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.

In its third printing, this book is a self-help manual for those trying to recover from a divorce, or going through the process of divorce. The first thing I noticed about Rebuilding is the feelings that surface during this trying and stressful period of your life are identified. When we are really suffering, it is hard sometimes, to analyze what we are feeling. Is it pain? Depression? Self-hate? All of the above? It is comforting to read that you learn we are not alone in our pain and confusion and that given the circumstances, the turmoil you are experiencing is quite normal. As each emotion is explored, the reasons for them are also examined. An example from another who has suffered the same misery is given, then the best part--what we can do with and about those upsetting, hurtful and sometimes hateful feelings that want to pull us under and drown us. For example, Chapter 7 looks at the two, " . . . very strong feelings which accompany the trauma of divorce--guilt and rejection. Advice given is to do a self-examination. Do we need to learn new ways of relating to people? Do we realize that feeling rejected is a part of ending any relationship? It's normal. It's natural. There is nothing wrong with us. Whew! If you are the one leaving the relationship, you are probably feeling guilt. You don't want to hurt someone you do or did love. However, say Fisher and Alberti, "To end a love relationship may be appropriate because it has been destructive for both people." Leaving can be a good thing for both people in the relationship. The chapter continues to describe the emotional cycles the "dumpers" (the one ending the relationship) and the "Dumpee" (the one being rejected) go through. Fisher and Alberti acknowledge not everyone is going to react the same, but no one escapes the pain. No matter how we are affected, though, we must remember guilt and rejection are tied to feelings of self- worth and self-love. Build up these two areas and we will be less devastated by life's inevitable rejections. And how do we go about building our self-worth. Chapter 11 tells us how to go about that. The end of each chapter has a "How Are You Doing?" section. A list of questions will help us think our way through our dilemmas and offer ideas with which we can rebuild our lives. I like this book because it forces us to do something besides sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. There are ways to work through relationships that end, and we have the power and the tools to do it. We don't have to feel helpless. I like this book because it acknowledges we are not alone with our feelings. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We can go on to live a normal, happy life. It gives us hope. Bruce Fisher, Ed.D., (1931-1998) was the founder and director of the Family Relations Learning Center in Boulder, Colorado. He was a divorce therapist, author, teacher and a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Robert E. Alberti, Ph.D., is a psychologist marriage & family therapist, Fellow of the American Psychological Association, clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and author/coauthor of several books. A 287-page volume that demands us to do some work, but it is well worth the effort.

This book is a self-help manual for those trying to recover from a divorce, or going through the process of divorce. "Rebuilding" is the feelings that surface during this trying and stressful period of your life are identified. It is comforting to read that we are not alone in our pain and confusion and that given the circumstances, the turmoil you are experiencing is quite normal. As each emotion is explored, the reasons for them are also examined. An example from another who has suffered the same misery is given, then the best part--what we can do with and about those upsetting, hurtful and sometimes hateful feelings that want to pull us under and drown us. The chapter continues to describe the emotional cycles the "dumpers" (the one ending the relationship) and the "Dumpee" (the one being rejected) go through. Fisher and Alberti acknowledge not everyone is going to react the same, but no one escapes the pain. No matter how we are affected, though, we must remember guilt and rejection are tied to feelings of self-worth and self-love. Build up these two areas, and we will be less devastated by life's inevitable rejections. The end of each chapter has a "How Are You Doing?" section. A list of questions will help us think our way through our dilemmas and offer ideas with which we can rebuild our lives. I like this book because it forces us to do something besides sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. There are ways to work through relationships that end, and we have the power and the tools to do it. We don't have to feel helpless. I like this book because it acknowledges we are not alone with our feelings. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We can go on to live a normal, happy life. It gives us hope.

A friend lent me this book when my husband left me and I was in the depths of dispair. I was reading anything I could to try and understand, but this is the one book that really helped. I latched onto it like a life-preserver to a drowning person. I have read each chapter serveral times now, and keep getting more out of it as I progress in my healing. I returned my friend's copy and bought my own (which I have now in turn lent to a friend in need.)

One of the revelations I found comforting was simply to know what the physical symptoms of grief are - that my sore throat my aching chest and my dry mouth were all manifestations of my emotional trauma.

This book felt like I was talking to a friend who had been there and back, and could take me by the hand through the healing process and help me find my way back to joy. Please read it if you are hurting from the loss of a relationship - it will comfort you a great deal and help you more forward constructively. Then lend it to someone you know who could be helped by it.

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.

McCloskey wrote this about his wife Margaret (daughter of author Ruth Sawyer Durnad) and daughter Sally encountering a mother bear and cub while picking blueberries on Deer Isle. The story has some funny turns when both mother and child get separated and wind up finding the wrong family member. Imagine that! Well, all's well that ends well. And, guess you wondered what happened in the end don't you? You'll have to see for yourself. McCloskey sadly passed away on June 30, 2003 most of his life he illustrated and wrote children's books. He wrote eight books during his life. All the book reflect on family experiences, small-town life, and life in Boston. His story, 'Make Way for Ducklings' is set in Boston. McCloskey is one of the few authors that depicted Americana in a light-hearted vision through his illustration. He will be sadly missed. 'Blueberries for Sal' won the Caldecott award for children's book illustration. It's a darn good story to boot, too!

