I had the good furtune to meet Michael York at a book signing for A Shakespearean Actor Prepares, while he was on tour in Vermont. He was open, very friendly and respectful of everyone, a gentleman in the best sense of the word.

In his book, he generously shares his early theater experiences and his love of the bard. He sensitively guides the reader through the delicate process of uncovering meaning and emotions in the text.

Michael's warm, resonant voice, a trademark, naturally results from his text-based approach to acting. In A Shakespearean Actor Prepares, he recommends studying for Richard II this way: "If you read the speech aloud, paying attention to the suggested breaks, and to the key words (the words that are important to Richard), and to the heavy stresses, you will probably find a patrician fury welling up inside you--almost of its own accord."

The emotions come through the words, not before them. That's how respect for the writer becomes high art. Careful preparation and passion naturally expressed keeps the actor open to experimentation. Openness, a fresh creative attitude, keeps the actor and person young and handsome.

We are lucky to have such teachers and artists.

This is really a wonderful and accessible and readable book about Shakesepeare and his work. Even if you're not interested in the craft of acting, but do have an interest in Shakespeare, I highly reccomend this book. And it is written without any pretension. Obviously the name "Shakespeare" in our culture can carry as much snob appeal as the name "Gucci" or "Hermes" and a fair amount of snobbery is often attached to Shakespeare because of it. But this book comes from a pure love of Shakespeare, so you don't feel you are reading something that is "good for you." He is made enjoyable. As the authors point out, Shakespeare ran the Globe Theater for profit, so had to appeal to the masses to get them to buy tickets. And so he was likely not a snob, and should be (I think!) approached as these authors approach him. This book is an absolute treat.

This book is well thought out, precise and one of the best, most informative books I have read regarding the performance of Shakespeare. I have studied with many acting teachers including Ada Brown Mather, formerly of RADA, and Patrick Tucker, the main proponent of the First Folio method. Without doubt, this common sense approach to Shakespearean performance is on the mark. The idea of making an argument with a speech, finding the points of a scene that move the story forward, not accepting that the script is a blueprint for performance, etc. are all important points. I also enjoyed the comparison of Shakespearian acting concepts with Stanislovski's approach. A book to keep and review periodically, as important as Granville-Barker's Prefaces to Shakespeare. And timely for me personally considering I am currently performing Macduff in a local theater.

Thank you for this practical guide.

Originally Broadcast On the CBC during 1968
Sherlock Holmes- Henry Comor, Dr. Watson- Gerard Parkes, Barrymore-Gillie Fenwick,
Heed the Baskerville family legend of the Hound: avoid the moors in those hours of the night when the powers of evil are exalted. Every Baskerville that has lived in the family home since the Legend began has met with a violent death. Dr. Mortimer writes to the one man that can help him, Sherlock Holmes, to exorcise the "Legend of the Hound" that plagues the Baskervilles. This radio adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's masterpiece traces Sherlock Holmes' adventure of superstition and revenge on the barren, gloomy moors in this thrilling mystery.

The first in Scenario Productions' "The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes" series and taken from the Archives of CBC Radio, this superbly presented radio adventure theater production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles is a multicast presentation of a classic Sherlock Holmes story. This two audio cassette audio book has a two hour running time and is enhanced with music and sound effects for the perfect "theater of the mind" listening experience. This radio theater production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles is enthusiastically recommended for all Sherlock Holmes fans and would make a very popular addition to school and community library audio book collections.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" ranks as the most famous and also the best of the four Sherlock Holmes novels. It is the first Holmes novel I read as a child, and the combination of ancient curse, foreboding moor, and modern danger kept me turning the pages.

The BBC has once again done a masterful job of adapting the novel to the format of radio drama. When I first stumbled on to the BBC Holmes series, I thought Clive Merrison to be a scandalous over-actor, but going back and rereading some of the Holmes stories for the first time in decades shows that Merrison, of all the portrayers of Holmes, just might have gotten the oddball genius most nearly right. Holmes had a histrionic streak which caused him to keep his deductions secret until he could reveal them in the most sensational fashion possible, and Merrison captures this quirk of Holmes' character perfectly.

