The Beautiful Room is Empty by Edmund White is a wonderful additon to the inspired A Boy's Own Story. It is not exactly a sequel but it does loosely form the middle in a semi-autobiographical trilogy (between A Boy's Own Story and A Farewll Symphony). All can be read and enjoyed on their own but also fit together smoothly to take the reader through different times in the life of a gay man. This volume takes the reader from the repressive fifties into the time of Stonewall as the main character grows from a young man in the midwestern college into a gay urbanite going to the gym. The growth of the narrator is more honest and well written than in many gay novels and will resonate with the reader with painful or humourous , at different times, recognition whether he grew up in that era or not. It is a fine novel that plays all the right notes.

This book is the second in the trilogy beginning with A Boy's Own Story and ending with The Farewell Symphony. To get the full impact,read them in sequence.White is one of the finest writers on his subjects, both in language and content. The era of the 60's from the buttoned down end of the Eisenhower era to the Stonewall Uprising are compellingly seen through one man's eyes. (White was a participant in Stonewall and the book ends on that note.)Read this book and you will learn or remember a lot.

This is the second book in an autobiographical-fiction trilogy by Edmund White. The first book, A Boy's Own Story--was an amazing read, but this sequel turned out to be even better. This picks up shortly after ABOS left off, and continues right up through the riots at Stonewall. I cannot tell you any better about the plot, because, like life in the span it covers, it consists of a great many events. The mood of the book is absorbing, and as beatiful as the tittle ("The Beautiful Room is Empty" is one of the best titles I've heard, along with those like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes.") It is also an essential work--as all of White's are--in understanding gay literature. White is truly one of the best writers the genre has ever seen, and will be one of the fathers and inspirations of what will come later.

Cyrano de Bergerac is the quintessential Romance of "the Genius against society". However, the main theme is: "Dramatization of the idea that the meaning of true love is a response of one soul to the virtues,or the beauty of the soul,of another being and that love is not concerned with physical appearances."

The plot-theme is: "The love triangle between a gallant, witty, poet-soldier who, because of an ugly long nose is unable to profess his passion to the woman he loves; the woman, and a handsome man who loves the same woman (who in turn loves him) - the ugly poet composing beautiful poems and verses for this handsome man to win over the woman-thus, lending him his soul."

Cyrano.." glorifies all that is heroic in man - self-esteem, fearlessness, intransigent integrity and above all - independence of spirit . At the end of the play Rostand shows that the human spirit shall remain unbroken and unbent - whatever may be the suffering or loss.

The link between the theme of the genius' struggle (here, Cyrano's struggle) against mediocrity, compromise and cowardice, and the theme of love is that important events of the latter are determined by the former (particularly the climax) in a single plot-structure.

One unique feature of this play is that all the characters directly involved in the central plot, by the end of the story are positive characters, without any malice or envy or hatred.

I have not read any other play of serious literature with such charming and yet profound poetry, wit and humor - it will make you sigh, it will make you roll on your belly, it will bring tears to your eyes. The pain of Cyrano is heart-wrenching. I weep everytime I read the story-and almost all the while.

One of the drawbacks of "Cyrano.." is that despite its celebration of Man the Hero, while one experiences an exalted sense of hero worship, one does not experience the same sense of benevolence with respect to this world - the world is portrayed as a place, where, ultimately, where man cannot achieve his values though his spirit is untouched by pain. (The same applies to the novels of Victor Hugo - who shares Rostand's sense of hero-worship).

This play does not deal with any complex philosophical issues (such as the plays of Schiller). However, it carries in its simple message and in its portrayal of probably the most lovable hero of 19th century fiction, a depth of meaning and relevance which is timeless. With its glowing Romantic spirit, "Cyrano.." ought to go down in history as one of the most enduring plays of all time - as a testament to the indestructibility of the human spirit.

