Average customer rating:
|
The Akhmatova Journals: 1938-41
Lydia Chukovskaya ,
Milena Michalski , and
Sylva Rubashova
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Eastern European
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0374223424 |
Average customer rating:
- The story of a friendship in dark times
- A Tragic and Hunting Story
|
MILENA - The Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Margaret Buber-Neumann
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0805209182
Release Date: 1989-06-11 |
Customer Reviews:
The story of a friendship in dark times.......2005-10-10
Milena Jesenka was an ethically principled Czech journalist who in 1939 was arrested and sent to the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck. There she met Margete Buber- Neumann another political prisoner. They became close friends, and determined to write a book about their experience when the war was over. Three weeks before D- Day Milena died. This book is the story of their friendship and of the life of Milena.
It is a very moving work. And it also has a chapter on the relationship through which Milena became a part of world- literary history, her her relationship to Franz Kafka.
A Tragic and Hunting Story.......2004-02-17
Franz Kafka's great love, Milena Jesensky, was arrested in 1939 and sent to the Nazi concentration camp in Ravensbruck. There she met Margaret Buber-Neumann (author of this book), also a writer. A friendship developed and they made a pact: whoever survived would tell their story. Milena died in the camp three weeks before D-Day.The book is riveting: both in its depicting the pre-war life of Milena's family, her intellectual friends, and her relationship with Kafka as well as the horrors of camp.
It is surprising that nobody made a film about those two remarkable women; I suppose Hollywood can not be bothered; they are too busy planning for the production of something along the lines of "The Rise and Fall of Janet Jackson's Nipple".
Book Description
Readings and Exercises in Latin Prose Composition provides a refreshing approach for the standard Latin composition course offered at the college level. In Readings and Exercises the student is encouraged to think in Latin through the process of reading unedited Latin selections and then composing in Latin, as opposed to the process of translating back and forth into English. The book offers a number of highly structured composition exercises that introduce students to a deeper understanding of Latin grammar and prose as well as to greater facility in reading and understanding it.
Customer Reviews:
do not buy.......2005-12-02
I used this book for a Latin Composition independent study in the Fall of '05. I was very disappointed. The excercises vary from rediculously tedious to extremely confusing. The professor was always at a loss as to the intentions of the authors, and we were only able to thoroughly cover the first 9 chapters of the book in one semester.
It slowly become clear that to properly complete the lessons, we were expected to obtain all three of the suggested grammars (all of which are published by Focus). Furthermore, my edition of the book began coming unglued from the binding no less than 3 weeks into the semester.
I would not reccomend it for any class except one taught by Mr. Tunberg and Ms. Minkova themselves. The book is obviously the product of their own very subjective teaching style (or a cheap attempt to bolster their list of published works and make a few bucks at the same time).
A well-designed introduction.......2005-11-27
This book is remarkably thorough and user-friendly. If you look at the sample pages Amazon provides (which are from the first chapter of the text) you will see that the book takes the student gradually through exercises designed to improve his understanding of Latin grammatical usage, one point at a time. The readings at the head of each chapter are interestingly varied. The ancillary texts--"Bradley's Arnold" and "Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar," are available through Focus Press (the website is [...]). Starting with this text book is much to be preferred over jumping in with the Prose Comp books produced in the last century. There is an answer key available for autodidacts.
Product Description
Mater Anserina is a delightful book of twenty-eight poems, many of them favorites from Mother Goose, rendered in Latin, with the English translation on facing pages. Designated specifically for early learners of Latin, the nursery rhymes are designed for reciting or singing, with the particular aim of giving young students an introduction to Latin pronunciation. The book comes with an audio CD of all rhymes in the book.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Delightful.......2007-05-28
Mater Anserina is a charming book in all respects. It is beautifully illustrated, has side-by-side translations and a useful vocabulary. The CD has the clearest Latin sung/read that I have heard in a long time. Thoroughly recommended.
