Customer Reviews:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories that go bump in the night.......2006-02-07
Stories that go Bump in the Night is a collection of short (and chilling) tales written by various authors, selected by the Master or Suspense himself. They are all different and unrelated in plot and style, but they each have in common an aspect of gruesome murder, or a macabre twist that forces you to read on, and yet makes you shiver when you're done. One of my favorite stories was Easy Mark by Talmage Powell, about a seemingly defenseless man, who walks into a drug bar and is subsequently robbed of his car and some money. What the-would be assailants don't know, is that the body of this man's wife, whom he murdered, is in the trunk, thereby making them the easy marks. However, I really liked the style of writing that Theodore Sturgeon used in The Other Celia, which is about a peeping Tom who spies into the life of someone not human. The language the author used made trespassing sound everyday. I think that Hitchcock chose some really good tales that I would have never read to be in his book. I loved how many of these yarns were similar in effect, and yet different as far as the plot goes. It's amazing how much oomph a writer can put into such short story.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting slice of London life, but Lambs' hagiography undeserved
- "Lunacy replaced moral defect as an explanation for violence in extraordinary circumstances."
- Mary Had A Little Lamb, and A Knife.
- Fascinating Story but Unfocused and Colorless Presentation
- Murder, Madness, and Devotion
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Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London
Susan Tyler Hitchcock
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
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Court Lady and Country Wife: Two Noble Sisters in Seventeenth-Century England
ASIN: 0393057410 |
Book Description
After the style of The Professor and the Madman, a dramatic story set against a backdrop of literary history.
Mary Lamb—a dutiful daughter, well liked by just about everyone—killed her own mother with a knife. She spent the rest of her life in and out of madhouses, yet the crime and its aftermath opened up a life that no woman of her time or class could have expected. Free to read extensively, Lamb discovered her talent for writing. She and her brother, the essayist Charles Lamb, embarked on a literary collaboration that resulted in the famous Tales from Shakespeare. Confidante to many of Britain's Romantics including Coleridge, Godwin, and Wordsworth, Mary Lamb stood at the vibrant center of a colorful literary circle. Through a deep reading of history, letters, and literature, Susan Tyler Hitchcock brings to life an intriguing portrait of Lamb and her world. This narrative of a nearly forgotten woman becomes a tapestry of insights into creativity and madness, the changing lives of women, and the redemptive power of the written word. 32 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting slice of London life, but Lambs' hagiography undeserved.......2007-02-18
Mad Mary Lamb provides an interesting look at various aspects of British society in late-Georgian London, as well as providing the story of Mary and Charles Lamb, two writers, brother and sister, who were as devoted to each other throughout their adult lives as any two married people. The book is really about both brother and sister, discussing their lives, their relationship and their friends. Both struggled with mental illness. Charles though was much less profoundly affected by it than Mary, whose life eventually became overwhelmed by increasingly frequent psychotic episodes. Mary was 10 years older, and in the grip of her first spasm of mental illness murdered her abusive mother with a kitchen knife. Her work is discussed in brief. In truth it can't be said to be memorable, even though their "Tales from Shakespeare" for children has been in print in many languages for almost 200 years. By avoiding a more substantial discussion of their work the author does manage to avoid interfering with her attempt at hagiography. In their version of "The Merchant of Venice", devoid of its poetic context and careful parsing the play becomes simply a crude anti-semitic story (easily accessible full text online) -- with an audience of children. In perhaps Charles' most well-known work, Essays of Elia, the essay "Imperfect Sympathies" (also available online) displays his smarmy and shameless dislike of Scots, Jews and Blacks hiding behind a veneer of discriminating taste and judiciousness.
"Lunacy replaced moral defect as an explanation for violence in extraordinary circumstances.".......2006-02-13
In 1796 Mary Lamb thrust a knife into her mother's chest, in that instant breaking free of the drudgery that consumed her days, but at what cost? Sent to Fisher House, a private, quasi-affordable madhouse in Islington, Mary underwent the usual brutal and humiliating treatments dictated by science at the time, similar to those King George III was subjected to ten years before. Whether the madhouse experience damaged her creatively is still a source of discussion, but certainly she fell into line, causing no further disturbance, eventually moving into rooms of her own with the help of her younger brother, Charles Lamb. Eventually Charles and Mary Lamb devised a manner of living, what he called "double-singleness", Mary accepted into her brother's literary circle and appreciated for her sharp intelligence and intellectual curiosity. Together they co-authored three books, Tales from Shakespear (1807), Mrs. Leicester's School (1809) and Poetry for Children (1809).
