Over the past five decades, James Bond films have established themselves as the most popular film series in history. Some estimates have it that a quarter of the world's population has seen a 007 film, and this worldwide fascination with the Bond character has manifested itself in the thousands of fan clubs, fan conventions, web sites, and movie guides in existence today. But while there exists an abundance of literature about Ian Fleming's fictional spy, no book has actually considered the 007 phenomenon in the context of cultural and film history until now. James Chapman's Licence to Thrill attempts to examine the Bond series in a scholarly manner, and succeeds marvelously at doing so.

From the start, Chapman's meticulous, comprehensive study of these films is presented in an objective and refreshing manner. Chapman immediately sets the tone for the book, arguing that the viewer needs to look beyond the fantastic scenarios and hedonistic nature of Bond's life in order to grasp the real meanings of these films -- that is, that they nostalgically represent Great Britain's global strength during an actual period of decline. Chapman goes on to discuss the various film genres (spy thrillers, cliffhangers, action movies) that have been hybridized into the "Bondian" formula, and goes on to show that the Bond films themselves, despite borrowing upon other formulas, have actually developed their own ideology.

The most impressive aspect of Licence to Thrill is its comprehensiveness. Chapman places the Bond films in the context of film history, and by doing so, provides a larger framework by which to assess their cultural impact. He also examines the influence of other film genres on the Bond series; for example, the influence of the "blaxploitation" movement of the early 70's on 1972's Live and Let Die, which features an unusually high proportion of black characters for a Bond film. The rest of the book concentrates on the Bond films themselves, grouping them according to theme and charting the development and evolution of the franchise.

Although Chapman clearly illustrates that the generic formula of these films is virtually designed to change with the British political climate, he also maintains that Bond's adventures are representative works of nostalgia for British imperialism and nationalism. For example, in discussing 1983's Octopussy, which is set largely in India, Chapman notes the numerous television series in Britain during the 1980's devoted to the former British colony and the abundance of works at the time analyzing Anglo-Indian relations. Other films are set against the contemporary British political mindset, such as 1981's For Your Eyes Only, which strongly references Thatcherism, and the end result is that we see the films in an entirely new light.

Enlightening, entertaining and thought provoking, this book is highly recommended for anyone who is serious about film. For the rabid Bond fan, it is simply indispensable.