Mater Anserina.......2007-03-15
Mater Anserina is a prettily designed book. Favorite Mother Goose rhymes are printed on facing pages with Latin versions rendering the original accentual schemes. Graceful Kate Greenaway illustrations appear on the same page with some of the Latin versions, and there is a useful list of Latin vocabulary at the foot of each (Latin) page. Practice these rhymes at home, and then try them out on your high-schoolers or undergraduates. Young people probably won't recognize many of the selections (although they may know Itsy Bitsy Spider and the first verse of Yankee Doodle); you may have to teach them the tunes.
This book could serve as a lovely, reasonably priced end-of-term gift for a favorite teacher, or a prize for a Classics Day contest.
Euge! Matrem Anserinam Amo! -- I Love Mother Goose!.......2007-03-09
This book has 28 familiar Mother Goose rhymes, (e.g.: Mary had a Little Lamb), in both Latin and English. The translations preserve the style, whimsy, and rhythm of the original Mother Goose rhymes. Yet in the translations, there is something new to be gained from the Latin verse; a new perspective on these childhood classics.
For the beginner student, there are footnotes at the bottom of each page which explain the vocabulary used. There is also a preface which explains the accentual verses. It is the only preface of recent memory that is itself an interesting read.
The audio CD is well done, with the singing voice very clear. It is fun to sing along in Latin to these old rhymes! In my opinion, it was fascinating to hear these familiar tunes in this new fashion!
My only complaint about the book is this: there are not enough illustrations. To me, each rhyme should have it's own illustration, or almost all. Only nine of the rhymes have an accompianing illustration. The illustrations that are in the book are charming; reminiscent of the pictures in the book, The Real Mother Goose, which has illustratons depicting the time period in which these rhymes were originally written.
To my delight this period depiction was preserved in this book. Again this is a truly great book to have!
Average customer rating:
|
Castles of the Loire: Places and History (Places and History Series)
Milena Ercole Pozzoli
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Europe
| Travel
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Loire
| France
| Europe
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Travel Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1556705409 |
Amazon.com
This splendidly photographed volume is one of a series of Places and History books that examine the history, culture, and natural beauty of inspiring destinations, from California to Ireland to Tuscany. This book celebrates the majestic castles along the banks of the magnificent Loire River in France, which was for centuries intrinsically linked to the history of that country. It is perfect for armchair travelers as well as those interested in the medieval architecture of castles, with their extravagant towers, elaborate grounds, richly decorated interiors, and especially the immortal legends and stories that surround them. Included are Chambord Castle, the mansion of George Sand, and Chinon Castle, where in 1429 Joan of Arc set out on her momentous crusade to liberate her country from the English.
Customer Reviews:
Inside and out.......2002-01-01
I probably looked at 8 books on the Loire chateuaxs, and this was the best. Great photographs, laid out well, great information on each of the castles/chateauxs, lots of photos of the inside decoration and furniture. This book gave me a better understanding of the landscaping around the castles as well. If you are planning to visit the Loire valley, and you are trying to decide which castles to visit, this book is a must. It is also and excellent armchair-traveller/coffee-table book.
Average customer rating:
|
The Appropriation of Cultural Capital: China's May Fourth Project (Harvard East Asian Monographs)
Leo Ou-fan Lee ,
Stephen Owen ,
Rudolph Wagner ,
David Der-wei Wang ,
Ellen Widmer ,
Catherine Vance Yeh , and
Ying-shih Yu
Manufacturer: Harvard University Asia Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| China
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Chinese
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asian
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Systems Of Government
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Islamic Government
| Monarchy
| Representative Government
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0674007867 |
Book Description
For much of the twentieth century, the May Fourth movement of 1919 was seen as the foundational moment of modernity in China. Recent examinations of literary and cultural modernity in China have, however, led to a questioning of this view. By approaching May Fourth from novel perspectives, the authors of the eight studies in this volume seek to contribute to the ongoing critique of the movement. The essays are centered on the intellectual and cultural/historical motivations and practices behind May Fourth discourse and highlight issues such as strategies of discourse formation, scholarly methodologies, rhetorical dispositions, the manipulation of historical sources, and the construction of modernity by means of the reification of China's literary past.
