The collection is inspired and intriguing. The range of emotions created in readers by the poetry of Emily Dickinson is demonstrated through the variety of thematic works presented. From the humorous (Emily Dickinson Attends a Writing Workshop, and Emily Dickinson's To-Do List) to the introspective (The Deconstruction of Emily Dickinson), to the wishful (Emily Dickinson, Bismarck and the Roadrunner's Inquiry)--each gem is carefully chosen by the authors. If the reader is not familiar with Dickinson's work, this book will inspire a thorough reading of her poems. For those who know her work, the recognition of the power of her work will bring knowing smiles and memories. A note to the previous reviewer: the Billy Collins' poem, Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes, is included in the collection (p. 13-14).

An interesting thematic collection that sometimes is a homage to Emily and at other times (As in X.J. Kennedy's poem) gently pokes at the Emily cult. It seems that almost all poets pass through her writing at some point and at least take a sip if not a full glass. They really should have included Billy Collins' poem "Undressing Emily" which is funny, sad and, I think, lovingly done.

Narrating in timeless detail the compelling saga of the hero Aeneas,Vergil has created some of the most time defying lines ever to grace in print.Alive the characters leap out of the page with words that form some of the greatest passages in world literature.So vivid the events as they convincingly come to life that a reader couldnt help but be amazed & wonder at this moving screen enacting in front of him.Vergil's greatest strength is in his powers of description,trademarks of authors of the past.Indeed;the passion,the drama,the warfare,& the relationships that brew within this cauldron of inspired writing can get one flipping through this truly admirable book to finish in a short time.Compelling,riveting,emotionally upheaving,exciting;words endlessly spill forth in trying to describe this undoubtable classic.Although some of the poet's dialogues & beliefs that clearly represent his time may be a bit wearying to a reader bent on a more modern taste;one cannot deny that while reading this admirable masterpiece one cant but help feel the presence of greatness lilting in one's senses to peaking climaxes around him.

Although I am not a lover of dogs, I thought this book was wonderful! It is very funny and creative. Chuck is lovable and almost human. Peter Dickinson has done an incredible job.

For years, fans have enjoyed Oliver Dickinson's stories about the adventurer Griselda, an adventurer in the city of Pavis whose exploits are the subject of wonder, admiration, and fear. Now, all of his published stories, plus several new ones, are collected into a single book. These twenty-eight short stories about life in the Big Rubble are written in a Damon Runyon style with humor, irony, and an intimate knowledge of life in the ancient ruins. Witness the loyalty of Wolfhead the bandit and the cleverness of Hurbie the con man. See Griselda's decisive action when confronting swords, and her more clumsy ripostes at love. Above all, marvel at her apparent invincibility as she defies death and all challengers in Pavis, deadliest city in the Praxian wastes.

The Death of Rocketry describes the trials and tribulations of the first US inventor to obtain two US patents on 'rotary to linear motion converters'. For those who are not yet familiar with this concept(,)... the mechanisms described in the book purport to obtain a motive force neither from the interaction of friction with the outside environment, nor from the principle of mass efflux (ie rocket propulsion) familiar to all. It contains some historical background material mostly drawn from early articles from Analog Science Fiction Science Fact magazine of the mid-sixties. The authors supply copies of the evidence available to them at the time and provide other documentary literature to support their claims. The book is well made and written. Easy to follow, containing many drawings, figures, newspaper extracts and photos. While it is not a do-it-yourself technology manual it makes for good reading if you find this sort of thing of interest. But how about all you sceptics out there? Well don't be too hasty in your judgement. Until you dig just a little deeper, I suggest you reserve that judgement, at least til you see which companies are selling these devices! Recommended.

As a lay person, knowing more of Roger Lundin's academic reputation than of Emily Dickinson's life and work, I was intimidated by the prospect of reading his biography of the poet, "Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief." However, as the foreword assures us, this book is not meant for the "cognoscenti" alone, but for us "uninitiated outsiders" as well. And as the departing shore of the book's introduction became faint, I found only the calm seas and smooth sailing of a real page turner. I was soon fascinated by Dickinson's enigmatic life as Lundin carefully unfolded the practical details of her life in nineteenth century Amherst, as well as her development as a poet, an intellectual, and a religious thinker in an era on the edge of modernity. One of the most poignant themes in the book was Dickinson's progressive reclusiveness--and for all the reasons Lundin gives for it, I wasn't completely satisfied until the very last chapter. A surprising dimension of the book is the discussion of Emily's political, cultural, and religious milieu--which we eventually come to learn is key to understanding Dickinson's discomfiting questions and world view. The only fault I find in the book is not at Lundin's hand, but Emily herself. Though she leaves us in awe of her literary genius and spiritual sensitivity, her seemingly selfish reclusiveness and her failure to ever clearly declare the state of her soul left me feeling sorry for her. Although I have been taught never to judge in these matters, as a Christian I can't help but wonder, "was she or wasn't she?" Did she ever make the leap of faith? Lundin never gives us a definitive "yes" or "no," but yet gives enough data that we can make our own educated determination. I only hope that when I have "forded the mystery" and turn the corner of Heaven, I will find Emily at the feet of Jesus, having set aside her pondering pen, happy and content to finally be a bride. "Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief" gives me that much hope

This piece has been an inspriration for me as a student poet. It gave rise to many of my poetry. The piece offers an innovative experience and endless possiblities and appraoches to poetry.

