Devil's Dance is a well written book with an interestingplot. For those who know HD, it is a hard book to read in manyways. For those who have never heard about this disease, I hope Karlen's portrayal brings you to a point of compassion for those who daily struggle with it.

Readers of Devil's Dance quickly learn that the disease affects everyone in the family, even those who do not have the gene.

As a member of a Huntington's family, I must caution readers that the time frame of Karlen's book is when there was no gene test readily available. There have been significant advances such as the discovery of the gene, effective counseling, and new medications to help with the symptoms.

The other word of caution is this. In the book, Harry Stone displays certain symptoms that are not seen in every Huntington's sufferer. It is important to understand that while there are general symptoms that can happen during the course of the disease, not every symptom is suffered by every person. While there is still no cure, many people today are able to live long, fulfilling lives even after they become symptomatic.

My thanks go out to Dr. Karlen for creating an awareness of Huntington's Disease to the general public.

After reading Devils dance, I now have a broader sense of the many lives this devastating sickness effects, not only the victim but those who love and know them... Thank you RRK

Huntington is a household name for anyone in Southern California. The name is everywhere in Los Angeles due to the tremendous influence this metropolitan entrepreneur had on the development of one of America's largest cities.

His start in big business was with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, where his uncle served as the company's president. He showed tremendous skill and quickly ascended in the business world to become one of the most powerful businessmen in the United States.

Although he only had a high school education, Henry Huntington possessed incredible business savvy. He succeeded in almost everything he attempted, but his work in Southern California was the crown jewel.

Friedricks points out each of the major events in Henry Huntington's life, both at the personal and professional level. He discusses both Huntington's amazing contributions to Southern California and his scandalous personal life.

The book is balanced. It keeps the reader interested. It is a definite "must read" for anyone interested in the history of Southern California or the story of a major leader in the business world during the era of American industrialization.

This is an outstanding book. It is superbly written and thoroughly researched. If your interested in the Pacific Electric or Southern Pacific, this book is a valuable addition to your bookshelf.

If you like mountaineering books, you should like this one. It does have a few interesting quirks. Roberts was a Harvard student who climbed and this book describes two different ascents in Alaska on Deborah and Mt. Huntington. Not only are the two climbs entirely different, so is the writing style since they were written at different times. The first story is the Deborah ascent made with only one other climber. This story was written later and clearly narrates the climb while the Huntington climb tends to write in a more imaginative style attempting to explore thoughts and reasons why people climb. Frankly, I scanned some paragraphs in the second story as he would get on a tangent and leave the climbing facts. This climb is much more exciting due to the success of the climb and two more personalities involved on the climb. The Deborah climb tends to be one hardship after another. Having said this, there is a shocking occurrence after the successful climb that touches the climbers for the rest of their lives. This story has so emotionally attached you as a member of the party that it is impossible to put down for the last 50 pages. I recommend this book to mountaineering fans interested in the mundane tasks necessary for a successful Alaska assault. Also this will be interesting for readers wanting to explore interpersonal relationships under extreme hardships.

These two books contain some of the best writing ever done on the subject of mountaineering. "Deborah" starts out at a slow plodding pace but then draws the reader into the events that happened to Roberts and his partner in the remote wilderness of Alaska. The dynamics of the two climbers make for a interesting study of how people deal with extreme conditions. "The Mountain of My Fear" is a much more straight forward account of the first ascent of Mt. Huntington. Again the interactions of the climbers as described by Roberts makes for a fascinating read. The tragic ending leaves the author really questioning the whole point of climbing mountains. If I was going to recommend a book for a non-climber to read to gain some understanding of why people climb this would definitely be it.

While not a scorching read, Political Order in Changing Societies is a must read for those looking to learn more about the corner stones of modern governments and the effects of changing societies on those political systems. It is an excellent tool for looking at the forces that shape the modern polity.

this is still Huntington's best work. The bredth of his erudition is astounding, the clarity of his analysis second to none. Too bad he had to soil his reputation with all that later nonsense about clashing civilizations.

