as an organic farmer of 8 years i strongly recommend this reading to all professionals whose selection is bound to a few seed sources. the book will infuse new knowledge in plant varieties and allow to improve your farming altogether. 2 examples are the mention of a vining watermelon which will allow treillising for better yield and the use of malabar spinach as superior in taste and ease of cultivation to all true spinaches..

This book will inspire the successful return
of heirloom cultivars to many home gardens. A very good resource book for garden club
or school science projects.

Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by W.W.Weaver provides detailed descriptions of cultivation and cooking of hundreds of varieties of old and ancient food plants. His narratives are wonderful, and make very interesting reading. His tips on cultivation, though primarily focused on his region of the country, are complete and helpful. Altogether a throroughly enjoyable book, that provides insight and tremendous expertise in an area that is vitally important.

"Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" is a great and rare achievement, since it captures the atmosphere of artists lives as no other book or film has done in the past, being magnificently precise in details and facts, yet sensitive to the personal aesthetic visions of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Armed with wonderful maps, charts, photographs and documents the authors explore the "geography" of artistic process and communication between two men. I kept going to the exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, and back to consult the book: they acted as an artwork in time and space, yet an object on the table - all at once. This book has finally answered lots of questions, and most importantly - it has made two artists and their visions closer to us as never before.

Collaborative conservators and Art Institute of Chicago curators Douglas Druick and Peter Zegers have drawn upon the rich, scholarly literature, letters and writings, and new technical investigations focused on the artists Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, to present the most thorough, comprehensive, and insightful exploration of the Arles period to date. Landscapes and portraits painted in tandem by these two outstanding artists, their responses to each other, work together to envision vigorous dialogue occasioned by their strong personalities. Here presented for art students are fresh perspectives on Van Gogh and Gauguin's best-known works, as well as some of the more obscure aspects of their lives and their world. The informative, 424 page text is enhanced with 475 illustrations (300 of which are in full color). No personal, academic, or community library collection on the history of western art can be considered complete without the inclusion of Van Gogh And Gauguin: The Studio Of The South. This superb art history and analysis is also available in a hardcover format (Thames & Hudson, 0500510547, ...).

O'Kelly's greatest achievement is "The Weaver's Grave," and it is perhaps the greatest Irish short story ever written, with Joyce's "The Dead" a close second. The narration is beautiful while the dialogue is unique, real, and very funny. The Weaver's young widow must see that her aged husband's body is buried in a specific location in "the meadow of the dead" according to his wishes, wishes that were never specified to her. O'Kelly masterfully renders the subtle nature of her transformation from servant/wife to liberated woman as she sets about this task under the seemingly watchful and guiding light of Venus, the evening star. The conclusion, though somewhat surprising given the main plot, should not be totally unexpected, since it is the climax to another -- almost hidden -- plot that is ultimately more meaningful. This story is a slice of Irish life at the turn of the twentieth century but it is also universal in its artistry.

The seizure of Yarur factory on April 25, 1971 marked the beginning of a tumultuous struggle for socialism in Chile. Salvador Allende, of the popular unity party, ran on a platform that sought to unify the working population. Allende's vow to guide Chile down the democratic road to socialism is one of his greatest legacies. The democratic road to socialism was paved, at least symbolically, with the efforts of the working class. The failures and successes of Allende's travel through la "via Chilena" hinge on whether "the Chilean revolutionary process was of and by the workers or merely for the workers." Allende would die the death of a martyr: machine gun in hand in an enflamed national palace that had been besieged by a hostile coup. If Allende died the death of martyr, to whom was he a hero? Inconsistent with traditional revolutionary ideology Allende feared a rampant revolution. As a self-proclaimed Marxist his views irked both capitalists and the middle class. El presidente compañero, regardless, was a president for the people. His core constituency demanded a revolution from below and thus complicated the revolution from above that Allende attempted to impose. With these conflicts in mind Peter Winn analyzes the extent to which Allende (a socialist) both failed and succeeded as a revolutionary.

I agree with the last reviewer, except for her\his curious reference to this being a "Trotskyist" view. What I like about this book is the way one can see the dilemnas and perspectives of different actors within the coalition that backed Allende. Less an endorsement of any one tendency's political line, this book brings out the tragedy of various democratic revolutionary factions all trying to do the right thing and unable to unite the face of repression. Best of all, it links the perspectives of ordinary workers with the difficult choices face by leaders.

