The Little Book of Solitaire (Running Press Miniatures)

Customer Reviews:

Simply lovely.......2006-07-14

This is a lovely and amusing little book for solitaire play lovers. It looks wonderful in any library or any place you put it.

Standard games of solitaire (Little blue book)

Average customer rating:

Standard games of solitaire (Little blue book)
Donald Coveyou
Manufacturer: Haldeman-Julius Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008AXNPQ

Book Description

The one indispensable book for all the millions of readers of J.R.R. Tolkien. Completely revised, expanded and updated, this definitive concordance includes detailed, easy-to-locate page references to all the wonders set forth in the greatest epic fantasy of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Christopher Tolkien uses this book--`nuff said!.......2007-01-11

I think the best recommendation for this book comes from Christopher Tolkien. He said that from "frequent use" he found it to be "an admirable work of reference." (Unfinished Tales, p. 4).

I heartily concur. Having read the Pentalogue (Silmarillion-Hobbit-Lord of the Rings) twice, and this book clears up many of the obscure people, places, and events. Sometimes I have found the indices in "The Return of the King" to be wanting, or have wanted to have more of a dictionary- or cyclopedia-type entry. This book meets this need.

(In plain English, if you have a term paper to write, then get this book and save your grade.)

In fact, this book has no equals, and only two rivals: Tolkien's own indices, and Peter Kreeft's philosophical concordance found in "The Philosophy of Tolkien." (ISBN: 1586170252).

I have only two critiques. The first problem is that we have too many editions of Tolkien. We have no "Standard Text" with a universal pagination. This is really a problem that only the estate of JRR can solve. To his credit, Foster has a conversion formula on page 569, which is on some help. However, I still find myself flipping pages with my newer film tie-in editions.

Secondly, I would have like to have an enlarged edition of this book. I would keep the entries, but also expand them. Entries would include literary aspects of the characters, Christian symbolism of the characters, and also "behind the scenes" information form the 12 Lost Tales books and Tolkien's letters. (Such as the comments on Tom Bombadil. ) A model for this book is the Star Wars Databank web-page. This may require a multi-volume encyclopedia. So be it--Tolkien is worth it.

Until this big book get compiled, we can count upon Foster's book to do the job that we need it to do, and this is to enliven Tolkien's masterwork.

A MUST HAVE!!!.......2006-09-17

This is the BEST Guide to the world of Middle-Earth. I'm always looking up names and places, and different things in this book: I always keep it handy. Seriously this is one of the BEST companion LOTR books you can buy! I LOVE IT!

Great resource.......2006-06-26

This book is ia wonderful reference for Tolkien's works. It has a wealth of information for every level of interest in the world of the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, etc. I find myself often getting lost in this book, going from one entry to another. This is a must have for all lovers of Tolkien's books.

The Beginner's Book.......2005-08-29

When I first explored Middle Earth, over thirty years ago, this book popped up and helped answer alot of questions and put things in context. A must have!

5 Stars for The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth!.......2005-03-18

Robert Foster has done a great job indeed for this is truly "The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth!" Literary includes ALL names (characters, regions, mountains, rivers & etc.) that are found in the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings!

Now, I would like to address to all Tolkien fans who struggle with finding the meanings and origins of the unknown names - get this book and your problem will be solved! You will find history and explanations of every term that Tolkien used. For example, who was Elendil? According to the book, ELENDIL - Dunadan of Numenor, son of Amandil of Andunie and the leader of the Faithful, the noblest of the Dunedain to survive the fall of Numenor. And so on...

As you can see the book is very useful and it is organized like a dictionary, so there is no problem in fining the necessary information.

A Must-Have for all Tolkien Fans!

Book Description

Forensic astrologer Philipa Cyprion investigates the murder of a woman attempting to bring a dead world back to life.

Customer Reviews:

Quite a fun read.......2001-11-06

OK honestly I gave it five stars instead of 3.5 (the actual number I'd give it) because of that last review. Obviously someone did not read the first book in the series...and has little science fiction reading under her belt--BUT this is about the book!

Wayward Moon is a good, fun, light read. So is the first in the series Heart of Stone. The slang can grate at times & the Astrology can overwhelm the story in places BUT the mystery is good and the imagined future is interesting. The aliens are believable if a little Star Trek at times. The best part about the books is that the mysteries the center around belong in the world where the author created them. Neither the SF or the mystery (or the romance for that matter) feels tacked on.

That said, the author's OTHER series written under her real name Denise Vitola is far superior. There are five books in that series & I would suggest spending time reading them before these. While waiting for more Vitola books, these will fill the time.

