An interesting book describing the innkeepers in Yosemite Valley's history. The battles occuring between the Curry Company and rival concession companies along with the battles between the U.S. Government and the Curry Company are described in detail. The author's perspective is first hand and very fascinating. Events are documented by the author. There are numerous photographs included in this book dating back to the early days of the Curry Company. I found this book not only interesting but well documented especially through its photographs. In reading this book one can learn alot about Yosemite's history and it's current status. I hope you enjoy your travel back in time as much as my family and I have. You might also enjoy reading "The Big Oak Flat Road" by Margaret Schlichtmann which covers the road from Stockton, CA to Yosemite.

This is a book for any woman who has attempted or dreamed of aquixotic quest. The year is 1964 in newly independent Africa whenauthor Kennedy and four fellow Peace Corps volunteers brave the relentless Harmattan winds across the forbidding Sahara desert. The women do not let the lack of money or safe transportation deter them. If they had thought to ask for advice they would have been told that the trip was impossible, but no one asked. The travelers, on summer break from their teaching jobs, are more acquaintances than friends. Each is changed by the experience, but it is through Kennedy's eyes that we watch the desert test and forge the woman she will become. Her lyrical writing, spiced with a wry humor, involves the reader from the first paragraph: . . . . . . . . . ."Zinder was the place on the edge of the Sahara where they kept and told the desert stories. They knew of the men lost­sixteen Arabs in three trucks swallowed last spring­and those spared, praise Allah, to return to Zinder. A strange sort of anticipation permeated life there, a foreboding of misfortune inevitable as the wind swirling dust through the alleys, against the ancient ageless mesquite, under skirts, and over piles of peppers and yams. The Harmattan blew. Resignation replaced hope. Endurance meant survival. Despite the wind, winter was the preferred time for travel in the desert. Death, the people said, accompanied the summer trips of fools.". . . . . . . .As a reader, I immediately signed on for this journey. When the five women leave the desert at Algiers, I felt an exhilaration, a feeling of accomplishment. My life also had been enriched by their journey. For I now too am the keeper of one of the stories told by the old men on the edge of the desert, the story of "desmoiselles formidables."

They had no vehicle, tents, sleeping bags and not much money, but they did have what that first wave of Peace Corps workers in the early sixties had in big quantities: guts, idealism and luck. It was enough to get five American women teaching in Liberia across the Sahara desert without so much as an expedition plan between them. Geraldine Kennedy took off into the world's largest desert with four friends in 1964, bearing the grief of JFK's death into a world in transition. The French influence in Upper Volta, Niger and Algeria was fading and Kennedy skillfully captures the lonely, desperate lives of those stranded French colonials who help sustain the young Americans along the way across the desert. The group runs into a host of obstacles, but perhaps the most brutal was the "harmattan," the incessant wind that blows across the Sahara, lashing the group as it slogged north on trucks, sheep transports, army convoys, oil rigs and taxis. They had to ward off amouous, gun-wielding officials, racist truckers, locusts and friction among themselves. Their Sahara adventure was the highlight of their Peace Corps hitch and landed them on the front page of the "New York Times." Kennedy was the group's leader and as a writer she is at her best when they stop in towns, oases and encampments where they had a chance to settle in for a few days and interact with merchants, officials and missionaries. Unfortunately, the group had little contact with locals such as the Tuaregs or Berbers, and these indigenous nomads are only a peripheral part of the journey. It would have been nice to get more of the cultural and historical backdrop of the region, but the book contrates on the effort, consuming enough, to push through the desert. Part of Kennedy's motivation to write this book was to inspire her children to make their own improbable journeys

