My mother loved the BBC radio production of this play, with Imogen Stubbs as Lizzie Siddal; I thought it was very good, but the book is better.

The only thing many people know about William Morris is his wallpaper, and of Rossetti is that he dug up his wife's grave to retrieve poems he'd buried with her (including poems to his mistress). Clever As Paint not only explains how someone could do something like that, but makes it seem like a reasonable thing to do. Siddal's ghost refusing to give him the wording to the poem seems natural as well - what wife would ever give her husband the text to a love poem written to another?

Clever as Paint is beautiful and useful: a very funny black comedy, based on solid historical research. It benefits from being read, and reread, since there are so many levels to the play. It's witty without sacrificing compassion and even though it is very funny, the despair and grief of Rossetti is genuine. The poetry quoted is glorious and the book includes sheet music for Siddal's poems composed by Elizabeth Parker.

This play is a delight for people who know nothing of the Rossettis, and a joy for those who do.

This book is outstanding. It explains every facet of investing: stocks, bonds, mutal funds, savings account, CDs, etc. It explains the differance between all investment agencies and also outlines each investment index. Lists numerous great websites . . .

Books on Canadian coins vary widely on there explanation of the varieties involved and descriptive text concerning the history of the coins. This is an excellent reference book on tokens as well as the decimal series.

Entertaining, insightful, one of a kind

This book consists of thousands of explanatory notes to Malcolm Lowry's brilliant but labyrinthine novel. The notes are arranged in chapters corresponding to those in Under the Volcano. Each note is headed by page references to the Penguin and Signet Plume paperback editions as well as the Reynal & Hitchcock and Lippincott hardback editions. The Companion features maps of Cuernavaca and the Morelos Valley, a glossary of Spanish, French, German and Latin terms found in Under the Volcano, an index and a bibliography.

Malcolm Lowry liberally used obscure and archaic words and double entendre in his writings. He frequently employed foreign phrases as well. The Companion defines, translates, explains and contextualizes all of these unfamiliar terms. Throughout Under the Volcano, Lowry weaved in allusions to mythology, religion, literature, history and pop culture. Sometimes the allusions are direct, but more often than not, they are hidden. The Companion is very useful in identifying and understanding these allusions. For example, Lowry repeatedly uses the term "coxcox" as an adjective. The Companion offers plausible interpretations for the passages containing this term, points out that Coxcox was a figure in Aztec mythology corresponding to Noah in the Bible and provides verifiable references.

The Companion takes particular care in explaining the recurring motifs and allusions, such as the abyss, the stray dogs which seem to follow the Consul everywhere, Los Manos De Orlac, the horse with the number 7 branded on its hip and "no se puede vivir sin amar." In this respect, the Companion is well worth its price. The explanatory notes are fascinating and, occasionally, poignant. Don't be surprised if the Companion leads you to explore some of the obscure and long-forgotten literary works to which Lowry alluded.

This is the cookbook that I go to the most (and I collect cookbooks, so I've got a million of them). Every time the recipes are perfect. It's quite like Mark Bittman's How to cook everything, but I seem to go to this one quite a bit more then the Bittmans.
I use it so much that it's filthy with spilled sauce stains!
No pictures, but the best basic 'how to cook anything' book.

It is impossible to read this book and to remain uninvolved in the impending need for government aide in East Timor. It is shocking to realize how reluctant the government is to become involved in stoping the holocost that is occuring. This book will educate you, then suggest ways that you can assist in the fight to save East Timor. The pictures are wonderful, and the author has done an excellent job in putting together this book. I look forward to reading other works by Sharon Scharfe.

This was a nice break from the usual gay fiction anthology, but some writers were familiar: best Stephen Beachy's "torque", David Dakar, Richard Schimpf and Jim Provenzano, whose collage style shows a haunting future. robert Patrick's "The War Over Jane Fonda" reveals family disagreements that lead to more. Some of the stories fulfill the goal of providing dissident voices (Provenzano's the strongest among that category) others are sweet in their prose stylings (Charles Derry's "Keeping Track"). the Jack-in-the-Box cover is odd, but what can you expect from those wacky Canadians!

Great recipes - wonderful to eat! Delightful! Mere words are not enough! This cookbook will be in all the Christmas stockings I need to fill!