Everyone knows Robert Louis Stevenson; everyone has at least one of the myriad books of his poetry. There are some stunningly illustrated collections of his poetry out now, notably two by Thomas Kincaide, among others. But how many of us have actually read all or most of his work? I'm guilty as charged.

This smaller, quieter version of Stevenson's poetry helped me finally, actually read all the Garden poetry. True, the illustrations are spare, but delightfully accurate. My children (7 and 10) were not as mesmerized by this book as they are by others with fanciful graphics, illustrations and larger type to accompany the poetry.

Still, this small book found its way into my purse to be used for waiting moments, e.g. at the orthodontist, doctor, and also to my bedside, where it's shear diminutive size did not dissuade me from reading "for only a minute or two." And within Stevenson's words and language lie the ferment of creative pictures. I liked to have my children close their eyes while I read short poems to 'force' them to use only their mind's eye.

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures, moods, and images Stevenson conjures and at long last can understand why his poetry remains so classic.

Most everyone knows that Robert Louis Stevenson was sickly, both as a child and as an adult, and the happy result for the reading public was his nearly feverish flights of imagination. Here, in an edition of his classic "A Child's Garden of Verses," that fever is complemented in spades by the fantastical illustrations of English artist Joanna Isles.

Isles uses an arsenal of utterly frivolous flowers, borders, insects, birds, kings and queens, fairies, and more to expand upon the imagination exhibited in Stevenson's poems. The children in these pictures are depicted as being in charge, being at one with their environment, and being delighted to be alive.

Some of the illustrations hint at the influence of artists more famed than Isles (Henri Rousseau appears to be a special favorite of hers--see the illustration for "The Unseen Playmate," in which a boy lies down in weeds that might have sprung from the edge of Rousseau's painting "The Dream"). Using both primary colors and pastels, Isles creates a world within the world of Stevenson's verse. The marriage of the two is a happy one.

When I was younger, well 5 actually, I had the chicken pox. This was one of my mom's favorite books. The words in the poetry just soothed me. It seemed like the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, knew exactly what I was going through.

You can't forget about the little toy soldiers (a poem) at your feet because when you are sick for days, you can imagine all kinds of things in your mind. The curtains billow like sails, the bedpost is your anchor. I sat there in bed and just floated away with the fun of having someone to share my illness. It seemed like a had a friend right there with me.

I loved the pictures too. The little kids are old fashioned and it made me laugh because the boys wore silly clothes, but they fit the time period, my mom said.

I love this book and keep it by my bed when I need to be relaxed.

Hayley Cohen

This book is a great murder mystery novel that leaves you guessing until the end, and provides plenty of clues for you to have several suspects at once. It also provides alot of interesting and even shocking information on life in the rennaissance, and the class and gender differences of the time. It is a really fun read and doesn't have a lot of blood or gore, but is still extremely suspenceful.

If you want a relaxing afternoon read, this one is for you. Put yourself in the hammock, or curl up in your favorite chair and transport yourself to Renaissance Italy.

I tell you, after a multitude of women as coroners, feisty private eyes, 24/7 career types, Giuditta, the sleuthing cook is refreshing. Emilia, daughter-in-law of the matriarch, Caterina, is murdered. Bella, the other daughter-in-law, who never got along with Emilia, is arrested for the murder. Giuditta vows to prove the innocence of Bella with whom she has a warm and respectful relationship.

It is more what is missing from this mystery novel that makes it appealing. There is no real blood and gore. Action without plot is missing. And we don't have to pine over the ups and downs of the intimate relationships of the heroine. Giuditta does develop an intimate relationship along the way with Angelo the artist, but it is a warm and easy going intimacy that adds to the story.

This mystery is different. Different in the immense attention to detail, and the use of superb prose to set the scenes. One is transported to the time and place. You feel the heat, dust and dirt in a palazzo. You sweat with Giduitta as she travels miles on foot to gather information. The characters are many and the Italian names a bit confusing. It reminds me a bit of P.D. James. You do have to work some brain cells on this one, and that too is a refreshing difference from many of the popular mysteries of today.

The author has woven a tale of mystery that gives pleasure, and a reassurance that there really are still mystery writers that can write above the 10th grade reading level.