My rating is for the play; I've only glanced at the English translation. I'm not too sure if this play should really be called "An heroic comedy", I find it more to be a tragedy. A play of tragic unrequited love, sacrifice, courage and charm, with some amusing moments, for instance when members of the aristocracy and others are made to look foolish compared to the wit and heart of Cyrano, or the scene where Christian and Cyrano meet for the first time.
Cyrano was a real French poet of the 17th century. A bit of knowledge about his time helps to appreciate the play...for instance, one of the reasons why Christian feels unable to speak to Roxanne with his own words is because she was part of that fashionable trend amongst certain ladies of society called "les precieuses" (ridiculed by Moliere) characterized by an overblown admiration of fancy talk, excessive romantic sensibility, and intellectual posturing. Christian, a man of perhaps more basic passions and few words with women, but in no way a dummy (see his wit when meeting Cyrano), rightly felt inhibited before the precious Roxanne.
"Cyrano" was written at the end of the 19th century, is neo-romantic in style and one of the last French plays to be written in verse rather than prose. The charming, witty and poetic ryhme of its verse, which fully develops each of the characters in keeping with the play's romantic theme, is what makes it so wonderful. It is like a poem. In translation the play therefore loses much of its grace and beauty.
The play has been filmed a few times. Skip the Steve Martin "Roxanne" movie (very loosely based on the play) and see the real thing: "Cyrano de Bergerac" directed by J.P. Rappeneau with G. Depardieu in the leading role. Both the film and Depardieu are absolutely fantastic and very true to the play. The lines in the film follow (excepting one or two pages) the original lines of the play.

This great story of the infamous long-nosed man, Cyrano de Bergerac, tells the tale of Cyrano's love problems. His lack of confidence in his appearance hurts his overall anxiety level. He uses a handsome cadet's, Christian's, looks to woo Roxanne with his (Cyrano's) own graceful words. While unrealistic in nature, many of the morals of the story are presented very cleverly. There are so many great lines in the play that are witty, intriguing, or just funny! A great read for anyone.

Spenser's epic is among the most interesting texts in the English language for a number of reasons, including its stunning verse, mythic vision, and its incessant dialogue with other texts. Critics have spilt more ink than Errour herself (see Book One of the Faerie Queene) trying to decide if Spenser is working more closely with or against Christian medieval English poets such as Chaucer and Langland, or if he wants to invoke the Classical tradition. A. C. Hamilton's edition of The Faerie Queene allows virtually any reader to understand these critical discussions, and this is the strength of this particular version.

This is the most accessible, best informed edition of The Faerie Queene I know of. Spenser's stanzas are printed side-by-side with commentary and linguistic analysis culled from years of research and discussion. You could easily spend years wandering through the world of this poem; the critical glosses make the travelling a bit clearer and the landscape more focussed and coherent.

The Faerie Queene is one of the great classics of Renaissance literature, and for very good reasons. Although it is difficult reading (and NO, contrary to another review here, it is NOT in OLD English! Look at the original version of Beowulf and you will see the difference), many of the tensions of the Renaissance, spiritually and philosophically, are masterfully renedered in these brilliant tales. Because its allegory is so rich, this book becomes even more enjoyable to reread, as connections between historical figures and literary history appear repeatedly. (I find something "new" each time I read it, it seems!) It is also a book about the role of the poet in society, and the manner in which Spenser uses allegory illustrates the complex relationship between the poet and his patron. In sum, while, as readers, we are always limited by our modern perspectives, I do think that reading Spenser is perhaps the best way to experience what it must have been like to be a Renaissance reader. Perhaps this is due to the didactic nature of Spenser's epic. In any event, it has forced me to explore more thoroughly the books and concepts to which Spenser refers repeatedly in The Faerie Queene. Furthermore, it has made my study of Shakespeare, Ariosto, Sidney, and other prominent Renaissance writers much more fruitful.

But don't buy the trade paperback edition if you are serious about reading Spenser--buy the edition of The Faerie Queene that is edited by A.C. Hamilton. While it is more expensive, it is by far the best text available of Spenser's epic, and contains useful notes and introductions that will guide all students of Spenser to a greater understanding of the greatest epic poem of the Elizabethan Age.

EDMUND SPENSER : THE FAERIE QUEENE. Edited by A. C. Hamilton. 753 pp. Longman Annotated English Poets. London and New York : Longman, 1977 and Reissued.

The Longman Annotated English Poets edition of 'The Faerie Queene' has been designed primarily for students and academics, but will appeal to anyone who is looking for an extensively annotated Spenser which gives maximum help with the language, historical allusions, symbolism, allegory, and much else besides. In other words, this is not so much a reader's edition of 'The Faerie Queene' as one for those engaged in an intensive and in-depth study.

The pages are quarto sized (10 by 7.5 inches) and printed in double columns, with Spenser's text being given mainly in the left column, and the accompanying explanatory glosses and extensive and detailed notes given to the right. Hamilton's notes are, in every way, superb, and considerably enrich one's understanding of Spenser's subtle and highly allusive poem. The notes, however, are so extensive, that they can tend to interfere with one's enjoyment of the poem, as there is the constant temptation to glance to the right to read Hamilton's invariably interesting remarks.

