Even cowgirls get the blues

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Not Free SF Reader

on and on and on and on

Form over Function

two freakishly large thumbs up

Literary Review

Even cowgirls get the blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 039524305X

Book Description

Sissy Hankshaw, an almost flawlessly beautiful small-town girl with big-time dreams, hitchhikes her way into your heart, your hopes, and your sleeping bag in Tom Robbins's magical, funny, and most famous novel. Follow Sissy's amazing odyssey from Virginia to chic Manhattan to the Dakota Badlands, where FBI agents, cowgirls, and ecstatic whooping cranes explode in a deliciously drawn-out climax. This is Tom Robbins at his offbeat, outrageous, and inventive best.

Download Description

Starring: Sissy Hanshaw -- flawlessly beautiful, almost. A small-town girl with big-time dreams and a quirk to match -- hitchhiking her way into your heart, your hopes, and your sleeping bags...

Featuring: Bonanza Jellybean and the smooth-riding cowgirls of Rubber Rose Ranch; Chink, lascivious guru of yams and yang; Julian, Mohawk by birth -- asthmatic esthete and husband by disposition; Dr. Robbins, preventive psychiatrist and reality instructor...

Follow Sissy's amazing odyssey from Virginia to chic Manhattan to the Dakota Badlands, where FBI agents, cowgirls, and ecstatic whooping cranes explode in a deliciously drawn-out climax...

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This is more of Robbins' whacky silliness, with a woman touring all over the place to find someone compatible and display her jeans to best advantage.

She ends up encountering other odd characters in her quest to find out where she fits in, and what this shagging thing is all about.

on and on and on and on.......2006-09-10

I got this book because it was highly recommended by a college professor. I thought that it was entirely too wordy. I would skip through paragraphs because it was just too much. I thought the story plot was interesting and could have been fun to read, but Tom Robbins came off sounding pretentious because of his overuse of words. It could have been much better.

Form over Function.......2006-05-16

The language is beautiful in form. Inspirational is the best way to describe his ability to describe any one moment. The internal mechanisms that move a story from one moment to the next is what was painfully absent. The main driving force of plot was overt sexual tension. Once this aspect had reached its climax early in the novel there was little holding my attention. I put the book down not knowing what became of the Chink or any of the Cowgirls.
Is literature supposed to have a point or not? There are works of art that are beauty in of themselves, and only for themselves, and represent a voice that was never heard of before. Then there are pieces of art and literature whose point is to edify through illustration, explanation or even catharis. This work was absent of any meaningful satire that I could discern. Robbin's strength here was in his unique way of illustrating with words.
I believe an earlier reviewer used the words "literary masturbation." Perfect discription.
Sadly, this was my first exposure to T. Robbins. Doubt if I will try again any time soon. I do get Cinemax afterall.

two freakishly large thumbs up.......2006-04-18

A young lady with fantastically large thumbs. An all female ranch. Roundabout routes to self-descovery, hitchiking and whooping cranes. The troublesome part about reading "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" is twofold. The first is that you cannot put it down. The second is, having subjected yourself to such a large dose of Robbins trippy, meandering style, you begin to think like him. Worse, you begin to talk the way he writes. One moment, you're having a perfectly lucid conversation with the boss about deadlines, the next, you're babbling incongruously about the average rectal temperature of the hummingbird.
The novel moves along with the crazy, fast-and-slow pace of an acid trip. As a reader, you bounce and groove along with the story as though you were clinging to the side of a raft in rough seas.
Robbins has mastery over his readers, and "Cowgirls" is the book that welcomed me into his twisted world. The uniqueness of his writing style is apparent from page one. You might advance to page three just out of some perverse curiosity about this strange, gushing style. After that Robbins owns you. Thumbelina owns you, as she hitches away around the country with those freakishly sexy thumbs.
That's another thing about Robbins. Things that shouldn't be funny are hilarious. Things that shouldn't be sexy are... well. You get my point. Read the book.

Literary Review.......2006-04-06

Well, I could say a lot about this book; however, one thing I'll say is that it's just a little wordy for me. Too much explanation. I guess I could say four more words: Confused About The Hype.

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EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES
TOM ROBBINS
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0553101161

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Manufacturer: A Bantam Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0553143719

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Robbins does it again

Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553126830

Product Description

Starring- Sissy Hankshaw-- flawlessly beautiful, almost. A small-town girl with big time dreams and a quirk to match-- hitchhiking her way into your heart, your hopes and your sleeping bag....

