Don't buy this book! The stories, of course, are classic Mark Twain- one of the most thoughtful, humorous, and clear thinking writers ever born. But the Bantam edition is unreadable.
To save money, the margins run from 1/4 to 1/8 an inch. Not too bad on the outside edges, but on the inside edge near the spine the words are nearly hidden by the curve of the page. Either you break the spine to read the words, or you are forced to slide your thumb along the inner edge to reveal Twain's words. Find another edition.

It is hard to believe that one writer could create such a diverse group of stories on all kinds of subject matter; each one written with Mark Twain's unique sense of humor and extraordinary gift of imagination.
These stories also stand the test of time as they are every bit as entertaining now as they were over 100 years ago.
Some of the ones that I enjoyed the most;
The Canvasser' Tale; the story of a man's collection of echoes
The Diary of Adam and Eve; a humorous look at what Adam and Eve's first thoughts of each other and the world around them.
The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm.
The Californian's Tale with a twist at the end.

This collection is writing at its very best; a treasure of American story telling.

The funniest, sweetest, truest book ever written. "Political Economy" and "Science vs. Luck" are very short and howling funny. "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" will make you laugh and cry. "The Mysterious Stranger," "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," and "Was it Heaven, or Hell" are masterpieces of religion, ethics, and humor. "What Stumped the Bluejays" is a believable account of a sense of humor in birds.

This book tells you what a man Mark Mcgwire is and also tells you about his past.

This book is a very intersting book on mcgwire growing up to being all the way where he is now in the majors. I reccomend this book to all McGwire fans, and it is full of information of all sorts on him. This is one good biography.

I have never actually finished a book over 100 pages EXCEPT for this one. That has to say something. Not only that i LOVE Mark McGwire and almost everything he does but that the author, Rob Rains must know what hes talking about. It is a pretty well detailed book the chapters could be a little shorter but otherwise a very interesting book!

This book may be of use to a high school or college student but was of no use to me, living in Japan and looking for some tips to improve my fluency.

I recommend to read this book before even starting your foreign language class. Some of the tips are about things obvious that you do not notice. Most of the advice is very useful and comes from someone which a vast experience in the area. I will use all his experience and wisdom when I take Italian and Russian next semester. It has helped me so far with my English. Thanks to the author for such a great tool for the student

This book is great for taking advantage of any language course. The vast experience of the author helps you to recognize the most common difficulties you will face when learning a foreign language. I have used many of his tips for my English and I will use them also when I take Italian and Russian next semester. A MUST HAVE !

This storyline had TOO much hype behind it to begin with and it didn't deliever everything the fans were promised. I mean first of all the title World War 3 doesn't fit the story! They should've just called it Mageddon it would've made more sense. Second, they had A LOT of old super hero's that you don't normally see in the DC universe in the comic but they bearly used them at all. Like Captain Marvel (Shazam) for example he didn't do ANYTHING! The only reason why I gave this book a 3 is because of the fight between Batman and Prometheus! THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT of the comic and one of the best action scenes! To tell the truth its the only reason why I got it. However, I wouldn't exactly recommend this graphic novel to someone instead I recommend you go get "Rock of Ages", "Tower of Babel", or "Strength in Numbers".

Like I said before the only thing good about this storyline is the fight between Batman and Prometheus. So if you have no other reason to get this graphic novel at least get it for that fight!

This book contains the final chapters of Grant Morrison's JLA, and it is the final that everybody wanted. With the most powerful heroes of DC Universe, Morrison had constructed a mighty League, a team made to confront Apocalipsys once and another time. "World War III" keeps that line, but this time the JLA fights the definitive menace. The story is full of emotion, epics and imagination, as Morrison had been doing till here, and Howard Porter's art is as spectacular and surprising as ever. Obligatory for JLA's fans, and a good choice if you are seeking a good superheroes story (but first, make a friend tell you what happens in JLA: Rock of Ages).