Unfortunately, presumably to reduce costs, Spenser's text was not reset, and what we have been given is a much-reduced and rather poor copy of the Oxford University Press edition of 'The Faerie Queene.' The result is a poorly printed text of the poem in a font as miniscule as that used for the sidenotes, and hence one that can be tiring to read. The text of the poem is preceded by Hamilton's informative General Introduction, and the book is rounded out with an extensive Selected Bibliography.

Although less than desirable in visual terms, Hamilton's edition is superb in every other way, and definitely belongs on the bookshelves of all advanced students and Spenser enthusiasts. The general reader, however, would probably be far better off, certainly if new to Spenser, to start with the excellent Penguin English Poets edition, or even with the Norton Critical Edition of selections, details of which follow:

THE FAERIE QUEENE. By Edmund Spenser. Edited by Thomas P. Roche, Jr with the assistance of C. Patrick O'Donnell, Jr. 1247 pp. Penguin English Poets, 1978 and Reprinted.

EDMUND SPENSER'S POETRY : Authoritative Texts and Criticism. Norton Critical Edition. Third Edition. Selected and Edited by Hugh Maclean and Anne Lake Prescott. 838 pp. London and New York : W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.

When Bill Masen awakens from his hospital bed to a world bereft of sight he is certain all is not as it should be. This is later confirmed by genetically altered, walking, carnivorous plants running amok throughout London, followed by the emergence of a mystery killer plague.

This is a bleak, harrowing read with few moments of hope, heaps of dread and isolation, and a constant stream of terror. If the idea of walking killer plants doesn't sound overly engrossing and a bit too B-grade sci-fi, fair enough. However, it is an absorbing and frightful read. Frightful in that the situation doesn't seem too far away from what could happen. One reviewer described this book as humanity versus nature, which is one way of looking at it. I see it more as humanity at battle with itself. Humanity versus nature in our interference with it, but humanity struggling with itself, getting ahead of itself, the inability to cope with the monsters that we create.

This is the first serious novel I ever read. (Before that I was only reading Doctor Who tie-in's.) After seeing the BBC adaptation on TV I wanted to read this book. I got it when I was 11 and have cherished it ever since. This was the book that made John Wyndham famous: the overnight destruction of civilization by "comet debris", the world overrun by flesh-eating plants called triffids.

One could look at this book as a war between man and nature on a grand scale. When mankind was the species that dominated all others, nature was driven back, "suppressed", or killed in the name of progress. When the tables are suddenly turned, it looks as if mankind is in decline. As the years pass, dead cities are slowly disappearing, turning into jungles as nature takes hold. In a matter of time nature will take over completely and the triffids will be the new inheritors. Unless the human race can fight back and reassert itself.

I have lost count of how many times I have read this book. I am 23 and the story is just as effective now as it was when I first read it. I like seeing all the different cover artwork that people have done for this book. The fact that it's been reprinted so many times is proof that this novel shows no sign of losing its popularity.

My first introduction to The Day of the Triffids was watching the BBC series as a child. I was terrified. Many years later I opened the book and discovered John Wyndham. Having read all his books I rate this one right at the top.

Like his other titles, the reader is immediately immersed in the "what if" world that Wyndham creates. The protagonist, Bill Mason is one of the few people in the world not sent blind by a meteor shower. To compound his situation earth is taken over by Triffids; walking, man eating plants, biological abominations created by you guessed it, humans. Our hero must flee the death and depravity of London and attempt to start a new life not only for himself but for humankind.

A battle for survival of the fittest is dramatically played out with the winner changing constantly. Some themes that I found interesting included the struggle for man to again dominate over nature and the effect of a cataclysmic event on human inter-relations.

This book is classic Science Fiction but I also like think of it as Horror without gore.

I really enjoy Ms. Nesbit's written works. It is quite a shame that she can't write anymore. Although I liked this one a lot, I was a little disappointed by it because it lacked the charming fairy tale sort of feel that many of her children's books have. However, the story was quite wonderful, and I particularly loved the realistic scene of the children that the reader is given. I highly recommend this book to Edith Nesbit's fans, as well as people that enjoy a touch of mystery, mixed with a child's view of life.