Customer Reviews:

Robbins does it again.......2004-09-10

Robbins' poetic command of our fine language is never been so clear. While remaining wildly entertaining, you find yourself more intrigued by Robbins's prose than the actual storyline. I would highly recommend this novel to any reader that is interested in more than a mere "beach book."

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000O2RMCS

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Harold Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PBXGF0

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SQXN8C

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam Dell Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY2QT6

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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbins
Manufacturer: Corgi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000IZBEY8

Product Description

Issued as a paperback original in the U.K.

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Even Cowgirls get the Blues
Michael Nouri
Manufacturer: Dove Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000P8ZLJ2

Book Description

In her seventeenth book adventure, bestselling author Jessica Fletcher travels to Provence for some haute cuisine, and becomes embroiled in a culinary murder mystery.

Customer Reviews:

still the best.......2005-09-03

i truly truly enjoyed this book, every page was exciting. JB i love ya thanks.....................

A cozy retreat.......2004-10-29

I love the Murder She Wrote series, and "Provence--to die for," is no exception. I enjoyed the characters and setting for this entry in the series. Jessica travels to Provence, France, where she hopes to spend quiet time away from home. But murder follows her, as usual, and her reverie is cut short. Donald Bain and his wife, Renee, have continued a series adored by millions, and hope they persevere with Jessica's fun, and sometimes dangerous travels. Jessica Fletcher is my favorite detective in the business! I only wish she was a real person. I'd love to meet her one day!

Jessica is in France with a famous chief........2003-02-23

Although I prefer the setting of the Murder She Wrote novels in Cabot Cove, I just say that this is one of my favories. It's interesting and filled with French culture and wonderful food! Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Visit Provence with caution!.......2002-06-20

The older Jessica gets, the more wiser she becomes. "Provence To Die For" is one of the most mysterious books in the Murder She Wrote series. Traveling to an unfamiliar country in Jessica's latest adventure, so many readers will wish they were there with her as she stumbles upon clue after clue trying to right a wrong of a clever culprit. I couldn't put the book down, as I was taking it with me where ever I went. Chapter Three is my favorite chapter, as it depicts Jessica on a dark and lonley farmhouse surrounded with strange noises--or is it only the wind? This book is a page turner, as many readers will agree, and the best in the series. That's hard for me to acknowledge because of the earlier works by Donald Bain, and which I enjoyed immensely--"Brandy and Bullets," "A Deadly Judgment," "A Palette For Murder," "The Highland Fling Murders," "Murder on the QE2," "Murder in Moscow," "A Little Yuletide Murder," and "Knock 'em Dead."

Murder Most Excellent!.......2002-05-29

Yet another great book in the Murder She Wrote series, again a great sense of atmosphere is created with people and places so vividly described you could almost be there, roll on the next in the series!

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Murder She Wrote : Provence to Die For
Jessica; Bain, Donald Fletcher
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NZQOP2

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4 Titles Murder, She Wrote Series : Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch Provence - to Die for Majoring in Murder Destination Murder

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4 Titles Murder, She Wrote Series : Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch Provence - to Die for Majoring in Murder Destination Murder
Jessica Fletcher , and Donald Bain
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000RJQBBQ

Product Description

multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

Provence--To Die for: A Murder, She Wrote Mystery: A Novel

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Provence--To Die for: A Murder, She Wrote Mystery: A Novel
Donald Bain
Manufacturer: Wheeler Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Her Immortal Soul
Julien Longo
Manufacturer: Lost Coast Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction & Fantasy | Literature & Fiction | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1882897838

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A Mirror for Witches - In Which is Reflected the Life, Machinations, and Death of Famous Doll Bilby, Who, With A More Than Feminine Perversity, Preferred a Demon to a Mortal Love. Here is Also Told How and Why a Righteous and Most Awfull Judgement Befell Her, Destroying Both Corporeal Body and Immortal Soul.
Esther Forbes
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRTCT8

Book Description

Completely updated, this new edition of Scale Down offers a balanced, realistic approach to good health incorporating both spiritual principles and practical diet and fitness habits.

