Wodehouse country and prattling foolishly about favored features of the region. Very irritating, for serious tourists and new arrivals."

Do not fret. Within a few pages both the initiate and the expert will be won over. This is a superb book in the Wooster-Jeeves series, full of Wooster's malapropisms, preposterous schemes, boggled literary quotes ("the snail was on the wing and the lark on the thorn--or rather, the other way around . . . ") and memories of hi-jinks at Eton and the Drones' club. Then there is Jeeves, the gentleman's gentleman, aware of his subordinate position to Wooster, but--as admitted by all-- possessing a greater knowledge of "the psychology of the individual." Consider the following exchange between Bertie and the ever-troubled Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle: "this is frightful, Bertie." "Not too good, no." "I'm in the soup." "Up to the thorax." "What's to be done?" "I don't know." "Can't you think of anything?" " Nothing. We must put out trust in a higher power." "Consult Jeeves, you mean?"

The book's events appear to take place soon after those described in "Right Ho, Jeeves," and before "Joy in the Morning." As mentioned above, one is easily drawn into the humorous misadventures of our protagonists and their screwball plotting against Gussie's fiancé's father and his neo-Fascist friend, Spode, modeled after England's Sir Oswald Mosley. Written in 1938, even the humorous hand of Wodehouse touches on the threat of the fascist "black shorts" (the shirts, apparently, had already been taken).

Lighthearted fare, but perfectly crafted by a master of modern farce. This book is simply a delight, a compote of impossibly funny personalities sweetened with a meringue of wit and satire. P.G. Wodehouse, along with those other two-initialed humorists of the early to mid-20th century (E.B. White, S.J. Perelman, A.J. Leibling) is one of our most treasured writers. Give "The Code of the Woosters" a try; I think you'll soon join his legion of fans. Most highly recommended!

I got this book for my birthday on May 30th, this year. I guess that makes me new. But, I can say this, this is undoubtedly the best Jeeves book that Mr Wodehouse ever wrote!

The main story is about how Bertie has to steal a cowcreamer for Aunt Dahlia or else he'll never eat from her godly French chef Anatole's dishes again!

Along the way, he meets Sir Watkyn Bassett, who once fined him a fiver on Boat Race Night for pinching a policeman's helmet. With Sir Watkyn is his friend and soon-to-be-nephew Dictator Roderick Spode.

Sir Watkyn, showing Bertie's Uncle Tom lobster, upsets Uncle Tom's stomach, and takes the cowcreamer. Meanwhile, Bertie gets a message from Gussie Fink-Nottle, who is going to marry Sir Watkyn's daughter Madeline. Gussie screws up the engagement, and it's up to Bertie to fix it.

Then Spode says if Bertie pinches the cowcreamer, he'll beat him to a pulp, and, as I've said too much, you should go buy it! It's a great book! Pip-pip for now!

While reading this book to my 5 year old daughter, she asked me near the end, "Daddy, why are there drops of water coming from your eyes?" The beautiful and touching message of love and healing in this story is one even more appreciated by parents than the young audience for whom the book is designed. This is a Christmas treasure that I look forward to sharing with my children over and over again as they grow. Highly recommended.

I picked up this book while browsing in the children's section of my favorite book store. After reading several pages, I had to shut the book and march up to the checkout, wiping my eyes a bit. I waited until I was at home to finish the book, so if I howled out loud, I wouldn't embarress myself. The true meaning of Christmas shines through this book, with a love story on the side, and some gentle humor. My children relate to the young hero in the book, and the illustrations are lovely. I now give this book as a great Christmas gift! You'll enjoy it.

THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY is a charming book about the nature of patience and grace. Jonathan Toomey is a very sad and gloomy man. His wife and child died very young and he has never gotten over his grief. Children call him Mr. Gloomy, for they fail to see the beauty beneath. One day a young widow and her son show up, asking Toomey to make a nativity scence for them, replacing one they lost when they recently moved to town. Mr. Toomey agrees. His life is forever changed by the act.