While not as heavily theoretical as some of Huntington's other works, this book is laden with apercus about why and how countries develop democracies, especially in the most recent wave (just to clarify, the first wave started in the early 1800's, the second occurred after World War II, and the third began in 1974 and included the countries liberated by the end of communism in the late 1980's.) The success of democratization is tied to various factors - the type and strength of the authoritarian regime that is facing this choice, its willingness to permit democratization, the strength of the movement that seeks to democratize, and that country's conditions (i.e. has it attempted to democratize before? How does religion affect the culture of that country?) Huntington's genius is to look at scores of seemingly disparate cases and discern patterns where democratization succeeds and fails.

An interesting side note is Huntington's analysis of why countries democratize. Each wave had its own conditions, but several variables merit mentioning. As a country industrializes, it becomes increasingly difficult for an authoritarian regime to maintain its monopoly on power, which becomes more diffused. Industrialization also fosters the growth of a questioning middle class that becomes more vocal as its wealth increases (not to mention a vibrant working class that is also a vital force for democracy, as Rueschemeyer, Stephens, and Stephens note in Capitalist Development and Democracy.) In addition, authoritarian regimes inevitably weaken over time as they fail to meet expectations and public dissatisfaction increases; they also become stale and are usually incapable of renewing themselves. They eventually lose legitimacy as the coalition of interests that supports them begins to splinter. Just a few more headaches for Jiang Jemin and his crew.

I had to read this book for a class and I really got a great background in democracy in developing countries. Well written and informative.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It didn't have the passion that "The Captain's Courtship" did and there were a few too many characters to follow but it was definitely a good book. I found myself laughing out loud and cheering Lydia's no-nonsense manner. And Edward was just as likeable. I look forward to reading the next book in this series of the Whittaker sisters.

First off, I really enjoyed this book, and rank this higher than THE CAPTAIN'S COURTSHIP which I found to have a much weaker plot, less memorable characters, and generally a hero and heroine I could not care much for. By comparison, THE LIEUTENANT'S LADY comes off as a strong spin-off. Yes, the first cousin romance might put off some readers, as would the fact that the couple get along well almost from the start. The family rift is an old plot, but rather well-done in this regard, when we learn what the real reasons for the rift are. [I love the fact that the hero does not rush off to tell the heroine about this either].

The story has been described by the author and other readers. We begin with a slight surprise (from our point as readers of the previous book) - it turns out that the estate that has been carefully improved by Lydia and Vanessa is not theirs, but one entailed upon their uncle and his heirs male, and that they live there on sufferance. The uncle now chooses to toss the family off the estate on a flimsy pretext. [Here, I squawked with outrage - firstly that the author had not warned us about this in the first book, and secondly that the girls Vanessa and Lydia had been silly enough to waste their hard-won capital on an estate where nothing belonged to them apart from a few hangings, a carpet and sundry personal items].

There is a happy turn of events, in that the cousin who is to benefit is actually a relatively honourable man, and also that the family of the Whittaker mother and sisters are to find a new home on the estate of the eldest daughter and her brand-new husband. There are some poignant passages where Lydia discovers firstly that she has no role to play in their new lives and is expected to behave conventionally (after years of managing the household and scrimping and saving), and secondly that her mother and younger sisters do not apparently appreciate her hard work. (This reminds me oddly of a similar discovery made by Minerva in Marion Chesney's novel of that title).

The heroine then embarks upon a futile romance with her cousin, realizing firstly that he is financially dependent on his parents who would strongly oppose the match to her in particular, and to any lady in her situation in general. Edward's predicament is well-narrated; he is expected to do the right thing and not jeopardize his inheritance (incidentally, wouldn't the estate's entail have benefitted him ultimately?). There is an interesting sub-plot where a neighbor from Lydia's old home falls for the woman whom Edward is supposed to marry; the lady does not come across as very appealing, but she is certainly human.

