Opening the package as it arrived from Amazon, easing this massive catalogue from its slipcase triggered a memory: walking to the edge of the Grand Canyon. With similar impact: awe. David Anfam brings the reader with him to encounter, view, & experience Rothko's work. His ten-year dedication paid off with the discovery of "lost" titles, setting the chronology of 836 works on canvas, (he couldn't have been afraid to get his hands dirty) & analyzing the slow struggle, sporadic leaps engendered by the painter in the evolution of the oeuvre. As scholar, teacher, critic, curator, & especially writer, Anfam proves the perfect choice to perform the daunting, almost impossible task of bringing Rothko into focus.

The author insightfully tracks the early representational beginnings, (his foray into narrative linked with crossing boundaries is totally appropriate for the artist from Dvinsk, Portland, New York) through the mythological (application of Kermode's distinction between "Chronos" & "Kairos" is utterly intriguing), & makes a case for Rembrandt as the source for Rothko's obsessions with tragedy & darkness, Vermeer his source for color's sensuality. Anfam traces in detail, using numerous examples of the brilliant reproductions, how the multiforms foreshadowed the work of the classic period. The architectural contexts for the Chapel are pure genius: Vincent Scully's, "The Earth, the Temple, & the Gods"; Joseph Rykwert's, "The Dancing Column"; & Leo Bersani's, Ulysse Dutoit's, "Arts of Impoverishment."

Anfam's breadth of vocabulary is English, yet he has benfitted from years in the States with a rapid, laconic language that impels the reader forward, informs succinctly. Purposely parrying time-worn quarrels, he unearths the more "thorny," "shady" aspects of dilemmas presented by such a complex art.

Two things happened as a result of reading MARK ROTHKO / THE WORKS on CANVAS / CATALOGUE RAISONNE. During a recent visit to C&M Gallery in NY for a show of eight Rothko's, alone in the second room, I heard them. A few nights ago I had a dream of a handwritten note on a table in the front room of an auction house that said, "The Last Painting." Rereading Helene Cixous's essay by that name (subtitled, "Or the Portrait of God"), she writes, "I think of the last Rembrandt. A man? Or a painting?" [in Cixous', "Coming to Writing and other Essays."] Anfam has presented us with the triumphant Rothko.

This is the first publication with his entire collection. Even lost paintings are represented by old black and white photographs. The images are not large, but the quality of this book is wonderful. By far the best buy for any Rothko fan (besides an original...)

Anfam's study is a great deal more than a much-needed reference book. Anyone interested in the history of modern art would find this study illuminating and exciting. Not only does it provide the first complete catalogue of Rothko's paintings on canvas (almost all in gorgeous color reproduction), it also includes numerous fresh and original insights concerning Rothko's intellectual and artistic sources. A monumental scholarly achievement, this volume will long remain a model for the field.

To have gotten to this book you hopefully will have read "Blood & Pearls", and "Jagutai & Lilitu" before hand. This book continues where they left off and is the exciting end of the Zancharthus series.

Mark E. Rogers has a style of his own. It blends Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Erotica all into a single hot firebrand of a style. His writing is not for the faint of heart or those easily offended. When he describes love. He does it well. However, when he describes EVIL, INSANITY, LUST, and many other potentially dark emotions he does them exceedingly well. Why? Simply, because he holds nothing back in writing and it is obvious when you read his books that he has a vivid imagination when it comes to describing these things. Some scenes are so vivid it will leave you wondering if he was sitting over in the corner of a room watching the lustful scenes unfold and jotting down notes on a sheet of paper. Seriously, he is VERY good at describing these things.

This book culminates with the scene that starts Zorachus. Zorachus is Zancharthus son and Mark actually wrote Zorachus first. Zorachus is one of my all time favorite books. So, of course I simply had to read the rest.

If you liked the first two books in this series then this book will captivate you just as much and will leave you wondering where you just were when you get done with the book.

So, treat yourself to a good book.

One note these books are intended for a mature audience. I would consider them an NC-17 rating if I were in charge of rating. So, with that in mind. Get ready for a great book!!

