This is a scholarly book, which means (I suppose) that it's history NOT written as a novel. But it's admirably written nonetheless, and even, sometimes, beautifully written. It treats the history of French thought at one of its most productive stages just before the Revolution. Americans will find it fascinating as a peek at the roots of our three branches of government. Mably comes into focus as a morose little 18th century hermit, but his ideas come into greater focus as still shaping the way we think our own Supreme Court ought to relate to Bill Clinton, and how Monsieur Clinton ought to relate to Congress. I'm no historian, but I doff my hat to any historian bold enough to say, as this author does, that previous writers of French history have sometimes been trapped in "the neuralgic zone." Hear, hear!

After the end of the Second World War, a number of African Americans, including many of our most talented intellectuals, decided that America was just not a sufficiently hospitable home. Those who could left for Europe. Many, landed in Paris, which provided a far more civilized society.

Literary giants like James Baldwin, Richard Wright and other intellectuals found a place where their worth was determined by things more significant than skin color. This is the story of their experiences.

Another book worth searching for.

Although many people know that Frank Lloyd Wright operated his architectural enterprise for many years from Taliesin in Wisconsin, relatively few Wright fans have been there. Having been born into the rural farm country of Wisconsin, many of Mr. Wright's architectural ideas emerged from that rolling country and its beautiful rivers and views.

Many who admire Fallingwater will be intrigued to compare the views of the Wisconsin river at Taliesin ("shining brow" in Welsh) with the stunning sights in the Alleghenies. Mr. Wright was working at Taliesin when he sketched his first drawings of Fallingwater. The land is steeper at Fallingwater, and the waterfall at Taliesin was originally there to provide power. Many of the principles of the two sites are otherwise similar in striking ways that will give you a deeper understanding of Mr. Wright's work.

The highlight of this book comes in the wonderful color photography that will probably inspire you to want to visit (in the summer time) to enjoy the hundreds of acres of grounds and the many architectural features that Mr. Wright designed there. Many may not know about his windmill tower that the local farmers predicted would not survive high winds, but which continues to beautifully grace the site.

I was fascinated to see original photographs of Taliesin and its surroundings while Mr. Wright was working there, as well as the views from today. Like a lot of Mr. Wright's work, the romantic idealization of his vision has proceeded quite far. But we will still enjoy it, even if it has evolved from the original.

Having seen this book, I have decided to make a pilgrimage to Taliesin. I have been to Taliesin West many times, and have enjoyed that wonderful Wright work very much. Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and was Mr. Wright's refuge from the cold Wisconsin winters in his later years.

After you enjoy the beauty and the history of Taliesin in this fine volume, I suggest that you think about the place where you were born. How has it shaped your vision? In my case, my home was nestled in a small valley surrounded by enormous mountains. It was natural to want to aspire to climb to great heights upon considering that monumental view every day.

Take the best from your heritage and share it with those whom it will help!

This was the first of Michel Tournier's book that I had read in translation and not in the original French, but I was not disappointed. Tournier has the capacity to relate closely to the cultures in which his stories are set and to describe in a very believable way the reactions of his characters when they move from one culture to another. This is the story of a young boy whose fortunes take him from his native North Africa to the streets of Paris. Prepare for culture shock: if you have only ever taken a tour bus round that great city, imagine this young lad leading a camel through the streets at night looking for a slaughterhouse (in the end the animal has a pleasanter fate!). The Golden Droplet in the title is a jewel that the lad tries to hold onto and in some ways it decides the direction of his fate. I loved this book. I hope others will find it and read it, or better BUY IT here.

...from this charming and educational book. I purchased Paris 1789 from the Louvre Museum Shop during my visit to Paris. Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution have long been my passion. I thought this book may explain my passion to my children. I determined to read the book to them as soon as I came home but...I was sitting on the Metro when I decided to flip through the book. I read the entire book from cover to cover (and missed my stop). Although this book is designed and written for children, its engaging layout and fascinating tidbits make it enjoyable and educational for adults. I love that it is presented as a real travel guide. The travel tips, at the top of the pages, are hilarious! "Look for plays by Moliere - one of France's best comic playwrights" and "Hold on to your purse. Pickpockets often work in the crowded streets." Some things never change!

This slim book is packed with information about France- its history, language, and what it's like to live there. It's a great way to satisfy, or stimulate, a child's curiousity about faraway places. The illustrations are colorful, and yet not too cluttered to be informative. The descriptions are clearly written, with nice big print, but with enough detail to have educational value. I recommend it for grade-schoolers, who have any interest, or who need to learn about, life in France.

One deficiency: Since I don't speak French, I can't help my daughter with pronunciation, which is so important. Although some of the pages include transliterations of the French phrases, not all of them do. It would be helpful if they did.

This book was required reading for my "Age of Revolution" class - a fact that you can take as an endorsement or as something quite the opposite.

Is it light? Oh no. Is it difficult and dry? Nope, not that either. This is one of the books that is going to make you work a little at first if you're not already burning to know how Necker planned to solve the ancient regime's tax crisis or desperate to get some clarification on the Girondins versus the Montagnards.

No, it's not an easy start, but hang in there, because with this much information it's worth stretching out of pablum-mode. I don't think there's a single superfluous sentence in this book. (Something my classmates apparently concurred with, as I watched them highlight entire pages at times.) It's a lot to digest, but while it isn't a rollicking good time it also isn't plodding or, for that matter, very long.

The transcripts of important documents are a nice touch, as is the chronology, and the glossary, although brief, is vital to a beginner to this topic such as myself.

