F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the dreams and aspirations of so many people when he wrote of the fabulous excesses of the 20's - a time not unlike the recent "get-rich-quick" mania of the Internet bubble, which also crashed, destroying many fortunes and lifestyles.
In The Crack-Up Fitzgerald writes equally poignantly of the agony of the aftermath of such excess and unfulfilled desires and social insecurities. He was able to capture all of this so clearly because it was the life that he and Zelda aspired to and, from time to timem, lived. But they were always just on the outside, depending on the generosity of others both financially socially. He takes no prisoners.
It is no surprise that he is still being widely read. Don't miss Fitzgeral - it doesn't really matter which of his books you start with, you will find yourself moving through the collection.

If you ever wondered what the down side of the twenties were read this. The excess was all a grand show, an escape from post war realities. A whole generation seemed to refuse to grow up, at least for awhile. Maturity was forced upon Scott and in these short confessions he reveals that all was not well in paradise. He lived in a haze of liquor, that was the dream preserving liquid illusion. But reality was not to be fought off forever. This is as close to a biography as we have from Scott, and it is moving in the way it is moving to see an athlete we all wanted to believe would live forever come to his day of retirement. He had the ability or charisma compounded by artistic talent to embody not just his but a whole societies dreams. But his moment passed and by the time Scott wrote this his books were no longer the rage. What makes him such a tragic figure is that he never altogether let go of those first illusons, never went through a moment where he learned from them and let them go. And one senses just as he had the egotists ability to romanticize his life with his words he also had the ability to perhaps overdramatize his own demise. He was not a person to learn, become made of harder stuff, and continue. Still there is some good stuff in this book. His letters to his daughter( who also wished to become a writer) in which he urges her to read great authors including his own favorite Browning are touching and revealing.

I came to this collection of autobiographical and other short stories after having read THE GREAT GATSBY for english A level. The contents of this book unlike Gatsby, are a backward look at the Jazz age, from the perspective of one of it's greatest godfathers. I never tire of reading these stories, whereas I found the Great Gatsby a little bit silly, this collection shows the true talents of FSF. It was the short autobiog pieces that really impressed me, specifically, My Lost City, and The Crack Up. I strongly urge everyone to read this.

With more than three hundred photographs, Herbert List: The Monograph documents for the first time all phases of List's creativity: the Fotografia Metafisica (as List's early work, with its affinity with the work of de Chirico and Magritte, has come to be known); his photographs of Classical Greek ruins and postwar Munich; his sensitive homoerotic photographs; the artist portraits spanning the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s; and his subtle and touching human-interest photo-essays. Authoritative texts by noted critics and scholars provide historical contexts and influences and detail the development of List's oeuvre. A selection of List's own writings, a comprehensive chronology, a bibliography, and records of exhibitions, collections, and published photographs and essays complete the book. The photographs and essays collected in this volume comprise the definitive presentation of this modern master.

Herbert List is one of the most impressive photographers of the 20th century. This book is a masterpiece and offers a wonderful overview of List's work. It gives the opportunity to discover a classical and refreshing approach of the world-which escapes however from classicism.

Herbert List belongs to the most impressive photographers of the 20th century, showing a simple but wonderful vision of the world while escaping from classicism... A wonderful publication for "amateurs" and a masterpiece in arts book!

A must read for every mother! Follow the advice in the book, and your faith will be strengthened and your own mental and spiritual health restored--and you will actually be of much greater help to the loved ones you're inclined to worry about than when you engaged in endless hours of incapacitating worry.

After reading this book, I found myself moved by the inspirational and biblical messages the writer offered as solutions to end the senseless time and energy that we spend worrying about life. This was a well written and deeply touching book, that entered my life at the right time. Anyone who has ever found themselves anxious, paranoid, and in fear of the unknown, would benefit from reading this book. The very basic answers are there.

In a world filled with fearful news from home and abroad, this book, written by a talented writer, points the way to freedom from worry. I highly recommend it to those who are searching for peace in this troubled world

Perhaps this book is the only one about Alma tadema-the greatest master of Victorian age- which deals with his life and works the way it should be. It contains a great collection of his works as high quality pictures as well as a great biography. Just buy it and see what you have missed all this time.