Unbelievable and Funky.......2001-07-24

Here is a book that overtly attempts to legitimize metaphysical astrological/tarot-like card divination as a valid science for character reading and murder solving in future time. Who knows, it might work.

However, scepticism prevailed and for this reader disconnection started with the book cover which shows a sexy blonde in a tight blue skin suit yet the author has her dressed in cammies, (camoflage suits) throughout the story. Hmmm. Then, a lot of time is wasted with the heroine talking East London trash/slang that the author infers as "Sloane Ranger" by her reference to Sloane. She repeatedly introduces this slang at inappropriate times and shrugs it off glibly as "nervous" reaction to stress in the trying situations she faces. It is very distracting, especially when the aliens in the story are seemingly more intelligent and literate than the heroine is in fact. Yes, it is a given that one must suspend any judgement and expectations when reading Sci Fi, but it is helpful to make the heroine "sound" somewhat knowledgeable and intelligent if the reader is to fully engage and stay involved in the story. The Emperor Theo is greedy, totally selfish, manipulative, etc. OK. Well, what I want to know is what did Theo do to these two that so popped their corks and sent them into orbit that they want to kill the Emperor or sabotage their mission for no really concrete reason? In future time there are different risks and falling into the hands of aliens who place implants in their bodies, as happened in this story, could be a risk and part of the territory that star warriors might experience aren't they?

Another fascinating theme that was ignored were the dark holes in space around the fascinating planet that was destroyed when its moon moved out of orbit.

I did like the idea of morphing into "atoms" and transiting space as the coral colored aliens were capable of doing. I also liked the science/quasi spiritual notions that the author posited and offered a veritable literary feast in this story line yet were also glossed over.

The real source of my disconnection in this tale was the heroine's attitude toward the aliens whom she continually called "metal heads" and other negative terms because of their half carbon, half artificial genetic physiology and morphology. This is really really xenophobic and I personally don't like thinking in that way because it fosters bigotry which is another issue in this book that was quite overt.

In fairness, maybe it seemed "cute" to sling slang and drag the baggage of bigotry into future time. But, for me, that doesn't work at any level. Authors such as David Weber, etc can spin a good tale without such heavy handed negativity . Who knows, maybe humans appear moronic and hideous to other species in the galaxy and that is massively uncool to think that we might be viewed that way.

For me one of the most powerful tools of this genre is to open one's mind to all possibilities and potentialities as we evolve into a new era in which our future generations will experience realities that are now only science fiction rather than iris the portals shut with narrow, antiquated biases.

great sf novel hat has cross-genre appeal.......2001-07-15

In the future, with the discovery of zero gravity, death no longer remains a mystery, as it is only a portal from one life into another. Astrology regained credibility as a science with people like Philipa Cyrion assisting the police in solving crimes through horoscopes, reading palms and cards.

Disgusted with earthly politics and its ruler Emperor Theo, Philipa joins Hadrien as independent operators, which is why they landed on Badares Space Station. The Idealian, Durikeeen Sunteel, was about to integrate her essence with the station's network of computers when someone murdered her. Hadrien and Philipa were hired to solve the homicide, but early in the investigation the former and a strange alien vanish. A heartbroken Philipa searches for her partner on Argos, home of the alien who abducted him while also trying to solve a seemingly impossible murder case.

In WAYWARD MOON, the heroine's character is much more developed than in her previous appearance (see HEART OF STONE). Her British roots appear, especially when excited, as she uses a future form of Cockney. She also realizes she loves her partner. Different species inhabit the space station with all of them feeling very realistic. The who-done-it is fun on two fronts, a murder investigation and Hadrien's vanishing act. Denny DeMartino illuminates the science fiction galaxy.

Harriet Klausner

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Opinionated New Yorker at Large

Anthony Bourdain is the man.

an easy read through a very odd mind

the not-so-nasty bits

Gotta Love Tony

The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones
Anthony Bourdain
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (Vintage)

A Cook's Tour

Bone in the Throat

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking

ASIN: 1582344515
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Book Description

The good, the bad, and the ugly, served up Bourdain-style.

Bestselling chef and No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain has never been one to pull punches. In The Nasty Bits, he serves up a well-seasoned hellbroth of candid, often outrageous stories from his worldwide misadventures. Whether scrounging for eel in the backstreets of Hanoi, revealing what you didn't want to know about the more unglamorous aspects of making television, calling for the head of raw food activist Woody Harrelson, or confessing to lobster-killing guilt, Bourdain is as entertaining as ever. Bringing together the best of his previously uncollected nonfiction—and including new, never-before-published material—The Nasty Bits is a rude, funny, brutal and passionate stew for fans and the uninitiated alike.

