The Tribune's Curse (SPQR VII)

Book Description

Decius Caecilius Metellus is happy. The weather is beautiful and he is standing for office (literally, standing, in the Roman Forum soliciting votes) with a sure chance of winning. Caesar's ongoing dreary war is far off in Gaul. Decius is confident that another war looming over Rome-instigated by one Crassus against the Parthians-will be voted down in the Senate. But the vote does not stop Crassus. On the day he and his troops set out from Rome, the Tribune Ateius Capitus, leader of the opposition, shrieks an ancient and terrible curse over the huge crowd assembled-a curse that frightens not only the man in the street but the highest Romans. And when Ateius is murdered, a reluc-tant Decius is chosen to find his killer.

Customer Reviews:

Love this series and recommending it to famly/friends........2007-08-24

This is a wonderfully intelligent mystery/history series. As a history buff the detail is accurate and intersting without being a dry rendition of a textbook. The characters are believable and human. I truly enjoy the sardonic humor of the main character and the author's honesty regarding how a person of that time would have viewed issues such as slavery, mass executions and imperialism. I am recommending this series to all my friends and family. I love these books so much I am even lending (gasp) them out to friends to read. I highly recommend anyone with intelligence who wants to read for enjoyment begin this series immediately!

Another entertaining read!.......2007-02-15

I just started the SPQR series at Christmas, and am already up to book 7 (with interludes for other books). This is another high-quality, gossipy, action-packed mystery for Decius Metellus to solve. As in most of the earlier books, it's not a simple mystery such as finding the killer of a dead man (though this does come into play). Curses, beggars, magicians who speak with the dead, thugs, religion and of course politics all come into play. Never a dull moment.

The one thing that confused me is that Decius is now married to Julia. In book 6 he was in Gaul, and I don't believe they were married yet - but in the beginning of book 7, though Decius does explain that he's only back from Gaul so he can run for aedile, he doesn't mention anything about his wedding. Simply says "Now that Julia and I were married..." and goes on to describe a bit of domestic irritation he has to live with. I would have liked to read Roberts' description of a Roman wedding, along with Decius' mental commentary on the guests and situation.

Average customer rating:

Seventh in the SPQR Series
well written, fascinating history--highly recommended
Decius solves a very Roman mystery
exciting, well-researched historical mystery
Long may Decius continue

The Tribune's Curse: SPQR VII
John Maddox Roberts
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312304889

Book Description

Caesar's ongoing dreary war is far off in Gaul but a war is looming against the Parthians for no reason but possible worldly gain. On the day the troops set out from Rome, the Tribune Ateius, leader of the oppo-si-tion, shrieks an ancient and terrible curse over the crowd. When Ateius is murdered soon after, Decius Cecilius Metellus, solver of past mysteries, has the ugly task of finding the killer. Details of Rome's mixed at-titudes about magic and rational politics illuminate this latest of Roberts's strong historical mysteries.

Customer Reviews:

Seventh in the SPQR Series.......2007-02-28

John Maddox Roberts is the pseudonym of Mark Ramsay, author of numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.

This is the seventh book in the SPQR series of books about Ancient Rome in the late Republican era. They all feature Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger as a solver of mysteries. All of the books have been consistently good and I had no reason to doubt that this book would be the same. I certainly was not disappointed. The author always manages to come up with a different slant to the story that usually includes some of the more famous people who were about at that period of Rome's history.

This book features a curse as its theme. Something that should always be taken seriously in Ancient Rome. Magic and sacred rites were prevalent in Roman society at the time and a curse would have been taken very seriously.

well written, fascinating history--highly recommended.......2003-06-01

Roman Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus is back in Rome, standing for election, when the always dangerous city is convulsed by a Tribune's curse. The Tribune curses Crassus as he sets out for war against the Parthians (a war that ended with Crassus's death and one of the worst defeats that Rome had ever suffered), invoking a number of secret gods and the secret name of Rome itself. Everyone knows that knowledge of the true name constitutes power, and Rome must take extraordinary measures to purify itself. When the Priestly colleges come to Decius and insist that he bring them the name of the one who betrayed Rome's secret name, Decius is thrust into mystery, danger, and death.