Mad Mary Lamb is an extensively researched, impressive reconstruction of Mary's life on the fringes of literary society, freed by the act that sundered her from family obligations beyond the society of her brother. London was teeming with literary genius, the country infused with political uncertainty and a rapidly changing world where ideas were exchanged in lively debate in salons all over the city. Most women were hidden behind society's restraints, great literary achievements solely the purview of the male gender. While Charles moved in and out of his own creative forays, Mary nurtured seeds of her own writing. Her contribution to Tales of Shakespear was certainly equal to her brother's, a challenging task in any case. Mary's ability to empathize enabled her to step inside the identities of others: "It was her deep and sympathetic feeling, coupled with her intellect, that brought her admiration from men of such high standards as Coleridge."
What Mad Mary Lamb points out most succinctly is the blossoming of her writing life after the tragic event of the murder. Her creativity stifled by a spinster's role in society that relegated her to little more than a domestic servant, albeit to family, the murder offered Mary a unique opportunity she might otherwise not have known. Never audacious or brave enough to tackle the more dangerous boundaries, Mary Lamb transgressed just enough to participate in a lively literary life, at the side of her prolific brother, Charles Lamb, who was also an accomplished essayist. Yet her life after the death of her mother and interment in the mental hospital was far more than the dreary spinsterhood that would have been her fare had she not committed the crime. Hitchcock's attention to detail is extraordinary and extensive, with copious notes, bibliography and index, Mary Lamb brought to life on these pages, her crime, tentative reach toward life and the fulfilling world of writing afforded by a violent transgression against society's most basic tenant. Luan Gaines/ 2006.
Mary Had A Little Lamb, and A Knife........2005-07-25
This is an example of the Nineteenth Century literary imagination coupled with the new style of writing 'history' which doesn't have to stick with the facts but can create a few for entertainment effects. Mrs. Hitchcock used letters to show the human Mary Lamb. She suffered a madness similar to Mary Lincoln. Only through the intervention on the part of her brother who helped her to write TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE, she was not confined to a mental institution for the long years of her life. It was the literary redemption and the 'power of the written word' which save her sanity and her life.
It is the compelling story of the English Lizzie Borden. If her brother had not been the famous Charles Lamb, we would never have known about this tragic life and death and the circumstances which compelled her to kill her own mother with a big knife in 1796. Lizzie, on the other hand, used an ax to chop her father to death because of a supposed indiscretion (his or hers?) and a nasty step-mother. Perhaps he had it coming, to sequester an old-maid daughter to watch him faun over and fondle that woman in her mother's house.
You don't have to be in the throes of a mental illness to kill someone. There is a popular song called 'Killing Me Softly With His Song.' There are numerous incidences in ballads and folk tales about murders due to unrequited love and perceived slights. Even extensive and unwarranted criticism can induce the killing instinct of self-preservation.
I'm not saying that any of these caused her to kill her mother. She alone knew the deep reason for such drastic actions. Sometimes, people are just driven too far and their minds 'snap.' It is a type of temporary madness due to circumstances; it is a compulsion beyond their control. When the young boys in Chicago killed a neighbor boy as explained in the book COMPULSION and a more recent killing of a partly-autistic boy by two neighbor boys happened, no one really knows what makes children kill children. Kids are mean until they are taught by the adults in their families that you cannot always act on your wants and desires of the moment.
Mary would have surely lost her mind except for the loving care of her brother and his literary friends. Charles died in 1835 at the age of sixty, and she lived to be past eighty. They'd lived a sheltered life prior to a few years before the murder. The move may have brought on Mary's inclinations to hit back.
Photographs of the luminaries of that time and some drawings enhance the narrative. It is interesting, but not unusual.
Fascinating Story but Unfocused and Colorless Presentation .......2005-04-26
1. The subject of this book is great!
2. The writing style is a bit wobbly at times.
3. The author jumps around and discusses way too many famous literary figures who have little or nothing to do with Mary Lamb's personal triumphs and failures.