Customer Reviews:

Opinionated New Yorker at Large.......2007-10-09

Remember that boyfriend who was all attitude in high school? The hipper-than-thou, leather-jacket-wearing punk, whose mere presence could cause your father to grind his teeth into tiny nubs? That drugged-out hedonist who you hated and loved and were SO happy to leave behind, but who you secretly wished had followed you to college?

He's back. The bad news: he's still all attitude, and he can still cause ruin to family dentistry. The good news: he has decades of kitchen experience under his belt (or somewhere - the jerk is as skinny as a rail), and he writes in a way that will make you run out and sample all the small local diners in your town. For me, that means roach coaches serving burritos and tacos - and damn, I've had some food. Mole as smooth and velvety as a newborn's skin. Soft tacos that reach around your mouth and pull all your tastebuds into the center, and then fountain out pure lime, cilantro, and carmelized carne asada. He has ruined my already poor waistline.

Read this book, watch him on TV, go see him. He's saved up his energy and built up his opinions and vitriol and phrasings all these years in his kitchens - he's too bright, too good, too chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line to last.

Anthony Bourdain is the man........2007-10-06

I have never been bored while reading Anthony Bourdain's books or while watching his television shows, and this book is no exception. Read his earlier stuff first, he will make you laugh out loud. Not for the weak of heart.

an easy read through a very odd mind.......2007-09-27

Let me say I love Bourdain's writing style and narrative. Self aware and sardonic without taking the joy from life, I was snagged by his autobiographical "Kitchen Confidential" and enjoyed seeing this carry over to his TV travel show "No Reservations" and delighted when people I know say they have encountered Bourdain professionally and he is exactly what he seems.

"Nasty Bits" is an anthology of notes, short essays and light fiction. Stuff too short to stand on its own but put together as a group it works nicely as a way to pass time or read when you don't want to get too wrapped up time wise. There is a small disappointment in one of two items that a fan will feel have been rehashed. "Food and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a do over of his travel show in Sin City as is part of his essay on Chinese food, but in general,it's all good.

The title sounds like Bourdain is giving up useless items but if you know his style, he's telling the reader this is what he likes. Bourdain likes the 'nasty bits.' Those food items like sweetbreads and organ meat that many Americans run from. Strange meats and stinky cheeses are among his passions and so with the title, he tells the knowing reader this is what he consideres 'the good stuff.' So take out a bib, get comfortable and dig in.

the not-so-nasty bits.......2007-08-17

Bourdain's international travels have mellowed him somewhat since the days of "Kitchen Confidential." His writing, however, is still a riot. His insights from the kitchen--culinary and otherwise--are a pleasure to behold. The selections here are short and varied, covering everything from Ferran Adria in Catalunya to Las Vegas and the beaches of Brazil. It's a "No Reservations" Bourdain with glimpses of the former reckless bad boy. I guess we all have to grow up...

Gotta Love Tony.......2007-06-27

If you like Mr. Bourdain's show "No Reservations", you'll most likely enjoy this book. One of Tony's best attributes is his story telling ability and reading this book is just like listening to his narratives on the show. Once or twice it was a little too much like the show. The Vegas article repeated some things he said on that episode of the show a bit too much. But most of the book seemed very fresh. His honesty and sense of humor shine through constantly. He's not afraid to admit he used to like heroin while noting that no one is less sympathetic towards other people's habit struggles than an ex-addict. His point of view is cynical yet refreshing. I especially enjoyed his articles about Mexican kitchen workers. I am a white guy in an area where whites are a very small minority and it is easy to get into the "damn Mexicans" mindset. Tony reminds me I don't really want to be like that and he's right. Each of the articles in this book stand alone so you can read them in any order. They're divided into sections so you can read what you are in the mood for - light, heavy, synical, silly. It's all there. And thanks, Tony, for the Namibia episode of N.R.. I laughed so hard it hurt. As for the people who say Tony should be smarter than to eat the stuff he does in faraway lands, boy do they miss the point.

Average customer rating:

A laugh a page
Pretty funny stuff
Funny Funnny Funnnny!
A Nasty Bit of Rough
Pretty funny, though a little over the top

A Nasty Bit of Rough
David Feherty
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Sports | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0142002658
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Book Description

Over the years, readers of Golf magazine have come to know and love Major General (Ret.) Sir Richard Gussett, the raucous imaginary uncle featured in David Feherty's column "Sidespin." In this first volume of his misadventures, Gussett sets his sights on the most prestigious prize in golf, the petrified middle finger of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. Presiding over the world's most cantankerous golf club, Gussett must motivate his members through battles with incontinence, single malt Scotch, and a litany of other unmentionable afflictions in a "friendly" competition with their ancient rivals, the notorious McGregor clan. Anyone who loves the game or knows someone who does will be unable to resist Feherty's hilarious storytelling and golfing gravitas.

