This small volume is a treasure. In hardcover, the pages are silver, the dark blue typography is a beautiful old-style Roman, perhaps Garamond or Times, good-sized and leaded out for easy readability. And the illustrations are unsurpassed.

First, the illustrator: Gustave Dore was born in 1832, sixty years after the birth of Coleridge. He died in 1883. Coleridge preceded him in death by 49 years. Coleridge was born in 1772 and died in 1834. Dore was born in Strasbourg, and was a renowned illustrator who was doing lithographs at the age of thirteen.

The fact that Dore was a near contemporary of Coleridge is important because we can be assured that the characters' costumes in his illustrations reflect the actual dress of the time Coleridge was describing. The ships also are correctly drawn and beautifully detailed.

To say that his illustrations complement this classic epic poem is an understatement.

As to the poet, some wag said once of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, that "a half-great poet had a wholly great day." I have also heard that Coleridge is supposed to have written his epic in one sitting, in a great burst of inspiration. I can't vouch for that, but it is truly a masterpiece--of that there can be no doubt.

I recall trying to memorize it when I was in high school, about sixty years ago. I loved it then, and I still do now.

For the price, this book is an absolute steal. No library is complete without this poem, and of all the renditions I've seen of it, this is by far the most beautiful.

On the surface, this may just seem to be a simple poem by an English Romantic. But there is so much more. There is a lesson to be learned, one of respect for God's creatures and for all of creation. This is certainly a Romantic point of view, and Coleridge puts it forth very nicely in this poem.

This is a great beginning poem for novices of poetry, for beginners and for people who dislike poetry if it doesn't rhyme and have a definite rhythm. This is definitely Coleridge's best poem, one that everyone should be familiar with. This version with the woodcuts makes for a very attractive package--the illustrations add nicely to the poems overall effect.

I like the way the book is written in alternate turns of the wife's voice, then the husband's voice. As the adage goes, "There are two sides to the story." I enjoyed reading each spouse's version. If you've ever wondered what goes on in a successful marriage, this book provides you with one couple's story.

Fafa Demasio

I related to many aspects of their story, but also learned from its historical context. Above all, I simply enjoyed it. I laughed, and nearly cried, out loud. Read the book and you will want to share it. And, know that somewhere in Los Angeles, a garden really does flourish.

Twain's insight is brilliantly illustrated in Harold Schechter's new novel, The Hum Bug, in which Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) joins forces with P(hineas) T(aylor) Barnum (1810-1891) to track down a psychopath.

The most impressive feature of Schechter's novel is not the tale itself, but rather the author's uncanny ability to find precisely "the right word" for every circumstance.

Longtime admirers of Poe (among whom I include myself) are cognizant of Poe's idiosyncratic style: the subtle nuances of his diction and vocabulary; the cadence and rhythm of his sentences; the haunting, melancholy mood of his essays, short stories, and poems; the aesthetic beauty of his poetic prose.

Beyond doubt, Schechter has immersed himself in Poe's world. As one reads The Hum Bug, one suspects that the real Poe, as opposed to Schechter's fictional Poe, is actually narrating the tale. Indeed, one wonders if Schechter has purchased a Ouija board and is receiving direct messages from the Great Beyond!

For example, here is one of many passages I could cite: "As the workmen commenced to lower the casket into the yawning pit, I was seized with a sudden paroxysm of dread. Every fiber of my being recoiled from this all-too-vivid demonstration of the hideous end that awaits every mortal. To lie, for all eternity, within the confines of a narrow box, deep inside the earth, surrounded by the unseen but all-pervading presence of the Conqueror Worm! The mere thought of this awful eventuality caused my heart to quail--to cringe--to sicken. I gasped for breath--perspiration burst from every pore--my soul was possessed with a vague yet intolerable anguish!"

In lesser hands than those of Schechter, such an audacious first-person narrative by the author of "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" would degenerate into maudlin purple prose--a ludicrous parody of Poe. On the contrary, Schechter succeeds with remarkable aplomb.

The time is 1844 in New York City. The venue is P. T. Barnum's American Museum, a vast assemblage of oddities, curiosities, and monstrosities. The plot centers around the search for a fiendish serial killer who is decapitating beautiful young women and leaving a long-stemmed crimson rose clenched between their teeth.

In addition to the well-developed characters of Poe and Barnum, the story features "Sissy" (Poe's wife: Virginia Clemm Poe); "Muddy" (Maria Clemm: Poe's aunt and mother-in-law); and the bizarre people who inhabit Barnum's menagerie.

Unless you are an astute detective, The Hum Bug will keep you guessing until the end, when the identity of the killer is revealed. Containing many allusions to classical works of literature, The Hum Bug is a crackling good yarn that both amuses and entertains.

Barnum is very impressed with Poe and visits the writer in his home when the media blames Barnum's American circus for causing a murder to happen. Poe who has solved murders before (SEE NEVERMORE) agrees to investigate. When the victim's missing arm is mailed to Poe's home, he concludes he is on the correct path and if can stay alive long enough he will solve the case.

Poe is clearly the star of this book as he uses his belief in his superior brain power to slice and dice everyone using self-deprecation so nobody will be offended. The HUMBUG is a serious historical mystery though Barnum lightens up the atmosphere with his unique brand of showmanship. Though a nineteenth century who-done-it, mystery lovers of all sub-genre persuasions will enjoy Harold Schecter's tale.

Harriet Klausner

However, today's telescope users will definitely be disappointed in this book. Optical concepts, designs, and terminology have changed so much in the last 100 years that most of this book will be completely irrelevant to today's telescope users. In fact, most of the optical science in this book is so utterly obsolete that even an optical engineer may be hard pressed to discover exactly what Mr. Taylor is talking about.

There is absolutely nothing at all in this book about modern optical coatings, apochromatic refractors, plossl or orthoscopic eyepieces, electrically driven mounts, or digital imaging. The optics and telescopes described here belong in a museum. Mr. Taylor even indulges in a bizarre diatribe criticizing the knife-edge test, which has been a standard optical method ever since the early 1900s. And Taylor's strong pro-British bias ensures that next to nothing is said about any non-British opticians such as the famous German and American telescope makers.

Only historians with a special interest in 19th British century telescopes will have any use for this book. Of much greater value to anyone interested in older telescopes would be "The History of the Telescope" by Henry King, and also "The Telescope" by Louis Bell. "Star Testing of Astronomical Telescopes" by Harold Suiter is the indispensible reference for anyone who wants to test and adjust a modern telescope.