Book Description
Forty years in the making, a new cultural canon that celebrates truth over hypocrisy, literature over totalitarianism.
Echoing Edward Said's belief that "Western humanism is not enough, we need a universal humanism," the renowned critic Clive James presents here his life's work. Containing over one hundred original essays, organized by quotations from A to Z, Cultural Amnesia illuminates, rescues, or occasionally destroys the careers of many of the greatest thinkers, humanists, musicians, artists, and philosophers of the twentieth century. In discussing, among others, Louis Armstrong, Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, James writes, "If the humanism that makes civilization civilized is to be preserved into the new century, it will need advocates. These advocates will need a memory, and part of that memory will need to be of an age in which they were not yet alive." Soaring to Montaigne-like heights, Cultural Amnesia is precisely the book to burnish these memories of a Western civilization that James fears is nearly lost. 110 photographs.
Customer Reviews:
A difficult read,but worth the time.......2007-10-01
Although this book has an intersting premise,it is a difficult book to read.It is written in essay form,and the author's style is not flowing or easy to read.However the content is interesting and does make you think about how we got where we are to-day:by losing sight of,and forgetting the past and important peope in it.
You can read this book a chapter at a time, and leave it for a while since each chapter is an essay on one person.it is not a novel,but a collection of essay/biographies, and includes some very intersting people
Absolutely Must Reading.......2007-09-15
In fairness, I had never heard of Clive James until he appeared on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. I was just blown away and ordered this book the next day. If you want to understand Western culture ... I mean truly understand the culture in which you live, you should read this book. What you learn here is that a whole lot of people you never heard of and a few you have made monumental contributions that you didn't know about. This is the kind of book every person should have in their library as a reference. You can read it at leisure and you should. You should savor it.
Read it at your own perill.......2007-09-11
If you never studied French, German, Italian or Spanish, you will be sorry you didn't. You will be made aware of all you are missing because you can not read the all those untranslated or untranslatable important writers that are fundamental to our civilization. If you know them you will see that for English speakers is very difficult not to be confused by Spanish and Italian. I have found misspelled Spanish words because the Italian spelling was used in the wrong place. Clive James is almost pushing me to start again with German, French and Italian.
convoluted writing.......2007-09-04
just found what I've read so far very digressive and convoluted. He is a much better speaker than writer. haven't given it a full read, but am daunted by the many digressions from the points I'm interested in. don't care about 10 other people whom I may or may not know who really don't have relevance to the person I'm reading about.
Unsurpassed both for content and style.......2007-09-01
This is an amazing book. Clive James was only a dim sound in my limited background before the book was presented to me as a present. When I finished this book, I made the unusual promise to myself to read it again, an unusual decision since I am not thoroughly committed to modern writing and have found nothing that quite measures up to it, either traditional or modern. The essays, it is made clear, were not written at the same time, but were the accumulation of some years of reading and study. The casual reader will be introduced to a number of people hitherto unknown or barely known, mixed in with giants like Tacitus, Keats, Proust, Kafka, the three Manns,and Camus. I cannot ignore James's prose style, which astonishes minute by minute. A must-read for anybody interested in history and the arts.
Book Description
Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflectioncollections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. The Intellectual Devotional is a secular version of the samea collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. Impress your friends by explaining Platos Cave Allegory, pepper your cocktail party conversation with opera terms, and unlock the mystery of how batteries work. Daily readings range from important passages in literature to basic principles of physics, from pivotal events in history to images of famous paintings with accompanying analysis. The books goal is to refresh knowledge weve forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us. Offering an escape from the daily grind to contemplate higher things, The Intellectual Devotional is a great way to awaken in the morning or to revitalize ones mind before retiring in the evening.
Customer Reviews:
Great idea and information but have a magnifying glass handy.......2007-10-15
This is quite an interesting book that contains snippets of information about various subjects/people/history. This is designed to be used as [the name indicates]a daily devotional and includes the day and number, if you decide to read it chronologically. -"Each entry is drawn from a different field of knowledge: History, Literature, Visual Arts, Science, Music, Philosophy and religion. Read one passage a day and you will explore each subject once a week."-from the introduction.
Each 'passage' (subject) is one page long. Each subject is introduced by a brief paragraph stating why the particular person/subject is well known. What follows this is the meat of the whole subject, and while the information is excellent, the font is pretty small and therefore slightly hard to read. The main text and information appears like it's a footnote instead of main text. I feel sure that this was done to save on space, so that each devotional maintains a one page limit.
This will definately revive your mind and possibly leave you curious and wanting to explore certain subjects even more in depth. I wouldn't count on it completing your education as the sub-title boasts. I found myself skipping around to different subjects and the information was so interesting I couldn't help but read it out loud to my daughter. -"Hey! and listen to this!....." She found it interesting as well.
The Intellectual Devotional.......2007-10-07
Indispensable refresher survey of classical education in daily small bites! Good discipline for the lazy and/or elderly mind!
Excellent Work.......2007-10-04
I ordered between 10 and 15 copies of this work and have given several out to people close to me in life and others will get them for Christmas. It is in short enough parts to not loose the attention of the reader and provides all the "lessons" that we forgot since early education. I recommend the book for all teenagers and adults.
Awesome Idea!.......2007-10-04
I love this book! It takes the old principle of a bedside religious devotional and makes constructive use of it for the purpose of self betterment. The thing is, heck, I love reading these sort of topics to begin with and had fun going through these eclectic pieces on wide ranging subjects. As it covers people, places, events, concepts, forumlae, the sciences and even some popular culture, and takes it all on in segments that fit into the idea of a few spare moments reading, the mind can't help but retain at least some of what is there to see. I hope this is just part one in what will be a long series of these devotionals.
Great for Families to Frame Discussion and Learning.......2007-10-03
The Intellectual Devotional shares daily tidbits that will enhance your cultural literacy and introduce you to new things in a nugget-facts approach. Each day of the week has a different theme such as History on Mondays, Literature on Tuesdays, Visual Arts on Wednesdays, Science on Thursdays, Music on Fridays, Philosophy on Saturdays and Religion on Sundays.
When I saw this title I thought, "What a great conversation starter over breakfast with the family!" Seriously, breakfast is usually a no-conversation time or sitting in front of the TV watching morning news.
