This survey of the major themes in Shakespeare's plays is meant not for a literary audience so much as for a theater audience of playgoers who seek to enjoy these performances. As such, chapters chronicle Shakespeare's most pervasive themes and how these patterns hold changing meaning to past and present viewers.

I REALLY NEEDED SOME HELP STUDING FOR A TEST I HAD TO TAKE. WITH THE TIPS FROM YOUR BOOK I DID BETTER THAN EXPECTED. I THINK THAT THIS BOOK SHOULD BE SHARED BY ALL.

O'Kelly's greatest achievement is "The Weaver's Grave," and it is perhaps the greatest Irish short story ever written, with Joyce's "The Dead" a close second. The narration is beautiful while the dialogue is unique, real, and very funny. The Weaver's young widow must see that her aged husband's body is buried in a specific location in "the meadow of the dead" according to his wishes, wishes that were never specified to her. O'Kelly masterfully renders the subtle nature of her transformation from servant/wife to liberated woman as she sets about this task under the seemingly watchful and guiding light of Venus, the evening star. The conclusion, though somewhat surprising given the main plot, should not be totally unexpected, since it is the climax to another -- almost hidden -- plot that is ultimately more meaningful. This story is a slice of Irish life at the turn of the twentieth century but it is also universal in its artistry.

Wheel Boats On The Missouri: The Journals And Documents Of The Atkinson-O'fallon Expedition 1824-1826 is an archival reference showcasing a specialized slice of early American frontier history - as reflected by the original words of the wheel boat men who were directed by President James Monroe to negotiate peace treaties with Native American tribes along the Missouri River. The resulting use of 475 infantry soldiers, "gunboat diplomacy," and man-powered wheel boats across a 3,000 mile expedition is meticulously detailed among numerous primary references. Journals dealing with daily life, navigation difficulties, American Indian cultures and political negotiations provide an amazing glimpse into army life in an America of almost two centuries past. Wheel Boats On The Missouri is an impressive work of scholarship and a strongly recommended addition to academic and community library American history reading lists and reference collections.

I read this to my grandchild and we both found it to be a wonderful and warm story.

On a recent trip to Paris, my father-in-law brought along the dictionary part of this book. A bit excessive, I had thought. However, we used it in just about every restaurant we visited - French, Moroccan, Vietnamese, you name it. It defines every imaginable food and preparation type. The English to French translation is not quite as complete, but it doesn't diminish the book's value. Well worth the money and the trouble carrying it (at least the dictionary section). I'm buying this one and the Italian one for myself.

This book allows you to do what every U2 fan has always wanted to do: go on tour with U2. It is told through the eyes of someone who is doing just that, in a plain, day to day format. Although the arrangement is a bit random, it lets you peek into the offstage life of the band. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book.

I can't see why every U2 fan wouldn't have this in their collection. The pictures in this book are amazing. It is by far the best behind-the-scenes photo's collected in one book for U2, if not any band. If you love the band (especially the 'Zoo TV' period, in which this book thoroughly chronicles) then grab this book.

A warning: If you are looking for an easy-to-read book to enjoy on a nice afternoon or before bed, this is not for you. While the content of "U2 Faraway So Close" is nothing short of absolutely fascinating, the book's layout is highly stylized and can be visually assaulting and rather difficult to read.

BUT...

If you want fabulous pictures and fun, often hilarious, anecdotes about the greatest band in the world (U2...duh!), track down a copy of "U2 Faraway So Close" and snatch that puppy up as fast as you can!

"U2 Faraway So Close" takes you on the Zoo TV tour with U2, as seen through the eyes and camera lens of B. P. Fallon (before he got kicked off the tour, but that's a story you can learn more about in "U2 at the End of the World" by Bill Flanagan). Fallon shows us the band in concert, partying, relaxing, with friends. He captures a couple of great shots of Adam in his famous skirt, as well as some faboo pictures of Bono's wife (she's gorgeous!), The Edge's Morleigh (she's gorgeous too!), and Adam's then-fiancee Naomi Campbell (no comment from me on her). All the photos are accompanied by entertaining, sometimes roll-on-the-floor-laughing hilarious, stories from the tour, offering some juicy tidbits for people who just can't get enough U2.

While its format doesn't lend itself too well to bedtime reading, "U2 Faraway So Close" does make a great coffeetable book, gift or obsession-feeder for U2 lovers. Go snag a copy and enjoy!

...The author's ideas on the origins of the Slovenian people are badly researched, lazy, and basic. Certainly undeserving of any words bigger than 'bad', 'lazy,' and 'basic.'

The rest of it is quite good I guess, noting there's few reasonable attempts in English at a book on Slovenia...

If this third edition of Lonely Planet Slovenia is anything like the first, it warrants a complete overhaul of the section entitled "WW II & the Partisan Struggle." Much misinformation has been disseminated since the end of that war, and only recently has the truth emerged concerning the true patriots of Slovenia. It is obvious that the author was given false and outdated information, and he therefore unwittingly perpetuates the myth of the Slovenian "collaborators."

