The cold gripping fear, frustration,and agony of the convoy escorts in the North Atlantic during WWII. The physical and emotional sacrafices of the men assigned to escort duty to protect the life blood of Great Britan. Monsarrat is a fantastic story teller, filling the reader with emotions in a way that very few writers will ever master. The realization that Command is really lonely,and the second guessing of descisions is a tough pill for Captain Ericson to swallow. These sailors are not Regular Navy from a Family lineage of Naval service, rather the average Joe brought together by the war. Yet they form a strong fighting unit. As as in every war, death is not picky about whom it takes. A great book that will be hard to put down till it is finished. Give it some time and you will read it again.

A realistic tale of the Second World War at sea This war time drama is played out through the desperate struggle of one man, his crew and their ship. We follow the expliots of a Royal Navy corvette HMS Compass Rose, as she carries out her duty in protecting the vulnerable convoys from the hunting packs of U-boats in the North Atlantic. All the experiences of the war at sea are there, in the faces of the men, the arduous conditions of the rough seas and in the horrors of war like the poor wretched survivors they pluck from the sea, choking and covered in oil. However, the most memorable scene, and one of which is surely equal to any other in cinematic history, has to be when Captain Ericson (Jack Hawkins) is forced to decide whether or not to attack a U-boat or save a group of British survivors that struggle in the water directly above his intended target.

After 1942 this dilemma was turned into a blunt order when the Admiralty instructed anti-submarine vessels to make every attempt to destroy a U-boat thus carrying out their sole duty of protecting the convoy. At that time U-boats were believed to be diving close to the sinking ship so that their presence in the area would be harder to detect by the ship's Asdic radar. This often resulted in survivors losing their lives or being seriously injured from an indiscriminate depth charge attack. In the book by Herbert Gordon Male 'In All Respects Ready For Sea,' there is a true story of such an attack and the author gives such an account.

My father served on a anti-submarrine armed trawler during the war and his experiences were of special interest to the film's main star Jack Hawkins whom he met and became friends with during the completion of the film. My father felt that this film was an important one as it told a real story of the men and their sacrifice during the history of the Battle of the Atlantic. Today it is as honest a film as it was then and shows the effects of war on the ordinary men who fought it. Only a few films have since dared to portray the personal and true realities of war with out the usual and expected thrilling pyrotechnics of the big screen action film.

This book literally changed my life.

In the eleventh grade in Greenville, South Carolina, i had an English teacher who designated Thursday as "Free Reading Day" and encouraged the entire class to read anything they wanted to (well, within limits -- "Playboy" would have been Right Out, i'm sure.) -- and, in case you had nothing of your own, she laid out an assortment of magazines and books on a table at the front of the room.

On that table, one Thursday, was a copy of "The Cruel Sea". Since i've always been at least a bit interested in sea stories, and it looked interesting, i picked it up. From the first i was hooked solidly.

In the next three or so years, i reread it twice at least, possibly more than that.

And then i joined the Navy -- and i am sure that it was because of what i read in this book, and what i sensed behind it, in what Monsarrat -- who, like his viewpoint character, Lockhart, was there from the beginning, working his way up to command his own ship before the end of the war -- didn't so much say as assume about the sea and the Navy -- *any* Navy.

Monsarrat presents us here with a brotherhood of the sea, corny as that idea may sound. Sailors, more than the other Armed Forces, tend to regard other sailors -- even enemy sailors -- as brothers in arms, and, as Monsarrat says, the only true enemy is the cruel sea itself.

As he shows us here, the sailor who was your enemy five minutes ago, who was trying to kill you as you tried to kill him, is merely another survivor to be rescued from the cruel sea once you've sunk his ship.

And, even more so, as Monsarrat portrays it, there is a kind of brotherhood that binds sailors in the same Navy together in very mcuh a family manner -- you may not like your cousin, but you want to know what's happening to him and, when all is said and done, he IS your relative.

