In The Greenwich Village Reader, editor, freelance writer, and publicist June Sawyers has gathered into a single volume a collection of writings chronicling the Greenwich Village community from the late 1800s down to the present day. Drawn from letters, articles, poems, novel excerpts, and memoirs, here are found more than sixty unique voices commenting on their varied experiences. From Henry James recalling his return to the Village years after writing "Washington Square", to Madison Smartt Bell describing a Washington Square Heroin dealer from the 1980s, the reader is treated to a passing parade of Greenwich Village gentry, bohemians, flappers, poets, immigrants, musicians, radicals, and the occasional wide-eyed visitor. The Greenwich Village Reader is a unique and memorable literary and nostalgic testament in honor of a distinctive, dynamic, evolving community.

This was the first book by Kinky Friedman that I purchased and the fact that it contained not 1 but 3 stories (books) seemed like a smart purchase. I sat in the bookstore and read the first few pages of each book, just to see if individually they were worth buying the book...and they were. (Who wants to buy a book that has 3 stories in it, but only 1 is good? )

Kinky Friedman has a distinct, non-politically-correct way of summing up life's happenings, but despite his incorrectness, I still laughed-a lot. His use of imagery is absolutely unusual and will keep you guessing as to what his next words of wit will be.

I highly recommend purchasing this book if you're a fan of (private detective) mysteries, sarcasm, wit, country music, Judaism or whiskey (read the book and you'll see what I mean).

The projects in this book are all fun and also nice to look at. Unlike some kids' projects, these are things I wouldn't mind having around my house!

I checked the book out from the library and had it for a whole year before I realized I should buy myself a copy.

My father is an excellent author.

This is a very pivital book for the history of feminism in the United States. May of the suffagette leaders as well as writers actresses and professional women were members of this private club in Greenwich village from 1914- 1930s Full of wonderful photos.

I am ashamed to admit it, but, yes, I have been reading for over 25 years and this is the very first time that I have ever read Jane Austen. None of her novels were required in high school, no literature class that I took in college used any as a text, and I had never thought to pursue her for sheer entertainment. It is quite sad, actually, for I find Austen much more accessible than some of the classic that I did have to wade through, including Wuthering Heights and The Scarlet Letter. Austen has recently seen a resurgence in popularity, likely due to the recent BBC and Hollywood adaptations of her books, including the Emma Thompson vehicle Sense and Sensibility.

Pride and Prejudice was Austen's second novel, following the success of Sense and Sensibility. Its original title was--and I'm not making this up a la Dave Barry--First Impressions. To my taste, this would have been a much more apt title, but it had been used by another author before Austen could get this book in print. The story is about the five Bennet sisters, who, while not orphaned or penniless, have few choices as to husbands because their father's estate is entailed on a male heir, and they have no brother. The father seems to have resigned them to their fate, but their mother wastes no opportunity to arrange a good match for her daughters. The two oldest--Jane and Elizabeth--are level-headed and quite understand the position that they are in, but the youngest three are flirtatious and giddy, a bad combination in winning society's eye. Disasters ensue when eligible bachelors Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to town, as well as the officers of the ---shire regiment.

The reason First Impressions would have been a better title is that each character--not just the main two, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy--is constantly assuming things about other characters based on their initial reception of them. Mr. Darcy, in the country, is too proud to dance with any of the young women because of his mistaken impression that they are all declasse; Elizabeth forms her prejudices about Mr. Darcy because of her first meeting with him and this dance snub. The townsfolk think the best of Mr. Wickham because his first impression on everyone is quite favorable. And on and on and on.

Very interesting, but it goes on forever, as the characters can never be quite direct given the mores of the time. That does not mean that they can not be insulting, as a particularly vicious exchange between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth shows. I'm glad that I have now broken my Austen fast, but I think that I can wait awhile before digesting any more.