Customer Reviews:
An important work.......2007-05-31
For anybody who seeks a new, critical angle to re-evaluate the May Fourth tradition and legacy of China, this book is a must-read. It largely contextualizes and historisizes the May Fourth discourse.
Book Description
The book is an entirely new introduction to Latin prose composition. It is of interest and use to anyone already acquainted with the fundamentals of Latin.
The work is concisely organized, enabling easy and efficient reference. The ten chapters deal with the following topics: how to convey every possible message in a simple sentence; how to connect independent sentences in order to create a text; how to communicate complex messages using subordination; how to express relations within a clause; what word-order to use; what vocabulary to choose. It provides everything one needs to know in order to write in Latin. The last two chapters propose practical exercises of reworking ancient texts and creating one's own.
The book fosters a close familiarity with the Latin language, which in turn makes access to any Latin text an easier and more pleasant task.
Customer Reviews:
The best introductory manual available.......2002-07-31
English-speaking students of Latin prose composition have until now lacked an introduction which is concise and easy to understand, but which loses nothing in accuracy. This book fills both needs admirably.
Clarity comes from the rational order with which the author treats essential Latin constructions. Minkova moves from simple sentences to coordinate constructions, and from there to the various modes of subordination and their subdivisions. Everything is presented so lucidly that what seems highly complex in other textbooks appears simple and straightforward in Minkova's manual. This clarity not only comes from the rational order of explication, but also the excellent examples taken from Latin sources with which each precept is illustrated.
In no other introductory manual do we find such full advice on word order. This too is rationally presented as a matter of ordering words within single propositions and ordering thoughts within a larger whole.
Finally, something should be said about the suggestions for various exercises which the reader will find at the end of the book. Here at last we find creative alternatives to the standard exercises in translation from English to Latin found in other texts, a process which is not true composition, but mere conversion from one language to another. In Minkova's book, by contrast, we find many suggestions for exercises from which the translation process is entirely absent. These suggestions are augmented by excellent specimens of various types of Latin prose composed by the author.
This book should be in the library of anyone interested in Latin, and especially those who want to master the active use of the Latin language.
Average customer rating:
- A book of "soul".
- Life's Simple Lessons from a Great Storyteller!
- Wonderful and Heartwarming!
- Lessons For Your Heart
- Everyone's Story
|
Letters from Boerdonk
Gary Layne Smith
Manufacturer: HighPoint Publishing, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback
ASIN: 1933190108 |
Book Description
When life throws you curve balls, God has a plan. Through endearing and inspiring stories of an Air Force chaplain's life in a Dutch village after 9/11, Gary Layne Smith's Letters from Boerdonk highlights how the promise of God's plan for you is being carried out.
Customer Reviews:
A book of "soul"........2007-08-20
What a wonderful change - a book with "soul" and a great story to share. I found myself asking if I could have adapted to this wonderful adventure as well as Gary and Pam. But I thought I might like to try. Enjoyed this book and each and every word and wanting more.
Life's Simple Lessons from a Great Storyteller!.......2007-01-27
I first read this book when I was training for my first marathon. The letter, "A Complete Game" really hit home. In the book, Gary's son Daniel professes, "We made it." After reading that story, I knew God would help me finish the race (and He did!). What struck me the most is how simply this book is written. The letters are so easy to read, yet so profound--reminding us of God's love and presence in every day life. Gary can tell a story as well as the original Storyteller ... the letters in his book are like parables in the Bible. The book emphasizes the important things in life ... love of God, friends, and family. No matter where you are in the world, those three connections keep you close. Letters from Boerdonk reminds us all of the importance of those connections in so many ways.