Winn's book gives a detailed (and Trotskyist) account of a "revolution from below" that transpired during Allende's "revolution from above." It depicts the struggles of textile workers as they grew conscious of their class standing, became unionized and, ultimately, siezed control of the nation's most prominant mill. In the end, however, Winn demonstrates how the Yarur workers and the Popular Unity government imagined different Chilean roads to socialism, and how this divergence brought the social revolution and the Ex-Yarur mill to a tragic conclusion. It is a well-crafted and readible book...a "must" for any student of Latin American history, social revolution or Marxist theory.

probably one of the best work of italian 1900 literature. All though appears that Calvino creates a piece of art (or maybe a masterpiece) that seems to say: "look what I`m capable of writing" more than: "look what I have writen for you to enjoy". The whole novel is infact a pure literature virtuousism, in which Calvino shows his immence knowledge and creativity jumping from style to style,from technic to technic, from subject to subject etc... (touching each of them with the same confidence and mastery) without ever allowing the reader the time to actually enjoy any of them. Not only that: Calvino, in this literature odyssey through (virtually) every existing writing styles, ends up cruely teasing the reader. givin him just a taste of what he (or she) loves the most out of all the different type of novels, for than changing immidiatly again; as in " of course I could write like this too... but... I`m not goin to." For thise reason in some part of the book you might feel like you don't like it.. or that, Calvino doesn't write too good... but that is only because the way YOU like a book to be writen, is just around the next page, and as soon as that will come, you might feel like this is the best book you have ever read! but then again .. it`s over, and in the next page the book changes again.

To really enjoy this book you have to be able to say: "that`s the beauty of it!" and it is , is brilliant.

You are getting ready to read an Amazon.com review of Italo Calvino's book "If on a winter's night a traveller". Is your mouse nearby? Are you sitting in a comfortable chair? You're not slouching over the keyboard, are you? Sit up! Now, rub your eyes, close any windows containing video games, and read on.

-----

Besides Tom Robbins' "Half Asleep in Frog's Pajamas", this is the only book you've ever read written (mostly) in second person narration. 'You' are the protagonist of the story, and are directly addressed by the author/narrator. 'You' are the Reader. This is a technique that Calvino uses very well, especially when he manages to predict (or accurately tell) the circumstances around how 'you' bought the book, how 'you're' reading it, and 'your' thoughts and feelings concerning it.

You notice that this book has no story, per se. Instead, it is about Stories. The structure of the book is more important than the narrative thrust. A Reader (you) begins reading Italo Calvino's new book, "If on a winter's night a traveller". But the book is misprinted, and ends halfway through. So you head down to the bookshop, anxious to get your money back. There you encounter The Other Reader, a young woman also foiled in her attempt to read Calvino's new book. You both buy a new copy from the shopkeeper, only when you get it home, you realize it is not Calvino's new book at all, but something called "Outside the town of Malbork". Things continue this way, back and forth from thwarted novel to encounters with The Other Reader (who, by this time, you've developed quite a crush on). Along the way, you will meet many other shady literary characters, like The Non Reader, The Writer, and the Plagiarist. Do not be afraid of these men. They are merely devices to get you thinking about the nature of reading, the nature of writing, the nature of authorship, and a number of other significant post-modern issues.

This all sounds quite fascinating to you, but you still have trepidations. You have a copy of the book with you right now. To help quench your fears you open it up, seemingly at random, to page 197, and read the following exchange:

"'On the contrary, I am forced to stop reading just when [the stories] become more gripping. I can't wait to resume, but when I think I am reopening the book I began, I find a completely different book before me...'
'Which instead is terribly boring,' I suggest.
'No, even more gripping. But I can't manage to finish this one, either. And so on.'"

You think this is pretty good so far. But wonder, is Calvino right on either count? Would such a novel be "terribly boring", or "even more gripping"? Would you get frustrated beyond repair if the story kept stopping, every time it got good? You realize that you must decide for yourself before you begin reading the book in earnest.

Continuing your perusal on the same page, you read the following passage:

"I have had the idea of writing a novel composed only of beginnings of novels. The protagonist could be a Reader who is continually interrupted. The Reader buys the new novel A by the author Z. But it is a defective copy, he can't go beyond the beginning... He returns to the bookshop to have the volume exchanged..."

You stop, because you can see where this is going. This is Calvino telling you the genesis of this book. This kind of self-reflexivity sometimes gives you a headache, for a story within a story within a story (etc.) can sometimes be very confusing. You stop reading for a while to get your bearings.

You take a break by going to the fridge for a glass of juice.

Later, you flip the book open again, this time to page 218, and you notice this:

"Then what use is your role as protagonist to you? If you continue lending yourself to this game, it means that you, too, are an accomplice of the general mystification."