Customer Reviews:

Balance in all aspects of our life.......2005-11-15

This book is great. A fresh perspective on BALANCE in these important dimensions of life. The author's insights into improving our health in all aspects of our lives are tangibly helpful, with immediate and "doable" tips in implementing her suggestions. Her personal stories humanize her, bring credibility to her teaching, and offer hope to those who might struggle in similar areas. I disagree with the critic who said she spiritualizes too much... I wish she had more! For us NOT to see the challenging areas of our lives with anything BUT spiritual eyes is folly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to be healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Great book... I'll never be fat again!!.......2005-11-14

Danna's insights are refreshing. She truly seems to understand women's battle with weight in a society that glorifies unhealthy, stick-thin models. What she teaches is TRUTH about how we can lose weight permanently through healthy lifestyle change -- not expensive pills or weird diets. It worked for me and I don't think I'll ever be fat again!

I especially appreciate Danna's transparency about her personal struggles, including marital infidelity. What a great example of helping women see who we are and where we find our identity. So often, we find it in a man, a job, our stuff, our looks or our weight. Because she was secure in her identity in Christ, it didn't change who she was when her husband was unfaithful or even if her weight was over the top. I think a lot of women can benefit from this healthy way of dealing with this all too common heartbreaking issue. While marriages don't always survive, she shows it is possible. She brings hope and I commend her vulnerability. Her teaching is practical and biblical and a fun read. She's right on! GET THIS BOOK!!

Great Book!.......2004-04-23

I highly recommend this book. Danna explains the connection between body, soul, and spirit. The key to being successful is changing the way we think. Fantastic book!

heard it before.......2004-03-02

Demetre rehashes many things we've already heard before about how to win the weight wars. She spiritualizes everything, though. The book is kind of cliched and I was dismayed at the inclusion of her husband's infidelity in a book about weight loss. I couldn't see the point in divulging that in a book like this. That was a turn-off. At least we got to hear how gracious and forgiving she was to him. Self-serving with no new insights.

A Book for LifeStyle SUCCESS!!!.......2003-05-20

FINALLY a book for those of us sick of "miracle pills", supplements, meal plans, meal "dials" and confusing books!!! Demetre details her journey of bulemia and compulsive eating and combines it with her profession as a nurse, her 25 years in the fitness industry and her devotion to Jesus Christ, to give us a book that finally makes sense. Her passion for this subject is evident as she provides real-life illustrations to assist us in achieving our goals. But what makes this book different is her Biblically-based solutions to the problems we all are confronted with on a daily basis. By giving us God's Truth, we can rest assured that this is "not just another program". This book is formatted well and is very easy to read. If you want the TRUTH, and to be the person that God intended for you to be, THIS IS THE BOOK TO BUY!!!

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THE perfect holiday gift.

Alone on the West Coast

put this in your "toolbox"!

Excellent book for the beginner and expert bartender

The New New York Bartender's Guide (Essential Connoisseur)
Sally Ann Berk , and Jr., George Wieser
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Bartending | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Complete World Bartender Guide: The Standard Reference to More than 2,400 Drinks

ASIN: 1579120059

Book Description

Revised and updated to include the newest and latest drinks, this easy-to-use, fully illustrated guide presents nearly 1,300 recipes for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, organized alphabetically and indexed by ingredient for quick reference.

Customer Reviews:

THE perfect holiday gift........2004-12-23

This is an excellent book, with over 1,300 recipes, including non-alcoholic. Also includes tips on glassware, measurements, ingredients, stocking your home bar, a wine guide, and more.

"You can't find anywhere if it's not in New York!" Served with class!

Alone on the West Coast.......2001-02-16

The book is a fantastic collection of the most popular East Coast drinks, and I use it often, but it lacks a West Coast feel, and severl drinks from it. It's a great starter book, though.

put this in your "toolbox"!.......2000-12-31

This is just a good "tool" to have around your house. Even if you don't throw any parties this year (or any year), it will come in handy, whether you want a good martini recipe or if the evening calls for something silly like "Alabama Slamma's".

The book is easy to use, and will be well-enjoyed by the adventuresome who are looking for a buzz more refined than a "sixer of bud."

I have also given this book to a couple of friends who are normally difficult to shop for on their birthdays, and they both loved it. Cheers!

Excellent book for the beginner and expert bartender.......1998-08-05

This is an excellent book for the professional bartender to the home partier. The drink list is unlimited; it's filled with the most popular and most unlikely drinks, it will keep your guests entertained for hours. It does lack a "shooters" section, but overall it is great.