Why not be intentional and discuss Virginia Woolf or the Taj Mahal or Prime Numbers or Wagner's Ring Cycle?
I love that the topics are brief yet meaty and invite the reader into thinking about different sorts of topics rather than sticking with the usual stuff about the usual stuff.
This would make an excellent family gift or a great place for friends to continue their life long learning together.
Book Description
The definitive biography of one of America's greatest writers, from the author of the acclaimed masterpiece Virginia Woolf.
Delving into heretofore untapped sources, Hermione Lee does away with the image of the snobbish bluestocking and gives us a new Edith Wharton--tough, startlingly modern, as brilliant and complex as her fiction.
Born in 1862, Wharton escaped the suffocating fate of the well-born female, traveled adventurously in Europe and eventually settled in France. After tentative beginnings, she developed a forceful literary professionalism and thrived in a luminous society that included Bernard Berenson, Aldous Huxley and most famously Henry James, who here emerges more as peer than as master. Wharton's life was fed by nonliterary enthusiasms as well: her fabled houses and gardens, her heroic relief efforts during the Great War, the culture of the Old World, which she never tired of absorbing. Yet intimacy eluded her: unhappily married and childless, her one brush with passion came and went in midlife, an affair vividly, intimately recounted here.
With profound empathy and insight, Lee brilliantly interweaves Wharton's life with the evolution of her writing, the full scope of which shows her far to be more daring than her stereotype as lapidarian chronicler of the Gilded Age. In its revelation of both the woman and the writer, Edith Wharton is a landmark biography.
Hermione Lee's Reading Guide to Edith Wharton
Hermione Lee, about whose Virginia Woolf the Amazon.com reviewer wrote, "Biographies don't get much better than this," has turned for her next major subject to Edith Wharton. Wharton's classics, including The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence, and Ethan Frome, are known to many readers, but Lee has prepared exclusively for us a Reading Guide to Edith Wharton that goes beyond those familiar titles to unearth lesser-known gems among her remarkable stories and novels, from the story "After Holbein," "a masterpiece of ghoulish, chilling satire," to The Custom of the Country, her "most ruthless, powerful, and savage novel."
Book Description
The definitive biography of one of America’s greatest writers, from the author of the acclaimed masterpiece Virginia Woolf.
Delving into heretofore untapped sources, Hermione Lee does away with the image of the snobbish bluestocking and gives us a new Edith Wharton—tough, startlingly modern, as brilliant and complex as her fiction.
Born in 1862, Wharton escaped the suffocating fate of the well-born female, traveled adventurously in Europe and eventually settled in France. After tentative beginnings, she developed a forceful literary professionalism and thrived in a luminous society that included Bernard Berenson, Aldous Huxley and most famously Henry James, who here emerges more as peer than as master. Wharton’s life was fed by nonliterary enthusiasms as well: her fabled houses and gardens, her heroic relief efforts during the Great War, the culture of the Old World, which she never tired of absorbing. Yet intimacy eluded her: unhappily married and childless, her one brush with passion came and went in midlife, an affair vividly, intimately recounted here.
With profound empathy and insight, Lee brilliantly interweaves Wharton’s life with the evolution of her writing, the full scope of which shows her far to be more daring than her stereotype as lapidarian chronicler of the Gilded Age. In its revelation of both the woman and the writer, Edith Wharton is a landmark biography.
Customer Reviews:
Edith Wharton.......2007-08-07
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in E.W.'s fiction. I have read the previous reviews, which together give a very good idea of the scope of the book. In short, reading this will help the student of literature become better acquainted with the context of Wharton's work. Hermione Lee does a masterful job of weaving her analysis of Wharton's fiction into the biographical montage. I say montage because this book is not a chronological synopsis of E.W.'s life; rather, one has to wade through the chapters and sometimes backtrack to figure out where in time, exactly, Lee is pulling the reader. I relied on other sources to help with chronology in this case.
Edith Wharton: The great American novelist's life is presented in exquisite detail by biographer Hermione Lee.......2007-07-05
Edith Newbold "Pussy" Jones was born into a wealthy and socially prominent New York family in 1862. Her father was cold and distant. He was involved in real estate transactions. Her mother Lucretia was not a good mentor for her precocious bookworm daughter. Edith had two older brothers. Her childhood was lonesome punctuated by long trips to the cities of Europe (her father died in Cannes). Edith received no formal schooling but fed her retentive mind by study in her father's library. Wharton was a passionate reader and author from a very early age. She received no encouragement from her parents being married off to the much older Edward "Teddy" Wharton in 1885. Teddy was bipolar loving horses, drinkiing and playing cards with his buddies. Their marriage was a disaster ending in divorce after 25 years of life together. The couple were childless.
Edith had a passionate affair at 45 with Morton Fullerton a newspaperman in Paris who had countless affairs. The couple never married but remained friendly until Edith's death in 1937.
Edith was a Francophile who did a good deal of relief work during the first world war winning several honors from the French government. In politics she was conservative. Wharton was antisemitic, snobbish and looked down upon persons of color. She was a control freak who demanded excellence in her writing and life. Edith traveled widely for over 50 years staying in the best hotels; eating in great restaurants and exploring art museums, libraries and concerts. What a life of privilege!!!
Wharton never married following the divorce from Teddy. Mrs. Wharton did have several lifelong male friends most notably Walter Barry the President of the Paris version of the US Chamber of Commerce. She was also friendly with novelist Aldous Huxley, art historian Bernard Bernson and several lady friends. The great novelist Henry James was her most famous literary pal. She is often compared to James in her writing style. Hermione Lee says as far as we know all of these friendships were platonic. Wharton's friendships were with the wealthy and artistic elite. The novelist was a consummate snob who was, nevertheless, viewed as being kind and loyal by her friends.
Edith Wharton wrote many novels among the most famous being "The Custom of the Country"; "Ethan Frome"; "The Age of Innocence"; "Glimpses of the Moon" and "Summer". Wharton was a prolific short story author selling her tales to magazines. Her focus was on the wealthy. She dealt with marriage. incest, New York society and the the sexual mores of the well to do. She was disdained by the younger authors of the 1920s for being old fashioned. She wrote in an elegant style noted for its daring subject matter.
