Kat Tracking Through Paris is a bare bones no frills guide to Black Paris. There are no glossy pictures or maps which is one of its flaws. The information is direct and to the point, with little narration by Ms. Kat herself. Although Kat does list the major black haunts and hang-outs of Black Paris, the book seems cold and impersonal. Other than the little introduction by Ms. Kat at the beginning of the book, there is little narration throughout the rest of the book. On a good note, I did like the book because Ms. Kat's directions to all of the hotels, restaurants, and clubs listed are precise and to the point.

Before I first went to Paris in July of 2002, I tracked this book down. I was sooo glad I was able to get this book, because it was my own personal information guide. I meet some wonderful people and had some great experiences in Paris at places I would have never known to go to if it were not for Kat. I went back again in October 2002 with my trusty pocket sized tour guide. Once again, Kats directions and recommendation are right on point. Thanks Kat, for giving me life long memories. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who plans to take a trip to Paris. Make sure you check out Percy's Place and BoJangles, great food, funky fun!!!

I have not traveled to Paris yet and never really got excited about going. After reading Kat's book, it has opened my eyes to wanting to go and see all of the exciting places as described in her book. For people that don't travel, we need a little push and what better than to read a book based on her true to life experiences in her travels. Well, that's good enough for me. I'm going to Paris next year - with Ms. Kat.

I co-edited this important literary document with Dr. Thomas F. Staley, Director of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, where the vast Stuart Gilbert collection was acquired in the early 1990s. Gilbert was a British citizen, who, after retiring from his work as a judge in Burma, married a French woman and moved to Paris in the early 1920s to pursue more intellectual pursuits. Once in Paris, he became an intimate part of the literary circle surrounding James Joyce, and wrote the first book on Joyce ("James Joyce's Ulysses"), before falling out of favor with him. His dyspeptic journal, at turns scandalous and illuminating, gives an inside account of life in the Parisian literary circles where Joyce lived and worked, and is prefaced by an introductory essay by Dr. Staley, one of the leading scholars of literary modernism. It should be useful to the many students and scholars interested in better appreciating Joyce, European modernism generally, or simply the joys of Paris in the twenties.

Randolph Lewis rrlewis@hotmail.com

This book gives the reader a much better understanding of Joyce and his writings . It fills in many gaps in this 'larger then life' authors career . The many previously unpublished letters to his friend and literary collaborator , Stuart Gilbert , allow one to see the author is his own light . The rare photos , provide the reader with an intriguing glimpse of this colorful author .

A must have book for the serious James Joyce scholar .

Let us, for a moment, forget the historical and literary importance of Right of Man and Common Sense. What if this book had just been published today? Would it still be worth reading? The answer is an unequival yes.

Althought many parts of this deal with specific issues of Paine's time (especially Rights of Man), even after two centuries, the writings of Thomas Paine are able to stoke the fires of liberty in the soul of the reader with their passion, their fierce logic and their unexpected humor.

Rights of Man comprises two long volumes written by Paine in response to English criticism of the French revolution. Although much that he says is ironic in light of events that occured after he penned these volumes, you can see the hope that the Revolution produced. He breaks government down to basic principles, pointing out the needs that government fulfills and the method by which they should be constructed. It is thought-provoking, even in the modern day and will make you look on politics of our own time with a new light. Rights of Man does drag a bit when Paine begins repeating himself, but it remains interesting and though-provoking.

But Common Sense is the real treat. The pamplet that set a continent on fire is -- this was a surprise -- a thrill to read. I found myself actually laughing at Paine's sarcasm and satire -- his way of taking monarchy and absolutism and exposing them for the ridiculuous constructions that they are.

Any student of history should read these volumes for their portrayal of late 18th century geopolitics. But you will find them to be unexpectedly entertaining.

Anyone who wishes to understand American History, namely the Revolution, needs to read this book. These essays were crutial in the development of the revolutionary movement in America. Thomas Paine is a keynote figure in this time period and helped the American cause.

