This survey of Gauguin's later work and career provided an excellent complement to Maugham's "The Moon and Sixpence". The book provides the historical background to separate the facts from the rumors that circulated after his death. The excellent reproductions (all in color) are well chosen to complement the text and sequenced so that they are on or near the pages on which they are discussed. The book is an easy read and an excellent bargain for a hardbound book so well illustrated.

great songs for great music a very easy and simple to follow book. enjoy words and music. the music is very simple ... but on the other hand he is a simple guy. perfect for guitar players. just enjoy it.

This is a great book. I'd recemond it to all reading levels. Simon is truly ahead of his time. He is a fantastic writer

"History must be told through the eyes of people that have experienced it..." wrote Vine Deloria, Jr., American Indian author, in his 1972 book Of Utmost Good Faith.

Taking a similar documentary approach in his new book A RACE AT BAY, journalist Robert G. Hays looks to the past for some answers to understanding the cultural conflicts between the Native American Indians and the ever-expanding population of white settlers in America during the late nineteenth century.

Using well-selected editorials from the New York Times between 1860 and 1900, Hays skillfully focuses the reader's attention on the role of the press in defining and influencing public opinion on what the editorial writers called the "Indian problem."

But what was the Indian problem? To most non-Indians of that time, particularly economic opportunists and frontier settlers, the American Indian simply was in the way of national expansion and progress. Indians were either to be contai! ned or exterminated if efforts to "civilize" them failed. And civilization, as Hays amply illustrates, "was defined in the whites' terms."

Many Americans in the "civilized" eastern states of that time held the belief of the nineteenth century historian John Fiske that the race of aboriginal Americans could be identified by three cultural classifications: "barbarous," "savage," and "half-civilized." As Robert Hays points out the Times editorial writers also were not immune to these popular xenophobic expressions and added a few of their own like "greasy red men," "dusky savages," and "Lo." It is not surprising, therefore, that the editors of the Times used the typical "we/they" attitude in their otherwise critical reporting of the treatment of the American Indians.

A RACE AT BAY is well organized in eleven short chapters each presenting a topic that can be read in or out of s! equence of the others. Hays begins each of his chapters wit! h an insightful overview of his selected editorials. At the end of the book is a complete index that should prove particularly useful to readers who want to focus on selected issues within the same thread of discussion.

In one of his longest chapters Robert Hays covers the contentious topic on Indian policy--as debated and (re)defined by the U.S. Congress, as implemented by the Department of Interior, as discharged by the Department of War, and as defended or ridiculed by the New York Times as in the following editorial excerpt from May 22, 1870:

"There is a white problem to be dealt with along the whole of our vast frontier, in order even to get at our Indian problem...why the Russians and French and English have always succeeded better with the Indians than we have, is, not that they are more humane or more just than we are, or have more tenderness for the red race than we have, but that their system of governing the white race is different...they do not permit t! he sparse and half-civilized communities which collect on their frontier to govern themselves as we do under our Territorial system."

A clear, consistent, and equitable national policy for the American Indians was never realized then, and remains just as elusive today, as a Times editorial writer on October 7, 1879, admonishes with the question "What has Congress ever done to define the course of conduct which should be pursued toward the Indians?"

Perhaps the enigmatic answer lies in an old Indian quote: "The only promise that the Government kept with the Indian was the promise to take the Indians' land, and it did."

I purchased this book to add to an ever growing Saint collection. I found myself drawn into it completely. Paul Simper has managed to track every one related to the show down, and jogged their memories about their time spent (some 30 years ago) on the show. This creates an inciteful, witty and interesting read. I have read it from cover to cover on a number of occasions now. A funny story.. Whilst sitting down having a drink with a friend, I happened to mention that I happened to like this book and recomended it. My friend then dials into his mobile phone. 'Hi, Paul', he says, 'I've found out who bought your book'. It turns out that they are also friends. It's a small world. Buy the book and indulge in some Saintly nostalgia.

The best thing about this book is not only the fact that it has all of Simon and Garfunkel's songs and songs, including the first ones from late '50s early 60's, the book also has never seen huge photos of the duo, plus articles from the '60s, and notes by Simon showing how he wrote his songs... Amazing.

