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books tagged “narrative”
books tagged “narrative”
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The Accidental Asianby Eric LiuISBN 0375704868 (0-375-70486-8)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Accidental Asian'Book summary:As a second-generation Chinese-American, Eric Liu has grown up with an awkward relationship to race and ethnic identity. He can follow a conversation in Chinese, although he would have problems if he tried to take part in it; as for the written language, he is functionally illiterate. He would be the first person to question which of his personality traits are "Chinese" or "American," "Asian" or "white," or none of the above, and The Accidental Asian is, in fact, a rigorous self-examination--not merely about the costs and benefits of assimilation, but about whether assimilation should even be viewed in those terms.
Whether he's recalling his adolescent frustration with "Chinese hair" that just wouldn't permit itself to be styled, examining the history of Chinatown, or pondering the mixture of fear and fascination with which China is viewed by Americans, Liu writes with admirable personal intensity. It doesn't matter whether you consider The Accidental Asian to be a memoir or a batch of interconnected essays; once you've read it, you will be forced to consider for yourself what place, if any, race has in America today (but even more so tomorrow). [via]
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Across the Wireby Luis Alberto Urrea, John Lueders-BoothISBN 0385425309 (0-385-42530-9)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Across the Wire'Book summary:Luis Alberto Urrea's Across the Wire offers a compelling and unprecedented look at what life is like for those refugees living on the Mexican side of the bordera world that is only some twenty miles from San Diego, but that few have seen. Urrea gives us a compassionate and candid account of his work as a member and "official translator" of a crew of relief workers that provided aid to the many refugees hidden just behind the flashy tourist spots of Tijuana. His account of the struggle of these people to survive amid abject poverty, unsanitary living conditions, and the legal and political chaos that reign in the Mexican borderlands explains without a doubt the reason so many are forced to make the dangerous and illegal journey "across the wire" into the United States.
[via]
More than just an expose, Across the Wire is a tribute to the tenacity of a people who have learned to survive against the most impossible odds, and returns to these forgotten people their pride and their identity.More editions of Across the Wire:
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Among Schoolchildrenby Tracy KidderISBN 0380710897 (0-380-71089-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Among Schoolchildren'Book summary:Tracy Kidder -- the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of a New Machine and the extraordinary national bestseller House -- spent nine months in Mrs. Zajac's fifth-grade classroom in the depressed "Flats" of Holyoke, Massachusetts. For an entire year he lived among twenty schoolchildren and their indomitable, compassionate teacher -- sharings their joys, their catastrophes, and their small but essential triumphs. As a result, he has written a revealing, remarkably poignant account of education in America . . . and his most memorable, emotionally charged, and important book to date.
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Anne Frankby Doubleday StaffISBN 038542695X (0-385-42695-X)
Softcover, Doubleday Canada, Limited
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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girlby Anne Frank, B. M. Mooyaart, Eleanor RooseveltISBN 0385040199 (0-385-04019-9)
Hardcover, Doubleday Publishing
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl'Book summary:Anne Frank's diaries have always been among the most moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust. This new edition restores diary entries omitted from the original edition, revealing a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardships, and passions. Anne emerges as more real, more human, and more vital than ever. If you've never read this remarkable autobiography, do so. If you have read it, you owe it to yourself to read it again. [via]
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Aristotle's Poeticsby Aristotle, James HuttonISBN 0393952169 (0-393-95216-9)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Aristotle's Poetics'Book summary:Here is a new translation, remarkable for its accuracy and refreshing clarity of exposition, of the first major work of literary criticism.
Aristotle's doctrines are basic to every critical discussion of Greek tragedy and of other literary forms. Although the Poetics has often been denounced or rejected, such rejection is usually the result of a misunderstanding of what Aristotle says. And that is where Hutton's work is uniquely important.
Commentators have long recognized the need to view the Poetics in the context of its creation and it re-emergence in the Renaissance. Few, if any, however, have had the necessary combination of talents that James Hutton possessed as an accomplished Hellenist with a particularly strong background in Greek philosophy, a graceful stylist in English, and a leading authority on the Renaissance humanists.
To supplement his translation, Hutton has provided full explanatory and glossarial notes. In his introduction he discusses the work in terms of Aristotelian thought and its Platonic roots, thereby correcting the dogmatism that often attends study of the Poetics. The introduction also fully outlines the work's historical influence.