The New York Bartender's Guide: 1300 Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home

Average customer rating:

The New York Bartender's Guide
Awesome Book, Awesome Seller!
Plenty of recepies
The most concise and coherent spirit book I've seen...
Great reference to ingredients and how-to guide.

The New York Bartender's Guide: 1300 Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home
Sally Ann Berk
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Bartending | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1579124704

Book Description

Newly revised and expanded, The New York Bartender’s Guide includes even more tips, trends, and tasty recipes from the hottest bars in New York City. Featuring more than 1,300 alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes, there’s something here for everyone, whether it’s the hottest vodka cocktail or the most traditional egg cream. Find out the latest trends from top bartenders, get tips on how to serve drinks either professionally or at home, and make some of the most delicious potables New York City has to offer.

Customer Reviews:

The New York Bartender's Guide.......2007-05-13

Great book for people wanting to learn how to mix many different drinks.

Awesome Book, Awesome Seller!.......2007-02-12

Would love to make business again. Shipping was great, product arrived in conditions as described!! Great Seller!!

Plenty of recepies.......2005-03-14

I think I have a bit older version of the book, but anyway I find it rather good. There are plenty of recepies, though many sorts of drinks are included in only one single recipe. For example Grappa (I have finally found it) is used for only one coctail. And many other simmilar examples. Other thing I do not like is the format. Many times I had to find something heavy enough to press the book and to keep it open, and then to put the same thing on the closed book in order to press it back. The refernce could have been done better as well. But anyway, this is my first book of this type and I found it much better of anything else I could find at that moment. Even now it is in top 3 of my choice. Plenty of good coctails of all kinds (no shooters!!!), nice pictures (not for all coctails), and great variety of ingredients used.

The most concise and coherent spirit book I've seen..........1997-10-21

The New York Bartender's Guide is the simplest of its type. I've been using the Mr. Boston book for years now, and find that the 'NY' does just as well, if not better because it is more up to date, and allows for easier referencing. I recommend this book highly if you are the type who likes to try new things!

Great reference to ingredients and how-to guide........1997-06-17

This book is great for anyone wanting to learn more about making new drinks, finding out about old ones, or for a general reference guide. Has a lot of good solid information

New York Bartender's Guide: Fifty Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home

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New York Bartender's Guide: Fifty Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home
Sally Ann Berk
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bartending | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1579122655

Book Description

Introducing a new series of clever little boxes with tops that slide off to reveal a deck of 52 cards inside. Each card features a recipe and detailed instructions on one side, and a rich, full-color photograph on the other.

New York Bartender's Guide contains the most popular and palate-pleasing bar drinks, along with preparation and bartending tips, are included in this pack. Color photographs guarantee perfection every time.

Average customer rating:

Great book for the home bartender

New York Bartender's Guide

Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: 1579122485

Customer Reviews:

Great book for the home bartender.......2006-10-02

We stumbled across this book purely by accident; while neither of us are bartenders, this book is GREAT to have around if you're looking for something wild or new to serve up for your friends at dinner or a party. A lot of really great recipes, and the gold edged pages and leather cover make it a nice book to show off. Remember to drink responsibly!

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The New York Bartender's Guide
Ann Sally (editor) Berk
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OFJC5A

Average customer rating:

New York Bartender's Guide
Sally Ann Berk
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MC2QKS

Average customer rating:

New York Bartender's Guide: Fifty Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home
Sally Ann Berk
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MC15OQ

Book Description

In A Splendor of Letters, Nicholas A. Basbanes continues the lively, richly anecdotal exploration of book people, places, and culture he began in 1995 with A Gentle Madness (a finalist that year for the National Book Critics Circle Award) and expanded in 2001 with Patience & Fortitude, a companion work that prompted the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer David McCullough to proclaim him "the leading authority of books about books."

Basbanes now offers a consideration of the many pressing issues that surround the role of books in contemporary society, such as the willful destruction of books and libraries in Sarajevo, Tibet, and Cambodia, and the spirited efforts to restore them. The matter of "discards" at various libraries takes on an entirely new dimension as well, with fully researched stories about the kind of attitudes that may lead to the loss of “last copies” of important works.