Nobody writes more evocatively or enthusiastically about 17th-century Holland as Simon Schama. His 1987 masterpiece of interpretive social history, The Embarrassment of Riches, brought that age throbbingly to life. Throughout this hefty tome Schama is, as the title suggests, desperately keen to see through Rembrandt's eyes. He achieves, with a verbal abundance and an appreciative delight of textures, the world Rembrandt's paintings so lucidly evoke. The chapter entitled Amsterdam Anatomised which describes the port-city, in probably the most eventful era in the entire history of art, the Dutch Golden Age, is itself worth the price of admission.Rembrandt himself steps on centre-stage only on page 202. Schama devotes the first 200 pages to Peter Paul Reubens the Flemish painter ( this could easily have been an entire book on its own! ) as Schama contends, convincingly, that it is impossible to understand Rembrandt unless we understand his desire to emulate Reubens. Why does Rembrandt matter? To Schama and to us? Because, as Schama affirms, Rembrandt is the greatest painter of the human experience ever to have lived - "Which is why he will always speak across the centuries to those for whom art might be something other than the quest for ideal forms; to the unnumbered legions of damaged humanity who recognise, instinctively and with gratitude, Rembrandt's vision of our fallen race, with all its flaws and infirmities squarely on view, as a proper subject for picturing, and, more important, as worthy of love, of saving grace." Eschewing the arid dogmas of academia that infect and stultify art biographies, Schama celebrates all his emotions and beliefs about Rembrandt in this overlong and memorable book. It should be essential reading for anyone who has ever set eyes upon a work by Rembrandt. Take a bow, Simon Schama.

Rembrandt left behind more self-portraits than any artist before or since. With his new book Rembrandt's Eyes, historian Simon Schama has added a new portrait of the artist, this one in meticulously and exhaustively researched, rhapsodically written prose.

Schama's heavy tome makes every attempt to be a definitive work on the painter, and it succeeds. First and foremost it is a narrative of the life and work of Rembrandt van Rijn, although calling it a "biography" somehow sounds reductive. It is equal parts analysis of Rembrandt's painting, documentation of his life, and history of seventeenth century Holland, so sections of the book can be read with profit by anyone studying the artist, his art, or the social history of the times.

The Rembrandt of Schama's book is a complex man, with hubris, greed and an enormous talent for portraiture. Early on he takes the monumentally cocky step of signing only his first name -- no "van Rijn" -- as if he knew his paintings would be studied for centuries to come. His understanding of humans and their personae was without parallel, Schama writes. "No painter would ever understand the theatricality of social life as well as Rembrandt. He saw the actors in men and the men in actors."

As his title suggests, Schama finds special messages in the eyes of Rembrandt's subjects. He notes that in art education painters were taught to put special care into their depiction of the whites of eyes, yet in many of Rembrandt's works -- Schama points to "The Artist in his Studio" (1629) -- the eyes are dull, dark pits. "When Rembrandt made eyes," Schama says, "he did so purposefully," and so in Rembrandt's Eyes he continually returns to the haunting eyes the painter painted.

Most of all, Schama's book is a meditative, entranced attempt to get behind the faces we see in Rembrandt's self-portraits. Schama reads Rembrandt's self-portraits in various costumes -- as a merchant, as a soldier, for example -- as indications of his elusiveness, as if each portrait were meant to conceal rather than reveal its subject. In analysis of one self-portrait, Schama writes that the painter "has disappeared inside his persona," inscrutable beyond the dead dark eyes of the painting. The artist's disguise hides his true self, and the critic is left to speculate. It seems that in this case Schama is grasping (as art historians must) at facts and attitudes that can never be certainly known, constructing and imputing elaborate guesses that fail precisely because the painter has succeeded.

Schama's reverence for Rembrandt and art in general winds up being both a virtue and a vice. The book begins with an epigraph from Paul Valery: "We should apologize for daring to speak about painting." It is difficult to imagine a guide through this world who is more well-versed and in love with his subject. But do we really want our biographers to be respectful to the point of silence? Nobody wants to learn about the masters from a guide who finds them too sublime to defile with comment. Granted, a hefty book like this is hardly "silence," but Schama's hushed tones do get distracting.

This book has the virtue of being as close to exhaustive about its subject as one could hope. There is little psychological interpretation that Schama leaves undone, and little consequential biographical detail that he leaves unmentioned. Rembrandt's Eyes, a mammoth book that takes on with grace the equally mammoth task of explaining what is behind the brooding eyes of Rembrandt's portraits, will be a definitive work on the painter and his work.

Simon Schama's REMBRANDT'S EYES is undoubtedly one of the authoritative works on Rembrandt's life and paintings. Schama vividly depicts the unparalled and tortured genius of Rembrandt, a man who was brilliant in success and even more so during tragedy. To understand Rembrandt's paintings is to understand the man behind each brushstroke: strong-willed, prideful, and uncompromising in his art. Schama conveys the essence of Rembrandt with such force and effectiveness that we cannot help but appreciate Rembrandt's tragic life and artistic genius.

REMBRANDT'S EYES contains beautiful illustrations of all of Rembrandt's major works; the analysis of each is detailed, clear, and interesting. Through the course of the book, you will be fascinated by Rembrandt's self-portraits and the level of understanding with which he painted himself. Perhaps no other artist has given us such a powerful autobiography without the use of a single written word. This deep understanding of the human soul is evident in all of his works. Schama explains Rembrandt's paintings and his techniques in a comprehensive and powerful manner. If you are interested at all in the truly unique and fascinating genius of Rembrandt, REMBRANDT'S EYES is a must.

