It's probably time for a new Shelley biography, despite Holmes' excellent work. I couldn't recommend this book without a number of caveats.

It was valuable in its time, for countering that Victorian view of the angelic depoliticised and emasculated Shelley. But it's still a document of its time.

There are two things that were wrong with the book even at the time it was written. One is the constant failure to mention instances of Shelley's extraordinary generosity and kindness to others. Maybe it was boring, to a 1970s writer, to mention the old women carried in out of the cold, the children fed, the money given away to strangers in hard times: but to leave most of it out badly distorts the reality of Shelley. He was no saint, but he was a remarkably kind person, and practical with it, and that central and salient characteristic is glossed over, though "gloss" is not quite the word. White's earlier biography is actually more comprehensive on this sort of thing.

The second issue is a grotesque mis-reading of the "Adelaide Shelley" affair, in which Shelley put his name down as the father of an Italian baby. Holmes invents from whole cloth an incident in which Shelley seduced the maid, turning her out of the house when she became pregnant. This is simply bizarre, as Holmes himself later acknowledged. In his next book, "Footsteps", Holmes concedes that not only was there no evidence in favour of this claim, but that it would have been completely out of character for all three of the key figures (Shelley, Claire Clairemont and the maid whose name, from memory, is something like Paola Foggi) who would have had to have been involved in Holmes' scenario.

The story, acknowledged by Holmes to be false, did Shelley's reputation enormous harm (Paul Johnson siezed on it, and added inaccuracies of his own, for his attack on Shelley in the ludicrous "Intellectuals" book; Johnson's Shelley chapter is virtually a cut and paste job from Holmes).

So this has always frustrated me: Why on earth hasn't Holmes corrected it in a later edition? I suspect that Holmes feels that it is a form of integrity, of trueness to himself as a young man, or something, to leave the book in its current form. But since the book is supposed to be a record about Shelley, not Holmes, I'd rather he made this and other corrections.

As well as that, there's new information about the circumstances of Shelley's break with his family, and about his life in Italy, which Holmes doesn't include, because they are based on documents that have only recently come to light or been studied.

So while this was a landmark in its time, it is from this distance not as good as some earlier biographies, and it is due for replacement. If I were to recommend a biographical work to someone with a strong interest in Shelley, I'd recommend his Letters.

Laon (no relation)

How is it possible that the world's largest online bookstore doesn't stock any biography of Shelley? He was, after all, not just a poet, but a fascinating character even without taking his literary accomplishments into account. I found Mr. Holmes's great biography in an Oxford, UK bookstore. And I must say it's amazing. I can't believe it was written by a 28-year-old. The research done here is nothing short of astounding. I must say, however, that the long pages devoted to Shelley's political creed and activities can get a bit wearisome - at least for me, who was more interested in the personal and literary aspects of his life, than in the political ones - but then, I understand that this reflects my personal preferences, and admit it doesn't much deter from the book's qualities. In fact, you could say it makes it more solid and thorough, in including a part of Shelley's life that has been traditionally neglected by his biographers.

A nice feature of Mr. Holmes's work is the description of the physical places in Shelley's life - for instance, the house where he was born and the ones which he inhabited during his years in Italy. All of these had some endearing and fascinating trait, from the rolling lawns of Field Place to the sun-soaked terrace of the Casa Magni. I only wish these descriptions had been more in-depth, since it is obvious that Shelley often built strong emotional connections with the places where he lived. I look forward to reading "Footsteps", which is the account of Holmes's literary travels and research, and which is already awaiting me in my bookshelf!

As a Shelley lover I've read numerous biographies, but this will be the last one as no amount of research or writing talent can improve on this book. Richard Holmes clearly did an enormous amount of research and his attention to detail is extraordinary. His love for his subject comes through strongly yet he remains objective throughout and is not blind to Shelley's flaws. His descriptive writing also paints a fascinating picture of the interesting and tough times during which Shelley lived and his wonderful vocabulary had me reaching for my dictionary many times!. He pays as much attention to the other colourful characters in Shelley's life as he does to the poet himself. His analysis of Shelley's complex psyche is intense and I believe his perceptions are very accurate. This book impressed and excited me more than any biography I have ever read.

when will come new publish of this book ?