I like the Railway Children a lot,especially how the author told the story. I liked Bobbie because there is something different about her,she was helpful and sweet at the same time. I am wondering where the dog James went? Other than that, the story was great!

I remember in The Railway Children that Bobbie, Peter and Phylls had a dog named James. I was wondering, what ever happened to James? In the book Phyllis is the best person to me because she is accident prone. In the story the kids lives change a lot from the city to the country. They make new friends on the railway.It was a great book. I still wonder..."What happened to James...."

I am a fan of fantasy, and this children's book delivers a great fantasy story complete with mystical objects, mystical creatures, love, and heavy conflict. The book boils down to one of the long-heard "dragon-slaying-stories". This is very well written adventure making it a wonderful fantasy short-story. The pictures are nothing short of stunning. From the frame artwork of dancing sprites, angels, and knights to the giant dragon who's glamour has trouble fitting into a single page.
This is a book where I would've given an extra half-star. While this book is great for adults to read and enjoy, its intended audience might not be able to enjoy it to its fullest. The story is complex enough to make the reader have to achieve a certain age to be able to completely understand what is going on. There also are some scenes with mild to medium bloodshed.
All in all, a great book to read, and I would highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved this book. The story was wonderful. At first I thought it might be too graphic for younger children, but when I read it to my 6 year old son I found out differently. He really enjoyed the story and was delighted with the pictures. We had to look at themm over and over. He even began making up his own stories using the pictures. This is a great book for children of all ages.

Hyman won a Caldecott Medal for this book and there is no questioning why. The wonderful drawings tell the story with splendid detail. Bordering the text are more drawings that help to establish the setting and mood of the story. The text is even more exciting than the illustrations. A brave knight is summoned by a beautiful princess to slay the dragon that has been tormenting the land of the fairy queen. After several battles and assistance from magical entities, the knight defeats his foe and is granted the princess as a prize. There can be quite a lot of text on a single page causing it to be overwhelming in its lack of white space. The narrative is fast-paced enough that the reader will stay interested though. This book should be on an independent level for high second graders. Younger children will enjoy hearing it and seeing the pictures though.

Why 5 stars?:
I simply love the mythical magic of dragons. The illustrations included in this version are gorgeous. The story can be understood and enjoyed by children of all ages. Second graders should be able to read this book with just some slight assistance.

Many people accuse the Fitzgerald translation of deviating too much from the Persian original. Personally, I don't like to see poetry translated from one language to another in verse either, because I will always feel that something has been missed.

However, if it is not translated in verse, then it is no longer has the quality of the original poetry. So what shall we do here?

I think that Fitzgerald has done an excellent job in translating Khayyum. It is said that good poetry has a balance of two things - beautiful language and meaning. Ftizgerald has achieved this.

If you are looking for a more "literal" translation, to get exactly what Khayyum said and thought, then you are better to look to a word for word, unrhyming translation, that has taken care to keep the authentic quatrains only - not all the ones ascribed to him. The "Persian Heritage Series" has produced a good translation like this.

Also beware of "commentaries" telling you that Omar Khayyum was a sufi, mystic, or whatever... and that his verses have special meanings outside of the literal interpretation. It is true that poets in Persia used such imagery as "may" (wine), "maykhana" (tavern), "saqi" (cup-bearer), "yar-e nazanin" (lovely maiden) etc. etc. to bring across meanings of God, and heaven, though this doesn't mean that these things are always implied.

One of the qualities of poetry is that it is ambiguous. It must be recognised that people like Omar Khayyum and Hafez were living in times of religious persecution. If you said something against the established sect, then you could be accused of "kufr" (blasphemy) and punished accordingly. Khayyum himself was accused of kufr, as was Hafez in his time through a line of poetry he had written. Hafez protected himself through the ingenious adding of another line of poetry, clearing his name. Khayyum protected himself because he was a guest at the royal court.

:)

This beautifully illustrated edition of Omar Khayyam's classic poem is a gem. The illustrations complement the lyrical imagery of the poem. Two editions of Fitzgerald's translation are included, with the second including additional quatrains, and representing a mature and slightly darker reading of the poem. The introduction contains a lot of interesting information, but don't be misled. Far from being a work of skepticism, this beautiful poem reflects deep-thinking belief.

