This is one of the best stories ever told by anyone anywhere. Its tenderness, foresight and deep knowledge of human weaknesses makes it a testament to be read by all. It should be studied in high school as a compulsory book. There is more politics, love, hate, deceit, dreams and braveness than in any other book I ever read. Maybe one day Steven Spielberg or other would like to take a deep read at it and finally give the Hollywood treatment it needs to be made universal. Pity he can't read French and there is no English translation available.

Romain Gary's Les Racines du Ciel is the best novel written in the 20th century. In part, it is the story of a man who attempts to disappear in Africa only to make himself very famous as a renegade protector of elephants. The novel preceded any environmental movements by more than a decade. However, the import of the book lies not in the subject treated, but in Gary's unique treatment of humanity.

An author's ability to see humanity from an unusual point of view is nothing new. Gary's genius lies in his ability to make the reader see clearly through his eyes. His narration reveals truths in human actions that must be despaired, pitied, and celebrated all in the same sentence. His characters are not criminals, nor are they very likeable. In this book they include a dangerous idealist, a young German girl who follows him faithfully, a fanatical African nationalist who wants to use him, a disgraced American officer, an amoral gunrunner, a famous photo-journalist, and a French administrator who wishes to be reincarnated as a tree. The reader will lament their many failings and rejoice in their few victories not for anything they have done, but for who they are: human beings taken by surprise by the human condition. His characters reveal how human beings reform the world around them when history has become overwhelming. Sometimes it is world history, often it is a character's personal history.

Les Racines du Ciel is not intended to teach the reader how to live a better life by describing characters who live life badly. The book will remind you of basic traits of humanity. It asks what is goodness and decency and how are they better than evil and brutality? And if they are better, why do they so seldom win in the end? Reading a Romain Gary novel is smiling through the tears.

Unfortunately, the reverence held for the author in Europe is matched by the indifference of readers in the United States. Several of his books have been translated into English but are now out of print. I highly recommend any of Romain Gary's books; Les Racines du Ciel is simply the best of his work.

This is the best book I've ever read! It is the story of a man who devotes his life to save elephants from being exterminated in Africa. It speaks about mankind, what it is, what it could be... It is both pessimistic and optimistic, ... it is difficult to tell the story but everybody, and especially high school students should all read it. It is almost a poetic book.It's certainly one of the most humain books you'll ever come across. The author, Romain Gary, is very well known all over Europe and it saddens me that he's almost anonymous in the states.He deserves recognition and the Americans deserve to know this great writer. I don't know if it has been translated in english, if not what a loss for english speakers ;-)

Living In Rome is an informative and visual celebratory tour showcasing the beauty and charms of Rome as well as some of the most unique treasures its has to offer. Included are introductions to Rome's lush gardens, gleaming family palaces, colorful markets, architecture, art, artisans and artists. Living In Rome takes the reader on a tour of intimate museums and off-the-beaten-path restaurants not typically included in conventional guidebooks. The cultural background of the structural and visual qualities of this remarkable place is enhanced for the reader with valuable resource information on hotels, cafes, and other points of interest. Whether an arm-chair traveler or on-site visitor, Living In Rome will prove a most remarkable and rewarding reading experience.

This book really helped me at work. I needed to brush up on my spreadsheet knowledge and learn how to make org charts and schedules for my new job. Also, I got help on PowerPoint and general hints for making better graphics as communication tools. The samples are clear and the information is easy to understand, which is rare for books like these that often make no sense to me.

Racine's plays capture the Enlightenment's revival of interest in Greek Tragedy. Racine powerfully retells classical Greek mythology as inner-conflicts between passion and reason. This edition is particularly useful because it includes Racine's original prefatory remarks to each of his plays. Highly recommended for those who enjoy the human drama of Greek tragedy.

According to my class' notes, Barthes said that there is a law about Racine's tragedies: A loves B. B does not love A. B is under A's control. This is a simplistic approach that sort of works, but "Phaedra" is far more complex than a simple letter soup. Hippolytus is not totally under Phaedra's control, since he decides not to tell Theseus what has really happened between himself and his stepmother. This makes him noble, but less than brilliant. Phaedra is guilty of a passion she cannot help, and turns her guilt into criminal acts by accusing Hippolytus of either lecherous intent or outright rape, depending on how one reads her words. Theseus is a cad who projects his own behaviour onto everybody else, so he immediately believes the worst about his son. And Oenone is a snake, the personification of bad counsel who does not even begin to pay, with her own suicide, for the tragedy she has helped unleash. Racine has created a masterpiece of brevity and passion, following the example of his much admired Euripides. It is clear after reading "Phaedra," that his work goes far beyond the simple A-B-C of Barthes, and into deep psychological development of characters who make fateful choices based on their passions. This is a great play by a great playwright.