While this book is short and to the point, it manages to put the reader right into its period. Especially rewarding are the descriptions of how a fresco is made, and of the food preparations. Be warned, you will become hungry.

Though I came to have supicions as the novel proceeded, I was not sure of the culprit until he was proven. In other words, without rambling around Robin Hood's barn, the author gave us readers the relevant information, yet withheld the resolution till the end. The (inedible) red herrings are there but do not distract us unduly. For a delightful trip into the Italian Renaissance, curl up in a sunny corner with "Bella Donna."

It pains me to write a negative review of anything by Florence Littauer, one of my favorite Christian and self-help authors and speakers, but I question the "wisdom" of this book. The main premise is that if you have large memory gaps you were probably abused and have forgotten it or pushed it out. You are then urged to explore those "forgotten" memories until you can dig them out.

In typical Littauer fashion - a good one, I should add - the book is written with numerous personal examples of people Fred and Florence have encountered over the years. The problem is that all of these examples end up w/ the "abused" person uncovering "memories of abuse." Never does it end up that the person discovers they just have a poor memory.

I question the wisdom of this approach for three reasons: 1) Memory repression/retreval is very controversial by the psychological professionals, and is often proven to be faulty. 2) The book leaves no room for the possibility that someone w/ holes was anything but abused in some fashion. 3) Florence's impecable reputation puts her in the realm of "expert" in a field that she is not qualified as an expert.

I found myself - as someone who can't always even recall memories of some of the things my 6 year old did - questioning and searching for the "terrible" event in my past that caused me to be unable to remember so much. After going through this very dark search, I finally allowed myself - the book doesn't allow for such things - to come to the conclusion that the only thing wrong with me is I need more Ginko, not therapy for childhood abuse.

If you know you have been abused in the past, have questions about it, or know someone who has been, then this book may help you find answers. Otherwise, be very careful. It's a dark path with a questionable destination.

My husband and I have counseled hundreds of people and have found this book to be invaluable in helping many who had memory losses during childhood. Sometimes it was one particular incident and other times it was certain years that could not be recalled. I personally have a friend who has no memory before age 7 and is content to leave it at that. But for many others who have been helped, I would say go ahead and read it. We have a need for the book frequently and are very distressed over the fact that they are no longer available. Please get more copies printed for us and others who need and want help in order to be free. Fred and Florence Littauer have made a great contribution in helping people. Thank you.

There are so many questions that we all have as to why we are the way we are. A lot stems back to childhood. Some of these issues that adults deal with are sometimes so deep rooted that some do not know where to begin. This book really takes you back to different stages in your life, memories that may still have a strong impact as to why you do and don't do certain things. Ailments that started...certain odors that are bothersome... certain rooms in a home that just don't feel right. Whatever that it is...you just MAY find some answers in this book or at least start a journey of healing. It is only with the Lord's timing that someone will be healed of past circumstances. If you are prepared to go deeper and are willing to let Him reveal things of the past, this book will be a tremendous help, even if it is for someone that you love. Mine has been continually circulating.

A quick read that might hold your attention for a few hours. Will not win any awards for creativity or originality since the formula is very Jackie Collins - a "scandal" in the Hollywood community that touches the lives of a number of different people and the root cause is a person who has risen to fame from some unfortunate and humble circumstance, has become bitter and evil as a result of their earlier experience and means to take revenge on others. I will not try to predict or judge whether or not you will enjoy it - if you like Jackie Collins type books you probably will enjoy. Just don't wait for this to be an Oprah Book Club selection - that's not likely to happen.

I was really digging this book for real. I loved the plot and the storyline. I have never really read a murder mystery before and I loved it. Everyone should check this out cause you won't be able to put it down for real.

This book is full of Hollywood folks and is real animated. I just adored this book. Get it for yourself and then tell a friend!!!!!

This is a sexy murder mystery that will have you jumpin jumpin and excited for what will come next. I just adore this Hollywood tale and was sad to see it end. This is surely a must have for those who like mysteries, comedies, or just those who like a good read. I would began babbling about the characters and stuff but I do not want to give anything away. Believe you me, its Hot Hot Hot!

Hibbert offers a fast-paced and entertaining history of the Medici dynasty that ruled Florence - officially and unofficially - for a few centuries, and are often given credit for the emergence of the renaissance in Italy.

