'On the Shoulders of Giants' (which shall hereafter be referred to as OTSOG) is the quintessential study of the nature of academicism. It is thinly disguised as a dissertation into the origin (and originality) of Newton's famous aphorism 'If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' However, once the reader finds himself confronted by what might or might not be an attack on Richard Burton (the one that wrote 'The Anatomy of Melancholy'), suspicions grow, and in short order one begins to understand that a leg or two is being pulled.

Of course, it does not end there. Displaying the kind of dazzling scholarship that most academics can only aspire to, Merton zigzags across the intellectual horizon on a quest for the lighter side of truth. In doing so, he exposes many of the pretensions of scholarly work, plagiarism and specious logic. Leaving no stone unturned, we are as likely to find ourselves in pursuit of Tristram Shandy as we are to be wandering through the transept of Chartres Cathedral. All in a mad search to uncover who really used OTSOG first.

It needs to be said that Merton is, on his own, an extremely respected sociologist, one who often has used the scientific and academic world as the focus of his remarkable eye. OTSOG sets out to make points by mimicking its subjects rather than lecturing about them. Whimsical and witty, it still touches on serious issues while exposing a great deal of fascinating minutia. Certainly it is a one of a kind work that enjoys a large cult following among those who are reluctant to take themselves seriously. Look out for Umberto Eco's foreword and Merton's riposte-face as well.

Every scholar should this wonderful, joyous book

with Sterne. He comes off third best. First, of course, is the master himself. Second, comes Umberto Eco for his witty, catholic and erudite Forward. Nonetheless, Merton treads where no others have dared in his re-creation of the "Shandean" style. For this, alone, he deserves credit (and reading.) Because Merton chose real characters it was inevitable he failed to reach the pinnacle achieved in Sterne's fictional master-creation: Uncle Toby--one of the great characters in all literature. Do read Merton, and Tristram Shandy.

If you cringe whenever you hear our civic leaders butcher an over-rehearsed line, mix a metaphor or use any number of PC abominations currently in vogue, wash your ears out with this collection of speeches by a master of the English language. I consider any literary work or speech by Churchill to be among the best examples of the proper use of our great and beautiful language. More so than even Shakespeare, because Shakespeare is so antiquated, Churchill is the high priest of proper modern English.

Churchill had a way of mixing humor, invective and sarcasm to drive home his point, but never in a base or vulgar way. He never pandered to the audience or talked down to them; he spoke honestly in a determined and forthright manner that assumed a level of intelligence capable of understanding whatever he said.

Churchill was the most quotable of twentieth century world leaders. Who could forget his cut at Mussolini: "An Italian sausage in a Sam Browne belt." Or this gem about truth which should have been played weekly during the political scandals of the 1990s: "Truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance deride it, but in the end, there it is."

This book also serves as an excellent historical reference. It is thoroughly indexed and has a comprehensive table of contents. The editor has written a helpful preface to each series of speeches to provide background for the modern reader. The book should prove interesting to any history buff, and should read like poetry to those who love the English language, properly used.

The AAT is nearly 25 years old, yet it still manages to hold its head high in international comparisons of effective optical telescopes. In terms of citations, the AAT ranks near the top in international terms.

The book is a history of the birth and construction of the telescope. It is the only popular acccount, and as such is an important source of information for anyone wanting to know about this trail-blazing telescope.

The book is a logical sequential account of the birth of the telescope. The writing suffers a little by being shared between three authors, some of whom are more accessible than others; but this is a minor quibble in what is otherwise an authoritative account of an important instrument.

This book is the definitive book on the thought behind Art. It states the thought procces, and the Art and Science dualisum of the last 600 years and the reasons behind it all. If you want to be a real artist, this is the way to go. It speaks of truth and genius.

"The natural appetite or tast of the human mind is for Truth"

"Art is a point of view, Genius a way of seeing."

If the artist can grasp the truths in this book they will recieve the keys to the kingdom!

Last April I had the distinct honor of making the aquaintence of Dr. Bert Dunlop. As an adoptee from Vietnam, I left on the same day Dr. Dunlop left Saigon with that plane full of babies in 1975. My husband-to-be was on the plane Dr. Dunlop provided medical care for. I found Doctor Dunlop At Your Service Sir to be quite an engrossing book that had me drifting in and out of my daily routine, pausing to reflect on his life that is quite amazing.

What a wonderful book! I couldn't imagine such an espectacular book about one of my favourite paiters: Rubens. It's a very nice printed book, with plenty of images from the Maria dei' Medici Gallery of the Musée du Louvre. The text is wonderful. A "Must" book if you are in love with the Flemish paintings of the XVII century. Don't loose this opportunity!

Can't wait to see this one. Lilla and Dworkin is like a collaboration between Ken Vandermark and Wynton Marsalis.

An exploration of Beerbohm, that puzzling writer, and the Dante he has become.
An interesting exploration of the dandy concept as personified by Beerbohm. Read this to understand how Beerbohm "concealed in his works of prose fantasy, elaborate and profound allegories of the state of man's soul during the palmy days of the bristish empire"

An interesting peek into Beerbohm, "the dandy, talker, caricaturist parodist, esayist and dramatic critic". Read to find more!