I can't understand the low rating for this one. WORLD WAR 3 was everything that was great about Morrison's JLA tenfold. Great character dynamics and awsome "widescren" action right up there with the best Authority story. Don't forget that it was Morrison who made popular the whole widescreen, cinematic style of storytelling that can now be found in just about every other comic book today. I remember loving this story when I read each individual issue and it's only better collected into one book that you can sit down, relax, and read in one sitting.

WORLD WAR THREE ROCKS!!!

I used to love Spider-Man--and for the same reasons that everyone else did. He was fun, daring, brave and most of all, human. He failed at times, he had doubts--he was just like us. But somewhere along that way, the character changed. I lost that connection that I once felt for Peter Parker and it never seemed to return. Up until ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN was released, I hadn't read a Spidey comic since he was flying around as Captain Universe (I remember the days fondly when the true identity of the Hobgoblin was a predominate concern). But for some reason, the other current Spidey titles didn't seem to interest me.

But that changed with the release of PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN: A DAY IN THE LIFE. Written by Paul Jenkins, this collection of two separate Spidey series (WEBSPINNERS: TALES OF SPIDER-MAN #10-12 and PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN Vol. 2, #20-22 & 26) has rekindled that interest. With the same contemplative and insightful style that made his take on THE INHUMANS such a compelling read, Jenkins manages to inject poignancy and humor into this classic character again. We see the personal struggles that have weighed heavily on Peter's conscience. We relive the tragedies that besieged his life and the events (and the people) that shaped it. And best yet, we see him persevere and continue fighting the good fight.

If you like Spider-Man and would like to maintain a sense of history, especially in the wake of the "Ultimate" Spidey reboot and the film, or just want to read one of the best Spidey stories in years, I strongly suggest you pick up this TPB (trade paperback). And I'm not saying that you should disregard ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN--you shouldn't. It's a great series, too. What I am saying is that this collection is one of THE definite Spidey stories that I've read, and a great way to get back into a character that had seemingly lost his way.

Check it out!

What makes Spider-Man a fascinating character is not his great powers, but the man behind the mask, Peter Parker. Spidey has enjoyed tremendous success ever since his conception nearly 40 years ago. Throughout all this time, the most unique thing about him was not the colorful suit he wears while swinging, but the simple average, all-so human Peter Parker. Stan Lee, his creator, knew that a long time ago and what better way to bring this character to life but through mastery of one of the hottest British writers of all time, Paul Jenkins.

Jenkins became a household name with his unbelievable work on the INHUMANS, but it is here in his take on Spidey that he truly does shine. His characterization is par none, he takes you on a trip into the Spider-Man saga and fills in points of history, with original art of that time, but never truly changes anything for the old reader. He makes things come to life with his words. The take on going back and forth in the past sure does display his powers as a writer. This is a man that was set to write any hero and make him out to be more human than the people you see walking the street everyday while going to work.

The whole story delves completely on Peter Parker and how his life as Spider-Man has come to be in the recent years. This is a man who has been through much and still persevered to tell the tale. He is your average guy who you might bump into while playing softball in the park or the guy next to you in the movie theater. He is a living, breathing human being and not a comic book character. At times, a person might think that he's probably too human with all his flaws and gestures. The TPB starts off with how the Chameleon, one of Spidey's first foes views him. This trip goes without saying is an in-depth look at Spidey and Peter Parker that has never been explored before. This culminates in Chapter 3 where Spidey is defined as the true character he really is. The following 4 chapters take you on a ride of how Spidey came to be through the eyes of Peter Parker. Flashbacks on his life as a child help create the man he is now and the hero he then later becomes. Jenkins takes you all the way, with a day in the life. The witty humor and the pretenses don't leave you laughing out loud, but keep giving you that smile that you carry on throughout the story. Anyone could be Spider-Man given the right circumstances, but it is only Peter Parker that makes the character who he really is. You feel the loneliness that he feels and the sadness that he carries each day with him. The loss of his loved ones, his uncle and his wife. You just learn that no matter, to be who you are, you have to learn how to laugh. In the end, that's what helps us being ourselves. That's what makes us appreciate our life for what it is. This is a smart piece of fiction, superbly written by Jenkins and drawn by the industry's top artists.