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The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writersby John GardnerISBN 0394504690 (0-394-50469-0)
Hardcover, Knopf Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers'Book summary:"John Gardner was famous for his generosity to young writers, and (this book) is his . . . gift to them. The Art of Fiction will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together. For the young writer, it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend."--The New York Times Book Review. From the Trade Paperback edition. [via]
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Asimov's Annotated Paradise Lostby John Milton, Isaac AsimovISBN 0385079923 (0-385-07992-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Belovedby Toni MorrisonISBN 0375704140 (0-375-70414-0)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Beloved'Book summary:Toni Morrison gently reads her own Pulitzer Prize-winning work in the unabridged version of this riveting tale of ex-slave Sethe and the beloved ghost that haunts her. While Morrison makes occasional odd pauses in her reading, what is lost in smoothness is more than made up for in quiet intensity as the author reads words obviously deeply felt. Her intimate knowledge of the characters and their motivations lends this reading an authority that helps the listener sort out the breaks in time and dialogue in this complex story of a woman coming to terms with her enslaved past and the loss of her husband and baby daughter. (Running time: 12 hours, eight cassettes) --Kimberly Heinrichs [via]
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Canterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer, V.A. Kolve, Glending OlsonISBN 0393925870 (0-393-92587-0)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Canterbury Tales'Book summary:For this new critical edition of "The Canterbury Tales", the editors have selected the most popular and admired of Chaucer's tales, together with the complete General Prologue. Each tale is presented in Chaucer's original verse but with modern spelling and substantial glossing. As with all Norton Critical Editions, "The Canterbury Tales" also includes sections on sources and backgrounds, and criticism. The Tales included are as follows: "The Knight's Tale", "The Miller's Prologue and Tale", "The Reeve's Prologue and Tale", "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale", "The Clerk's Prologue and Tale", "The Franklin's Prologue and Tale", "The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale", "The Prioress's Prologue and Tale" and "The Nun's Priest's Prologue and Tale". [via]
Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucerby Geoffrey ChaucerISBN 0385098693 (0-385-09869-3)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Chokeby Chuck PalahniukISBN 0385720920 (0-385-72092-0)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Choke'Book summary:We can more or less deduce the following of the main protagonist in Choke; Victor Mancini is a ruthless con artist. Victor Mancini is a medical school dropout who's taken a job playing an Irish indentured servant in a colonial-era theme park in order to help care for his Alzehimer's-afflicted mother. Victor Mancini is a sex addict. Victor Mancini is a direct descendant of Jesus Christ. Welcome, once again, to the world of Chuck Palahniuk.
"Art never comes from happiness" says Mancini's mother only a few pages into the novel. Given her own dicey and melodramatic style of parenting, you would think that her son's life would be chock full of nothing but art. Alas, that's not the case--in the fine tradition of Oedipus, Stephen Dedalus and Anthony Soprano, Victor hasn't quite reconciled his issues with his mother. Instead, he's trawling sexual-addiction recovery meetings for dates and purposely choking in restaurants for a few moments of attention. Longing for a hug, in other words, he's settling for the Heimlich.
Thematically, this is pretty familiar Palanhiuk territory. It would be a pity to disclose the surprises of the plot but suffice to say that what we have here is a little bit of Tom Robbins's Another Roadside Attraction, a little bit of Don DeLillo's The Day Room and, well, a little bit of Fight Club. Just as with that book and the other two novels under Palahniuk's belt, we get a smattering of gloriously unflinching sound bites, such as this sceptical slight on prayer chains: "A spiritual pyramid scheme. As if you can gang up on God. Bully him around."
Whether this is the novel that will break Palanhiuk into the mainstream is hard to say. For a fourth book, in fact, the ratio of iffy, "dude"-intensive dialogue to interesting and insightful passages is a little higher than we might wish. In the end though, the author's nerve and daring pull the whole thing off--just. And what's next for Victor Mancini's creator? Leave the last word to him, declaring as he does on the final pages: "Maybe it's our job to invent something better ... What it's going to be, I don't know." --Bob Michaels, Amazon.com [via]
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Clementine in the Kitchenby Samuel Chamberlain, Narcisse Chamberlain, Ruth ReichlISBN 0375756647 (0-375-75664-7)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Clementine in the Kitchen'Book summary:For more than a dozen years before World War II, the Chamberlain family lived and learned to eat in the tiny cathedral town of Senlis, France. Their Burgundian cook, Clémentine, presided over their kitchen in France, and later in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The alert, good-natured cuisinère is the heroine of Clémentine in the Kitchen, first published in 1943 and happily reissued in the Modern Library Food series. The book is a gem: part gastronomic diary and part cookbook (over 170 recipes are included), it also evokes, perhaps most interestingly, Clémentine's affect on a small town in pre-"gourmet" America, and its influence on her.
From the moment of Clémentine's Senlis arrival with her eloquent notebooks (containing lists of superb everyday dishes such as omelette aux fines herbs and blanquette de veau), to her preparation of extraordinary family meals, to her struggle and then triumph with American ingredients and kitchen ways, the book details the deeply shared gastronomic life led by the tiny, resourceful cook. It's a life defined by dishes, and the book includes recipes for many of Clémentine's best, including Coquilles St. Jacques au Gratin (gratinéed scallops), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails in garlic butter), Poisson à la Niçoise (fish baked with tomatoes and olive oil), and Crème Renversée (caramel custard). The recipes have been adapted for modern use by Narcisse Chamberlain, the author's daughter. Illustrated with dry points, etchings, and drawings, readers will delight in this wry yet charming tale and enjoy poring over the authentic mid-20th-century French recipes. --Arthur Boehm [via]
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The Complete Fairy Tales and Storiesby H. C. Andersen, Erik Christian HaugaardISBN 0385019017 (0-385-01901-7)
Hardcover, Random House Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories'Book summary:Translated by Erik Hougaard, this is the only version available in trade paperback that presents the fairy tales exactly as Andersen collected them in the original Danish edition in 1874. His notes accompany the text. [via]
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The Complete Grimm's Fairy Talesby Wilhelm Grimm, Brothers Grimm, James Stern, Alfred William Hunt, Josef ScharlISBN 0394494156 (0-394-49415-6)
Hardcover, Random House Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales'Book summary:210 traditional tales with accompanying explanatory and historical material. [via]
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Crossing the Danger Water: Three Hundred Years of African-American Writingby Deirdre MullaneISBN 0385422431 (0-385-42243-1)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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The Demon in the Freezer : A True Storyby Richard PrestonISBN 0375508562 (0-375-50856-2)
Hardcover, Random House Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Demon in the Freezer : A True Story'Book summary:On December 9, 1979, smallpox, the most deadly human virus, ceased to exist in nature. After eradication, it was confined to freezers located in just two places on earth: the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and the Maximum Containment Laboratory in Siberia. But these final samples were not destroyed at that time, and now secret stockpiles of smallpox surely exist. For example, since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the subsequent end of its biological weapons program, a sizeable amount of the former Soviet Union's smallpox stockpile remains unaccounted for, leading to fears that the virus has fallen into the hands of nations or terrorist groups willing to use it as a weapon. Scarier yet, some may even be trying to develop a strain that is resistant to vaccines. This disturbing reality is the focus of this fascinating, terrifying, and important book.