"Calvino is challenging me?" you think to yourself. "He doesn't think I am capable of following him through this labyrinthine world. He doesn't think I have the brainpower. But I do!" You are getting a good head of steam now. "I can read his book, no problem! I am a Good Reader."

You turn to page one, intent on starting and then finishing this book. And when you do, you'll realize that it was a rewarding, if oftentimes difficult and confusing, experience. It will have questioned your preconceived notions of what it means to read, write, to tell stories, and to listen to them. And it will do it in a (mostly) fascinating and suspenseful way, to make the ideas go down that much easier.

This book should quite possibly be titled (and yes, i know changing the title would disrupt one of the prime conciets of the book) 'I, Italo Calvino, will now demonstrate my vast intellectual superiority, while attacking many of the staid conventions of "fiction", and actually making you smile and/or laugh, as well.'

OK, that really shouldn't be considered for the title, but I think you get my point. This intricate novel alternately screws with the very notion of narration, plot, the idea of fiction, the act of reading/being a reader, and well. . . . pretty much everything you've become bored of.

That fact is, if you're here your probably somewhat interested, and if you're even somewhat interested you should go on and pick up this book. Granted, if you have a problem with parallel narration (it is all linear narration), or are frustarted easily by lack of plot resolution, you might step catiously. Also, if you're tolerance for witty authors who know they are witty is low, you definately want to steer clear- Calvino is flexing his synapses here, and having an absolutely good time.

As far as the plot (or story or whatever) goes, it's almost ancilliary, yet absolutely necessary, insofar as the point of the book is reading it, but the 'getting' goes on on such a blatant level, that it's almost like finding a meditative state in the vibrations of a chainsaw while someone's trying to cut your head off with it. or something like that.

Anyway, this book, like . . . rocks.

Especially recommended for curing post-academia, post-new critical theory, ficiton phobia- After graduation I only read non-fiction up until this book restored my faith in the written word.

This slim volume contains a wealth of information about and stunning photographs of the Eurasian Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, also called the Green Plover. It is written in a conversational manner and well-organized. The birder, the biologist, the ecologist, and the agriculturalist can quickly find the information they seek. There are good range maps and a short list of references for further reading. It is one in a series from Shire Natural History.

Having read 'Ghost Story' and 'shadowland'I guess I'm on a downward slope with Mr Straub and this book proves it. The horror (or gore) is OTT and unnecesary in a lot instances but the main problem with this book is it just doesnt have a coherent plot There are too many distractions that contribute nothing to the story and just leave you thinking just what is the story ? As usual with Peter Straub the book is intelligently written and he 'jumps' you around the way he likes to which is a particular Straub-ism that he is known for . But at the end of the day this book has been 'over written' and doesnt contain strong enough characters or a streamlined plot to make this a memorable read

This part of the review is intended for people who like to read fast entertaining books.

I first read this book in 1986, I thought it was a little confusing, but being as young as I was (14) I finished it. I figured it must be my immaturity, that I didn't follow the story well. So jump ahead to 2000, I just happen to come across my dusty Hard cover that I had and decided to give it a retry. Now I am almost 30 and I feel I have some comprehention of things so I read it over. Well I was right, the premis of the book is great, it's just that Straub was having a hard time putting it into words. The book was too long and wordy with too many unimportant charactors we didn't need to hear about. I found the main charactors very 3 dimensional, as well as the description of the town, but the story runs along at a bumpy pace. It's not a lite read at all. You'll need to put your thinking caps on for this one. But Straub is not a King or Koontz more like Henry James. Now on a positive note; mind you Floating Dragon is not a great book, but Straub is a great author.

Straub to me is a literary Horror writer, he doesn't write fast books with happy endings. His books make you think and contemplate. He is in a genre of his own.

On a personal note in 95 I was in Manhattan at the Pennsylvania Hotel. While in the elevator traveling down to the lobby a man was standing in front of me. Turns out this was Peter Straub. He was plugging his new book Hell Fire Club. He turned out to be a very nice guy. So I felt a personal bond while I was reading his book if you can believe that.

If I could give this book 4 1/2 stars, then I would. It is some of the best work Straub has produced. He should be wearing the mantle for gothic horror author master. Straub reminds me of Nathanial Hawthorne with this story. He tells the tale of an area dying into madness and the horror the various individuals have to face including people that are dissolving into water. The only complaint I have is that Straub writes in a very disjointed style that jumps around the plot and can be hard to follow. I think he chose this method to enhance the suspense. If you have read either Shadowlands or Ghost Story, then you will love Floating Dragon. It is a harder read, but it is ceratainly worth the effort. It is my personal favorite of his books.