The best summation of this sort of attitude (which i felt to some extent myself during my time in the US Navy) comes when Ericson, the Captain, is touring his new ship as she stands under construction in a Glasgow shipyard; he meets one of his future officers, and mentions the name of his previous ship, which was lost with over three-quarters of her crew, and realises that

"He's heard about 'Compass Rose', he probably remembers the exact details--that she went down in seven minutes, that we lost eighty men out of ninety-one. He knows all about it, like everyone else in the Navy, whether they're in destroyers in the Mediterranean or attached to the base at Scapa Flow: it's part of the linked feeling, part of the fact of family bereavement. Thousands of sailors felt personally sad when they read about her loss; Johnson was one of them, though he'd never been within a thousand miles of 'Compass Rose' and had never heard her name before."

To be part of a band of brothers like that is a proud thing, and Monsarrat captures it perfectly.

He also captures the terrified boredom of being in enemy territory with nothing happening as you wait for the enemy to make the first move, and the shock, confusion and horror of combat (particularly sea combat, in which the battlefield itself is the deadly, patient enemy of both sides).

And he captures the glories and rewards of life at sea, the beauty of a glorious clear dawn at sea, the stars and the moon and the wake at night and so much more.

This is the book that made a sailor out of me.

It will tell you what it is to be a sailor.

Mr. Burgett has amazed me. He tells the truth about what the war was like. When I Read Seven Roads to Hell, I was shocked. The 101st was sent to the lines with little ammo,food and men. And yet they fought for over a month against the very best German troops. After the battle, Hitler himself said he wantted a unit like the 101, a unit that holds even when it looks hopeless.
When they ship out, Burgett tells about how some troopers were going to kill a American captain, just to get to the front lines.
This book is a must read

This is one of the BEST 1st person accounts of the European theater of WW2 i've ever read. Don provides such detail that the reader is easily drawn in and absorbed in the moment. (How did he remember it all?). Most interesting are his thoughts about personal encounters with the enemy after his various skirmishes. I can almost feel the cold as i read about the GIs' lack of warm clothing, sleep, and food. It's a wonder anyone came out of that alive. Can't recommend this book highly enough.

By far one of the best books written on the Battle of the Buldge and the seige at Bastogne. Burgett gives excellent eyewitness testimony to the horror and slaughter that was the Battle of the Buldge. The reader sees the battle through the eyes that faught it. Burgett brilliantly takes the reader into the heat of the battle and makes the reader understand what it was like to be in the 101st Airborne during World Wae II. I could not put this book down until it was finished and it made me want to read as much as i could about the Battle of the Buldge.Donald Burgett is truly an American Hero. I highly recommend this book to everyone young and old.

I'm 38 years old, and Follow My Leader was one of my favorite books when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I was so excited to discover that it's still in print. I just finished reading it to my three boys, ages 11, 9, and 6, and they loved it, too! "One more chapter, Mom!" they begged. I was tickled to see them trying the things I used to try after reading about Jimmy's adaptation to being blind: eating with eyes closed, walking around the house trying not to bump into furniture, trying to find the "cushion of air" near the wall.

My oldest son is a Boy Scout and the same age as Jimmy, so he was particularly touched by the story. Some of the language is a little dated (swell and keen, a boy with a handkerchief, a girl wearing an apron) but my boys easily overlooked that in favor of a story they couldn't wait to hear.

I give this story as many stars as it's possible to give!

This is one of the best children's book ever written. I read it when I was 10 yrs old and 39 years later I still remember it. As a child, the look into the world of the blind and how they learn to live and cope in ours, no pun intended, was a real eye-opener. I think i should be recommeded reading for all school-aged children(and some adults!)

This book had such and impact on my life. No, I know no one who is blind and has a seeing-eye-dog. But still, I learned that everyday in life is a challenge and anything can be done by anyone, no matter who they are. I highly recommend this book to anyone, all ages. I read it in the 6th grade and am glad Amazon is here to help me find it again. EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK AND PASS IT ON TO YOUR CHILDREN!!!