The book is beautifully illustrated and has become a modern Christmas classic.

The great thing about this book is its approach.

Before the book even gets into "this is how you should define a number field" or "this is what's up with calculated validations" there are two whole chapters devoted entirely to planning your database system before you click one mouse button or hit one key on the keyboard. You are shown by a seasoned developer who has already made many mistakes and learned from them how to estimate what your database system will need (and what it doesn't), how long it will take, even how much it might cost. And it covers the all important issue of how to interview your client (or your boss) and get, in layman's terms, the vital bits of information you'll need to turn these users' hopes and dreams into a powerful, dynamic database system.

Other topics that are especially useful are plenty of great portal techniques, how to keep your data healthy, and effective user interface design.

I have to admit, I had been anticipating this book for a long time and was slightly disappointed that some of the very advanced topics that I've been looking for help and guidance with were not covered that much (or at all) such as the use of plugins, advanced ODBC connectivity, advanced Web development, or Applescript/Active X automation. Thus only four stars. But these are relatively minor issues and specific only to an advanced developer like me.

The CD-ROM has tons of great technique files on it, too!

If you had to get only one FileMaker book right now, this is the one you should get.

This review in brief: If you are planning on doing any project in FileMaker, this book will help you get the job done.

When I started my project, I had been using FileMaker as a user for years. I simply used databases that others had built. When I decided to start my own business, I chose FileMaker because of its ease-of-use reputation. I struggled for about a week before I decided that for some things this reputation holds. But, if you really want to make the most of FileMaker, the manual and help files just aren't enough.

Then, I bought Using FileMaker Pro 5.

I put my development efforts on hold for a long weekend and read the first 60%, re-reading the pieces important to me and skimming the rest. As the authors suggest, I then started out by planning my project on paper. I didn't go into all the detail they suggest but I did map out my files, records, and fields. I eventually purchased Microsoft Visio software for this task but that's another review...

Then, I sat down at my computer and started over.

Within 2 hours, I had recreated the clumsy work of that first frustrating week. Within 2 days, I had a workable customers database, products database, and order-entry system. Now, many weeks later (and a lot more development), I've automated tasks for my business that save me time and money. Things that used to take 30 minutes now take 3. I've got FileMaker picking the low price from amoung multiple suppliers, creating orders, invoicing customers, calculating profits, and reporting it all back to me. It makes me feel POWERFUL!

One area that I wish they had taken more time in is using the built in password and groups security. They touch on it, and even after reading it several times, I'm still not sure the best way to set up my files. Another good item would have been a succinct list of all the scripting functions and what they do. In their defense, it is available in the built in help screens but I like having it in a hard format.

The bottom line is simple: If you want to create some easy databases that will help you get the job done, FileMaker is the answer. To get the most out of FileMaker and turn it from an information storage application into a powerful tool to run your business (or other projects), Using FileMaker Pro 5 is the book you need.

I found this book to be extremely helpful in clarifying the fine points of not only FileMaker Pro 5, but also of structuring and building a database in general. Well-written, easily understandable, not condescending, thorough, with little gems of wit tucked here and there where least expected.

Thank you, Rich and Jonathan, for this impressive volume of information and tips. You 'splain things so well!

This is a wonderful book. I like to read adventure travel but often dislike the authors. This book not only tells a great adventure travel story with an informative insight into the Inuit culture but is well written and presented by a likable writer. There are many facets to this story. Waterman travels by several different modes including on foot, skis, dog sled, and sailing kayak. He encounters a variety of arctic wildlife and a solitary side of himself. The look at the struggle of the arctic peoples trying to find a place in the modern world is worth the reading all by itself. I can't think of an expedition book that I have read that satisfied so many parts of my mind. Made me want to go there and glad that I can't. Great winter reading. A rare find. I will pass this one on to my friends.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Arctic, Alaska--or simply a good adventure tale. Jon Waterman is a veteran of a quarter century's worth of outdoor epics worldwide. ARCTIC CROSSING documents the biggest epic of them all, his solo, muscle-powered odyssey through the Northwest Passage.