I had no choice - this was the only guide book on Slovenia in the bookshop last year (1997). But boy, what a guide book! In fact, I would rate it the best guide book I've ever read. It had excellent information, including hotel fax number, which was a great help. We also had two local contacts in Ljubljana who told us where to visit. When they read this book they were impressed by how thorough it was. The route they suggested was exactly the same one written in the book. One of them even asked if he could have the book after we're done with it! (The LP guide book on Austria, which we also used for the same trip, was not nearly as good.) One of the hotels it recommended was the Jadran Hotel in Bled, which was an extention of the Grand Hotel Toplice but cost much less. We had a room whose balcony faces the lake. Oh, what a view! I highly recommend a visit to Slovenia, and this book. Follow whatever is suggested in it, and you are in for a treat! One suggestion: most hotels now have e-mail addresses. It would be great if they were published in the guide book along with the phone and fax numbers. --Leslie Gabriel

I Hate This Place is a great book--funny and very clever. It includes all those things we (well, most of us) often think of but can never actually put into words (especially not this witty). I've often thought of myself as an optimist but after reading this book, I have to say that I'm probably not. Jimmy and Gloria Fallon (whom I got to meet at a book signing--very cool) are two ingenious and unique people who aren't afraid to tell it like it is. Highly recommended!

This book is hilarious! The funniest book I ever read! My favorite part would have to be page 71. It's things like that that make you laugh nonstop and then people around you start to think that you're a psycho. I've actually had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy and Gloria Fallon at their book signing at Lincoln Center. It was very surreal, because I consider myself a huge fan of Jimmy and I have finally met him, I still think I was dreaming. It's a wonderful book, which is a must have! .....Hey Jimmy! You're the best! Congratulations!

All right, not just you - everyone needs it. Laughing is good and this book had my brother and I laughing to the point of unsightly drool. About 90 percent of our pages are dog-eared. I've personally recited drool-inducing parts to my parents and friends, and find myself constantly struggling not to snap book lines at the many alternative, empowered and positively annoying neighbors I have the pleasure of, like, melding energy with here in NYC's East Village. I'm all for empowerment. And whatever melding is. But I love that, in addition to taking pessimism to its hysterically funny extreme, "I Hate This Place" also satirizes the self-help craze and all of its super-duper-beluper positivity! and can-do affirmations! In fact, the Fallons include their own daily affirmations for the pessimist (personal favorites: "Tomorrow may never come" and "Today is another day, just like yesterday was"), as well as the truth behind such optimistic advice as, "A penny saved is a penny earned." ("Pennies are worthless.")

Thanks, Jimmy and Gloria. This book is well-needed, and much appreciated by me.

(Group hug?)

I have been a practicing medical doctor for about 20 years. In that time I have pursued my interest in nutrition literally to all corners of the globe. I have read scores of books on nutrition and treated hundreds if not thousands of patients with nutritional advice and natural medicines. Of all the published nutritional information on the shelves today, by far the most informative, reliable, comprehensive, and useful is Ms. Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. When I first came across Nourishing Traditions a few years ago, I was amazed that one person was about to amass virtually the entire wisdom of traditional societies concerning nutrition into one book. I found ancient recipes, cooking techniques, food preparation insights that are simply not to be found anywhere else. I urge all those who wish to truly pursue their knowledge of nutrition and to regain their own health to do one thing. Buy Nourishing Traditions, read it thoroughly, take a deep breath, and embark on a new way of life. Thomas Cowan, M.D.

Sally Fallon's book is large in size and in its implications, valiantly sweeping away all the fog and ignorance that is endemic in the field of nutrition today. The book, focussing as it does on traditional (pre-modern) food selection and preparation, is revolutionary in all its common sense, prompting the reader to nod and say, "Yes, that's really true." It seems increasingly baffling to me that, amidst the daily deluge of ideas criss-crossing the landscape of the nutrition frontier, very few people acknowledge the contribution of 50,000 years of human history in the creation and maintenance of health. Well, Sally Fallon does. This book takes the reader to the highest ground yet. I particularly appreciated the excerpts from other books and journals, which are included liberally in sidebars throughout the book. It is a lot like reading several books in one, such is the cumulative scope of Nourishing Traditions. Of course, the recipes, all 700 of them, are fabulous. The book also has an excellent resource section to aid the reader in applying the principles laid out in the text. Finally, one comment on the book's subtitle, "The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats": This book does not tip-toe around the issues. The introduction, besides revealing many frightening (and rarely realized) facts about the state of current nutrition, also issues a call to action for people to release themselves from the collective trance perpetuated through advertising, through the common rationale that "we eat pretty well already," and even through many of the currently popular trends today, including veganism. Prepare to be educated. Prepare to do some weeding. This is a big, bright, shout-from-the-rooftops cookbook that should be required reading for anyone who has the slightest doubt about what they eat. And for those, more likely, who have no doubts.

This book, along with Life Without Bread, has seriously changed my life for the better--I have more energy, clearer skin, lower weight, healthier tissue and fewer mood swings ever since I adjusted my diet and methods of food preparation, using many ideas from this book. I am not surprised that this book receives both rave and harsh reviews. Falon herself is a Diet Dictocrat, and what she advocates is radical because it goes against what most of us have been taught about nutrition and about being healthy. However, even if one doesn't adopt her dietary advice (even though I want to, I simply cannot follow it to the letter), just reading the margin notes is highly entertaining and informative. She has an amazing bibliography and some pretty fun facts for anyone interested in food. For example, I love the list of additives commonly found in both commercial ice cream and rubber cement, plastics, etc. I love her diatribe against the processed food industry. I have adopted many of the guidelines and tried most of the recipes. Her technique with soaking and roasting nuts is wonderful, as are some of her gourmet desserts (none of which contain processed white sugar). Her fish recipes are great. I recommend this book--but use it as a book, not as a Bible.