This was one of my very favorite books as a child. Parents with young children would do well to read this book to them. It is the story of a young bull (Ferdinand) who learns to stay true to his own unique self. While all the other bulls all want to be mean and fierce, Ferdinand instead is a gentle and loving soul. Yet the situation comes where people try to force Ferdinand to comply. Ferdinand is taken to fight in the bull fights! Will he be faithful to himself, or will he go along with the crowds? Yes, there are deep morality questions and ethics here) Indeed, both parents and children will be touched by the timeless message of hope and strength that is Ferdinand. It truly is a book that children need to know and model.

Of course you may be familiar with the Disney cartoon, but the real story is definetely worth reading to your child. A young, gentle bull who loves the simple things is mistaken for a terrifying, awesome, crowd pleasing bull. He is brought to Madrid to fight the Matador. Read and see what happens! I love this sweet simple little tale. This story was written so long ago, but it still is appealing to children today. Next time you go for a drive "in the country," look for Ferdinand with your children!

My mother-in-law gave me her copy of this book (printed in 1938) when my oldest child was 4 or 5 years old and we just adored this story! In fact, she (my daughter) loved it so much she memorized it within months. I chose this book to read to her 2nd grade class and they, too, felt the magic of how the fierce bull loved to just sit and "smell the flowers"! I just sat down tonight to read it for the first time to my youngest child (5 years old) and he already knew how the story went. I asked him how he knew it and if his sister already read it to him, because I had not yet done so. He told me that nobody read it to him, that his sister (now 11 years old) already told him about it. He went on to explain every page to me before I even read it! Maybe it's because it's such a different subject for a children's book ( a bull, a tree, a bee and oh, those flowers!) or it could be because we don't have a great deal of access to bull fighting here in America...none the less, it's a story that stays with you, if only because of it's simplicity. Kind of refreshing.

I've read almost every Nora Roberts book i can get my hands on, and this is clearly one of her best and one of the best mainstream romance novels I've ever read. The story takes place all over the world from a small town carnival to New Orleans to france. It talks about a family of magicians who adopts a poor run-away boy, and the coming of age story of the boy-Luke and the magician's daughter-Roxanne. the story tells of how they fall in love, and first became partners in magic then in love and finnaly in crime. The story is truly well writen and a real page turner.

I read the reviews and was so anxious to read the book but I forgot to order it, but luck came my way a week ago and tonight I just finished it, and had to give to give it 5 stars. Fantastic characters, great plot, fantastic buildup and last but certainly not least a very smooth landing and great ending. No murders, just certain people getting their due justice. I will read one of Nora's books any day, but I'm waiting now for Three Fates to come out in paperback. Keep on writing fantastic books Nora because I will be reading them. This review was based on the trade paperback.

This is/was one of my most favorite Nora Roberts books. The characters are funa nd exciting. The plot is different. Although filled with love, it is not too mushy. I think that the relationships between daughter and father and cook and man are very realistic. I enjoyed this book and have read it several times (which not something I usually do!).

We are grade 5T from Holland Elementary School in Holland, Massachusetts. There are 16 students in our class. Most of us are 10 to 11 years old. We read Homer Price for our first literature study book of the year.

The book is about a young boy and six of his marvelous adventures. The stories take place in the 1930's. The setting is the small town of Centerburg. Homer has adventures with the Sheriff, his Uncle Ulysses, and friends Freddy and Louis. They meet unusual people like Mr. Murphy, the Super-Duper, and Miss Terwilliger.

Here are some things our class liked about the book. We liked the stories because they were funny and interesting. The class liked all the Sheriff's spoonerisms. We liked how the stories were short. A lot of people thought that Aroma was a really neat pet. The class liked how all the stories were mainly about Homer.

Here are some things that our class did not like about the book. Some of our class did not like how old-fashioned the stories were. Some of us are more interested in contemporary stories. Some of us thought the stories were a little too long. We found some words were very long and complicated. It was kind of hard.

I read this book when I was about 8 years old. I borrowed it from my old grade school library. I was so captured by the fun, simple, but adventursome stories, that I had to go out and buy the book as an adult. Reading it brought back a flood of happy memories from my childhood. The stories of Homer Price and his small town neighbors, friends and family are a happy, refreshing look at what America is and should be all about. I'm looking forward to the day that I can read it to kids of my own!

