The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

Book Description

A grand treasure for fans of the grande dame of mystery, this collection brings together nine rare and brilliant Christie tales of murder and detection that span nearly half a century of storytelling genius.

Customer Reviews:

OK--best for deep Agatha fans.......2007-02-21

Not her best work; but her not best work is better than most best works....

Nice Reads, But Not What I Was Looking For.......2005-08-04

If good ol' Agatha Christie murder mysteries are what you after, this isn't the collection for you. Without a doubt, each of them are intriguing, and thrilling at times, but they were lacking in what I've come to expect from the "Queen of Crime." Harlequin Tea Set is an anthology of rare Christie short stories, perfect for an avid collector. Not so good for me, I think.

Not to say that I truly disliked any of the stories. But when you're a die-hard murder mystery addict like I am, stories of love, betrayal,and the like aren't what you want coming from Christie. My favorite was the only true murder mystery, with none other than Hercule Poirot: The Mystery of the Spanish Chest.

Enough of my ranting. By no means am I trying to dissuade whichever poor soul may read my review--I only want to prepare you for what lies behind the colorful cover of Harlequin Tea Set (and Other Stories).

Not Choice Christie.......2003-04-21

If you are the type of Agatha Christie fan who collects everything she ever wrote, "The Harlequin Tea Set" will be a cause for celebration. Six of the nine stories originally appeared in magazines and have never been collected before. I would say Dame Agatha made a wise decision to let these little critters languish between magazine covers.

Most of the stories were written very early in her career and have a girlishly romantic flavor with almost no mystery. The one Hercule Poirot tale "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" is a fair puzzle, but she enlarged on the theme more successfully in the full-length "Baghdad Chest." The will-o'-the wisp, Mr. Harley Quin, one of my least favorite Christie characters, appears in the title piece with a very elderly Mr. Satterhwaite.

To savor Dame Agatha's really fine abilities as a short story writer, may I suggest the excellent "The Thirteen Problems." Give this one a pass.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

enjoyable.......2003-03-05

The Poirot piece here is an extended version of a similar story appearing previously in the Regatta Mystery. In this installment, Hercule laments that he wishes his old pal Hastings were around to give his romantic views on the murder case, when in the story's first incarnation, Hastings is narrating the tale! Very funny.
The best piece is the Lonely God, about a non descript museum idol that brings two lost souls together. Quite moving and touching... Also, as well, in the final story, it's nice to see Harley Quinn again. He appears almost like an apparition here, and very well could be just a figment of the main character's imagination.

9 stories, 8 of which are rare.......2002-11-30

Most of the stories herein have not appeared in previous collections after their original magazine publications; apart from the "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" and the title story, none feature any of Christie's stable of recurring characters.

Jack Leavitt makes the mistake of trying to blackmail "The Actress" (1923, Novel). 'Olga Stormer' - formerly Nancy Taylor - is *very* quick-witted, and came up through a tough school. She remembers Leavitt - and intends to turn the tables on the lever of his cowardice.

"While the Light Lasts" (1923, Novel) (The use of language at the beginning of the story is unintentionally funny - the phrase 'boy lover', for instance.) George Crozier has never properly understood that Deirdre broke their engagement to marry Tim Nugent for love, but married *him* for the material comforts he offered her, after Tim died in WWI. During their visit to one of George's business interests in Rhodesia, Deirdre notes a text on her dowdy hostess' wall that, of course, doesn't apply to her: 'What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?'

Alan Everard's little daughter asks him a riddle: '"Within a Wall" (1925, Royal) as white as milk, within a curtain soft as silk, bathed in a sea of crystal clear, a golden apple doth appear.' He absently answers 'your mother' - Isobel, the penniless society beauty who married him, a genius painter, rather than a wealthy man. But she has a taste for the good life, and a certain cold calculation...(The 'correct' answer is 'an egg', incidentally.)

"The Lonely God" (1926, Royal) really *is* a god - a small, forgotten idol, head in his hands, on a shelf in the British museum, without even a plaque bespeaking his name or country of origin. Then the unlikeliest chance befalls him: Frank Oliver, lonely after spending his life in the farthest reaches of the Empire, notices him, and feels a kinship to another stranger in a strange land.