Are you already extremely knowledgeable about the French Revolution, with a detailed memory of all events and individuals involved? Are you uninterested in what has been said about the French Revolution in this century or the last? Did you find other 19th century accounts of the Revolution (e.g. those by Guizot, Michelet, Tocqueville, Mill) too easy to follow? Do you prefer a pretentious, self-important, and overly ornate literary style that calls attention to its own artfulness to one that is simple and direct? Do you like pretentious authors who assume that you're more interested in seeing them display their verbal wit than in learning anything about the subject they're purportedly writing about? Well then, Thomas Carlyle's history of the French Revolution may be the book for you!

I am, of course, being somewhat tongue-in-cheek here... Thomas Carlyle was one of Victorian Britain's great writers. He's an important historical figure and his prose style is unique, distinctive, and is in many ways, quite beautiful and poetic. Yet, the fact remains that those who are not already familiar with Carlyle should be wary-- very, very wary-- of picking this book up.

There are several reasons for this. First, the fact of the matter is that Carlyle's 'history' is not history as we might think of itThere is little/nothing in the way of exposition or explanation in the sense of laying out 'what happened' or 'who was involved'. Rather, this book is written from the premise that the readers are already familiar with all the facts and details of the Revolution and are more interested in reading an artful, witty, and clever 'retelling' of it. Individuals and events are alluded to vaguely, metaphorically, with the expectation that the reader knows all of this already like the back of his/her hand. When you read something like, "With Rumor unleashed, She flies from De Berry! That Scarlet Woman!", you're expected to already know who's being talked about and to know pretty much everything there is to know what it is that's being alluded to... Carlyle, you see, doesn't explain, or introduce, or contextualize... and you don't read Carlyle for explanation or introduction or contextualization. Rather, you're supposed to already be informed-- and then to read him for the sheer pleasure of his witty wordplay and to nod appreciatively at it. But if you're not already familiar with the persons and events of the Revolution-- you'll quickly find yourself unable to understand anything and will just be lost.

Nor can one consider Carlyle's _The French Revolution_ to be a scholarly study. The man *was* extremely learned of course-- he knew his stuff. But he's not really advancing an argument or thesis about the Revolution or why it happened... the sorts of things academic scholars dispute. He does wax abstractly on occasion, but not to make general claims about the Revolution (or even history in general), but rather to make vague interjections on obscure metaphysical matters (largely derived from German idealist philosophy... and again, these are unexplained... you're expected to already be familiar with thus stuff).

Finally, there the matter of Carlyle's style. As noted above, it's highly poetic and possesses a kind of ornate (if pretentious) beauty that can be appreciated in small doses. Yet, the fact remains that his peculiar mannerisms (including unnecessary capitalization, archaic and pompous turns of phrase, incomplete sentences followed by exclamation points, the constant use of the present tense even though he's writing about the past, apostrophic asides, etc.) become extremely annoying to read after more than a few pages. At best, it's an acquired taste... and personally, I'm not sure that there are many folks around today who will find the effort spent in acquiring the taste to be worthwhile.

In sum.... don't get this book hoping to learn anything about the French Revolution. Only get this book if you want to read Carlyle for the sake of reading Carlyle. Put otherwise, don't get this if you want to read a work of history about the French Revolution-- you'll be wholly disappointed. The only reason to get it, in fact, is for its value as an example of Carlyle's unique and self-indulgent literary style.

Thomas Carlyle's unique poetic style of prose may be tough to take early on, but after a few pages, it does grow on you. It's all overly dramatic and sensational, but what subject could be more so than the French Revolution itself? Carlyle paints a grim description of the complete and utter chaos of the times, particulary the Great Terror of mid-1794. He does, however, remain somewhat non-judgemental regarding the Revolution's key figures, and lets the readers sort out for themselves who the real culprits are. He may over-simplify the obvious at certain junctures in the book, but his style is riveting and as this shocking and dismal tale of woe continues, the reader is further drawn into a daze and trance similar to the Terror's unfortunate victims.
Some have suggested that it's better to read a "normal" history of the French Revolution before one undertakes this famous volume. I disagree. This is as good a place to start as any concerning that most volatile of times. Simply put, Carlyle's "French Revolution" is both informative and exciting, and it has held up well since it was first published in 1837.