Author John Maddox Roberts makes this turbulent era in Roman history come to life. From details of Decius's candidate toga (whitened with chalk to stand out), to the economics of being a Roman politician, to the scheming of the three men--Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar--who rule Rome, THE TRIBUNE'S CURSE drips with authenticity. Better yet, the history lesson is fully integrated into the story. Roberts delivers information as it is needed, involving the reader in the mystery and the history simultaneously.

Decius, with his fears of poverty, his love of wine, and his loving but greedy wife, makes a sympathetic character--important since the story is told as a first person narative. He is positioned high enough in society to have access to information and contacts, yet low enough to be fair game for anyone who thinks that the truth would be better hidden.

Fans of Roman history, historical mysteries, or fine writing won't go wrong with this compelling mystery.

Decius solves a very Roman mystery.......2003-04-15

The year is AUC 700, or 56 BC by our calendar. Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, back from several years in Gaul and happily married to his longtime love, the niece of Julius Caesar himself, is plunged into a whirlpool of intrigue when a tribune attempts to derail a powerful politician by invoking a curse on him, using religious elements he had no business using.

Reading this, the reader gets a sense of how alien the Romans really were---and how much they really believed in their religion.

exciting, well-researched historical mystery.......2003-04-12

After fighting the Gauls for a year under Julius Caesar, Decius Cecilius Metellus, the black sheep of the powerful and wealthy Metellus clan, is glad to be home again in his beloved Rome. Married to Caesar's niece Julia and running for political office that could lead to bigger and more powerful positions, Decius is a very happy man. The populace is not in favor of Tribune Marcus Licinus Craessus going to war against the Parthians.

On the day he is to depart, the fanatical opposition leader, the tribune of the people Caius Ateius Capito delivers a curse on Marcus, daring to speak the secret name of Rome. Decius is ordered to find out how he learned such a sacred name but before he gets very far in his investigation, the mauled body of Ateius is found. Decius must get answers and soon otherwise the frightened populace will start rioting.

John Maddox Roberts, through the use of the first person narration of his protagonist, gives the reader a glimpse into the mindset of the citizens of the Roman Empire on the subject of slavery, magic, politics, and war. The story line is colorful allowing readers to feel as if they have gone back in time to Ancient Rome. THE TRIBUNE'S CURSE is an exciting, well-researched historical mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Long may Decius continue.......2003-03-24

I must confess I eagerly awaited the publication of John Maddox Roberts latest SPQR, and other than the fact that the hardback leaf jacket would have us believe the events within happen in 80.BC, when they occur (as the author accurate places them) in 56, the seventh installment of Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger leaves me glad he decided to continue the SPQR series after such a long absence.
Decius is back in Rome after his trip to Caesar's Gallic camp in `Nobody Loves A Centurion' and is happily married to Caesar's niece, Julia. Hermes has matured and become an effective personal bodyguard (as evidenced by Silvanius' attempt on Decius life).
The opening finds our erstwhile hero in the Forum canvassing for the post of plebian aedile for the coming year, 54BC.It is also the time where Crassus is pushing hard for his province and Parthian War, Pompey is effectively running Rome as senior consul and both Clodius and Milo have called a truce to their open urban warfare, the latter being praetor.
The first eighty pages of JMR's latest novel is spent building a lengthy picture of the political situation of the time, focusing acutely on Decius status as both patron and client as he builds his political career. In some respects you begin to wonder where the plot will take form, then JMR swiftly launches into it as Decius (and most of Rome) witnesses the tribune Ateius Capito calling down a dreadful curse on Crassus as he leaves Rome, but, more importantly, using the secret name of Rome (apparently known only to a privileged few) during his diatribe. Pompey orders Decius to investigate how such Ateius came about such knowledge. Delving into eastern cults epitomised by Eschmoun, Elagabal and Ariston to find the truth, Decius' search swiftly turns into a murder hunt as the politically inviolable Ateius turns up dead in the Tiber bearing the marks of mauling by wild animals. Pompey's instruction to find the murderer(s) before the funeral and potential riot in Rome, leads Decius delving once more into the highest echelons of Rome's politics and provincial mismanagement to find the culprit(s). With the ever helpful physician, Asklepiodes to eventually point him away from the confusion of suggestion and fact to the simple truth, Decius eventually gets his culprit(s) with not much time to spare.
A lengthy aside on his participation in the purification of Rome as the senators race three times round the Servilian walls bearing a huge platform together with his dry wit make this latest adventure for Decius an absolute delight to read. JMR combines mystery with accurate historical fact admirably. As a forerunner of this subgenre he is also peerless in his ability to deliver a fast-paced, gripping page turner.
Highly recommended. I eagerly await the next one.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Morgan Le Fay 1: Wise Woman's Telling
Fay Sampson
Manufacturer: Cosmos Books (PA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Morgan Le Fay 5: Herself