One should be wary when purchasing or reading a copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The various translations are VERY different. They are based on different original manuscripts, which do not contain exactly the same material. The FitzGerald translation is much more of an interpretation of Khayyam than a translation, although it is a wonderful piece of work in and of itself, it is victorian baroque romanticism not Sufism. From my own personal experience (I've read much of three of the translations, the ones by FitzGerald in the 1850s, by a professor from Cambridge made in the mid 1900s, and by Robert Graves in the 1960s) I would suggest that you go with the most modern translation (which is no longer the translation by Graves). The Graves translation definately is a work of both deep philosophical ideas and of beautiful poetry.

Cyrano -loosely based on the actual Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, an early predecessor of science fiction- is a swordsman for the French King Louis XIII. He is also a man with an extraordinary gift for poetry and versification, as well as the owner of an extremely large nose. He is deeply in love with his cousin Roxanne, but she happens to love Cyrano's friend and colleague, Christian. So, being a good fellow and having a quixotic nature, Cyrano accepts to speak of love to Roxanne, impersonating Christian. Under her window, in the dark, Cyrano recites love poems so well crafted, that Roxanne falls even more in love with Christian, who is the supposed lover. After that, both men leave to fight at war. Roxanne shows up at the siege of Arras, to bring food to the soldiers. There, for reasons I won't spoil here, their love affair comes to an abrupt end, leaving their relationship unfulfilled. What comes next shows the true heroic nature of Cyrano, his strength of character, and his loyalty to his friend, but also to his eternal love for Roxanne. This play, which has originated at least a couple of good movies and several tv interpretations, is a homage to the Romantic spirit so rare in our greedy and selfish times. It is full of beautiful images and scenes, and Rostand's writing is perfect for the task. Read it first, and if you haven't seen the movies, watch them. Cyrano is a grand character that will remain as an epytome of chivalry, loyalty, and emotional strength. Not to forget.

If there's one thing that has me miffed, it's those ridiculous academic critiques of this play. Yes, it's unrealistic, yes, it's energetic to the point of insanity, yes, the character of Cyrano is particularly vulnerable to the ridiculous Freudian analyses that Lit. professors are obsessed with. But the essence of this work, what makes it breathe, are the very qualities so mocked by elitists: its color, its flamboyance, and above all its wonderfully unashamed idealism.

First of all, this is entertaining reading at its best: a combination of witty repartee and laugh-out-loud humor, balanced with emotional depth that is subtle yet wrenching in its intensity. With just a few lines the scenes come alive, with characters whose brash gallantry is reminiscent of Dumas' Musketeers.

All this virtuoso treatment finds a focal point in the character of Cyrano, who is at once comic and tragic: his biting wit provides a facade for a soul in torment, for his sensitivity to beauty makes his own ugliness that much more painful. Yet there is so much fire and pride in Cyrano that never once does he beg for our pity, and endures the pain of thwarted love with the same charisma and bravery with which he does battle.

The contradiction between Cyrano as he is inside--a veritable furnace of eloquent passion--and his markedly ugly exterior, is his tragedy. Through the vehicle of this contradiction, Edmond Rostand explores the nature of love, particularly regarding how much of it is dependant upon exteriors. Yet this theme does not smother the tale, which is such a heady mixture of beauty, hilarity and subtle insight that it fairly intoxicates. My only complaint, upon finishing it, was that it had to end.

Anthony Burgess steps out of his psycodelic shell to bring a down to earth translation of the worlds greatest love story. Rostand created a tale true to the human heart filled with romance and poetry, but it took Anthony Burgess to bring the story to the modern reader. There are no 'thee's' or 'thou's' in this adaption, just natural, modern writing. In essence, Burgess did not translate Rostands classic play, he wrote the story over as a poem. Burgess did Rostand the greatest honour, making Cyrano De Bergerac, a wonderfull romance, and beautiful story accessable to modern audiences

I thought this book was great and I would highly reccommend it. No book can answer every question and this one is, of course, no exception. Edmunds has actually walked the talk and survived ups and downs in the markets. I think that his advice about investing in multiple non-correlated asset classes is actually quite sophisticated in a Modern Portfolio Theory sort of way. It reminded me of a practical version of the approach advocated by Larry Swedroe in "The only Guide to a winning investment strategy you'll ever need." Although US stocks have been the place to be for a while, they may decline or stagnate and diversification into foreign and developing country stocks and US real estate could once again outperform. In his Amazon review Dr. Grimmel compares Edmund's book unfavorably to several other books on early retirment- all of which have severe limitations of their own. Terhorst used only fixed income assets (Cashing in On the American Dream) in his initial retirement plan. That was a good move at the time, but he did get back into the stock market- after the book was written (I read about this on his web site). "Your Money or Your Life" by Dominguez and Robin is a great book about redefining needs and reducing expenses but the investment advice is wacky (government bonds alone + inflation doesn't matter.) All in all I think that Edmunds has written the best book on this subject.

