i found this book to be very interesting due to the fact that i'm a fan of female actresses from the 50's and 60's.this book is very intriging with the allure of two of the most stunning women of that era in their best and worst times.if i were to buy ,only, one book this year this would be my first choice.

I first heard of this book in a 1927 review of it by Dorothy Parker (available in the 1944 edition of The Portable Dorothy Parker, as well as subsequent editions I believe, including the 1973 one). Parker's review is beautifully apt. She says, "I think that the Journal of Katherine Mansfield is the saddest book I have ever read. Here, set down in exquisite fragments, is the record of six lonely and tormented years, the life's-end of a desperately ill woman. So private is it that one feels forever guilty of prying for having read it." Mansfield suffered from a heart condition and later tuberculosis which kept her in a constant state of physical misery for years. Even worse for her was the constant torment of never being able to achieve enough as a writer to satisfy herself. Parker is completely right: I can't think of who could capture that constant, acute sorrow better than Katherine Mansfield. As Parker said, "She was not of the little breed of the discontented; she was of the high few fated to be ever unsatisfied."

If you've never read her short stories (she never wrote anything else), please do, and I would advise you to read them before you read her journal.

The book itself seems like it could be published as a stream-of-consciousness novel (it's impossible to follow at times but no worse for it. It seems to make perfect sense - even the numerous cryptic little notes). It's full of little pieces of stories never finished. Mansfield's body of work was so small (something that upset her deeply) that these little fragments would be enough to make any fan of hers need to read this journal.

She is most often compared to Chekhov, and it's not difficult to see why. I truly believe that Mansfield innovated and practically invented the English (language) short story. Besides Chekhov (whom she often mentions in her journal) I've never read anything quite like her, particularly not anything that predates her.

What else you need to know:
1. Mansfield was born in New Zealand, the influence of which can be seen in short stories like "At the Bay".
2. Her husband, J. Middleton Murry, published her journals, causing some to accuse him of taking advantage of her.
3. You must read this book.

This book adds significantly to the understanding of Katherine Mansfield and her New Zealand stories. I enjoyed it very much.

I must admit that I'm partial to Elizabeth Mansfield's books: I have yet to pick one up and be disappointed. This book is no exception.

The premise of this book is that 19-year-old Ada's young brother has disappeared. When her older brother gives up on the search after one day, Ada decides she will have to find her brother. However, she decides it is safer to search as a young man, not an unaccompanied young woman. Enter Derek, a jaded (but not irredeemable) lord who deduces Ada's deception. His conscience prevents him from letting the spunky lady venture alone so he tags along for the search. As the search leads across the countryside and London, Ada and Derek realize they are falling in love. However, before true love can be found, many other problems must be worked out, including revealing Ada's gender deception.

This book has a wonderful, forward-moving plot and very lovable characters, especially Ada and Derek but also the varied cast of secondary characters. Superb writing makes this a treasure in itself. If you can find a copy of this book, keep it--you won't regret spending the time reading this one.

This little booklet gives a great overview of Laura's life as an adult. Loved it!

The return of this book to print is a great boon to anyone interested in Machiavelli, or who has ever struggled through the Discourses wondering just what Old Nick is getting at.

Originally published more than 20 years ago, "New Modes and Orders" remains the only full length commentary on the Discourses ever published in English. As such, it is indespensible, for the Discourses is at once Machiavelli's most difficult and most important book. Those of us who until now have had to rest content with rumaging through library copies dreading the due date will gladly shell out...to have a copy on our own shelves.

"New Modes" has often been critized for its reserve bordering on circumspection. There is justice in this criticism. This book is not an easy read, and it does not "explain" the difficulties of the Discourses in a way that readers who are not willing to work will find helpful.

But despite his overall reserve, Mansfield is surprisingly candid on a few points of extreme importance. My own impression is that his method is to state baldly a handful of broad but essential points, and then elusivley wade through a host of details the understanding of which allows us to fill in the gaps between the broad points.

One example will suffice. You don't need to be well versed in military affairs to realize that practically none of Machiavelli's arguments in Book II of the Discourses makes any sense. Mansfield helps us resolve this difficulty, right at the outset of his treatment of that Book, by plainly stating that Book II is an argument not about physical warfare but about spiritual warfare. It is in fact a long, sustained metaphor in which certain topics and terms serve as stand-ins for Machiavelli's real subjects. Then, having drawn the curtain completely open, just for a second, Mansfield lets it close, and proceeds to his line-by-line discussion of Book II--but only after he has let us know what is really going on, thereby giving us the tools to understand for ourselves what will be discussed in this all-important section.

I wish also to note that Mansfield is a masterful writer, and that few books--and almost no scholarly books--can claim to be this well done. He is also a very funny man. Machiavelli is lucky to have found a commentator who not only appreciates his sublte jokes but contributes some delightful jokes of his own that are worthy of the master.

In sum: this book will frustrate you. It will make you sweat and curse and fume. But it rewards the patient.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a mischievous and witty little imp of a school girl who was such a troublemaker and pain in the neck that her father decided to marry her off to the equally feisty brother of the Earl of Edgerton. It was arranged that Kitty Birkinshaw was to spend a fortnight at the Earl's estate to enable the young couple to get to know each other. The ever inventive Kitty switched place with her abigail in a scheme to get out of this arranged marriage. However, Kitty, used to the position of giving command, was too spirited and unruly to be a totally submissive servant. Her sharp tongue and impertinence drew the attention of the Earl and later he deduced from her personality and the scrapes she got herself into that she must be Birkinshaw's wild,trouble-making daughter in disguise.He was besotted but repressed the feeling and Ketty was also in love with the Earl. This brazen, saucy little girl, knowing that the Earl would never offer for a servant girl, had the nerve to offer to be his mistress. The story is hilarious and titillating and of course ended happily.I love the story. I love the characters -- the heroine is so cute and endearing and the hero equally appealling. I wish the story were longer with more escapades by the feisty heroine.Don't miss this

I love Jane Austen. And this was the movie that made me fall in love with her work. This book excellent. I act it out all the time and read it along with the movie. This a really great book!If your not sure about it, watch the movie; you'll see what I mean.

On line help is OK in some situations, but if you are serious in wanting to use Word to its fullest capacity, try the OLD FASHIONED way, i.e., use a book. And I highly recommend "Mastering Word for Windows 95", by Ron Mansfield as that book. I am a diehard WordPerfect fan, but when the world has switched to Word, what can one do? But learning a new word processing program when you have mastered another and used it for over 10 years is like suddenly being asked to conduct all your activities in a foreign language. Yet, Mansfield's book makes that transition painless and almost pleasant. This book succeeds because it has obviously been written and revised in accordance with the experience of users. Thus you don't start out learning a process only to be stuck with an unfamiliar term or a reference to a button or menu that you can't find. Your problems and confusions have been anticipated. There are ample illustrations of the screen that comes up as you follow a process, so you feel that Mr. Mansfield is always at your shoulder. I started out hating Word when forced to use it, but Mr. Mansfield may make me a fan yet. In any event, I now use Word rather than the other way around.

I collect Hawaiian cookbooks & this is one of my very favorites & most often used...It is filled with elegant, EASY, & delicious recipes. I have made many of them & have never been disappointed. The photos in this book are incredible..Every other page is filled with stunning pictures of incredible beaches, palm trees, volcanoes, coastlines...Like a mini-trip to the islands! And the photos of the dishes are striking and well-done. Who knew that macadamia oil is lower in saturated fats (and higher in Omega-3s) than olive oil?? Who knew there were so many things you can do with these nuts? This is one of my very favorite cookbooks, and I highly recommend it. Mahalo!