This book is like an encyclopedia of quantum optics. Its a good book to have on your shelf as a reference but to learn the subject, its a little overwhelming.

This book is a self contained one on Quantum Optics. It gives systematic treatment of nearly very aspects of this field, good mathematical description of some methods and idea and even some historical developments of the topics. Though it seems a huge volume, it is really worth reading for EVERY beginner in this field. With this book, one does not need to look for other references to understand the topics.

This book is a treasury of Yiddish folktales just like my grandfather used to tell us. They seem simple and obvious at times but they always contain a deeper interpretation when considered through the eyes of our ancestors and their concerns. The tales are thought provoking at times and humorous at others. My only wish is that there were more allegorical tales which are my favorite, also, it might be nice to have a little author commentary on the origins and meaning of each or even just the major lessons. The artwork- jewish folk art is also beautiful and fitting. Altogether a great book for bedtime stories!

This is a great read. Many tales have similarities to standard fairytales, but they have a wonderful richness not found in the usual blanded-down stories. The book has 178 stories, some as short as a half-page, so it's also great if you only have short snippets of time. My husband and I enjoyed this book for ourselves, and will definitely read these tales to our future children. I cannot recommend this more strongly

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein requires a look at the context in order to understand its true value. As Wolf points out, Frankenstein is at time a poorly written work, with overelaborations and wordy dialogue. However, within the context of Mary Shelley's life, the book takes on an entirely new meaning: that of a creator's disenfranchisement from her creation (also, a woman's hatred of her own offspring). Writing from a time when birth control was primitive, and children were born (and died) often, Frankenstein is an unusual look into what it means to be a woman with creative energy that she cannot have control over. This deeper level of understanding is only accessible to me from the annotated version which Leonard Wolf has so nicely prepared.

A highly enjoyable read. Text plus context.

Contains the first edition version of Shelley's Frankenstein. Many illustrations, historical notes, and (for illustration only) Frankenstein film treatments. By itself, could adequately substitute any college-level study of the novel.

"A Dream of Dracula: In Search of the Living Dead" is Leonard Wolf's free roving mediation on the vampire myth in fact and fiction. Wolf is as comfortable talking about historical figures such as Vlad the Impaler, Elisabeth Bathory and Gilles de Rais as he is about the literary creations of Matthew Lewis and H. Rider Haggard or F. W. Murnau's film "Nosferatu." Do not read this volume expecting a scholarly treatise; Wolf is more of a journalist who at points approaches the realm of Gonzo journalism. "A Dream of Dracula" begins with the author meeting people who drink blood as because they are amateur monsters or as part of a Hell's Angel initiation ritual. The best chapter in the book is when Wolf examines the "Dracula" novel, but his set up of the origin of the vampire stories and the gothic novel provides more than a cursory look at the foundation for Stoker's work. As he gets closer to the present time Wolf's observations become more personalized but by this time in the book you either accept his writing style or you have already given off. But because of his idiosyncratic approach to juxtaposing his subject matter Wolf certainly comes up with new perspectives on his topic. You might not find this 1972 book overly insightful, but you will certainly find it interesting, and you be left to wonder what Wolf would have to say about all the manifestations of the vampire since then (especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Who's this book for, anyway? Kids who speak Yiddish? Bubbies and Zeidies feeling nostalgic? (doubt they read Milne as kids, though) Jewish Buddhists who want to read the original stories behind the "Tao of Pooh" in the language of their ancestors?

I have a sneaking suspicion that most purchases of this book will be as a "gag" gift item, and for that, it's perfect. Certainly, it's not readable as Yiddish literature (due to the transliteration), despite Wolf's well-meaning translation. Why go to the effort of translating if you're not going to present the finished product in a form Yiddish speakers can actually comprehend???

(the two stars above are for the effort of translating -- the three stars it lost are for assuming we don't understand the Yiddish alphabet)

So if you want to buy it as a joke, go ahead. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed. As a fan of Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh books (but NOT the "Disneyfied" versions), I picked this book up with curiousity, but realized before I got sucked into buying it that it's not what I was hoping it would be. Pheh.

In fact, forget I said go ahead. Save your money, and don't encourage whoever published this -- what's the Yiddish word? Ah, yes -- this "fershtunkene" book.

I was both delighted and very impressed with Leonard Wolf's Yiddish version of "Winnie the Pooh". The Yiddish text is excellent - the language is so natural that reading it I had the impression that the Hundred-Acre Wood and all its inhabitants were located in Eastern Europe! There were expressions in the text that I hadn't heard since I was a child in New York. An excellent piece of work.

Since none of the reviews that I read here addressed the quality of the translation, I thought I'd say a few words about that.

I thought the translation was EXCELLENT! Wolf has a real feel for Yiddish expression. In reading this book I actually had the sense that the entire Hundred-Acre-Wood and its inhabitants were all Eastern European Jews! There were turns of phrase that I hadn't heard since I was a child in New York.

Yes, I suppose it would've been nice to have the whole text in Hebrew letters. But translation is such a difficult task, and this was SUCH a nice job, so why complain?

I special ordered this book because I thought it would be really good. I read the reviews and some how got the impression that it was a sensual vampire story. It was a vampire story that dragged on a little to much. It was also vague, and not so sensual at all. I got the feeling that this story tried to capture the elegence of Dracula, but failed. I was shaken because I expected so much more.

I liked this book, but probably not quite as LeFanu intended I ought. The majority of stories are ghost tales, longer and less punchy but more engrossing than those of M.R. James, but with a very similar atmosphere. Most striking is Carmilla, an amusing Gothic story about a female vampire and her relationship with the narrator, her innocent girlfriend. Modern times have robbed the story of much of its horror, and Carmilla becomes as much an object of sympathy as a pure villain - a fact that raises new questions rather than weakening the tale. Like Gormenghast, it is easy to dismiss such writing as plain silly - much of the story IS rather daft - but the charm of the stories remains, provided that the reader enters into the spirit of the book. LeFanu's style is not great - he is rather wordy and his prose a bit "purple", but the meticulous construction of his stories makes them worth reading as exercises in plot alone. His clear love of the atmosphere he builds shows through, and it is refreshing to find a book in which the gothic is not played for laughs. Overall, this is a pleasing collection of stories with a few real highlights. Its atmosphere and style inevitably mean that it will not have much appeal to many people, but fans of the macabre and antiquated will find it a worthwhile purchase. Like Stoker's Dracula or a good Hammer film, it is highly entertaining, simultaneously chilling and slightly camp.

The books in this series--The Ultimate Dracula, Frankenstein, Werewolf, etc.--are striking for their cover art but disappointing in their story selection. They're eclectic enough--including stories by established writers and little-known authors and varying widely in tone. But none of them really stands out. There must be better collections out there.

When I first picked up the Ultimate Dracula, I wasn't sure what it was. I thought another collection on Dracula himself, but I was wrong. Anne Rice's "Master of the Rampling Gate" is a wonderful short story of hers. My other favorite is "The Tenth Scholar", a totally different look at the world of the vampire. If you're looking for some good short fiction, pick up this book. It won't disappoint you.

I love dracula stories and I have to admit that I loved this book. I liked all the writers style and when I started to read it I could not put it down. I would recomend this book to those who enjoy vampire films and novels!

The story by Mary Shelling has made another big screen debut almost 60 years later then the original one. They movies about the same old frankenstein getting loose in the village and terrorizing everyone only this is 20 times more gory! Changed a little bit for the better but all the same a great horror movie. Frankenstein doesn't have the bolts coming out of his neck. Rated R: for graphic violence