At the end of the day, can you really go wrong with a book that not only repeats the shouts of...where appropriate and explains the origins of Lobster Thermidor, but that also quickly disabuses the reader of any Dickensian notions of peasants rising and nobles guillotined? Ah no, here's the book that taught me it was the aristocrats that revolted first and that more peasant heads went lopping into the basket than any bewigged silk-wearers'...

Ironically, the "Introducing" books always seem to be least useful for those who really need an introduction. Introducing Postfeminism (an awkward term if ever there was one) is no exception - it's overly stylish and short on transitions, organized paragraphs, and clear explanations of specific figures and ideas. If you already have a solid grounding in these matters, the book may be a handy pocket reference - however, as an actual introduction it's a mess. The ideas jump off the page in the worst kind of buzzworded style, and we're scarcely five words into essentialism when structuralism barges into the picture. Even a reader eager to learn (me) finds hirself skimming.

Hey Addison Godel, are you in any way related to Kurt Godel ?
Just wondering. "Introducing Postfeminism" is a good book except the part on psyhcology i didnt really think it was too introductory. But nevertheless a great read and introduction to a complex subject.

For my next trick, I'd like to pull an hypothetical rabbit from a proverbial hat... what's that you say? sounds exactly like the goals of Postmodern Feminism? You are 100% correct, sir/madam-- just check out this book as the proof!

I was over at the lovely downtown home of a couple of friends and, toward the end of the evening, was handed this cute little dark blue book with a very becoming pink Madonna-inspried getup hanging on an equally pink rod gracing the cover.

The book is "Introducing Postfeminism" by Sophia Phoca and Rebecca Wright. As postmodern feminism (here-termed 'postfeminism', since philosophers prefer their big words small) has always been of supreme interest to yours truly, I immediately opened the volume and began to glean therefrom the attendant humor I had thoroughly expected.

Interlaced with poppy cartoons of the 'great thinkers' of postfeminism, engaging the world in a variety of oddball venues, are pages of terrific summation of the movement, its implications for society, and its parallels in psychology and philosophy.

If you're unfamiliar with this Zeitgeist-creating movement, this is THE book to begin with-- everything's there: from Freud to Saussure to Irigaray to Paglia to Foucault to Haraway.

Oh, sure, they all seem harmless enough, but read this through and you will appreciate just how sweeping the cultural notion of "celebrating differences, not equality" has become. It's equally amazing to see exactly what counts as "evidence" for feminists-- just about anything observable or not. Check out pages 110-111, where the hymen is described as existing "both within and outside the body"; "it can be metaphorically broken or remain intact."

Postfeminists, like psychoanalysts, have an odd tendency to generalize biological gestalt to social universals: a Lacanian celebration of implicit social roles coded within the genitals. Indeed, much of postfeminism has been about "deconstructing" (a very specific term, really) these roles and reconstructing them into something new and, presumably, more socially viable.

Haraway, for example, suggests that females should relate to the CYBORG being: "Cyborg replication does not rely on organic sexual reproduction or the organic nuclear family. The cyborg is both animal and machine; both fiction and social reality. The cyborg breaks down the traditional humanist barriers: human versus animal, human versus machine and physical versus non-physical. The cyborg is the 'illegitimate child of patriarchy, colonialism and capitalism'."

Mhm... but before you run off to start installing brain-chips and artificial limbs (portrayed nicely in the book at p. 142), you might consider that since women alone can be "virtual reality", they alone are entitled to the special status as cyborg-- watch out boyfriend, eh?

Paglia suggests that Madonna is the 'ideal' postmodern woman who is both fully feminine and sexual but totally in-control...

Oh yes, and did you know that cinema is inherently masculine because it is voyeuristic?

Madcap psychobabble, or important social trend? Decide for yourself folks but enjoy the ride in this VERY appealing, very well written, and highly entertaining book!

This book has two main parts: One on coastwise navigation and a second on celestial navigation. I bought the book for it's celestial navigation section (about ten chapters) and that's the only part I've read and can review.

The teaching method of the authors is excellent. They offer "pre-tests" or thought provoking questions prior to introducing new material, which help to confront and correct mistaken preconceptions. The subject is presented clearly and concisely with excellent diagrams, although the use of color would help. Scenarios are reviewed to firm-up the theory and generate new insights. Chapters end with "post-tests" or exercises to give you a chance to bring it all together.

My initial enthusiasm for the material and methods soon faded as I discovered error after error in many chapters. They ranged from mathematical errors to referencing the wrong figure to not including the necessary table or chart excerpt needed to complete an exercise. Many of the errors are harmless and can easily be detected while a few are hidden and may lead the beginner astray. Because of this, I could not recommend it as a sole source of learning celestial navigation.

Correct the errors and misprints and I raise my rating to 4-stars. Add multicolor diagrams and I'd give it 5-stars.

While probably not the best first navigation text, for the semi experienced boater, Learn to Navigate gets down to the nitty-gritty of the subject. The numerous examples and practice problems at the beginning and end of each chapter challenge the student and reinforces learning.

I am not the worst chef in the world. Given proper instruction, I can actually make some impressive dishes. So why is it that every dish I prepare from Curnonsky's cookbook is a fiasco? I've tried simple dishes (Watercress Soup), accompaniments (Béarnaise Sauce), and dishes with pictures in the book (Scallops with Mussels Nantaise). Not once have I been satisfied with the result. The Scallops, for example, looked nothing like the picture and tasted like butter melted with more butter and laced with white wine. Am I missing something? Are there steps that Curnonsky leaves out that are obvious to French chefs? With patience, I am sure that one of the 1,200 recipes would turn out fine, but I don't think I am that patient.

Were it not for the fantastic list of suggested wines that accompany each dish and the translation of fishes, dishes and meats into French -- a handy reference -- this cookbook would merit only one star.