Customer Reviews:

A laugh a page.......2007-01-09

Its the first book by David Feherty that I have read and I can say that it wont be the last. A really enjoyable read, with so many amuzing scenarios. First book that has ever made me laugh out load.

Pretty funny stuff.......2006-11-06

I'm not much of a book reviewer, but let me say this much. I enjoyed reading this book. Some parts made me laugh quite loudly, while others made me snicker. At times, I had trouble following the plot, but is that really a requirement when entertainment is the goal? I'm not sure that it is. Nonetheless, I strongly recommend Feherty's book and I also think he's the greatest commentator working in golf.

Funny Funnny Funnnny!.......2004-08-27

A great book, I laughed so hard I almost ....well you just have to read this book!

A Nasty Bit of Rough.......2004-04-01

In A Nasty Bit of Rough, by David Feherty, Gussett sets his mind to win the most prestigious prize in golfing history, the finger of St. Anderew, patron saint of Scotland. Though this novel, Gussett goes through battles with peculiar handicaps, single malt scotch, and other afflictions in order to win the finger in a competition with the McGregor clan.
This is a pure delight for those who love the game of golf and for those who like to laugh out loud for hours. If you like an easy book to read and a book that is about raunchy old men, then this is the book for you.

Pretty funny, though a little over the top.......2004-03-11

David Feherty's comic novel about the loveable inhabitants of the Scrought's Wood Golf Club, and their raunchy adventures on and off the links is a pretty funny story, with a few laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled in amongst piles of bathroom humor.

The writing is okay, though it leaves something to be desired, and even the most die-hard Feherty fan will grow weary of the barrage of bathroom jokes. Do we really need to know that a caddy pooped his pants in an airplane once (although the subsequent episode involving that caddy and a red sweatshirt is one of the funnier moments in the book)?

Book Description

Jack Murnighan, former editor in chief of the erotica website Nerve.com, is back with a new collection of the steamiest sex scenes from the greatest books of all time. Here is the literary sex-education readers have always lusted for, with over 80 excerpts by authors ranging from Homer to James Baldwin, Kierkegaard to Judy Blume, Scheherazade to Franzen. Who knew there was so much bumping and grinding in Goethe? How about Dali’s fascination with masturbation? Ever curious about what made James Joyce purr? Murnighan supplements each bite-sized excerpt with a lively, insightful introduction that will help readers see the world’s great books as they’ve never seen them before.

A Nasty Bit of Murder (Dr. Jean Montrose Mystery)

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A Nasty Bit of Murder (Dr. Jean Montrose Mystery)
C. F. Roe
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0451174682

Nasty Bit of Business: A Private Eye's Guide to Collecting a Bad Debt

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Nasty Bit of Business: A Private Eye's Guide to Collecting a Bad Debt
Fay Faron
Manufacturer: Creighton-Morgan Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0962009644

A Nasty Bit of Business: A Private Eye's Guide to Collectiong a Bad Debt

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A Nasty Bit of Business: A Private Eye's Guide to Collectiong a Bad Debt

Manufacturer: Crighton Morgan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000EVL838

4 Titles By C.F. Roe Dr. Jean Montrose Series : A Torrid Piece of Murder A Bonny Case of Murder A Fiery Hint of Murder A Nasty Bit of Murder

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4 Titles By C.F. Roe Dr. Jean Montrose Series : A Torrid Piece of Murder A Bonny Case of Murder A Fiery Hint of Murder A Nasty Bit of Murder
C.F. Roe
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000ROG7RY

Product Description

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

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A Nasty Bit of Murder

Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9994584774

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A Nasty Bit of Rough
David Feherty
Manufacturer: Rugged Land
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H7DRM4

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A Nasty Bit of Rough
David Feherty
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ967U

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Understanding Reef Aquarium keeping

review ??

Three Thumbs Up!

Great general Reef book

Reef keeping is NOT easy!

Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms
John H. Tullock
Manufacturer: TFH Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fish & Aquariums | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Coral Reefs | Oceans & Seas | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Fish & Aquatic Pets | Pet Supplies | Categories | Home & Garden | Aquarium Accessories | Aquariums & Fishbowls | Food & Treats | Health Care Supplies
Pet Supplies (12923371) | Refinements | Home & Garden | Color (color_map) | Flavor (feature_browse-bin) | Food Format (feature_two_browse-bin) | Leash Length (size_browse-bin) | Material (material_browse)
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The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists

Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History

Reef Secrets: Starting Right, Selecting Fishes & Invertebrates, Advanced Biotope Techniques

Water Chemistry for the Marine Aquarium

ASIN: 1890087009

Product Description

336 pages, paperback. By John H. Tullock. Debunking the myth that reef aquariums need to be wildly expensive and technologically complex, the author offers a new, radically simple approach to producing beautiful, captive microcosms

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Reef Aquarium keeping.......2007-01-15

This is a very good book for those wishing to begin reef aquariums. Some of it is theory and some is opinions. Other sections are a little deep for the common person but overall it is a solid basis for those wishing to begin reep keeping. Reading this book should go a long ways to being successful keeping the different types of reefs.l

review ??.......2006-11-10

i am expecting the book to be a good one giving the inside i want to living filtration and a completely natural aquarium with very little artificial filtration help! i can not say yet if it will meet my expectances since i have order the book more than 2 months ago and i am still waiting for it....

Three Thumbs Up!.......2006-08-31

Recently I've read several books pertaining to the tropical marine hobby and after reading this book by Mr. Tullock I rate it an eleven out of ten. Very informative, easy to digest, excellent format, and one to refer to in the future. A quality production by the publisher. Thank you Mr. Tullock!

Great general Reef book.......2006-07-14

Well written and a good book to read for general information.

Reef keeping is NOT easy!.......2005-04-18

Buy and read this book twice before you decide to enter the hobby. Check it out at the library.. This is the book I loan to any friend who sees my aquarium and thinks of starting a tank of their own. Mr. Tullock presents the current natural methods of reef keeping in a very entertaining read.

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More Black Memorabilia: A Handbook with Prices (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Jan Lindenberger
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Collecting black memorabilia: A picture price guide

Black Memorabilia Around the House: A Handbook and Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

ASIN: 0764308491

Book Description

Black memorabilia is still one of the hottest items being collected today, although it is growing harder and harder to find good pieces. This new book helps the collector see what is available in the market place, with full color illustrations of hundreds of items. They include kitchen items, like wall pockets, mammy memos, salt and peppers, cookie jars, and more, as well as advertising, household goods, and ephemera. Each is shown in full color and is accompanied by the current market price. Prices differ in from coast to coast and auction prices differ from shop prices. Prices are also affected by condition and availability. As this area of collecting continues to grow, more and more examples find their way into the market place. For the experienced collector or the novice, this is an invaluable reference. It definitely needs to be added to your black memorabilia library.

Book Description

With more than 300 color photos, this fourth authoritative Popular Mechanics Workshop tool book helps woodworkers take full advantage of this most essential piece of equipment. No guide will give them a better start: do-it-yourself author extraordinare Rick Peters discusses every aspect of the lathe, from the simplest function up to the most advanced techniques. He examines the various brands and models, as well as all their features and accessories, and then puts woodworkers through their paces. Peters delves right into the details of spindle, faceplate, bowl, and embellishing turning; finishing; making jigs and fixtures; and doing maintenance and troubleshooting. With those skills honed, woodworkers can turn to fine projects, including a lidded box and 2-tier candy dish.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on June 1, 2001. The length of the article is 663 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: Aristotle's Theory of Predication. (Book reviews: summaries and comments *). (book review)
Author: William Haines
Publication: The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2001
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: 54 Issue: 4 Page: 903(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Aristotle's argument for the necessity of substance in the light of his theory of predication

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Aristotle's argument for the necessity of substance in the light of his theory of predication
Vernon Wedin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007BW1HM

Book Description

"Brode's thesis is both revolutionary and totally without precedent. He steals from no one. Significance? No other moviemaker or mogul—Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, Orson Welles, etc.—has had such a deep and lasting impact on American popular culture as has Disney."

—James MacKillop, author of Contemporary Irish Cinema: From The Quiet Man to Dancing at Lughnasa

With his thumbprint on the most ubiquitous films of childhood, Walt Disney is widely considered to be the most conventional of all major American moviemakers. The adjective "Disneyfied" has become shorthand for a creative work that has abandoned any controversial or substantial content to find commercial success.