There are many excellent textbooks about Internal Medicine on the market, and I own a lot of them. But the Kelley's book is the one I look up more often. It stands out, since it gives you the broadest and deepest clinical coverage of the internal medicine you can find in a two-volumes textbook. The forthcoming 4th edition, which is scheduled for 8/2000 and will be edited by Humes, will expand furter the coverage, reaching an unprecedented range, at least as can be judged by the anticipated index. For the sake of clarity and completeness, each subspecialty (cardiology, endocrinology and metabolism, and so forth) is divided in three parts: the first group of chapters is devoted to the pathophysiologic foundations, the second to diseases and the third to the diagnosis and treatment. This format is clever, because allow you to study each section separately without being overwhelmed by the astonishing amount of information it contains. A lot of chapters are devoted to the approach to the patient with different symptoms, to the interpretation of instrumental data and to the treatment: they are another distictive feature of the book, making it invaluable. If you are a physician or a serious student searching for an authoritative, encyclopedic textbook with broad pathophysiologic coverage and wide sections about the management of the patient, the Kelley's textbook will not disappoint you. For many of us, it is a must buy. For all, it is a bargain. This textbook is the gold standard as Internal Medicine textbook: it got 5-stars from Doody, and as far as I know, it was the only one awarded with such a high acknowledgement. I agree: five stars.

most comprehensive work ever.an edge over Harrison &Cecil.must buy.

I like most of the stories in this book (a merger of 2 seperate anthologies) but some are quite bad. Still tho, I like Holmes and he gets plenty of room here to show off his skills.

These stories are presented in chrological order of their publication in 'Strand' magazine and follow immediatly after 'A Study in Scarlet' and 'The Sign of Four'. Tho their timelines bounce around all over the place and it's hard to keep track.

My fave stories would be 'The Speckled Band' or 'The Engineer's Thumb'. Both of which are from 'Adventures'. The only story I really enjoyed from 'Memoirs' is 'The Silver Blaze'. Many of them seem to be rehashes of his older plots.

Tho highly regarded in the literary community I find Conan-Doyles writing style to be confusing and inappropriate. As most of you know the stories are told from the point of view of Watson, Holmes' sidekick. But his narration of the events takes a backseat to very, very lengthy dialogues (which are mostly overwritten monologues). The narrative shifts back and forth and all over the place. It's not uncommon to see '''" before a typical line of speech. If you get lost, don't worry...I did too. The story 'The Musgrave Ritual' especially is badly told, plain and simple.

Plus Watson's function in most of this hardly ever reaches out of 'The Casual Observer'. All he does is witness Holmes' crime-solving techniques. Which usually only last a couple of pages as most of each story (typical length 21 pages) devotes about 13 pages to set-up. Hardly well balanced is it?

The last story 'The Final Problem' isn't even a mystery at all and just seems like a badly thought-out excuse for Conan-Doyle to kill of a character he felt totally indifferent about. Even tho the public loved Holmes. Why Moriarty is seen as a massive villain is beyond me because he hardly does anything at all.

The overall quality of the short stories is average. The full novels is where Holmes and Watson REALLY have something to other than fool around in low-level stories. You'll definitely be interested in some of the stories in this certain edition, but they lack meaning or purpose.

This particular edition comes with extensive notes at the back with numbers for each story to help clear up any confusion. Some of them are helpful for when you are reading and the rest give away plot points and ruin some of the developements.

As I am a Holmes completist I stuck it out and finished every one of these stories. If you are too then I'd recommend this Penguin edition over the others. They seem to always print the best copies of Holmes.

THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES are here collected into a single volume in this Penguin edition. Two compediums of short stories published after the detective's introduction in the novels A STUDY IN SCARLET and THE SIGN OF FOUR, these are concise bits that are just as good a first exposure to Holmes as the novels.

Because the cases of Sherlock Holmes, dutifully chronicled by his companion Dr. Watson, may not appeal to everyone, I won't focus here on reviewing the stories themselves, as it is the features of this particular edition that are of note.

Iain Pears' introduction is quite enlightening, showing the tendency of Arthur Conan Doyle to make the troubles in Holmes' stories come from England's colonies, which is strange considering Conan Doyle's support of equality and respect for all peoples. Pears' also discusses the change in the style of the Holmes stories, from the rational youth of Conan Doyle to the latter days of his life when he was interested in spiritualism and mysticism.

There are footnotes to each story, compiled by Ed Glinert. An expert on literature set in London, Glinert explains the geographical settings of the Holmes stories, and defines anachronistic terms that are no longer use. He also points out the mistakes Arthur Conan Doyle frequently made in his stories, which are often quite amusing (Watson's wife calling him by the wrong name, contradicting timelines, etc).