Faced by family opposition and the belief that Edward will not marry her, Lydia announces her engagement to her old friend and neighbor after he has been rejected by his love's guardian. The rest of the story involves a duel with an almost farcical ending, and a happily-ever-after ending. Well, in that, Edward will not inherit his father's fortune nor please his maternal grandfather, but he will have the estate - and Lydia is just the right wife for him with her excellent background in household management on a small budget.

Now why did I like that story? First, I liked Lydia from the start when I met her in the first book [speaking of which, Edward tells his future brother-in-law that he was a fool to choose Lydia's older sister over Lydia, which are my sentiments, exactly]. Secondly, I really felt for her predicament through the first part of the novel, even before she began her romance with Edward. She was out of place, struggling to adapt to her new position in society (which depended itself on her sister's excellent marriage) and unwilling to go along with her mother's plans just to please that lady. Yet, as a young Regency lady, she had few choices in life, even though at one time, she had planned to be a governess. Thirdly, I felt that the romance between Lydia and Edward was well-done, and we saw how it developed slowly. [I like this kind better than the "love at first sight" or "hate first, then love" kinds]. Fourthly, the reasons for the family rift were entirely believable.

A point in Ms Huntington's favor is that she employs no external villains, and even her "villains" in the story have entirely believable and reasonable motives for acting as they do. And their villainies consist of small acts, not some major act such as blackmail, seduction, and murder, not to mention intrigue and mayhem.

The writing is sometimes patchy, and sometimes the plot really slows down. But it was never so slow as to lose my interest, and I confess I prefer slowly developing stories. The issues about unmarried couples writing to each other did not bother me, because it is clearly understood in the book (by the couples) that they are engaging in a clandestine act, that is not approved by society. I found very few of the plot devices unbelievable, and the plot overall was very strong. OK - the main characters were very sweet (and perhaps not appealing to those who prefer more alpha heroes), but the battling mothers more than made up for that. As did the catty rival love interest who is so delighted that men are duelling over her...!

A very pleasant read - although I could not quite take to the secondary romance! (I find it hard to believe that Robert and Madlyn can be happy together... but that is a problem for another book).

Kate Huntington has one of the greatest Regency voices today. I love all of her books.

I cannot quite make up my mind about this book. I definitely liked many aspects of it, but a good deal of it also spoiled my feeling anything more than a mild liking (at best) for it. I think it was spoiled for me from the point, very early on, where Amelia mistook Andreas for a Catholic priest. I just could not think any girl could be that ignorant. Well perhaps it just shows how ignorant the English were about Catholics - but it seemed slightly unbelievable that she believed him to be a priest simply because he wore black. So her continued belief during this initial portion of their relationship, made her even appear even sillier. She just seemed to enjoy feeling superior to him as regards money as well and thus her character seemed shallow.

What a great love story - a man willing to die to free his country, and a heartbroken young woman willing to grow and risk love again. Nicely rounded out characters, an entertaining read for Regency readers - and others - who love a good tale of love and passion. You can't beat this heroine - she's just as brave and fascinating as the hero. Kate Huntington has done it again.

In this fifth of Kate Huntington's Whitakker sisters series we get to meet some old friends again. Amelia, who was introduced in The Lieutenant's Lady, travels to Paris to visit the grave of her first love. While there she meets Andreas whose kindness is more than her heart can resist. Four years later she travels to Venice with friends and meets Andreas again. The sparks fly and her heart is captivated. Count Andreas is such a wonderful hero...gallant, handsome, and just a little vain and conceited. But you will love him! And Amelia is no wilting violet. She is definitely a match for Andreas, as she proves when his freedom-fighting activities threaten both of their lives. It is a passionate story. They love each other and need each other and they will find all that their lives are missing in each other. Enjoy this book...it is a keeper.