Wonderful and Heartwarming!.......2007-01-27
Memories! This is a wonderful book. We lived this book: Gary Smith was our chaplain during his years in the Netherlands. He has warmed my heart with many happy memories, and gives such a wonderful picture of the Dutch. He reminds you to enjoy life's blessings, small and large.
Lessons For Your Heart.......2006-11-30
Captivating, funny, poignant, Gary's book will hook you in the Introduction! I alternately laughed out loud and was teary-eyed with the adventures and misadventures of this totally real chaplain/husband/father/author. Read this book and give it to all the people you love!
Everyone's Story.......2006-11-17
I couldn't wait to get my copy of Letters from Boerdonk. I have read many of the "great" christian authors and Gary Smith ranks with these. He writes in a very accessible way. No matter who you are or what your background Gary's stories of everyday life will touch you. His gentle self mocking humor will warm you to your toes. These are the new parables for our time. Once you have read this book you will want to buy one for everyone you know.
Average customer rating:
|
Kafka Love and Courage: The Life of Milena Jesenska
Mary Hockaday
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Czech Republic
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 087951731X |
Amazon.com
Best known for her passionate epistolary relationship with Franz Kafka, Czech writer Milena Jesenka (1896-1944) was an important cultural figure in her own right: she was a perceptive journalist who colorfully captured the keyed-up atmosphere of Vienna and her native Prague during the 1920s and '30s; a powerful spokesperson for Czech nationalism; and a fearless antifascist who helped Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Prague. This thoughtful biography restores the strongminded, intelligent Jesenka to her proper stature as a humane voice in the ethically slippery world of Central European politics.
Book Description
Commonly regarded as the greatest sea explorer of all time, James Cook made his three world-changing voyages during the 1770s, at a time when ships were routinely lost around the English coast. He made history by making geography-- sailing through previously unknown southern seas, charting the eastern Australian coast and circumnavigating New Zealand, putting many Pacific islands on the map, and exploring both the Arctic and Antarctic. His men suffered near shipwreck, were ravaged by tropical diseases, and survived frozen oceans; his lieutenants-- including George Vancouver and William Bligh-- became celebrated captains in their own right. Exploits among native peoples combined to make Cook a celebrity and a legend.
Cook is not, however, viewed by all as a heroic figure. Some Hawaiians demonize him as a syphilitic rascist who had a catastrophic effect on local health. Indigenous Australians often see him as the violent dispossessor of their lands. Nicholas Thomas explores Cook's contradictory character as never before, by reconstructing the many sides of encounters that were curious and unusual for Europeans and natives alike. The result of twenty years' research, Thomas's magnificently rich portrait overturns the familiar images of Cook and reveals the fascinating and far more ambiguous figure beneath.
Customer Reviews:
A good history.......2006-08-17
Fewer things are better than a good sea story dealing with unexplored regions of the world. Captain James Cook's British Naval expeditions in the late 1700's were some of the last expeditions to the unexplored parts of the world. For introducing the subject and telling a good story, Thomas does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the inherent problems in leading a naval and scientific expedition and first contact with Pacific Islanders.
In many ways, today's outer space missions are less complicated than Cook's expeditions.
The anthropology sections of this book are the weakest sections, but there are simply few ways to understand the native Pacific islanders of Hawaii and Polynesia and the Maori peoples of New Zealand and Aborigines of Australia.
Cook's legacy is somewhat mixed in the Pacific basin, though to his credit, he handled first contact issues as well as he probably could. His death that resulted from an altercation with some Hawaiian tribe members was a bit of a tragedy, for few of his generation had as much patience in dealing with the inherent issues of Western and native interaction.
For the reader wanting a solid introduction to one of history's greatest explorers and one of the greatest sea stories, this is a worthwhile book.
The People on the Beach.......2006-03-28
Before reading this book, most of what I knew about Captain Cook was from high school (not much) and from a vacation or two in Hawaii complete with visits to historic sites. I saw it at the library and checked it out because I am enrolled in a "Pacific Islanders in the U.S." course at my local junior college, and because I'm planning another vacation in Hawaii and want to feel more grounded in the history of the place while I'm there.