A longtime contributor to The New Yorker and author of the bestseller The Hot Zone, Preston is a skillful journalist whose work flows like a science fiction thriller. Based on extensive interviews with smallpox experts, health workers, and members of the U.S. intelligence community, The Demon in the Freezer details the history and behavior of the virus and how it was eventually isolated and eradicated by the heroic individuals of the World Health Organization. Preston also explains why a battle still rages between those who want to destroy all known stocks of the virus and those who want to keep some samples alive until a cure is found. This is a bitterly contentious point between scientists. Some worry that further testing will trigger a biological arms race, while others argue that more research is necessary since there are currently too few available doses of the vaccine to deal with a major outbreak. The anthrax scare of October, 2001, which Preston also writes about in this book, has served to reinforce the present dangers of biological warfare.
As Preston eloquently states in this powerful book, this scourge, once contained, was let loose again due to human weakness: "The virus's last strategy for survival was to bewitch its host and become a source of power. We could eradicate smallpox from nature, but we could not uproot the virus from the human heart." --Shawn Carkonen [via]
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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed Americaby Erik LarsonISBN 0375725601 (0-375-72560-1)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America'Book summary:Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe [via]
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The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Editionby Anne Frank, Mirjam Pressler, Otto H. FrankISBN 0385473788 (0-385-47378-8)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition'Book summary:Anne Frank's diaries have always been among the most moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust. This new edition restores diary entries omitted from the original edition, revealing a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardships, and passions. Anne emerges as more real, more human, and more vital than ever. If you've never read this remarkable autobiography, do so. If you have read it, you owe it to yourself to read it again. [via]
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Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Editonby Anne Frank, Mirjam Pressler, Otto H. Frank, Susan MassottyISBN 0385480334 (0-385-48033-4)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Editon'Book summary:The basis for and official tie-in edition to the PBS Masterpiece Classic movie titled The Diary of Anne Frank , directed by Jon Jones from a screenplay by Deborah Moggach. First airing April 11, 2010. More than fifty years after its first publication, Doubleday's definitive edition of Anne Frank's famous diary generated an extraordinary amount of excitement when it was published in early 1995. Enthusiastically received by critics and readers alike, it reigned for nine weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and will remain for all time the version that millions of readers will cherish.In a handsome package with flaps, rough front, and printed endpapers, this Anchor trade paperback will be the perfect gift for anyone who seeks insight into the indestructible nature of the human spirit. [via]
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The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Editionby Anne Frank, David Barnouw, Gerrold van der Stroom, H. J. J. Hardy, Gerrold Van Der Stroom, Barnouw. David, Arnold J. Pomerans, Susan Massotty, B. M. Mooyaart-DoubledayISBN 0385508476 (0-385-50847-6)
Hardcover, Doubleday
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition'Book summary:A comparison of the three versions of Anne Frank's diary; Anne's original entries, including never-before-published material; the diary as she herself edited it while in hiding; and the best-known version, edited by her father.
B & W photographs throughout [via]More editions of The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition:
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Everything We Hadby Al SantoliISBN 0394512693 (0-394-51269-3)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Everything We Had'Book summary:everything we had by al santoli [via]
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Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identitiesby Anna Deavere SmithISBN 0385470142 (0-385-47014-2)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities'Book summary:New Collectible Hardcover with dust jacket [via]
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For the Time Beingby Annie DillardISBN 0375703470 (0-375-70347-0)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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Grimm's Tales for Young and Oldby Ralph ManheimISBN 0385189508 (0-385-18950-8)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Grimm's Tales for Young and Old'Book summary:Ralph Manheim, the highly acclaimed and prize-winning translator, has rediscovered in the original German editions of the Grimms' works the unadorned, direct rhythm of the oral form in which they were first recorded. [via]
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Grimm's Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Storiesby Wilhelm Grimm, Jacob Grimm, Ralph ManheimISBN 0385110057 (0-385-11005-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Grimm's Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Stories'Book summary:A new and modern translation of the entire collection of folk and fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm. [via]
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Hans Andersenby H. C. Andersen, Michael Foreman, Erik Christian HaugaardISBN 0385133642 (0-385-13364-2)
Hardcover, Random House Childrens Books
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Hans Christian Andersen the Complete Fairy Tales and Storiesby H. C. Andersen, Virginia HavilandISBN 0385189516 (0-385-18951-6)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Hans Christian Andersen the Complete Fairy Tales and Stories'Book summary:Translated by Erik Hougaard, this is the only version available in trade paperback that presents the fairy tales exactly as Andersen collected them in the original Danish edition in 1874. His notes accompany the text. [via]
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The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Landby Ferenc MateISBN 0385334419 (0-385-33441-9)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Homer: The Odysseyby Homer, Robert FitzgeraldISBN 0385050402 (0-385-05040-2)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Homer: The Odyssey'Book summary:Here is a new Loeb Classical Library edition of the resplendent epic tale of Odysseus's long journey home from the Trojan War and the legendary temptations, delays, and perils he faced at every turn. Homer's classic poem features Odysseus's encounters with the beautiful nymph Calypso; the queenly but wily Circe; the Lotus-eaters, who fed his men their memory-stealing drug; the man-eating, one-eyed Cyclops; the Laestrygonian giants; the souls of the dead in Hades; the beguiling Sirens; the treacherous Scylla and Charybdis. Here, too, is the hero's faithful wife, Penelope, weaving a shroud by day and unraveling it by night, in order to thwart the numerous suitors attempting to take Odysseus's place.
