Brooke's heart-stopping good looks are the essence of this epistolatory account of the romantic friendship between James Strachey and England's eternal Golden boy. He who penned the heroically mawkish yet strangely thrilling:'If I should die/ Think only this of me/That there is some corner of a foreign field/ That is forever England' is here revealed through Strachey's eyes in the guise of romantic muse, love object, sex god. Unfortunately for Strachey, his passion was unrequited.

Strachey is be-dazzled by Brooke during their first year at Cambridge, and the subsequent correspondence betrays all the hallmarks of adolescent infatuation: in turns importunate, with Strachey's 'declaration' early in 1906; adulatory:'You were so beautiful tonight';desperate: 'I suppose you know what's wrong with me...I'm in love with you'; ever hopeful: 'Why not come quietly to bed with me instead?' in response to Brooke's request for contraceptive information; finally hopeless: 'The sudden sight of him across a room made my heart...bound ... it's no use...' But it is with a start that one realises that this is no adolescent, but rather a scion of the Stracheys - long time members of the intelligentsia, darlings of the Bloomsbury set - assistant editor of 'the Spectator', putative translator of Freud.

And herein lies the fascination. Keith Hale's painstakingly edited and annotated edition of the correspondence vividly presents Strachey's personal drama of unstinting adulation of the man seemingly pursued by a host of admirers of both sexes, but also features most of England's literati and glitterati in supporting roles. Here are Vanessa and Clive Bell, Virginia Woolf, Maynard Keynes, society hostess Lady Ottoline Morrell, together with representatives of an older order - Thomas Hardy, not to mention Henry James who, for goodness sake, Brooke cycles off to call on at Lamb House as casually as if he were the man next door! And interspersed with these semi-mythical figures are the domestic details that form an integral part of Brooke and Strachey's lives. The trivia is engrossing, with its train timetables, motorbuses and postal orders: 'I'll enclose the tickets and a postal order for 10/6.'

But we never stray far from the central motif - that of Strachey's heart-sickness for Brooke. Coupled with our fascination, though, is also the uncomfortably voyeuristic sensation of being privy to Strachey's intimate yearnings and his longing makes for painful reading: 'It is You and my love that makes the universe magical....' and one finds oneself wishing that Brooke could have been kinder.

Hence it is with a start that one reads Brooke's own account of his seduction of a former university acquaintance. One wonders what the besotted Strachey could have made of his graphic and lengthy account of the physical details of his night in bed with Denham Russell-Smith. Brooke's literary executor Geoffrey Keynes vowed that the uncensored Brooke letters would be published 'over my dead body.' And such has certainly been the case as it is only since Keynes' death that the letters have been released.

Brooke's image makers certainly knew how to 'spin', and it is really only now, nearly 90 years later, that we have a clearer view of Brooke the man as opposed to the legend. Perhaps Strachey's words on Brooke , many years following his death, are the most revealing: 'He was not nearly as nice as people now believe him, but a great deal cleverer.'

This is simply a must-read for Brooke fans and anyone else interested in the aesthetists and their times. It's absolutely fascinating. By the time you finish the introduction, you will be hooked.

This is quite an achievement in editing. Brooke and Strachey comment on so many of the prominent figures of their time that, coupled with Hale's impressive footnotes and other editorial material, the book serves as a virtual history of Edwardian England. I personally am not crazy about Brooke's poetry, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work.

"The Galactic Gourmet" is part of James White's "Sector General" series that takes place in an enormous hospital ship/space station. In this story, an intergalactic master chef named Gurronsevas, who is at least moderately egotistical, has grown tired of catering to rich customers in high-class restaurants and hotels. As a challenge to his skills, he signs on as the Head Dietician at Sector General, where he will have to turn hospital food into something edible, while catering to dozens of different intelligence species with differing food requirements and tastes. Not all goes well at first, and at least one near-disaster occurs. However, Gurronsevas redeems himself by solving the mystery behind a station-wide epidemic.

James White and Sector General always make good reading, with good writing technically, well-developed alien and human characters, and a fascinating setting. I would have liked to give this story 4.5 stars, as it is not quite as deep as "The Watch Below" or "The Genocidal Healer", but "The Galactic Gourmet is good, fun, science fiction reading.

In the third latest edition to the ever popular Sector General Series a well know federation chef arrives at the hospital, and chaos ensues. When he chef is banned from the station a series of events happen that save a race from extiction and Cheif Dietician Gurronsevas, as he is better know now, is, well... you'll have to read this excelent book to find out.

