This book contains a great selection of pieces at a more than resonable price. I bought it as a set with Piano Masterpieces of Maurice Ravel also by Dover. (I saw another edition of Ma Mere l'Oye *on it's own* was more than what I paid for this whole book!) Dover editions I have found in the past have great quality. The pages are sewn in so the book will last a lifetime without pages falling or ripping out.

If you're not already impressed by the selection of pieces (I love the 1913 Prelude which I already had a copy of and memorized a while ago), Dover goes even further with this set. It opens with the table of contents and after that it has a complete glossyry of french terms and text used in the music! This I found was quite impressive. Even Dover's other Ravel book doesn't do this. Some of the terms sound enough like English words or Italian musical terms for you to figure it out but it's really great that they gave you it there for you to know for certain. Following that are translations of the wonderful quotes of fairy tales from La Mere and other text that appears in the book.

Before each multi-movement piece it receives it's own cover page followed by an introduction to the piece written by Ronald Herder citing Orenstein's book Ravel: Man and Musician as a primary source. It is really nice to learn a little about the piece before playing it and it's a wonderful inclusion. The music appears to be in chronological order with the three 1913 pieces grouped together under a single cover sheet (sans any introduction). The title piece is well deserving of it as it is a large section of the book with it's 7 movements. The book concludes with Ravel's transcription of La Valse. It is annotated with Ravel's own notes on the orchestra version sometimes including a third ossia staff showing parts of the orchestration unincluded in the transcription. Instruments are named in french and can be translated via the glossary at the front of the book.

The only problem anyone might have with this book is that there are no noted fingerings as far as I've seen. I don't rely on them much myself but I know other people prefer them. If that is an issue, consider still getting this book and consulting someone on parts where you are unsure of the best fingering. Otherwise this is the perfect set!

Together with Le tombeau as promised by the title, this volume includes the original piano versions of Ma Mère l'Oye, all eight Valses nobles et sentimentales, the 1913 Prélude, the two pieces À la manière de (Chabrier and Borodin), and the composer's own piano transcription of La Valse. This fine, durable Dover edition nicely complements Dover's "Piano Masterpieces of Maurice Ravel" with no overlap to give a nearly complete collection of all of Ravel's compositions for the piano. The only piano work absent from both volumes is the Habanera, probably because that work is almost invariably performed by two pianists, although I own a transcription for a single player. Many of the works in this volume are quite accessible to pianists of intermediate skill, if they are sufficiently motivated by a love of the music of Ravel, and even in Le tombeau, a work of legendary difficulty, the exquisite Menuet, should prove playable by all but beginners. Highly recommended.

The Treasure of the Humble is the first and probably the best of Maeterlinck's volumes of essays. It had an enormous impact in its time; Strindberg, for example, considered it the greatest book of his age. It expresses, in a language of remarkable beauty and sustained intensity, a vision which combines Neoplatonic mysticism with modern sentimentalism. It expresses, as did the best of Maeterlinck's plays, his awareness of a level of spiritual existence, just beneath consciousness, where destinies are determined and the most profound communication takes place between souls. It is at the very least a key work for understanding the syncretist religiosity that was so common at the beginning of the twentieth century. But it is also a book that can convert the whole outlook of a sympathetic reader today.

Treasure of the Humble was one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. Maeterlinck had a way of writing that was so unique; he was able to communicate his thoughts in a universal language which transcended oceans of time. Experience him and you won't soon forget... his haunting words will remain forever imprinted upon your soul.

Born the eldest son of the Marquis of Castiglione, St. Aloysius was heir to an ancient line of nobility and was expected, as such, to carry on the family tradition. Though well suited to his role, he chose instead to renounce the world and become a Jesuit. This meant he could never even become a member of the hierarchy, which his family would otherwise have surely seen to in his life as a priest. No. He renounced everything: His name, his titles, his heritage, his fame, his glory, his luxury - to become a Jesuit priest. It would be hard to believe that any other saint in the history of the Church ever achieved his religious vocation against more opposition. And yet, having achieved it, he was to live only another five years. However, St. Mary Magdalene di Pazzi saw him in vision shortly after he died and proclaimed, "O how great is the glory enjoyed by Aloysius, the son of Ignatius! Never would I have believed it, if Jesus had not shown it to me. It seems to me that there can be none greater in Heaven. I assure you Aloysius is a great saint. We have saints (relics) in our church (the Carmelite) who do not possess such glory. Would that I could go through the whole world and proclaim that Aloysius, the son of Ignatius is a great saint, and show everyone his glory, that God might be glorified!" What was the cause of such glory? What is there in the obscure life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga that Holy Mother Church wishes to hold before the young people of the world by proclaiming him "Patron of Christian Youth?" A reading of Father Meschler's biography will give that answer in a truly satisfying manner!

This is an excellent book on the life of one of the greatest saints of the Roman Catholic history, Aloysius. There are many facts about who he was, and what he did. It was an all around great book.