Spider-Man is a comic character, but Peter Parker is a real man in all sense of the word.

I used to love Spider-Man--and for the same reasons that everyone else did. He was fun, daring, brave and most of all, human. He failed at times, he had doubts--he was just like us. But somewhere along that way, the character changed. I lost that connection that I once felt for Peter Parker and it never seemed to return. Up until ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN was released, I hadn't read a Spidey comic since he was flying around as Captain Universe (I remember the days fondly when the true identity of the Hobgoblin was a predominate concern). But for some reason, the other current Spidey titles didn't seem to interest me.

But that changed with the release of PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN: A DAY IN THE LIFE. Written by Paul Jenkins, this collection of two separate Spidey series (WEBSPINNERS: TALES OF SPIDER-MAN #10-12 and PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN Vol. 2, #20-22 & 26) has rekindled that interest. With the same contemplative and insightful style that made his take on THE INHUMANS such a compelling read, Jenkins manages to inject poignancy and humor into this classic character again. We see the personal struggles that have weighed heavily on Peter's conscience. We relive the tragedies that besieged his life and the events (and the people) that shaped it. And best yet, we see him persevere and continue fighting the good fight.

If you like Spider-Man and would like to maintain a sense of history, especially in the wake of the "Ultimate" Spidey reboot and the film, or just want to read one of the best Spidey stories in years, I strongly suggest you pick up this TPB (trade paperback). And I'm not saying that you should disregard ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN--you shouldn't. It's a great series, too. What I am saying is that this collection is one of THE definite Spidey stories that I've read, and a great way to get back into a character that had seemingly lost his way.

Check it out!

In here Exodus is the trouble maker while Magneto is recovering from the loss of his mind, and colossus feeling kind of guildty for leaving the X-men, THis book is great, it has a lot of heroes in it and you can keep track of all the heroes. If you love The avengers, avengers WEst Coast, The X-Men, Exodus, or even Fabian Cortez, this is the book to read.

Agreed the art isn't great in the Avengers pieces, but if you like a lot of variety and a fun, fun book with a lot of adventure and a good ending that is a surprise till the end, this may be for you.

A good story with Avengers tension, mutant vs hero tension, mutant vs mutant tension and a great "Mageneto's Family" suffering for Magneto's sins storyline.

I would reccomend it.

An excellent story, showing a darker side to the marvel universe. The tragic story of war in the island nation of Genosha, the gritty realism of the story along with the excellent artwork, makes for a great read. I would strongly recommend this, for it is truly, one of the few classic storys produced by Marvel.

I picked this book up while on vacation in Europe and might not have bought it had my husband not been simultaneously browsing through another copy and actually laughing aloud. After the first few pages, however, I was hooked, and laughed so hard over several passages that I nearly choked. I am a high school English teacher, choosy in my vacation material reading, and can only say I cannot remember a book I have enjoyed more. This is indeed "Bridget Jones" from a male perspective, but with a kind of Dickensian twist - Barrowcliff has a habit of digressing from his plot to make bitingly funny, satirical fun of the dating games inherent in the 30-something singles world. One cannot help but sympathize with the narrator, who is saved from utter villainy only by the clarity with which he views his own faults. The ending is surprisingly poignant and a very fine piece of work. For pure pleasure, absolutely excellent reading!

Ah yes, the quest for the perfect woman. I actually bought this book before it hit the states, as reading material for a return flight from London. I could not have picked a better read.

The dry English humor and the authentic British slang constantly remond you that the book is not set in the states -- a refreshing change from similar novels I have read that seem dull in comparison due to that fact that Anywhere, USA is a setting for far to many books.