The works attributed to Homer include the two oldest and greatest European epic poems, the Odyssey and Iliad. These texts have long stood in the Loeb Classical Library with a faithful and literate prose translation by A. T. Murray. George Dimock now brings the Loeb's Odyssey up to date, with a rendering that retains Murray's admirable style but is worded for today's readers. The two-volume edition includes a new introduction, notes, and index.
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The Hot Zoneby Richard PrestonISBN 0385479565 (0-385-47956-5)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hot Zone'Book summary:The dramatic and chilling story of an Ebola virus outbreak in a surburban Washington, D.C. laboratory, with descriptions of frightening historical epidemics of rare and lethal viruses. More hair-raising than anything Hollywood could think of, because it's all true. [via]
Houseby Tracy KidderISBN 0380701766 (0-380-70176-6)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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› Find signed collectible books: 'House'Book summary:In House, a New York Times hardcover bestseller for over six months, Tracy Kidder takes readers to the heart of the American dream: the building of a family's first house with all its day-to-day frustrations, crises, tensions, challenges and triumphs. [via]
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The Iliadby Robert Fitzgerald, HomerISBN 0385059418 (0-385-05941-8)
Softcover, Knopf Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Iliad'Book summary:This translation of The Iliad equals Fitzgerald's earlier Odyssey in power and imagination. It recreates the original action as conceived by Homer, using fresh and flexible blank verse that is both lyrical and dramatic. [via]
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In Search of Lost Rosesby Thomas ChristopherISBN 0380719878 (0-380-71987-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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In the Shadow of Denaliby Jonathan WatermanISBN 0385312458 (0-385-31245-8)
Softcover, Delta
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› Find signed collectible books: 'In the Shadow of Denali'Book summary:A lyrical study and celebration of North America's highest peak brings to life the stories of the men and women whose destinies have become intertwined with that of the dangerous mountain during struggles to reach its summit. [via]
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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself: An Authoritative Textby Olaudah Equiano, Werner SollorsISBN 0393974944 (0-393-97494-4)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself: An Authoritative Text'Book summary:The text of Equianos narrative presented here is that of the 1789 first edition.
It is accompanied by an introduction, maps, illustrations, and annotations. "Contexts" provides essential public writings on the autobiography, general and historical background, related travel and scientific literature, other eighteenth-century works by authors of African ancestry, and works debating the slave trade. "Criticism" includes six contemporary reviews and nine modern essays on the narrative by Paul Edwards, Charles T. Davis, Houston A. Baker, Jr., Angelo Costanzo, Catherine Obianju Acholonu, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Geraldine Murphy, Adam Potkay, and Robert J. Allison. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are included. Illustrations, maps [via]More editions of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself: An Authoritative Text:
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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassac the Africanby Olaudah Equiano, Shelly Eversley, Robert Reid-PharrISBN 0375761152 (0-375-76115-2)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassac the African'Book summary:Edited and with Notes by Shelly Eversley
Introduction by Robert Reid-Pharr
In this truly astonishing eighteenth-century memoir, Olaudah Equiano recounts his remarkable life story, which begins when he is kidnapped in Africa as a boy and sold into slavery and culminates when he has achieved renown as a British antislavery advocate. The narrative is a strikingly beautiful monument to the startling combination of skill, cunning, and plain good luck that allowed him to win his freedom, write his story, and gain international prominence, writes Robert Reid-Pharr in his Introduction. He alerts us to the very concerns that trouble modern intellectuals, black, white, and otherwise, on both sides of the Atlantic.
The text of this Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the definitive ninth edition of 1794, reflecting the authors final changes to his masterwork. [via]More editions of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassac the African:
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The Interpretation of Dreamsby Sigmund FreudISBN 0380010003 (0-380-01000-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Interpretation of Dreams'Book summary:Freud's Revolutionary Theory This ground-breaking work, which Freud considered his most valuable, forever changed the way we think. Now, in this definitive and bestselling translation by James Strachey, Freud's timeless exploration of the unconscious through the dream world is clearly and precisely rendered. Including dozens of case histories and detailed analyses of actual dreams, The Interpretation of Dreams remains an invaluable tool in helping us all discover the truth about ourselves. [via]
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Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disasterby Jon KrakauerISBN 0385494785 (0-385-49478-5)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster'Book summary:When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10,1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner , twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds...Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step by step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has his readers shaking on the edge of their seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is is about Everest that has compelled so many poeple--including himself--to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense? Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement. [via]
More editions of Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster:
- Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster: ISBN 0385492081 (0-385-49208-1)
Softcover, Knopf Publishing Group - Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster: ISBN 0375502807 (0-375-50280-7)
Hardcover, Random House Publishing Group - Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster: ISBN 0385494785 (0-385-49478-5)
Softcover, Random House Inc
- Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster: ISBN 0385492081 (0-385-49208-1)
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Jimmy Corriganby Chris WareISBN 0375714545 (0-375-71454-5)
Softcover, Pantheon Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Jimmy Corrigan'Book summary:This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.