If you're like I am, you probably cannot get enough of the world of James Bond, Agent 007. The male (and female) fascination with Ian Fleming's fictional creation is now clearly ubiquitous since 007 conventions, fan clubs, web sites, and 'official' and 'unofficial' James Bond movie guides can be found all over the world. The recent re-release of special edition James Bond films on VHS and DVD provides a clearer indication of the success that the Bondian industry enjoys. While there exists an abundance of literature about Ian Fleming's fictional spy, few works actually consider the 007 phenomenon in a serious manner. In fact, the only title that comes to mind is Kingsley Amis' 1965 work, The James Bond Dossier, an extended essay analyzing Ian Fleming's secret agent as he appears in print. There has yet to be a thorough discussion of the Bond novels and their adaptation into film ' until now.
Released this past spring by Columbia University Press, Licence to Thrill by James Chapman breaks new ground as an in-depth study of James Bond and lends credibility to addressing the 007 phenomenon in a scholarly manner. Chapman's introduction, 'Taking James Bond Seriously,' sets the tone for the work: this is not another fan guide to the behind-the-scene insights from the movies. As Chapman writes, the 'numerous books on the Bond films'all emanated from what might be termed the Bond fan culture rather than academia.' Arguing that one must look beyond 007's hedonistic male fantasy life in order to observe how his imaginary world nostalgically represents Great Britain's global strength as Empire and Cold Warrior during an actual period of decline, Chapman's meticulously researched and comprehensive critical study of James Bond is presented in an objective and refreshing manner.
Chapman's early discussion of various genres of film (British imperialist spy thriller, cliffhanger adventure serial, Hollywood action movie, etc.) and the nature of British cinema adequately provides the reader with the requisite knowledge necessary to understand the role of cinematography. Chapman allows proper transition so as to introduce his concept of the 'Bondian' genre ' that is, that the Bond films themselves, despite borrowing upon other formulas, have actually developed their own ideology. The most impressive aspect of Licence to Thrill is its comprehensive narrative. Despite an overabundance of facts (citing, for example, that Kingsley Amis himself argues that Bond is not a spy but is rather presented as a secret agent), quotes, and analyses, the book flows smoothly. That Chapman does not limit his analysis merely to Bond films but rather incorporates British and American films preceding them ' Bulldog Drummond (1929), Dick Barton ' Special Agent (1948), North by Northwest (1959) ' allows the reader to place Bond films within a larger framework. In doing so, Chapman's argument that the James Bond film series exemplifies the progression of spy thrillers films from B-movie to big-budget motion picture stature is soundly supported. Chapman also explores other film movements' impact upon the Bond series, particularly the 'blaxploitation' movement of the early 1970's (Live and Let Die, 1972) and the rise in popularity of kung-fu movies (The Man With the Golden Gun, 1974). Chapman illustrates that Stephen Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster, Jaws, inspired the creation of Bond's infamous seven feet two inch steel-toothed nemesis bearing the same name.
Having provided background in the broader subject of cinema, Chapman devotes the rest of his work to the actual Bond films themselves and groups them according to theme, the development and implementation of what he terms the 'Bond formula,' and, in some cases, the actor who portrays Agent 007. Although he clearly illustrates that the generic formula of the Bond films is quite malleable depending upon numerous political and cultural developments of the period, Chapman nonetheless maintains that the James Bond films serve as representative works of nostalgia for empire and British nationalism. In his discussion of Octopussy (1983) in which much of the action is set in India, for example, Chapman notes the numerous television series in Britain during the 1980's devoted to the former British colony and the abundance of works analyzing Anglo-Indian relations while other films, such as For Your Eyes Only (1981), reference Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 'Iron Lady' reputation.
Surveying all the Bond films from Dr. No (1962) to Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) ' including the comical Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again, the 1983 remake of Thunderball (1965) ' Chapman's Licence to Thrill is a definite must-read for any James Bond enthusiast. Enlightening and thought provoking, the book maintains the reader's interest throughout and documents the chronological progression of the longest and most successful film series to date. And while it will certainly not leave you 'shaken,' Licence to Thrill definitely 'stirs' interest.

Licence to Thrill is a cultural review of the James Bond movies and provides an excellent survey of the changing Bond image in movies; from its start with the 1962 Dr. No to its progression beyond Fleming's spy novels to classic films. Bond became a symbol of a Cold War world where Britain was no longer the ruler: this examines how movies reflect and affect social change through images of politics and culture.

Most gorgeous bible I have seen. All the beautiful paintings will totally put you at peace while you're browsing this bible. All the inspirational verses and text are another way to get to know T. Kinkade, the artist and man. Have bought this for more then myself, everyone is just in awe seeing it. Scripture is very easy on the eyes, just done exquisitely, and with amazon.com
so affordable.

I just received this bible for Christmas and I must say that it is the most beautiful bible that I have ever seen. Inside are pictures of Thomas Kinkade's work which are absolutely gorgous and inspiritational. If you are in the market to buy a new bible this is one I highly recommending purchasing. I was lucky enough to receive this as a gift.

I can think of no finer artist to illustrate the Message than Thomas Kinkade! This magnificent volume is generously filled with his heart warming illustrations. Appropriately, his talent with a brush conveys his ability to capture the light and illuminate from within. I feel a stronger connection reading God's word with this Bible than I do with the one I have had for three decades. Indeed, worthy of being an heirloom!

