Ariosto was one of the giants of Renaissance literature, and this was his footprint. Grand, touching, funny, witty, stirring -- as Dryden said of Chaucer, here is the world's plenty. Some of the greatest poets of the next two centuries (Tasso, Spenser, Milton) explicitly attempted to overdo him, and only sometimes succeeded; Byron took as much from Ariosto as he did from Pulci.

But don't read this on that account. Read it because it's a delight from start to finish. War, love, and chivalry are the poet's themes, and they're here in all their forms.

I don't know Italian, but everyone I've asked who would know assures me Reynolds's translation captures not just the essence but the spirit of the original.

(Ignore the reviews that claim that this is a prose translation -- they are from another translation.)

Before anything else is said, it should be known that this edition is a prose translation, which does not retain most poetic characteristics of the original poem although for a modern English reader this is probably the best edition yet: fairly clear and still interesting in its own way. Orlando Furioso is a 16th century epic poem dealing with Charlamgne's wars against the "Saracens" who had (if we are to take the poem as historical fact) even reached the point of besieging the city of Paris. Of course,the book was not meant by its author to be historically accurate in any way, merely a parody of chivalric court legends as the book description says. Whoever reads this book and fails to sense irony on every page, even crude jokes in some parts clearly does not understand what he is reading in the least. But Orlando Furioso is not a parody of just chivalric court legends; it also pokes fun at the Illiad, popular tales and even common peasant stories. The heads (complete with helmets) sliced in two by a single sword blow are taken from The Illiad, in which Greek champions perform similar feats, although in Orlando Furioso, literally hundreds of men meet their end in this manner to the point of becoming amusing in a way. And I found it strange to notice a very clear similarity between the story told by an innkeeper in the book and the prologue to a translation of a 13th century version of the Arabian Nights (translated by Hussain Haddawy). Ariosto had no possible way to know of the existence of the Nights, but still it is interesting to see how truly close the two incidents are: In Orlando, two men who have given up on the possibility of women being chaste, take one woman and watch her day and night, yet she still deceives them in their own bed. In the Nights, a demon has locked his wife inside an impenetrable castle, yet she still deceives him as he sleeps right next to her in bed. The two events are described similarly, with the same irony (being meant as a joke which the author denies believing in in the least). The book is funny only in the way reading Candide is funny. This is simply another example of what makes the book enjoyable. During the reading of Orlando, somewhere about 3/4 of the way into the book, the reader may wish that it would end right there and that two characters; Bradamant and Ruggiero should get married and finish the story. But the continuation of their separation and further adventures is just another parody of common legends, exaggerated out of proportion. In the end, with all its jokes and its surprisingly individualistic narrative technique, its more serious scenes (the most touching of which is when a woman named Isabel is killed) forms into a large picture, with a great deal of good atmosphere, such that when it ends (although the reader may not have been touched very much during its reading) will want it to go on.

Easy enough to refer to a prose translation as "appropriate for the masses," but the fact remains that when a translator is freed from the necessity of forcing a poem to conform to rhyme and meter in a second language, he has access to a broader range of vocabulary and is therefore more able to remain true to the spirit of the original (as Waldman deftly explains in his introduction). Is it any wonder that this work has received so little attention in America when past translations have been so hidebound and pedagogical? Orlando Furioso is anything but a sing-songy, staid old verse.

In Waldman's translation are to be found both the idealised virtues of chivalry and sometimes startlingly lowbrow humor, all wrapped up in an epic tale of adventure, romance and magic. By providing an unabridged translation (another shortcoming of more traditional editions), and by attempting to capture the true flavor of the work rather than slavishly abiding by the dictates of classical poetic rules, he has presented to English readers for the first time a tale that rivals the epics of Homer in its scope and aspiration. And for sheer entertainment value (coupled with the elitism of Ariosto's sly jabs at the very people for whom the work was composed), this work is all but impossible to beat-- his original audience, after all, was not the literati, but the idle rich.