But does Disney deserve that reputation? Douglas Brode overturns the idea of Disney as a middlebrow filmmaker by detailing how Disney movies played a key role in transforming children of the Eisenhower era into the radical youth of the Age of Aquarius. Using close readings of Disney projects, Brode shows that Disney's films were frequently ahead of their time thematically. Long before the cultural tumult of the sixties, Disney films preached pacifism, introduced a generation to the notion of feminism, offered the screen's first drug-trip imagery, encouraged young people to become runaways, insisted on the need for integration, advanced the notion of a sexual revolution, created the concept of multiculturalism, called for a return to nature, nourished the cult of the righteous outlaw, justified violent radicalism in defense of individual rights, argued in favor of communal living, and encouraged antiauthoritarian attitudes. Brode argues that Disney, more than any other influence in popular culture, should be considered the primary creator of the sixties counterculture—a reality that couldn't be further from his "conventional" reputation.

Customer Reviews:

I Wish I Could Have Loved This.......2007-01-05

The following review mostly concerns "From Walt to Woodstock", but it also concerns Brode's more recent book, "The Multicultural Mouse."

"How Disney Created the Counterculture." Well, now, Mr. Brode, let's not get all carried away. Ach, too late. He's off and running.

The title of this book is misleading. As I go through the book, I realize that Brode does not demonstrate that Disney created the counterculture, but he does make a case for the progressive nature present in Disney's themes throughout his enormous oeuvre. And if all Mr. Brode did was this, it is enough. It is high time to banish the "Dark Prince" to the nether region of the penultimate segment of "Fantasia."

The trouble is, Brode's book (and his follow-up, "The Multicultural Mouse", which I'm just reading) is purely awful, his good intentions and his exhaustive attempt at writing about each and every Disney cartoon and live action film notwithstanding. His "let's jump to glorious conclusion" title is indicative of his approach, and his taking on every single possible theme and interpreting every moment of film to represent the most radical aspects of the "counterculture", which he never adequately defines, end up as so ludicrous that he ends up hurting the very cause he has so bravely enjoined.

His tone is also a problem. It seems like a cocktail hour rant where people keep coming over and he becomes more and more demonstrative - and gone from reality. He tosses off his broad themes that SHOULD be explored, but they demand a more careful and culturally knowledgeable exposition than he can provide. A book like this requires so much more research and care, and he's not up to the task. His work is disappointing, flawed, and sloppy.

His proof that Disney "caused" the counterculture is simply that he has seen various connections to the hippie movements, flower power, antiwar, sexual freedom, women's rights, and drugs within the Disney works. He then repeatedly says that "impressionable young people" saw these and then went on from the fifties to grow up to be leftist radicals. That's as much of a connection as he can make to prove a "cause", and that's hardly proof of anything. We are not what we watch. When he speaks for himself (as he does in "Multicultural Mouse"), he becomes eloquent and the tone changes to a much stronger and more convincing one. But he does this, he claims, reluctantly (in a thoughtful passage about the Big Bad Wolf being a caricature of the Jewish peddler). What the book needs is more of that from himself and from other boomer voices. But there is no quote at all from a radical from the sixties left who says that Disney affected his political thinking and radicalized him.

In fact, one person in "Multicultural" does say this - that Disney changed his life - and it's Hugh Hefner. Who for some reason, Mr. Brode thinks was a countercultural voice. Which is another problem - Mr. Brode has a bizarre sense of the counterculture, particularly of feminism. His chapter on that in "Multicultural" had me on the floor laughing and wanting to tear my hair out. (Brode when on about women's long hair being a radical symbol, somehow forgetting that it was men's long hair that caused a gap in the generations back in the day.) Brode's take on the counterculture is so bizarre, and in corresponding themes in Disney films, that I wonder if he's really trying to sabotage his own theme.

He likes to show off, dragging in any quote from Romantic literature, beat poets, or sixties music to prove a point. Well, not prove a point, except in his mind. His description of deconstructive criticism at the beginning of "Counterculture" is instructive, but he uses it to wander all over the cultural universe and thus doesn't make any solid connections. It's a rant. His method is by association not logic.

He is not only silly, he's often downright wrong. I know many Disney films - as well as many TV series from the fifties - and when reading Brode's descriptions, I find errors of fact and of emphasis. Because of that, I feel I can't trust his descriptions of the films I don't know, and this is incredibly frustrating.