Homer Price offers a funny and refreshing alternative to the current fiction that relentlessly confronts children with contemporary social problems. Now and then it's good for kids to read a book that makes them laugh out loud. Homer's smart and sincere ideas inevitably produce hilarious results. Robert McCloskey's amusing illustrations - Norman Rockwell-style line drawings - add to the pleasure of this book about a bright boy in a small American town.

With his heretical views on dinosaurian (and other paleo-species) lifestyle, Bakker's Heresies has helped change the view of dinosaurs in both the public and the scientific community's eyes. But, for all the good Bakker's book did, it still has its flaws. Since the majority of reviews here have been extremely positive, I thought it might be best to focus on the less accurate parts of the book. First there is the nomenclature.

Bakker generally avoids using scientific jargon in the book. This is good as it opens the market for more people to read his book. Names like duck bill and horned dinosaurs are easier to remember than hadrosaur and ceratopian. Still some of Bakker's actual scientific terms are horribly inaccurate and hurt paleontology more than help it. I am talking about a certain term in particular; Brontosaurus. This name has been defunct for over 50 years and it is only in popular culture that it has lived on. Bakker uses it because it's more descriptive and because he believes that the fossil Brontosaurus excelsus is different enough from _Apatosaurus_ to warrant an entire generic distinction. Modern paleontology on the other hand, did not see the distinction then and still does not now.

While I commend Bakker's paradigm altering view of how dinosaurs were, I wish that he didn't have to make them warm-blooded in order to do it. Today's "cold-blooded" animals have a wide range of energetic behaviours that Bakker never really gives mention to. And while he does devote an entire chapter to reptilian diversity (chpt 3, which is by far the most ironic chapter in the book), the final page of that chapter, featuring a _Pristichampsus_ taking out a _Hyracotherium_, has at the end of it a caption that reads that due to its rarity, this was positive evidence that "...cold-bloodedness was a great disadvantage." It was almost as if he was saying "Reptiles are an amazingly diverse group of animals with a wide range of lifestyles and body plans. Now I will show you why dinosaurs could not possibly be reptiles." This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. The following chapters deal with changing the popular view of dinosaurs while simultaneously removing them from the realm of "cold-bloodedness."

In order to show how dinosaurs could ONLY be "warm-bloods" Bakker relies a variety of circumstantial evidence. In the fossil record he uses predator to prey ratios to determine how active the creatures are. Besides having to deal with fossil record bias, Bakker's "control" is a living survey of a wolf spider to its prey. While Bakker knocks off interesting numbers (Wolf spiders making up 15-20% of the predator/prey population) he gives no mention of the prey themselves, so no one knows what kind of prey he was comparing the spiders to. Luckily Bakker does have a reference section that is divided up into the various chapters so one can go looking for it if one really wants to.

Then there is the use of haversian canals, stating that they indicate warm-bloodedness, when in reality all they indicate is a high level of activity (one can see these same haversian remodeling in varanid lizards). While the above was only found out recently, one of Bakker's "proofs" of warm-bloodedness is a dangerous use of taxonomy. Using the rules of punctuated equilibria Bakker states that species turn over is greater among warm-bloods than "cold-bloods." He shows this with fossil record evidence from Como Bluff Wyoming showing the average life of a species of dinosaur compared to a crocodilian (_Leidyosuchus_) and a chelonian (_Aspideretes_). Now in this modern era taxonomists have a hard enough time as it is to tell what is a new species and what is not; to use this criteria as evidence for warm-bloodedness is dangerous and a tad sloppy. This is especially so when one considers the fact that being "cold-blooded" crocodilian and chelonian fossils are less well studied than other fossils and there are bound to be more than a few taxonomic blunders in there.

Bakker does voice other ideas, such as the thought that sauropods had trunks, a thought that is OK to entertain but probably not worth serious consideration. Bakker's view of the gizzard style digestive system of a variety of dinosaurs is eye opening for those who ever wondered how a sauropod could feed itself with a mouth so small.

