The first two poems of this collection -- "Burnt Norton" and "East Coker" -- are among the greatest extended poems written in English in the 20th Century, or in any other century for that matter. The last two -- "The Dry Salvages" and "Little Gidding" -- contain, hands down, some of the worst episodes ever produced by any major poet, though these should by no means be included amongst the worst poems. The sins these later poems share in common are the related ones of flagging inspiration and patchiness, both of which can be seen as having their root in Eliot's attempt to take the 5-part prototype of "Burnt Norton," the first of the bunch to be written, and to will the others into being by using it as their model. If, however, this is failure, then we should all be so fortunate to be such failures.

Anyway, despite obvious flaws, "Four Quartets" is one of the landmarks of modernist poetry. Basically, the poems are meditations on time and eternity and, most importantly, the excruciatingly difficult task of trying to attain a little "consciousness" therein. Those, however, who feel no great kinship with philosophical poetry -- who indeed feel that poetry should express "no ideas, except in things," are perhaps never going to warm up to this collection. For those, on the other hand, who believe that poetry is one of the primary tools for grappling with the verities, then what else can I say except pounce on this collection? Oh, it's going to take many readings, much time and a great deal of thinking to plummet the furthest recesses of this profoundly great art, but then again what more could you ask for from poetry?

By the way, if you've never heard the recordings of Eliot reading these works, then you simply haven't lived.

By far the crowning of T.S. Eliot's poetry. The evanescent equilibrium point between a whole set of couples of antagons. The present is such a point, but demultiplied by a myriad of other couples. Past-Future, Has-been-Might-have-been, and this point is movement, constantly moving between those antagons. It gives you a vertigo, the vertigo we feel in front of the present that is a constantly moving equilibrium point. Fascinating. Men are no longer hollow but they are unstoppable motion. They are some light, fine and fuzzy moving line between all the antagons of human nature, of nature as for that. Then a long and rich metaphor of life with the sea, neverending movement that ignores past and future but is pure present and nothing else. Men and women can only worship this everlasting present motion, time and place that is no time, no place and no motion, just unstable energy burnt in its own existence.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

This, quite frankly, is the best poem of the 20th century, and it gets better everytime you read it. From the apparent darkness of the first stanzas of Burnt Norton to the broadening towards lucidity of the last lines, there is much to love, much to admire, and much to quote. You will find lines that speak to the heart directly: you will also find, after numerous readings, splendid little details, which reveal the craftiness with which Eliot handled this superb adieu - for it is the last great work in poetry he has written. The greatest achieve of Eliot in Four Quartets, is the way he manages to reach out to the greatest poet in history, who lived a number of centuries ago, and have the language speak with his tongue, simultaneously admitting that Dante's world view cannot be copied in today's world - but that does not mean that his form of structure and vivid allusions should not be employed: in this poem, the Trecento and the century of the atomic bomb have found common ground to behold each other as not quite congenial, yet deeply related brothers. The past is not dead - it's not even past yet.

This book is the main book for my Internet Marketing Class at Mercy College's MS in Internet Business Systems program. It includes all necessary topics such as database marketing, banner advertisement, calculating LTV and RFM Email Marketing and best practices. This book is a must read for anyone in direct marketing field.

One of the leading authorities in database marketing, and author of The Complete Database Marketer, has released the second edition of Strategic Database Marketing. There is a certain overlap between the two books, but whereas The Complete Database Marketer focusses on both the operational and strategic side of database marketing, this one goes much more in depth into developing database marketing strategies and the many tools you can use to develop your strategy (e.g. RFM, Lifetime Value, Profitability Segmenting, etc). This second edition also features some new material about the opportunities of the Internet, without becoming an e-commerce guide. Arthur has a very down-to-earth way of writing, which makes this both an educational and highly enjoyable work to read. He also illustrates his teachings with many real-life examples, complete with LTV analyses. Finally, there's an extensive glossary and guide on how to keep up with developments in the database marketing field in the back of the book. My only bit of criticism would be the quizes at the end of each chapter, which at times seem to ask about rather trivial facts, while some of the answers in the back of the book seem to be incorrect.

Anyway, if there ever was a bible for database marketing, this is it ! An absolute must-have for database marketers and a fascinating read for marketers in general. Highly recommended !