Once again James White gives us a novel where we see the action through the eyes of an interesting alien character, Gurronsevas, the great gourmet chef. As with Lorien in *The Genocidal Healer*, Gurronsevas is allowed to learn and grow -- always to be welcomed in fiction. I've read all the previous Sector General books I love the fact that the aliens are fully people in their own right and humans don't always hog the limelight. The official reviews are correct about the humor. (The exchange two aliens have over an old human saying cracked me up.) I really enjoyed reading about Gurronsevas' role in the first contact situation and the people he tried to help. I did have one minor problem with the book, though: it was too easy to figure out what was going on (although there were a couple of things I didn't see coming). However, I'm 44 years old and I have over 30 years' experience reading SF and mysteries. Even if you're another "old" fan, don't worry. The book is well worth your time even when you're mildly irritated at the characters for taking so long to catch on. Ann E. Nichols

Out of all the books we have read in honor of President's Day, this one stands head and shoulders above the pack. The story is superbly written and the illustrations by Michael Dooling are gorgeous. Giblin weaves from facts a story that is entertaining and educational. His writing personalizes the life of George Washington without getting too mushy for adults or too bogged down in language that children don't understand. He even debunks the myth of the cherry tree in a separate section entitled "More about George Washington". I originally borrowed this book from the library but purchased it here on Amazon to add to our personal collection. It's THAT good!

Enjoy,
Cris

For all students, this book could be helpful in learning about George Washington, but for second language learners of any age the pictures assist in making connections so that the story can be told and understood. I appreciate this book very much!

Beautifully told!Even more beautifully illustrated! Buy It!

Steven James' Godiva And The Golden Dragon is a superbly written historical and romantic novel set in the last years of Anglo-Saxon rule in England. Starting with the famous ride of Lady Godiva. Spanning A.D. 1057 to A.D. 1066, Godiva And The Golden Dragon wonderfully mixes history with unforgettable characterization, seizing the reader's consciousness and refusing to let go until the very end. A richly involving novel and highly recommended for historical fiction enthusiasts.

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider,
she didn't care if the whole world looked
-Theme from Maude

With the notable exception of the above lyric, Lady Godiva has in recent times become one of the
unsung heroes of Western democracy. People may still recall the sensational form that her protest
took, her naked ride through Coventry, but few recall that she was protesting high rates of taxation
(imposed by her own husband : Leofric, the Earl of Mercia).

Leofric was one of the most powerful nobles of 11th Century Britain, and he and Godiva were major
patrons of the arts and religious institutions, Godiva apparently believing that such works would benefit
the peasantry. But when she realized that what would actually be most beneficial to the poor would be
a reduction in their high tax burden she interceded with the Earl and asked him to lighten their load.
The Earl, one assumes jokingly, suggested that since Godiva was such a believer in the arts and since
the Greeks and Romans considered the human form itself to be great art, he would remove the local
taxes on everything but horses if she would ride through town in all her naked glory on horseback,
which she promptly did. Later embellishments to what appears to have been an actual incident include
the addition of a voyeur who gazed upon her, despite admonishments that the townsfolk should avert
their eyes : we recall him as the original "Peeping Tom".

This very fine historical novel by Steven James would be cause for celebration if all he did was restore
our memory of the Lady. But there's more. Several years ago I lamented the fact that Hope Muntz's
classic, The Golden Warrior, with its thrilling tale of the conflict between Harold Godwinson and
William the Bastard (eventually, unfortunately, the Conqueror) had fallen out of print. Many consider
The Golden Warrior to be the greatest historical novel ever written, and it certainly ranks with the
best. I'd still urge folks to try to track down a copy, but, in the meantime, Steven James has cleverly
tied the legend of Lady Godiva into the story of Harold and produced a thoroughly engaging historical
fiction of his own.

James uses a few fictional characters and a healthy dollop of imagination to bind these storylines
together, perhaps more tightly than they need to be (the Epilogue is particularly unnecessary). But as
the drama builds towards the Battle of Hastings (in 1066) the reader gets so swept up in the course of
events that all license taken with the story is forgiven. One warning though, I loaned my copy of
Golden Warrior to a friend and he refused to finish the book because he couldn't stand to read of
Harold's eventual defeat. I excoriated him at the time, but found myself reacting similarly towards the
end of Godiva and the Golden Dragon. Harold's attempt to defend his kingdom--from a hostile and
corrupt papacy; from the treacheries of his own brothers; from a Northern invasion by King Haraald of
Norway; and from conquest by William and the Normans--is too heroic and too nearly succeeds for the
tender hearted reader to easily accept his ultimate failure. It is all just ineffably sad, though it goes a
long way to explaining the rise of centralized nation-states, with a single political authority capable of
reigning in rebellious rival claimants to power.

