I first read this book as a history graduate student many years ago, and it still remains one of my favorite books of all time. Thomas set himself a daunting task--ascertaining the effect the change in religion from Catholicism with its beliefs in miracles, saints, transubstantiation to Protestantism with its adversion to miraculous beliefs had on the popular imagination.

Thomas tapped little used sources, the Church court records which included trials for witchcraft or magic to see if he could trace a decline in belief in magic. Thomas concluded that magical belief did decline from the 15th-17th centuries. In my opinion, he proved his case.

Anyone who has done historical research will stand in awe of Thomas' command of sources and his ability to synthesize. Anyone who is more than a little fed up with ahistorical screeds on witchcraft prosecutions a la Margaret Murray, will applaud Thomas's reasoned and credible explaination of the reasons behind witchcraft prosecutions. Basically, witchcraft prosecution in 16th century England filled the same function as it does in contemporary Africa--an attempt to control the uncontrollable.

Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic was the first of my books for summer reading, and I doubt that any novel that I choose will be half as entertaining or any text as informative. By the conclusion I felt that I was completing an odessey throughout the early modern era with a sympathy and understanding of a world far different then ours in some respects, yet, as Thomas succinctly points out in the conclusion, profoundly similar. No other history book has granted me a deeper sense of understanding about human drives for stability and for explaination in all things. This is a book that grants insight and understanding far beyond its proclaimed subject matter, with positive and sweeping consequences for the objective thinker.

This book covered most every aspect of religion and the Reformation. Beginning with the wonderful opening chapter that explains the environment of the current era and ending with the equally as powerful conclusion that ties the whole book together. You are exposed to astrologists, witches, cunning men, sorcerers and realize how they each worked against, and with, the Church. We see how the rising of Church of England ebolished the idea of "magic" and miricals, an important factor in the decline of Catholocism. I highly reccomend this as an advanced reader to anyone interested in how the "pagen" influence and Church power intermingaled in an age when community was giving way to individulism. Brilliant.

Sarah is a twelve-year-old Puritan girl living in Massachusetts in 1651. She is dreadfully unhappy because she fears her widowed father plans to marry a strict woman who dislikes Sarah and considers her to be poorly behaved. Playing on Sundays is strictly forbidden by the Puritan church. But one Sunday after a snow storm, Sarah and her best friend, Elizabeth (whose parents are considered to be somewhat freethinking for Puritans) can't help themselves, and they start to play in the snow, when they notice someone watching them and flee. Later, Mistress Goddard (Sarah's potential future stepmother) comes forward and announces that she saw Elizabeth and her brother Roger (she thought Sarah was Roger because she had borrowed his coat) broke the rules of the Sabbath. Now Roger will be punished when Sarah is the one who broke the rules. Can Sarah find the courage to come forward with the truth? I highly reccomend this excellant, detailed historical novel.

This book about a girl 12 years old in a puritan community and how she lives with her dad and her best friend Elizabeth. I loved this book.

This is an excellent book! As soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It was very exciting to read. I reccomend this book to anyone who likes exciting books.

After sailing tens of thousands of miles in the Americas and Caribbean and using dozens of cruising guides I can honestly say this cruising guide is unsurpassed. It contains detailed information about anchorages, approaches and services available in an easy to use format. With numerous anecdotes and historical stories this book is a pleasure to just sit down and read.

One of the best cruising guides around, definitely the best for Maine. Well written, organized and easy to use. Great sketch charts and all of the info that cruisers (not tourists) really need, as well as a good bit of local color.

Please note that the authors of this book are Haft and Curtis Rindlaub

I really didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up. A friend heard the author lecture on Shakespeare and bought a copy for our daughter, a Ph.D. candidate in English (Shakespeare). She sent it to us to deliver, since she didn't have our daughter's address. My wife and I both read a little bit, and then decided we had to read it all. Our daughter will have to write a thank-you for a used book.
Engel belongs to the school of biographical literary criticism, and thinks that authors' works are influenced strongly by their lives and the times in which they live them. The brief, and partial sketches of these nineteen literary greats are based on his classroom lectures. All I can say is that I wish he had been one of my teachers. These lectures in writing are cleverly written, with a very pleasing dry wit, and are informative while being interesting. Do you know the origin of the term "box office" and the actors' wish to "break a leg"? You will after you read Engel's snapshot of Shakespeare. And no one ever told me before that Chaucer was satire. Finding this book was a fortuitous accident. I hope my daughter enjoys it as much as I did.