Hermione Lee is the author of Virginia Woolf as well as this biography on Wharton. The book is 800 pages long dealing in incredible detail with such topics as:
a. Wharton's love life and divorce from Teddy.
b. Wharton's many gardens and her books on gardening.
c. Close descriptions of all the fabulous homes Edith owned which are shown in several pictures included in the book.
d A description of the most important travels Wharton made in her life.
e. Short but well informed synopses and critical comments on her novels and short stories. We also get a glimpse of her poetry.
f. Discussions of the lives of her closest friends.
g. A loving review of Edith Wharton's World War I volunteer service to France.
After finishing this book I admire Wharton for her dedication to the craft of novel authorship. Wharton was a woman of high standards and loyalty to her friends. She could be frosty but was kind. Her love for animals, friends in need and loving care for aging servants is commendable. Her snobbish disdain for those of different races or religions is not appreciated (She converted to Roman Catholicism in her last few years.). Wharton was a born storyteller who can still hold the interest of the modern reader.
Hermione Lee is an excellent biographer who knows literature. Her biography of Edith Wharton is a wonderful book for those willing to devote the hours needed to read the lengthy text.
The Angel of Devastation.......2007-05-26
I just finished Hermione Lee's biography, which took me roughly a month to finish (I usually don't spend more than a few days on a book.), and its girth occasionally hurt my back. (That's a joke...) I have not read other biographies Lee has written (though I do own "Virginia Woolf", and was impressed with Lee's insight of Woolf on the DVD of "The Hours"), so I can't compare, but I gather the Virginia Woolf biography is very good. I have read other biographies of Edith Wharton; R.W.B. Lewis', and Cynthia Griffin Woolf's excellent "A Feast of Words", and Lee's is an exhaustive reiteration of much that has come before, with some subtle additions and revisions of thought. I have a new vision of Wharton during her "Neurasthenic" period, which struck her early in marriage. She gardened, wrote and traveled extensively, whereas I had the impression she was bed-ridden and slightly invalid. The life force of Edith Wharton appears to have been astonishing and exhausting. Very few of us would pass her formidable "muster", and I understand completely why Henry James labeled her "The Angel of Devastation" (Disappointing discovery that James was virulently anti-suffrage).
The book is at times, dispassionately academic. It has moments, and at its best one has the sense that Lee is weaving, or knitting, a complete picture of who Edith Wharton might actually have been. Yes, there are some things we will never know, but I get the idea. Some chapters moved along briskly, other didn't (for me). The chapter called "Italian Backgrounds" is loaded with minute detail about those kinds of gardens and Wharton's interest in them (as you would guess from the title). I'm not a gardener, however, and found myself losing interest - there is A LOT of description of Italian Gardens. Illustrations would have helped (me). I did enjoy HL's analysis of EW's Italian novel "The Valley of Decision" (the book is completely worth it for the analysis of the Wharton's writings. I wish Penguin, or N.Y.R.B, or Vintage would publish an affordable and attractive edition of "The Valley of Decision") As another reviewer observed, the book does get bogged down with detail from time to time. While I certainly couldn't write such a book (I disagree with the assertion that it was not well researched, on the contrary, the research seems dizzying and at the very least thorough: nothing is perfect.), I'm impressed that Hermione Lee did.
Wharton comes across as delightfully bitchy with the upper classes. The Breakers is described as a "Thermopylae of Bad Taste". Mrs. Wharton, on a tour of a wealthy acquaintances' home, was informed that this was the woman's "Louis Quinze Room", to which Mrs. Wharton replied, looking about through her lorgnette, "Why, my dear?" (Her knowledge of architecture and historical interiors was encyclopedic, and would currently entitle her to a Masters Degree. She would have several, in fact... and a Doctorate or two.) In a letter she stated that an unnamed party "...decided to have books in their library." Her story "The Line of Least Resistance" borrowed too closely from an angered Emily Sloane's personal life, and Ogden Codman may have summed up Edith best saying, " Poor Pussy is of course very unpopular... she goes out of her way to be rude to people."
Most familiar with EW know how involved she was with the building and all details of each new Wharton residence, and there were many. One of the virtues of Lee's book is that we get a complete view of events; the timelines, the day-to-day occurrences in the process (es), also the transgressions (notably with Ogden Codman and the building of the Mount.) It is clear that Edith (or "Puss") wore the pants in the family. Teddy comes across as an affable, but slightly bumbling, "Club" man of the "Old Chap" sportsman type. He was not intellectually inclined, and hopelessly mismatched with the polar opposite Edith Jones.
The latter half of the book is dedicated to Wharton's life in France; her affair with Morton Fullerton, homes in the Rue De Varenne (and social place in The Faubourg.), and of course her valiant, tireless war work, all covered in great detail. Interesting that Proust may have been a translator of "The House of Mirth", and though she and Proust were many times over connected socially, they never met. The pairing is a no-brainer, and bearing in mind Wharton's conscious or unconscious predilection for homosexual companions (Henry James, Andre Gide to name a few - even her passionate mid-life love affair was with the prodigiously bi-sexual Fullerton), it's possible that Proust and Wharton would have been great friends, though Lee points out that Proust was primarily interested in Countesses. When read together "The House of Mirth", "The Custom of the Country" (read it if you haven't - it's one of EW's most satisfying, ruthless, and well-written novels.), and "The Age of Innocence" (more sublime with every reading), could be compared to Wharton's miniature version of Proust. Have your French dictionary ready though, as there is much quotation of letters written in French with minimal translation - another category (like architecture, and gardening) in which Lee assumes her reader has a working knowledge.