I have always loved the style and social politics of the Regency period (the time of Jane Austen.) But when I read "Sense and Sensibility" in 7th grade I found the first few chapters lifeless, dull and hard to read. Two years later I was encouraged by a friend to give "Pride and Prejudice" a try. I did and have since become a complete Janeite. I am now able to peruse joyfully through "Sense and Sensibility" with a new understanding and appreciation of Jane Austen. The reason? "Pride and Prejudice" is fresh, witty and is a great introduction to Jane Austen's writing style without the formality of some of her other novels (unlike S&S and Persuasion Austen does not give us a 10 page history of each family and their fortune.) If you have never read Jane Austen or have read her other novels and found them boring, read Pride and Prejudice. The characters, and the situations Austen presents to them, are hysterical and reveal a lot about Regency society and morality. This book perfectly compliments a great writer like Jane Austen and is essential to every reader's library. The Penguin Edition of the book is stellar and I personally recommend it not only for the in-depth and indispensable footnotes, but also for the cover that is non-suggestive of any of the characters' appearances. In summary "Pride and Prejudice" is a great book for beginner Austen readers and seasoned fans, and Penguin Classics is a great edition for fully enjoying and understanding the book.

It doesn't get better than Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Whether you're the hopeless romantic or you just love the classics, you're going to love this book. Though I am only sixteen, I consider myself to be moderately well-read. I love reading, and, when I am between books, my life feels desolate and empty. One day, while in the most barren pit of ennui, I picked up Pride and Prejudice at my mother's recommendation. I do not ordinarily like my mother's taste in reading; her favorite books tend to be very dull, but so deep was my boredom that I succumbed to her suggestion. I wasn't displeased with what I found. I fell in love with the book at the first sentence. I brought my beloved book to the dinner table, to my classes and late into the night. I love everything about it. I love the characters; especially Elizabeth Bennet! I love the Victorian vernavular which works so well for this particular novel. I love the scintillating plot and the suspense created by knowing that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy should be together but their pride and prejudice (hence the title) are temporarily keeping them apart. The language that the novel is written in might be a little more difficult to read than contemporary literature, but once one gets accustomed to it, it makes the novel even more pleasurable. I cannot imagine Elizabeth or Darcy or Bingley or any of the other characters speaking any less eloquently; it would ruin the whole experience! The flowery language completes the whole effect of reading a Jane Austen novel. If a disgruntled female reader put down Pride and Prejudice, pick it back up! I strongly suggest it because it may prove to be tedious at first but if read again, it would probably read more easily. I can offer no suggestions to the male reader, however, because generally this book, in ever essence, is a female novel. I am not saying that men would definetly not enjoy it; I'm simply saying that I have yet to meet any male who has not addressed this book in a very vehement manner. I simply love this book in its entirety, and I know it won't be too long before I pick it up again. Jane Austen surely knew what she was doing when she wrote this one! Her Pride and Prejudice will always have an honored spot on my bookshelf.

When four girlfriends play a horrible practical joke on a young man on Valentine's Day, they don't realize the pain and murder that will be afflicted upon them in years to come

The victim of the joke goes crazy...killing his family. While serving his prison term, with his hatred of the girls building up every day, he plans his revenge.

A new face, and a new name will give the opportunity to enact his revenge, thus begins the tormenting game of VALENTINE!

"Valentine" is EXCELLENT; the kind of thriller that will have you UP ALL NIGHT reading, and then telling all your friends about it the next day.

I read this book many years ago and decided to read it again(since it is being made into a movie), and it is still as suspenseful as the first time I read it.

Tom Savage has written several books, all of them really good, but none as good as this one! Every chapter contains a cliffhanger, and the ENDING...what a shocking ending.

A MUST read!!!

Nick Gonnella

Tom Savages "Valentine" is one of his best books I've read. I couldn't put it down. The book kept getting better and better after each chapter. It is full of terror and suspense, but best of all it's full of mystery. This bone-chilling novel with a terrifying twist is about a women named Jill who is the author of several murder books. Now a mysterious Valentine is sending her deadly gifts thats making her live in fright. Victor is her bloody Valentine. After Jill and some of her friends in collage tormented him and played a prank, Victor has grown with anger and is getting his vengeance by murder. He has gotten the other girls, but now his final victim is Jill. Could she survive the terror.