This is a book for any woman who has attempted or dreamed of a quixotic quest. The year is 1964 in newly independent Africa when author Kennedy and four fellow Peace Corps volunteers brave the relentless Harmattan winds across the forbidding Sahara desert. The women do not let the lack of money or safe transportation deter them. If they had thought to ask for advice they would have been told that the trip was impossible, but no one asked. The travelers, on summer break from their teaching jobs, are more acquaintances than friends. Each is changed by the experience, but it is through Kennedy's eyes that we watch the desert test and forge the woman she will become. Her lyrical writing, spiced with a wry humor, involves the reader from the first paragraph: . . . . . . . . . ."Zinder was the place on the edge of the Sahara where they kept and told the desert stories. They knew of the men lost­sixteen Arabs in three trucks swallowed last spring­and those spared, praise Allah, to return to Zinder. A strange sort of anticipation permeated life there, a foreboding of misfortune inevitable as the wind swirling dust through the alleys, against the ancient ageless mesquite, under skirts, and over piles of peppers and yams. The Harmattan blew. Resignation replaced hope. Endurance meant survival. Despite the wind, winter was the preferred time for travel in the desert. Death, the people said, accompanied the summer trips of fools.". . . . . . . .As a reader, I immediately signed on for this journey. When the five women leave the desert at Algiers, I felt an exhilaration, a feeling of accomplishment. My life also had been enriched by their journey. For I now too am the keeper of one of the stories told by the old men on the edge of the desert, the story of "desmoiselles formidables."

It's hard to believe there was a time when the images in this book would have been considered pornographic. But if Singer's portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau ("Madame X") was considered scandalous because he painted her with a dropped shoulder strap (later repainted in its proper position), then you can understand why these male nudes (mostly charcoal sketches and quick watercolors, but also some finished oil paintings) were kept unexhibited for so long. We have Sargent's sisters to thank that they were not destroyed outright, but carefully placed with museums for safekeeping.

If text is the clothing of art books, then Donna Hassler has provided THE MALE NUDES with less than a loin cloth. But there's not much that needs to be said, anyway. The plates should be enjoyed in their own right. I especially enjoyed the charcoal drawings. They are contextless and their strong outlines give them extra punch and a sense of iconic completeness. Though well rounded and subtly shaded, they remind me somehow of Jean Cocteau's spirited line drawings. The watercolors reminded me of Winslow Homer's. All in all, a nice little book.

For anyone who is a figurative painter, this book is a must have. John Singer Sargent is the Father of watercolor but we rarely see his nudes in books or in museum exhibitions. The color plates are breathtaking and serve as an inspiration to all professional artists. This is a small book but in my opinion well worth the money.

This is a beautiful book that I truly enjoyed. Not being a critic, but just a lover of fine art, I found this long hidden selection of John Singer Sargent's male nudes fascinating, and beautiful produced. There are drawings in black & white and many in color in this fine selection. This book was published on the occasion of Sargent's major retrospect that traveled to several major galleries in 1999.

Sargent began some of these drawings in his adolescence, and continued drawing male nudes throughout his career. However, they were never exhibited or seen by many other people until now. Some of the models became enduring friends with the artist, and remained by his side during his entire lifetime. There is a wonderful introduction that is very helpful in understanding this very talented and creative artist. I highly recommend this book to anyone that knows and enjoys Sargent's artistic work. For those of you who don't, this is a great introduction!

"Patriotism" is a story by Yukio Mishima, and has been translated into English by Geoffrey W. Sargent. This is a short book (57 pages), but powerful. The story, which takes place in 1936, opens by announcing that Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama, a Japanese army officer, has committed ritual suicide together with his wife Reiko. "Patriotism" tells of the days leading up to and including the double suicide.

This is a simple story, but in its simplicity lies great artistry. Mishima's prose, as interpreted by Sargent, is striking, vivid, and ultimately quite beautiful. "Patriotism" is a tragic love story that is rich in eroticism. The graphic, violent details will, I imagine, shock and even disgust some readers, but I found this story to be ultimately a haunting, and strangely compassionate, work of art.

My short story class was assigned to read "Patriotism," and I was so thankful because now I've been introduced to yet another fantastic writer.