The authors of the previous review were too harsh on the text - it isn't a mere display of literary muscle turned lightly to the French Revolution, it's an interesting take on the subject from a penetrating mind.

The other reviews saying "Don't read this if you don't know everything about the revolution" seem a little bit silly to me having read it - if you know nothing about French history and the revolution, ok, you might have some difficulties. But if you have even a rough view of the revolution (from a textbook chapter, short article, almost anything) you won't be lost. Once or twice one might be forced to read back or do a tiny bit of side-reading to get a colourful 19th century reference, but it isn't nearly as oblique as the first reviewer made out.

The style is not difficult to read, considering the date, and the narration is often captivating or amusing. The individual, literary portraiture of historical figures is unique and valuable to me in building a kind of familiarity with events, however cautiously. And the claim that it isn't "historically" written by modern standards - perhaps the reviewer was too busy composing clever jabs to note the date of writing? If you want Francois Furet, read Francois Furet, but Thomas Carlyle unfortunately didn't have the benefit of 20th century developments in historical methods.

I really wanted to like this deck, and as far as the art is concerned I really, really do. Goregous art collages of one of my favorite places on earth seemed to be a sure hit with me. Alas, then I opened the box...The deck is printed on such cheap and flimsy cardstock, that it's almost impossible to shuffle without seriously bending or, worse yet, tearing it. I was horrified the first time I opened the set and saw the cheap quality of the cards. Bizarrely enough, the book that comes with the set is printed as a very nice hardbound book, and there's a pretty silk scarf included in the box also. I'd rather have a cheaper paperback book, not have the silk scarf, but have the deck printed on usable cardstock. Overall, this deck is going into the "pretty and nice to look at but not usable" part of my tarot card collection. I really feel like I wasted my money on this deck. Do not buy this deck if you are planning on trying to read with it.

I began working with the deck as soon as I opened the box. I worked with them for two hours, and I have never worked with a deck that has spoken to me to such a degree. The images evoke so much within me. Each card is unique with a great deal of symbology, which allows for quite a bit of room in interpretation. In addition, the images are simply beautiful and show immense creativity and depth of thought and synthesis of ideas; it's evident a great deal went into designing the images on these cards. The colors are consistent with traditional tarot card colors, and although the cards are unique interpretations of the traditional tarot, they incorporate much of the original symbology but with a unique slant. There is simply so much room for interpretation with these cards, and when combining this opportunity with the exquisitely creative concept of using the artwork and statues of Paris to design tarot cards, these cards prove to be a joy. I feel the artist of the cards has successfully translated the ethereal and the sublime.

The cards are oversized, which allows for a larger image, which I personally like. Unfortunately, the cards appear to lack any type of coating, as a previous reviewer noted. Initially, I considered returning the cards, but upon further study, felt the images were simply too aesthestically valuable to return them. With a bit of additional care, the deck can be used successfully on a regular basis. Fortunately, I understand the deck is in a second printing in order to correct this problem, so I will keep my eyes open for the new decks, and buy one to work with on a regular basis since I always have two decks of my favorite cards, one to work with and the other to keep safe. This deck has become a valuable addition to my select collection of tarot cards.

Add this spectacular ensemble to your tarot collection and you will be impressed by the artistry and psychological insight that this divinitory tool offers. The creative genius of the author and illustrator is evident in the enhanced photo images of Paris-based sculptures and architecture he uses for the 78 major and minor arcana cards and the decorative stained glass image adorning the card backs and silk cloth. The illustrated book offers sensitive and intelligent text to accompany the awe-inspiring card illustrations. This deck ensemble is impressive for both the seasoned tarot-reader and the person just starting out with divinatory cards.