Because of the illuminating introduction and the helpful footnotes, I'd recommend over any others this edition of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

This is a very good IRENE ADLER book. Maybe a bit predictable, but a fun read. However, I was disappointed to learn that it was really only a re-named re-issue of IRENE's LAST WALTZ, not a new book. I haven't cared for the two newest Carole Nelson Douglass Irene books, Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge, much too gruesome. But, I do hope she goes back to writing this type of book.

This book is actually a reprint of a book under a different title. The original title was Irene's Last Waltz, and it is the 4th in the series. In it, Irene Adler Norton, whom we first met in Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," returns to Bohemia to discover that an impostor has been put in the place of the real king and that a nocturnal monster is stalking the capital city.

Before reading this one, you may wish to read the previous books in the series in this order: Good Night, Mr. Holmes; Good Morning, Irene; and Irene At Large. (As far as I have been able to determine these have not been reissued under different titles but may be in the future). After this book, there are two more books: Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge.

This text provides a good review of sports medicine and rehabilitation of common injuries for the medical professional. Very readable--a good start for those interested in musculoskeletal medicine and athletics. The chapters are well organized and well-referenced. I think this is one of the better sports medicine books available.

This text was essential in helping me teach our student athletic trainers. It was very well written and should be a model text for every sports medicine/athletic training program. The authors did an uot standing job. By far, the best athletic training text I have ever used.

In Bedford, Rhode Island, one year ago today, Annie Hunter's beloved husband Richard suddenly dies of a massive heart attack at forty-two years old. Though still grieving, Annie's interior decorator business remains a success though her personal life is a zilch.

Annie comes home from work only to see a young adolescent sleeping on her porch with her dog resting next to him. She calls the police who take Cullen Gallagher down to station, but not before he claims Annie is his mother and Richard his father. At the police station, Annie learns that Cullen lives at Noah House for Troubled Boys, managed by Linc McCoy. As Annie and Linc overcome their initial distrust of one another they work together to learn the truth behind Cullen's continual claim that Richard is his father. They fall in love with one another, but both believe that the other is wrong for them even if they work so well together.

Dee Holmes furbishes her fans with an exciting contemporary romance that will grab the heartstrings of the audience because of Cullen's need to belong to a family. Linc and Annie are a fine couple, but the tension between them changes rather quickly from suspicion of motive to that of love. Readers will receive plenty of pleasure from BOY ON THE PORCH, a wonderful character study that supports a tough love approach to the problems of youth.

Harriet Klausner

A year after her husband, Richard, died, Annie Hunter finds a surprise on her doorstep, a teen aged boy claiming he is Richard's illegitimate son, Cullen Gallagher. He also thinks Annie is is mother, but that is impossible. Investigating his story brings Annie into contact with enigmatic Linc McCoy, the man who runs a center for troubled boys, Cullen's former home. Despite mistrust on both sides, Annie and Linc find themselves drawn together on a more personal level as they work together to find Cullen's birth parents. Annie also finds herself drawn to the boy who so rudely barged into her life, and is willing to fight to keep him, and may have to.

** With tenderness and love, Ms. Holmes paints a picture of how with effort, love can heal broken hearts and fill the holes left by betrayal. As this unusual family knits together, readers cheer the growth of imperfect people as they go beyond duty to fulfill the obligations of love. **

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

I think this is a great mystery of Hank the cowdog and his not very smart sidekick Drover.It's about Hank and Drover on Halloween and trick or treater's and a ghost. The ending is the best part.

John R. Erickson's books are all great. This one happens to be the most humorous. Hank is a (dumb) funny, great guy, or actually dog! Two paws up for Erickson!!!

Our family likes to get Hank the Cowdog audiotapes from the library. This one is one of my favorites, probably due to the trouble Little Alfred and Hank get themselves into. My kids (ages 4, 6, 7 and 11) all enjoyed this tape tremendously. (I only gave it 4 stars because it doesn't have great educational or moral value--but it sure is hilarious!)

I love this book it uses exteremly rich and colorful language. J. R. Erickson is the funniest childrens writer that I know of. I suggest to anyone of anyage to try one of these books from his series. Excellent! I can't say that enough.

Having purchased abroad the last two in the Casebook series, I can assure other American fans of the BBC Holmes series that in these, the last, and in many people's minds, weakest of the Holmes stories, the BBC team excels, filling in logical extensions of the stories to make them as good, or in some cases better than the earlier ones. They are a treat!

"The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes" was Doyle's last collection of short stories on the great detective. The stories may not have been uniformly as good as the earlier Holmes stories, and some of the plots may have been derivative, but they still entertain.