From the Hardcover edition. [via]More editions of Jimmy Corrigan:
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Joshuaby Joseph F. GirzoneISBN 0385474210 (0-385-47421-0)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Joshua'Book summary:Joseph Girzone wrote his parable in 1983 and published it himself with neither accompanying fanfare nor expectation of the extraordinary effect it would have on people around the world. With only word-of-mouth for advertising, and by virtue of its siniple message of love, Joshua became an international force of spiritual strength. after its modest beginnings, Joshua and its sequels have millions of readers around the world and continue to bring hope and peace to all who seek nourishment. When Joshua moves to a small cabin on the edge of town, the local people are at first mystified, then confused by his presence. A quiet and simple man, Joshua appears to seek nothing for himself. He supports himself solely by carpentry and woodworking, and he charges very little for his services. Yet his work is exquisite. Even more exquisite, and even more mysterious, is the extraordinary effect he has on everyone he meets. All who come in contact with him can't help but be transformed by his incredible warmth. The acceptance and love in his eyes and in each actions amazes the townspeople. Who is Joshua and just what is he up to? The answer to that question amazes them almost as much discovery of that same transforming power in each of their own hearts. [via]
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King Ratby James ClavellISBN 0385333765 (0-385-33376-5)
Softcover, Dell Publishing
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Literature and the Godsby Roberto CalassoISBN 0375725431 (0-375-72543-1)
Softcover, Knopf Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Literature and the Gods'Book summary:Brilliant, inspired, and gloriously erudite, Literature and the Gods is the culmination of Roberto Calassos lifelong study of the gods in the human imagination. By uncovering the divine whisper that lies behind the best poetry and prose from across the centuries, Calasso gives us a renewed sense of the mystery and enchantment of great literature.
From the banishment of the classical divinities during the Age of Reason to their emancipation by the Romantics and their place in the literature of our own time, the history of the gods can also be read as a ciphered and splendid history of literary inspiration. Rewriting that story, Calasso carves out a sacred space for literature where the presence of the gods is discernible. His inquiry into the nature of absolute literature transports us to the realms of Dionysus and Orpheus, Baudelaire and Mallarmé, and prompts a lucid and impassioned defense of poetic form, even when apparently severed from any social function. Lyrical and assured, Literature and the Gods is an intensely engaging work of literary affirmation that deserves to be read alongside the masterpieces it celebrates. [via]More editions of Literature and the Gods:
Little Britchesby Ralph MoodyISBN 0393074218 (0-393-07421-8)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasonsby Marilyn HackerISBN 0393312259 (0-393-31225-9)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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A Map to the Next Worldby Joy HarjoISBN 0393320960 (0-393-32096-0)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Map to the Next World'Book summary:"This breathtakingly honest collection of writings is alive with deeply felt and beautifully expressed emotions."Wilma Mankiller
In her fifth book, Joy Harjo, one of our foremost Native American voices, melds memories, dream visions, myths, and stories from Americas brutal history into a poetic whole. [via] -
Middlemarchby George Eliot, Bert G. HornbackISBN 0393974529 (0-393-97452-9)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Middlemarch'Book summary:In a panoramic sweep of the years leading up to the First Reform Bill of 1832, George Eliot explores nearly every subject of concern to modern life: art, religion, science, politics, self, society, human relationships. Among her characters are some of the most remarkable portraits in English literature: Dorothea Brooke, the heroine, idealistic but naive; Rosamund Vincy, beautiful and egoistic; Edward Casaubon, the dry-as-dust scholar; Tertius Lydgate, the brilliant but morally flawed physician; the passionate artist, Will Ladislaw; and Fred Vincy and Mary Garth, childhood sweethearts whose charming courtship is one of the many humorous elements in the novel's comic vein. [via]
Mountains Beyond Mountainsby Tracy KidderISBN 0375506160 (0-375-50616-0)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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Narrative Means to Therapeutic Endsby Michael White, David EpstonISBN 0393700984 (0-393-70098-4)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends'Book summary:Use of letter-writing in family therapy.
White and Epston base their therapy on the assumption that people experience problems when the stories of their lives, as they or others have invented them, do not sufficiently represent their lived experience. Therapy then becomes a process of storying or restorying the lives and experiences of these people. In this way narrative comes to play a central role in therapy. Both authors share delightful examples of a storied therapy that privileges a persons lived experience, inviting a reflexive posture and encouraging a sense of authorship and reauthorship of ones experiences and relationships in the telling and retelling of ones story. [via]More editions of Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends:
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglassby Frederick DouglassISBN 0385007051 (0-385-00705-1)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass'Book summary:This dramatic autobiography of the early life of an American slave was first published in 1845, when its young author had just achieved his freedom. Douglass' eloquence gives a clear indication of the powerful principles that led him to become the first great African-American leader in the United States. [via]
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticismby Frederick Douglass, William L. Andrews, William S. McFeelyISBN 0393969665 (0-393-96966-5)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism'Book summary:Upon its publication in 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself became an immediate best-seller.
In addition to its far-reaching impact on the antislavery movement in the United States and abroad, Douglasss fugitive slave narrative won recognition for its literary excellence, which has since earned it a place among the classics of nineteenth-century American autobiography. This Norton Critical Edition reprints the 1845 first edition of Douglasss compelling work. Explanatory annotations accompany the text.
A rich selection of "Contexts" provides the reader with contemporary perspectives. Included are the little-known preface that Douglass wrote in 1846 for the second Irish edition; a public exchange of letters between A. C. C. Thompson, a former slaveholder, and Douglass; three autobiographical portraits of Douglass's parents; Douglasss account of his escape from slavery, which he chose not to include in the 1845 Narrative; samples of Douglasss use of his slave experience in two of his most influential antislavery speeches; and reminiscences by James Monroe Gregory and Elizabeth Cady Stanton of Douglass as both orator and friend.