The contemporary layout of this book fails to disguise its unimaginative contents.A notable example of this is can be found in the "After dark" chapter which is limited to notes on the Moulin Rouge and karaoke bars (Jazz joints are mentioned elsewhere in the book but, with no names or addresses, the reader is left in the dark).For an overview of the city the book is useful but a visitor will find Lonely Planet's Paris Condensed is cheaper, is easier to carry and has more useful maps and information.

This book is a great guide to get you to the "must-see" places that you don't want to miss if you can only make a short stay. There are color photos of everything, and very clear directions on how to get there. There are also good maps of the subway routes, the city, and the tourist sites. Very easy to use format, and it doesn't miss any of my favorite places.

Dairy and letters home to his mother, by U.S. pilot, describing his experiences in training and flying for the Army's air service in WWI. By the time he was sent to the front to actually fight, the war was almost over, so there is little regarding combat but good descriptions of airplanes, training, air bases and morale of the flyers.

It has suggested driving tours, a listing of attractions village by village, festivals, market days, and attractions by region (lavender, perfume, wildlife, wines). Maps look detailed. I've not been to Provence yet but this book seems to cover what I'll need.

Don't get me wrong - this version of The Secret Garden isn't the Worst Movie of All Time - but it has serious problems having mostly to do with the ending.

I usually hate spoiler reviews that give away the ending of a movie, but I am going to do that here, for reasons I hope you'll understand, as the epilogue affects the whole spirit of the film.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Frances Hodgson Burnett, the author of the original classic novel, cut the story off before the three main characters grew up - a wise decision that let the readers make up their own minds about what happened next. Unlike other versions, this movie includes an epilogue that reveals what happened to them - always a dangerous decision when one doesn't have the last words from the author herself, but here disasterous.

Years later, we meet up with an engaged-to-be-married Mary and Colin. To deal with the somewhat reasonable notion that this might be a bit unlikely with Dickon around, our Yorkshire Angel has been killed off in World War Two. Anyone who knows the story and what Dickon represents understands how outrageous this is. Apparently Hodgson Burnett knew what she was doing the first time around.

Stick with either the 1993 or 1940 versions, preferably in that order, unless you're a Secret Garden fanatic who wants all three versions.

I have been a fan of the book _The Secret Garden_ since the first time I read it in grade school. I read the book a minimum of once a year - probably for 12 years. I was really disappointed in several versions of the movie I have seen. They either added weird scenes that were not true to the book or left out too many details for my liking. I know that I can't expect movies to stay entirely true to books - particularly when modern Hollywood makes a movie out of a children's literature classic... but this is absolutely the best version of the story I have ever seen as a movie.

I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars because they made a strange frame around the story - with Mary coming back to the Manor after the war and flashing back to the whole story. That in itself is fine -- but for some reason at the beginning a cat jumps out at her (and then instantly the flashback begins), why??? And at the end Colin comes and meets her in her garden and proposes... aren't they COUSINS?

Little spoiled Mary Lennox is orphaned in India and sent to live with a distant relative. Alone and scared she has to learn the English way of life. Martha her maid teaches her how to dress herself, and gives her a jump rope opening up a whole new world to Mary. The gardens of the 100 room mansion. Here she meets the head gardener and learns of the Secret Garden. Mary also finds that there are many other secrets in this house, her hunchback caretaker that seems so sad, and the crying at night.

The setting of Yorkshire England and the rich cast of characters including the maid Martha, Dicken, Martha's brother, and many others make this a wonderful book for all ages. I have read the secret garden hundreds of times and each time I get something new out of the book. It's a true classic.

As many of the other reviewers here, I am an avid fan of the nautical fiction genre; and, have read CS Forrester, Patrick OBrian, and many others, cover-to-cover. As such, I was excited to find 'Kydd' and 'Artemis' and a new series by a promising new author.