"The Three Garridebs" rehashed the plot of "The Red Headed League". "The Creeping Man" turned in a creepy tale whose premise has been disproved by later science. "The Veiled Lodger" was not even a mystery.

The rest of the stories were much better. "The Blanched Soldier" presented a conundrum which Holmes solved without visiting the scene. "The Sussex Vampire" had a perfectly natural explanation. "The Lion's Mane" involved violent death, but was there a crime? Holmes worked for an unnamed "Illustrious Client", but you should be able to figure out who it was. We meet Holmes' page, Billy, for the first and last time in "The Mazarin Stone". We meet international intrigue in "Shoscombe Old Place" and an arrogant murderer in "The Retired Colourman". My favorite story of the lot is "The Problem of Thor Bridge", where Holmes assists a young lady of murder in the face of almost overwhelming evidence of guilt.

The BBC production of "The Case Book" was done in three packets of two cassettes, each containing two stories from "The Case Book". Clive Merrison once again turns in a virtuoso performance as Holmes, and Michael Williams portrays a far more capable Watson than Nigel Bruce ever imagined.

Bert Coules and Vincent McInerney took more liberties with the plotlines in this collection than they did in any of their other treatments of the Holmes saga. They write Billy out of "The Mazarin Stone" and replace her with Mrs. Hudson, who participates more actively in the solution of the case than she ever did in any of Doyle's writings. In fact, Doyle's story occupies only about 10 minutes of the production, with 20 minutes of leadup in which Lord Cantlemere serves as Holmes' chief suspect. The changes consist of additions which make the story more enjoyable without altering Doyle's original plot. The same cannot be said for their treatment of "The Three Gables". Langdale Pike, a minor character in Doyle's original rendition, becomes a major actor. Pike assists Holmes in the ruination of the villainess. This constitutes a major change from Doyle's original plot, in which Holmes allows the villainess to escape upon payment of "punitive damages". In "The Sussex Vampire" they manage to work in a few references to Bram Stoker's "Dracula", but don't otherwise tamper too much with the plot.

If you like Holmes, mysteries, or radio plays; you'll like this collection.

I have been using this series as I teach my six chidren at home. The authors have done an excellent job of bringing us the best of the original McGuffy Readers, returning to the contents of the first series, not those later published under his name. My children are discovering a nobler time and way of life as they learn the basics with these fine readers. The study guide is simple to use with many practical exercises and examples. The only reason for less than five stars seems to be the quality of the paper and binding. In the noble effort to keep costs down, the durability of the product suffers. I am hoping for a hard bound edition. Should one appear, the publishers should be prepared for greater sales than the previous edition. Such excellent content deserves an equally excellent binding with the ability withstand being read again and again.

These are the original 1837 McGuffey Readers before the secular revisions, with slight revisions of archaic grammar. Four Readers and a Study Guide show you how to teach your children to reason cogently, speak persuasively, write clearly--all in a Christian framework. Each lesson has moral and intellectual content, and offers an impressive vocabulary. Words progress from 'learn,' 'keep,' in the early grades to 'assiduity, profligate, efficacious, calcaneous, penury, communition, execrated' in high school. Lessons are followed by spell/define exercises, and thoughtful questions. Ex.: "Is it not better to be industrious and possess a good name than to possess many riches?" "What is the effect of making public opinion the rule of life?" "Have we not reason to rejoice that we live where we may hear the glad tidings of salvation?" Each lesson begins with a basic rule of reading and elocution. Study Guide ties each original lesson to a biblica! l theme. There are 10 years of 36 weekly lessons (grades 1-10). Instructions on teaching reading aloud, public speaking, good writing habits, memorization, logic, love for language as one of God's gifts. Many famous authors like Blackthorn, Shakespeare, Bacon, Irving figure prominently. By the time a child begins the third reader he will have surpassed most of today's high schoolers. Mastery of the fourth reader puts him beyond most college students. Any adult can read the selections with profit. You'll be awed at what was once accomplished in American schools, and resolved that your children grow up with the same advantages. The lessons cover a broad range of worthy topics including history, geography, poetry, and virtue. These are just reading selections,however, and do not as such offer instruction in phonics or grammar. Some of the 19th-century perspecitves are quaint, even funny. These lessons are intended for Christian parents who homeschool their children. ! I'm happy to learn from them myself. I see the sublime ed! ucational value of these lessons, and see the great need for moral and spiritual training for young people. These lessons will provide those in spades.