For example, in the first pages alone, he makes several goofs. He refers to a song of Annette Funicelli's as a rock song. "Lonely Guitar" was not a rock song, it was a ballad Annette sung on an episode of "Zorro", that was written by Jimmy Dodd. In his description of "Parent Trap", he says that Sharon dresses up as Beethoven. In fact, Sharon wore a dress and pearls and started to play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In discussing a subplot in "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh", involving an officer, he not only gets facts wrong, he distorts the whole story. And when discussing "Pollyanna", he goes way way out, both in "Counterculture" and "Multicultural." He writes about the minister telling his congregation to leave the church and go out into nature (Brode thinks this is proof of pantheism) and then says that soon they are all dancing under the trees. In "Multicultural", he spends a good deal of type on a very small subplot involving the maid Nancy and her boyfriend, waxing eloquently about sexual freedom and Romeo and Juliet. I have no idea what he's talking about. His description of what happened in "Pollyanna" bears no resemblance to the actual film. And he misses the very things that could enhance his theme.

Such errors go on and on in both books. But what is truly frustrating is that Mr. Brode misses, by a mile or a trillion miles, in his microscopic counterculture by association a go go, the really important and so obvious how could he miss progressive themes in Disney films. If he'd only bothered to watch the movies he describes.

So I encourage everyone to try. Watch Disney films - cartoons, animated fairy tales, nature tales, live action, TV shows, the Mouseketeers - and see what you find. Mr. Disney was a man of his times, and he changed - as did the themes of the culture. Also, that he could entertain children (although he said his works were not for children) , there are themes he would approach differently. Doing this is a work that requires years and a great deal of knowledge about many fields.

Mr. Brode's works, this one and the recent "Multicultural", have many many silly pages. But there are a few times he makes some very good points and observations. I am glad he wanted to write his books. But, alas. I cannot recommend them to anyone. His defense of Disney may be unique at the moment, but it's far from helpful.

Prejudge at your own risk!.......2005-06-24

Many biographies on famous people fit an agenda. In the case of Walt Disney, many biographies have axes to grind. Walter Elias Disney was a complex man. Douglas Brode illustrates how the conventional wisdom about Walt Disney isn't accurate. Walt's father was a socialist--in the days of the Red Scare, no less. "From Walt to Woodstock" provides ample evidence that Walt Disney was no reactionary--the commonly-held image of the Disney company is of a right-wing conservative corporation promoting an agenda out of the 19th Century.

When I ordered this book, I was expecting the thesis to be "Walt the Bohemian." After reading the book, I got the impression that Walt did not set out to create the counterculture, but instead laid the groundwork for it by trying to improve mainstream society. Not just by making great entertainment, Walt Disney field-tested urban planning, social engineering, and mass media techniques. I think Walt did improve mainstream American society. Walt Disney was a progressive man--progress was good! View his presentation of E.P.C.O.T. --made about six weeks before he died--and see for yourself. Go back to 1943 and the release of "Victory Through Air Power." Look at Walt Disney's prophetic "Man in Space."

I enjoyed Brode's book. His viewpoints on Disney movies were fresh and new for me, and now I want to see them again to see the things Brode saw in them. Usually I get something out of a book even when I don't like it. Many books on Walt Disney paint a dark picture of an evil, greedy man--if not for the name, I wouldn't know who they were talking about. Brode's Walt is someone I'd like to have for a friend.

I'm happy to add this book to my collection of Walt Disney biographies.

convincing, but there are a few inaccuracies . . ........2005-06-17

I enjoyed reading this immensely. Brode's argument is quite convincing, but I must point out that (1) Peter Max did not create the movie Yellow Submarine, he had nothing to do with it whatsoever, (2) Ken Kesey did not cross the county spiking water reservoirs with LSD, although I believe the possibility was DISCUSSED once, at least in the pages of Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and (3) the Beatles did not create a song about Mary Poppins' Uncle Albert, but Paul McCartney did, after the break-up of the band.

The song is called, I believe, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, and I have a new appreciation for it now. I was born in 1958, and I can remember as a teenager hearing my father say something to the effect of "Whoever wrote that song had to be smoking something." How right he was!

Typical Douglas Brode --- Brilliant!.......2004-09-25

As always, Douglas Brode delivers in spades. Professor Brode completely overturns the idea of Disney as a middlebrow filmmaker by detailing how Disney movies played a key role in transforming the children of the Eisenhower era into the radical, pot-smoking Aquarians (also known as losers) of the '60s. Fortunately, Professor Brode either lacks or effectively hides any bias (such as mine) against those members of the '60s movement that to this day ruin our nation. Another testiment to Brode's professionalism and character. A must read for Disney movie buffs...