This is an excellent book - well-printed, with beautiful reproductions of Alma-Tadema's work, and well-written. Too often, art books lump Alma-Tadema generically with the pre-Raphaelites or shun him entirely (because his paintings catered to Victorian tastes). This book is almost, but not quite, too much of a good thing, with an in-depth view of Alma-Tadema's career, especially the mentors and travel experiences that shaped his style. Very early paintings and watercolor studies which I had never before seen are included, and I paticularly like the side-by-side presentation of watercolor studies with finished oils of the same scene. Alma-Tadema was a skilled artist whose lush, decorative style and atmospheric historical scenes prefigured the art of Maxfield Parrish. It's about time that a collection of this quality has become available.

This is the best book I've ever seen about alma-tadema. Includes high quality pictures of his masterpieces. If you love Almatadema's works you should have this special book.

Among the many differences between Charlie Trotter and a thousand other gifted chefs, the one that sets his Chicago landmark apart from the crowd is fierce attention to service, as Edmund Lawler points out in this wonderful survey of the Trotter philosophy. Waiters at Charlie Trotter's have no manual, but they strive to follow the Golden Rule - treat customers as you would be treated, not just in general, but in every tiny circumstance. Not only that, but Lawler also points out, Trotter's senior servers enjoy full health care coverage, $2 employee meals and a sense of responsibility. It's so simple, really. Trotter treats his employees as he would be treated. Lawler lays it all out in a readable and succinct fashion, with each chapter backed up by handy "service points." Whether you're running a restaurant, an airline, an investment bank or a lemonade stand, you could learn from reading Lessons in Service. Oh, if only more service business managers would!

While I've never had the privilege of dining at Charlie Trotter's famed Chicago eatery, I was absolutely enthralled with the vivid portrait journalist Edmund Lawler paints in "Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter." This is Lawler's second outing in Trotter's famed kitchen; his previous book, "Charlie Trotter's: A Pictorial Guide to the Famed Restaurant and Its Cuisine," is another great behind-the-scenes look at the culinary master. But instead of focusing on bread and circuses this time out, Lawler effectively pulls away the curtain to reveal just how Trotter continues to stay in the upper echelon of culinary masters. From managerial techniques to customer satisfaction, "Lessons" gets to the heart of Trotter's business, and how he has managed to stay at the top of his game since 1987. The book is helped immensely by reactions from Trotter's service staff, leaders in the restaurant industry and the chef himself, who believes that empowerment and a keen eye on every detail is the key to success in any business. While some may unjustly dismiss this book as "just another restaurant guide," many of Trotter's techniques (especially those about first impressions at an interview) are germane to most any business where service is the No. 1 priority. Sure everyone knows that the customer is always right, but if Lawler's book is any indication, Trotter knows how to make customers feel "right" more than anyone else in the business.

My business career has been in the service industry, so I've read a lot of books about giving brilliant service - books full of fine phrases, but they don't show "who has to do what to whom" to make it happen. Ed Lawler's book really shows you how to make it happen.

Lawler evidently lives in the real world. He has got inside "Charlie Trotters restaurant" - one of the legends of good service way beyond Chicago. But this is not a "hymn of praise" sort of book, it's open about the problems, challenges and shortcomings as well.

His starting point is that good service is an accumulation of little things done right, and he goes right into what those little things are. Example: Chapter 5 Learning the Ropes shows how role play and feedback are far more effective than a service manual, how shadowing by a senior mentor actually works, how to use complaint and compliment letters in staff meetings. Chapter 6 has some great stuff on treating first time customers well and returning customers differently (because you know their preferences).

A unique feature of this book is the section on getting backroom staff to collaborate seamlessly with front of house people (page 128-141). The 12 point checklist on page 141 is a gem - applicable across the whole service industry.

A minor nitpick is that the quote from Dostoevsky appears twice, but aside from that, the book is excellent. I have never eaten in Trotters restaurant myself, but reading this book, I can practically taste the food and feel the atmosphere. I thoroughly recommend this book

LOSS WITHIN LOSS is a major collection of biographical short stories: tributes to friends, lovers and colleagues who have died from AIDS.