Daniel Weinberg is a gentleman and a scholar, as well as the proprietor of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago. His great talent for acquiring and interpreting artifacts of the Lincoln era shines in this book, which includes some of the best-ever images ever published of the conspirators who helped John Wilkes Booth plan an attempted kidnapping of President Lincoln, and, later, assisted Booth in aspects of his murder plot in April 1865. Weinberg and his fellow historian (James Swanson, who contributes a masterful text, setting the pictures in context) provide a richly illustrated historical tapestry in this generously made coffeetable book. If you want to know what life was like after their arrest for David Herold, Sam Arnold, Samuel Mudd, Lewis Powell and their cohorts, you need look no further than this extraordinary volume. Any Lincoln library that does not include this book lacks an essential new cornerstone.

On April 13th I went on a John Wilkes Booth Escape Route tour in
Clinton, Maryland, and just by sheer luck, Mr. Swanson was in attendance and though it was the 3rd time I'd been on the tour, it was the best. He is a most enthralling person and though I didn't know who he was for almost an hour, he was obviously very knowlegeable on the subject of the assassination. He was kind enough to sign a copy of his book for me that I purchased in the Surratt Society bookstore and wrote a very lengthy and personal note in it-but I'm rambling- The book is simply fabulous-The text is extremely informative and the photos are the best I've ever seen-some are very rare and have never been published before-This book is a MUST for anyone interseted in either the Civil War or the Lincoln assassination- it's definitley top drawer and well worth ever cent-I can't recommend it highly enough!

Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial And Execution is a cold, clear look at the aftermath of a crime that forever changed American history. President Lincoln's assassination and the subsequent execution of his killer, John Wilkes Booth, is a well known event, but afterward, in the spring and summer of 1865, a military commission tried eight other people as conspirators in Booth's plot to murder Lincoln and other officials. Filled with period photographs and historical records as well as comprehensive, detailed text, Lincoln's Assassins is a fascinating and even disturbing close analysis of a time of turmoil and mourning across America. A welcome and invaluable addition to Lincoln historical studies and reference collections.

--Dick Hogan, The Irish Times (May 25, 1999

its title from the words of Thomas Jefferson. The author reminds readers that Jefferson used this phrase 'to describe the 'unhappy' effects of slavery that he observed in the faces of white and black children.' In his comprehensive, no-holds-barred study Clarke, a political scientist, reviews the history of race relations from slavery and Emancipation, the immediate post-Civil War period of Reconstruction to 'Restoration' and the emergence of Jim Crow segregation (what white southerners once called 'Redemption') to the ill-fated move to the dark ghettoes of the 'Promised Land', the urban north. He highlights the brutality of slave-holders, organized Klansmen, lynch mobs who scoffed at the law, and law enforcers who also did, and continue to do so. He writes about the devastating effects of race riots on communities and of widespread black-on-black crime. And he offers hard evidence of the persisting problems faced by inner-city African Americans living in anomic conditions marked by fear, disillusionment with the legal system, disdain of authority, broken families, and broken lives. The first chapter, 'Violence Begets Violence,' is a recurring motif in this sobering rendition of America's greatest tragedy." --Choice magazine

of violent oppresssion of African Americans by white Americans with the current explosive subculture of black-ghetto violence. As no other book has done, Clarke explores the deep historical roots of our late-twentieth century crisis in American race relations--an urgent example of how the present must learn from the past to insure a future of peace and civility." --Richard Maxwell Brown, Univ of Oregon

This Calendar is Great...
The Witches Spells are at times, hilarious.
I'd heard most of them, as a child growing up in New Orleans, La.
A lot of the Spells, have probably been passed down to the reader as an 'old wives' tale'.
I read my daily Spell over Coffee, and always get a smile to take with me to my Workday.