Morgan Le Fay 4: Taliesin's Telling

Morgan Le Fay 3: Blacksmith's Telling

Morgan Le Fay 2: Nun's Telling

I Am Morgan le Fay (Firebird)

ASIN: 1592241123

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2005-10-19

The story is told from the POV of Morgan's aged nurse Gwennol. It recounts the familiar events of Arthurian tellings: the death of Gorlois, Igraine's (Ygerne in this story) marriage to Uther and Morgan's removal to a nunnery.

The story is extremely well-written. Gwennol is an insightful narrator as she describes the character of each member of the household in turn. Her special concern is for Morgan who worships her father. Gorlois, frustrated by the lack of a son, never fully appreciates his daughter's attachment. Neither does the rest of the family. Gorlois' death at the hands of Uther Pendragon turns Morgan's constancy into a cold thirst for vengeance. Gwennol chillingly describes the end of Morgan's childhood and the beginning of her transformation into the frightening character of legend.

Fay Sampson is a very talented writer. Her characters as described by Gwennol are all three dimensional, their motivations believable, their tragedy real.

My only complaint with the book is its cover price. At 167 pages I felt $15.00 was a bit steep for such a thin paperback. I've paid that much or more for hefty paperbacks like the Mists of Avalon.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Arthuriana or just wants a satisfying read.

Book Description

This new, fully revised and updated edition confirms Body Learning's status as the classic work on the Alexander Technique for maintaining the health and efficiency of the body.

Customer Reviews:

Not for me.......2007-09-01

I found that practicing the alexander technique just took me further out of the present moment with its "thought directions" and emphasis on length and width. I've had much better results with the feldenkrais method.

Prevent Backaches!.......2006-08-11

Gelb writes very clearly, with good illustrations describing F. M. Alexander's technique for good body use. Many actors, singers, and dancers use this technique, and many people who suffer from joint and muscle disabilities can benefit from this book. Gelb's personal experiences help the reader to understand how to benefit from the techniques and exercises he describes.

The clearest book on AT out there.......2006-02-28

If you are studying the Alexander Technique - whether just beginning or a more advanced student - this book is a Must! Easy to read and digest, it should be on every teacher's list. However, it is important to note that the Alexander Technique can not be learned by reading books alone. Reading this book is not a way to learn the technique. But it is a terrific supplement to private individual lessons with a good teacher!

Clear, Informative, Inspiring.......2006-02-25

I started practicing the Alexander Technique over the last couple months. My teacher "assigned" me this book to read, as part of our work together. It's an outstanding book. It's very clear and easy to read. Gelb offers many anecdotal stories and quotes and other stuff like that to make it more enjoyable and inspiring. He tells the fascinating story of how Dr. Alexander developed the technique. Then he proceeds to give a clear and practical explanation of all the different aspects of the technique. I learned a lot!

for beginners and advanced.......2002-03-22

I find myself referring to this book again and again. I always recommend it as an introduction to the Alexander technique. It assisted me greatly when I was first taking Alexander lessons. It is still valuable years later as I refresh and review. Easy to read, entertaining, cogent, and reflective. It reads almost as though you were having conversation with Mr. Gelb. If I had to use one book to introduce a new person to the Alexander technique, theory and understanding, this would be the one.

Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique

Average customer rating:

Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique
Michael Gelb
Manufacturer: Delilah Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Alexander Technique | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NQM7M0

Average customer rating:

This Book Should Be $5.00

Table Settings: Stylish Entertaining Made Simple
Emily Chalmers
Manufacturer: Ryland Peters & Small
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Tablesetting | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Table Inspirations: Original Ideas For Stylish Entertaining

Tabletops: Easy, Practical, Beautiful Ways to Decorate the Table

Suddenly a Centerpiece: Assemble These Clever Table Designs in No Time at All

The Perfect Setting

The Simple Art of Napkin Folding: 94 Fancy Folds for Every Tabletop Occasion

ASIN: 1841729442

Book Description

There is no question that food tastes better when it is beautifully presented. When you are entertaining friends, a decorative table heightens the sense of occasion and anticipation, making a simple meal into a memorable celebration. And even a quick breakfast or an informal brunch is so much more satisfying if it is served up with thought and care. "Table Settings" features 20 themed occasions, ranging from festive meals such as a Thanksgiving dinner of Mother's Day brunch , to a simpler events, such as dinner for two or a lazy weekend breakfast. You don't need family-heirloom china or silverware to recreate these appealing settings--fresh flowers, twinkling tea lights, and quirky decorative touches are enough . For easy reference, there is also a visual directory of international place settings. -Designed for people with busy lifestyles, these stunning ideas by stylist Emily Chalmers are quick and easy to create. -Stylish ideas for decorating the table, whether you are planning a formal dinner party or an impromptu lunch in the garden. -Make a simple meal into a celebration with "Table Settings". -Mouthwatering photography by David Brittain.

Customer Reviews:

This Book Should Be $5.00.......2006-05-28

This book is so small that I can't believe it. And, it's not very inspirational either. The photos are small and the print is even smaller. I don't recommend this book.

Book Description

Draw into the lives of wolves through the experience of Jim and Jamie Dutcher and the wolf pack they lived with for six years.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Wolf Photography Book.......2007-03-21

As a huge wolf freak and artist, I always found it difficult to draw the beautiful bodies of wolves from tiny little pictures shoved in the corners of other books. Although the info was great, I always felt a tad sad to see such a lovely picture shrunk down. In this book, the photos are huge, and beautifuly detailed. I treasure this book and reccemend the Wolves at our Door book by Jim and Jamie Dutcher as well as their two documentaries: Living with wolves and Wolves at our Door

Outstanding.......2007-01-10

I have always loved wolves and had watched the Sawtooth pack since they were first formed. Now the originals are all gone. The pictures in the book are magnificent and tells their story.

Kids Can Read This Book, too!.......2006-09-25

(My mommy is typing this for me but she wrote down everything I wanted to say on a piece of paper first.)

Hello. My name is Jordan Elizabeth and I am 8 years old. I really, really love wolves and I have read about 20 books for kids about wolves. Wolves are very special creatures but a lot of people don't know that. A lot of people think wolves are mean and want to hurt people but actually they don't.

Of all the books I have about wolves, "Living With Wolves" is my favorite even though it's more like an adult book. While searching for more wolf books with my mommy on her computer, I saw "Living With Wolves" on this website and wanted to say what I also think about this book because not many people wrote their thoughts here yet.

I got this book in New York City where my family flew and we went to a museum to see and meet the Dutchers. This was the greatest time of my whole life! I've never actually met a movie star before until I met Jim & Jamie. I've seen their dvds about a hundred times and I think it's so cool that they actually lived with wolves! After they were done speaking we bought this book.

The next day we got on a plane to fly home and my mom and dad let me take out the book. They didn't want me to wreck it because it is the nicest wolf book and it is very heavy with amazing pictures. On the plane I started to read the book. My mom helped me with some of the bigger words but not a lot. The pictures are really beautiful in the book and there are some of the wolf pups that are so adorable, too! In the beginning I couldn't wait to read what the Dutchers had to say and I just started reading the book all by myself. Usually I love to find all the pictures first but this time I didn't.

I think this book is great for everyone and I am writing this because the Dutchers write a good book that even kids will like and teaching us about them. My parents weren't really interested in wolves before they got me the Dutcher's dvds and now they love them, too. The book even came with a CD stuck inside that has just wolves howling and I love listening to their sounds!

So that's what I think. I hope the Dutchers can live with the wolves again sometime so I can learn more because they are kind and caring and really great teachers.

Bye.

Living With Wolves.......2006-02-23

Absolutely awesome photography and story!
Some of the best wolf photography I have seen.
This book is very well done with the photography and the story; the vocalization CD certainly completes it. One can listen to the howls, look at the pictures, and feel like a part of this wolf family.

EXCELLENT book for wolf lovers.......2005-09-01

This is the best book of its type about wolves. Jim and Jamie Dutcher's photography catches the full range of experiences and emotions. The photography alone is worth 5 stars in my opinion.