Yet ARCTIC CROSSING isn't just a travel narrative. It yields a treasure trove of carefully researched detail about everything from polar bears and seals to Inuit politics and the latest in survival and wilderness travel technique. Read it.

A friend of mine recommended this book to me because I have always been interested in the native people of Alaska and Canada. Jonathan Waterman, in "Arctic Crossings", is very sensative to the Inuit story, not only their history, but also the tenuous circumstances of their lives today. Also, I was very touched by the sharing of his tender emotions about being alone on a long voyage. AND, I loved his descriptions of the wild life, especially the bears, throughout the book. Included are extrordinry color photographs of wildlife as well as different passages of the trip. The Banff Book Awards agreed: This book was choosen and the Best Adventure Travel Book of 2001.

I will not repeat what other reviewers have said about this classic learner's dictionary. It has been a valuable reference for ESL students for many decades. I own several learner's dictionaries published recently (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th Edition, Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, and Collins Cobuild 3rd edition) and some of them have features this one does not have. But I still use this dictionary a lot and will continue to use it. I hope a new edition of it will come out soon.

I have recently bought the millenium edition (hardbound) of this book. In my scientific studies (I study Scientology which uses a precise study technology that demands a good dictionary to look up misunderstood words) a good dictionary is vital.
This one has been very helpful to me as it gives precise yet comprehensible definitions. This is maybe the most important point of all.
I found it very easy to look up a word i did not understand and gain a conceptual understanding of that word after a short period of time. The definitions just make sense and are not too complicated and confusing.
It also includes example sentences and idioms and information for the further usage of a particular word.
It also has a section with colored pictures (maps, categories such as clothing, food, animals etc.) that provide a picture of the real thing that the word represents - a quite useful tool for foreigners and non native speakers like me.

If you are currently studying english, reading english texts (but have a limited vocabulary) or just don't want to run into too many complexities when using a dictionary and don't want to be too confused but you just want to know the meaning of a word and understand it, then this is the right dictionary for you.

As it is a dictionary for "learners" it does not include things like etymology and syllables (the only negative points), technical definitions (although it includes some where their appearance is reasonable) etc.

But it includes phonetic symbols at the bottom of each page and has, as all dictionaries, a section wich explains each symbol and abbreviation that can appear in an entry.
If there would appear some symbol or abbreviation in the entry that you wouldn't understand, you would find it easy to find its meaning as everything in this dictionary is exactly where you would consider it to be.
So you don't fool around loosing time and getting frustrated. I think the editors of some dictionaries assume that you already know all these symbols but include their definitions anyway in a very complicated way.

Not with this one.
I highly recommend this dictionary. You can buy it without reservations.
But...you should have a second one with etymologies at hand.

No other book on my bookshelf is more worn out. I use it all the time. When I started to study English I used to use an English / Portuguese (my first language) dictionary but I could only actually improve my English when I started using the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

The dictionary has lots of pictures (over 1700) for words that can be explained but for which a picture is much more effective like "hinge". The words have a pronunciation guide with a mark (') showing the main stress. There are many useful appendixes like irregular verbs conjugation, usage of numbers, punctuation, family relationships and a few colorful maps.

Over 220 usage notes clarify the subtle differences among words such as dealer trader and merchant. Although it's mainly a British English dictionary the differences in spelling, use or pronunciation between American English and British English are stressed.

By far the most interesting feature is the extremely reduced defining vocabulary constituted of 3500 words. The great majority of definitions are written using that reduced defining vocabulary. This simplifies the definitions and it's a great starting vocabulary for the beginners. The use of such a small defining vocabulary rules out the use of this dictionary as a thesaurus but the advantages compensate this drawback.