If you've ever heard one of Dr. Engel's lectures, you know what a captivating storyteller he is. Now, for the first time, the content of his lectures has been put into book form. You can almost hear his voice as you read through the pages of this book.

As other reviewers have already stated, A Dab of Dickens is a collection of short biographical sketches of over a dozen of the greatest authors of all time. What is unique about these sketches is that, although they are short, they are filled with fascinating tales about the lives of our most beloved authors - tales that I am sure most of us did not ever know. For instance, I was fascinated to find that when he was only 3 years old, Edgar Allan Poe was forced to sit on the front row of the theatre and watch his mother, who played Juliet, stab herself and "die" - eight times a week. No wonder he wrote the kind of macabre stories that he did!

The great thing about Dr. Engel's new book is that it gives you just enough to keep your interest, it doesn't overwhelm you, and it makes you want to know more. You want to keep reading the chapter on Poe because you just cannot believe that even more horrible things could have possibly happened to one person. You may be bored by Ernest Hemmingway (for instance), but you don't mind reading his entire chapter because it's not information overload. And at the end of this wonderful book you have a list of authors whose major works you now cannot wait to read.

If you love literature and are fascinated by the authors who have brought us so many priceless works of art, this book is for you. If you don't know much about literature at all but are curious to find out more, this book is for you as well. But this book is also perfect for the person who hated English class in high school, avoided literature like the plague in college, and has been glad to forget it completely ever since. I promise that even you will find something fascinating and inspiring among the pages of this book.

I heard Elliot Engel speak recently. I found him to be one of the most entertaing and informative speakers I have heard. So I bought A Dab of Dickens and found it equally captivating. He takes a subject that I found rather laborious in school a long time ago and makes it come alive with anecdotes about the author's lives and brief analyses of some of their works. I could not put it down. In a relatively short chapter on each of 17 of the greatest authors in the English language from Chaucer to Robert Frost he gives fascinating, little known stories of their childhoods, loves and careers. He then briefly analyzes one or two extracts from their works to demonstrate why they are recognized as the greatest. And he does it with easy to read eloquence and humor. I was so impressed that I just bought three more copies for gifts to my adult kids and friends.

"A Guide to Newport's Cliff Walk" by Ed Morris, is an excellent work by a renowned and respected journalist. Join Ed as he guides you along the magnificent Cliff Walk of Newport, R,I, where you relive its glorious past. From the pages of his book, the gilded world of the Vanderbilt's, Astors, Belmonts, and all of their "400" society friends, comes alive again! This book is a must for all those interested in a by-gone era of unsurpassed brillance, which we shall never see the likes of again.

Anyone walking along this gorgeous path has wondered about the families,this book tells about the people and the history in a most interesting manner. A very well written book.

This book is informative,interesting,and juicy. Very Well written and a must read if you are interested in the behind scenes of the homes along this famous walk.

It's the most handy guidebook I ever used. It tells you all the attractions in Manhattan and it doesn't flood you wth words. It organized into sections, so you don't have to fold the map over and over to find where you want to go. If you love to travel by yourself and you don't want to carry a big book around and look like a tourist, you should get this book.

It's only good for Manhattan though.

If you are traveling to NYC, and spending your time in Manhattan, this is the only map book you will need. It's compact, and will fit in your pocket, and is easy to use and to read.

It starts with a map of Manhattan, which is divided into several sections. Each section has a corresponding map. When you open the book to a section, you will see some text and small pictures showing some of the highlights that you may want to see in the area. Then, the page folds out to a detailed map that is large enough to read easily, even while your walking, but still quite compact. The paper is very heavy, and after ten days of extensive use, my book has no torn maps, or even battered edges.

The back of the book has both bus and subway maps, and although they are pretty small, you can still use them to get around on public transportation. The only thing I used to supplement this book was a compass, which helped when we emerged from a subway tunnel, and needed a quick direction.