I was also glad to see that half the book was NOT taken up by pictures of dead wolves and wolf pelts. The slaughter of wolves at the hands of humans NEEDS to be stopped, yet I look for books which celebrate the beauty of the LIVING wolf instead of showing page after page of dead animals. This book is a "must buy" for all wolf lovers.

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!
The Sawtooth Wolves
Big Wow! Awoooooooooooo!!!
Breathtakingly Beautiful!

Sawtooth Wolves
Jim Dutcher , and Richard Ballantine
Manufacturer: Rufus Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0964991500

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!.......2001-10-10

THIS PACK MEANS SO MUCH TO THE FUTURE OF WOLVES! THE EDUCATION & NEW FOUND KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS PACK, ALONE, IS THE FOOT IN THE DOOR FOR WOLF RECOVERY IN THE LOWER 48. NEVER HAS A WOLF PACK BEEN SO CLOSELY STUDIED WHILE STILL LIVING A NATURAL LIFE. THIS PARTICULAR BOOK IS NOTHING SHORT OF AWESOME! THE PICTURES ARE AMAZING, AS IS THE ENTIRE BOOK! A TRUE INSPIRATION! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL, THAT MANY MORE WILL UNDERSTAND THE TRUE LIFE OF THE WOLF.

The Sawtooth Wolves.......2001-07-17

This book is awesome!! I have sponsored the pack for nine years now and never get tired of looking at the book. The photography is exceptional and for anyone who loves these majestic wolves they have to buy the book!!

Big Wow! Awoooooooooooo!!!.......1998-10-24

This is about the most interesting book I have ever read! I started reading and I couldn't put it down! The pack of wolves takes you to daring moments when the pack mobs Lakota or quiet times when two wolves rest together. They are not the horrid creatures imagined in stories, but beautiful creatures that this book explains.

Breathtakingly Beautiful!.......1998-10-04

This is an intimate look at the wolf, quite possibly one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. So often depicted as evil in lore and legend, this book shows another side of this beautiful animal. Instead of the red-eyed, drooling monster of myth, we see the well-organized society present in a wolf pack, full of nurture and play. The qualities of the wolf that seemed to prove its place in history are shown instead to be merely the means for its survival. The expressive photographs and rich text work well to dispel the myth of the wolf as just a savage beast.

Average customer rating:

Simply Supurb

Good ideas for placing containers in the garden....

A gorgeous set of guidelines for producing show-stopping displays

Gardens To Go

Gardens to Go: Creating and Designing a Container Garden
Sydney Eddison
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Container Gardening | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Gardener's Palette

Container Gardening

The Complete Container Garden

P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens: 60 Container Recipes to Accent Your Garden

Contain Yourself: 101 Fresh Ideas for Fantastic Container Gardens

ASIN: 0821257153

Book Description

Beautiful photographs and insightful advice on how to create portable gardens for your deck, patio, or yard. In this unique book on container gardening, accomplished gardening author and expert Sydney Eddison tells readers how to plant and grow a lush garden on any deck, terrace, balcony, or in the backyard. Container gardens are easy to maintain and require a minimum of physical effort, which makes them ideal for today's on-the-go gardeners whether they live in the city, suburbs, or country.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Supurb.......2007-01-06

I cannot imagine a more informative, better written or more gorgeous book on container gardens than this remarkable achievement of Sidney Eddison and Steve Silk. The warm, friendly writing from the erudite Ms. Eddison combined with the beautiful photography of Mr. Silk make this a captivating, satisfying and thoroughly desirable book that will be a compliment to every garden library.

Drawing upon their own extensive experience as well as that of many other garden professionals and enthusiasts they offer nearly 200 pages of container garden wisdom. But what I most appreciate about the book is that the beautiful images on every page are whole lessons in themselves on the art of combining plants. Just paging through the book is downright exciting.

I would like to say something disparaging about the book to give a more balanced review--but I can't. The layout, the quality of the pages, the printing and ever other aspect is first class quality. I design landscapes and I teach landscape design, both on-line and in my home studio and because of the many valuable lessons this book contains--for garden design generally, this is one of the books I recommend to my students.