In vivid detail, Basbanes examines the many materials that have been used over the centuries to record information -- among them clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, slabs of stone, palm leaves, animal skins, and hammered sheets of gold and copper. Also discussed are the various debates that continue to rage about preservation, which may mean saving and storing books on paper indefinitely, or as electronic data, which are by nature ephemeral.

In this beautifully packaged edition, Nicholas Basbanes brings to a close his wonderful trilogy on the remarkable world of books and bibliophiles.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing study of issues critical to bibliophiles.......2004-04-14

A Splendor Of Letters: The Permanence Of Books In An Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes is an absorbing contemplation of issues concerning books in contemporary society, ranging from the destruction of books and libraries in Sarajevo, Tibet, and Cambodia; to the matter of "discards" at various libraries; the many types of materials used to record information from ancient times down to the modern day; debates about preservation whether in regard to storing books on paper or keeping them in electronic format; and so much more. An amazing study of issues critical to bibliophiles worldwide today, A Splendor Of Letters is a seminal and impressive work which is most especially recommended to the attention of dedicated bibliophiles, cultural historians, and Library Science reference collections.

The Last of a Splendid Trilogy.......2004-01-28

Nicholas Basbanes has enriched the lives of bibliophiles with his A Gentle Madness and Patience and Fortitude, the first two volumes in this trilogy devoted to books and the people who love them. He has now brought the trilogy to a close with A Splendor of Letters, which is just as fascinating as either of the first two volumes.

A Splendor of Letters is a wide ranging look at many aspects of the book world. History is served through an examination of several attempts to destroy the written word, from Nazi Germany to Pol Pot's Cambodia; and with happier stories of archaeologists' rediscoveries of ancient libraries. More stories of book collectors of the sort that made A Gentle Madness so interesting are also provided, as is more material on the problems libraries and collections have when they run out of space and must determine what to do with the overflow, which was a major topic in Patience and Fortitude. The main thrust of A Splendor of Letters, however, is a defense of the book in its traditional form against those who would proclaim its death at the hands of technology.

As with all of Mr. Basbanes' works (which also include Among the Gently Mad, A Primer for Book Collectors), the fascinating material is enhanced by the beauty of the writing. No book lover should pass this by.

A Work Of Learning And Passion Celebrating The Written Word.......2004-01-13

Reading the works of Nicholas A. Basbanes is somewhat like attending a series of lectures by a master professor, one who loves his subject passionately and seems to know every aspect of it. In this volume, as in the preceding works of his trilogy, Mr. Basbanes takes you around the world and back in forth in time, yet the journey always has a constant purpose: to explore the many ways in which humankind has transmitted its thoughts in written form.

A central theme of this work is the many assaults on the written word through the ages, and their ultimate triumph of survival. From the destruction of Carthage to the Nazi book-burnings and the more recent destruction of libraries in Tibet, Cambodia, Sarajevo, the written word has again and again been one of the prime targets for those who wish to subjugate a people. Yet for all that has been lost through violence and neglect, much has been preserved.

Here Basbanes turns to threats to books of a different sort--libraries discarding little-used volumes because of space issues, or various electronic technologies that have been heralded as being the replacement for the codex, or bound book, as we have known it for centuries. Yet the book endures, and if enough people with the passion of Nicholas A. Basbanes are around, it should endure for countless years to come.

This book and its two predecessors represents an educational, entertaining and thought-provoking distillation of a career spent learning about and celebrating the written word. Although "A Splendor of Letters" marks the completion of his trilogy, I hope this will not be the last word Mr. Basbanes has to share on the subject. And I'm sure many other readers feel the same way.--William C. Hall

Excellence in the Finale.......2003-12-28

I've truly enjoyed Mr. Basbanes books and this one is no exception. Mr. Basbanes is clearly in love with the written word, even as it happens to be found in between the covers of the book we've come to recognize. As Bookreporter.com remarked, this book can be somewhat disjointed, but it's one of the reasons I fell into reading it with such joy.

This book isn't a scholarly work in the sense that it will bore the eyebrows off of you. To those persons I read sections, they found the material intriguing and interesting. Two of those persons are now on a waiting list at the local library to read it. (Which is quite astonishing when one considers that these persons aren't regular book readers, let alone a bibliophile as I am...)

I certainly cannot bring any additional information to the excellent review by Bookreporter.com. As someone who loves reading, books, words, etc. I feel that those persons that own Basbanes' first books in the trilogy, this final book wouldn't be a waste of your time and money to add it to your collection.