My copy is a paper back that has been reinforced with adhesive tape. This makes the dictionary lighter and handy. I used to put it on my back pack and take it to all my classes when I started college in USA.

The drawbacks are the need of an additional thesaurus and the fact that the entries are not syllabified. Nevertheless I would give it 10 stars if I could.

Leonardo Alves - December 2000

This book discusses the natural history of smallpox, its use as a military weapon, the dramatic campaign that eliminated it in nature, the debate about eliminating it in known laboratories, and the threat of its use in bioterrorism.
Tucker introduces the reader to interesting but little-known facts about smallpox in history. For example, during the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold laid siege to Quebek City. The commander of Quebek sent smallpox-variolated civilians to mingle among the Continental Army troops, and within weeks a massive epidemic broke out. The Continental Army burried its dead in mass graves and retreated in disorder. The author concludes that "Were it not for that epidemic, Quebek and perhaps all Canada might be part of the United States today."
The discussion of smallpox as an instrument of terrorism is chilling. For example, Tucker reports a Pentagon adviser's concern that "if a ruthless tyrant like Saddam Hussein had his back to the wall and nothing left to lose, he might consider unleashing smallpox against his enemies as a final instrument of revenge." Indeed, Iraq is suspected of harboring secret smallpox stocks, based on circumstantial evidence discussed in the book. Another expert characterizes the threat of a smallpox attack as a "low probability, high impact" risk.
"Scourge" is relevant, timely and a pretty good read.

This is an extraordinary and timely book. Published this year before the 11 Sept. calamities, it deals with the history of smallpox, the development of immunization, the slow and heroic elimination of smallpox,the secret and evil experiments in the Soviet Union with smallpox virus as a biological weapon in the 1980s and after, and then with the implications of terrorist induced reintroduction of smallpox. The author shows how it is likely that Iraq has the virus, although it was supposed to be held in strict isolation in two labs in the world only after the disease was finally wiped out in 1982.

Well written, concise, and chilling. I am surprised that copies are still readily available.

This fascinating book is the story of smallpox. Starting with the distant past, the author traces the history of smallpox's relationship with mankind. Then, the book goes into luxurious detail on the World Health Organization's campaign to stamp smallpox out. But, just when it seems that the story should be over, it takes an ominous turn when the author begins chronicling the Soviet Union's nightmarish program of breeding smallpox as a weapon. This horrendous project is traced from its genesis after World War 2, through the use of modern genetic splicing to enhance the disease's lethality under Mikhail Gorbachev, to its continuance even after the fall of the Soviet Union.

This is a fascinating book! Unlike some books I've read recently, this one dragged me along, keeping me up at night when I could not put it down. As I know little about the topic, I appreciated the way the author made the whole subject clear to me, educating me while keeping me entranced. Overall I would say that this is a great book, one well worth the cost. I highly recommend it!

It's almost impossible to write funny about humor, and anyone who writes seriously about it is doomed to come off as a fuddy duddy. E.B. White, a funny writer himself, once said that analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog, in that the thing tends to die in the process and the results will be interesting only to the purely scientific mind. -Andrew Ferguson, Divine Comedy : P.G. Wodehouse's perfect pitch

Two things the critics generally agree on are that : (1) P. G. Wodehouse is one of the funniest writers in the English language; and, (2) it's almost impossible to explain why. Among the various authorities cited for the difficulty in analyzing humor are Evelyn Waugh and Sigmund Freud, themselves authors of hilarious fictions. Suffice it to say, and I mean this in the very best sense, the enjoyments of the Jeeves and Wooster stories are much the same as those of the great TV sitcoms. Wodehouse created these two great comic characters, surrounded them in each story with oddballs, plunked them all down in trying situations, and then had the inimitable Jeeves extract Bertie and his upper-class nitwit friends from their difficulties through various stratagems and diversions. Though Andrew Ferguson and others deny that there is any deeper meaning or political content to the stories, it is at least notable that the finest young gentlemen in all of England are hopelessly overmatched by life unless Jeeves steps in to save them. The resulting stories have a certain sameness to them--of course, just try watching ten episodes of Cheers in a row and see if it's still fresh and amusing in hour five--but read in moderation they are immensely enjoyable and their very familiarity becomes quite comforting.