The Medici family is full of fascinating characters: from the savvy patriarch Cosimo de Giovanni to the charismatic Lorenzo il Magnifico to Pope Leo X ("God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it!") or the bloodthirsty Gian Carlo or the spitfire bride of Grand Duke Ferdinando II, to the sad, heirless Gian Gastone, survived solemnly by the stoic Anna Maria, the last of the Medici.

A history of the Medici is also a history of Florence, but Hibbert does not delve into historical detail, instead taking an anecdotal approach that whips the readers through complicated alliances, wars, and economic conditions without much context. The book focuses more on the forces of personality in the family and the internal intrigues of the Signoria, the Vatican, and the Duchy, than on the changing conditions of europe or italia in general.

Christopher Hibbert created a masterpiece with this work. It chronicles the fortunes of the Medici family from when its first leader, Cosimo comes to renown in Florence in 143 to when heirless Gian Gastone dies in 1737. The history is very interesting, it gives an insider's look into the complex world of Florence and Europe in the Renaissance. I learned many interesting things, particularly about the corruptrion in the Catholic Church at the time. My only qualm is that the author seems to lose interest with after Part 3 ends. The first 3 parts cover 100 years and last 260 pages and the last 140 years only take up 50 pages. Also of note are the notes that give information about notable villas and works of art that are mentioned. This would be extremely useful if one were to travel to Florence. Overall, an excellent read that will enrich your understanding of the Past.

Christopher Hibbert is a rare history writer. Hibbert writes about some tough topics in history and makes them very interesting. Hibber is one of those few historians that write so well you think you are there. His books on the French Revolution and the English Civil War are two prime examples of that ability. His book on the Renaissance through the story of the Medici family is another great example of his writing.

The Medici family was a patron family in Italy during the Renaissance. Basically they paid for some of the art created in Italy during the Renaissance.

In telling the story of the Medici family, Hibbert is really telling the story of Italy and Renaissance Italy. Hibberts gift is biography and his writings make the individual historical figures become very human and alive.

I found the most interesting section of the book the story of the Priest Savonarola. Hibbert does a great job discussing his role in Italy and the controversies he created.

In short, anyone interested in Renaissance history, Italian history, or good readable history will enjoy this work and others by Christopher Hibbert.

(My review is about the 1961 revised edition; I don't know if the problems I mentioned have been fixed.) I have used this book, and found it helpful, but it is NOT a guide to reading and writing Japanese. It is best described as a beginner's dictionary to the Toyo kanji (1850 for standard use). That said, it is a reference book, not a primary text, and probably shouldn't be used as such. The first 881 (elementary) characters are given with stroke order, meanings, and 3 example compounds; on and kun readings in Hepburn romanization (which I personally don't like). The remainder of the kanji have neither stroke order or examples. Includes a kana syllabaries, on/kun reading index, and stroke order index, but no meaning index or radical index. Originally written post-war era, and showing its age and lacking some more modern uses. Some kanji missing important readings or meanings (example: kanji for oku-san does not give this reading or meaning of wife, only way I've seen it used). Not a bad book, quite compact, but probably not the best choice; those looking to read actual Japanese texts will quickly become frustrated. It is, however, extensively referenced in other texts from the same era.

As a North American professional who lives and works in Japan, my progressing Japanese studies have recently included kanji. While learning these Chinese characters seemed daunting and complex at first, I found this guide incredibly helpful.

The book contains the 881 "essential" kanji designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education, along with the 1,850 characters designated as "standard" for everyday use in the publishing world (this includes the 881 essential kanji). Phonetic writings, definitions and everyday vocabulary are also supplied.

One of the book's most valuable features is that kanji are clearly presented as handwritten, stroke-by-stroke models. This fosters a grasp of kanji construction, while making it easier to identify characters found in books, magazines, newspapers and on printed signs. An added benefit of the handwritten models is that reading personal letters or other correspondence becomes easier.

My only small complaint is with the "romanized" (romaji) readings provided for each kanji. Since I began my studies by learning the two Japanese syllabaries (hiragana and katakana), I always find that reading romaji is distracting and like taking a big step backwards, since it merely serves as a guide to pronunciation.

Overall, I'd enthusiastically recommend this book as an essential reference guide for students of Japanese at any level. Also, if available, consider the paperback version--it's lighter, more compact and easier to flip through quickly.