From Walt to Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture

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From Walt to Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture
Douglas Brode
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORAYXW

Book Description

In the summer of 1968 Peter Matthiessen met Cesar Chavez for the first time. They were the same age: forty-one. Matthiessen lived in New York City while Chavez lived in Sal Si Puedes, the San Jose barrio where his career as a union organizer took off. This book is Matthiessen's panoramic yet finely detailed account of the three years he spent traveling and working with Chavez. In it, Matthiessen provides a candid look into the many sides of this enigmatic and charismatic leader who lived by the laws of nonviolence.
More than thirty years later, Sal Si Puedes is less reportage than living history. A whole era comes alive in its pages: the Chicano, Black Power, and antiwar movements; the browning of the labor movement; Chavez's series of hunger strikes; the nationwide boycott of California grapes. When Chavez died in 1993, thousands gathered at his funeral. It was a clear sign of how beloved he was, how important his life had been.
A new postscript by the author brings the reader up to date as to the events that have unfolded since the writing of Sal Si Puedes. Ilan Stavans's insightful foreword considers the significance of Chavez's legacy for our time. As well as serving as an indispensable guide to the 1960s, this book rejuvenates the extraordinary vitality of Chavez's life and spirit, giving his message a renewed and much-needed urgency.

Customer Reviews:

Do you really want to escape?.......2004-06-02

Sal Si Puedes, by Peter Matthiessen, is an excellent chronicle of the adult life of the farm workers' revolutionary, Cesar Chavez. This Biography written by Matthiessen is from the day he meets Chavez to the time he passed away in 1992. Chavez was a activist for the rights of all farm workers, and believed that union representation was not only a privilege, but a right of all workers. With the installment of the Bracero program, non American people brought into the united states were allowed to work in the fields, because Lobbyists in Washington were successfully able to determine that no American was willing to do the back breaking manual labor of picking and harvesting the fields in California. This book was simply put, is the best book that I have read in my young adult life.
One thing that I enjoyed in this biography is the use of language. I found the linguistics easy to understand. With the easy language and prose writing, this made the biography an easy read. Because I spent a short time of my later childhood in Delano, Where the book took place, I knew exactly where everything was, and with his descriptive, powerful words, I felt like I was back in Delano. Stepping out of my own skin and looking at the book from a non-Californian's perspective, the description and detail is awesome.
Another thing I liked about the book was the accuracy of the historical fact. Family members of mine lived in the time of the farm workers movement, and after having discussed the biography with them, they, too, agree that the accuracy and detail of events that took place are superior. The chronicling of not only the personal life, but also business life of Chavez was easily understood, and Matthiessen did an excellent job with this Biography.

Sal Si Puedes means Escape If You Can.......2001-06-21

Am forever indebted to my mentor Bea Brickey for getting me involved with the United Farm Worker union locally, and for instilling in me the importance of getting involved and living by Christ's motto that what you do to the least of them you do to Christ.

The book begins with a reminder form Cesar Chavez himself, who said in 1992 two years before his death that "The rich have money, the poor have time". The reader is reminded that patience was his tool of success.

The book is just shy of 400 pages and is a humbling as well as an energizing read. The title Sal Si Puedes is from the San Jose barrio where Chavez' farm workers union work was birthed. The book was begun with a three year stint the author had in the late 70's with Chavez with much appreciated postscript that brings the reader up to date with the events that incurred since the 60's and 70's.

Bea would spend hours passing on the wisdom that Chavez and the other UFW activists had taught her. How she and her husband were often taunted by San Joaquin farmers and called commies and pinkos and how Chavez and the other UFW workers who simply wanted decent working conditions and a living wage were taunted like this as well. How migrant workers were/are exposed to high pesticide levels and that in one breath the farmers denounce the "slave" labour workers for wanting decent housing and wages, while bemoaning the fact that they can't find American who will do the damn stoop labour for slave wages.

This is a book I am passing on to a lot of people, since I believe it is so important that we as citizens, stand up for what is right and that sometimes people have to have their comfort levels challenged.

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SAL SI PUEDES

Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H89LQE

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SAL SI PUEDES
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000REQDBY

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Sal Si Puedes
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Dell, 1973
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0Y4HG

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Sal Si Puedes
peter matthiessen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FMLCGO

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Sal Si Puedes Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JJLWEA

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SAL SI PUEDES - CESAR CHAVEZ AND THE NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION
MATTHIESSEN PETER
Manufacturer: Dell Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HCXIKK

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SAL SI PUEDES - CESAR CHAVEZ AND THE NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Peter (Cesar Chavez) Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing - Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RHIUXA

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Sal Si Puedes 1ST Edition Cesar Chavez & the New
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q3LH3A

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Sal Si Puedes :Cesar Chavez & the New Am
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE @ TRADE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SNIPHY

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