This book is just very interesting and helpful. It was also fun to read and just flip through. I even got my friends to flip through it!

its funny to see all the ads of the past. they're so very different from ads now. it just kind of makes you think how society has changed just by looking at the ads. definitely, if u need something interesting to do, read this book.

This is an inexpensive, yet wonderful collection of African folk tales. They are brilliant- a must-have!

I think that this book is a wonderful life lesson to many youngsters out there.From the jungles of Africa to a lion's mouth, these stories wil take your eyes to a whole new world!

"African-American Poetry: An Anthology, 1773-1927," edited by Joan Sherman, is a powerful and rewarding gathering of poems. Sherman has packed a lot into just 82 pages. Many of the giant names of African-American literature are here: Phillis Wheatley, Frances E.W. Harper, James Weldon Johnson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and many more. There are also poets who are perhaps less well-known, but still admirable as literary creators. As a whole, these poets write with an intriguing variety of voices: solemn, satirical, militant, etc.

Many of black America's most important and most memorable poems are in here: Wheatley's "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Dunbar's "Sympathy" (with its significant line, "I know why the caged bird sings..."), and Countee Cullen's "Yet Do I Marvel." There are poems about slavery, literacy, religion, racial uplift, folk culture, and more. It is interesting to see the juxtaposition (sometimes from the same author) between poems written in vernacular language and those written in very formal English with classical references.

The only weak aspect of the book are the author bios. They are simply too short. Some are only a single sentence long, and they don't contain much bibliographic data. I would have liked a little more for each author. Still, this is an excellent anthology whose compact size and focus make it great both for classroom use and for general reading.

This book is simply amazing. I contains more culture than I have ever read in just one book. I definitely reccomend it to anyone.

The Beggar's Opera by John Gay is an artful yet honest representation of London in the early 1700s. As the Editor's introduction notes, it is a political satire that brings to life the actions of such notorious figures as Jonathan Wild and Robert Walpole. In the Beggar's introduction the reader is made aware of the author's intent to mock the recent craze of the Italian Opera, which is considered by Gay to be thouroughly "unnatural." Immediately after that we are exposed to the corruption of a city offical, Peachum (whose name means "to inform against a fellow criminal"), as he is choosing which criminals should live, as they are still profitable, and who should not, as they have turned honest. Peachum's character of both an arch-criminal and law man is interesting enough in his daily dealings; add to that his daughter's recent marriage to a highwayman (who the father then plots to send to the gallows). Not to mention what happens when the highwayman runs into an old aquaintance of his, who visibly shows his earlier affection, and you have what makes to be a highly entertaining, emotional, and educational story of 18th century London. The dialogue is well written, and the only problem a modern reader might have is the operatic aspect. I suspect that the mockery of the opera is not felt as much when read but rather when performed. Note to reader: it makes it much easier to understand if you read the introduction. There you will find instances of "real" London that the playwrite is satirizing. For all lovers of period English pieces who enjoy a cynical wit.

Life is a jest; and all things show it, I thought so once; but now I know it. - John Gay's epitaph As we sit here, nearly 300 years removed from the debut of The Beggar's Opera, it's hard to recapture the effect that it had on the England of 1728. So look at it this way, John Gay was the Sex Pistols of his day and The Beggar's Opera hit London like Never Mind the Bollocks....

Since Italian opera had first come to London in 1705, it had dominated the British stage. Replete with ornate sets, elaborate costumes, unintelligible plots and imported sopranos and castrati, it was less art than event. Audiences attended to share in the spectacle, as chariots swooped through the air & romantic tales unfolded on stage. Into this artificial world, Gay unleashed an opera about the scum of London society, set in taverns and thieves' dens. He tells the story of Peachum, a fence with a lucrative sideline in informing on fellow criminals. His daughter Polly has secretly married MacHeath, a highwayman. Now Peachum and his "wife" fear that MacHeath will inform on them & inherit their loot when they are hanged. After berating Polly for marrying, & not having sense enough to live out of wedlock, they decide to turn MacHeath in, before he can turn them in. As Peachum prepares his daughter for this turn of events he tells her: "The comfortable estate of widowhood, is the only hope that keeps up a wife's spirits. Where is the woman who would scruple to be a wife, if she had it in her power to be a widow whenever she pleased?" However, to the Peachum's disgust, Polly is actually in love with MacHeath and so, to her great surprise, are several other women, including Lucy Lockit who helps him to escape from prison. So, the stage is set for a madcap farce. Mix in a satiric look at the corrupt administration of justice, some political jabs at the political master of the day, Sir Robert Walpole and songs like the following:

A fox may steal your hens, sir A whore your health and pence, sir, Your daughter rob your chest, sir Your wife may steal your rest, sir, A thief your goods and plate. But this is all but picking, With rest, pence, chest and chicken; It ever was decreed, sir, If lawyer's hand is fee'd, sir, He steals your whole estate.

and you've got Gay's recipe for what quickly became the most popular play of the 18th Century, fathering myriad imitations including Brecht's Threepenny Opera. A delicious romp. GRADE: A

Behold Thy Mother is a powerful little book calling for Big change in most of the world's religions. The author, Ave Maria Dover, writes with down to earth, fiesty style and her passion on the topic of sexism in religion comes through loud and clear. She uses quotes from the bible to point out that "there is no authentic sexism" and that God does not discriminate against women. The author lifts Mary of Nazerath, Mary Magdelene and many other women of biblical time to their rightful place- a place of Honor. She makes clear and bold statements on the Pope, St. Paul, abortion, homosexuality and the status of women in most religions today. A simple book with a very powerful, passionate message! Recommended for women of all ages.

Ave Maria Dover likes to push buttons. She is a strong woman with an equally strong message. This is apparent in her book.