I'm unqualified to judge the translation since I don't speak any French, but the play is very accessible. Although I have read many of the classic Greek plays, I never read anything by Racine. It's helpful to pick up a book on Racine like the Twayne's Masterworks series to find out some background information. Like many French authors, he grew up in poverty and ascended to power and prestige later. Several of his plays were based on Greek stories and plays -- in this one, he even quotes out of the originals. The plot line is easy to follow and very interesting, plus Phaedre strikes me as one of the most developed female characters around. Compare her depth to Dido's in Virgil's Aeneid and you'll see what I mean. This play is excellent and now I'm inspired to read more of Racine's wonderful plays which still have a modernness of theme about them. There are some moving speeches -- I'd like to see it performed. This edition also as the prefaces which are supposed to be included but aren't always.

I did not find this book as compelling as one might perhaps because I do not come from the generation that the main character janelle is from. I think it is a well organised story, but that perhaps it could have been more detailed with more character development and descriptive scenes rather than the dialogue heavy book that it is. Definitely could be a longer novel. One of the obviously most important aspects of the story, the music of her generation, becomes a bit tiresome to read. It seems that in every other paragraph, she is putting on another album...it reads almost like a top ten favorite album list of the author rather than integral to the story or that particular scene. it definitely feels like it was a separate agenda that found its way into the storyline. Yet, overall it is a fine book to pick up if you are not concerned with committing to a heavy novel.

Curious? The title says it all. If you were born in the 50's, are, or have been, married and have kids, you probably are, whether you know it or not. This book spotlights the changes we've survived from the 60's to the new millenium and the challenge we face relating our experiences to our children. If you enjoyed those years or wish you had, you will enjoy this book.

The dialog made me feel like I was in the room with these people. The book was thought provoking while being easy to read but hard to put down. Try this one out.

I think a good source book is one which can be used by a storyteller regards of when/where your own story is set. While I could use of the information here for history or for lost artifacts, I was disappointed by the rather sketchy nature of the information in the book. It does give you good historical background and some more information on older clans. The mystically items have potential.

Words can't describe the usefulness of this book. It is truly one of the most magnificent sourcebooks White Wolf has published in that its form is simple, but gives a vast amount of information.

The primary resources in this book are its design-a-fief chapter, its notes on the Tremere's Gargoyles, and its relics. Though it is, essentially, a rule book supplement, it gives insight into several "historical" stories, including the diablerie of Brujah by Troile.

Do you need this book to play a game of Vampire: the Dark Ages? No. Do you need it to run a serious chronicle? I say yes. An "authentic" city gives your game the flair it was meant to have.

This book is a required tool for any Dark Ages Story Teller.

I don't know about the other two , but I found the play Brittanicus excellent. It is rather formal writing, but beautiful nonetheless. The story is tragic, as it was meant to be. I truly enjoyed this play, and would recommend it to other serious readers of French and plays.

This year I am using Jean Racine's "Phaedra" as the one non-classical text in my Classical Greek and Roman Mythology Class (yes, I know, "Classical" makes "Greek and Roman" redundant, but it was not my title). In Greek mythology, Phaedra was the half-sister of the Minotaur who was married to Theseus after the hero abandoned her sister Ariadne (albeit, according to some versions of what happened in Crete). Phaedra fell in love with her step-son Hippolytus, who refused her advances. Humiliated, she falsely accused him of having raped her.

My students read "Phaedra" after Euripides's "Hippolytus" as part of an analogy criticism assignment, in which they compare/contrast the two versions, which are decidedly different, to say the least. In the "original" Greek version Hippolytus is a follower of Artemis, and the jealous Aphrodite causes his stepmother to fall in love with him. Phaedra accuses Hippolytus of rape and then hangs herself; Theseus banished his son who is killed before Artemis arrives to tell the truth. In Racine's version Hippolytus is a famous hater of women who falls in love with Aricia, a princess of the blood line of Athens. When false word comes that Theseus is dead, Phaedra moves to put her own son on the throne. In the end the same characters end up dead, but the motivations and other key elements are different.

While I personally would not go so far as to try and argue how Racine's neo-classical version represents the France of 1677, I have found that comparing and contrasting the two versions compels students to think about the choices each dramatist has made. Both the similarities and the differences between "Hippolytus" and "Phaedra" are significant enough to facilitate this effort. Note: Other dramatic versions of this myth include Seneca's play "Phaedra," "Fedra" by Gabriele D'Annunzio, "Thesee" by Andrea Gide, and "The Cretan Woman" by Robinson Jeffers.

My 3-year old son and daughter enjoy this book thoroughly as the pictures are delightful and the plot is simple and engaging. It ends rather unpredictably which makes it as much fun to read to them as it is for them to hear it. It also is sophisticated enough to keep an older child's interest.