When I decided that I could not spend all my money on comic books the two Marvel comics I continued to collect were Daredevil and Iron Man. Even before Frank Miller upped the ante on the character there was something compelling about Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who used his heightened senses as the Man Without Fear. It is an oversimplification to call Daredevil Marvel's answer to Batman, although there are strong similarities: neither has super strength, both are guilty over the death of parents and both are pretty smart. But Daredevil had more in touch with the common man, especially in these early days when he and partner Foggy Nelson are trying to make a go of their law practice and Matt has eyes, so to speak, for the lovely Karen Page.

This volume contains the first eleven issues of Daredevil with art by Bill Everett and Wally Wood, too of the more stylistic artists working in the Marvel Bullpen way back when. They probably did the odd number of 11 issues in this volume because 10-11 is a two-parter (unfortunately they stopped short of #12 and the first appearance of Ka-Zar). There are appearance by Spider-Man and the Thing in the first two issues for those who are crossover conscious. In these first eleven issues DD takes on Electro (#2), the Owl (#3), the Purple Man (#4), the Fellowship of Fear (#6), the Sub-Mariner (#7), and Stilt Man (#8). In the first six issues DD wears his yellow outfit before putting on the red suit in issue #7. Marvel needs to get on the stick and start issuing the next volumes in this series.

Yes, this is the best Definative Daredevil compilation out there. I bought this and I'm cherishing it. It fits well in ANY bookshelf and is a fantastic read every single time. Not only does Marvel overdo their respects to one of their main heros but also they made this into a visually striking masterpiece. The artwork has been redone to capture the fantastic classic-ness of The Man Without Fear!

The first 11 classic issues of Daredevil are printed in one Marvel Masterworks collection. These issues showcase Stan Lee's 'Marvel Method' of writing brilliantly as we witness the origin of Daredevil and his subsequent adventures. Of course this book showcase's the artistic genius of Wally Wood as well. Lee and Wood recreate the costume and redefine the character in the classic issue #7, battle with the Sub-Mariner. This book represents the best of Daredevil and also illustrates how badly the character has been treated, both in writing and in art, in recent months of his on-going title. The only sour-note in this collection is the horrendous coloring job, which tries to update the art with a palette that is at times garish and muddy. Don't let that stop you from experiencing the greatness that was Marvel Comics!

It's no wonder that this 1997 Masquarade book is being re-printed in 2002 since the author is one of the few modern erotica writers that is able to capure the imagination of the reader as he has us meandering through delicious scenarios in the world or eros ....

The Sleeping Palace is written as three stories. In 'Maison Bizarre' a group of six young and nubile girls are more or less snatched from diiferent parts of Europe to be taken to a mansion of the Madam Maxan. The young girls, not fearing their 'captivity' are taken on a gently journey of erotic and sexual delights. The author's mastery of describing the the architectural beauty of the mansion make the setting very much part of the erotic experience.

In 'Lust Akademie' the second story, we find a school set in the backwoods of Europe for the purpose of providing a 'proper education of young ladies', and, a 'proper' erotic education is certainly provided.

In 'Baden Eros' the reader is treated to the experiences of Van Spinnaan, architect by repute but voyeur by choice. The story describes the sexual awakenings of vistiors to a European healing spa that was newly built over a re-discovered rejuvinating spring. The seeming magical powers of the healing waters loosen more than inhibitions of the visitors while our young Van Spinaan meanders through his voyeur's architectural wonder devouring the sights and sounds of carnal lust ....

As in the book 'The Architecture of Desire' the author displays his own distinct writing style and provides the reader of erotic literature with rich descriptions of the mansions and the gentle but deterimined activities of the followers and practicioners of sappho and bacchus within..... Yummie

The author has created an elegantly sensual universe imbued with an underlying sense of cruelty.

This book offers three exquisitely plotted and choreographed tales...Orlando skillfully keeps readers on a pleasure/pain tightrope throughout the book...The result is a Gothic novel, a sexual fairy tale, and a sensual adventure. Very highly recommended, both for fans of his first book, THE ARCHITECTURE OF DESIRE, and new initiates.

Since the choices in the field of Disney-related guides are vast, I was amazed that one should rise so far to the top of the class. The work is informative and wittily written. Fenster's humor will keep you rolling and his completeness smokes the competition. This ought to be the bible for any family or individual planning a Central Florida vacation. A really fabulous resource which directed my family's vacation and will do so again.