I had hoped there might be more information about Wharton's frosty mother Lucretia, and Edith's relationship with her. Lee points out that little written material relating to her parents has survived. However, Lee suggests that Wharton's own haughty nature may have been an inherited trait of Mama, and that "Lu" is front and center in many, many instances of Wharton's writing. Wharton was candid in her version of her mother. I wonder if it ever occured to her that she may have been more similar to Lucretia than different. (Perhaps Lily's mother in "The House of Mirth", who expresses distaste at people who "live like pigs" is a sketch of Lucretia Jones) It's been commonly thought that Lucretia had Edith's young poetry published in a volume titled "Verses" in Newport, but it was more likely her more intellectually sympathetic fathers's doing. Which makes more sense, as one pictures the exasperation Mother must have felt with the bafflingly intelligent Edith - forcing Mama to entertain her friends while the child is seized with the urge to "Make-Up" (write stories)
All in all, "Edith Wharton" is an exhaustively researched biography of considerable merit. There were sections that moved ahead with full steam, and some that sort of drag (for me) and need to be plowed through in order to finish, but I certainly don't resent the information. For the most part it has beautifully "woven" quality about it. It does seem that it would benefit with more editing; the amount of smaller (I hesitate to say lesser) detail is mind numbing. Her great friendship with Henry James is beautifully documented. Included is the account of the elaborate hoax she and James New York publisher orchestrated in order to give James a generous advance on a future book (meant to bolster his flagging self-esteem), which was really just a very generous monetary gift from Edith. The analysis of stories and novels is excellent, and well worth the price of admission. I read in an interview of Hermione Lee that she felt she would not be thought "smart enough" if she were actually able to meet Edith Wharton. Perhaps the length and breadth stems from that thought, that she is writing to prove herself worthy of her subject. I think Ms. Lee may rest easy with her next subject: she is a perfectly capable biographer.
Also recommended: Cynthia Griffin Wolff's "A Feast of Words", a tightly written compellingly analyzed study of Mrs. Wharton
Neither well edited nor fact-checked.......2007-05-17
I plowed through the first fifty pages or so before putting this book aside in digust. Topics are introduced, dropped, revisited, then dropped again at random, adding to both the page count and the reader's confusion. Simple facts are wrong -- Lee states that The Breakers, the Vanderbilt home in Newport, cost $200 million to build, when in fact the estimates for the cost are closer to $7 million. ( If Lee can make a whopper like that, I start to question every other statement of fact.) Her aunt Elizabeth's Hudson River home is Wyndeclife, not Wyndeliffe. And as a long-time New Yorker familiar with all the geography of Manhattan, I also started to wonder if Lee ever actually walked the sites she talks about. West 14th Street isn't now, nor was it ever, considered Gramercy Park!
interesting but drowning in minutiae.......2007-05-13
I have read a small smattering of Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome. I HAVE read Hermione Lee's biographies of Willa Cather and Virginia Woolf. Her previous biographies were so enlightening that I immediately read all of Cather's works (some I reread) and Woolf's works (I had only read two of her works). This biography however, does not make me want to run out and read more Wharton because I got so drowned in her critiques of her writing that I found all these details overwhelming. Lee also includes details of daily living that become burdensome at times for the reader. Wharton was a prolific writer and her own life certainly would have made an interesting novel. When Lee sticks to the details of Wharton's life without delving into every written Wharton word and how each work is autobiographical, or compares to some event of her life, or doesn't compare, the reader will find Lee writes so well that you can't wait to find out what happens next. Unless I have gone brain dead, I don't recall this much discussion from Lee in her previous works on Woolf and Cather. The parallels she drew in those previous works to the authors' lives is what prompted me to read everything they wrote! I felt I understood Cather and Woolf after reading Lee's biographies, but I still don't understand Wharton. Maybe I understand her better than I did, but she still remains a mystery to me overall.
Lee does speculate on some matters, and maybe my problem is more with the subject of Wharton than what Lee wrote. Edith Wharton buried and hid so much of her life that it may never be known what made her tick.
I just wish I didn't have to spend so much time reading this book to find that out, as it's very lengthy, and "drowning" in details.
Book Description
This is the landmark book that changed the way exceptional families think about their heritage, their wealth, and their legacy to future generations - now revised and expanded. "A masterpiece. No one is more astute than Jay Hughes about the topics of family wealth and family life." - Charles W. Collier, Senior Philanthropic Adviser, Harvard Univesity.
Customer Reviews:
Great Treatment of Family Wealth Topics.......2007-09-28
I really enjoyed this book. It's a great treatment of key issues facing families transitioning significant wealth across generations.
This is not a tedious discussion of dry, technical strategies requiring an LLM in taxation to understand. Rather, it is an analysis of ways to maximize the long-term positive impacts of wealth on a family while minimizing the negative ones.
While this book would be a helpful read for anyone concerned about leaving heirs more than just money, I think families with estates over $5MM would find some of the advice most directly applicable to the challenges they face.
Family Wealth - Keeping it in the Family.......2007-02-16
As an advisor, preparing for my first Family Meeting, I found this more helpful than most other books on Family Governance. I really liked the way in which it talks about not just financial capital, and social capital, but human & intellectual capital as well. It resonated well with me and with my Family Office clients. It gives more of a structure for developing the governance model than other books I've seen.
Immensely valuable for members of a family business.......2007-01-03
Chapter 1 applied most directly to my situation, and this chapter alone makes the book worth having on my shelf. Hughes' perspective, from both his own family and his experience advising other families, gives the book authority.
Often family wealth seems to be treated as a "dirty little secret" where money concerns trump people concerns. Hughes provides a framework where financial, human, and intellectual assets can all be considered. He shows that family wealth can be a path towards growth of individuals, families, and their wealth, through investments, philanthropy, and professional development.
Bravo!
Hands on, long term familiy peace.......2006-08-19
I profound and comprehensive book on long term principles and practices to preserve family wealth (human an financial).
A must reading for medium family businesses.
Addresses issues of significant importance in the wealth management process.......2006-08-18
As principal of a financial planning and wealth management firm, I highly recommend this book for families who have acquired wealth and want their children and future generations to be concerned about their human, intellectual and social development in addition to the growth of their financial resources.
Family Wealth does a good job of addressing issues of importance to wealthy families such as the need to create and establish mission statements, plan for family governance and how to create a mutually rewarding relationship with trustees and financial advisors.
As someone with practical experience in planning and/or supervising all aspects of a client's financial planning needs with the goal of protecting and enhancing retirement assets and estates, I especially like the emphasis by Hughes on the need for long-term thinking and how personal and intellectual development is just as important as financial decisions in the family organization.