Yes, maybe the idea of a wife following her husband in suicide out of honor and devotion seems preposterous today, but the way it was written was so undeniably beautiful. Mishima writes in a way that makes the reader completely understand why his characters do what they do. No one could argue that the whole act was utterly noble and selfless. The descriptions of the love and mutual respect in Shinji's and Reiko's marriage was heavenly, almost unreal--yet its rarity doesn't make the reader laugh. Again, it was written so that one is convinced that this is a marriage exemplifying the "harmony" we all seek between two people.

Basically I was in awe of the descriptions in this story--such beautiful, powerful imagery in the lovemaking scene, as well as the final act of death. Mishima fills his phrases with so much emotion, that as Shinji's end drew near, I was literally brought to tears.

Part of the beauty in this story was in the translation. I'll bet that Sargeant probably best captured the essence of Mishima's words more than anyone could. I've heard that there are some pretty bad translations of foreign work so I think it's safe to say that Sargeant would be the translator to look for when reading Mishima's work.

Though this story was set in the 30s, Mishima wrote it in 1966. I wonder what inspired him to write it. I don't know what was going on politically in Japan in the 60s. Perhaps the political turmoil in the United States may have affected Japan's psyche. Either way, what surprises me even more is the fact that this story was written so late in the 20th Century!

I highly recommend "Patriotism." It's a wonderful illustration of devotion in its many forms. I loved it, and now I'm going to read other stories by this author!

"Patriotism," a short story by one of the 20th century's most talented and notorious authors, cannot be adequately described within the constraints of language. It has a raw power that, like all of Mishima's works, is profoundly delicate in construction and exquisite in tempo.

The plot of "Patriotism" is simple enough -- it is, in fact, unimportant. An officer in the Japanese military is given orders to disrupt a renegade political group that he happens to hold allegiance to. What else does one do in such a quandry (particularly a character of Mishima) than commit seppuku? The bulk of "Patriotism" is the last night that this officer and his wife spend together before they both commit ritual suicide. What sets "Patriotism" apart from virtually all other literature is its portrayal of a couple's last night and their gruesome, graphic, horrific deaths in glorious and ecstatic terms.

Many writers are capable of vividly depicting a scene of death and horror, and this story is more disgusting and graphic than anything I've read in Stephen King. But the literal description of what happens has an unpredictable and unbelievable impact in this story, where one man's act of disemboweling himself is described in the most ecstatic terms. It was that juxtaposition of glory and death that made me nearly double over when I'd finished. "Patriotism" is not for the weak heart nor the weak stomach, but in 50 pages or so it creates an effect you are not likely to see executed so well elsewhere.

First of all, I am NOT a young adult - as this book is obviously written for. But, as a die-hard Pamela Sargent fan - I had to read "Earthseed". Although the story is more-or-less simplistic - it's still a rather good read - and I would suggest it to anyone (young or old) who enjoys reading Pamela Sargent. Ms. Sargent has a unique and wonderful writting style - and I would advice anyone to read her novels.

I really enjoyed this book. It was just perfect for young adults. It wasn't at all dull, like most sci-fi books for this age group. There was even a little romance, which is very rare.

When I read this book, I knew this was THE book. It touched me, but not really. In accordance, I would reccommend this book to everyone, not just people who like Sci-Fi.

One of the magical aspects of the portraits of John Singer Sargent is his cholce of scale. At times his Grande Dames were painted larger than life, his bon vivants narrow and elongated like the models themselves. Here all is compressed into home photograph size, as though these were taken during a visit to an exhibition in a crusty museum. But the joy of having so many of Sargent's elegant people greatfully reproduced in rich color and on fine quality paper makes the size more tolerable. And it is fitting to have the "commentary" be conversational Henry James parcels, since they were very close friends. This is not the definitive Sargent book, but until the price of the larger volumes is more accessible, this little book is a joy.

OK, so I plagiarize the common saying, "A 'Rembrandt' is not always a Rembrandt." But that is not the point. My points actually are the following:

1) This is a very small book (pocket edition) to present lifesize paintings (for the most part, anyway) done by Sargent. Therefore, some limitations are inevitable.