Several of the contributing writers are quite famous: the lecturer/poet/teacher Maya Angelou, the playwright/screenwriter Craig Lucas ("Prelude To A Kiss," "Longtime Companion"), the novelist Allan Gurganus ("Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All"), the writer Andrew Solomon ("The Noonday Demon") et. al. Several of the dedicatees lived the lives of celebrities: the poet James Merrill, the film makers Derek Jarman and Howard Brookner, the writer Paul Monette. But it is not their fame which is celebrated in this book: it is their love and friendship and, most importantly, their art which is now lost to the world forever because of a disease, the deadly power of which, was and still is, underestimated. The styles of the stories are as diverse as the styles of the individual writers: some read like the poetry they are; some like straight-forward fiction and some like excruciatingly honest, almost farcical diary entries.

These are not simply sad stories; they are beautifully written, funny, charming, intelligent, very candid rememberances of lives past passed. Besides the stories, there are some photographs of the artists and their works, biographies of the writers and their subjects, a wonderful photograph by John Dugdale on the cover and an introduction by Edmund White
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

LOSS WITHIN LOSS is a most appropriately titled reminiscence of the black hole AIDS blasted in our art community. Edmund White, always the sensitive observor and writer of tender memoirs, takes on the role of Editor here and has selected some very fine writers to personalize the contributions and deaths of their friends. He has also written minibiobraphies of not only the artists who have been lost but also of each of the biographers. Selecting artist/bigraphers to highlight in a review of a book of this total force seems almost incongruous, yet Chris DeBlasio is so beautifully defined by William Berger, and the polarities of the lives and deaths of Paul Monette and James Merrill who died within four days of each other are so adroitly observed by their mutual firend J.D. McClatchy, and Felice Picano's warm eulogy for Robert Ferro and all that surrounded the Violet Quill Club are all so fine that they shine especialy brightly.

The unexpected joyful aspect of spending time with this extraordinary book is discovering how much we didn't know about so many artists in every field - from poetry, to novels, to puppets, to architecture, to dance. Yes, the names ring distant bells, but when the artists are put into context with the time in which they were creating AND that they were creating knowing that their corporal time was limited, the effect is staggering. I do not find this book at all morose; if anything it is celebratory. And the method of presentation and quality of writing leaves the reader with one primary question: What if AIDS hadn't destroyed so many brilliant minds, so many unborn ideas? As a document on the effect of a devastating disease on the arts and as a resource book of what was happening in the forefront of culture in the 1980s and 1990s, this book will be the gold standard. Highly recommended reading - on so many levels.

This powerful, superb book is peopled with a sampling of the great and graceful artists who have been swept into eternity by AIDS. All of the essays are moving. Especially touching is the memoir which gathers together the angelic Paul Monette and the ferocious James Merrill. Brad Gooch contributes his best writing to date in his touching remembrances of his lovely partner Howard.

This book will break your heart and make you smile at the same time. It's truly a work of art.

What a perfectly titled book! Edmunds gives us nothing but straight talk about The American Cocktail in this erudite but charming little treatise on the place of the Martini in American civilization. He uses a vast array of sources from the nineteenth century on up to prove the enduring quality of this fabled drink and the way it has come to symbolize so many things to so many different kinds of people, whether they are Presidents, bank officials, or everyday housewives. To Edmunds it is the contradictory nature of the drink that has lent it its immortality (in a time, he admits, when the traditional rituals surrounding the Martini may well be on their way out for good). The drink is civilized; it is uncivilized; it is strong; it is sensitive, etc., all depending on who is drinking it at the time. Among the sources Edmunds consults and displays are the old Thin Man movies (which, the author points out, constantly violate the accepted rules for drinking Martinis), the fiction of Jack London and Ernest Hemingway, old bartender manuals, cookbooks, magazine ads, and numerous New Yorker cartoons through the years. He mixes all these into an irresistibly lucid collage.

As intellectual as this delightful little exercise is, it nevertheless makes one year for a good stiff drink. I think I will have one. Heavy on the gin. Shaken not stirred. And straight up, of course. For, as Edmunds points out unequivocably, "a martini on the rocks is an abomination."

Read it, drink it, and enjoy.

This text enlightened me in history and drinking cultur

Never before has there been such a necessity for the reissuing of this book. With this so-called renaissance of The Martini, many would do well to allow themselves to be indoctrinated by Lowell Edmunds. Until recently, the previous edition of Martini: Straight Up, --The Silver Bullet: The Martini in American Civilization (1981) has been out of print. Thank goodness for the reprinting of such a studied and honest book about The Martini. Although I find the original title more elegant. Perhaps the new, shorter, title is aimed at those who have only known the classic drink in short term. Within the book, Edmunds explores the drink's historicity, political, literary, and otherwise, as well as the social complexity of this American icon. With Martini, Straight Up, Edmunds dispells myths and reassures us about a legend who's status may be on the rise, but who's golden era has long since passed.