"The Hound" is unique among the Holmes novels because for a large part of the mystery, Holmes' character is offstage, appearing only at the last moment to bring events to a hair-raising denouement. Holmes' joint penchants for secrecy and sensation almost bring his client to grief, but all's well that ends well. This radio play begins, continues, and ends very well.

This book is nothing more or less than a series of reprints of what the author deems "important" comics. Each comic story faithfully reprinted, with the page emulating newsprint. (The entire comic is not reproduced, only the highlighted strip.) There is a little one or two page introduction giving a little history about each comic.

What makes this book such a standout, is that the author's taste is singular, and not limited by a single company or genre. Characters from several different companies happily exist side-by-side in this excellent hardcover. The author has a confessed predisposition for "funny" comics, and these take up a large percentage of the book.

This predisposition allows for several comics to be reprinted that are not normally available. There are numerous reprints of Action Comics #1 (The first Superman comic) and Detective Comics #27 (The first Bat-man Comic) but how many other collections include All-American Comics #20 with the first appearence of Ma Hunkle, the original Red Tornado?

A list of comics included: Action Comics #1 (First appearance of Superman); Detective Comics #29 (Origin of Bat-man); All-American Comics #20-#14 (First appearance of the Red Tornado, and other Red Tornado stories); Police Comics #1 and #13 (First appearance of Plastic Man, and Woozy Winks); Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (Captain Marvel Battles the Plot Against the Universe); Sub-Mariner #4 (Dr. Dimwit by Basil Wolverton); Tessie the Typist #8 (Powerhouse Pepper by Basil Wolverton); Jingle Jangle Comics #5, 24#, (The Pie-faced Prince by George Carlson); Little Lulu Four Color 74 and Little Lulu #38, #40, #80; Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #1 (Donald Duck Christmas story by Carl Barks); Animal Comics #1, Pogo Possum #3, #8 (Pogo the Possum and Gang by Walt Kelly); The Spirit supplements August 10, 1941, September 5, 1948, September 11, 1949 (Great Spirit stories by Will Eisner); The EC Collection (Frontline Combat No. #4, Two-Fisted Tales #25, Mad #4 (Superduperman vs. Captain Marbles), Mad # 18, Impact #1)

This book is nothing more or less than a series of reprints of what the author deems "important" comics. Each comic story faithfully reprinted, with the page emulating newsprint. (The entire comic is not reproduced, only the highlighted strip.) There is a little one or two page introduction giving a little history about each comic.

What makes this book such a standout, is that the author's taste is singular, and not limited by a single company or genre. Characters from several different companies happily exist side-by-side in this excellent hardcover. The author has a confessed predisposition for "funny" comics, and these take up a large percentage of the book.

This predisposition allows for several comics to be reprinted that are not normally available. There are numerous reprints of Action Comics #1 (The first Superman comic) and Detective Comics #27 (The first Bat-man Comic) but how many other collections include All-American Comics #20 with the first appearence of Ma Hunkle, the original Red Tornado?

A list of comics included: Action Comics #1 (First appearance of Superman); Detective Comics #29 (Origin of Bat-man); All-American Comics #20-#14 (First appearance of the Red Tornado, and other Red Tornado stories); Police Comics #1 and #13 (First appearance of Plastic Man, and Woozy Winks); Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (Captain Marvel Battles the Plot Against the Universe); Sub-Mariner #4 (Dr. Dimwit by Basil Wolverton); Tessie the Typist #8 (Powerhouse Pepper by Basil Wolverton); Jingle Jangle Comics #5, 24#, (The Pie-faced Prince by George Carlson); Little Lulu Four Color 74 and Little Lulu #38, #40, #80; Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #1 (Donald Duck Christmas story by Carl Barks); Animal Comics #1, Pogo Possum #3, #8 (Pogo the Possum and Gang by Walt Kelly); The Spirit supplements August 10, 1941, September 5, 1948, September 11, 1949 (Great Spirit stories by Will Eisner); The EC Collection (Frontline Combat No. #4, Two-Fisted Tales #25, Mad #4 (Superduperman vs. Captain Marbles), Mad # 18, Impact #1)

I love comic books and books about comic books. I have a collection of comic books in my room in a box. I have alot of iron man comics. I have some fantastic four comics too. My favorite comics and superheroes are Plastic Man, the Fantastic Four, and Iron Man. I love the Smithsonian Book of comic-book comics!