GRADE : A+

This was a refreshing book to read. Funny and well-written, not only was it an introduction to English vernacular, but it seems Mr. Wodehouse was a huge influence on comedy writers today. Each chapter could have been an episode of any number of sit-coms. But, I don't want to downplay the value of this novel. I can't help but imagine what it was like to look at this as a new genre.

But, these "episodes" still aren't as stale as some of those viewable today in primetime. Most are unpredictable, and the situations are unique (somewhat due in part to the time period, but also because they are realistically presented.) All the characters are likeable, even though they each have a teeny bit of deviousness, but that makes them more human. Their funny and they aren't plastic. They aren't completely real, but they aren't completely paper-made either. They're just plain entertaining.

The last chapter of this book is the tip-topper of the whole novel. Just like a good show, it brings everything together. You wonder throughout just what Jeeves' angle really is, and in the end you find out. I can't wait to read another installment!

Martin Jarvis' reading of Carry On, Jeeves runs circles around Jonathan Cecil's reading of anything (for more on Cecil, see Psmith: Journalist). He simply embodies the characters of Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Biffy, Corky, and all the cast (albeit with the same typical attempt at an American accent).

Carry On, Jeeves contains eight of the ten stories available in the print version (the remaining two stories appear on My Man Jeeves), so completists will want that, but for pure enjoyment, you can't go wrong with this. Even the titles Wodehouse writes are funny, my favorite being "The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy." They simply roll off the tongue.

The stories here include "Jeeves Takes Charge" (chronologically the first as it tells the story of Jeeves' entry into Bertie's life). The others, namely "The Artistic Career of Corky," "Clustering Round Young Bingo," "Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest" (about a young cousin of Bertie's who goes wild under his wing), and "Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg" are all classics of the Wodehousian genre and show Jeeves at his problem-solving best.

This would easily appeal to the casual Wodehouse fan, and is perfect for long road trips or any other situation where a laugh is needed. Wodehouse exceeds all others in humor and, one assumes, will remain that way for centuries to come.

I had to read a good part of "The Decameron" last quarter and I have gone back to read more stories from it even though the Fall quarter is over. This is a great book: funny, entertaining, subtly revolutionary, insightful, and superbly well-written. Approach it without fear. It is a Classic, but it will have you laughing, thinking, and learning far better than any current best-seller. Anyone with an interest in journalism and/or history will profit from Boccaccio's Introduction, at the beginning of the First Day. His description of the Plague in Florence is vivid and gripping, and this eventually provides the background for the setting of the one hundred and one tales that seven young women and three young men will narrate in a villa away from the dying city. Also, the Introduction to the Fourth Day presents the reader with an unfinished, but hilarious story about a man who has been kept away from women. This story is what my teacher called the 101st, and I have to agree with her.

Do not think that all "The Decameron" deals with is sex. The mostly illicit sexual encounters depicted are some times funny, sometimes sad, but they share a common trait with the stories from the Tenth Day, for example (these ones are mostly about sacrifice, abnegation, and servitude), or with those of the Second: Boccaccio's concern for his society and the terrible tensions that had reached a breaking point by the 14th century. The Plague, in Boccaccio's universe, acts as a catalyst of emotions, desires, and changes that had to come.

Read, then, about Alibech putting the Devil back in Hell, Lisabetta and her pot of basil, Ser Ceperello and his "saintly" life, Griselda and her incredible loyalty in spite of the suffering at the hands of a God-like husband, Tancredi and his disturbing love for his daughter, Masetto and the new kind of society he helps create with some less-than-religious nuns, and then it will be easier to understand why Boccaccio is so popular after 650 years. And although it may be skipped by most readers, do not miss the Translator's (G. M. McWilliam) introduction on the history of "The Decameron" proper, and that of its many, and mostly unfortunate, translations into English. This book is one of the wisest, most economic ways of obtaining entertainment and culture. Do not miss it.