This then is one of the more enjoyable historical novels I've read in recent years. For all of us who
await with great impatience the next offering from Sharon Kay Penman, here's a book to tide us over.
And for anyone who's forgotten, or never knew, why Lady Godiva was a "freedom rider", this book
restores a real heroine to her rightful place in the pantheon.

GRADE : A-

Godiva and the Golden Dragon is an excellent read. Starting with the famous ride of Godiva through Coventry, you are met with Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies and battles, that keep you captivated until the end. I loved every word. It had everything I look for in a book...mystery, horror and excitement. And yes, it had that romance stuff, too. Any book that can grab me on the first word and not let me put it down until I'm finished is a good book...and this WAS a good book. I was disappointed in the end though...there wasn't any more to read. Steven James did a fantastic job mixing historical fact with fiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the fascinating world of medieval England.

Even though I'm not a believer in the whole theory/vision of baseball as part of the American myth, Sturm does a pretty nice job with the metaphor in this understated but striking graphic novel. Set in the 1920s, the story concerns "The Stars of David", an ostensibly all-Jewish (one ex Negro League star qualifies as a "member of the lost tribe") barnstorming baseball team. With a decent amount of talent, they tour small towns as perpetual visitors, perpetual bad guys, and perpetual outsiders, earning just enough to scrape by. Until the team captain is approached by Victor Paige, of the Big Inning Promotional Agency. Paige convinces the team to create a Golem, "a creature that man creates to be a companion, a protector or a servant" as a gimmick to increase attendance. The gimmick works, but rather too well, as when they arrive in the next town, they are met with hostility and anti-Semitism beyond what they've ever faced before. The outcome is, well, predictable, and a metaphor for the times. The art is a lesson in the effectiveness of elegant simplicity, and captures the movement of baseball amazingly well. As per usual for Drawn & Quarterly, the book is very nicely printed and produced.

Sturm's spare and evocative artwork is the best I've seen in a graphic novel. Baseball is the most mythic of American sports and in this book its myths intersect with even deeper and more potent myths, myths of group identity and salvation. Sturm narrates a truly fabulous tale of social crisis and personal failure relativized and ennobled by "the big picture".
If "Maus" by Art Spiegelman is the only graphic novel you've read, this should be your next one.

This is a wonderful and surprising book. The story is understated yet engrossing (very hard to put down). The artwork is top notch. The author does an outstanding job of mixing frames with dialog, captioning and drawing on its own. I think it's the author's skill in putting together series of wordless frames that really sets the book apart--these help create different atmospheres and add to the dramatic tension and sense of anticipation. It was almost as if I was reading a book and watching a film at the same time.

I look forward to Mr. Sturm's next creation!

I just bought the book on e-bay, and have already read it!!! i highly reccomend this book! as a child i think its better than the movie!!

Last time I checked, the book comes before the movie......so the movie would be the one changed, not the book.......correct me if I'm wrong......

I liked the book a lot better than the movie because you see the peoples feeling so much better. This also has scences that explain what happens a lot better. This is a must read book!

Nichols' translation of Gorgias is indeed impressive. I have heard and read other translations of Gorgias- but the word choice of those other translation is too unadmirable(like "knack"-a word that is not fitted with Platonic dialogues). Nichols keeps consistent and easily understandable words. He doesn't go about saying "smart" words- unlike others who seem to try and exhaust their vocab. before they finish the work.

This is one of my favorite Socratic dialogues. The evidence suggests that Plato wrote it soon after the execution of Socrates, and while I would not say there is a bitter edge to this Gorgias dialogue, I can definitely say that the exchanges do get a little lively at times. At one point, I could almost hear the voices of Socrates and Polus being raised as they argued. Another positive aspect of this dialogue is the fact that it is comparatively easy to understand. Socrates does not start spouting ideas about true Forms or using geometry to prove his points; the more esoteric, more advanced Platonic ideas are to be found in Plato's later writings. In many ways, this dialogue also serves as an introduction to Plato's masterpiece The Republic. Socrates' ideas on some things seem nascent at this point, and he actually contradicts some points he would later make, but the heart of Socratic thought lies within easy grasp in the pages of this dialogue.