EMILY DICKINSON: A COLLECTION OF CRITICAL ARTICLES. Edited by Judith Farr. New Century Views. 268 pages. Upper Saddle River, NJ: 1996. ISBN 0-13-033524-X (pbk).

After an interesting, informative, and vigorously written Introduction by Judith Farr, eighteen articles of varying quality follow. Of the eighteen, at least eight are definitely worth reading. From these eight, the reader comes away with an enhanced appreciation of ED's work, with a better idea of how to go about reading and understanding her poems, and in awe of her giant sensibility.

Most of the remaining essays, unfortunately, seem to a greater or lesser extent to share the same defect. They have been written from either a Christian or feminist perspective, and seem determined at all costs to find ways of making ED fit the procrustean beds of their respective ideologies. As such they end up telling us much more about their writers than about ED, and I personally found many of them unreadable.

There are so many today who seem determined to reduce ED, to cut her down to their own diminished size and rope her in for their particular cause, so many partisans who are desperately pretending: "In fact, you know, Emily Dickinson is really one of us!" ED, it is stridently affirmed, was an American, a Christian, and a female poet of the 19th century. But we all know that there were many such poets. And where are they now? Who is reading them? No-one. And if that's all ED had been I don't think anyone today would be reading her either.

ED escaped all bounds. She was, in a sense, not an 'American,' certainly not a 'Christian,' and not even a 'woman.' She was a human being immersed like all of us in the human condition, and speaking to us out of that condtion in a way no-one has ever spoken before. "Truth is so rare a thing," she once said, and her poems offer us that commodity in abundance, irrespective of our nationality, religion, or gender.

Relevant here is the indignant remark of Georgia O'Keefe which Judith Farr quotes in her fine Introduction: "I am not a _woman_ artist, I am an Artist." Farr comments: "True art, as Dickinson herself suggests . . . finally escapes categories: national, temporal, sexual" (p.15, italics in original). In other words, as a poet, ED addresses herself, not to that which divides us, but to our shared humanity.

Besides Judith Farr, I think that of the critics in the present collection at least eight others would probably agree with this. The general excellence and unbiased quality of their pieces make this collection well worth having:

Richard Wilbur, for his extremely interesting "Sumptuous Destitution," (a piece which is immediately followed by a rather weak and unconvincing feminist riposte).

Cynthia Griffin Wolff, for her Bakhtinian '[Im]pertinent Constructions of the Body and Self.'

Suzanne Juhasz, for her stimulating "The Landscape of the Spirit."

David Porter, for his 'Strangely Abstracted Images,' an extract from his The Modern Idiom (1981).

Cristanne Miller, for her 'Dickinson's Experimental Grammar: Nouns and Verbs,' an extract from her Emily
Dickinson: A Poet's Grammar (1987).

Kamilla Denman, for her superb 'Emily Dickinson's Volcanic Punctuation.'

Judy Jo Small, for her 'A Musical Aesthetic,' an extract from her Positive as Sound (1990).

Jerome McGann, for his brief but important 'Emily Dickinson's Visible Language.' I was particularly impressed by this as it seems to me to demonstrate conclusively the pressing need for an edition of ED's poems that would finally respect her lineation.

"A Eucharistic Manual for Children" is a clear, uncomplicated explanation of the eucharistic liturgy of the Episcopal Church. I have used the booklet for five years to teach communion instruction for children ages five to ten. I like the layout of the book, which offers separate sections for Rite I and Rite II liturgies, including the rite of Baptism. The pages alternate the actual text of the service with explanations of why we do what we do. Simple line drawings are also offered for children to color in. Another great feature of the book is a center section that includes a glossary and several useful charts of the cycle of the church year, elements of the altar, and liturgical vestments. These charts are ideal for use in training acolytes as well as the new communicants. Best of all, the book is so clear and straightforward that it can be used with ease by parents, teachers, and families in bringing children into this most important rite of the church.

This book is an indispensible tool for the birder in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, or Myanmar (Burma). Compact, complete, and accurate, King and Woodcock have done a fine job of presenting over a thousand species in a manageable size.

Dickinson's illustrations are good paintings, with the field marks clearly visible, and similar birds grouped for easy comparisons. It seems to me, though, that the heads are too big, especially on the smaller birds. Once the viewer gets used to this, however, the illustrations are very usable.

Unlike the latest American guides, the pictures do not appear opposite the text, but instead are on plates distributed through the book. Unfortunately, the text description for each bird lists only the plate number, not the page; I went through the book and added the facing page number of each plate to the text, a job which should have been done before the book hit the shelves.

The book does not use range maps, but rather breaks the Southeast Asia area into regions: 3 for Vietnam, 3 for Laos, 6 and a subregion for Thailand, and 6 plus several subregions for Myanmar. (Cambodia is a unit.) Since the areas follow natural boundaries more than political ones, the range descriptions are quite accurate as far as I can tell. (I have birded fairly extensively in Thailand.)

The book is not perfect by any means, as is to be expected in an area with as little professional naturalist exploration as Southeast Asia. In addition, sacrifices must be made to get all the birds of the area into a book which can be carried in the field. Any competent birder will discover facts not mentioned by King and Woodcock, and possibly see things that aren't supposed to be where they are. I saw birds which were clearly a given species, but lacked a field mark mentioned in the book; these may have been regional variations which space prevented the authors from discussing. But the authors have accomplished a Herculean task: to present a dizzying array of birds in a clear concise format which allows a stranger to the area to identify most of what he or she sees.