4. Very little is actually told about Mary Lamb, who is supposed to be the featured character of this story!
5. The author inserts a lot of modernistic idealogy that would have been unknown to English men and women in 1795.
6. Gives a quick summary of a very complex woman.
7. Gives an even quicker summary of a very changing, difficult, and dramatic period of English history.
Murder, Madness, and Devotion.......2005-04-14
This is the story of the lives of Charles and Mary Lamb, a brother and sister who heretofore I knew primarily as the authors of a series of children's stories adapted from Shakespeare.
The full history of the Lamb siblings is much more complicated. Mary was a repressed and overworked daughter who suffered from some unidentified mental illness which, one day without warning, caused her to murder her mother. After spending several months in a madhouse, she was placed under the guardianship of her younger brother Charles, who looked after her the rest of his life through numerous committals to various institutions and several moves to different homes in London and its environs. Together and separately the Lamb siblings were responsible for many essays, stories, and other publications which established them as leading literary lights.
Besides this tale of fraternal devotion, this book also provides a good depiction of life in London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries among the Lambs' literary milieu.
Average customer rating:
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Alfred Hitchcock's Grave Suspicions (Anthology)
Manufacturer: Dial Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0385196474 |
Average customer rating:
- Great authors and stories. A must read.
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Spellbinders In Suspense (Alfred Hitchcock's Story Collection for Young Readers)
Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0394849000
Release Date: 1982-02-12 |
Customer Reviews:
Great authors and stories. A must read........1999-09-30
This book is a definate must read. Yours truly, Jack the Ripper and The Most Dangerous Game have to be my favorite stories in this book, but I still like them all. If you can find a copy of it definatly buy or borrow immedietly.
Book Description
A media lecturer and his female student find some lost Hitchcock film footage hidden away in a Greek chalet. It seems they have discovered some early rushes, but for which film, who is the mysterious blonde star and what is the sinister secret that has kept them hidden? Terry Johnson's new play was a major West End success in the summer of 2003.
Average customer rating:
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A Concise Companion to the Restoration and Eighteenth Century (Concise Companions to Literature and Culture)
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
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ASIN: 1405101180 |
Book Description
This Concise Companion presents fresh perspectives on eighteenth-century literature and culture. In a series of original essays, it contributes to current debates in the field on subjects as diverse as the public sphere, travel and exploration, scientific rhetoric, gender and the book trade, gardening, and historical versus literary perceptions of life on London streets. It also discusses the changing nature of poetry, drama, periodical essays, the novel, and literary criticism, searching out connections between the remarkable number of new genres that appeared in the eighteenth century.The contributors include both familiar names and newcomers to the field. Each of them combines meticulous scholarship with clear, engaging writing and vivid, innovative perceptions on the relationships between literature and culture. Crossing conventional disciplinary lines, they demonstrate how philosophy, history, politics and social theory both influenced and were influenced by literature in this period.
Amazon.com
A no-nonsense guide for keeping kids protected and informed on the Internet is an essential book for any family with a home computer. The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace comes highly recommended, with kudos from countless corporations, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Equally useful for long-time users and newcomers to the Internet, parents will find a wealth of useful tips presented in a friendly and entertaining manner.
Beginning with basic questions and answers about why laws are sometimes different online than they are in other commercial arenas, author Parry Aftab goes on to explain some of the fundamentals of search engines, ISPs, and e-mail accounts--experienced users can safely skip this area with no harm done. Aftab makes it clear that it is up to parents and caregivers to appropriately educate kids in online safety--while the benefits of including the Internet in your child's education are tremendous, there are some dangers (ranging from pretty minor to severe) that all family members need to be made aware of and taught how to avoid. Aftab includes a terrific list of widely approved kid-friendly sites, a solid glossary of common terms and abbreviations used in e-mail, and simple bullet-point lists outlining ways to provide protection such as passwords, backing up important files, placing your computer in a central location, and not allowing unsupervised online access until you're fully convinced they're ready for it. More than any other suggestion, teaching your kids accountability and safety is emphasized. Older children and teenagers may benefit from reading some of the personal anecdotes and interviews--such clear-cut stories are sure to make a lasting impression. --Jill Lightner
Book Description
Just about everyone agrees that certain places in cyberspace are inappropriate for children. What people don't agree on is how to keep kids from wandering into areas where they don't belong. From the ACLU to Congress, local PTAs and national teacher's organizations, the issue is devise and polarizing. Given recent events such as what happened in Littleton, Colorado, it is also becoming clear that there's more to protecting children in cyberspace than just blocking pornographic sites with filtering programs. How can parents, teachers and librarians navigate this confusing issue without overstepping legal boundaries while at the same time protecting kids from the dangers--both hidden and obvious--that abound on the Net? Internationally respected attorney and cyber-expert Parry Aftab offers a sensible, clear-cut guide to protecting children from the dark side of the Web. Based upon her self-published book A Parent's Guide to the Internet and How to Protect Your Children in Cyberspace, Aftab details the threats that lurk throughout the world wide web, from spam and chatrooms, to cyber porn and cyber stalkers, to sites that promote violence fantasy role-playing and hatred. She then goes on to detail what steps parents and teachers can and should take to keep children from accessing certain sites.