Then there are the contradictory parts of the book. In Bakker's haste to remove the dinosauria from the Reptilia, he unwittingly removes a group of animals that he himself admits to be real reptiles. Bakker believed (though histological and predator/prey evidence) that the pseudosuchian "crimson crocs" (beautiful name) showed the same warm-blooded evidence that dinosaurs show and should therefore be removed from the basal Reptilia on this and other shared derived characters. The problem inherent with this is that in order to do it, Bakker would also have to remove another pseudosuchian descendant, the crocodylians. These are the same creatures that in previous chapters he had been calling "cold-blooded" reptiles.

All in all the book is a good. Bakker provides his own illustrations, all of which show his creatures as dynamic animals, regardless of warm or cold-bloodedness. The ideas themselves are actually the resurrection of older ideas from the 19th century and not so much new ways of thinking, and much of Bakker's examples of warm-bloodedness should be taken with a grain of salt. I give this book a higher ranking than I normally would, because of the uproar that it caused in the area of reptilian paleontology and especially metabolism. Thanks to Bakker's book we now know that the arbitrary lines of warm and cold-blooded are not as black and white as we thought. In fact there is an increasingly growing amount of creatures that don't easily fit either definition. For that reason alone, the book is a worthy purchase, even if most of the text is of more historical value than anything else.

Back in the 1970's Robert Bakker, with a push from John Ostrom, stirred up the field of Vertebrate Paleontology with an article in Scientific American and a paper presented at a conference published in: A Cold Look at the Warm Blooded Dinosaurs. This book is the popularization of that paper. Bakker,s defense of his theory was so effective that suddenly the consensus about dinosaurs, best represented in popular form by the books of Edwin Colbert, fell apart, and dinosaur study stopped being primarily about classification and moved out into realms of biology only given minimal cosideration before. Suddenly, paleontologists were out serching not just for specimens but for evidence of dinosaur behavior and phisiology. This tightly argued book is your ticket into the controversey, by the man whose arguments started a renaissance in dinosaur studies, the so called bad boy of paleontology, Robert Bakker.

Dinosaur Heresies is everything a popular science title should be. This book is a free-wheeling, thought-provoking, incredibly fun jaunt through the range of controversies and rethinkings paleontology has seen in the past twenty years or so.

Robert Bakker, first of all, is probably the best popular science writer I've ever come across. His voice is accessible, full of humor and character, and he writes a lean, sharply-turned argument that's easy and fun to follow without being at all pedantic. You don't think, at all, about the welter of disparate arguments Bakker's making in this book, because he just tells them so darn well, he really does. This book is pure delight for anyone with even a passing interest in dinosaurs.

I will mention, again, that this is a pop science title. It's a summary of the sorts of things that show up in academic articles, and a broad, idea-spinning take on those issues and problems. If, reading some other reviews here, you get the impression Robert Bakker singlehandedly rethought the whole cold-bloodedness thing, well, don't get too carried away. Pop science books don't do that work. Peer-review journals are where the evidence lives, in science, and books like Dinosaur Heresies get the word out to you and me.

I would recommend this as a gift to give anyone twelve or older who has an interest in Dinosaurs. Later on someone may be enthused enough to try Jack Horner, who's slightly less accessible in my experience, and closer to the journal writers than Heresies is. Then, too, reading this book might throw you in all sorts of other directions. (I personally became really excited about prehistoric mammals.) I hate to be hackneyed, but that's what a dazzlingly good popular science book will do; it'll broaden your world and make you remember what curiosity is good for. Dinosaur Heresies does that, in spades. You'll reread it.

loved the setting of this story as much as the story itself. because of nora roberts and her books, ive grown to love stories set with the irish. to be able to read the words and hear that accent is to me truly amazing.

maggie is the oldest child having been raised in a home with no family love. she is close to her father and sister, but her mother is a different person all together. because of this lack of love from her, maggie is determined to make something of herself if only to prove her mother wrong. breaking the outer shell shes developed as a form of protection wont be easy, but rogan intends to do just that.