This book has added a new dimension to our multi-disciplined practice. Along with our principal specialty, retirement income and retirement plan distribution strategies, we now help our clients think of ways to use their financial capital to nurture and enhance their human and intellectual capital.
Amazon.com
Before Joseph Campbell became the world's most famous practitioner of comparative mythology, there was Sir James George Frazer. The Golden Bough was originally published in two volumes in 1890, but Frazer became so enamored of his topic that over the next few decades he expanded the work sixfold, then in 1922 cut it all down to a single thick edition suitable for mass distribution. The thesis on the origins of magic and religion that it elaborates "will be long and laborious," Frazer warns readers, "but may possess something of the charm of a voyage of discovery, in which we shall visit many strange lands, with strange foreign peoples, and still stranger customs." Chief among those customs--at least as the book is remembered in the popular imagination--is the sacrificial killing of god-kings to ensure bountiful harvests, which Frazer traces through several cultures, including in his elaborations the myths of Adonis, Osiris, and Balder.
While highly influential in its day, The Golden Bough has come under harsh critical scrutiny in subsequent decades, with many of its descriptions of regional folklore and legends deemed less than reliable. Furthermore, much of its tone is rooted in a philosophy of social Darwinism--sheer cultural imperialism, really--that finds its most explicit form in Frazer's rhetorical question: "If in the most backward state of human society now known to us we find magic thus conspicuously present and religion conspicuously absent, may we not reasonably conjecture that the civilised races of the world have also at some period of their history passed through a similar intellectual phase?" (The truly civilized races, he goes on to say later, though not particularly loudly, are the ones whose minds evolve beyond religious belief to embrace the rational structures of scientific thought.) Frazer was much too genteel to state plainly that "primitive" races believe in magic because they are too stupid and backwards to know any better; instead he remarks that "a savage hardly conceives the distinction commonly drawn by more advanced peoples between the natural and the supernatural." And he certainly was not about to make explicit the logical extension of his theories--"that Christian legend, dogma, and ritual" (to quote Robert Graves's summation of Frazer in The White Goddess) "are the refinement of a great body of primitive and barbarous beliefs." Whatever modern readers have come to think of the book, however, its historical significance and the eloquence with which Frazer attempts to develop what one might call a unifying theory of anthropology cannot be denied. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
Most readers are familiar with the one volume version of The Golden Bough as an abridgement of the third edition, made by Frazer in 1922. The two-volume edition that was familiar to Hardy and Yeats remains a sketch. The full length third edition is Frazer's definitive statement in which the King of the Wood appears in a radically new guise. That is the edition reprinted here.
Download Description
The origins of magic, myth and religion are examined in this fascinating classic of anthropology.
Customer Reviews:
An influential work on four 20th century seminal works.......2007-09-23
This book is a seminal work because it had a crucial influence on four important works of the twentieth century: T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius.
Sir James George Frazer's book written in 1922 was a groundbreaking work on ancient religion, paganism, and roots of early Christianity. Frazer does an in-depth examination of the sacrificial killing of god-kings to ensure bountiful harvests, which Frazer traces through several cultures, including in his elaborations the myths of Adonis, Osiris, and Balder.
Frazer spent his life writing fifteen volumes of history of myth and religion. This book sums up his theory of magic and its connections to paganism, as well as fusing ideas from Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance and Gnostic texts that serve as a link to early Christianity's influence from ancient nature cults. His chapter titles say much about where his work goes and why it is so influential on iconic twentieth century works. The King of the Wood explains the original nature of the task imposed upon the hero, it undoubtedly influenced both Campbell's and Coppola's works. The Myths of Adonis, Attis, and Osiris looks to establish a chain of descent connecting early Aryan and Babylonian ritual with classic, Medieval and modern forms of nature worship. Our Debt to the Savage explains the role of the Medicine Man or doctor in fertility ritual. The Killing of the Devine King analyzes how this title is prevalent in so many of humankind's legends, and was a definite influence on Coppola's Colonel Kurtz character. Sacrifice of the King's Son regarded as an object of awe certainly influenced The Da Vinci Code.
Frazer's book is interesting and fun to read. I especially became interested in it from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. Weston's book is one of three on the nightstand. The other two are Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which the film is based on. The other book is Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla were trying to tell their audience need to read these three books!
As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.
Fascinating yet slow.......2007-03-30
Sit back and let Frazier lead you through a compendium of European myths and Classical cultures. It's fascinating for a while, but it's one of the few books I've tried repeatedly to finish.
Why is anyone buying this particular edition? The one listed as a "Board Book" with ISBN 0020955707 is IDENTICAL in text and covers, it just has a different publisher name. And it's significantly cheaper, if purchased used.
TYPICAL 19TH CENTURY RACIST TRACT.......2007-01-28
nothing really extraordinary here. lots of slandering dark-skinned peoples with the word "savages" thereby excusing genocidal and land-grabbing actions by the more "civilized" Xtian believing "aryans" who of course have evolved beyond all that superstition by emblazoning their one true god on their only appropriate place of worship--dollar bills.
a century later and still going strong.......2005-10-27
This book is veritable attic full of folklore and ritual. But, like an attic, it is sometimes dusty and overstuffed. First published in 1922 and hardly out of print since, the author states it began as a study of a curious practice in a grove near Nemi, Italy in classical times of the killing of a local divine wood king/priest by his successor. His studies lead him to research one thing after another, which eventually became a multi-volume treatise on many of the ritual and folk practices of the world, especially in regards to gods of trees, vegetation and grain, and other resurrection myths.
At times it is a difficult read as the author does not have the current sense of treating other cultures as different, rather than "lesser", than ours, but despite repeated references to "savages" he presents practices and customs rather fairly and non-judgementally. It's only fault lies in it's length, perhaps, though this may be attributed to modern short attention spans, though it does seem to provide so many examples of a practice that I often thought five examples would have sufficed where he used twenty or more.
A curious thing, when I read this any shred of belief I might have had left in the Christ mythos was shattered with the detailed descriptions of other gods of resurrection. Undoubtedly without meaning to, Frazer presents such a clear picture of the rites and myths concerning Adonis, Attis, Osiris, among others, that you realize how little of the Christ myth (if anything) is original. This, of course, is not to disparage Christian believers, as my gods come as much out of myth as theirs, and so it is just as valid, but even when one has been a pagan as long as I have, there still remains some shred, I think, of a person that wonders if the original religion of our childhood might not be valid.