I've studied Japanese for about 10 years, with 5 years spent in Japan. This book motivated me to focus on kanji from the beginning so that now I can read Japanese books and newspapers.

This was the first book I ever used for Kanji. Thinking back now to those days in the library poring over it evokes much nostalgia.

Every kanji is written with an ordinary pen, not a brush. Brushstrokes are useless for most of us who write with pens. This one excels in that you can copy the strokes precisely with a pen and with practice have your kanji looking as good as those in the book.

My Japanese professor used to marvel at how beautifully I wrote for every assignment I handed in. I had used this book as a model for every kanji! By copying the beautiful characters in this book over and over, you will form good writing habits.

It is essential that you follow a text such as this one from the beginning so that you know how important stroke order is for memorizing the more complex kanji you'll encounter later on. Once you learn the basic stroke order rules you will find the difficult kanji easy to remember too, as they are usually just an amalgamation of common radicals that you learn writing the easy kanji.

This book is great for beginners who need to learn stroke order and for those who want to write more beautifully. It only contains the Joyo kanji (those taught in Japanese schools). If your remember them all you'll be able to read the kanji in the newspaper.

This Lonely Planet book is a big help when travelling in Japan. The book provides a lot of useful information (such as bus/hotel/tourist center info and general history of each tourist attraction). The best of all is that the authors put Japanese characters next to all the locations. Many Japanese tourist spots do not have names spelt in English. Therefore, the reference in Japanese characters that the authors put out is a huge plus. Also, the book is extremely helpful for people who plan to backpack and stay in the Youth Hostels in Japan. Before leaving for Japan, I read though many tourist books and found this one the best among all. The book is a bit weak in providing detailed maps but this can be overcome by visiting the tourist centers (usually next to the train stations).

Lonely Planet Japan proved to be incredibly helpful in planning for and making my first trip to Japan. The cultural information in the front of the book is accurate and useful. The maps and directions on how to get to the sights are even more accurate - and in a country that can seem overwhelmingly urban at times that made life a lot easier. They tell you where the bus stops by the stations are and how to get to the airports using public transportation when it's time to go home - and that can be complicated some times, especially if you're on a budget. Lonely Planet Japan is especially good on directing you to more than just the major tourist stops, like some of the other guides I consulted. As someone who prefers to see some of the off-the-beaten path places, this was useful. Paired with the Lonely Planet Japanese phrase book I, with a minimal knowledge of Japanese, was able to get around, find good food, and good places to stay. The only drawback is that the book was published a few years ago and some of the prices (surprise) have gone up a bit - but usually only a 100 yen or so for admissions, and proportionately so for hotels. If you're going to Japan, or just want to find out what's over there and learn a little about the country, this is an excellent book

I've been using travel books on Japan for 23 years, attempting to discover new & interesting places. None has completely fulfilled this quest. However, the LP book has set the standard for the others: It covers more places, has more maps, and has more information than any other. "Rough Guide" comes in second in this regard, and I find very few places in RG that aren't covered in LP. It's like the RG author's traveled around using the LP. The omissions are the same on top of that. A few examples: neither covers Fukushima, or Koriyama, both major cities that you may end up in traveling northward, and in the same area, both overlook nice areas such as Miharu town (3 Spring Town, so named for its 3 flowering trees in the spring) and Soma City (famous pottery and samurai horsemen festivals), and neither checks out Rikuchu Kaigan National Park along the Pacific Coast in Iwate. On the other hand, both LP and RG cover the small town of Tono, both not reaching the park. They both also cover the Iya Valley in central Shikoku while overlooking the most isolated Heike refuge in central Kyushu, Gokanosho. There are too many parallels between the two.

I agree there is not a consistent style throughout LP. It was written by 4 authors whose work was based on original work by Ian McQueen who burned out after 3 editions, so there is much original style mixed in with subsequent updates by the various authors through the next 4 editions. This does make some areas better than others, though, especially when it comes to locations of bus stops and "getting there" sections.

But overall, I don't see much problem with some sections having transportation and other sections not as no matter what book you get, you need to get JNTOs Railway Timetable or updated ferry or bus schedules because the train-bus-ferry schedules change from year to year, making everything obsolete quickly.