The 2002 Herbal Almanac is probably a must for any witch who grows an herbal garden. I received a copy of this book last year, and found myself referencing it many times, as I worked on my garden this year. While it has been an experimental year for me, this book does contain many solid articles. This year's book features articles from Elizabeth Barrette, Eileen Holland, Sara Greer and many others. The topics covered range from composting to herbal honeys and honey candied herbs (a sweet treat article), herbal care for expecting moms and kids and handling business stress with flower essences. There are many other good articles in here, too numerous to mention, as well as moon charts, eclectic herb plants and seed sources, zone charts, even potpourri recipes. A good source of information and ideas, and a great gift for that herbalist at Yule.

I was new to herbs when I bought this, but now I am hooked! There are soooo many things that you can use in here, this really is essential for anyone who has interest in anything to do with herbs.

I really enjoyed this book, which is a milder, tamer, less controversial book written 10 years before Jim Bouton's Ball Four. Both books are written by good, but not great relief pitchers named Jim. Both are written in diary form while the pitchers toil for less than stellar teams. Funny, and at times irreverent, Brosnan's book is worth the time to read! Teaser: I love the nickname Brosnan's wife gave him. :-)

I first read Mr. Brosnans book in the year it was published. My opinion of it has not changed in the last (could it be true) almost half a century. In "Long Season" Mr. Brosnan gives us what seems to be a very believable and accurate account of what major league baseball was like in the almost now forgotten days of the mid twentieth century. As a pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, Mr. Brosnan (I cant bring myself to call him Jim) gives what is a humorous and thoughtful insight what it is like to be a non-marquee player on teams that were quite frankly, less than steller. The Book, which is written in diary form, is an easy read. It flows from start to finish in a very readable manner. Mr. Brosnan has the talent to make everyone of his teamates and coaches come alive. As the reader, you feel that you are sitting in a bar, sipping on an adult beverage and listening to the author tell you of his everyday life in a now forgotten world of professional sports.
I guarantee you will become a fan of bullpen pitchers and oversized, bespeckled and hard-throwing righthanders within the first 10 pages.
My recomendation, is for you to grab this book and its sequal Pennant Race" before any other basebll books that are available anywhere. You wont be sorry, and once you have read it, you will be sucked into the history of baseball totally.

This insightful diary by pitcher Jim Brosnan recounts his struggles on the mound for the 1959 St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. Jocks weren't supposed to write books, but this college-educated ballplayer (uncommon in the 1950's) wrote a very good one. Brosnan's mild irreverence annoyed the game's overseers in an era when ballplayers earned modest paychecks and rarely popped off. Older fans may enjoy reading about long-forgotten ballplayers playing in now-demolished ballparks like Forbes Field and Sportsmen's Park. Brosnan followed this book with "Pennant Race," a diary from the 1961 season. Some alledge that the Chicago White Sox tried to insert a clause in Brosnan's contract banning him from publishing anything, while others say he was blackballed from the game after 1963 for his writings. Readers may also enjoy "Ball Four," pitcher Jim Bouton's funny and more combative diary of the 1969 season.

For fans of the book, you should know that you can discover real Lore villages. They have been built and created at beautiful Maplewood State Park which is located near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. But be prepared to hike and to use your observational skills to locate the innumerable villages tucked into tree roots and banks.

Here's a book for anyone with a sense of adventure. This guy is one great story teller! As a reader I had to wonder how much of this book is really fiction! He tells a tale that is clearly fantasy in a way that I wanted to believe it was real. If you like mystery, nature, adventure, or just a good read... this is one great story. This one really is a book for all ages. If Jim writes any more books, I will definitely be in line to buy them too!

Jim Fletcher has managed to tell a tale in a very realistic manner using a totally fanciful plot. The book's mysteries keep you looking for answers throughout the story. My 13-year-old daughter raved about the book and stated she had never ready anything like it before. She enjoys series such as Animorphs and Harry Potter and thought this book was much better. The Lore Adventure contains characters that are just every-day ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. It is definitely a MUST READ book for people who enjoy mysteries, nature, or even good old-fashioned fairytales. I think anyone would enjoy reading this book. Our family can't wait for Mr. Fletcher's next books.