This is the way a fantasy novel should be. This book pulls no punches and delivers a healthy dose of magic, violence, sex, and even a little humor as well. This is the third book of the Zancharthus series. It is also in my opinion the best of the series. Events from the previous books all play a role in developing the story. They also help to develop the characters and it is very enjoyable to follow their progression over the three books.

Veteran story-teller Mark E. Rogers hits the bullseye again in this Khymerian novel. The book includes black magic, political intrigue, spiders the size of the Titanic (hungry too!), and finally redemption! How could you not like this book? If you've read his other Khymerian novels then you owe it to yourself to find this one with all dispatch and curl up for a good read. One caveat, as a dad, don't leave the book lying in a place the youngsters can pick it up!

I knew about the book from the Oprah show and I ordered straight after the show. It took a while because I live in the UK.

The book speaks to both parents, whether absent or otherwise. Reading through the pages, I realised how certain actions of parents can totally damage a child. Though my kids father never paid any maintenance, I did not stop him from seeing them. Most of my friends and even family thought this was foolish of me. Reading the book has therefore reinforced what I thought all along. I am so glad I bought it and I have since shared it with friends in similar situations. Mark Bryan's book even inspired me to write a song about the relationship between a father and child and how a child truly feels about the absent parent!

I first saw this book in the parenting section of the children's section of the library. The title intrigued me so I decided to skim through it. Besides his own testimony of reuniting with a son after 14 years and of helping others fathers to reunite, I realized this wasn't another book written by someone who wants you easily to do what they've never had to do.

I even skimmed through the section for mothers because I'm the single mother of a 3 year old. I didn't have my usual "Yeah, right" bitter reaction and actually felt like crying and calling my daughter's father right away to start the process.

Without the testimonials in this book, I would have accepted that her father being in her life was not only improbable, but impossible and would have lived my life accordingly. After just reading a few chapters, I really wanted to do all that I could to start a relationship between my daughter and her father. I really began to believe it could happen. After I get the book from the library, I hope to apply its principles. I'm glad all the other reviewers enjoyed it as well.

I recently heard Mark Bryan speak at the NACSDC @ the Univ. Notre Dame. I cried through his entire presentation. There are too many parallels to mention. I bought two copies of his book. One I read. One I gave to my daughter who is a single mom and in reunion (without this book) with her child's father. They now have the book, each has read some of it. They are still talking. My book will remain with me. I will be buying another copy so that I can write a letter to my childrens father. Maybe then they will find thier way back to each other. I never understood until I read about the haunting. Thank you Mark!

While one can always quible and debate various issues, this book provides a wonderful perspective of the development of equity markets in the U.S. It is an extremely well written and well thoughtout book.

I recommend this to all who might be interested in a larger perspective of our capital markets system.

Bravo to Mark Smith

David Ikenberry
Chairman elect, Dept of Finance
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This book deals with the events shaping the modern (US) stockmarket. Although there is a chapter on the "early" days (up to 1900), the meat of the book concentrates on the 20th century.

It is absolutely fascinating to read how all of the institutions and rules that investors are confronted with on a daily basis came into existance not that long ago for very good reasons. On the way, the author argues against some well-entrenched historical myths.

The book is well-written and as such pleasant to read. It should however be borne in mind that someone who has no background in the stockmarkets whatsoever may not grasp everything being discussed here. However, this adds to a healthy academic standard of the book that is underlined by the many references to further background material.

Those who are invested in the stockmarkets will emerge from reading this book enriched by the knowledge that many things that we see today have been with us before and that many statements still heard today have been disproven twenty years ago.

Mark Smith has succeeded in writing one of the best histories of the stock market certainly in recent times and maybe of all time. The book has rich descriptions of many of the individuals and companies that have shaped the market over the years. But much more importantly, the book has a coherent, important message.

Smith argues, quite persuasively, that the history of the stock market can be seen as a continual (if sometimes bumpy) upward movement in the valuation measures applied to the market. Smith brings us back to the days when common stocks needed to YIELD more than bonds because they were riskier. He then traces the advance of P/E ratios all the way to the present. Although I am still unconvinced by his arguments that the markets of the late 20s and late 60s were not bubbles (he seems to almost make bubbles definitionaly impossible), this book is a valuable contribution to the current debates about the state of the market.