Giovanni Boccaccio THE DECAMERON. Second Edition. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by G. H. McWilliam. cli + 909 pages. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin Books, 1995. ISBN 0-14-044629-X (Pbk).

Second-hand opinions can do a lot of harm. Most of us have been given the impression that The Decameron is a lightweight collection of bawdy tales which, though it may appeal to the salacious, sober readers would do well to avoid. The more literate will probably be aware that the book is made up of one hundred stories told on ten consecutive days in 1348 by ten charming young Florentines who have fled to an amply stocked country villa to take refuge from the plague which is ravaging Florence.

Idle tales of love and adventure, then, told merely to pass the time by a group of pampered aristocrats, and written by an author who was quite without the technical equipment of a modern story-teller such as Flannery O'Connor. But how, one wonders, could it have survived for over six hundred years if that's all there were to it? And why has it so often been censored? Why have there always been those who don't want us to read it?

A puritan has been described as someone who has an awful feeling that somebody somewhere may be enjoying themselves, and since The Decameron offers the reader many pleasures it becomes automatically suspect to such minds. In the first place it is a comic masterpiece, a collection of entertaining tales many of which are as genuinely funny as Chaucer's, and it offers us the pleasure of savoring the witty, ironic, and highly refined sensibility of a writer who was also a bit of a rogue. It also provides us with an engaging portrait of the Middle Ages, and one in which we are pleasantly surprised to find that the people of those days were every bit as human as we are, and in some ways considerably more delicate.

We are also given an ongoing hilarious and devastating portrayal of the corruption and hypocrisy of the medieval Church. Another target of Boccaccio's satire is human gullibility in matters religious, since, then as now, most folks could be trusted to believe whatever they were told by authority figures. And for those who have always found Dante to be a crushing bore, the sheer good fun of The Decameron, as Human Comedy, becomes, by implication (since Boccaccio was a personal friend of Dante), a powerful and compassionate counterblast to the solemn and cruel anti-life nonsense of The Divine Comedy.

There is a pagan exuberance to Boccaccio, a frank and wholesome celebration of the flesh; in contrast to medieval Christianity's loathing of woman we find in him what David Denby beautifully describes as "a tribute to the deep-down lovableness of women" (Denby, p.249). And today, when so many women are being taught by anti-sex radical feminists to deny their own bodies and feelings, Boccaccio's celebration of the sexual avidity of the natural woman should come as a very welcome antidote. For Denby, who has written a superb essay on The Decameron that can be strongly recommended, Boccaccio's is a scandalous book, a book that liberates, a book that returns us to "the paradise from which, long ago, we had been expelled" (Denby, p.248).

The present Penguin Classics edition, besides containing Boccaccio's complete text, also includes a 122-page Introduction, a Select Bibliography, 67 pages of Notes, four excellent Maps and two Indexes. McWilliam, who is a Boccaccio scholar, writes in a supple, refined, elegant and truly impressive English which successfully captures the highly sophisticated sensibility of Boccaccio himself. His translation reads not so much as a translation as an original work, though his Introduction (which seems to cover everything except what is most important) should definitely be supplemented by Denby's wonderfully insightful and stimulating essay, details of which follow:

Chapter 17 - 'Boccaccio,' in 'GREAT BOOKS - My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf, and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World'
by David Denby. pp.241-249. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-83533-9 (Pbk).