This book is wonderful! It gives a full account of the concept behind this wonderful album, which stood the test of time! To get the full effect, order the "What's Going On" Deluxe Edition!

I've read all of the books written about Marvin and picked this up to add to the collection, expecting it to be little more than expanded liner notes for the album. Wow. Very wrong. The book ends up encompassing Marvin's entire life through the scope of his most acclaimed work. It's beautifully written, unfolding more like a novel than you'd ever expect. It's a genuinely moving look at a true artist taking the boldest step of his...and arguably any other musician's...life. I can't recommend this highly enough, both as an admirer of Marvin's and as someone who just likes to read a great book.

should be more like it.what can you say about the Album "what's Going On"?Mind Blowing to this day.solid all the way around.the kind of Album that is timeless&moves you especially now in light of recent events.Marvin Gaye is one of those Artists in His League&this Book showcases that.also Madd Props to all the Great minds that Contributed to this Classic Album&it reflected then as it does now.War,Sex,Race,Religion,Class,&The World&it's Surroundings.Read the Book&Listen to the album they both will grab your full attention.

Edmund Wilson produced this classic look at civil war literature more than forty years ago and it remains essential reading for anyone professing an interest in the great American conflict. Wilson brought much to the table: a beautiful, restrained writing style and a prodigious understanding of the civil war and its primary players. His magnificent analysis of Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs remains the best and most often-quoted ode to these books. Wilson's tribute to Grant's memoirs is the crux of the book, but his ancillary analysis of other civil war works is also riveting and instructive.

"Patriotic Gore" is not only great literature, it's truly one of the best books I've ever read. It deserves a place on any serious civil war historian's bookshelf.

I am knowledgeable about the Civil War and its literature. In fact, you would think I'd be heartily sick of the subject by now. I sometimes feel that I have over-grazed this favorite topic. However, Wilson is simply wonderful in this book. He makes the whole antebellum era and the war years live again. His opinions are orignal and well stated. He has picked both famous and obscure books/authors to discuss at greater or lesser length depending on what he has new to say about them and on whether or no the subject in hand has, through disuse, disappeared from the knowledge of man. If you are interested in this period but are tired of the same old things, Wilson can point you down paths you could never find by yourself.

I found the introduction a little too ideological to my taste but otherwise the book is darned near perfect.

I'm surprised no one more learned than I in the literature of the American Civil War has yet reviewed this book. I came to it in an attmept to get a sense of the literary quality of the various memoirs and writings left by prominent participants in that momentous struggle, after being surprised that U.S. Grant's memoirs are held in high regard by critics. Wilson's book is a very compelling read (so far - I haven't yet finished it), giving the reader a vivid impression of the ideologies of the time and the pervasive and somewhat high-strung religiosity that influenced their development. Wilson's style is a pleasure, the product of a highly attentive intelligence informed by deep, but lightly-worn, learning. It's surprising how recently this book was written, since Wilson's voice resonates to these ears (educated in the jargon and vulgarities of the late-20th-century university) with the timbre of another, more civilized age.

Through The Rosary With Fra Angelico is a beautiful pamphlet which provides one alternative for reciting the rosary. It begins with a short history of the Rosary and instructions on how to say the Rosary. For each mystery it includes art by Fra Angelica; a short description of the mystery; a Biblical passage related to the mystery; prayer intentions; Then for each Hail Mary after "fruit of your womb Jesus" it provides a phrase "who ; for final prayers it provides the Salve Regina and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Every Catholic should know the "plain vanilla" Rosary but everyone must find the form of the Rosary (if any) which is most appropriate to their prayer life. This could be an excellent choice.

This book is an awesome way to help you meditate on the mysteries while praying the Rosary. I have bought it for several of my friends. The paintings are also beautiful. Try it out. It is only a couple bucks! :O)

I've used this book for years, and I find it to be a much more meaningful way to say the Rosary than the usual method. It is a good way to do a meditation on each of the mysteries. I bought copies for all the kids at the diocesan summer camp that I run, so obviously, I really do recommend it! Fr. Bob Haux