In any case, this is a long and interesting read. I originally picked it up after encountering numerous references in other pagan texts over the years to "Frazer's theory of the Divine King", etc., and finally wanted to read the work for myself. I don't regret it, and I don't think you will either, if you approach this book with patience when you have some time to devote to it.
A Good One to Start With.......2005-01-18
I got this book a long time ago when I was heavily into HP Lovecraft. Something about HPL's writing strikes a chord - even though it's cheesy, something about it feels TRUE, and that's scary ... so I started chasing down his sources, to read what he had read, in order to make sense of the feelings his writing evokes. The Golden Bough was the first one I found, probably because it is still widely available and can be found in most bookstores. HPL always put it on his doomed occultist characters' bookshelves alongside the Necronomicon, "The Witch Cult in Western Europe" (which does exist and can be bought here at Amazon!), and the "Unausprechlichen Kulten" of Von Juntz.
In the "Golden Bough" Sir Frazer takes the basic premise of explaining the strange rite of succession of the priest at Nemi, and uses it as a launch-pad to go into a long, drawn-out discussion of the roots of magic and superstition, and how so-called "primitive" beliefs have been common to all cultures in a certain stage of their development, all over the world.
The subject matter is fascinating, but Frazer's writing style is very dry, very British, very turn-of-the-(20th)century academic ... and he rambles. Some chapters he seems to be lost on a sidetrack, distracted by the unending cascade of interesting facts and anecdotes, but ultimately he returns to the main idea just when you thought he had lost it forever. The contrast between the "holy crap" amazement of what he's telling you and the soothing, hypnotic monotone of his written voice actually gives me a strangely pleasant tingling sensation along my spine after about 15 minutes of reading.
Of course I don't expect everyone (or anyone at all, for that matter) to have such a visceral reaction, but most readers with any interest in the shadowy depths of human thought and spirituality will enjoy this book immensely.
Amazon.com
Say that you've come up with a really nifty idea for a gizmo that would improve the lives of every human being on Earth and probably turn you into a gadzillionaire, too! Before you get too far into the fantasy, you need this extremely detailed and comprehensive guide to the process of getting a patent. This is not a small book, but it contains everything you need to know, including a lot of things you probably don't KNOW you need to know. Very detailed, with examples of forms you'll need, addresses and marketing advice, this is the complete guide you'll need to navigate this complex process from square one to gadzillionaire-ness!
Book Description
The world's bestselling guide to patenting your creation!
Have a world-class idea? Ready to protect your invention from copycats? Then turn to the best resource available -- Patent It Yourself.
Attorney David Pressman takes you through the entire patent process, providing scrupulously updated information and clear instructions to help you:
-determine if you can patent your invention
-understand patent law
-evaluate the commercial potential of your idea
-perform your own patent search
-file a provisional patent application
-prepare a formal patent application
-respond to patent examiners
-amend an application
-enforce and maintain your patent
-market and license your invention
-and much more
Thoroughly updated, the 12th edition provides the latest U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rules and forms. It also covers how to file a patent electronically with the USPTO, and how to write your patent application in a manner that doesn't "limit" your patent.
Whether you're new at the inventing game or a grizzled veteran, Patent It Yourself will save you grief, time and money.
Download Description
"Celebrating 20 years of success! Patent It Yourself is the world's bestselling patent book, recommended by patent attorneys, inventors, librarians and journalists. Patent attorney and former patent examiner David Pressman takes you -- step-by-step and in plain English -- through the entire patent process, from conducting a patent search to filing a successful application. Patent It Yourself also covers: documenting the invention process successful marketing strategies foreign patent rights assigning and licensing your invention to others infringement and much more The 10th edition of Patent It Yourself is completely updated and revised, providing the latest USPTO filing rules, as well as new amendment rules, mailing rules and fees. It also covers the new European Patent Office and Patent Cooperation Treaty rules. Whether you're new at the inventing game or a grizzled veteran, Patent It Yourself will save you grief, time, and most importantly, money. "
Customer Reviews:
An excellent publication.......2007-10-05
I am living proof that one can get his/her US patent application allowed by using the step by step instructions of this book. I never talked to a patent attorney except the examiner and do not have a legal background (especially the US legal system since I am not even an American), but still managed to get my patent.
Of course, you must always do your best to keep yourself abreast of any new rules which do happen often enough. But the USPTO's web site provides everything you need to know. You just have to make the effort. By all means, I am not saying that it is easy, especially when you come to the issue of unobviosness. What I'm saying is that if you study the book well and put your mind to it and have a good idea, you can get it patented without the help of a patent attorney.
The book is that good.
A must have for the mad scientist.......2007-10-04
I have too many ideas and not enough time or money. Having the this book explains much of the patent process in precise and clear fashion that it saves me from going more mad. Every patent lawyer will tell you have an idea that can be patented,for a price of course. For very little cost one can learn, do your research and figure out whether or not you have a good idea. The book also explains how you do not always have to have a patent in order to make your money. I have an edition from 10 years ago, just bought the updated one and there is even more info, a great buy.
Don't Even THINK of not buying this book!.......2007-09-20
If you have any interest in pursuing a patent, whether you do it yourself or have an attorney do it, you MUST read this book. I have a stack of "inventor" books and patent books, and this one really stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is so comprehesive, and so clearly and well written, it might be all you need. Read it, underline it, and read it again. Even if you decide not to write your own patent, this book will help you understand the entire process, and make you better able to communicate with a patent attorney. The more you know and can communicate to your attorney, the stronger the patent you'll be able to secure. Equally as important is the possibility that you'll realize that you shouldn't proceed with getting a patent. That knowledge alone could save you many thousands of dollars. Get this book!
(none).......2007-06-14
Takes me through the process step bz step, better than a text book, and I don't have to read from cover to cover to get the information that I need.