"The House of Dreams" (1926, Sovereign) Fantasy more than mystery. John Segrave comes of a socially prominent family fallen on hard times - he makes an adequate living as a clerk, but isn't a likely candidate for promotion. There's more to him than meets the eye, but he isn't interested in forming relationships. Then the boss' daughter takes a fancy to him - but John falls for her 'court jester' Allegra rather than for her. But something's wrong behind Allegra's lovely facade, just as there's something ominous about the lovely white house haunting John's dreams.

"The Edge" (1927, Pearson's) Claire Hailiwell always expected her childhood friendship with Gerald Lee to end in marriage - but Gerald married Vivien Harper after a whirlwind courtship, and was thick enough to expect them to be friends afterward. The relationships don't quite play out as the reader might expect. :)

"Manx Gold" (1930, The Daily Dispatch) This was written to support a _Masquerade_-style treasure hunt on the Isle of Man, which in turn was part of a scheme to boost tourism. The story itself is a missing legacy story - i.e., uncle hid the majority of his assets and our heroes must unravel the puzzle he set them in his will. The narrator and his first cousin Fenella have an intermittent engagement (depending on their finances), and uncle Myles pepped up matters by 1) *also* notifying 2 other relatives, both unscrupulous, but 2) giving the lovebirds 24 hours' start. The 4 'treasures' in the real life contest were hidden where the treasures in the story were found, so the story is at first rather obscure about exactly where our heroes located the snuffbox treasure chests.

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" (a.k.a. "The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest") is a Poirot story that appears in other collections, such as _The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories_.

Product Description

Book's other stories include, THE EDGE, THE ACTRESS, WHILE THE LIGHT LASTS, THE HOUSE OF DREAMS, THE LONELY GOD, MANX GOLD, WITHIN A WALL & THE MYSTERY OF THE SPANISH CHEST

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The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VHK1TM

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Cairo by Night (Vampire: the Masquerade)

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Best City Book Ever

Cairo by Night (Vampire: the Masquerade)
C. A. Suleiman
Manufacturer: White Wolf Games Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Vampire | Gaming | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion

ASIN: 1588462153

Customer Reviews:

Best City Book Ever.......2004-01-05

This is perhaps the greatest setting book White Wolf has made for Vampire: the Masquerade. Suleiman managed to do a wonderful job weaving together major themes, landmarks and Arabic words (as well as cultural sources like the books of Naguib Mahfouz and al-Jeel and Shaabi music) to give an outsider an understanding of what Cairo is like. The history section is also well done, exploring every aspect of Egypt's history from pre-dynastic times to the Romans to the Arab invastion and the Crusades to the Mamelukes to the British and ultimately Egypt's independance. All of this is very well researched but also does a wonderful job placing vampiric politics in the shadows behind mortal history. The conflicts of the Setites, Children of Osiris, Assamites, Ashirra and European Clans are all secretive and far-reaching but don't directly affect mortal history. Anyway, whats really nice is that the information is detailed enough that with but a couple changes you can run the material in this book in any time period.

The book then goes on to detail the vampiric divisions of Cairo, elysiums, historical landmarks and so forth. Lots of maps and so forth. It then examines the different clans in Cairo, based on where they hold power, as well as various vampiric factions such as the Ashirra, the Hajj (Islamic Nosferatu), Sabbat, Inconnu and Disciples of Anubis (bunch of Gangrel practicing Egyptian magics). Mortal organizations like the Arcanum, the Cult of Isis, the Ikwhan al-Safa (Muslim witch hunters), Setite cults and the Akritai (Orthodox Chirstian version of the Society of Leopold). It also features a new Thaumaturgy path developed by the Setites, and a couple Akhu rituals. Most of the characters are pretty interesting, though a couple (like ibn Khaldun and Kahina) are based off real life historical personalities. Not sure why White Wolf would go back to doing that.

The last chapter gives an overview of major themes in Cairo that STs can use. Things like basic beliefs of Islam, the Ashirra sect (Muslim vampires described in more detail in Veil of Night and other books), Mosques and Churches with True Faith, the Setite Courts of Egypt and some metaplot stuff. Lots of Mummy crossover potential, with the old feud between Sutekh and Osiris, plus some other cool secret stuff. Really a great and useful book for running any games in the Middle East.