Ave's message is simple, in fact it is so simple, most of us have not even thought of it. God is not inherently sexist. If we want to change the treatment of women, homosexuals, and our children, we must change the attitudes of our churches, mosques, and temples. A beautiful and invaluable message.

Ave writes, "I believe the exclusion of our mothers and daughters by almost every major religion, past and present, is the root cause of every other oppression. We cannot, we must not, allow the world's religions to sit our sons and daughters in a pew and teach them this great lie: 'God discriminates against your mother.' " I say, amen sister.

This book is sometimes brutally honest. But that is a good thing. Most movements are started by brutally honest people who have a clear vision. And I believe this book could start a movement. A movement towards equality for women, not only in the work force, but in the eyes of the men who run the religions of the world. This might be a long time coming, but we've got to start somewhere, so let's start with the mamas and their children.

If you love the Bronte's novels, you'll love their poetry. You learn so much about their lives and relationships with each other by reading it. After reading a biograhpy of the famous family, I can more fully appreciate the poetry that got them started.

I enjoyed the selected poems. I saw a lot of the same passion in the poems that I have seen also in many of their novels. If you enjoyed the poems you should be sure to get a hold of the Tenant of Wildfell Hall written by Anne Bronte and my utmost favorite Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is definitely a book I would recommend.

In this Dover publication Hasbrouck Rawlings brings together a myriad diverse prints for hand coloring and black and white techniques. The few colored prints included are not very useful and are of poor quality, but the wide variety of engravings have something for most decoupeurs. The instructions on how to begin are very traditional and do not take account of the latest advances in the hobby - such as "New Decoupage" by Durwin Rice. Even so, both beginers and more advanced students are likely to find this source book inspirational - especially if you are keen to hand color your work and want a "period" feel. Good value for money but not a first book for beginers.

I Haven't yet recieved my copy I Ordered , but I have borrowed my friends copy of "The Big Picture Sourcebook" often. This book has great and easy pictures and simple hints in it. They also have a section of ideas on crafts. I can't wait to get my own so I can stop having to borrow. Also for those who are new to decoupaging, they make the pictures easy to use and really help you through the process. I also find any clip art books published by Dover a really great source for decoupaging.

The Dover Thrift Edition of "Early Poems," by William Carlos Williams, includes poems from his books "The Tempers" (1913), "Al Que Quiere!" (1917), and "Sour Grapes" (1921), as well as work taken from periodicals. In these poems, Williams often takes a fresh look at ordinary things. His language is frequently quite arresting, and he often uses personification as a poetic device. Some of the most striking poems in this collection are as follows:

"Dawn," with particularly memorable language ("Ecstatic bird songs pound / the hollow vastness of the sky / with metallic clinkings--"); "Smell!," a wonderfully witty celebration of the speaker's own nose ("Oh strong ridged and deeply hollowed / nose of mine!"); the musical, mythic "Peace on Earth"; the haiku-like "Marriage"; "The Widow's Lament in Springtime," a first-person narration by the title character; "Overture to a Dance of Locomotives," which finds poetry in public transportation; "Winter Trees," an excellent nature poem; "Complete Destruction," an apocalyptic meditation on the death of a pet cat; and "The Thinker," which has the charming opening lines "My wife's new pink slippers / have gay pom-poms." Those are just a few of the poems in this collection. Overall, I would recommend this book both for individual reading and for classroom use.

If you love the "Red Wheelbarrow" poem, you will love this book!

"Easter 1916" is one of the finest poems regarding the Dublin insurrection both in its historical account and its encapsulation of raw emotion. Another of my favorites is "The Rose Tree" which relays a conversation between Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, two of the martyred leaders of the Easter Rising. The other poems included are a good cross-section of works from The Wild Swans at Coole (1919) and Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921)--collections that show the kind of talent Yeats possessed. And there's no arguing with the price; I have found Dover Thrift Editions to be lifesavers in those times when you desperately need to find a poem or short story but don't have $10 or $20 to spend on it. All things considered, this is a fantastic buy.

"'Easter 1916' and Other Poems" is a rich and challenging collection by William Butler Yeats. I read this book as a Dover Thrift Edition. The book includes a 4-page introductory note that discusses the life and career of Yeats (1865-1939), who received the Nobel Prize in Literature. A bibliographic note on the copyright page states that the Dover edition contains Yeats' poems from the volumes "The Wild Swans at Coole" and "Michael Robartes and the Dancer."

Although I found many of these poems obscure and hard to penetrate, I also found many of them haunting and beautiful. And many of the difficult poems opened up to me after additional readings. A mystical thread, as well as an attentiveness to nature, runs throughout this collection.

This book is rich in literary, religious, and mythological allusions. Yeats writes of war, death, grief, aging, love, and beauty. Many of the poems are quite musical--Yeats uses interesting variations in line length, rhyme scheme, poem length, and other effects.

Interestingly, I found the most effective poems in this collection to be those that deal with the relationships and encounters between humans and animals: the majestic "The Wild Swans at Coole," the tender "To a Squirrel at Kyle-Na-Gno," the haunting "On a Political Prisoner," the playful and mystical "The Cat and the Moon," and others.

Of course, there are many additional memorable poems in this collection, such as the deliciously satiric "The Scholars," or "The Second Coming," which has a real prophetic flavor. Overall, a remarkable volume by a significant figure in 20th century literature.

I am a beginner, and this book really helped me to progress to shuttle-and-second thread tatting. Other books are kind of stuffy and hard to understand. The only complaint I might have is that the author doesn't introduce slightly more complicated tatting charts using 2 shuttles, but this book is definitly enough to get you started!

I was able to learn how to tat from the book, and I knew nothing about tatting.