A MUST HAVE for Inventors and Attorneys.......2007-06-03
I bought this book because a number of my clients that I respect owned the book and as a result they were knowledgeable and helpful in the filing process. While I cannot recommend that an inventor substitute this book in place of a patent attorney, I believe the content, the well-organized format, and unabiguous explanation of a complex process and product are well presented by this author. An informed client should not be viewed as a threat to a competent attorney but rather as an assest and means for obtaining the best possible product for the client. This book delivers the basics and more. I am recommending it to all my new clients. Kudos to Mr. Pressam for presenting challenging material in one easy to read reference. ONE WARNING: patent law is constantly changing and while the universal truths are represented in this books, new legislation cannot be ignored.
Average customer rating:
- The Child with Special Needs book
- Engaging Autism is better
- DIR/Floortime Intervention Has Had Profoundly Positive Impact on My Child's Development
- Helpful
- Not for all special needs situations, but helpful
|
Child With Special Needs: ENCOURAGING INTELLECTUAL AND EMOTIONAL GROWTH (Merloyd Lawrence Book)
Stanley I. Greenspan ,
Serena Wieder , and
Robin Simons
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
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Engaging Autism: Helping Children Relate, Communicate and Think with the DIR Floortime Approach
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ASIN: 0201407264 |
Customer Reviews:
The Child with Special Needs book.......2007-08-17
This is an excellent book and resource for any parent or teacher, nanny or counselor or therapist who may interact with children with disabilities. It is extremely useful and is an easy read (much easier and more friendly to read than Greenspan's other works). I'd recommend it especially for parents when they first learn that a disability may exist.
Engaging Autism is better.......2007-08-17
After our son was diagnosed with developmental delay, this was the first book I read. It was helpful, but since he was subsequently diagnosed with ASD a few weeks later, I read Greenspan's other book (Engaging Autism) and found it to be more detailed. The jargon is somewhat difficult to follow at times, and it seems as though both books could be shortened by about 200 pages without much loss of information. I feel obliged to write that the best book about helping your child with ASD that I've found so far is "More Than Words" by Fern Sussman. It has almost all of Greenspan's points in an easy-to-read, illustrated "how-to" format. You can also order it from the North Carolina Autism Society bookstore's website for less than half of Amazon's price. (Hopefully the Amazon people won't delete this review now!) Good luck.
DIR/Floortime Intervention Has Had Profoundly Positive Impact on My Child's Development.......2007-02-14
After a well regarded developmental clinic in my city found my child to be vexed with significant cognitive and speech delay (my child was not yet two), I accidentally stumbled upon Greenspan's book, The Child With Special Needs.
This discovery has been the best thing that has happened to my child and family. I "inhaled" the text's instructions about how to begin doing a home floortime program with my child. Yes, doing three or more sessions of floortime daily was taxing. And I certainly wasn't convinced that I was doing floortime perfectly. Yet, I persisted and my child responded with great enthusiasm. And we had great fun to boot! My intuition that DIR/floortime had something unique and important to offer my child fueled my quest to find DIR/floortime specialists in my area. My search was successful, and my child has benefited from a DIR/floortime intervention for five years. Despite his regulatory and sensory issues, he's soaring socially and academically. I describe him as the happiest human being I've every met and marvel at the very warm way he interacts with family and friends (it's hard and poignant to recall the dismissive comments made about my child by well meaning therapists and teachers.) Greenspan's approach has a lot to say about how inaccurate predictions about kids with special needs can truly turn out to be.
I am incredibly grateful that I learned about this intervention strategy for kids with developmental disabilities. I encourage every parent who finds themselves on this very difficult journey to learn more about this approach. I have found the Floortime Foundation's website to be a great source of information, particularly Greenspan's web radio broadcast...a gold mine of ideas (at no cost to parents!).
Midwestern Mom
Helpful.......2007-01-12
This book is quite helpful for people who are interested in knowing more about autism and other developmental disorders. Autism is a treatable disorder whose symptons can be dramatically reduced with proper intervention. This book goes a long way in explaining autism and various developmental activities that will help children overcome autism.
On occasion "pschological" language makes certain passages a bit difficult to understand. But overall a useful, well written book.
Not for all special needs situations, but helpful.......2006-09-19
The methods in this book detail considerable sacrifice of parents time and resources devoted to one child; in a multiple child or two-working parent household, this would not be as beneficial and produce results as claimed from Floor Time program. Also, there are many types of special needs children with needs not addressed in this book. While overall helpful and a must-read for involved parents, continue seeking assistance from local programs and teachers/therapists, and use this as one small part of your reading list. This book does not address all the needs of all special needs children, but it is helpful and gives detailed explanations and plans to begin with. We have four special needs children with four separate diagnoses, so we are not first time parents, nor is this book the definitive program or resource for any of the four. Read it, try it, then continue researching and resourcing!
Average customer rating:
- Sowell fan
- A way with words!
- A treasure from a treasure
- A delight to read.
- A wonderful companion to Sowell's "A Personal Odyssey"
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A Man of Letters
Thomas Sowell
Manufacturer: Encounter Books
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Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays
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A Personal Odyssey
ASIN: 1594031967 |
Book Description
A Man of Letters traces the life, career, and commentaries on controversial issues of Thomas Sowell over a period of more than four decades through his letters to and from family, friends, and public figures ranging from Milton Friedman to Clarence Thomas, David Riesman, Arthur Ashe, William Proxmire, Vernon Jordan, Charles Murray, Shelby Steele, and Condoleezza Rice. These letters begin with Sowell as a graduate student at the University of Chicago in 1960 and conclude with a reflective letter to his fellow economist and longtime friend Walter Williams in 2005.
Customer Reviews:
Sowell fan.......2007-07-18
I am a long time T Sowell fan. My rating would no doubt be prejudiced. This book shows him to be a regular guy. His letters are straight forward. No big words, everything easy to grasp
A way with words!.......2007-07-05
Thomas Sowell is a really great writer. This "auto-biography" told by his correspondence over the years was most enjoyable.