I had a great vacation with this book

This is a marvellous compendium of useful facts about the world's largest theme park. I found it highly illuminating - it has profoundly altered the way I percieve Walt Disney World and its manifold attractions. Since I first tried it a few years ago, I've been using this book to guide my various trips to Disney World ever since.

Adams' poetry rocks! Anyone who can appreciate traditional forms and witty allusions but who also wants poetry to be to voice of the cultural moment will want to get Adams' first collection.

In "For Pandemonium," for example, Adams juxtaposes, or, perhaps more appropriately, appropriates, the primal post-lapserian (Miltonic?) city with/for both an urban (industrial?) love gone wrong and the limits of poetry itself.

Adams' poetry is smart and touching, often funny but always witty. I really enjoyed reading it. It is diffcult today to find a modern poet that writes both meaningful and fun poetry.

I recommend this one highly! It's formal without being snobbish (in fact, sometimes the form sneaks right past you, a subtlety which more poets should only be able to manage), but it has free verse too, for those of you who are fleeing in terror from any of the sneers which occasionally characterize the New Formalism. There are no sneers here. The book contains a number of love poems (not sentimental even at their most painful, though), and a number of "epistles" from the incarnate ET's of the Heaven's Gate cult (both poignant and funny), and a number of--I guess they'd be called "other poems." On a purely mundane level, this is certainly the book I'd reach for after a betrayal in love, but it's much more than that too.

My personal favorites are among the "others", with my all-time favorite being "Cerberus at the SPCA." I can't think of another poet who could combine the three-headed dog guarding the way to hell with the concrete and urine of the animal shelter, and it's an incredible combination; an appropriate treatment for people who abandon or negelct their pets might be to be tied up, preferably in the animal shelter, and have this poem read to them until they understand what they've done...Cerberus surveys the ranks of the damned in hell in just the way that visitors to the shelter look upon the caged animals, before he's caged there himself; that it's in Dante-esque terza rima only adds to the power of the poem. Cerberus says "I recognize that terror and that trust." So do readers of Adams' poems.

"Epistles from the Planet Photosynthesis" is masterful in its use of traditional and free verse forms. From Sapphic stanzas to sestinas, from sonnets of extraordinary beauty to a canzone whose repetitions reunite a splintered family, Mary Adams' poems demonstrate the ideal marriage of form and content. Confident and versatile, the poet is capable of heart-wrenching intensity ("What I Should Have Told You"), rare compassion, and genuine wit (see especially "Cerberus at the SPCA," a poem of humor, grace, and metrical virtuosity). Perhaps my favorite poem is one of the best villanelles of recent memory, "Queen of Grieve," in which form, image, and sound combine with unforgettable results: "She ruled a ruin, did the Queen of Grieve..." In all, a first book of singular vision and most impressive skill.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone planning to visit Disney World. I received my book just days ago, but have been enjoying it along with other members of my family. But I knew I would love it even before I got it, because, I had read a previous version of the authors Disney World guide about seven years ago. We followed her tips for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM and had a marvelous time. Following her tips made our trip a real time to remember-it saved us time, saved us stress and probably saved us money. All I can say is if you tackle Disney World with your kids without reading this book and using its well thought out tips, you will be sorry! Excellent, excellent book.

Since we take so few vacations, I like to make sure they're planned well so everyone gets the most out of them. I bought 3 Disney books (Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger and Birnbaum's 2001 edition too) but this is the one I found most useful for planning a trip with a 4 & 6 year-old. The tips saved us $1000 on room costs alone! The reviews of the Disney and off-site hotels offer useful details not found on websites. The excellent ride reviews feature details to help parents determine if it's too scary for your child (tells you if dark, noisy, surprise elements, etc) - not just a generic "may scare children under age 5" warning. The book is fun & easy to read... and with her realistic advice for visiting Disney with kids, you'll have more fun and be less stressed-out on vacation than if you did it without her book.

We used this for many months before our vacation last year. It was almost drenched with highlighter markings long before we left for Florida. When we got there, it was like our Bible as we toured the parks. It has everything you need to know for Disney and beyond. Her sense of humor is most amusing and she does let you know where to eat without losing your mind or cookies with toddler in tow. So buy it and then keep it, because you will write notes in it and after your trip it will become almost a souvenir of sorts with all your little articles and receipts etc, tucked away in side. You will look through it a year or two later and laugh at your comments about whatever you were thinking at the time. We had teenagers and toddler and everything worked out great, she has some real tips that do everyone good, not just the kids. Mom and dad won't lose their mind trying to please everyone. We are heading to Universal as well this year, so we will definitely be buying her Universal book.