Ten young Florentine noblemen and women escaping the Black Death in Florence in 1348 entertain themselves by each relating a story per day for ten days - 100 entertaining stories in all, mostly set in and around medieval Florence. Although famously naughty, none of these stories strikes a modern reader as more than mildly erotic. Rather, they consistently astonish by their thoroughly modern message that women are as good as men, nobility doesn't come from birth, sanctity doesn't come from the church, and - above all - true love must never be denied. Amazingly, Boccaccio often delivers this message while pretending to say the exact opposite; sometimes he presents very sympathetic characters who get away with things thought scandalous in his time, offering a mere token condemnation at the end, while other times he depicts someone actually following the accepted code and committing some horrible act of cruelty in the process. Either way - and despite his claims to be upholding convention - we always know what he really means, and apparently he didn't fool too many people in his own day either.

But one doesn't need to focus on the revolutionary aspects of the Decameron to enjoy the book; each of the stories delights the reader with a different tasty morsel, and, you can read as much or as little at a time as you please. Once you get past the introduction, (and that's probably the most serious part of the book, so be sure not to give up before you get to the first story) the stories will make you laugh, make you cringe, and make you sit on the edge of your seat. Inspiring authors from Chaucer to Shakespeare and entertaining audiences for over 700 years, the Decameron continues to delight.

Jonathan Coe has been favourably compared to Charles Dickens and it's not hard to see why. The classic Dickensian markers - a huge cast of characters, the use of foreshadowing, the social commentary - are all very much in evidence in Coe's work.

'What a Carve Up!' is a thoroughly post modern romp through the decades from World War II through to the early 90s. Coe uses the villains of the piece, the Winshaw family, to explore various aspects of British society during the period with humour and compassion and without resorting to diatribe. Most notably, he takes numerous broad swipes (not always effectively or fairly) at the 'greed is good' ethos of Thatcherite economics.

The finale sees justice meted out to those who deserve it - and justice is not always a punishment in Coe's world - in a thoroughly Biblical manner.

You will read Coe's work for the characters and the up-all-night-reading plot. But what you will remember is his apparent message: 'Watch out, hold on to your integrity....but keep on laughing.'

Some reviewers criticise "What A Carve Up!" for over-the-top satire, cartoonish portrayals of purely evil characters, and shrill polemic style. I got to the book in America in July, 2002, and while I agree that the bad guys are dealt with simplistically, the treatment may not be so far off the mark. Ten years after Coe researched this book, all his issues remain in the headlines. The West is gearing up again to topple the monster we created and armed in Saddam Hussein. Agribusiness conglomerates have devastated what remained of small farm America, brought other trouble to the towns where their enormous operations brutalise the workers and animals; and people only wonder more about the ever-increasing hormone and feed treatments used to make our food. Anyone who tunes in to certain American TV and radio networks, or reads certain columnists, will notice that right wing politicians and pundits have gone on to perfect the demonically dishonest rhetorical style Coe goes after (particularly on pp 137-138, 63-64, 385-88, 313 of the paperback edition titled "The Winshaw Legacy").

As for the charge that Coe unfairly makes greed out to be a bad thing, what Thomas Winshaw does to Phocas Motor Services in the book (pp 322-24 of my edition) was played out in many much worse factual scenarios that I know of in the US throughout the 1980's. (Look at what US Steel did to southeast Chicago, for starters.) And his analysis of this sort of capitalism couldn't be any more relevant with all the short-sighted and criminally dishonest market manipulations by politically connected that are coming to light Stateside in 2002 (Enron, Harken, Halliburton, Dynegy, Worldcom, Global Crossing, Adelphia...). Think of the havoc that these scandals have brought to individual lives among employees and fundholders who counted on these 'businessmen' - really a network of interconnected charlatans - to be running sustainable companies, not inflating the value of their options to whatever unsustainable level would maximise their personal wealth. Lack of subtlety should be the last criticism pinned on someone who addresses this sort of outrage head-on.