a lovely story with enough mystery to leave the reader hoping they have their copy of born in ice sitting nearby once they close the last page of this one ::smile

The first book in NR's 'Born In' series is wonderful, you don't want to miss it! "Born In Fire" focuses on Maggie Concannon, a tempermental and loyal woman who is also a gifted artist. Gallery owner Rogan Sweeney takes an interest in Maggie's fabulous glass creations, and soon after takes a personal interest in Maggie herself. Maggie is a wonderful character, stubborn and flawed, yet still caring. Nora does a fabulous job of developing Maggie, and does it in a way that she seems like a real person. Rogan is an extremely likeable hero. Maggie's sister, Brianna, is her complete opposite; quiet, sweet, and calm. The relationship between the two sisters, however, is very touching and very real. This book is full of colourful characters, some we love and some we hate. The romance between Rogan and Maggie is wonderful. Basically, I just can't say enough good things about this book. You will love it!

The 2nd Nora Roberts book I ever read was "Born In Ice", which I only later discovered was part of trilogy -- and the middle, at that. I enjoyed it then, but resolved to go out and read the whole trilogy. I'm glad I did!

"Born In Fire" sets the whole tone for the 2 books that follow. While the relationship between temperamental glassblowing artist Maggie and upper-crust gallery owner Rogan is obviously at the forefront of this tale, the larger tale being told is that of 2 sisters and how they are coming to grips with the death of their adoring father and the reality of the long, loveless marriage he shared with their cold, bitter mother. The relationship and interplay between Maggie, her sweet-natured sister Brianna, and their shrewish mother provides some of the best dialogue in the book.

Maggie is a very well-developed character, who is so flawed and yet so wonderful that she is as human to the reader as one's own best friend might be.

Gogol's "Dead Souls" is an amazing, if incomplete, novel. I would say it is about a fellow named Chichikov, but that would not be true. The novel is about Russia. In "Dead Souls" we see that Gogol loved Russia so much, it drove him mad trying to find a way to save it. The novel is entrancing, moving seamlessly between minute particularity to epic scope, as it takes all of Russia under its gaze. At times, the tone is satirical, angry, comic, even desperate - but always with a wistful fondness that should be apparent to the observant reader.

Chichikov, the hero of Gogol's epic poem, shows the influence of Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy," a novel with which Gogol was familiar. Like Shandy, we know little about Chichikov until well into the novel. This narrative indirection allows us more insight into the other characters and the conditions of Russia after the Napoleonic wars. Chichikov is a minor gentleman, who, having served in various government positions, decides to pursue the life of a land-owner. His scheme is to traverse Russia, gathering the legal rights to serfs who have died on estates since the last census. By turning an accumulated list of these 'dead souls' over to the government, he plans to make a small fortune, which he will use to buy an estate.

While Chichikov may appear to be a morally questionable swindler, like Herman Melville's "Confidence-Man," he does have noble motivations, despite his methods. Chichikov seeks what each person seeks, according to Gogol - to have a family, to do honor to one's country. Although his plan can seem to be a ludicrous, last-ditch sort of effort at establishing himself, Chichikov is, throughout, extremely level-headed about it. Chichikov knows how to speak and carry himself so that he will be accepted by everyone he meets. From the noble, efficient land-owner Kostanjoglo to the wild, hilarious liar Nozdryov - Chichikov mingles with and exposes us to "the whirligig of men."

Gogol points out throughout the novel that the written text is inadequate to convey the actual experience - the air, the sights, the smells, the people of Russia. He tries, then, to give us "a living book" - a testament to a way of life that was soon to change. Like Melville's "Confidence-Man," which was published shortly before the American Civil War, Gogol's "Dead Souls" came out only a few years before Marx's "Communist Manifesto" which would change and determine the fate of Russia in the first decades of the 20th century.

Read the lyrical "Dead Souls" - if you like his short stories, like "The Nose" or "The Overcoat," - you will find a wonderfully complex and sophisticated, and deeply involved intellect at his best.