Novelist Jillian Talbot is a very successful author with four books out. Living in Greenwich Village, she has a great life. That is until she starts getting threatening Valentine's Day cards and a threatful phone call. She gets very jumpy and hires detective Barney Fleck to help find the man that is threatening her. Jillian has a pretty good idea who it is, but with some research from Fleck, her guess is wrong.

In the midst of all this, she is in love with her boyfriend Nate, and recently found out that she is pregnant. If I give you anymore information regarding the plot I will ruin your reading, which I don't want to do! "Valentine," is a novel that is sure to scare you, mystify you, and just addict you to itself. Tom Savage leaves each chapter on a note that makes you turn the page. I haven't read such a good thriller in a bit, and I'm glad I read this one. I am looking forward to reading more of Tom Savage and hope you'll decide to read this great novel. This book has a great rythm to it and it's very fast reading. A definite must read.

Happy Reading!

Although my blind urge to read the Great Classics has (thankfully) faded somewhat over the years in favor of reading whatever I damn please, I finally decided it was time to give War and Peace a try. After all, how can anyone who enjoys novels resist the lure of "the greatest novel of all time"? And Tolstoy himself was an unusually interesting man -- not a screwed-up genius but one who seemed to eventually figure it all out. It took me maybe a hundred pages to get into the rhythm of the book and figure out who all those characters with multisyllabic Russian names were. After that, it was totally engrossing and surprisingly easy reading. There's no point giving you a book report on what happens -- you're supposed to read it yourself -- but I do disagree with some of the other reviewers who didn't care for the sections describing Tolstoy's philosophy of history. I found those sections (a very small proportion of the book) fascinating, albeit a change of pace. This is part of what makes the book great. War and Peace is not just a story of what happens to a bunch of made-up people, but a major work of art expressing the wisdom of a great man.

What a tale! Tolstoy's War and Peace has everything - a broad palatte of characters set to the greatest event of the 19th century - with conflict, romance, honor, courage, a beautiful (if initally maddeningly spoiled) heroine and a bookish (but likable) hero. This fabulous book is everything you've heard about it.

To many, the daunting size, scope and scale of War and Peace is a deterrent to reading it. Fear not: the story is so uttery engrossing, you will literally be unable to put the book down. Tolstoy's characters are almost real in their mannerisms, actions, thoughts and relationships - you feel almost kin to the central figures as they mature and change over time. The drama of the Napoleonic Wars, and the vidid descriptions of the life of the Russian aristocracy at its zenith also drew me into the story.

The book truly is a maserpiece of literature, and I highly recommend it. The only criticism I have is that Tolstoy, as usual, uses the book as a bully-pulpit to share his personal views, but unless you are specifically looking for them, they are negligable. (A hint: look for his themes of "fate" and "destiny" - there are others, but those are my favorites.)

There are many great works of literature - War and Peace certainly deserves to be counted among them. Take the time to read this book - you will not be disappointed.

A wonderfully intricate story by an unbelievable tale spinner. The war is Napoleon's invasion of Russia, a complete fiasco because Napoleon failed to make provision for the Russian winter and the absence of food for his invading army. It's a long but generally quick read, sometimes as hot and scandalous as the gossip on TV. The strength of the book is in the characters. There are five Russian families to follow - the fabulously wealthy Bezukhovs, the slimy Kuragins, the cerebral Bolkonskys, the spirited Rostovs, and the crafty Drubetskoys. There are few characters in literature as memorable and adorable as Natasha Rostova, as a child and as an adult. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book. This isn't Proust or Joyce. It's not that difficult. And it's a really good story.

It's not perfect. Tolstoy throws some rather crackpot ideas in. He believes that Napoleon and other historical figures (we can assume Hitler and Stalin would fit his criteria) have no influence on history - they are simply pawns in the game of fate. Why not just say that everything that you and everyone else has ever done and ever will do is nothing but preordained fate, having nothing to do with you, beyond your control or influence. Tolstoy is a much better storyteller than he is a philosopher. The only way to make any sense of his philosophy is to take it in small doses and just admit that world leaders wouldn't have risen to power unless they met the perceived needs of some of the people they governed.