This is not a get-rich-quick book or a how-to manual, but the story Mark Smith lays out is vitally important to all investors and is an enjoyable read to boot. Highly Recommended.

More well-reasoned documentation that Jesus indeed survived the crucifixion. It's refreshing to be living in a time when science is able to help create understanding where there was once only myth.

...that "The Resurrection of the Shroud" isn't an international bestseller. What could possibly be more important than the extremely persuasive scientific evidence offered by Mark Antonacci that the Shroud of Turin's image was produced by miraculous means -- i.e., by means that science cannot understand, explain, or replicate? The question, of course, is rethorical. It's abundantly clear, except to those who are willfully obtuse, that the Shroud is indeed the burial cloth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The implications of this inescapable conclusion are mind-boggling. It is truly tragic that the vast majority of people are ignorant of the Shroud, indifferent to it, contemptuous of it, or transparently hostile. Indeed, how many are even aware of the extensive scientific investigation of the Shroud and of the conclusions reached?

Antonacci does a good job articulating what science has to say about this incomparable relic. He's only an adequate writer, however, and revels too much in scientific jargon. Also, I would have liked him to address the views and teachings of Holy Mother Church as they pertain to this magnificent jewel in her crown. Other criticisms can be leveled against the author, but they pale when compared to the overall excellent job he has done in bringing this all-important and fascinating story to light. I say bravo! Get the book, and you'll say it too.

After reading Antonacci's book, you may well conclude, as I did, that the Shroud of Turin was a gift from God in some ways intended specifically for those of us living in our times. Without today's sophisticated scientific equipment, much of the evidence imprinted on this ancient relic could not be observed, much less understood.

At first I wondered why an ATTORNEY was writing such a book. Then I recalled that, in spite of all the tacky lawyer jokes, it is attorneys who are trained to sift through available evidence and present it in a logical manner. Mark Antonacci has done just that - presented all the evidence in a wonderfully logical manner that even the non-scientific layman can understand. He could not have done a better job of putting the needed references and citations for anyone interested in further study.

In our world of today where we demand to see scientific proof of miracles, we can truly see the finger of God in the results of the scientific study of the Shroud. It is a gift for our times and an humbling experience. Forget what you THINK you know about the Shroud. Read the book.

This is a great read. It keeps you hooked and you will not want to put the book down until you finish. It was fun to read how each character developed in the book. I definitely recommend "The Serial Killer's Diet Book."

This book was one of the best reads I have had in a while. Postupack uses a vast array of literary knowledge to incorporate his characters into an exciting and dramatic plot. I couldn't put the book down! Enjoy!

In the spirit of Rabelais, yes! The Serial Killer's Diet Book has scholarship, philosophy, intellectual inquiry, and spiritual yearning, but also boundless entertainment, with the compelling plot of a mystery-thriller, all-too-human characters, and lots of humor! One moment you are ruminating on the existence of God and the soul, the next you are laughing out loud at Devon DeGroot's detectives as they search fo the "Cold-Cut Killer." A social satire, the SKDB is also a profound inquiry into morals and meaning, in a world that at times seems meaningless and absurd. Historical and literary references abound, as we follow Fred Orbis (truly one of the great characters in literature), in his determined yet misguided effort to be thin.

The book itself takes the form of a string quartet--four separate voices/groups of characters, like four instruments, each separate, yet joining with each other to create the piece of music as a whole. The beautiful poetry of the Elizabeth sections; the Rabelaisian hyperbole of Fred Orbis; the dark philosophy of Darby/Philep; the high comedy of Devon DeGroot, the four sections alternating in an ABCD pattern throughout the novel. (Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Hours only alternated three sections!) The plays on words, allusions, the homage to Joyce and Finnegan's Wake (the marvelous chapter where a pivotal clue is written in "Finnegans Wakean," and can only be solved by the rumpled former scholar who took to drink and lives in an alley off Seventh and Bleecker. And the poignant passage, beautifully Shakespearean, in which Fred Orbis questions the value of a soul).