"Criticism" collects six essential assessments of the Narratives historical and literary aspects, by William S. McFeely, Peter Ripley, Robert B. Stepto, William L. Andrews, Houston A. Baker, Jr., and Deborah E. McDowell. A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography are included. [via]More editions of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism:
Narrative Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realitiesby Gene Combs, Freedman, Jill, M.S.W.ISBN 0393702073 (0-393-70207-3)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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The Night Lives On : The Untold Stories and Secrets Behind the Sinking of the "Unsinkable" Ship - Titanic!by Walter LordISBN 0380732033 (0-380-73203-3)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Night Lives On : The Untold Stories and Secrets Behind the Sinking of the "Unsinkable" Ship - Titanic!'Book summary:You might say that Walter Lord provoked the whole Titanic mania by interviewing dozens of survivors and fashioning their reminiscences into the classic non-fiction novel A Night to Remember, which was made into a 1958 film that heavily influenced James Cameron's 1998 epic. Some of the dialogue is more vivid than the 1998 film--when a kid sees the deadly iceberg, he says excitedly, "Oh, Muddie, look at the beautiful North Pole with no Santa Claus on it."
But much has been discovered since Lord's original book made waves--such as the shipwreck itself, and a wealth of scientific inquiry. So he wrote this semisequel, which tackles each of the remaining mysteries about the unnecessary calamity in a methodical, but quite readable, fashion. How come the wireless operators blew it so fatally? Maybe they would have had better operators if they paid them more than $5 a week--as Lord notes, it would have taken a wireless operator 18 years to earn one transatlantic ticket. How come the Californian just sat there in nearby waters and neglected to save anyone on the frantically signaling and flare-firing Titanic? Lord quotes a man on the nonsinking ship admitting to "a certain amount of slackness," which he uses for a sardonic chapter title.
Some of the characters are more sympathetic, such as Renee Harris, who used the money she won suing the Titanic owners for her husband's death to bankroll neophyte playwright Moss Hart's first show. Lord says that Hart's memoir, Act One, depicts Harris reacting to an opening-night flop with optimism. After you've survived the Titanic, what's to worry?
Walter Lord has gotten better reviews, and he needn't fret about his reputation. The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara Tuchman, author of A Distant Mirror, had this reaction to Night Lives On: "Stunning ... his detection and discoveries make a first-class historical reconstruction and a model in the research and writing of that difficult art." --Tim Appelo [via]
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The Odysseyby Homer, Albert Spaulding CookISBN 0393007448 (0-393-00744-8)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Odyssey'Book summary:The Second Edition of this Norton Critical Edition continues to be based on Albert Cook's translation, widely acclaimed for its poetic phrasing and linguistic accuracy.The English translation of Homer's masterpiece matches the Greek line for line; no other translation is more faithful to the original. The result is a melodic version that preserves Homer's style. A glossary and a map of the Greek world accompany the text. The Odyssey in Antiquity provides contextual materials and commentary to increase readers' appreciation for literature and life in the Homeric age. A collection of nine assessments of The Odyssey by ancient and medieval writers, including Pindar, Aristotle, Seneca, and Scholia, is featured. Essays by G. S. Kirk and Martin P. Nilsson, respectively, discuss poetic conventions and the socioreligious order Homer depicts. Criticism provides sixteen wide-ranging interpretations of The Odyssey. Included are seminal essays by Jean Racine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Ezra Pound, Cedric H. Whitman, and A. C. Goodson. Albert Cook, Elizabeth Storz, Norman Austin, and John Peradotto provide new perspectives on the poem. An updated Selected Bibliography is also included. [via]
More editions of The Odyssey:
- The Odyssey: ISBN 0393964051 (0-393-96405-1)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc - The Odyssey: ISBN 0393041336 (0-393-04133-6)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc - The Odyssey: ISBN 0393099717 (0-393-09971-7)
Softcover, Norton - The Odyssey: ISBN 0393041611 (0-393-04161-1)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc - The Odyssey: ISBN 0393007448 (0-393-00744-8)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
- The Odyssey: ISBN 0393964051 (0-393-96405-1)
Paradiseby Toni MorrisonISBN 0375702172 (0-375-70217-2)
Softcover, Random House Large Print
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Paradise Lostby Scott Elledge, John MiltonISBN 0393962938 (0-393-96293-8)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Paradise Lost'Book summary:This is the second edition of the "Norton Critical Edition" of Milton's "Paradise Lost". It represents an extensive revision of the first edition. The text of the poem remains that of Milton's 1674 edition, retaining the original punctuation but with modernized spelling and italics. Material for the study of contemporary religious and political issues is now included, as well as selections from his earlier poetry and prose. [via]
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Paradise Lostby John Milton, Gordon TeskeyISBN 0393924289 (0-393-92428-9)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Paradise Lost'Book summary:This Norton Critical Edition is designed to make Paradise Lost accessible for student readers, providing invaluable contextual and biographical information and the tools students need to think critically about this landmark epic.