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Enjoyable and relevant
Night of the Dog, The: A Mamur Zapt Mystery
Michael Pearce
Manufacturer: Poisoned Pen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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The Mamur Zapt & The Return of the Carpet

Donkey-Vous, The: A Mamur Zapt Mystery

Mamur Zapt & the Men Behind

The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile

Spoils of Egypt, The: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Mamur Zapt Mysteries)

ASIN: 1590580257

Book Description

The Mamur Zapt, Head of Cairo's Secret Police under British Rule, did not concern himself with routine police matters. His are the intrigues, the shadowy and sinister events aimed at creating political instability--such as the discovery of the body of a dog in a Coptic tomb. This supreme Moslem insult could touch off an explosion among the Christian community. Equally volatile is the visit from an English MP intent upon inspecting the Cromer administration's accounts. It is not a welcome time for a command that Captain Owen, the Mamur Zapt, show the MP's niece the sights. Worse, the sights include a dancing dervish stabbed before the lady's very eyes, which was not what her uncle had in mind. Is this all part of a pattern that could lead to blood on the streets and set Cairo's ethnic communities at each other's throats?

Michael Pearce, who made his much-praised debut in The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet (Poisoned Pen Press 2001), continues to chart Owen's fortunes with his trademark sly humor and relish for the oddities of Egyptian life.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable and relevant.......2006-09-04

Captain Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapth; head of Cairo's political CID. When a dead dog is placed at the Coptic tomb and a Moslem Zikr dancer is murdered, it is up to Own to find out who is behind the escalating unrest. At the same time, he much find the money to support his investigation, resolve the marital problems of his office bearer, and entertain the niece of a visiting British MP while keeping happy his beautiful Egyptian girlfriend.

Pearce does a wonderful job of conveying the delicacy needed to maintain peace between religious and political factions. This look at the past is very relevant to the present. But he balances that nicely with the humor of Owan's involvement in a marital situation. Pearce creates a wonderful sense of place and period. This is a fairly quick read, but a fascinating one. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Cairo By Night & Day 1979
Ministry of Tourism
Manufacturer: Nada Agency for Advertising
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TK2CXO

One Night in Cairo: An Egyptian Micronovel with Footnotes / Laylah fi al-Qahirah:Microwayyah Mudhayyalah (Arabic Literature and Scholarship: Unnumbered Series)

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One Night in Cairo: An Egyptian Micronovel with Footnotes / Laylah fi al-Qahirah:Microwayyah Mudhayyalah (Arabic Literature and Scholarship: Unnumbered Series)
Saad Elkhadem
Manufacturer: York Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1896761194

Oriental Cairo: The City of the Arabian Nights

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Oriental Cairo: The City of the Arabian Nights
Douglas Brooke Whealton Sladen
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP63W6

Saad Elkhadem One Night in Cairo. (book review): An article from: International Fiction Review

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Saad Elkhadem One Night in Cairo. (book review): An article from: International Fiction Review
A.F. Cassis
Manufacturer: International Fiction Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Fiction Review, published by International Fiction Association on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 889 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Saad Elkhadem One Night in Cairo. (book review)
Author: A.F. Cassis
Publication: International Fiction Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: International Fiction Association
Page: 97(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

An anniversary discourse occasioned by the death of four children of Daniel Sayre, esq: Who were consumed by fire on the night of the 28th of January, 1808 : preached at Cairo, January 18th, 1809

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An anniversary discourse occasioned by the death of four children of Daniel Sayre, esq: Who were consumed by fire on the night of the 28th of January, 1808 : preached at Cairo, January 18th, 1809
David Porter
Manufacturer: Printed by N. Elliott
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Mârouf: The cobbler of Cairo : comedy-opera in five acts from the Arabian nights, after the translation by J.C. Mardrus (G. Schirmer's collection of opera librettos)

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MaÌ‚rouf: The cobbler of Cairo : comedy-opera in five acts from the Arabian nights, after the translation by J.C. Mardrus (G. Schirmer's collection of opera librettos)
Henri Rabaud
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Oriental Cairo,: The city of the "Arabian nights",
Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen
Manufacturer: Hurst & Blackett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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