2) This book simply presents 100 paintings (including some drawings) by Sargent with occasionally some comments by different patrons. The book does NOT discuss the technical or historical aspect of the paintings, except for a biography of 8 pages in the back of the book.

3) If you are, like myself, hoping to have a little book of paintings (at an affordable price) by Sargent to quickly look up the way colors were used in his portraits, then this book serves the purpose. After all, "A 'Sargent' is always a Sargent.", no matter how small is it presented. However, if you are looking for more than a collection of small paintings, other books on Sargent of larger volume may be called for.

This little book of Sargent paintings is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but in this case, size does not matter. I was drawn by this book's cover at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco in late 2000, and was urged to by it by my art craving mind. I have to admit that it did have a few works of his I had not seen, so it is valuable in the sense to some die-hard fans (which I pretty much am of his). Like in the other reviews, this book is printed on great quality paper, has a dust jacket, and has a mini- biography with some different views on his life. It also has a detailed list in the back describing each painting shown. I believe it doesn't have a B/w photo, but I am not certain. Nevertheless, it is worth the small price. And, if you're a big fan of his, it never hurts to have a minature Sargent book to carry along :)

Austrian student Inge Sargent married a Shan prince from Hsipaw. (She claims she wasn't even aware of his high status until she saw the welcoming throngs as they debarked on the shore in Burma. Imagine that little surprise if you were a new bride!) Eventually, the prince raises her to official consort-princess status. They raise two daughters and are deeply revered by the Shan people.

Inge's husband, Sao Kya Seng disappeared after the 1962 coup which brought the military dictator Ne Win to power. They keep her cynically in the dark about his fate for a long time.

My only objection to this book is that the author's portrait of herself and her prince husband is quite a bit idealized. Truly great autobiographies are a bit more self-critical and introspective. This book is too "fairy-tale" and good to be true to life. That is why I give the book three stars and not more.

If you are interested in more about Myanmar (Burma) and how the current regime came to power, this is good reading, nonetheless. It will give you some historical background about why there is a huge conflict between the military regime in Yangon (Rangoon) and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the dissent leader under house arrest.

The Shan state is one of many sub-nationalities that make up the very mixed Burmese nation. I was privileged to make a short visit to the Shan state a few years ago before it became difficult to do so. Burma was often called the Land of Regrets because it haunts people who visit and they long to return. It truly is the Land of Regrets. I hope things will change someday soon for the better, as it is a uniquely wonderful land.

Like another reviewer, I must confess that I was a student at the Boulder, CO school where Inge taught German classes. While I was not her student, my friends were. Never once did they let on about Inge's previous life.

18 years old, I set out around the world. By 19, I was in Burma, a country I fell in love with, and visited so many times over the next decade. I also came to understand Burmese politics.

At age 35, after most of my adult life spent in SE Asia, I moved back to Boulder. Late one night, I saw Inge on a PBS station, describing her book. Wow!

I immediately bought the book.

Let me say this: Some people talk, others have no need to do so, because they have lived. Inge has lived, and continues to do so. This book is the story of just one portion of her life. Absolutely incredible, abolutely unbelievable, absolutely true.

Forget the naysayers here. This is the real deal. A wonderful book, simultaneously terrific and bittersweet.

I must begin by admitting some bias as Mrs. Sargent was also my German teacher in Colorado in the late 70's. She never gave any indication of her previous life in Burma, nor of the tragic events that ended that life she knew. It is a powerful story of courage and perseverence. I would highly recommend this book and am anxious to read it again!

No longer a character class just limited to stealing and running. This book has a kit for all situations. New equipment, new items, and ideas for guilds, a nice spin on 1 of the basic 4 classes.