This book is also aimed at those who are traveling around using the main train routes, who want to see the big sights and maybe a few of the smaller ones. If you have a car or motorcycle, you're going to end up in places that aren't covered in any book almost every night. A smattering of Japanese is the only thing that will help this kind of traveler. It also only contains brief history and background on some areas. At times it seems to assume that you have a separate book for this information. If you want a history book, get a history book. This is a practical guide for travelers to get you to a place and into some lodging. At that it excels.

I do get annoyed with the phone number area codes only being given at the beginning of a section. With a large section, it make take a while searching for the correct page with the area code so you can dial a number. This always seems to happen in an unlit phone booth on a rainy night.

Lastly, this 7th edition is now old. I read as part of an article in the NY Times that said that Japan was getting ready to promote domestic tourism to help its economy, that someone was back in Japan trying for an update . This would help immensely as LP quotes exact prices on hotels and admissions. Anyone who has used this book recently knows that prices have gone up on most things, and down in a couple of other cases. I like the exact quote on hotel prices better than RG's range quotes, as I can get a better idea when planning a budget than just a Y5000 to Y10,000 range.

When the next edition comes out, I'll be first in line to get it, again looking for anything I've missed (and I know there's a lot as I discover every year). If you're looking for a tool to help you travel through and around a very interesting country on your own, this book is for you. If your hotels and transportation are already covered in your tour, a Frommer's guide with photos and history would work better for you.

Kentou!

I'd definitely give the writing 5 stars for pacing, plotline, and character development, but I found the ending to be unsatisfying in the extreme -- I kept going back so much that I probably read the book twice, looking for the hook to tell me what "really" happened to Anna. That said, the story of what went on at "home" while she was "away" is engrossing and enjoyable, as is the parallel story track taking place in Italy.

"Mapping the Edge" is a disturbing novel about a woman in crisis. Anna is a single parent who is devoted to her six-year-old daughter, but she still feels a deep void in her life. The book centers around Anna's disappearance during a trip to Italy. Anna's friends, Paul and Stella, look after Lily during her mother's absence, but Anna has not returned when she was expected. As the days pass, Anna's friends fear that something has happened to her. Has she been abducted or is she staying away voluntarily for reasons of her own? In a series of chapters that move back and forth in time and place, the author explores Anna's past and the way that it intersects with her present life. Dunant's sensitive dialogue and psychological insights expose Anna's fear and vulnerability. "Mapping the Edge" is an engrossing novel of suspense that shows how modern women struggle to have it all, but must often settle for much less.

Anna Franklin's "strategy for revitalization" involves an impulsive trip to Florence, Italy where she expects to rendezvous with her recently acquired part-time lover. Anna goes missing, and back home in London, those closest to her -- Paul, loyal friend and surrogate father to Anna's daughter Lily, aged six, and Estella, her long-time best friend -- are becoming increasingly anxious, worried -- and puzzled. "Mapping the Edge" is both a suspense story and a study of relationships. As a suspense story, the author borrows a premise used so effectively in some of Hitchcock's films: The innocent caught in the web of the villain's machinations; the dupe ensnared by the duper. On another level, the book explores relationships: between women and men, women and women, men and men, adults and children, the victim and the victimizer. Author Dunant accomplishes all this by filling the reader's plate with a clever device: two scenarios of what might have happened to Anna. In this author's hands, it is done skillfully and entertainingly, and the resolutions are plausible. If you're a bedtime reader, expect a late night when the engaging mixture of a suspenseful plot and intriguing characters seduces you.

After reading this book I felt that to a degree its central thesis barely held together. The title implies that there was a fascinating collaboration between the two men. Upon completing the book, I came away with the feeling that that was hardly the case. The connection between Da Vinci and Machiavelli seems tenuous. They hardly seemed to have met or talked to each other very much. It almost made me feel like the author was looking for a "hook" that would make the book more appealing. There was also an anecdote thrown in about a sexual liaison that Machiavelli had and a few ribald comments from the correspondence of his contemporaries which to me seemed unnecessary to include. There was no point being made by all this except, I guess, to show that Machiavelli and his mates were just as human as you or I. I kind of knew that anyway..... However, don't let me give you the impression that the book has nothing to offer. I found the material on Leonardo very interesting. People do tend to think of him only as an artist and Mr. Masters does an admirable job of also showing us the scientist, inventor, military engineer, etc. We also get to see the constant struggle Leonardo had to go through just to make a living. His patrons would be annoyed by his perfectionism and would threaten to cancel contracts and would be slow to hand over money. The author also puts a human face on Machiavelli and shows his efforts to keep his head above water in the treacherous and constantly shifting political landscape of Renaissance Florence. Some readers may find the book worth buying just for the many interesting sketches and drawings by Leonardo which are included. But if you are a lot more interested in Machiavelli than you are in Leonardo, or if you are looking for that quirky partnership promised in the title, you might be disappointed.