Not enough people read Maeterlinck today and this is a shame: the man was, unlike some Nobel prize winners in literature, truly a fantastic writer with a uniquely tuned, sharp, comprehensively philosophical but never didactic mind. Coming from a well-to-do Belgian family in the age before Television, Radio, and all the other usually destructive distractions of today, the young Maeterlinck had beekeeping for his principal hobby (just ask even your high-I.Q. high-schooler today ANYTHING about the life of bees and ants and other social insects and you'll be amazed at how little they know, in spite of the 'Discovery' Channel and all the documentary films made about the subject and shown on TV), and inspired by the essays of Fabre, began a period of amateur observation and experiment with his apiary, finally publishing the results in 1901, at the age of 39, as "Life of the Bee." Written in a highly poetic style that blended fact, imagination, and mystical speculation, it became the single most popular book ever written about insect life. Not that there aren't errors in Maeterlinck's observations that subsequent research corrected, but as far as the QUALITY OF WRITING is concerned, no one else can even come close to these amazing descriptions: in fact, some of the best written passages in all of literature are in this book.

i found a copy of this in london, just hoping for something to keep me occupied while i was traveling. it turned out to be one of the best books i've ever read. an utterly unique view of the world - the bee's and our own.

These stories are engaging and very well written for little children. My son, who is 2 1/2, loves Little Bear and was very happy that we had books about him to read in addition to watching the cartoons on Noggin. The set has a variety of brief stories that are appropriate for small children's attention span and awareness levels. The only minor issue we have with these books is that they are a bit fimsy but that is a very minor issue given their wonderful content.

Ever since I was a little girl I've enjoyeed the Little Bear series of books. These short stories have a timeless charm that enchant both reader and listener. The stories bring to life the thoughts and experiences of young children through the main character, Little Bear,with his friends and family. Meeting a new friend, exploring the moon, visiting grandparents, waiting for a parent to return home from a business trip and listening to stories are some of the topics for these beautifully written stories. Once again I've learned to love these books all over again with my daughter. Her name is Emily and she loves hearing her name when the stories are read to her! These are wonderful stories that are just the right length for bed time reading. Enjoy!

Else Minarik's Little Bear is a gentle soul -- a bear cub who is a loving son to his parents, an affectionate charge to his grandparents and a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood. Your young child will love these stories.

The book itself is a great value. Cover art lies directly on a sturdy binding, and this volume contains the complete contents of three books: Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit. That's twelve stories, with charming illustrations by Maurice Sendak.

Lovely book, terrific value.

Else Minarik's Little Bear is a gentle soul -- a bear cub who is a loving son to his parents, an affectionate charge to his grandparents and a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood. Your young child will love these stories.

The book itself is a great value. Cover art lies directly on a sturdy binding, and this volume contains the complete contents of three books: Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit. That's twelve stories, with charming illustrations by Maurice Sendak.

Lovely book, terrific value.

This is just a great deal! OXFORD Dictionaries have both British and American spellings, e.g., organise (or U.S. organize), and the "LITTLE" one also follows this pattern. It has a very good range of words (+51000 entries) well defined and presented in a short format -small and compact- protected with a hard cover that makes it easy to carry everywhere. I think it's one of the best you can purchase and it's well worthed its value.

This new well-defined dictionary is a great way to look up words, if you are a "gotta run" kind of person. You can easily slip it into your pocket and whip it right out and look up a word. I recommend this dictionary to any reader who is on the go.

I don't like Nicoll's Platonism, but I forgive it in light of the brilliance of his exposition and even occasional expansion of Ouspensky's theory of time. As a primarily cosmological work, it is much deeper than Nicoll's better-known Psychological Commentaries. If you like New Model of the Universe and O's other works, you'll like this.

The best book in all of the WORK on the cosmological side regarding Time. This book is also an engine in generating perspective. It is also currently in print ('currently' being 1/5/00) and can be found at By The Way Books which is on the net. [I'm sure Amazon just wants you to get the book, so they won't mind the plug for another small competitor...]

I've read this wonderful book and have to admit that it is one of the most fascinating descriptions of the life of the cathars in the south of France. In short and concise chapters this book also brings light on the lives of Apollonius of Tyana, Nicolas Flamel, Saint Germain and Madame Blavatsky. It broachs subjects
like the Templars and the mysterious figure of Christian Rosycross. But one thing only I couldn't take, the authorship of the book. On it's front cover and the title page the reader is induced to believe that the author of it is Reginald Merton, and that the celebrated french writer, Maurice Magre,is the translator. And that is a shame, for the thing is quite the opposite! This book was published in England under the title "The return of the magi", being a translation from the French by Reginald Merton. Therefore the author of "Magicians, Seers, and Mystics" is Maurice Magre.

Contrary to the provided information, this book is written by Maurice Magre and translated into english bij Reginald Merton.

Magre was a poet to the bone, and it shows in this book too. He covers a lot of topics like Appolonius of Tyana, the Cathars, Flamel, and the rosicrucians. Using them as examples, he shows how quite normal man transformed into sages. However, he also shows their shortcommings, which can be quite a relief for those of us who are not yet sages.

Magre was no enthousiastic supporter of the catholic church, which shows most clearly in his chapters on the Cathars and Albigenses, who were persecuted and killed until the very last one.

Bought this originally for my child when it was first released and it's one of his most favorite memories. He is so fond of these stories (as am I) that today I'm ordering it for his 30th birthday present. Since these stories we've said "EXP-1212!" to convey the ultimate adventure, described certain people/situations as "Pierre," and in other ways incorporated Jenny, Rosie and the Nutshell Kids into our lives. Only regret is that they're not available on CD.

My family never tires of this collection. Whenever a car trip is going to last over 30 minutes or we need a distraction so Mom and Dad can fix dinner these are the tapes of choice for us. Even after 3 years of constant listening these stories make us laugh - especially the escapades of Rosie and her friends