This is by far my favorite "Complete _____'s Handbook." Nearly everything in here is essential if you want to have a real thief, and not just a bunch of stats. The kits are some of the best I've seen. Other Handbooks have outlandish or just downright worthless kits (for instance, take that Ranger kit that turns you into a tree!). In this one, however, every kit is unique, and yet believable and fun to play. For a long time, this handbook was the only information available on Thieves' Guilds. If that's what you're after, however, I'd recommend Den of Theieves, which fleshes it out even more and provides all sorts of adventure possibilities. Round this book out with new equipment and magic items, and you have a classic.

This book is great! It is just full of information about thieves. I've read through it 4 or 5 times now. It covers things that the players should know about thieves, like kits, backround, and tools of the trade. It also covers things that DMs should know about thieves. It goes into depth about how to create and run an effective thieves guild and explains in great detail each thieves kit. Over all, this is a must-have book for all of you players AND DMs who use thief's in AD&D.

While in a treatment program for anorexia, I read this book hoping that it would be an inspirational tale of Sargent's recovery from this possessing disease. While the book was a definite page-turner full of feelings and situations I could completely relate to, it unfortunately lacked adequate explanation of her path to recovery.

All in all, I think this is a great book for family members or friends who want to understand the mind of an anorexic however, I would not reccommend it to sufferers looking for answers or guidance.

When I finished Judy's book, I cried with "JOY" as eleven years ago, she was my neighbor during the depths of her illness. Her courage and desire to share her gift of hope are admirable; and I'm confident that her willingness to openly detail "her path to recovery" will benefit many. It should be required reading for those with this dreadful disease and those who are professionally caring for them. BRAVO to JUDY!!!!!!

The book was amazing. I couldn't put it down! Judy's bravery to overcome her terrible struggle with her eating disorder is astounding. Then to take it a step further and write this wonderful book, so that others might benefit and overcome their own, leaves me speechless. I give thanks to her mother for sharing with other parents her wisdom found throughout her daughter's illness. This is a rare gift indeed. Judy, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving hope to parents like myself, who have a daughter still caught in the throes of this illness. I am eternally grateful!

'As you like it' is one of those Shakespearean plays that is considered 'great' by critics, but never really found true popular acclaim, perhaps due to the absence of charismatic characters (the romantic hero is particularly wet) or compelling dilemmas.

It shares many features with the great comedies - the notion of the forest as a magic or transformative space away from tyrannical society ('A Midsummer night's dream'); the theme of unrequited love and gender switching from 'Twelfth night'; the exiled Duke and his playful daughter from 'The Tempest'. But these comparisons only point to 'AYLI''s comparative failure (as a reading experience anyway) - it lacks the magical sense of play of the first; the yearning melancholy of the second; or the elegiac complexity of the third.

It starts off brilliantly with a first act dominated by tyrants: an heir who neglects his younger brother, and a Duke who resents the popularity of his exiled brother's daughter (Rosalind). there is an eccentric wrestling sequence in which a callow youth (Orlando) overthrows a giant. Then the good characters are exiled to Arden searching for relatives and loved ones.

Theoretically, this should be good fun, and you can see why post-modernist critics enjoy it, with its courtiers arriving to civilise the forest in the language of contemporary explorers, and the gender fluidity and role-play; but, in truth, plot is minimal, with tiresomely pedantic 'wit' to the fore, especially when the melancholy scholar-courtier Jacques and Fool Touchstone are around, with the latter's travesties of classical learning presumably hilarious if you're an expert on Theocritus and the like.

As an English pastoral, 'AYLI' doesn't approach Sidney's 'Arcadia' - maybe it soars on stage. (Latham's Arden edition is as frustrating as ever, with scholarly cavilling creating a stumbling read, and an introduction which characteristically neuters everything that makes Shakespeare so exciting and challenging)

Anyone with a working knowledge of Shakespeare's plays knows that As You Like It is a light, airy comedy. It is clearly not one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. As You Like It is more obscure than famous. Even amongst the comedies it comes nowhere close to the popularity of plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, or Twelfth Night. That said, it is a treasure in its own right. This is so, if for nothing else, because it contains one of the greatest pictures of a woman to be found in Shakespeare's works, excluding the Sonnets.