No historical scholar would mistake Masters's book for serious academic research. His thesis, while engaging, is never supported except by the most circumstantial of evidence. He failed to convince me the two men had even heard of each other, let alone concoct such a fantastic plot together.

Nonetheless, the book is a good overview of the politics of the Italian Renaissance for the layperson. You're introduced to the movers and shakers of the age and told what they did in a very accesible, narrative style.

The premise of Machiavelli and Da Vinci's collaboration, while likely fictional, does make for interesting reading. This book is great inspiration for a novel of alternative history, but look harder if you want the actual history.

This book was recommended for me by some friends that enjoyed it very much. So, I accepted the suggestion and bought it. And I don't regret it for a minute.

The book tells us about the encounter of two great figures (Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli) that are trying to put togheter a plan to change the course of the Arno River, near Florence and Piza. The story, however is merely a pretext to present us these two great characters and to make us wonder how two completely different people could have meant so much to western history.

The writing never bores us and even if you don't know much about this period or Leonardo and Machiavelli, you will have a great time reading this book. This is what I call intelligent fun.

Machiavelli has been unfairly portrayed as the unethical and ultimately immoral original proponent of "realpolitik". By contrast he was a strong patriot of his native Florence, a city-state surrounded by larger, more powerful political entities and forced to participate in various alliances and rivalry's in order to insure it's own political survival.

Known more for "The Prince" (His other writings such as "Discourses on Livy" and "The Art of War" are not as well known) than anything else, Machiavelli was also a great supporter of Florence's republican form of government. He understood that a nation needed it's own citizen army rather than depend on foreign mercenaries or powers for its protection.

This biography written by Maurizion Viroli takes us on a more personal journey through Machiavelli's life. We're exposed to his personal friendships and relationships which show him as a much more sympathetic and ultimately likeable individual.

Understanding his position after his fall from office, one can see why he wrote "The Prince" for Lorenzo Medici. A well written and well translated biography, this is a good starter for anyone interested in the life an background of Machiavelli as well as a decent primer for the political scene of the beginnings of the Italian Wars of the sixteenth century, an event whose occurence is only now being realized as the real beginning of early modern europe.

Viroli's concise, readable biography of Niccolo Machiavelli describes the violent times he lived in and the diplomatic missions Machiavelli was assigned, and how he achieved them, often in Machiavelli's own perceptive words.

When the Medici regained control of Florence, Machiavelli lost his diplomatic post which he carried out so ably. After he lost his position Machiaveli spent his time writing about what he learned from his diplomatic activities and from the past. We also learn about Machiavelli's financial problems and his love affairs.

Viroli's account of Machiavelli's diplomatic activities is detailed and fascinating. But his account of Machiavellis financial and love affairs is not so interesting.
Viroli included a chronology of Italian history for background. He also included a few maps, which could have been more detailed.

Maurizio Viroli is a professor of politics at Princeton and i had the chance to take a class with him last year in which we read Machiavelli's 'The Prince' and his 'Discourses.'

Viroli brings the same charm, wit, and enthusiasm to this book as he did to that class. The words and the language Viroli has mastered are clearly those of an Italian--and in fact, this trivial insight provides much of the liveliness of the book.

Viroli traces the life of 'Il Machia' from his boyhood to his death at an old age. Through this political life, we see the rise and fall of the republic of Florence that Machiavelli was so keen on preserving, and some of the fascinating characters in Florentine history like Duke Valentino.

We also get an original glimpse into Machiavelli's love life (Viroli thankfully refuses to censor the more carnal but revealing phrases in Machiavelli's correspondence), and philosophy of life itself.

Overall, a fast-paced, generally pleasing read.