When Mary Ann Whittaker was fourteen, her father had died and her family - four sisters and her mother - lived in poverty, without enough money to buy food for Christmas. On the way to pawn her one valuable, a small pearl ring, she was mugged, but rescued by what appeared then to her as a knight in shining armour, a tall, handsome man who escorted her on her errand but also sent the family a Christmas goose and redeemed Mary Ann's ring. Ever since that day, she has been in love with her mystery rescuer.

Lionel St James has been disowned by his family as a result of a foolish scandal when he was twenty. Penniless and without expectations, he makes his living as a gambler and is unwelcome in polite society. Seven years after rescuing Mary Ann, however, he gatecrashes a ball given by her now brother-in-law, Lord Blakely, in order to see what his young acquaintance has made of herself. Seeing her again, he falls in love. But, even though Mary Ann and her family make him welcome, Lionel knows that he is completely ineligible.

Unable to resist the persuasions of his family, Blakely invites Lionel to spend Christmas with them all at his country estate, but warns Lionel off Mary Ann - not that Lionel intended to make any advances to her anyway, because of his situation. His own family doesn't recognise him, after all, and other members of Society turn their backs on him when he enters a room. But this is Christmas, the time of peace and forgiveness, after all: can miracles happen?

This is an interesting tale of a tarnished hero who - as readers guess right from the beginning - is not as evil as he's been painted. The heroine is delightful: sparky, intelligent and compassionate, with a strong streak of determination. There are some interesting secondary characters too, including the heroine's sisters and brother-in-law and the hero's half-siblings.

Despite all that, I don't feel that the book is one I'll consider among my favourite Christmas stories. There were a few niggles, such as a sense that Huntington thinks - it was never precisely specified - that disinheriting Lionel also means that he cannot inherit his father's baronetcy, which of course isn't correct. Barbara, the lady Lionel is supposed to have ruined all those years ago, is just a little over the top. And there are rather too many secondary characters in the background to keep track of - characters from earlier books by Huntington, perhaps? It certainly seemed as if the reader should know about them and that therefore Huntington felt that they didn't require introductions.

Still, this is considerably better than the average Zebra Regency.

This fourth in the series of the Whittaker sisters is another delight. Mary Ann and Lionel are wonderful characters. Her never-ending faith in him and his honored devotion to her are so sweet. It was such fun to read about the Whittaker family again. This is another Kate Huntington book you will love!

Mary Ann's heart harbors love for the golden stranger who saved her family's Christmas when she was fourteen. Seven years later they meet again. His name is Lionel St. James and he is totally unsuitable for her. He is a rogue, a gambler, despoiler of innocents! Through the eyes of love, Mary Ann sees him as her misunderstood hero and sets out to make everything right. After ten years of debauchery, Lionel finds Mary Ann and her large extended family a balm for his wounded heart and soul.

The story follows the usual Regency path. Violence against one woman is glossed over - but for most of the characters a happy ending is achieved.

Perhaps there is a little redeeming value in this book since it purports to discuss the feelings of a child who discovers her mother has an incurable disease that the child may have inherited. The story, however, is not believable. Because of the sudden onset of the disease and her mother's strange behaviors, Melanie feels the whole town is laughing at her family. In a small town where all kinds of eccentricities are chalked up to "cabin fever" this is hard to believe. Maybe the writer intended to show that Melanie just imagined this, but we are never quite sure whether this is Melanie's imagination or the meanness of her neighbors.

Her mother is apparently a fully functioning member of society; a fine mother, wife of one of the leading citizens and an excellent homemaker, until one day boom!, she has Huntington's with full blown dementia. This is a very misleading picture of Huntington's Disease. The sudden onset and quick death depicted in the book are not a true picture of the progress of the disease. A person with Huntington's would probably have shown personality changes much earlier than the noticeable onset of the classic symptoms of chorea. The average life expectancy after onset of these symtoms is closer to 15 years, not a few months.