Dead Souls is Gogol's first and only full length novel, ironically written in Rome rather than the Russian countryside it was set in. Tragically he destroyed most of the second volume shortly before his death leaving only bits and pieces of chapters leaving only volume I whole.

A story of a swindler and a social satire on life in early 19th century Russia, Dead Souls is also a comment on class and hypocricsy. Small town Russian officials and landowners strive to keep up appearances, valuing them more importantly than susbtance. Even Chichikov knows this, in fact as the main character (anti-hero) he thrives on this.

Gogol's story is comic on its surface but reading it you get a glimpse of life just twenty years before Alexander II freeded the serfs from their landowners. Dead Souls is both comedy and satire.

One note the Peaver-Volokhonsky translation while newer is a bit "choppy" and the translators make the most awkward word selections from Russian to English. It makes reading this version a bit off-putting at times (The Guerney translation was the favorite of many Russian expat's). Dead Souls is worth the read.

This novel was one of the funniest books I have read from this time period, and easily the funniest book by a 19th century Russian author. Although there are moments of dialogue in Dostoyevsky's books that are humorous, they cannot compare to the prospective serf sellers in Dead Souls. Sobakevich seeks to sell his dead souls based on their merits when they were alive. Nozdrev is a gambler, drunk and compulsive liar who even cheats at checkers. Throw in the overly affectionate Manilov and the miserly and paranoid Plewshkin and one is provided with an entertaining cast of characters. It is due to the idiosyncracies of these characters and the gossip mongering of the neighborhood that leads to a result in which a sort of justice occurs to get rid of the protagonist Chichikov. Of course, in the world created by Gogol, there does not seem to be a moral authority and as a result a sequel would definitely have been feasible. Chichikov did not learn the error of his ways (nor did the town notice amid its idle speculation) and I would have enjoyed Gogol's follow-up.

This book should be required reading for every graphic designer, book designer, typographer and certainly anyone directly or indirectly responsible for unleashing the current wave of awful typography on an unsuspecting public. Bringhurst covers everything from the basics of type styles to advanced kerning principles to the finer points of page proportions, all in a succint yet engaging way.

Bringhurst does an excellent job of laying out a series of rules and guidelines, while making it clear that these are a starting point, a foundation for good type design, not a set of limitations. He is a poet as well as a typographer, and his eloquence pays tribute to the field as no one else has.

The book features a good deal on the evolution of typography and includes great side-by-side comparisons of typefaces to illustrate specific points. He also deals extensively with punctuation marks, diacritics and the duty/joy of designing type with languages other than English in mind. I find myself returning again and again to the section on the subtleties of page proportions. He also achieves the nearly impossible balance of singing the praises of the old masters while not being afraid of the best of what's new and experimental.

As a designer, I am always looking to hone my skills. I thought I was adept at setting type until I found this gem. Bringhurst's study of type covers the obvious to the arcane. Beautifully designed, it illustrates type and their families, page geometry, philosophies of design, and typesetting rules. Master Craftsman, Hermann Zapf (you know -- his faces are in your computer) said himself that "he wishes to see this book become the Typographers Bible". This book is a must for the writer, publisher, designer, and editor because it covers a multitude of topics and rules vital and common to each sector. This is the "Manual of Style" for typesetting. It requires us to think more carefully about the setting of words and its impact on writing: "Typography is to literature what musical performance is to composition -- full of endless opportunity for insight OR obtuseness." I recommend this for anyone even remotely interested in the artform of letters. I highly recommend it for writers considering designing their own books.

This book is amazing. Whether a newspaper copyfitter or a web graphic designer, this text contains useful and informative information that will help the serious designer firmly root themselves in this oft-overlooked science.

To be fair, this is not a quick, to the point text-- it was written with the serious professional/enthusiast as the target audience. There is no list of rules to follow within. Bringhurst instead explains with detail and enthusiasm the very purpose and history of typesetting, all the while furthering the reader's appreciation and style.

A must buy for anyone who ever has or ever will deal with the printed (on paper or the web) page.