Customer Reviews:
Guiding Your Child Safely on the Internet.......2005-12-22
Parents might worry that their child will find inappropriate sites on the Internet. It is important for parents to monitor their child's access to the World Wide Web and teach them proper use of it. This is not a television set with a limited number of channels. It is the information superhighway to the whole world. Think of it the same as traffic safety. You don't leave a young child playing unsupervised by a busy roadway. They could be hit by a car or kidnapped or attacked by a neighbor's dog. An older child after being taught basic principles is allowed more independence in that same situation.
Provide clear guidelines. Let your children know there are subjects or areas that you prefer to be off limits and explain why. Explore cyberspace with the child and talk about what they are seeing and doing.
Teach children safety rules for dealing with strangers online such as never giving out their full name, address or telephone number; never giving out a credit card number; or arranging to meet someone online without your permission. These are the same guidelines you probably use for telephone use in your home or for talking to strangers on the street.
Don't miss out on all the wonders of the World Wide Web. Take your child by the hand and set out on that information superhighway.
Our police chief told us to buy this book........2001-04-17
Our police department has worked with the author of this book in trying to help victims of cybercrimes. She really knows her stuff. She has even shared many things that my teens wish she hadn't. Now when they type POS, I know it means that they are telling their friends that their parent is looking over their shoulder.
When I don't know where to turn, I just turn to this book. I keep it next to my computer so my children can rely on it too. I was amazed that they enjoyed it as much as I did.
Next time, I'll buy the book BEFORE I buy the computer and set it up right.
a country mom.
I'm a teen and this book helped save my girlfriend.......2001-04-12
I read this book when my mother bought it for me and my friends to read. I was very interested in what this person said about online safety and teens. Most talk about how terrible the internet is, but she thinks it's great for teens as long as we use it following safety rules.
My girlfriend was chatting with a boy she met online. He sent her pictures and said he loved her. She even talked to him on the phone. When he asked to meet her at the mall, I told her about the stories I read in this book, and gave her the book to read.
She didn't meet him after she read the stories about bad men who tried to trick girls into meeting them offline.
Her parents found out and found out that this boy wasn't really a boy.
Mrs. Aftab helps keep teens safe. I want to work for her group and help other teens.
Thank you Mrs. Parry Aftab for caring about teens. we love you!
a sixteen year old girl
God bless this book! It saved my daughter!.......2001-01-29
My 12 year old daughter was stalked by someone online. I went to Cyberangels for help. Parry Aftab (the author) runs Cyberangels, which is the world's largest and best safety group. This book supports the group, and after Cyberangels helped me find the stalker (someone we knew!), we bought this book to read together. My daughter and her friends in Girl Scouts are now creating an online safety club, thanks to this book, and this incredible woman. Please buy it and support online safety and protect your family online.
It's the best book on the subject, I've read them all.......2000-03-28
I read Parry's first book, and all the other ones that copied it. This is by far the best book out there. It's got every answer to every conceivable questions, easy to understand and fun to read.
I'm a teacher and need to keep up on this subject, and no book, not even her first one, comes close to this book. It feels like she is giving you free tutoring on any question you have about your kids online, right at your side.
I recommend this to all the parents at our school. Trust me on this...only buy one book - this one. And if you have any questions, e-mail Parry, she answers all of them personally. parry@aftab.com (her name)
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Alfred Hitchcock presents: Stories to stay awake by
Tales of Terror: 58 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense
Alfred Hitchcock's Witch's brew
Portraits of Murder: 47 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense (Alfred Hitchcock Mysteries)
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