It's like Bridget Jones from the viewpoint of the opposite sex, with quirky flatmates for added flavor. If you liked Bridget Jones, give this one a try!

Girlfriend 44 is the sort of book you always look for but can never quite find-the sort that you want to read in one sitting but you can't because it's so good you want it to last forever. You end up reading it at outdoor cafes and laughing out loud, not caring who hears you or what they think, you read it half hanging off of your bed, comfortably slumped as its spell overtakes you, you lope down the street with a goofy grin on your face as though you are in love.

The setting is modern London, the heroes are Lost Boys who live for a pint and the perfect woman, but you don't have to be an Anglophile to appreciate the sarcastic irony of this male confessional.It's a male "Bridget Jones" or a "High Fidelity" without the music. There's even a bit with a dead body. Highest marks for this book.

There is a character in this book who most readers will recognise. Simon is an acquaintance (rarely a friend) who must "win" conversations. He is smug and asserts 5 words where one would suffice.

While Mr. O'Donnell may identify with Tad, the sterotypically sweet main character, he really seems to me to be so much more a Simon. His writing is laboured and his sense of sentimentality, while earnest, is always overcome by a need to be clever. I like writers to be clever but more than that, I like them to write characters, not to prove to me that they know a whole lot of really big words. Mr. O'Donnell's writing lacks depth and humanity. I understand that Finding Homer is his better work but this piece of tripe will prevent me from experiencing that book.

Even though some reviewers did not like this book, I thought it was a lovely little novel. It is a week before Christmas in Manhattan and Tad, our protagonist, has just been fired from his job at an elementary school (as a story-teller) because an affectionate child has told his mother that Tad was his favorite hugger or some such nonsense (the mother is, of course, on the board or somehow related to those who worry about this). Tad has also realized that the apartment he has occupied for some time will no longer be available to him as the rightful owner is coming home. It is a Sunday and Tad has been invited to seven different events (functions) which he decides that morning he will attend in spite of the feelings of doom and gloom and utter loneliness he is feeling about his life. The reason I so liked this little book is because, while droll in its humor, it was at a very basic level, uplifting. We have brunch with Tad's family who are bizarre yet strangely accommodating, especially a brother he was never close to but who provides him with some food for thought. We meet old friends of Tad's who offer him a place to stay for a while if he needs, we meet the sister of an old boyfriend (who Tad treated poorly) who is actually rather forgiving, we meet some other friends who are artists and so self-consumed and weird that Tad seems perfectly fine by comparison, we attend a high end party where Tad drinks too much, says the wrong things to the wrong people, yet manages to stir compassion in the (potential new boyfriend) heart of someone who returns his wallet. And we visit the basement in the elementary school Tad has just been fired from, some of his better co-workers who have snuck away from the holiday party and commiserate with him. I liked this book because Tad has every reason to be depressed and wallow in self pity and yet he ventures out in his very vulnerable state and manages to let people take care of him in a very off-hand sweet sort of way. He allows himself to see that life is not over and that things are going to turn up. I liked the whole premise.

AND THE STORY LINE IS A RIOT.

Ugh. Where do I start? Where should I start. How can I possibly stop?

While there are some good aspects to the new system, the horrendous and horrible features far outnumber them.

First off, the game is a matematical and book-keeping nightmare. The gamemaster will rapidly lose control of any game while he/she sits back and computes difficulties, defenses and damages for the heroes and npcs. The system is overly complex (though not the worst I've ever seen, mind).

For example, when you take damage, for every 3 red stones of damage you take, you take 1 health. Why not just multiply health by 3 and take damage directly off of that? That way you don't have to do multiplication AND subtraction. I'd make a House Rule if I were running the game. IF I were running the game.

As another example, a hero or villains defense changes every turn. This might be fine, albeit annoying, for players, but the gamemaster who's running the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is going to to slit his wrist trying to keep up with all the healths. And that's assuming he or she has the space behind the GM screen to properly track all of said evil mutants.