The dialogue begins as a discussion about the true nature of oratory. The famed orator Gorgias is in town, and Socrates is most anxious to have a discussion with him. At first, Gorgias' younger friend Polus desires to speak for Gorgias, but he proves little match for Socrates. When Gorgias enters the discussion, Socrates treats him very well, as a respectable man with whom he disagrees, and Gorgias for his part is never flustered by Socrates' description of his art as a knack and as a form of pandering. Later, Callicles bravely jumps into the mix, and things really get interesting. Socrates seemingly admires Callicles' courage to state what he means without shame, yet he winds up getting Callicles to agree with his points in the end. What is it all about? The main points that Socrates makes are that it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong, and that it is better for a man to be punished for his wrongs than to escape punishment. Implicit in his argument is the belief that all wrongdoing is the result of ignorance; following up on this idea, he declares that dictators and politicians who hold vast powers are the most miserable men of all. He goes so far as to describe Athenian heroes such as Pericles as bad men because the state was less healthy when they left office than when they took office, the proof being that such men eventually lost power and were even ostracized.

For Socrates, happiness comes from being virtuous and self-disciplined. The orator can make a great speech and convince his peers that he is right, but he does this by inculcating belief rather than knowledge in the minds of his audience; he requires no knowledge to win such a debate, and as a result he tells the people what he knows they want to hear rather than what is truly best for them. Right and wrong are immaterial to the orator, Socrates charges. Callicles urges Socrates to give up his immature fixation on philosophy and become a public speaker; were he to be brought to court and charged with a wrong, Callicles tells him that he would be unable to defend himself. Much of the concluding pages consist of a wonderful defense by Socrates of his way of life. He agrees that a court could rather easily try and execute him, but if that were to happen, only his accusers would suffer for it. His thoughts are for the next world, and he has no fear of death because he believes a man with a clean, healthy soul such as his will be given immediate access to the isles of the blessed. The execution of Socrates was clearly on Plato's mind as he wrote this particular discourse.

I would recommend this dialogue to individuals seeking an introduction to Plato's philosophy. The entire discussion is clear throughout and easily comprehensible, and it proves interesting to see how some of Plato's thoughts changed between the years separating this dialogue and The Republic.

The single most impressive aspect of this dialogue is Socrates defense of the "good" against subjectivist arguments by Sophists; arguments which remain with us today albeit in different forms. Thus it is a truly relevant dialogue.

On the one hand, Socrates denies that an individual's supposed superiority determines right and wrong. In modern terms we'd call this the Nietzchean will to power argument. He cleverly kills the might-makes-right argument, by extreme individualists, by showing how ultimately the mob is more powerful than any individual. Thus this reasoning falls through. Yet, at the same time, Socrates denies that truth is determined by mere numbers or by popular vote. After all, Socrates wasn't condemned to death by a dictator or an aristocracy but by a democracy. Food for thought!

This is a nice translation in modern idiom and can be easily read in just a few sittings.

Lileks is one of those guys who can put such a unique top-spin on mundane matters that it's transformed into the most clever, hilarious topic imaginable.

Short and snappy, Fresh Lies' essays and stories embody a respectable variety, from the silly to the artfully sincere. Keep it in your bag, for waiting in line or riding the bus, or the patio. Hell, keep it wherever you want- just keep it!

A few deserving authors on the Right have really made their bones in the wake of 9-11.Ê Bernard Lewis went from being well-regarded in the ivory towers to a prominent place on magazine covers as the leading public voice in the West on Islam.Ê Victor Davis Hanson went from being a distinctive but little known military writer to one of the most popular geopolitical columnists in America.Ê Christopher Hitchens was saved from a life of thralldom to the tenets of Marxism as he became a leading, if improbable, defender of Western values.Ê Daniel Pipes became just as much the celebrated scourge of Islam as his dad had been the scourge of the Soviet Union.Ê And, on the comedic front, we all "discovered" James Lileks.

If you've ever looked at a blog, particularly a war blog, you'll have seen--and hopefully followed-- innumerable links to Mr. Lileks's Daily Bleat.Ê But he's no recent phenomenon, as this collection of columns from 1994 shows.Ê Mr. Lileks has been toiling away in the vineyards for many years now, or in his case the pages of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.Ê The older satire here is just as funny and just as politically incorrect as his writing over the past few months has been, including rants about NPR, women's hair dye, the metric system, and the Taster's Choice couple.