I have only been in the direct/database marketing field for a relatively brief time. However, I have already read many recent and highly acclaimed books on the two subjects. Although I rate these books from fair to excellent, none of them compares to this outstanding guide and reference by Mr. Hughes. The coverage of RFM, Recency, Frequency, and Monetary, and LTV, lifetime value, analyses are undoubtedly the best I have read in any magazine or book, with the exception of Mr. Hughes's (please excuse the ancient grammar standard) other writings.

I would highly recommend this book to any direct/database marketing professional. I can't wait for the next edition.

"Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow" is a collection of poems by Ted Hughes. The copyright page notes that the book was first published in 1972. This is a remarkable book that often reads like some apocryphal sacred text. The book is dominated by its title character, who is the focus of a significant number of the poems. Crow is a multifaceted character with mythic heft: he is a warrior, theologian, trickster, and partner with God in creation. He is both heroic and ridiculous, foolish and wise. He's a compelling and delightful character who ultimately transcends all cultures and historical eras.

The collection as a whole is whimsical, witty, apocalyptic, bold, revelatory, irreverent, visceral, horrific, and playful. At times, Hughes' poetic marriage of the earthy and the mystical reminded me of Walt Whitman. The book also calls to mind traditional Native American animal stories.

Many of the poems in "Crow" touch on the magic and power of words. The natural world is another key recurring motif. Hughes delivers some striking images and some interesting arrangements of words on the page--many poems really engage the eye. Many poems read like religious litanies. Overall, an impressive and enjoyable poetic achievement.

...The gist of it was this: Crow is one of the best books of poetry published in the last 50 years...

A brilliant work! Honest, straightforward, raw and hardcore poems
that will knock your socks off. This is the only work I recommend reading by Hughes.

I love this thing, and so does my Titanic fanatic 5 yr old son.
When playing Titanic in the tub, he was always enacting the sinking part, which he was very particular about, insisting that the stern goes up, then it breaks in two, then the back spins around, and sinks as the front sinks as well.

When I saw this item, I just had to get it. And I wasn't disappointed at all.

It's a very detailed, hand painted model, and simple to assemble. The mechanism is ingenious. The two halves fasten together well, and the boat will float.

To activate the sinking, you slide a lever, which opens a simulated gash in the hull, right at the proper spot. This allows the water in, which floats a plastic float attached in a see-saw manner to a latch. When the water reaches a certain level, it trips the latch and the two halves fall apart, complete with jagged breaks!
It's really cool!

If you have a child who is into the Titanic, or even if you're a Titanic buff yourself, you'll love this!

The book is helpful and very well done to boot!

I ordered this book and model for my nine year old son who is very interested in the Titanic. I loved the book with its factual information and vivid pictures but what impressed me the most was the quality of the plastic model that accompanied the book. It was simple to put together and prepainted ( thank goodness!!) and was not flimsy when once built. I liked that it could be left intact or shown how it broke apart during its sinking. This book and model is definetly well worth the price and I commend the manufacturers. I finally received something I feel was well worth the money I paid for it.

I purchased this for my 5-year old son who LOVES everything about the Titanic, the book was great, he read it in just a couple of days and learned alot. It has a lot of good information about the Titanic, the whole family learned something. The model is great, even for his younger brother. Great in the tub or pool. It was easy to put together. My kids loved it so much I am ordering another to send to a friend's child who is also interested in the Titanic.

One of the frustrations in my life is that I have been a christian for 1/2 of my 43 years and you would think that I would be farther along on my journey to become a disciple. Mr. Hughes, the author of this book, shares his thoughts on becoming a man of God, and some areas that we need to focus in on. In chapters like, "The Discipline of Marriage", he points out ways that men stumble and encourages us to avoid the pitfalls that have tripped so many up. This book takes a hard line on sin, but doesn't preach. It encourages us to be strong and courageous and gives practical steps for keeping the victory over sin. It is an excellent book to use in a men's discussion group. You can read a chapter each week, read the scriptures which are referenced and discuss the end of chapter questions. I recommend this to every man, 15 and up.

It is easy to see why Kent Hughes' book has been such a best seller. The author has compiled in these pages an invaluable collection of helpful, spiritual advice for men in the 21st century. I am not aware of a more comprehensive volume that covers so many topics within one cover.

Hughes identifies the following life areas: relationships, soul, character, ministry, and grace. He then provides specific disciplines that each cultivate a more dynamic Christian lifestyle. His advice is Biblically sound, culturally relevant, and easy to understand.