If you are a martial artist or a martial arts instructor this book is a must read. Even if you don't agree with all of his conclusions Bob Orlando brings up points we MUST consider before we claim to teach, or know, self-defense via martial arts. I have nothing but respect for Bob, both as a martial artist and a thinker. Marc "Animal" MacYoung

This book is the best book on how to THINK about the martial arts that I have ever read (and I've read quite a few). Orlando takes on the tough subjects that most fear to touch, or worse, come up with weak or illogical arguments to support. This book is full of the history behind various techniques and traditions that fill the martial arts. Kata, tournaments, chambered fists, and chi are a few. In each case he makes an unbiased presentation of the benefits, then systematically explains the drawbacks for the self-defense motivated student.

This book should be on every student's list.

Review of Martial Arts America: A Western Approach to Eastern Arts, by Bob Orlando Published by Frog Limited. Berkeley, California, 1997. Bob Orlando is an experienced martial artist whose book on the Indonesian arts was critically acclaimed in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. This new book is excellent for the thoughtful martial artist whose main goal is to develop the ability to protect themselves. In his introduction, Bob Orlando says his work will "...examine Eastern martial arts training practices and philosophies, consider their origins, and appraise their relevance to the American student." While he states that there are many good reasons to study the martial arts, Orlando is very clear that "this work is intended for the individual whose main interest is...effective self-defense. He hopes to encourage readers to "think critically about every part of what he or she is learning and teaching." Orlando does a great job. While readers may not always agree with him, I think most will at least admit that Orlando's book is very thought provoking. He raises many good questions, examines many issues in depth, uses supporting evidence and examples. He put forth some strong opinions in many cases, but in others, where he is not sure he can make a strong enough case, he does not hesitate to state, in effect, "this is my opinion, but I'm not totally sure that I am right." It can sometimes take a great deal of courage to admit that you don't know something. God knows that there enough (often self-proclaimed) martial arts masters out there who are not exactly bursting at the seams with humility. This book really seems to have been written by someone who is willing to question how things are done, but who does so respectfully, and who does not engage in name calling and large amounts of "my style is best" statements. Among the many topics Orlando discusses are the degree to which martial arts should preserve ancient (and sometimes not so ancient) techniques, why martial arts change over time, the value of tradition, the pros and cons of training barefoot, the value of kata, the role of sport karate (and other arts) in training, women in the martial arts, the role of chi and the spiritual aspects of the martial arts, and a very amusing chapter on teacher motivations, finding a school, and rank. My criticisms of this book are very minor. In discussing the evolution of the sword, he uses a foil as an example of a weapon that evolved for a particular reason. The problem is that the foil was never a real weapon, but was specifically designed to develop skills for sport fencers. If he had substituted "epee," the analogy would have worked perfectly. He does not compare the relative approaches of very stripped down styles meant to be learned relatively quicky (such as Krav Maga and Bando) to styles whose basics may take much longer to get down. He touches on, but does not really examine the difference in approach between styles which focus on teaching a student flow, and how to move, and those which focus on teaching technique. I would have liked to have seen him discuss these things in depth, and i suspect he would have had some good ideas on these points. This book is a steal at 14.95. Buy it. It is superb.

I remember when Livan Hernandez was the World Series MVP when the Florida Marlins had their one year of glory and were the World Champions, that there was quite a few references to the pitcher's older brother who was supposedly even better. Even though it is an unauthorized biography, this juvenile biography of "El Duque: The Story of Orlando Hernandez" is pretty much the story that was put out for public consumption and ignores some of the major questions journalists have had about such things as the dangerous journey in the rickety boat through shark-infested waters, the four days shipwrecked on a deserted island, and Hernandez's real age. But this "Hollywood" version of his life story certainly lives up to its billing as being an inspirational story. Besides, whatever liberties there might be in the book's middle act, the happy ending is certainly true.