This is a novel that takes chances, and delivers, and in Kevin Postupack we have found our Rabelais. The Serial Killer's Diet Book is a tour de force, and Kevin Postupack is an author to be reckoned with.

Probably the most penetratingly satirical look at the nature of systems, how they fail to operate and how "systems people" are still inevitably attracted to them. Any Dilbert fan will love this.

Discovering John Gall's book a view of life. Gall spells out the failings of, largely, cultural assumptions in the realms of education, food production, corporate culture and so on, in ways that are easy to understand despite complexities. Systemantics represents a collection rules and laws that characterize and define systems (from corporations, organizations, religions to families and other social groups), and Gall cites notable examples that have graced the headlines (from the mid-80s, in my edition). With humor and wit, Gall outlines potential and obvious pitfalls. Despite its age, this book is even more relevant today since much of what Gall elucidates is even more rampant than ever. Fans of Daniel Quinn (author of Ishmael, The Story of B, etc.) may find this appropriate to augment their interests.

I read the previous reviews -- the most of them came from people with engineering bend. But this book is not only for engineers, it is for everyone - managers, politicians, lawyers, programmers, urban planners -- you name it. As the matter of fact, you will never read a newspaper the same way after being familiarized with Dr. Gall's book. The Diberterque environment of your office will not feel like something extraordinary after you realize that there are natural reasons why it has become Dilbertesque.

I would in fact prefer to award this 3.5 stars, but the Amazon system seems to compel one to choose between 3 and 4, and I think 4 is too generous. To begin with the text, there is no doubt that this is not the best Shakespeare to buy. It is to a large extent based on the Oxford Shakespeare, which - quite rightly, in my view - has attracted a lot of criticism for some of its peculiarities. Thus, for example, Oxford prints TWO versions of *King Lear*, the quarto text and that of the folio. Norton rightly takes issue with this, and produces the kind of conflated text that most readers would want, but adds the other two AS WELL (so we are offered THREE versions!). This kind of thing is, in truth, academic self-indulgence - it shows an undue respect for academic concerns which to most readers are not of the slightest interest. There is a similar tendency to pay scant regard to what most readers really want and need in the Introduction: that tells us a good deal about Shakespeare's time, and the material is interesting, but it is not often shown to be relevant, or necessary, to an understanding of what Shakespeare writes. The explanatory annotation accompanying the texts is not bad, but often inferior to that of comparable editions, notably Bevington's. The introductions to individual plays are usually stimulating, but not necessarily convincing. Thus Greenblatt on the one hand says about Macbeth's murder of Duncan, "That he does so without adequate motivation, that he murders a man toward whom he should be grateful and protective, deepens the mystery ..." (p. 2558), yet adds a few lines later: "Macbeth and Lady Macbeth act on ambition ...". Precisely, that IS Macbeth's motivation for the murder, as Macbeth himself points out unequivocally in 1.7.25-7 - there is, therefore, absolutely nothing mysterious about his motivation. The edition does, however, offer a number of good references to other writings about Shakespeare. All in all, I do consider 3.5 stars is a fair "grade", in seeking to assess this for the benefit of the majority of readers looking for a complete Shakespeare to buy; but I consider David Bevington's by far the best edition of the complete works, then the Riverside, and only then this one - though, with its annotations, it is certainly more useful than the Oxford edition on which it is based. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

I confess that after examining 5-6 of the top-selling complete Shakespeares I tried not to like the Norton. There are less expensive editions, there are editions with glossy pages and colored photographs, there are editions that are half the weight and bulk of this leviathan, which is far more Shakespeare than the average reader--perhaps, even scholar, for that matter--would ever require. But despite its bulk and unwieldyness, its 3500 (!) thin, flimsy pages, its sheer excess, I couldn't ignore its advantages. The small print enables the publishers to squeeze in contextual materials--in the introduction and appendixes--that in themselves amount to an encyclopedic companion to Shakespeare's works; the introductions to the plays are written not in "textbook prose" but in an engaging style worthy of their subject; and perhaps, best of all, this is the only edition that places the glosses right alongside the "strange" Elizabethan word instead of in the footnotes. You can read the plays without experiencing vertigo of the eye. So this is the edition, though you may wish to go with the smaller, bound portions that Norton publishes of the same edition--especially if you can't afford the cost of a personal valet to carry this tome from home to office. On the other hand, the complete edition is excellent for doing crunches and other aerobic exercises--activities many of us who read the Bard are abt to ignore.