This book will be very helpful to any man who desires to grow deeper in his devotion to Jesus Christ. While it is only an introductory work, it provides a solid foundation on which to begin a more structured approach to discipleship. I recommend it highly.

R. Kent Hughes hits the nail on the head. The world in general and the church in particular is suffering from a lack of godly leadership. When pastors and longtime church leaders are falling into sin on a daily basis, Christians need a wake-up call to spiritual living. And it's the men who must take the lead.

This book is ten years old, but it has never been more relevant. Mixing biblical exposition with practical application, Hughes gives men a prescription for righteous living.

As hard as it is to take, this veteran pastor speaks to men on their terms. Carefully organized, The Disciplines of a Godly Man, goes through each phase of a man's life. It delivers Scriptural guidelines on issues like lust, pride, responsibility, and marriage.

Keep this book on your nightstand. Its a must-have for Christian leaders, including preachers, educators, and laymen. Men, take The Disciplines of a Godly Man and lead in the way God has called you to lead.

I had to read a book for a book report due in a week. I was beginning to feel hopeless before I stumbled onto this in the library. Langston Hughes is an amazing Writer and poet. This was the first of his novels that I have read and I think it couldn't have been more perfect. This book is so rich in its characters and Hughes shows no mercy in telling of the bittersweet culture that engulfs the world of Sandy and his family. After reading this book, the beauty of this people was more evident than ever before. With words that are lovely and flowing and thoughts that are deep and abundant, Hughes is a person whom I wish was still with us.

I cannot stress enough how much I like this book, and all of Langston Hughes' writings. He is my favorite author, poet, playright and I always enjoy his work. No mattter what race you are (I myself happen to be white), you should be able to realize the social importance of all of Langston Hughes' work. This particular book really sheds light on the plight of so many black people that really isn't tought to young people. The progression that all the characters make in this book is really written quite well. I liked the fact that the book took place over a long period of time. Also, there are some events and plots that are unexpected, but definitely realistic.

Despite his considerable output of poetry, short stories and autobiographical work, this is Langston Hughes' only novel. It is the tremendously crafted story of Sandy, a black child of the 1920s in rural Kansas. In poignant tightly written chapters, Hughes' depicts various events in Sandy's life often slipping into the perspective of those closest to him. Sandy lives most his life with his strong-willed and deeply religious grandmother Aunt Hager. She is a benevolent woman who desires peaceful racial relations despite the overwhelming amount of racism and discrimination professed by both white and black community members. Sandy's mother Annjee is a loving and hard working woman eternally devoted to her husband Jimboy who is a good hearted man constantly on the move. Sandy's aunt Tempy is a well-off woman trying to immerse herself in white society and denigrating her own race in the process. His other aunt Harriett is a wilful woman who turns from the church for a different kind of existence. Through these expertly drawn characters, Sandy views their examples and he must make the choices that will effect his future. The novel is a tremendous chronicle of the struggle of a family to survive financially. It gives accounts of the psychological dilemma created by growing in a racially divided society and the diffuse joy in life that can be found even in troubling circumstances.

Maya Angelou wrote of Not Without Laughter: "This book was written when preachers had to be poets and poets were preachers, because they needed to be available to all the people all the time." The messages this novel gives are not subtle. But, through its varied perspectives and eloquently written prose, it envelops the issues it preaches with emotionally edifying ideas. It leaves the reader with a feeling of deep connection to all the characters, particularly the beautiful Sandy in whom we invest our hope and trust to fulfil his potential to become a good, intelligent and strong man who does not feel limited by his racial heritage despite any restrictions society may attempt to place for him. Although it may be a shame that Hughes never wrote another novel as he aptly demonstrated his skill in this one, Not Without Laughter stands as shining work be a skilled artist.

If you want Langston Hughes poems for a class or for personal use/reference, look no further. 860 poems puts you firmly in the completist category of Hughes's poetic output, so go ahead and fill out your library with this edition. A necessary buy for poets, teachers of literature of any stripe, and history buffs of the 20s through the 60s.

This is one of America's poets. Like Robert Frost or Billy Collins all should own and read Langston Hughes.