I initially approached this book with a great deal of trepidation. I had never read Dostoyevsky, and was concerned that I would get bogged down in some lengthy, mind-numbingly boring, nineteenth-century treatise on the bestial nature of man or something. I am happy to report this is not the case. Instead, and to my delight, it is a smoothly flowing and fascinating story of a young man who succumbs to the most base desire, and the impact this has both psychologically and otherwise on himself and those around him.

To be sure, the book seems wordy in places, but I suspect this has to do with the translation. And what translator in his right mind would be bold enough to edit the great Dostoyevsky? But this is a very minor problem.

What we get with Dostoyevsky is dramatic tension, detailed and believable human characters, and brilliant insight into human nature. Early in the novel our hero meets and has a lengthy conversation with Marmeladov, a drunkard. This conversation is never uninteresting and ultimately becomes pathetic and heartbreaking, but I kept wondering why so much time was spent on it. As I got deeper into the book, I understood why this conversation was so important, and realized that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. This is also indicative of the way in which the story reveals itself. Nothing is hurried. These people speak the way we actually speak to one another in real life, and more importantly, Dostoyevsky is able to flesh out his characters into whole, three-dimensional human beings.

And what a diverse group of characters! Each is fleshed out, each is marvelously complex. Razujmikhin, the talkative, gregarious, good-hearted, insecure and destitute student; Sonia, the tragic child-prostitute, with a sense of rightness in the world; Petrovich, the self-important, self-made man, completely out of touch with his own humanity; Dunia, the honorable, wronged sister: we feel like we know these people because we've met people like them. They fit within our understanding of the way human beings are.

Dostoyevsky also displays great insight into human nature. Svidrigailov, for example, talks of his wife as liking to be offended. "We all like to be offended," he says, "but she in particular loved to be offended." It suddenly struck me how true this is. It gives us a chance to act indignantly, to lash out at our enemies, to gain favor with our allies. I don't believe I've ever seen this thought expressed in literature before. In fact, it never occurred to me in real life! Petrovich, Dunia's suitor, not only expects to be loved, but because of his money, and her destitution, he expects to be adored! To be worshipped! He intentionally sought out a woman from whome he expected to get this, and is comletely flummoxed when she rejects him. His is an unusual character, but completely realized.

There is so much more to talk about: the character of Raskolnikov, which is meticulously and carefully revealed; the sense of isolation which descends on him after committing his crime; the cat and mouse game played on him by the police detective. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned the historical and social context in which this takes place. Suffice to say this is a very rich book.

Do not expect it to be a rip-roaring page turner. Sit down, relax, take your time, and savor it. It will be a very rewarding experience. And thank you SL, for recommending it.

Like many writers of his era, Dostoyevsky uses a lot of prose and little dialogue, which makes reading the book a bit of a plodding chore.

However, the story is anything but boring: Raskilnov, a poor student, comes up with the philosophy that killing an old female pawnbroker will actually be good for the world because she cheats people and is otherwise useless. It's premeditated --- he even counts exactly how many steps it takes from his place to her door.

The book also recounts the following few days when Raskilnov's mother and sister come to visit and he has to play his 'family role' i.e. "I'm a good son and brother when I'm not killing old women." In addition, he is involved with a family consisting of a dying mother, a father, 3 young sons and an 18-year-old daughter who must go into prostitution to support them.

So what happens to all of these characters in pre-Revolutionary Russia? What will be Raskilnov's punishment? Does he actually think he was right to kill? The answers unfold as you read this gem from the world of Russian literature -- so renown you feel like you really achieved something when you read it!

This novel stands out as one of the finest pieces of actual literature I have read. Top 5 at least.

First, let me pay tribute to "Everyman's Library Series". They make very handsome novels, complete with soft cream pages, and a built in fabric book mark. They all come in moroon, and add a certain pinache to any book collection. Best of all, they are well priced.