I would highly recommend REMBRANDT'S EYES to any person interested in art history, Dutch painting, or just Rembrandt. This book also serves as a powerful autobiography of a man with a very interesting story. Be forewarned though: this book is very long, and putting it down may be hard.

This book is technically competent, but goes right past the two most important factors; if you are developing XML, then you will probably be using Java, and that if you are developing applications (even with XML) on SQL server, then you are probably using COM+. Sorry.

This book is an excellent addition to the documentation provided with SQLXML, especially if you are just starting to use SQLXML. The book helps you decide if SQLXML is right for your situation. If it is, the book will continue to walk you through some real examples, covering some of the pros and cons of different methods. Being a developer, I highly recommend this book if you are using or considering to use SQLXML in a Microsoft environment.

This is what a technical publication should be. The book covers all aspects of SQLXML, from programming to administrative issues (including security concerns -- everyone needs to do more of that). It even discusses some of the other technologies out there, such as Oracle's integration with XML and the native xml datatype. If you are using or thinking of using SQLXML, I'd consider this book to be required reading.

As an American having lived in Singapore for much of the past 30 years, it seems to me Mr. Hellander hasn't spent much time there. Much of his 'facts' and 'tips' are out of date, or just plain wrong. His 'tips' on hotels and restuarants in particular seem to be based on marketing data, and not real world experience. If you are planning to go to Singapore, there are many other, better written and more accurate, books to read. This would not be one of them. Insight and Essential Explorer do a much better job.

...We found this book to be a very solid reference for transportation and side trips. Compared to Fodor's Singapore guide, which we also carried, this book has more accurate and helpful information on sightseeing and transportation options, e.g., local places to buy bus or ferry tickets for side trips in Malaysia and Indonesia. The book is also a good source of ideas for exploring outlying islands, forests, and neighboring cities.

We were not impressed with the "Places to Eat" section...With two broad exceptions, the descriptions of "Places to Eat" and "Places to Stay" are too brief to be of much use in choosing a specific restaurant or hotel. However, each publisher covers hawker centers reasonably well...Lonely Planet's treatment of budget and alternative lodging arrangements--such as camping--seems fairly comprehensive. Finally, you will find more shopping advice in other guides, although this book's shopping section is not bad.

The information in the book is well organized and generally easy to find. While it is not a "pocket size" guide, its size (approx. 5 x 7 in. or 12.5 x 18.5 cm) makes it very easy to take along in a backpack, camera bag, or briefcase. At 200 pages plus maps, it is light enough to go almost anywhere.

For getting around in the city and to more remote locations, we found ourselves relying on this book. If you are familiar with Singapore, have already arranged accommodations, or are more interested in exploring and side trips, the options in this book can take you much farther afield without stress. First time travelers to Singapore (other than those with extremely limited budgets) or those who go only for the shopping may find the Fodor's guide more helpful.

Lonely Planet maintains a very good website...which features detailed content, including updates about Singapore and other locations. I have rated this book four stars, a very usable little reference that will likely become more useful the more you visit. Combined with the website, the book can prepare you well for nearly all aspects of a visit to Singapore, especially if you intend to use Singapore as a hub for excursions elsewhere. More detailed descriptions of hotels, including further treatment and recommendations in the top half, and more material in the shopping section would give the book a stronger appeal to a broader audience.

While this guide was useful in all the mundane ways (accomodation, eating), I'm grateful to for the way it got me thinking about some of the less understandable aspects of Singapore. After a couple of days of walking around S'pore I began to wonder at the odd sense of artificiality about the place, and the strange way my hosts and others talked of the city-state. I was glad to be reffered to Stan Sesser's book *The Lands of Charm and Cruelty*, which told me of "the fear that even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." I am also grateful to this guide for steering me towards Ian Buruma's essay "The Nanny State of Asia," in his book *The Missionary and the Libertine*, which went into a lot of detail about the police state behind the facade of Singapore's clean toilets, etc. The guide was useful in all practical matters, but by dealing with some of the unpleasantness that is the reality of Singapore, I came away with a better understanding of the place which grew increasingly creepy the longer I stayed. Lonely Planet Singapore is an excellent, thoughtful guide that did what it was supposed to do, yet also led me to other books which helped enrich my business trip. For understanding some aspects of Chinese behaviour in a business setting, I also recommend Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture*. Paul Theroux's *Saint Jack* is a novel set in Singapore - though written in the 70's, I found the attitudes and actions of many of the characters still relevant to locals and expats of Singapore today.