In short, you don't need to be British to get this book, not even to appreciate the parts devoted to the National Health Service. The points he makes are just as relevant to what's happened in America under Reagan and Bushes I and II. I agree with the critcism that Coe panders to upper-class resentment by attributing all these various corruptions to one aristocratic family, when it's untitled corporate conservatives throughout society who need blaming. But he is doing a satire, and the aristocratic trope serves as the novel's framing device.

This is the first Coe book I've read and I loved it. It's funny and clever, develops the plot in a fragmented, looping chronology with multiple perspectives, sources, and interlocking stories - all presided over by a very unhappy and frustrated lead narrator. You know, the sort of things you find in Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, and Will Self novels (and seemingly all serious films since at least 'Pulp Fiction'). But it is more straightforward, with less literary ambition, or pretension, than what I've read from those authors. The story is much easier to follow, and one can say exactly what happens at the end, rather than speculating on the desultory and stridently ambiguous finishes those other authors frequently give us.

The unfashionable clarity is a result of the book's overt politics. I find that Amis and Self bury their political commentary in stories that focus on how tormented their characters feel by the unexplained vagaries of life and how irreversibly complex it's all become. Coe, on the other hand, is willing to identify and blame the forces that have made society such a mess and living so hard to figure out. It's not some Fat Controller with supernatural powers, nor a mysterious seeming-friend doing improbable things with the money system to play out a personal grudge. It's right-wing politicians and businesses who, among other things: control our news sources and fill them with meaningless gossip or misleading agitprop, stoke up wars and profit on arms sales, industrialise food production at the expense of the ecology and consumer health, and intentionally ruin our public services to serve their theological devotion to laissez faire economics. In this way, Coe actually has more intellectual heft than the authors who imply that the world is just cosmically, unfathomably unfair and unpleasant. He's telling us that the malignant forces are entirely within our control, were we willing to stand up to the bent plutocratic filth that are allowed to run our governments and economy.

This book takes you through the life and dreams of a man whom I believe was a genius, Jonathan Larson. There are tons of amazing quotes from him and those close to him . This book gave me a chance to learn even more about my absolute favorite musical, and it felt like I almost got to know Jonathan Larson. The large pictures of cast members performing each song in the libretto make it easier to explain the plot to friends. I seriously cried when reading about how Jonathan Larson died and everyone's reactions to his death. Overall, this is an awesome piece of literature for any Renthead or musical theater fan. NO DAY BUT TODAY!!!!

If you are a fan of this musical, then this book is a DEFINITE must have. It contains the full libretto with vibrant color pictures and behind the scenes photos as well. If you haven't seen this amazing musical, then 1)See It and 2) Buy This Book. Rent is more than a play about dying in today's society. It's about fear, loss, love, life, passion, friendship, success, humanity, compassion, generosity, optimism, hope, courage, and loyalty. It's about being who you are, not being afraid of love, making each day count, and living life to the fullest. Rent is about forging ahead, and not dwelling on the past. It's about being able to come to terms with your own emotions and not just "renting" them to "ape content." I can't urge you enough to buy this book. It's heartbreaking to know that Jonathan Larson never lived to see how his work touched so many lives. His short life only reiterates the fact that there really is "no day but today." Reach out to others. Love yourself. Be thankful for everything you have. See this musical, listen to Jonathan Larson's music, and buy this book. It's more than a souvenir, it's a memoir of THE BEST show on Broadway.

This book can only be described as beautiful. It's content, the pictures, everything is a true dedication to the work of Jonathan Larson.

The book begins as a biography to the creator of Rent, Jonathan Larson and his original vision of the play and of life itself. Reading his story was quite inspirational. If only he were alive to see his success and how he has touched many people's lives.

The remainder of the book is the whole libretto for Rent complete with pictures from a stage performance. The presentation of the libretto and pictures is wonderful. Honestly, I was in complete awe the first time I saw it.

There are also in-depth interviews with the cast and people behind the scenes, and some rare photos.

This book is the Rent fan's necessity. And, as I said before, could be seen as a true inspiration thanks to Jonathan Larson.