Time is ambiguously measured in vague panels and pages (conceptually clever, technically atrocious.) Simply put, a character can do as many things in a panel as a comic book artist can draw in one. Huh? I get the gist, but this is a game for crying out loud. We need some structure.

I do like the method of experience awards and advancement, conceptually; but again, technically it's weak. Experience is awarded toward different powers or skills, which are called "lines". In other words, you have to use a power before you can advance in it. Not a new concept, but one that's completely foreign in a lot of currently published games.

But this system also falls down. An example in the book clearly states that if you gain a line of experience that claims you performed "underwater close combat", then in the future when you are underwater fighting and the GM tries to impose a penalty for your actions, you can point to your experience and say you don't have to take the penalty because you've been underwater fighting before? Come again?

The book, on the surface, seems laid out rather nicely. But upon closer inspection it's hard to find things. I couldn't find a clear cut section on combat. The sample heroes were introduced to me before I could even understand what their stats meant. The powers that I read were incomplete and confusing. (For instance, the Phasing power didn't mention anything about what would happen if you unphased into a solid object, but the example under the power description clearly stated that Kitty Pryde would be in for a world of hurt if she did so. Okay then!)

I could go on. But these are just my initial findings and the ones that come to mind immediately. The developers have attempted to create a free-form, game that captures the spirit of a comic book and puts the players in control of their heroes abilities and successes. But look, if you want that AND you want a system that's easy to learn, go buy the previous version of Marvel; the one from Wizards of the Coast. ... But if you like doing math, flipping through pages, and creating lots and lots of sheets of paper to keep track of who has what defense during what panel on a page, then you can also find this hardbound [book, too].

Don't say I didn't warn you.

...

I have been playing RPG's for about 5 years now, and have played everything from Dungeons and Dragons to D20 Modern...and this really doesn't make much sense. The rules, while short and sweet; are really complex about something with energy and stones and white and reds stones. I am still going to be playing it but it is not as good as D&D or other games...plus, I kind of isn't fair to be playing a ... SUPERHERO in an RPG (its like playing a God in Dungeons and Dragons!) Over all it is worth it for the money, but unless you just want an RPG to {mess} around with then this is your game.

This game is excellent! It really captures the true essence of Marvel Comics. If you want to play a game that simulates what a comic book is all about, then buy this game! I know that it might seem weird without the dice and all, but it really is more fun. Unlike other games where you have to role dice to see if you can complete an action, this game gives you a set amount of points, called "stones", and basically lets you decide what to do, and whether or not you accomplish the feat. Again, if you are a fan of comics or RPGs, or if you just want a change of pace from the norm, buy this game today.

I found this book compelling and convincing. Its stark portrayal of the logical consequences of the rap ethos, its bleak humor, and its engaging characters take this beyond the question of idiom or stereotype. Whether posturing for the interviewer or puzzling out the mystery of racism, Africa Ali and his cohorts seem desperate to tell their stories, and it seems to me that those stories -- authentic or not -- deserve to be told. If the stories frighten the whites and frustrate the blacks, so much the better.

Novels may be the ideal space in which to consider and encounter otherness. Africa's life and language are alien to me, and so is urban black culture in general. Reading this novel, knowing it was written by a white man, forced me to decide where my own sympathies (and pathologies) might be located. If rap were turned into narrative, would it be like this? If I find these characters sympathetic, does that make me a racist because, as some reviewers have said, they are stereotypes? Or does it mean that I have broken through the stereotypes to their humanity? Maybe the important thing is to be asking the question. This novel startled and challenged me, and that's a good thing.

Unfortunately, the controversy over whether a white man can legitimately write a novel about black culture speaks volumes about the strangle-hold identity politics has taken on America: perhaps our desire for authenticity, and our wish that the oppressed might speak for themselves, has closed doors to creativity that ought to be left open. In any case, I plan to teach this book in my class on Contemporary American Literature, and let the students debate the question.