A treasure from a treasure.......2007-07-03
Dr. Sowell continues his personal revelations through a series of letters sent and received. Because of Dr. Sowell's clear thinking and uncompromising honesty plus his sense of the ridiculous, these letters are a joy to read. However, they also offer a view of the evolvement of parts of society (i.e. the academic life) seldom examined so closely. Read this book! It will lead you to his other works which you will want to read. My favorites are "Conflict of Visions" and "Black Rednecks and White Liberals". I encourage everyone to read this book. It will awaken young people to new views and reassure the over 50 crowd that what they suspected was true.
A delight to read........2007-05-27
His letters of the past 40 years gives us a glimpse to one of the greatest modern thinker's life. I have read Mr. Sowell's editorials many times and always find his commonsense to be refreshing. This book takes us through history as he recounts the current events of the time, from his unique perspective, with colleagues, students and policy-makers.
A wonderful companion to Sowell's "A Personal Odyssey".......2007-05-24
I have admired Thomas Sowell since I first read his writings more that twenty years ago. When clerks at the local Ann Arbor Borders (in the original store on State St.) chided me for buying a book of his I asked them why they disliked him. They (and there was more than one) said that he had benefited from Affirmative Action and now wanted to keep anyone else from doing so. Knowing how wrong this idea was, I pointed out to them that he was born in 1930 and that his achievements were made long before anyone had dreamt up those crippling policies. For this they had no reply.
If you haven't read Thomas Sowell's memoir "A Personal Odyssey" (ISBN 0684864657), I encourage you to get a copy and read about his extraordinary life. It will certainly surprise you. His background was not only unlikely for someone who became a highly regarded economist and commentator; it was unlikely that he would even go to college. He certainly had no straight path to success, either. What he had was an intense focus on where he wanted to go (even though that changed in unexpected ways over the years), a core understanding of who he was, and a commitment to reason and truth. Still, he did not have an easy personal or professional life. You will learn more about that interesting and inspiring life by reading the memoir and this wonderful book.
This book is a collection of letters he wrote and received throughout his life. They are so valuable because they are contemporary to the man Sowell was at the time. As we look back on our lives it is quite easy to fall into the trap of making the path of our life too straight a path to where we are today. When Sowell first got to college he was a Marxist, if you can believe it. It is quite fascinating to watch his grappling with ideas that lead him to the University of Chicago, George Stigler, Milton Friedman, and the other greats in the freshwater school.
He provides us with some background for the letters and in a few places refers the reader to more extended commentary in the memoir (another reason I recommend it to you). Sowell is also a writer of wit. I laughed out loud several times. He is also writes concisely. No rambling or side journeys for him. The letters get to the point and say what they meant to say quite directly and clearly. He covers the issues of the relevant decades, what was happening in his life, and even provides us with a few of his favorite articles and columns when that became a bigger part of his life.
His work in late talking children that grew out of his own son's development is also quite inspiring and shows the background of what became a much bigger movement than he ever expected or desired.
This book is inspiring, informative, and I believe it is quite valuable. Get it, read it, learn from it, and enjoy it (along with the memoir).
Average customer rating:
- Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks for Dummies
- Great Resource
- Great Information for Business Beginners
- Great entry-level book
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Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks for Dummies
Henry Charmasson
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ASIN: 0764525514 |
Book Description
Having the great idea, creating the magnificent work of art, or coming up with the next fad is only the first step to cashing in on your creativity and hard work. Next up is protecting your intellectual property.
This book is for anyone who is intrigued by those three not-so-little words: patents, copyrights, and trademarks. That means you, if
- You think you might be the next Thomas Edison or maybe another J.K. Rowling
- Your company has recently developed a bold new corporate logo or eye-catching trademark
- You’re thinking of a new concept in software, one that can revolutionize the entire manufacturing process
- You’ve just dreamed up the latest in “latest things”
Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies explains, in layman’s terms, the basic nature, function, and application of intellectual property (IP) rights, including how you can acquire those rights, wield them effectively against your competitors, or exploit them lucratively through licensing agreements and other rewarding adventures. This book covers all of these critical concepts, and more:
- Working with IP professionals
- Presenting a patent explanation
- Determining what is copyrighted and what isn’t
- Protecting your commercial identity
- Inspecting the basic elements of a license
- Determining infringement
- Avoiding the ten worst naming blunders
With this book at you side, you’ll have a solid grasp of the processes involved in acquiring, registering, maintaining, and protecting the intellectual property rights due you and/or your company. You’ll be able to make informed decisions and speak confidently with the IP professionals you meet along the way. And you’ll have the tools and knowledge to take care of much of the work involved in the various research and registration processes.
Customer Reviews:
Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks for Dummies.......2007-09-19
I applied for a US Federal Trademark on July 13th and besides putting the (c) on my name and art work... I never thought much about sending in anything to the Copyright office in D.C. End of August a check company contacted me to license my artwork for their checks and address labels... this I knew was big but I needed extra help. A friend suggested this book, I ordered it immediately and wow... it is so super easy to comprehend. I absolutely now swear by this book I've nicknamed the "Artist's Bible." I have found all the tips, etc about copyrighting my art AND about trademark issues extremely valuable. I have actually ear marked several pages so I can go back to that as a reference quickly. And it's also important to have an attorney to fall back on which I do. But yes I highly recommend this book for any artist serious enough to get their work copyrighted or even getting their company name trademarked like me.
Great Resource.......2007-03-29
When I received this book I was blown away by how much useful information it contained. It was easy to read and understand, has quick references that pertain to your subject or you can skip to something more applicable, and was filled with up-to-date information on how to obtain a patent. A great resource!
Great Information for Business Beginners.......2007-03-09
When you think of a product you may be under the impression that I need to patent my invention, but don't have to do anything else. Nothing can be further from the truth. Henri Charmasson spells out clearly in this well written, humorous book how one must wisely go out and protect their intellectual property. He cleverly steers you through the unfriendly and confusing halls of the USPTO - the Patent and Trademark office, and guides you to seeking out the advice of an IP professional, (namely a patent attorney). It is a must read for new business owners, and many established businesses can use the help as well. But after going through the book, you will learn one thing - "Do not to go about patenting and Trademarking by yourself. Get a professional to help you."
Great entry-level book.......2006-06-21
I'm in legal with an IP background and this book is a great IP primer - I was pleasantly surprised by the depth. 'Dummies' is a misnomer as it provides entry-level to intermediate coverage.
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