I seem to find one every day, but Proimos is my new favorite picture book author. His illustrations are crazily
cartoonish...his stories are full of silly details...but the secret messages are almost Buddhist...Here Sam has been loud all his life and his parents are proud; they never shush him. Then Sam visits his aunt in the city and she and everyone else shush him at everyturn. But on the last day of her visit, she gets it & says, "I don't seem to be able to keep the sadness or gladness inside of me." And Sam tells her it is foolish to try. Wonderful! A story for all ages to take to heart.

I LIKE THIS BOOK VERY MUCH BECAUSE THE PICTURE IS VERY BEAUTIFUL. WHEN SAM WAS HAPPY, SAM LAUGHED SO LOUDLY AND WHEN SAM WAS SAD HE CRIED SO LOUDLY. IT IS A VERY GOOD BOOK.

I loved this book and it's message. Being a new parent I have so many things that I want to teach my child and this book covers one of them. I want my child to be proud of who he is and never change just to fit in and this book gets the message across in a fun way. The pictures are hillarious!

I disagree with the reviewer who states that the Captain is interetsed only in the little boy; he is being sarcastic when repeatedly argues that he is *not* attracted to the mother. Indeed, his relationship began with the family *before* the child had been born. Yes, there are sexual undertones to his relationship with the boy, but Barrie seems to imbue much of his descriptions of beauty with some subtle and sometime not-so-subtle eroticism (the blue-skinned fairy women, for example). What the Captain wants most, it seems, is the family - the 'total package', but he still yearns for his 'lost love'.

Though it is the story of a captain that befriends a boy, it is really James Barries way of describing his relationship with a young boy named George Llewelyn Davies and his mother Sophia Llewelyn Davies.

[A] previous reviewer states: "It is the story of a man who mentors a little boy and during that has a love interest with a woman."

There is no interest in the woman in the slightest! Indeed the author states explicitly at the beginning how tiresome it is to be persued by her. He loves the boy only. Amazing that this was a best-seller and world famous in its day - a wonderful book, but you can't help thinking that if published in 1999 it would be confined only to the mail-order book list of NAMBLA, as the old bachelor even baths and sleeps with the boy! It's available online..., as are Arthur Rackham's wonderful illustrations for the Peter Pan sections (it contains an inner story which is a very early version of Barrie's "Peter Pan".

Although reading such a long book in its entirety seems at first measure a daunting task (and one that few people's academic credentials hold up to....), readers daring enough to try are pretty well rewarded across the whole of this book. This book is an introduction to systems theory (i.e. that the result of a conglomeration of small scale processes can be seen to accumulate into larger, predictable processes at macro levels, similar to how a person who makes individual knots can end up with a rug...) that straddles the mark from physics to political economy (which is running far indeed!!!)

This is a really big book besides having a lot of pages, and I have a hunch that not too many people are going to buy it outside of researchers or university librarians. But, I suppose, if you're either of these (though if one were going to research they'd probably look to a sucession of smaller books, no?) I'd buy this book.... your collection would be enriched through having it....

Don't let the size of this book stop you from exploring it. The author has designed the book so it (slowly) reveals itself, working from basic concepts of how dynamic systems work through levels of biological and social complexity. It is a brilliant work, a must for anyone involved in any sort of analytical work. It is one of the most important books of the 20th century and, if attention is paid, will be an important guidebook to the 21st.

To see more of Miller's work and its implications, see the web site Principia Cybernetica.

Despite this is a book with an enormous and difficult text, since the very first chapter it enlightens the most basic message: that sciences, and knowledge, can be integrated, in a sort of unified theory, the "general theory of living systems", as the author puts it. And it does; since I began to understand the hole thing, it really makes me easier to think, and to view the world, like somekind of natural phylosophy, or organic phylosophy. It's really helpfull. (My email is galfroid@hotmail.com)