As a fervent admirer of Shakespeare, this complete collection, comprising excellent introductions to each play and helpful textual notes as well as informative writings on the history of both England and the art of acting that shaped Shakespeare's writing, was like a dream come true. While before I had to walk around trying to find a good edition of the play I wanted to read, now I can open the Norton Shakespeare and read without being afraid of not understanding words or missing the point of the play. This book's obvious drawbacks are its heft and, as mentioned, its delicate pages, but these are easily outweighed by the abovementioned advantages! Buy it and read!

While this slight volume can't hold a candle to something like Will Friedwald's comprehensive analysis of Sinatra's recorded career, it's quick and handy. Moreover, while the authors' selections will inevitably produce disagreements, their choices are unlikely to provoke incredulity (no "My Way," or recommendations from the "Duets" albums). And when there are multiple versions of the same tune, which is more often than not the case, the authors give helpful rankings of the best choices. But just to give you an idea of how necessarily inadequate a collection limited to 101 recordings is, Sinatra's absolutely sublime, definitive Reprise recording of "I Hadn't Anyone Til You" is not mentioned. Still, I find myself making more use of this book than any other about Old Blue.

The music of Frank Sinatra is timeless and though the title contains the words "the 101 Best Recordings", you may find that it is just a starting point and find your own 101 favorites. You have over 1000 songs to choose from so your picks are bound to be different than the authors. The book lays out 101 excellent songs, gives information to listeners (date recorded, album it can be found on, arranger, etc.) and tells the background of the song and sometimes an anecdote about when it was recorded. The book is not only for longtime fans of Sinatra's work (though they will be more familiar with all the names, etc.). If your Sinatra cd collection extends to one cd of his greatest hits, then this book can help you figure out where to go next. The stories and anecdotes may not mean much but you can figure out if you want to explore Frank's Columbia, Capitol, or Reprise years. For the experienced Sinatra listener, the book is excellent for starting debate with fellow Sinatra fans or perhaps rediscovering a gem you've forgotten or never really listened to before. Obviously, it is not a biography so don't expect stories about Frank the man, just Frank the singer. My only complaint is that I wish they gave more detail to the songs. I realize they had 101 songs to review, but I wanted more background about the recording session and Frank's opinions and views of the songs. However, there are other books for that.

How do you pick the 101 greatest Sinatra recordings? The authors certainly came up with arguably the definitive list,and presented it in a most enjoyable read.Another reviewer wished there was a CD boxed set to accompany the book. I did the next best thing. I have an extensive Sinatra collection and I happen to have all the 101 songs(the correct versions). I bought some high quality cassettes and simply went through my CDs and tapes and put together the audio to the book..three 90 minute and one 60 minute tape covered the 101 songs.Needless to say, it was a labor of love putting these songs in order and is fascinating to read the descriptions and history of the songs as they are playing.

"Somebody, Someday" is wonderful autobiography and travelogue. Robbie Williams, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet except in the United States, and Mark McCrum takes us on a yeaer-long journey through the ups and downs of Robbie's life. We get to see the ugly moments that inspires his introspective, self-effacing, and witty music. These moments are offered up forthrightly and honestly without the sense that he is fishing for pity. It's a good and solid read even if you're not a Robbie fan.

Although this book was good it was no where near as good as the first official book "let me entertain you". The book follows Robbie and friends around while on tour and has some great bits about Robbie himself but i was a bit dissapointed to find that the book is alot of the time about his band and management instead of him. Although that is not a *bad* thing, i really just expected it to be more about the great Mr. Williams himself, i didn't purchase the book to read the life story of people in his management (although they were very sad and touching storys)! A good book but could have been better.

Everyone knows who "Robbie" is, it was nice to get a look at "Rob". This book takes away some of the aura of stardom that surrounds "Robbie the pop Icon" and shows you his human side.

Excellent read!