I thought the book was great. It really cut through a lot of the mythology that surrounds what most of us are taught about Cook, to the real person, with failings as well as strengths. What I loved was I felt I got both perspectives, Cook's as well as the point of view of the People he encountered on the islands. One thing I got from the book is that Cook missed a lot. His journal records his perspective, but as well-meaning as it might be, that perspective was narrow and often limited by his own background. The island kingdoms he encountered, in Tonga, Hawaii and others were politically complex, and socially and culturally rich. Power plays were being made, not only by Cook, but by the People on the beach. I thought the presentation was balanced, and fascinating, and I am grateful for having read a book that allows me to think about this moment in history, and the islands themselves, in a broader way.
A good read, strange word choice at times........2005-09-30
The history, anthropology and sociology presented are well written at least 90% of the time. At other times the writer seems to get bogged down in making hindsighted judgments about certain situations and injects quite a bit of his personal thoughts... but hey it's his book and it's not sold as being a dry history book. It is all about Cook and the impact his expeditions had on the local islanders.
I would have rated the book higher had it not been for some very poor word choices that caught me off guard (read "profanity"). Including the fairly random use of the "F" word at one point in the book, which really seemed out of place and truly bizarre.
The maori were cannibals!.......2005-07-08
Unlike other accounts, this book doesnt start with Cook's heritage, but rather dives straight into Cooks voyages. Although his heritage plays significant roles in his decision making process, there is no need to waste pages. Instead the book recounts a remarkable journey that makes for simple yet eloquent reading. Accounts of European contact with Polynesian natives are griping and wildly descriptive. While university professors in Hawaii tend to blast Cook, most of them are informed by mostly biased sources. Here, the story remains unbiased and allows the reader to see Cook for who he really was: an amazing navigator, an amateur anthropologist, a steady diplomat, and a supurb leader among men. The heinous actions Cook committed has been expressed at face value by Hawaiian instructors, but Thomas goes into the whys rather than the whats. This is an excellent book on leadership as well.
Excellent account marred by a few lapses in style.......2005-05-11
I am not sure that the reviewers who complained about the "political correctness" of this title actually read the same book that I did. Nicholas Thomas presents an interesting, thoroughly researched, and balanced account of Cook's three voyages. Rather than depicting Cook as a malicious abuser of native societies, I was surprised to find that Cook was remarkably understanding, for his time, of cultural differences. The account of Cook's death in Hawaii (I trust I am not giving anything away), which to some extent was provoked by an unfortunate coincidence having to do with the native religion, was particularly fascinating.
My one quibble with the book, for which I deduct "one star", is with the style: first person asides, gratuitous use of the "F-word", and a sprinkling of contractions (e.g., "I'm", "they're"--this is a book, for heaven's sake, not a post-it note!). It is too bad that an otherwise excellent and scholarly work was marred by inelegant language.
Books:
- The Brief English Handbook: A Guide to Writing, Thinking, Grammar, and Research, Seventh Edition
- The Case Of The Murdered Muckraker: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries)
- THE COURTSHIP OF CATHERINE THE GREAT.
- The Day Diana Died
- The Day John Died
- The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (Penguin Classics)
- The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
- The Journals of James Boswell: 1762-1795
- The Light Bearer
- The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Concise Rules of APA Style
- 'Tis: A Memoir
- R Reference Manual: Base Package, Vol. 1
- The Book of U.S. Government Jobs: Where They Are, What's Available & How to Get One
- The Bible for Dummies
- Ways with Words: Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms
- The Mayan Mission: Another Mission. Another Country. Another Action-Packed Adventure. 1,000 New SAT
- The Costing Heritage: Studies in Honor of s Paul Garner
- Red Ink: The Budget, Deficit, and Debt of the U.S. Government
- Lovers for a Day: New and Collected Stories on Love