Columnists, especially those who write humor columns, have a tough task, called on not only to be consistent but consistently funny.Ê Mr. Lileks is among the very best.

GRADE : A

James Lileks is like a younger Garrison Keeler--and I mean that in a good way. He has the same smart sense of humor and the same midwestern sensibility. Lileks takes on everyday life writing about his fear of his espresso maker, shampoo, rock music, and all sorts of other things in the world around him in a way that is fresh and frequently hilarious. I read this book on the train and people kept staring at me because I was laughing so hard. The chapter entitled "Turn That Racket Down" (about pop music) in particular brought tears to my eyes. Lilieks writes from the point of view of those of us who missed out on being boomers (thank god), but who are to old to be part of Gen X. If it amuses you that the song "Instant Karma" ws used to sell shoes, but you don't understand rap music, you are the right age to enjoy this book

This is a great mini-coffee table book (get the hardcover if you REALLY dig this stuff!) offering hours of information and photos of the famous atomic bomb tests on naval ships at Bikini Atoll. The 190 page book is broken into nine chapters and has excellent notes on sources. Background information covers the first half of the book while the second is focused on recent dives to many of the famous and lesser known ships that were sunk here. The writing is very informative and the photographs are absolutely haunting, particularly the ones of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga! Several color photos are included in the center. The author pushes no agenda in this book. He merely reports the facts available both "good and bad".

My Dad was there (USS Reclaimer) - swimming in the atoll the day after the blasts, cleaning refuged ships, etc. It's amazing he's still alive.

Nice photos; good summaries. This isn't a full-blown account of Operation CrossRoads but a nice summary of the ships. If you are interested in OC, this is a good book to have on your shelf.

James Delgado does a very good job of reviewing the sunken ships of Bikini Atoll and telling the story of the 1946 atomic bomb tests. I read this book after diving at Bikini Atoll and found it to be a good treatment of a topic that has received too little attention. As far as wreck diving goes, Bikini Atoll is the best in the world, and my only disappointment with this book is that it does not fill the need for a coffee-table-style photographic survey of the incredible shipwrecks at Bikini. That being said, Delgado's book is a nice compromise between such a coffee table book and the more comprehensive historical treatment in Jonathan Weisgall's superb book on Bikini Atoll.

I read God.com last year and found it interesting...very
interesting. Naturally, I had to peer into God.net, the
sequel. I found this new foray into the spiritual/poetic
journey an indefatiguable page turner. Sure, it may not
compare to James Langteaux's earlier work on the Taxidermy
Today Program, but none-the-less, it took me on a similar
"preserved for the ages" trek toward a fresh understanding of
what it means to have my synapses fully flexed. For those of us with kids...jobs...hobbies, I found God.net not too big--and not too small...it was JUST RIGHT! It took me but a few weeks to read
this nugget from cover to cover. Actually, once I got past that
hypnotically mezmerizing cover, I was able to breeze through it in just 45-minutes--thanks to the Evelyn Woods speed reading course I completed this summer. Very hip book. Creative insights into a dynamic relationship with God. Again...I must say, "Interesting...very interesting"--Nice job, James! I look forward to your next book...undoubtedly,
"Spirit.org". Keep writing! Keep the faith!

I find James Langteaux to be a breath of fresh air. It takes a lot of faith to be so honest. God often leads us all through a desert wilderness to help us find the oasis of His rest. James helps us to better realize that if it were not for the desert place, we might not be able to recognize the oasis when we find it.

Thanks, James. I look forward to what God will lead you to share with us next.

Too many of us who started the adventure of "Believe" have wound up losing our bearings in the "desert" of life's journey. We hit the struggles and then try to use our own wits to no avail. Inevitably we become as dry as the desert itself; even cynical. "Was this a trick"? "Did God just bring me out here to dump me"? By revealing the intimate struggles of his life and his relationship with the living God, this author shows himself to be an apostle called by God to lead those of us who have wandered in the wilderness back to rediscover the Source.

There's no religious spirit here. As a matter of fact Mr. Langteaux's refreshing honesty and humor might just wrankle some who have become pious desert dwellers. Hats off to Multnomah for publishing a voice that speaks for a generation that can smell hipocracy a mile away and won't stand for anything less than the genuine.

Let the reader beware, there is truth and life in this book.