It is easy to take for granted how much of American culture has its roots in African-American culture, especially literature and music. If you are looking for an example of this notion, you have come to the right place. Langston Hughes's poetry is steeped in Jazz rhythms and social consciousness; it is, at the same time, an assertion of black civil rights and an astute observation of black (and, by extension, American) cultural awareness. In short, it is "must reading" for anyone with an interest in any of these areas.

It's a big book, certainly not something one can devour in a single sitting. Then, again, one wouldn't want to; this is a collection of poems to savor and reflect upon.

This book SEEMED like it would be helpful, but except for *some* info on premarital counseling, it really came very close to being like any other *secular* wedding book. Some of the advice is really dated, too.

I used this planner for my wedding in 1998. It never left my side, I took it everywhere! It helps you plan everything from the day you get engaged to the honeymoon...

If you're a listmaker and love checklists, this is the planner for you! There are tons of lists, calendars, and how-to's for the entire process. Four years later, it's still on my bookshelf for easy access. It's a fabulous planner that I'd recommend to anyone!

I used this book 3 years ago when I was married and recently passed it along to my sister-in-law to be. It is an invaluable resource and a very **different** resource. It isn't a book about different wedding "ideas" ("how to arrange the tablecloths", "how to deal with new in-laws", etc.) It is a **GO-TO** resource on the actual planning of the ceremony/celebration. It gives template sheets that I found helpful to simply xerox and put in a 3-ring binder and create my own workbook. (The best part is the book is still blank for my sister-in-law now!) Your money will be well spent here.

A metaphor can be a very dangerous tool to wield; quite often while you are trying to reference one particular aspect of a thing, myriad other associations and relations spring to peoples' minds and they may well be quite different from those correspondences you intended to summon. Such is definitely the case with The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes--once England's poet laureate, now best remembered, albeit unfairly, by angry feminists as the husband who drove Sylvia Plath to her grave. Hughes tells the amiable story of a huge metal robot who crashes to Earth and after putting himself back together begins to sate his enormous appetite for metal by devouring cars and tractors and the like. Infuriated local farmers trap him, despite the efforts of one friendly boy named Hogarth. But the Iron Giant turns out to be quite useful when an enormous space-bat-angel-dragon attacks Earth and demands a tribute of animate matter to consume. The Iron Giant agrees to battle the monster, vanquishes him and determines that the creature is actually peaceful but was attracted to Earth by man's violence. The space-bat-angel-dragon agrees to return to space, where his "music of the spheres" has such a calming effect that Earth becomes a peaceful place.

Now the intent of Hughes's original story, as well as that of the very good recent movie which is loosely based on it, is to show the futility of war, violence, etc. Hughes book was written at the height of the Cold War and the space-bat-angel-dragon can be understood to be the Left's idealized version of the Soviet Union--a threat only because of our own attitudes and actions. The Soviet Union having been disposed of in subsequent years, the movie makes a more generalized anti-gun, anti-military, pro-nonconformity statement. But the truly delicious irony in both cases is that the most obvious subtext of the story is at war with the intended central message. Because, at the end of the day, the Iron Giant is nothing less than Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative come to life and saving the world. The author's pacifist message and the filmmaker's antiestablishment message are overwhelmed by the powerful metaphorical symbol of a gigantic defensive weapon being the only thing standing between mankind and certain destruction. How delightful the irony that book and movie basically end up being pleas for the biggest boondoggle in the history of the military-industrial complex.

I liked both book and movie very much. The film in particular may be the best non-Disney animated feature film ever made. Obviously the symbolism of the Iron Giant has escaped the control of the storytellers; but the metaphorical ironies merely add an additional layer of enjoyment.

GRADE:

Book: B+

Film: A-

This is such a delightful book filled with imagination and peaceful resolution to differences. Children are captured by the amazing character "Iron Giant" and us adults enjoy the simple way that life winds around in this story of two very alien creatures.

Neither children nor adults need know the intricacies of Ted Hughes' life to appreciate this book. In fact, they might be better off not knowing. England's poet laureate drove two wives to suicide--Sylvia Plath and, six years later, Assia Welville, who also murdered her child.

Readers need know nothing about the Cold War, either, though Hughes clearly created this story as an allegory about the evil of war. He gave the characters very little development. Hogarth, the boy who centers the movie based very loosely on this book, functions as a sort of trigger. But there's not much explanation about why he acts, or why anyone acts, for that matter.