A book that could potentially save you a ton of money--as it would have done for me had I implemented its strategy six months sooner than I did. As the title suggests, it's an excellen book for retirement planning, but it's also an invaluable overall investment management tool. Explains the importance of, and steps involved in, a form of asset allocation far superior to the stocks/bonds formulae we're used to. Pakced with useful information yet still a very enjoyable read. The Epilogue alone ("Living through a Crash without Putting a Bullett through Your Head") is worth way more than the price of the book.

This is a good investment book and extremely cheap. The real cover is also much nicer than the one shown here. It is quite realistic. It does not advocate living below the poverty line so your can save up enough to retire early off the meager returns from treasury bonds in a meager retirement. The main focus is investing well during retirement so you can afford to live well in retirement. This in not primarily a lifestyle book but an investing book. Humility in investing is mentioned many times but not living a humble lifestyle. It says many places that if we lose all our nest egg from bad investments during retirement, it does not matter how humble a lifestyle we have, we are going back to work. The concept that we are all sold our asset allocations rather than choosing them is also a big part of this book. Since stocks and bonds generally go up and down at the same time, only a salesperson could have convinced us that buying both is diversification. I have never seen any book or heard any stockbroker or mutual fund representative ever recommend real estate as part of a retirement portfolio. Yet I know people who have made a fortune in real estate and live comfortably off real estate in retirement. This is the first book I know of that thinks outside the box of conventional retirement investment planning. It advocates choosing between stocks, bonds, real estate, international stocks, and several other asset classes. Since I have concerns that the U.S. stock market can continue as it has in recent years, I am glad to know there are other places I can make money to get me to an early retirement. There is also a chapter on surviving a market crash with your nest egg and sanity intact. This is looking like a very timely book. Good book, great price.

For about five months I've been using the Compact Oxford to look up unfamilar words. I came across a word recently while reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown---wolf's bane--that I could not find in any Merriam Webster dictionary, including the Third New International. When I slid volume two of the Compact Oxford from the slipcase and grabbed the magnifying glass and turned to the W's, there I found wolf's bane, on page 3807. I was delighted. I have found other words in the Oxford that I have not found in other dictionaries, such as those words used by many British authors. I love the dictionary. I like to feel its solid heftiness in my hands and I like to read the etymology of each word, which the Oxford so aptly provides. The $260 is a great deal. Try checking the price of the 20 volume set! I recommend this set to all lovers of the English language.

Wow, what a dictionary! As far as dictionaries goes, this is the dictionariest. This is the paragon of dictionaries, it's super dictionariarific. I paid almost 300 clams for this dictionary and I don't regret it. I paid 300 dollars for a root canal once and when I was done I said, "is that all I get for three hundred bucks".

I have never said that about this dictionary.

If I want to know what Boswell or Chaucer meant when they were using a certain word, all I had to do is look in this dictionary!

The only problem with this book is that the words are super small. The publishers, however, have been most charitable in adding a swell magnifing glass so you can actually read it.

I love my OED and if there were such a thing as the 'Dictionary Police' who went around confiscating peoples dictionaries...they would have to pry this one from my cold dead fingers.

This dictionary makes me want to write a special haiku in its honor.

Oodles and oodles

words poppin' up everywhere

hoodwink is a verb

If you love language at all, ask your favorite relative to buyyou this as a present. I probably refer to it every day because it'sso darn interesting. It's not just definitions -- it's the history of every word in the English language from its first recorded use. This dictionary is indispensible if you are reading any older English authors (Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare) because you don't have to guess -- you can see just what the word meant at that point in time. Half the time when you look up a word, you'll note that Shakespeare is the first recorded usage of the word. In case you weren't in awe of Shakespeare before, now you will be since many of our English usages are thanks to his skill. For the past few years I've kept this reference in my school office and almost everyday a student will come in to look up a word. Once you're done being in awe of this book, you'll probably want to read about how James Murray spent his whole life on the project. I don't mind the magnifier that comes with the dictionary, but if you're very nearsighted, you may want to opt for a multivolume edition. I enjoy the convenience of one volume, albeit somewhat large with microscopic print.