The cost of this book is only slightly more than a traditional map and is, in my opinion, an incredible value for the money. As a first-time visitor to NYC using this book, I was amazed that I never got lost; not even once!

folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.

so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.

brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.

the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.

As someone who lived on the island of Nantucket for 10 years, as one of the working people who cleaned the summer people's houses and worked three jobs in the summer, I know all too well the life that the author describes. But although it is a hard life, it was a wonderful one and I don't regret it. This book made me very nostalgic for that life. The author has a dream-like quality in the way that she writes. I hope she writes another (and longer) book.

Seldom do we get the chance to read a book that feels like the author is sitting next to you and telling her story, but not in a "oh, enough about me! How do you like my dress?" way.Nope, Carol Wasserman seems like an old friend.Simply put... This book rocks! It is funny, it is familiar, it is warm...the perfect after the holidays book, a perfect anytime book. I did not want it to end, but I finished it with the hopes that when I finished it, I'd hear she just published another.

More, please. And, Thank You.

While the book really grabbed us due to it being vaguely Parallel to mine and my wife's lives, that's not the point. If you live in the rental from hell a.k.a. "A Winter Rental" and you survived, well then this is a must read. I remember years ago whe our kids were young. As the spring came the kids could play outside. The property owners would show up and start working on the house. How comfy is this when you're a little late on the rent? Carol's description of this exact situation made me cover my face with a pillow and sob. She describes the exact gut wrenching feeling that happens to all winter renters! That and her yearly visit to town hall to show Aubrey is still indeed dead are some of the most powerful moments I've seen in literature in a long time. This is such a great work that it must be spread so others will do it!

This is a fascinating lady and I have tried some of the recipes. All have been well liked by everyone who has eaten them. I would recommend this book as well as any other for adults and children alike. Her videos take you to another time and place - try them.

Do not let the whimsical dainty painting on the books cover make you think this is a book for children. It is in fact a book that adults will love. Especially those who love homesteading, simply living, family and friends.

Not only are the recipes wonderful but the author has included a dialogue on what makes the recipe one she likes but she also has done wonderful water colour paintings to accompany the recipes.

And the recipes are varied from Appetizers and Salads, to Soups, breads and muffins, Main dishes to desserts and beverages. It is a cookbook that will become a family heirloom.

Corgi Cottage, the memories, the recipes. All Tasha Tudor fans will want to add this book to their collection. Cookbook collectors must embellish their shelf with this book. Old recipes, simple delights and wholesome goodness jump from the pages of Tasha's beautifully designed cookbook. You'll feel the warmth of her kitchen and enjoy her easy cooking lessons. Once you try her mashed potato recipe, you'll never do it any other way. Tasha's Lemon Jelly soothes the most unsettled tummy. Curl up with this book, learn a bit of history and art appreciation, then off to the kitchen for hours of culinary delight!

I have three books in my cabin. The Holy Bible, The Complete Walker, and The White Mountain Guide. They are all you need.

i actually read this book for fun. my copy is extremely dogeared and annotated. it is my guide to life.

This is indeed the bible of White Mountains hiking, and is particularly recommended for anyone attempting a multi-day hike and/or a hike above treeline. Not much I can add to what others have said, except that for casual hikes and dayhikes you should really check out White Mountains Map Book of New Hampshire and Maine (Hiking Maps and Guides) by Steve Bushey, Angela Faeth (Illustrator), Steve Smith (Editor), which has a superb map and brief descriptions of the most popular day trails.

I find this book well organized ,with a lot of informations about the community,the town of Buffalo,nice old pictures and very good food,real food for real people.I appreciated expecially the chapter about bread and bakery and some appetizers,anyway all recipes are put down very clearly and it is evident that before writing everything was tested many many times

This book is great for anyone who collects Junior League cookbooks. It has beautiful pictures and little history tidbits about Buffalo. The recipes are diverse and easy to do. I can't live without the "Sherry Chicken for a Crowd" and the "Potatoes Foster" - both great for entertaining!

This cookbook is a five star winner. I have tried many of the recipes and they are all great. I love the artwork and I also enjoy reading about the history of Buffalo. A must have cookbook for all collectors of Junior League Cookbooks.