"A Splendor of Letters" is entertaining, informative and enlightening. I'm quite pleased it resides in my personal library.

Informative and Entertaining.......2003-12-07

Nicholas A. Basbanes has a love affair going with the printed word. Not just the book --- the printed word, be it chiseled on stone 2,000 years ago, scrawled on wallpaper, palm leaves or cloth, or even imprinted on a computer screen the day before yesterday.

That is the main message delivered in this, the third of a trio of books he has written celebrating the triumphs, tragedies, perils and potentialities of print. A SPLENDOR OF LETTERS, a kind of miscellaneous grab bag of print-talk, was preceded by A GENTLE MADNESS (1995) and PATIENCE & FORTITUDE (2001). Truly, a man obsessed with his subject.

A SPLENDOR OF LETTERS is a book full of fascinating bits of information on all sorts of subjects relating to the printed word. This is at once its main attraction and its principal drawback. Much of the information packed into these pages is interesting in itself, but the book has no single overarching theme, seemingly no real purpose except to display the author's enthusiasm and interest for his subject.

Among the many topics touched upon in this bag of scholarly/literary potato chips are the disappearance of many important texts produced by ancient civilizations; the question of whether a modern copy of an ancient book can or should replace the original; the wanton destruction of valuable libraries in places like ancient Carthage, Nazi Germany, Sarajevo, Cambodia and Tibet; the morality of physically mutilating books in order to turn their valuable illustrations into objects of commerce; the morality of breaking up great library collections so their contents can be sold off for cash to meet current needs; the best means of preserving printed records for the longest time; and --- inevitably --- the already looming question of whether electronic books will make the familiar object we hold in our hands today a mere museum curiosity anytime soon.

Basbanes tries hard to be objective about all of this. He has sought out people on all sides of every question he considers --- but his sympathies obviously seem in the end to lie with the preservationists and the physical book rather than with its electronic doppelganger.

Every new development in the advancement of print has been greeted, he assures us, by people who saw it as the end of literature. He has resurrected a Medieval monk named Johannes Trithemius, who urged his fellow monks not to stop copying manuscripts by hand just because printing had been invented ("The written word on parchment will last a thousand years. The printed word is on paper. How long will it last? The most you can expect a book of paper to survive is two hundred years..."). And even so modest a modern forward step as the idea of equipping pencils with rubber erasers rang alarm bells among educators ("the easier errors may be corrected, the more errors will be made").

Basbanes seems thoroughly at home rummaging around in the distant past to describe fascinating documentary finds in odd corners of Egypt, Pakistan and similar remote places. His tales of great modern-day book collectors are also interesting. And he devotes much of the latter part of his book to the computer-vs.-physical book controversy, reporting for instance that computer files are proving to be a terrible means of preserving data because the swift pace of technological advance in computerdom quickly makes obsolete whatever machines could read them when they were created. And he has uncovered a delightful quote from someone named W. T. Williams back in the 1980s --- that is, in computer terms, back in prehistoric times: "Man is the only computer yet designed which can be produced entirely by unskilled labor."

A SPLENDOR OF LETTERS is informative and entertaining. The only problem with it is trying to answer the question: What, exactly, is it about?

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, published by Bibliographical Society of Canada on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 810 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Nicholas A. Basbanes. A Splendor of Letters: the Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World.(Book Review)
Author: Basil Stuart-Stubbs
Publication: Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Bibliographical Society of Canada
Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Page: 101(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A Splendor of Letters : The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World

Average customer rating:

A Splendor of Letters : The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World
Nicholas A. Basbanes
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEQQVO

Average customer rating:

A Splendor of Letters The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World
Basbanes Nicholas A.
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UERQTE

Average customer rating:

Basics plus some nice obscure items

Deftly showcases and provides step-by-step instructions for creating desks, bookcases, beds, blanket boxes and more

Furniture You Can Build: Projects That Hone Your Skills (Getting Started in Woodworking)
Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Furniture & Carpentry | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Projects | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Furniture | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Building Real Furniture For Everyday Life (Popular Woodworking)

Projects for Your Shop: Building Your Own Workshop Essentials (Taunton's Getting Started in Woodworking)

Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction

Build Your Own Contemporary Furniture (Popular Woodworking)