Gordon Teskey's freshly edited text of Milton's masterpiece is accompanied by a new introduction and substantial explanatory annotations. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized, the latter, importantly, within the limits imposed by Miltons syntax. "Sources and Backgrounds" collects relevant passages from the Bible and Miltons prose writings, including selections from The Reason of Church Government and the full text of Areopagitica. "Criticism" brings together classic interpretations by Andrew Marvell, John Dryden, Victor Hugo, and T. S. Eliot, among others, and the most important recent criticism and scholarship surrounding the epic, including essays by Northrop Frye, Barbara Lewalski, Christopher Ricks, and Helen Vendler. A Glossary and Selected Bibliography are also included. [via]More editions of Paradise Lost:
Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Seaby Sebastian JungerISBN 039304016X (0-393-04016-X)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea'Book summary:Meteorologists called the storm that hit North America's eastern seaboard in October 1991 a "perfect storm" because of the rare combination of factors that created it. For everyone else, it was perfect hell. In The Perfect Storm, author Sebastian Junger conjures for the reader the meteorological conditions that created the "storm of the century" and the impact the storm had on many of the people caught in it. Chief among these are the six crew members of the swordfish boat the Andrea Gail, all of whom were lost 500 miles from home beneath roiling seas and high waves. Working from published material, radio dialogues, eyewitness accounts, and the experiences of people who have survived similar events, Junger attempts to re-create the last moments of the Andrea Gail as well as the perilous high-seas rescues of other victims of the storm.
Like a Greek drama, The Perfect Storm builds slowly and inexorably to its tragic climax. The book weaves the history of the fishing industry and the science of predicting storms into the quotidian lives of those aboard the Andrea Gail and of others who would soon find themselves in the fury of the storm. Junger does a remarkable job of explaining a convergence of meteorological and human events in terms that make them both comprehensible and unforgettable. [via]
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The Power of Mythby Joseph Campbell, Bill D. Moyers, Betty S. FlowersISBN 0385247745 (0-385-24774-5)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Power of Myth'Book summary:Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of The Power of Myth, showing how humans are apt to create and live out the themes of mythology. Based on a six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this classic is especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format, creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics. For example, when discussing the mythology of heroes, Campbell and Moyers smoothly segue from the Sumerian sky goddess Inanna to Star Wars' mercenary-turned-hero, Han Solo. Most impressive is Campbell's encyclopedic knowledge of myths, demonstrated in his ability to recall the details and archetypes of almost any story, from any point and history, and translate it into a lesson for spiritual living in the here and now. --Gail Hudson [via]
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Rascalby Sterling NorthISBN 0380015188 (0-380-01518-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Rascal'Book summary:FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Puffin Modern Classics edition. [via]
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Rocket Boys: A Memoirby Homer HickamISBN 0385333218 (0-385-33321-8)
Softcover, Delta
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Rocket Boys: A Memoir'Book summary:Inspired by Werner von Braun and his Cape Canaveral team, 14-year-old Homer Hickam decided in 1957 to build his own rockets. They were his ticket out of Coalwood, West Virginia, a mining town that everyone knew was dying--everyone except Sonny's father, the mine superintendent and a company man so dedicated that his family rarely saw him. Hickam's smart, iconoclastic mother wanted her son to become something more than a miner and, along with a female science teacher, encouraged the efforts of his grandiosely named Big Creek Missile Agency. He grew up to be a NASA engineer and his memoir of the bumpy ride toward a gold medal at the National Science Fair in 1960--an unprecedented honor for a miner's kid--is rich in humor as well as warm sentiment. Hickam vividly evokes a world of close communal ties in which a storekeeper who sold him saltpeter warned, "Listen, rocket boy. This stuff can blow you to kingdom come." Hickam is candid about the deep disagreements and tensions in his parents' marriage, even as he movingly depicts their quiet loyalty to each other. The portrait of his ultimately successful campaign to win his aloof father's respect is equally affecting. --Wendy Smith [via]
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Seabiscuit: An American Legendby Laura HillenbrandISBN 0375502912 (0-375-50291-2)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Seabiscuit: An American Legend'Book summary:He didn't look like much. With his smallish stature, knobby knees, and slightly crooked forelegs, he looked more like a cow pony than a thoroughbred. But looks aren't everything; his quality, an admirer once wrote, "was mostly in his heart." Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of the horse who became a cultural icon in Seabiscuit: An American Legend.
Seabiscuit rose to prominence with the help of an unlikely triumvirate: owner Charles Howard, an automobile baron who once declared that "the day of the horse is past"; trainer Tom Smith, a man who "had cultivated an almost mystical communication with horses"; and jockey Red Pollard, who was down on his luck when he charmed a then-surly horse with his calm demeanor and a sugar cube. Hillenbrand details the ups and downs of "team Seabiscuit," from early training sessions to record-breaking victories, and from serious injury to "Horse of the Year"--as well as the Biscuit's fabled rivalry with War Admiral. She also describes the world of horseracing in the 1930s, from the snobbery of Eastern journalists regarding Western horses and public fascination with the great thoroughbreds to the jockeys' torturous weight-loss regimens, including saunas in rubber suits, strong purgatives, even tapeworms.
Along the way, Hillenbrand paints wonderful images: tears in Tom Smith's eyes as his hero, legendary trainer James Fitzsimmons, asked to hold Seabiscuit's bridle while the horse was saddled; critically injured Red Pollard, whose chest was crushed in a racing accident a few weeks before, listening to the San Antonio Handicap from his hospital bed, cheering "Get going, Biscuit! Get 'em, you old devil!"; Seabiscuit happily posing for photographers for several minutes on end; other horses refusing to work out with Seabiscuit because he teased and taunted them with his blistering speed.