The sonnet is one of the more difficult-to-write forms of poetry, with very strict rules on rhyming and lines, and that makes Shakespeare's collection of sonnets all the more impressive. Shakespeare sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, but there is something of a different flavor to these works.

Titleless, identified only by numbers, these poems have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air"). The tone of the poetry varies from one sonnet to the next; sometimes it focuses on old age, to love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken," and simple expressions that can't really be interpreted any other way. Some of it is pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them you won't have seen before.

Even if you're not normally a fan of poetry, the delicate touch of Shakespeare's words is worth checking into. Fantastic.

This edition of the sonnets is one of the most important and the description on Amazon is misleading - It is actually both volumes 24 and 25 bound together so you get the complete set It's hard to find this book so it is a great find in this version

Shakespeare's amazing Sonnets are compiled here in this wonderful volume, a great addition to anyone's bookshelf. If you love Shakespeare, then this is a must-have book.

I found this book in a discount store and could not pass it up because of my interest in discipleship. I could not put this little book down! I has several ah-ha moments as I read through Card's thoughts. Here are a few that have stuck with me: 1)God embodies truth in people. God sent truth into the world through Jesus, who is the truth. In the same way, a discipler is one who embodies aspects of truth. This thought is not emphasized in the book, but it has stuck with me and made me think of how to disciple someone. 2)Sonship is established in the wilderness. Through trial we find how much we need Jesus. We notice he is close to us. Card writes profoundly as one who has suffered and learned from it. He ties in discipleship by talking about his mentor's role during the tough times of his life.
In the end, Card writes with a clear knowledge of Scripture. Several times while reading the book, I wanted to put it down and become more familiar with my Bible, not because I doubted the truth of his comments but because the Word is eternally interesting, satisfying, and freeing. Card's love for truth and the person of Christ is contagious. Don't miss out on this book!

"I want to show you how a Christian man dies." This is what Dr. Bill Lane told Michael Card when Bill discovered he had a terminal illness. If you are led to believe this is a book about death, you are mistaken. It is a book about life, Bill Lane's life and Michael Card's life. If you were as fortunate as Michael was, and knew Bill, you will hear his voice and feel his presence on every page. If you enjoy Michael's music and wonder where his Christian maturity and spiritual insight comes from, in meeting Bill Lane you will have discovered the answer. If you have never heard of either of them, after reading the book you will discover what a "walk" with Jesus Christ can mean to you in life and in what the world calls "death".

Reading the truth of how God does work in each of our lives is there in that book...is like being six years old and playing dress up and standing in shoes 10x's your size! It's simply your future...but you're not there yet! You will have to grow into it. But they are the right shoes. This is the response of a friend I lent the book to. I agree wholeheartedly it just that she put it better than I ever could. Michael Card's work always leaves me with a closer taste of the Lord.

Kaluta is one of comic art's most revered artists, providing a blend of graphic color images and fantasy covers and designs which are rich in texture and packed with content. It's especially pleasing to find all of his images under one cover, from sketches and work from his comics to full-page color presentations - many never seen before. Both prior fans and newcomers will find Wings Of Twilight captivating.

My only complaint about the book is there's just not enough of it! Kaluta's work really requires a multi-volume retrospective to demonstrate the breadth and depth of his astonishing talent. Anyone whose work recalls Moebius, Hal Foster, George Grosz, Alfons Mucha, Frank Frazetta and Heinrich Kley all at once deserves a far wider audience.

Get this book, then scour the used-book sites and get copies of "The Michael William Kaluta Treasury" and "The Michael Wm. Kaluta Sketchbook". Oh yeah, and "Metropolis".