ASIN: 1561587966
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Book Description

The first volume in this series “Getting Started in Woodworking: Skill Building Projects that Teach the Basics” proved that a book specifically designed to address the needs of beginning woodworkers has broad appeal. The second and third books in the series focus on shop development, while this fourth book continues the use of projects as a means to learn and practice skills. Studies have shown that beginners need two things to continue their interest in woodworking: early success and increasing confidence. This book, like its predecessors is designed to do exactly that: give the reader projects they’ll be proud to own and the means to accomplish them successfully. The projects range from a computer cart (to store a CPU) to small trestle table and a bed. All of them have been chosen for maximum impact and doability for a novice. Making the simple desk which might retail at $1600 for less than 1/8 of the cost provides strong incentive to attempt construction. And this book provides all the instruction, support, and tips to help any serious beginner achieve their goal.

Projects Included
Desk Organizer
Blanket Box
Storage Bench
Breakfast Table
Sofa table
Bookcase
Simple bed
Desk

Customer Reviews:

Basics plus some nice obscure items.......2006-04-30

Excellent projects and good basic skills. Each skill is taught as needed--when you need a router table for one of the projects, he shows you how to build a router table. Also so good insights to less beginnery items--sharpening and using a scraper, for example.

My one star off is for the fact that measurements shown in the diagram for the first project (desk organizer) do not match the measurements given in the text! Very disconcerting for the beginner this book is aimed at.

Deftly showcases and provides step-by-step instructions for creating desks, bookcases, beds, blanket boxes and more.......2006-04-04

Furniture You Can Build: Projects That Hone Your Skills by expert carpentry and craftsman Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk provides a definitive understanding of woodworking and craftsmanship of particular pieces collectively compiled to assist one the novice carpenter in bettering and furthering their skills as a woodworker. Introducing readers to simple, yet beautiful and impressive pieces, Furniture You Can Build deftly showcases and provides step-by-step instructions for creating desks, bookcases, beds, blanket boxes and more. Furniture You Can Build is very highly recommended to all so-it-yourself weekend enthusiasts and hobbyists looking for woodworking projects that will easily enable them to follow and produce the pristine pieces they see laid out in the pages of this impressive "how to" guide.

Average customer rating:

Quite Different than The Standard Compliation Books

Town of Poets

FREE REFILL, Poetry, Art & Musings from Cool Beans Coffee & Tea

Manufacturer: Cool Beans Coffee & Tea
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0967103606

Book Description

This book is the actual work of our coffee shop visitors. It is the work of their hands, their hearts and their minds exactly as they dared for others to see, pieces that they left behind in a public journal that once lay on a glass table in our coffee shop, pieces that now make a whole as varied as they--but twice as wonderful.

Customer Reviews:

Quite Different than The Standard Compliation Books.......2000-05-04

There's a raw edginess that makes this book quite different from standard diary compilations. There's the young tennager desperate to understand his father, the woman who still believes that nirvana is just over the next hill and the man trying to make sense of his wife's affair. What's NOT there is the smarmy self-absorption in which so many of these types of diaries tend to wallow.

Makes you wonder who would plop down in a coffee shop and leave pieces of their soul for the world to see. A little jewel of a book.

Town of Poets.......1999-07-01

Bellefonte is truely a Town of Poets and Cool Beans is where their hearts beat and minds soar (Fueled to no small degree by the excellent fare provided in the coffee shop).A fun, moving and thought provoking look at the art of Cool Beans patrons and Bellefotians.

Customer Reviews:

In-Depth, Well Researched.......2002-04-08

Now know more than I ever wanted to about John Ringling North.

The book was a bit slow in parts due to the excessive detail the author included. Such detail would be of much more interest to a fellow circus history aficionado than someone(like me) with a passing interest.

Well researched, even handed account of the subject matter.

Average customer rating:
Big Top Boss : John Ringling North & the Circus
David L. Hammarstrom
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NSHCC8

Average customer rating:
BIG TOP BOSS: JOHN RINGLING NORTH AND THE CIRCUS
Hammarstrom David Lewis
Manufacturer: University Of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4Y19I

Average customer rating:
Big Top Boss: John Ringling North and the Circus
David Lewis Hammarstorm
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ5MKS

Average customer rating:
Big Top Boss: John Ringling North and the Circus
David Lewis Hammarstrom
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQC15M

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