I enjoyed 'Kydd' just a little more than 'Artemis,' but liked both. The story lines are fun and engaging. The characters are decently drawn (although I am starting to find Renzi just a bit too implausible and contrived). The attention to detail is very high. And certainly, the twist of reading these stories from the point of view of a pressed man before the mast (as opposed to the usual point of view of an officer's) is educational. Although Stockwin isn't really breaking totally new ground here (I'd say Bernard Cornwell provided an ample path here with his 'Sharpe' novels), it's mostly a new wrinkle for those of us addicted to Aubrey/Maturin.

So, where does Stockwin fit in to the panoply of napoleonic-era historical fiction authors? I'd say mid-pack. The quality of writing is average. The character development is average. I'd put him in there with James Nelson and Dudley Pope; and even with Bernard Cornwell for that matter. Fun quick reads. Good stories with rousing action and interesting subject matter. But it's really not great literature.

In my opinion, Stockwin has a long way to go before he jumps up to the next tier in terms of writing ability. There's none of the magic, flowing prose of Patrick OBrian, nor any of the incredible mix of character, wit, and eloquence. There is a good story line and mostly decend prose. Like James Nelson, he gets a bit melodramatic at times. There's just a bit too much of the '...heart beating in his manly chest...' nonsense.

He also falls into one little trap that I find particularly annoying. Every page or so, he slips in the use of some overtly 'big' words. It feels like he's trying to impress us with his vocabulary:

"... he drew out a peculiar short coil of a black flexible substance, chased in leather at one end, and the other terminating in a knobby excrescence."

I'm not sure what an 'excrescence' is, but I feel that a more gifted writer would have found a more economical and effective way of describing a knotted leather whip. To my ears, this kind of thing just falls flat. There are many little examples of this throughout the two books. Do they ruin the stories? No. Do they make you wince a little bit as you're reading? Probably.

If you are looking for the 'topmast' of nautical fiction, look to OBrian, Marryat, Conrad. If you're looking for engaging adventures on the high seas and a fast easy read, definitely grab these new Stockwin novels. I recommend them despite their few faults. I hope new ones will keep coming and that the author grows as a writer.

For those who admire O'Brian, Stockwin's books may not appeal. For those who find O'Brian unnecessarily long-winded and overwhelmingly pretentious, give Stockwin's books a try (start with 'Kydd,' the first in the series). Stockwin has taken the unusual tack of starting his series with a non-sailor, a pressed man, and has introduced both him and the reader to late 18th century shipboard life. This isn't Hornblower or --thank God! -- Aubrey, Kydd is an altogether original character. We learn as he learns, we see storms, battles, maneuvers, all of it through his eyes and from his position on board a frigate. This is very different from seeing things only through the eyes of the captain, which is what is presented in most nautical fiction. Kydd will most likely rise in rank as the series progresses, but the reader gets to make that most enjoyable journey with him.

I note that other critics have taken issue with Stockwin's actual writing skill. I have no problem with the man's craft or talent. In fact I have yet to read a fictional account of rounding the Horn that was as descriptive, passionate, frightening and inspiring as Stockwin's account in 'Artemis.' I enjoyed this book a great deal, and regret only that I have to wait another year for book 3 in the series.

Julian Stockwin has taken a keen sense of naval history and combined it with the skills of a gifted storyteller to provide an engrossing story of pressed seaman Thomas Paine Kydd. Stockwin's ability to convey the life of the men who sailed before the mast on board a frigate is masterful, setting aside the caricatures often found in nautical fiction, filling out these sketches with thinking, feeling human beings. Tom and Kydd and his friend Nicholas Renzi, along with their shipmates, travel a perilous journey on board the frigate Artemis, from a chilling battle with a French frigate in the English Channel, through exotic India and China, to the Great South Sea. Once started, it was difficult to put the book down. The author's passion for the sea and the men who sailed between decks in Nelson's time is evident on every page, as is his understanding of seamanship and the skills of a sailor. Stockwin has created a character in Kydd, who will enchant nautical fiction readers for years to come. I look forward with great anticipation for Seaflower, the next tale in the Kydd saga.