Nevertheless, the plot will draw even the most tortured second-grade reader into its tangle of fantasy, words and poetry. And once there, he will find it impossible to escape until the book is done. (My favorite part is the music of the spheres--the music that space made, a strange soft music, deep and weird, like millions of voices singing together.)

The Iron Giant came to the top of a cliff one night, no one knows how or from where he had come. The wind sang through his iron fingers, and his great iron head, shaped like a dustbin but big as a bedroom, slowly turned right, then slowly turned left. Down the cliff he fell, his iron legs, arms and ears breaking loose and falling off as he went. The pieces scattered, crashed, bumped, clanged down onto the rocky beach far below, where the sound of the sea chewed away at it, and the pieces of the Iron Giant lay scattered far and wide, silent and unmoving.

See what I mean? When the Giant was discovered after biting a tractor in two, the farmers whose equipment he had ruined dug a deep enormous hole, a stupendous hole on the side of which they put a rusty old truck to attract him. Hogarth lured the Giant there, and when he finally came to the trap, the farmers filled it in on top of him and let out a great cheer. Of course, the Giant escaped, and Hogarth (who felt guilty) found a home for him in the local scrap yard, where he could eat tractors to his heart's content.

Then arrived from Space a terribly black, terribly scaly, terribly knobbly, terribly horned, terribly hairy, terribly clawed, terribly fanged creature with vast indescribably terrible eyes, each one as big as Switzerland. It landed in Australia, where it covered the whole continent, and all the armies of the world decided to fight this space-bat-angle-dragon, who demanded live creatures as food. They declared war and lost. It was Hogarth's idea to call upon the Iron Giant for help.

I won't tell you how the story ended. But the important point, for grown-ups at least, is that in creating his 1968 Cold War space-bat-angle-dragon, the erstwhile pacifist poet Hughes also created a vision of evil incarnate--the kind of evil that wishes to engulf the entire world, that cannot be reasoned with, cannot be pacified and must be fought. Ironic, isn't it? Alyssa A. Lappen

Hughes, from this book at least, seems to have a very simple yet honest style. From his writing we can easily tel he is a revolutionary writers even though he never states it. He sides with the african americans and describes them as being more humane then their white social superiors. The book is very good but his style is a bit bland for my taste.

Sitting at about 225p paper back for 10$ its an overpriced book. I payed 12 for mine, but it was for school so i hadnt the time to argue over the consumer's pretty pennies of fortune. 10 is cheaper than mine, but a paper back thats less than 350 pages should be over 6$ in my opinion. Plus Langeston is dead, so it's jsut going over to whomever has the rights to his work. Quite greedy of them, no?

Langston Hughes's work is a masterpiece at it's best. Any true fan of Langston should explore this fantastic journey of words driven by an absolute genius.

Before reading this book of short stories, I knew practically nothing about Hughes, other than that he was famous for being one of the first black American writers to develop a style of writing which directly reflected the uniqueness of the Afro-American experience.

Reading this collection, however, introduced me for the first time to the mind of a truly great observer, thinker, and communicator. Hughes achieved something which is very important in the now overly politicized climate of race: he documented not only the confounding and hostile conditions which blacks had to endure in the early 20th century, but he understood the white culture as well. Through the eyes of the shrewd and empathetic Hughes, these stories read not so much as indictments of white racism as they do as the clashes of two dramatically different cultures.

To be sure, Hughes does not pull any punches when describing the hostility, condescension, and apathy of whites towards blacks during the Great Depression. These stories are glimpses into a world when overt racism was not only condoned, it was institutionalized as part of the American fabric. But despite the awful conditions for black people at the time, I never got the sense that Hughes was writing to express any personal rage or contempt for white people. He seems to present each heartbreaking scenario as an absurd juxtaposition between two disparate cultures. Instead of taking the easy road by presenting whites as evil, he makes them out to be a paranoid, anal retentive, soulless lot who don't know how to enjoy themselves. Unlike many contemporary discussions of race which tend to oversimplify the complex problems we face, Hughes's stories paint the clash between blacks and whites with deep humanity, empathy, nuance, and even humor.

Stylistically, he certainly belongs to the canon of outstanding 20th century American writers, black and white. He was no mere experimentalist (as I had previously thought), but rather a well schooled craftsman who did his homework first, and then did his own thing with it.

But aside from all my amateur literary criticm, I would like to mention that I simply could not put this book down. These stories are a gift!