Melanie does not arouse much sympathy in the reader. Her behavior is erratic and perplexing. I found myself wondering if she really does have the disease.

I do not know of any young person I would give this book to, either as an explanation of Huntington's or as a guide on how to confront hard facts about one's family and oneself.

The book also gives the mistaken impression that St. Vitus' dance is Huntington's disease. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, St. Vitus dance is a "nervous disorder occurring chiefly in childhood or during pregnancy, closely associated with rheumatic fever, and characterized by rapid, jerky, involuntary movements of the body." It is called Sydenham's chorea after Thomas Sydenham an English physician who lived in the 17th century. The name was probably also used to describe a variety of disorders.

Huntington's is a devasting, incurable disease. Those interested in learning more about the disease will not find much useful information in this book.

I recently reread Saint Vitus' Dance and it was as exquisite as the first time. No one writes like Ms. Rublacaba. The prose is beautiful and the portrayals of a stricken family are sensitive. Excellent!

This is a very touching book that I will definitely read again and that I would recommend others my age read. It helped me understand how it would be to have a Mom with an incurable illness and how scary it would be. It's a sad book that left me thinking deeply about how I would feel if the same thing happened to me. I am 12 years old.

This dreadful anthology was once the standard English edition of Plato. I had to assign it when I taught courses on Plato because there was nothing else. Many of the translations are bad. Even the decent ones often are quite old, and their flowery Victorian diction is off-putting. The collection isn't complete, as it leaves out a number of important dialogues from the Platonic corpus. And the introductions are uniformly ghastly; the editors have little understnding of philosophy, and keep saying horrible things like "There's a lot of boring logic-chopping in this dialogue, but at least the personality of Socrates is engaging." There is no longer any need to be subject to the tyranny of Hamilton & Cairns! There is now a far better edition, with excellent introductions, excellent translations, and including all the dialogues. It's the COMPLETE WORKS from Hackett Pub., edited by John Cooper. It will be the standard edition from now on. Go get that one! Don't get this one!

Yes, I think Plato's philosophy is one of the most despicable things unleashed on this Earth. His idea that this world we live in is only semi-real has lead to most of the bad philosphy in recorded history. Only a few philosphers have escaped from under his glare. It's most ironic that one of those is his most famous student: Aristotle.
However, as a lover of knowledge and a student of philosophy, I realize the tremendous debt owed to Plato. First, he understood how imprtant it was to record his ideas. Socrates did not and for this the world is almost assuredly the worst for it. Secondly, he was and absolutely amazing writer. His ability to put his ideas forth in a lucid manner that anyone can uderstand is amazing. Thirdly, he was the first philosopher who devised a full system of knowledge. He wrote on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics and aesthetics.
It is further unfortunate that this text has become the standard by which philosphy students must study Plato. The text is rigid, and as an earlier reviewer noted, Hamilton's intros suck. It is ridiculous to think of her as a serious Platonic scholar. But the Cooper text is much harder to come by, and the Hamilton is required in most courses on Plato. If you have the means, secure yourself a copy of both.

I have read several of the translations of Plato's dialogues by different scholars... this is the best one that I have come across. Granted Ms. Hamilton's introductions are a little sparce, but that leaves the reader to form a better opinion... not one jaded. This edition is one of the most complete volumes available... where Letters, Menexenus, Lesser Hippias and Ion are found with a rather extensive index and the standard numbering lines from the Greek text.

We have meaningful translations, translations of what Plato was trying to say in todays English language... I know that over time languages grow and evolve but here we read the dialogues like a short story full of life and viable.

The translations in this volume are from: Lane Cooper, F.M. Cornford, W.K.C. Guthrie, R. Hackforth, Michael Joyce, Benjamin Jowett, L.A. Post, W.H.D. Rouse, Paul Shorey, J.B.Skemp, A.E. Taylor Hugh Tredennick, W.D. Woodhead, and J. Wright.

For being a one volume set, this is about as complete as it gets.