As for Crime and Punishment. I was very impressed. More often than not, I read the classics, and wonder how it is they have become classics. For Dostoevsky, there can be no doubt. And Crime and Punishment is his best known effort. Not his best though. C&P is the exploration of the world that it's hero/villain Raskolnikov occupies. He takes it apon himself to murder a particularly vile pawnbroker(thus making him a villain) under the guise of the highest moral resposibility. Well, no plan is perfect, and most of the book is an involved psycological examination of it's main character, the ways he tries to justify his crime to himself, and the people around him who have no idea what the hell is going on. Dostoevsky creates living breathing people that you care about in this tale. It's simple premise gives way to an incredibly complex story. The dialogues bewtween Raskolnikov, and Porfiry( the ever suspicious investigator) are wonderful. And then theres the clever and sneaky Svidrigailov, whom I found rather amusing at times. To me the book was very suspenseful. never knowing if or when young Raskolnikov would confess, or continue to hide in uncertainty due to the circumstancial evidence that linked him to the crime. SO many times I wanted to read to the end to find out. But I didn't, and neither should you. There's just so much depth to this book, I have no doubt it will recieve a return read. Perhaps in another 10 years I will read it, and get even more out of it. That's how all great books are. Highest recommendation.

I simply consume books, and if I like the book I can read a whole book in a short period of time. I had read the Simpson book prior to Murder in Greenwich, and simply could not put it down! It was even hard to go to work. I started this book one evening about 7:00pm, went to work the next day and finished it about midnight the next night. Mark Fuhrman has a style that will keep you mesmerized. Plus, I find him very compassionate. Our system has become so political, it's a wonder that we catch and prosecute anyone. What a shame! It seems that justice would be the main objective. Both the Simpson case and the Moxley case are just a reflection of each other. Money and politics come in ahead of justice. Mark, please give us a book on the Ramsey case! Let's get the true story.

I have searched the internet to send a fan letter to Mark Fuhrman. Hopefully, this review will reach him.

Mr. Fuhrman has found his new career; investigating unsolved murder cases. Using his masterful detective skills, Mark solves the Martha Moxley murder case explaining his conclusions every step of the way. Martha's was a horribly vicious killing whose investigation was bungled by the police from the beginning and stonewalled by the Skakel family with the possible help of the Kennedys. Mr. Fuhrman is to be commended for courageously taking on the Greenwich, CT establishment as well as exposing the coverup orchestrated by the Skakel family lawyers. We hope that some day soon the Moxley family will see some justice delivered for their daughter's horrible murder, and we look forward to reading Mark's next book.

Having read this book two years after its initial publication, this reviewer was aware of the book's conclusions regarding the tragic murder of Miss Moxley, as evidenced by the massive publicity surrounding the indictment of the alleged murderer. Yet, such knowledge does not diminish the book's value as a comprehensive study of the case. The two most valuable elements of the book are 1) the evidentiary findings, and 2) the book's instructive quality. Knowing that the average reader possesses little knowledge of homicide investigations, Mr. Fuhrman greatly enhances the narrative of his story simply by taking the time to explain, in layman's terms, all of the elements which constitute the how and why of proper procedure in such matters. Moreover, by contrasting these with the initial "investigation" by Greenwich police, Mr. Fuhrman provides the reader with a clear explanation of why no meaningful progress was made toward solving the murder. To his credit, the author harbors no apparent glee in exposing such ineptitude. Indeed, he proceeds to offer a very detailed, step-by-step chapter explaining how the investigation should have been conducted from the very moment of discovery of the body of the victim. To his further credit, the author emphasizes, on more than one occasion, the importance of gathering evidence before proceeding toward the profiling and identification of possible suspects. In the end, Mr. Fuhrman manages to offer a full narrative of the events surrounding the case, manages to educate the reader in the various aspects of homicide investigation and revelations inherent in evidence, manages to provide his own solid investigatory findings and, finally, to name a suspect based upon said findings, absent any preconceived opinion. This reviewer highly recommends the book to anyone interested in this particular case and/or those seeking a definitive study of the procedure for competent homicide investigation and the importance of evidence in developing a sound profile of the murderer.