Even if details of Hernandez's escape are more the stuff of fiction that fact, Kenneth LaFreniere does give young readers a real sense of what Hernandez went through on Cuba. After this younger half-brother Livan defected, the Cuban government Orlando Hernandez from baseball for life because they feared he would defect as well. Of course, the great irony is that once they took away his livelihood, Hernandez had no reason to stay in Cuba. Whatever he was thinking before the ban, defecting became the only rational option. Consequently, young readers will learn something about the oppressive government in Cuba (not to mention the fact that as a universal rule governments tend to do stupid things).

Young readers will easily recognize this book's rags-to-riches formula, although all things considered it spends more time on the riches than the rags part of Hernandez's life. LaFreniere spends as much time on the pitcher's attempt to get to the United States and be allowed to play baseball as he does on the years Hernandez spent in Cuba becoming the celebrated "El Duque," and almost half the book is devoted to his rookie season with the New York Yankees with its story book ending as his team wins the World Series, giving the Hernandez family another World Championship to celebrate. LaFreniere tries to give a sense of Hernandez's deceptive pitching motion, but that is something you simply have to see for yourself on television or in person. I do like the idea that there is an inherent lesson in this story that there are more ways of beating a batter than just having to throw the high heat by them. Consequently the Hernandez story implicitly tells young readers that baseball takes brains as well as physical talent, and that might be as important a lesson as reading the inspirational story.

I may not be a Yanks fan (actually I'm sick of the Yanks) but Hernandez went on along path to freedom from communism. That's something all of us take for granted. You have read this book!

Being a die-hard Yanks fan living on the west coast, reading this book made me feel the pulse of the city where baseball is king (after Rudy G, of course). Mr. Lafreniere has done it again! Kudos Kenneth!

An excellent rendering in poetic form of a remarkable true story of survival. Penelope arrived on the shores of America in the 1640's to face an immediate, devastating loss of her husband due to a brutual attack by Indians. Left half-scalped and severely injured on the beach of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Penelope somehow survives the attack, and after seven days is rescued by Indians and nursed back to health. I personally owe deep gratitude to Machk, the Lenape Indian who used his Native remedies and skills to heal Penelope, and to Penelope herself, for the inner-strength she obviously displayed to get through such a trying time in her life. If she had not survived, I would not be here. Penelope Stout is my 9th great grandmother. I am proud to have her as my ancestor, a discovery I only recently made. The strong bond that developed between Machk and Penelope reaches down through many generations, and as a result, touches many of us who are descendants of this notable woman and her second husband, Richard Stout. The author, Penelope Scambly Schott has presented a poetic story of historical events, including the moving relationship of this one immigrant woman and one Native American man.

THE STORY WAS GREAT . ITS AMAZING SHE LIVED THRU ALL OF THAT . THE INDIAN THAT SAVED HER I UNDERSTAND USE TO COME VISIT HER . I'VE READ PLENTLY OF STORIES ON THIS WOMAN BUT , THIS ONE I THINK STANDS OUT THE MOST . I AM A DESCENDANT OF HER'S . SO IT HAS COME IN MOST HELPFULL WHILE I'M TRYING TO FIND INFORMATION ON THIS PART OF MY FAMILY. THANK YOU JENA WILSON

"Penelope, The Story of the Half-Scalped Woman" invokes 3 Penelopes. Penelope Schott, its author. Penelope of "The Odyssey", Ulysses' long abandoned and faithful wife, and the Penelope of this true story, an early American settler. Like The Odyssey's Penelope, her tale is told in poetry. Newlywed Penelope arrives from Holland, on the shores of New Jersey in 1640. Her husband is too ill to go further so they are left by their companions. Almost immediately they are set upon by Lenape Indians who kill her husband and leave Penelope half scalped and half dead. She is found by other Indians of the same tribe, where she has found shelter in a hollow tree. Healed and cared for by them, Penelope makes her life among them until she is "rescued" by white settlers with whom she can no longer fit in. Researched carefully from documents and family history, Penelope Stout's tale is one of bravery, both alone and in numbers. Written beautifully, it's a tale thrice told: about Ulysses' Penelope, Penelope Stout, and the story's author Penelope Schott, women whose awareness of life is the same despite the centuries.