I first read lives of the musicians when I was about 7 yearsold or so. Then, I thought it was terrific. I still do. However, I amnow 12 years old, and now that I have paid more attention to it, I see several faults, but overall it is still a very good book. First of all, their choice of musicians is not the best. I would have recommended Debussy and Schubert, like the Kirkus Reviewer. Some of the composers I have hardly ever heard of, like Igor Stravinsky or Nadia Boulanger. And while Clara Schumann was a great pianist, I think they should have focused more on her husband, Robert, a prolific composer, whose works are among the very best. Also, some of the parts of the biographies are questionable. Frederic Chopin may not have actually been romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant (George Sand), but in love with the Countess Delphine Potocka. The book states that the Waltz in D-Flat, or Minute Waltz, was written for George Sand's dog, when in fact it was probably written for Potocka. However, the book was still very well written, and I enjoyed it, despite the possible mistakes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes music, classical or not. So sit back and enjoy!

I loved this book because it made those musicians seem like real people instead of great-all-star-super-geniuses. It is full of strange little facts about all the famous musicians like Bach,Gershwin,Beethoven and Schmann.

---Megan W.

This book provides interesting insight into the lives of composers. I teach music to elementary and high school students and I read this book to all of my students. They all enjoy learning the details of the composers lives. The book presents the composers in such a way that the students remember the information about the composers. The book does not provide information about what the composers' music sounds like, and that is something I also like to teach. A great book to gain kids'interest in famous composers.

This series by Patricia Finney features Robert Carey, the youngest son of Lord Hundson who in turn is the bastard son of Henry VII and Mary Boleyn, Ann's sister. Carey has landed a position as the Queen's representative at one of the border forts between England and Scotland, at a particularly crucial time, when Elizabeth's heir, James, is king of Scotland, and his succession to the English throne will unify the two countries. Carey's main motive in accepting the position was to get away from creditors in England. And in the first of the series, Carey, began to establish himself as a kind of monarch in his own right in that most politically crucial of geographies. Now less than a year and three books' worth of adventures later, Carey must return home to London at the summons of his father, who is now the Queen's Lord Chamberlain. Carey has to deal with creditors who are stalking him, his father's girlfriend (and once his,) Mistress Bassano, her devoted swain and family servant, the rather unimpressive Will Shakespeare, and the fact that his gullible elder brother Edmund has disappeared in what turns out to be plague infested London, and Hundson's chief enemy, Thomas Heneage, probably has something to do with it. Meanwhile a bunch of counterfeit coins are turning up, and the penalty for counterfeiting is death. And Carey's Scottish man, Seargent Dodd is amusing everyone with his bumpkin ways and accent, while being extremely frustrated by their decadent city ways and lack of recognition for his family rank. It's fun stuff with great characterization and just about the best period resurrection I've ever experienced. But then that's true of all of Finney's work, and here, slick London kind of made me miss the crass and vulgar North.

This book shows evidence of an amazing amount of research into the daily life of Elizabethan London. Perhaps this is, as one reviewer suggests, how Patricia Finney has fun in between her longer Elizabeth I mysteries, but all I can say is she does a lot of hard work too!

Sir Robert Carey was widely though of as the Queen's nephew (the illegitimate grandson of Henry VIII) and Chisholm makes the most of this fact in her mystery, using her hero's physical resemblance to the Queen and his father, Lord Hundson's, temperamental resemblance to Henry VIII to build a complicated tale of revenge, ambition, and murder. A score of minor--but also real!--characters thread through the story: Mistress Bassano (a member of a real family of Jewish musicians at the court), Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, and even the balding Will Shakespeare appear.

So many historical mysteries are more about evoking a powerful setting than telling a complicated tale of skulduggery, but with this book you get to have both. The setting and characterization are nearly perfect, and the central mystery pivoting around the consequences surrounding an alchemical experiment gone wrong is not only perfect for the period but darned confusing as well! I highly recommend this book, and the other books in the series. But, read A Famine of Horses (the first in the series) first or you will find yourself a bit lost for the first half.

This is the kind of book that makes life worth living.

Written in a spare yet vivid style, with outstanding dialogue, Plague of Angels features well-known characters from the first three books of Chisholm's series. But, due to a letter from Carey's father, they've had to ride south to London. Readers be encouraged: this is no Renaissance Faire.

Characterization is particularly strong in this volume because it's from the point of view of Sergeant Dodd, the tough, morose, thoroughly engaging Borderer. His viewpoints on London, the aristocracy, and Carey are not only humorous but have a certain ring of truth. I'd always liked Dodd, but in the course of this book he became one of my favorite historical fiction characters of all time. Carey, seen through Dodd's eyes, retains his notable charm and savoir-faire. And Chisholm does something nearly impossible: writes about real historical characters and does it well. Yes, Shakespeare is in this book, and yes, it works.

The plot is an exciting one, of course. Some of the twists aren't quite as well developed as they could be, but between the plague, the Fleet Prison, and our hero facing torture by the bad guys, it's hard to care.

I was particularly impressed here with Chisholm's presentation of Renaissance mentalities. The pure terror evoked by the plague, in an age when diseases were unstoppable and more or less uncurable, is very well described. It's also worth mentioning that, although her protagonists are male, Chisholm does well with female characters, making them realistic products of their time but still strong, interesting individuals.