Go to the guy's web site (not hard to find) and see for yourself.

Finally: it's out! After a year and a half of digging through chromes and wrestling over the selections, Wings of Twilight, the Art of M.W Kaluta, has hit the stands, and, as the Artist In Question, I have to say I'm delighted! Lots of Color, Lots of b/w drawings and Prelims. A full set of my Tolkien Illustrations and a good group of pictures from METROPOLIS... add to that a fair number of previously unpublished pieces and there you have it... a fine collection of The Big Stuff... it's been 20 years since this type book on my work has been published. Not since The Studio, in 1980, has there been a nice overview of what I do, alone, at home .

If you are interested in seeing some of the work in the book before deciding on a purchase, you are welcome to go to my Web Site and click on Wings of Twilight for a look-see.

I gave the book 5 stars because, frankly, I am overwhelmed. However, there are about 4 pictures printed in reverse, and ONE printed Upside Down... but only I will know!

Enjoy the book! I certainly enjoyed doing the art.

I read "According to Mark" with special interest as it is a novel about a man writing a biography-- and I am myself writing a biography. Penelope Lively raises all sorts of interesting issues such as: Can the subject change the course of the biographer's life? Does the past still exist? This is the eighth novel I've read by Lively, and she does not disappoint.I highly recommend this novel by this intelligent, amusing and, yes, lively writer!

I am sorry that this one is out of print and hope that it will be reissued soon! I think this is one of the great Penelope Lively's finest novels. It's a page-turner, a skillful interweaving of infidelity, the English countryside, travels abroad, meditations on the writing of history and books, and realistic observations of such foibles as romantic delusion and academic pompousness. Ultimately it is a forgiving tale. I couldn't relate to any one particular character but felt I recognized them all.

This is the book I read, over and over, at the demand of my word-infatuated seven-year-old. He may not have understood half the words, but he delighted in their sounds. When he tired of the book I put it on my bedside bookstand, and I still pull it out when I'm in the mood for some inspired, sophisticated nonsense. The best ABC book ever.

Although I bought my eight-year-old girl the book for Christmas, it's headed to my office. It is the funniest book I've read in a long time; my usual reading (teaching) matter is the classics. The Steigs' book is a welcome break, a breath of fresh air after all that high-mindedness and tragedy! Carrotina and her awful cadenza are hilarious, but Naomi, "nervy as a newt" with her "nitwit" parents, is all too recognizable. I appreciate the tiny moral tales and the deflating of pompous academics, as in the "exegesis of the sphinx".

The Confessions of Nat Turner audio book is a magic history lesson that is emotionally and intellectually appealing rich in detail and magnificent in scope. It is also exciting, compelling, powerful and tersely written and should be heard by anyone interested in the history of the United States. This excellent documentary should be part of all American History courses.

For those Americans both black and white, who've dared imagine the the myriad horrors of the slavery system, the audio book by Kente Classics "Americas Black Spartacus Remembered" is a compelling and vivid journey back into one of saddest moments in Americas often violent history. The tape brilliantly deals with the actual confessions given by the captured "Black Spartacus", Nat Turner to attorney Thomas Gray in November 1831 (3 months after the revolt, and just before he was to meet a certain fate of death by hanging). Gray went own to publish "General Nat's" confessions in a pamphlet which was widely read throughout the northern and southern states.

As the tape begins, we hear Gray (stage actor Michael Collins) describe Nat Turner's (stage actor Bernard Addison) entry into the interview room, in heavy chains and shackles from head to toe. From that point forward you we "transported" back in time and space to the very room itself.

One of the great advantages of the audio book as a medium, is its ability, like all great live theatre, to engage you through the aural senses to a place where you feel as though you are there witnessing the event taking place. For entire 1:30 min. playing time, this tape holds you in its grip with chilling descriptions by Turner of how he and his band of "disciples" went about their "work". The horrible result being, the ultimate death of over 30 white slave owners and their families, and the capture and slaughter of over 100 blacks in retailiation by maurauding bans of whites and militias mobilized in response. All this carnage taking place in a few days during August of 1831 in Southampton County Virginia.