Sal is every little kid eating all the blueberries in her pail and then reaching into mom's pail to get some more. It is a cute story of mother and and child that all parents and their children will relate to. It is one "children's book" that appeals to all ages. There is adventure and surprise all mixed with humor but I'll let you read about that.

This is a story of a young girl picking blueberries with her mother and a young bear picking blueberries with its mother. As they amble along picking berries and eating them, the bear gets seperated from its mother as does Sal get seperated from her mother. The story is gentle from beginning to end. It brings back many memories of picking blueberries and eating them faster than you can pick them. This is a classic that I grew up with and my children are growing up with now. The pictures only enhance the text and are very gentle and sweet. The theme of the story is very nice and reassuring to young children. Well worth the time and money to buy this book.

Enjoy.

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.

I admired Rodriguez's work before I read this book, but I have to admit, now I'm a disciple. It's been weeks since I read this book, but it's still in my head. Does that mean I've been permanently changed? That's a pretty amazing feat for the diary of a filmmaker.

This book is the incredible tale (told in excerpts from Rodriguez's diary) of how Robert Rodriguez went from submitting film shorts to small-time film festivals to travelling to Hollywood, getting an agent, and finally winning an award at Sundance. (And you can see the epilogue of the book, as Rodriguez's most recent film, "Spy Kids" has almost reached $100 million domestically after only five weeks).

Since Rodriguez wrote his diary as his life was being radically altered, the reader really gets to make the journey with him from medical guinea pig to camera jockey to the most sought-after person in Hollywood... it's amazing.

The best part is that Rodriguez is also a teacher, and his book manages to be massively instructive as well as encouraging. Rodriguez gives practical advice about things like cameras, lighting, and films, as well as advice on more ephemeral topics, like staying true to yourself in filmmaking. Like a more-experienced older brother, Rodriguez tells us how to deal with the junk that Hollywood metes out, and how to emerge personality intact.

It's clear that Rodriguez is emerging as a Hollywood maverick and leader, much like other indie-turned-studio directors such as Steven Soderbergh ("Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic"), and this book is a veritable how-to manual. A roadmap to filmmaking, if you will.

Yes, it's a must-read if you are a filmmaker ("So you want to be a filmmaker?" asks Rodriguez. "First step to being a filmmaker is to stop saying you want to be a filmmaker... you don't want to be a filmmaker, you ARE a filmmaker.") But if you love stories of excruciating hard work mingled with blood and sweat, David taking on Goliath, and a super-big payoff ending, then this is a story you won't want to miss.

When's your next diary coming out, Robert?

This is a delightful, funny, amazing and inspirational book. It's the remarkable account of how one 23-year-old made a film on the cheap, and how hard he had to work (it was a labor of love, of course) to do that. This book also gives an insightful glimpse into the dazzling world of Hollywood glitz from the point-of-view of "an ordinary Joe" who suddenly finds himself catapulted into a world of limos, expense accounts, and who-you-know mentality. Included in the book are Rodriguez's famous "Ten Minute Film School" essay and the script for his film "El Mariachi" as he wrote it. (No, it's not in "proper script format", but since he wrote, directed, shot, and edited the whole film himself, it didn't matter. Rodriguez rule number one: You don't always have to follow the rules.)

Readers who aren't dying to make their own movies will still find this a tremendously good tale of how an ordinary, middle-class, almost-a-dropout can become a success. Rodriguez's formula for success is a true homily: 10% inspiration + 90% prespiration, and a little blood donated to science. Oh, and a whole lot of chutzpah.

For aspiring independent film-makers, this book is truly a must-read. For everybody else, it's a ripper of a true tale, well told and likeable.

Oh, and don't forget to pair it with the video of "El Mariachi", the film the book is all about. It shows how stylish a "cheap" film can be, and it's a lot of fun, especially when you know all the "inside jokes": cheat sheets, wheelchair dollies, why everybody always gets shot in the chest, etc.

Whether you are a filmmaker who has been in the field for many years or one who is anxiously ready to do their first film, I highly recommend reading "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez. The book is literally reading Robert's journal and almost like being with him every step of the way as he gets the film "El Mariachi" created and more. From beginning to his next project, you can't help but keep reading and not wanting to put the book down. It's that good! If there is one thing I truly appreciate is that he writes without the B.S. and he tells you how he feels from the people he meets, the dinner he has, filming a movie with $7,000 and more. After buying and reading this book, please pick up the "El Mariachi/Desperado" DVD to further enjoy his work by watching the film, how he made the film and also to watch the popular short film he made, "Bedhead". Last, borrowing Robert's sentence that he emphasizes quite a few times through the book and DVD. "First step to being a filmmaker is stop aying you want to be a filmmaker". You are a filmmaker. Thank you Mr. Rodriguez for the inspirational book and proving to Hollywood and those in the industry that things that may have seemed impossible is possible.

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.