Though sometimes her prose takes on a distinctly purple hue ("His history had the ethereal quality of hoofprints in windblown snow"; "The California sunlight had the pewter cast of a declining season"), Hillenbrand has crafted a delightful book. Wire to wire, Seabiscuit is a winner. Highly recommended. --Sunny Delaney [via]
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Song Of Solomonby Toni MorrisonISBN 0394497848 (0-394-49784-8)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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The Soul of a New Machineby Tracy KidderISBN 038071115X (0-380-71115-X)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Soul of a New Machine'Book summary:The computer revolution brought with it new methods of getting work done--just look at today's news for reports of hard-driven, highly-motivated young software and online commerce developers who sacrifice evenings and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, The Soul of a New Machine, tells stories of 35-year-old "veteran" engineers hiring recent college graduates and encouraging them to work harder and faster on complex and difficult projects, exploiting the youngsters' ignorance of normal scheduling processes while engendering a new kind of work ethic.
These days, we are used to the "total commitment" philosophy of managing technical creation, but Kidder was surprised and even a little alarmed at the obsessions and compulsions he found. From in-house political struggles to workers being permitted to tease management to marathon 24-hour work sessions, The Soul of a New Machine explores concepts that already seem familiar, even old-hat, less than 20 years later. Kidder plainly admires his subjects; while he admits to hopeless confusion about their work, he finds their dedication heroic. The reader wonders, though, what will become of it all, now and in the future. --Rob Lightner [via]
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Talk to Me: Travels in Media and Politicsby Anna Deavere SmithISBN 0385721749 (0-385-72174-9)
Softcover, Anchor Books
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The Vanishing Hitchhikerby Jan Harold BrunvandISBN 0393951693 (0-393-95169-3)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Vanishing Hitchhiker'Book summary:The book that launched America's urban legend obsession!The Vanishing Hitchhiker was Professor Brunvand's first popular book on urban legends, and it remains a classic. The culmination of twenty years of collection and research, this book is a must-have for urban legend lovers. [via]
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Walden and Resistance to Civil Governmentby Henry David Thoreau, Owen Thomas, William RossiISBN 0393959058 (0-393-95905-8)
Softcover, Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Walden and Resistance to Civil Government'Book summary:On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into the cabin he had built on the shore of Walden Pond, thus beginning the most famous experiment in simple living in American history. On the 150th anniversary of that event, Houghton Mifflin, successor to Thoreau's original publisher, is proud to publish a new edition of Walden, annotated by the distinguished Thoreau scholar Walter Harding and illustrated with Thoreau's own drawings. Even those who have read Walden many times will find much that is new in this edition, and those reading the book for the first time will discover why it has changed the lives of generations of readers. [via]
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Walden; Or, Life in the Woodsby Henry David ThoreauISBN 0385095031 (0-385-09503-1)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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White Teeth: A Novelby Zadie SmithISBN 0375703861 (0-375-70386-1)
Softcover, Alfred a Knopf Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'White Teeth: Reader's Companion'Book summary:On New Year's morning, 1975, Archie Jones sits in his car on a London road and waits for the exhaust fumes to fill his Cavalier Musketeer station wagon. Archie--working-class, ordinary, a failed marriage under his belt--is calling it quits, the deciding factor being the flip of a 20-pence coin. When the owner of a nearby halal butcher shop (annoyed that Archie's car is blocking his delivery area) comes out and bangs on the window, he gives Archie another chance at life and sets in motion this richly imagined, uproariously funny novel. Epic and intimate, hilarious and poignant, White Teeth is the story of two North London families--one headed by Archie, the other by Archie's best friend, a Muslim Bengali named Samad Iqbal. Pals since they served together in World War II, Archie and Samad are a decidedly unlikely pair. Plodding Archie is typical in every way until he marries Clara, a beautiful, toothless Jamaican woman half his age, and the couple have a daughter named Irie (the Jamaican word for "no problem"). Samad--devoutly Muslim, hopelessly "foreign"--weds the feisty and always suspicious Alsana in a prearranged union. They have twin sons named Millat and Magid, one a pot-smoking punk-cum-militant Muslim and the other an insufferable science nerd. The riotous and tortured histories of the Joneses and the Iqbals are fundamentally intertwined, capturing an empire's worth of cultural identity, history, and hope.Zadie Smith's dazzling first novel plays out its bounding, vibrant course in a Jamaican hair salon in North London, an Indian restaurant in Leicester Square, an Irish poolroom turned immigrant café, a liberal public school, a sleek science institute. A winning debut in every respect, White Teeth marks the arrival of a wondrously talented writer who takes on the big themes--faith, race, gender, history, and culture--and triumphs. [via]
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Wide Sargasso Seaby Jean RhysISBN 0393308804 (0-393-30880-4)
Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Wide Sargasso Sea'Book summary:Written over the course of twenty-one years and published in 1966, Wide Sargasso Sea, based on Charlotte Brontës Jane Eyre, takes place in Jamaica and Dominica in 183945.
Textual notes illuminate the novels historical background, regional references, and the non-translated Creole and French phrases necessary to fully understand this powerful story. Backgrounds includes a wealth of material on the novels long evolution, it connections to Jane Eyre, and Rhyss biographical impressions of growing up in Dominica. Criticism introduces readers to the critical debates inspired by the novel with a Derek Walcott poem and eleven essays. [via] 
Writing a Woman's Lifeby Carolyn G. HeilbrunISBN 0393026019 (0-393-02601-9)
Hardcover, W W Norton & Co Inc
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The Years of the Forestby Helen HooverISBN 0394475380 (0-394-47538-0)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Years of the Forest'Book summary:A down-to-earth (and delightful) book about wilderness living and nature adventure by the author of The Gift of the Deer and A Place in the Woods [via]
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