Ah, sweet Rosalind. In her are encapsulated so many ideas about the nature of woman. She is first pictured in a rather faux-Petrarchan manner. This quickly fades as an intelligent woman comes to the fore. While the intelligence remains, she is also torn by the savage winds of romantic love. Rosalind, in all her complexity and self-contradiction, is a truly modern female character.

Most of the women in Shakespeare's tragedies and historical plays are either window dressing (as in Julius Caesar) or woefully one-sided (Ophelia, Lady Macbeth). This is not the case with Rosalind. Rather than being marginalized, she is the focus of a good chunk of the play. Instead of being static and [standard], she is a complex evolving character.

When Rosalind first appears, she outwardly looks much like any other lady of the court. She is a stunning beauty. She is much praised for her virtue. Both of these elements factor in the Duke's decision to banish or [do away with] her.

Rosalind falls in love immediately upon seeing Orlando. In this way she at first seems to back up a typically courtly idea of "love at first sight." Also, she initially seems quite unattainable to Orlando. These are echoes of Petrarchan notions that proclaim love to be a painful thing. This dynamic is stood on its head following her banishment.

Rosalind begins to question the certainty of Orlando's affection. She criticizes his doggerel when she finds it nailed to a tree. Rather than wilting like some medieval flower, she puts into effect a plan. She seeks to test the validity of her pretty-boy's love. In the guise of a boy herself, she questions the deceived Orlando about his love.

Yet Rosalind is not always so assured. Her steadfastness is not cut and dried. Composed in his presence, Rosalind melts the second Orlando goes away. She starts spouting romantic drivel worthy of Judith Krantz. Even her best friend Celia seems to tire of her love talk. This hesitating, yet consuming passion is thrown into stark relief with her crystal clear dealings with the unwanted advances of the shepherdess Phebe.

Rosalind contradicts herself in taking the side of Silvius in his pursuit of Phebe. She seeks to help Silvius win the love of Phebe because of his endearing constancy. Yet the whole reason she tests Orlando is the supposed inconstancy of men's affections.

This idea of Male inconstancy has made its way down to the present day. Men are seen, in many circles, as basically incapable of fidelity. Though a contradiction to her treatment of Silvius' cause, Rosalind's knowing subscription to pessimistic views on the constancy of a man's love places her on the same playing field as many modern women.

Rosalind takes charge of her own fate. Until and even during Shakespeare's own time women largely were at the mercy of the men around them. This is satirized in Rosalind's assuming the appearance of a man. Yet she had taken charge of her life even before taking on the dress and likeness of a man. She gives her token to Orlando. She decides to go to the Forest. She makes the choice of appearing like a man to ensure her safety and the safety of Celia.

Rosalind finally finds balance and happiness when she comes to love not as a test or game, but as an equal partnership. Shakespeare is clearly critiquing the contemporary notions of love in his day. His play also condemns society's underestimation and marginalization of women. However, the Bard's main point is more profound.

As You Like It makes it clear that the world is never picture perfect, even when there are fairy-tale endings. Men and women both fail. Love is the most important thing. With love all things are possible.

"As You Like It" is bar none, one of Shakespeare's VERY best works. It is probably the most poetic of the comedies and contains perhaps as many famous quotations as any other of his plays. Rosalind is perhaps his greatest female character and this work, along with the equally (or even more) brilliant "Midsummer Night's Dream," is the best example of Shakespeare's theme of the "dream world" vs. the "real" world. This play, especially the scenes in the forest, is a celebration of language and the power of the freedom of the imagination. It consequently can be read as a criticism of the "real world," here represented by Duke Ferdinand's court. Like many of the other comedies, Shakespeare is mocking the "ideal" which many in his society would have praised. Though this play deals with some pretty dark themes (which of his plays doesn't?) it is a light-hearted and fully enjoyable read!