Where the tape succeeds in a historical context for those interested in the episode, is we see the obvious impact the event had on the politics of the times, and the vast schism that existed between north and south on the matter of slavery.

Furthemore, because we actually hear the spoken words of Turner himself describe his motivation, objectives, and mental state for his actions, we are provided with a direct contrast to the Pulitzer Prize winning, and widely read book (a novel)"The Confessioins of Nat Turner", written by William Styron and published in 1968.

In a well written afterthought provided at the end of the tape, written by William L. Andrews, a professor at the University of North Carolina, we hear of challenges to the authenticity of Gray's confessions because Gray seems to imbue Turner with far too much intelligence and elegance of speech for a uneducated Negro. Andrews also argues convincely that the ultimate result of the Turner revolt may have mitigated southern anti-slavery sentiments to the point where the final conflict which was the Civil War was inevitable. In this, we see the validity of the comparison of Nat Turner to the Spartacus of 2000 years earlier.

The rest of the cast is equally superb, with Collins doubling as the voice of the Judge, and Shakeperean pro Allen Gilmore playing the voice of the William L. Andrews. The tape is punctuated with 2 very moving musical interludes by the great Odetta which help to add to the emotional impact of this sterling production. The tape jacket provides us with artists reproductions of the scowling Turner and a map of the country side where the revolt took place.

As has been the case with other Kente Classics audio books I have experienced, this tape succeeds because of the historical importance of the subject matter chosen, outstanding quality of the writing and editing, and the professional performances of the actors chosen for the various spoken roles.

I highly recommend this or any of the other titles from this house.

I am a former Russian journalist and a documentary filmmaker who has also worked at NASA in the US.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" touches on many more subjects then just Russian Defense Industry. This is a very thorough, informative and important work that analyses the history of US and Russian Defense Industries, weapons exports and conversion, and possibilities of transformation from a militarized to a civilian economy in the new millenium.

The book also reflects on the current state of defense industries in the US and Russia, and "brain drain", or loss of intellectual capital in Russia and other countries after the Cold War.

I found reflections in Arkady Yarovsky's chapter "From the Culture of War to the Culture of Peace" very contemporary, especially in the light of recent events in the Middle East:

"Our time is unfortunately still characterized as "the culture of war." The culture of war is evident first and foremost in the hostilities between people and states, between nations and faiths, and in the inability to solve conflicts by peaceful means... Humanity has made it into the third millenium because the lust for power has been restrained by fear of nuclear war, but this restraint is not to be counted on permanently... The danger hidden in the separateness of people of different countries, unfortunately, remains a legacy for the next century... If humanity renounces the legacy of the culture of war, it can start down the road of cooperation, peaceful creation, and enlightenment. This is the only road leading to the culture of peace."

One can imagine that I, as a small child living in San Antonio, Texas, next to three Air Force bases and an Army base, living through the Cuban missile crisis, thought about the threat of the Russian military. I also met my parents' wonderful emigre' friends, and to this day have had warm relations with Russian people.

This book tells of the enormous cost to the Russian people of building and maintaining their war industry for so many years, a militarized economy where people got second best. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, defense industry just about shut down, but civilian industry has not grown great enough to support the population. There are horrendous unemployment, and terrible health and social problems. There is some danger that the path of least resistance for Russia, if we neglect the situation, could be to re-start weapons production, for export at first.

In my opinion, the United States also, to a lesser degree, has neglected the manufacture of quality consumer goods, importing them instead, and has let its physical economy deteriorate, despite much activity in the financial sector. We, too, have been insufficiently careful of the environment. This book provides some idea of what these trends could lead to, if carried to extremes.

Perhaps the involvement of United States companies in Russia, could lead to more of a recognition here, of the importance of the physical economy. Hopefully, both countries could also work to put industry on a healthy environmental footing as well.

There is awareness of the problem of Russian defense conversion, at high levels of our government. I hope this book helps educate people and sustain that interest.