So how does a mature Jewish professor dare to write a novel in street dialect about a young black man, and how could it be done well? Well, the first question doesn't require an answer. He did it. And the second is answered by the book. It's fine.

But what is its value? What does fiction do, at its best? It allows us to inhabit a person that we could hardly understand otherwise. Here we have white America's worst nightmare depicted: a young tough smart black man who doesn't give a damn.

Now black writers may feel that Goldblatt is poaching on their reservation. But foreignness can give a writer an advantage. And there's another advantage here to not being black. A black writer has a complex reaction to this character too. He or she is as likely to be afraid of such guys as a white; plus there's some group solidarity - don't expose this side of our people in front of the outsiders. Or there's irritation at someone who is squandering his opportunities ; or there's a desire to use this character to beat up on white readers, scare them or make them feel guilty. The white author is free of those possible hang-ups.

An author may love his characters or hate them, or he may take sides. Love some, hate others. Dickens and Tolstoy I consider to be obvious examples of writers who love their characters; they love even their villains. For hatred it's hard to match Evelyn Waugh. (A Handful of Dust would be the absolute indicator.)

Here's the amazing thing about Africa Speaks. Goldblatt loves his character. He gives so much detail of the life so quickly. Violent crime, wasted educational opportunities, intolerable attitudes toward women and sex, nonsensical racist rant, these are unfortunate details in a man who may not be lovable, but is loved anyway. But how do I know Goldblatt loves Africa Ali? Chuang Tzu and the fishes. The Chinese philosopher walking along the stream comments on the joy of the fishes. His companion complains that he couldn't possibly know that. He responds that he knows by the joy he feels watching them.

So here's what this book does. It lets urban middle class white readers enter into a relationship of love with a character that they see every day, but will never be close to. This is not the relationship they will have with the pathetic Bigger Thomas, for sure. Easy Rawlins, Mosley's detective hero, may be enjoyable, and likable but no more real than a TV cop. And not BAD. Black male figures in literature are either not the man we fear, or not a man we can love. Africa Ali is both. Isn't that something.

The unobtrusive frame of the story is that Africa has volunteered to state his view of life to a sociology prof with a tape recorder who buys him Chinese lunch. Africa isn't the only character. On days when he can't make it he sends friends. A promiscuous black woman who loves him, an ambitious young man working a menial job to start a normal life, and a pompous young Afrocentric university student. They are all presented lovingly. In the background is another friend, a real violent gangster. He never appears. Goldblatt's benevolence, perhaps, could not stretch so far.

The street attitude toward sex, and the nonsensical prating of Afrocentrist rant should be funny, but the urban pathology is simply too painful for these vivid raps to be really hilarious. Guys like Africa, however, are eloquent performers in a style that is constructed to be amusing, and the author puts it down wonderfully well. So it's amusing even if not funny(?) Still, for a piece of sociology combined with linguistics and rolled into a fictional package, it's great.

The fact that this significant book is not widely reviewed in periodicals is a scandal.

I wouldn't be writing this review except for the last couple of reviews which imply that Goldblatt should not have written this because he's white, or that he doesn't get the language of hip hop exactly right. I read this book right after it came out, and I am a big time fan of hip hop, and I can tell you he got the language just right. Not to say he got it exactly the way it's spoken on the street. If he tried to do that, the book would have been dated before it ever got published--since hip hop slang changes every week. (That's one of hip hop's strengths.) What Goldblatt does is he invents a kind of essential hip hop language--close enough to sound real but still understandable to non-hip hop fans. Then he uses that language to tell the story of Africa Ali, who is the main narrator. The things Africa says may not be pretty, but they're true in the way that only fiction can be true; they're true to the character of Africa. It's easy to say, but I'll say it anyway: I personally guarantee you'll laugh out loud and cry out loud in the course of reading this book. You'll love every character in the book, and you'll root for them, and you'll read the book over and over just to hear their voices again. This is everything ia classic should be. And if you don't read it because other readers, with axes to grind, put you off it, it will be your loss.