Good ideas for placing containers in the garden...........2005-12-12

GARDENS TO GO, is a lovely new book on container gardening, by Sydney Eddison with plenty of colorful photos, but for experienced hands the book has little new to offer on potting and growing various plants in containers. The beginner would probably do better with McGee and Stucky's BOUNTIFUL CONTAINER (much advice based on experience of two doughty dames each of whom reminds me a bit of Mrs Thyme), however, don't forget David Joyce's lovely CONTAINER GARDENS (plenty of useful information on the containers themselves) as well as HERBS IN POTS by Proctor and Macke. I prefer to grow herbs in pots myself, so the latter is a favorite of mine. However, I learned some new techniques for growing vegetables in pots from McGee and Stucky.

Eddison shows how one, using building blocks and an organized theme, can use pots to produce a "scene" in spring, summer, and fall and whisk the pots away when cold winter rears its head. Although she shows some scenes from smaller places in the big city (rooftops, narrow back yards and patios), she also includes filling up a few acres in one chapter. Some of the "country" scenes are beautiful, particularly shots from a terraces and up-close collections around a water feature.

I like the idea of using pots to complement a garden, and Eddison's approach is quite useful. It's all well and good to know how to make a container, create a beautiful mix of plants and encourage them to thrive. It's quite another to think about your creation a part of a larger design. To the extent Eddison concentrates on the latter, this book is a welcome addition to my collection.

A gorgeous set of guidelines for producing show-stopping displays.......2005-08-07

It's not just urban gardeners who wish to garden by container: it's anyone who seeks portability, defenses against gophers and underground varmints, and the possibility of having a garden in manmade environments. Gardens To Go: Creating And Designing A Container Garden holds gorgeous photos by Steve Silk as it reviews a range of container garden ideas, from choosing decorative planting containers which are functional to using rooftops, patios, and more as spaces to hold them. A gorgeous set of guidelines for producing show-stopping displays.

Gardens To Go.......2005-08-05

This is a beautiful book,full of great ideas.I am giving several as Christmas gifts.Thay will brighten the winter days.

Book Description

On a December day in 1885, Bill Barnes, a journeyman from the New York World, and Joe McCann, representing the New York Herald, faced off in a match race of Swifts, compositors who set type by hand, individually, letter by letter, with incredible accuracy and speed. McCann got off to a slow start, but at the end of the four-hour race, he joined shopfloor legends Clinton "The Kid" DeJarnatt and the "Velocipede" George Arensberg as a working-class hero. It was not the last race of its kind between Swifts, but already looming were changes both social and technological that would cause these gifted tramp printers to disappear.

In The Swifts, Walker Rumble, himself a printer and printing historian, follows the trail of these colorful compositors who became famous by winning typesetting races. Tellingly, at the same time that the most celebrated contests were taking place, technological and cultural forces were threatening the Swifts' way of life. First women printers vied for shopfloor legitimacy; then, in the mid-1880s, typesetting machines such as Mergenthaler's Linotype arrived, replacing the artisans forever.

With the spread of digital technologies at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we are experiencing a revolution in printing matched only by two previous events: Gutenberg's fifteenth-century invention of movable type and the advent of typesetting machines that replaced the Swifts. Joining narrative historians of technology such as Robert Darnton, Henry Petroski, Dava Sobel, and Ross King, Rumble tells a fascinating story that will entertain aficionados of print culture while explaining the larger cultural dislocations wrought by technological change.

Customer Reviews:

Champions Whose Names You Never Knew.......2003-10-05

"As exciting as watching paint dry" is proverbial. If watching paint dry does not excite you, how about watching typesetters set type competitively? Before you start yawning, realize that there were racers who set type, just as now there are racers who bicycle, and crowds paid to watch them and cheered and bet on the outcome. There must have been something not-so-dull about the contests, and there is nothing dull about _The Swifts: Printers in the Age of Typesetting Races_ (University of Virginia Press) by Walker Rumble. Partly this is because of his strange subject; the Swifts were the typesetters who were so good at their craft they could race against others, and they were colorful characters involved in an eccentric sport. Also, Rumble, a historian who has worked as a printer, has included a great deal about printing technology, printing unions, and the place of women in the trade.

Typesetting was the last printing task to be given over to machines. It was the working realm of the fellows called "typos" or "comps" (compositors). The really fast typos were the Swifts, who picked out letters from cases, set them into their sticks, justified, put in hyphens, and so on at an unbelievably fast pace, their pistonlike arms going back and forth more than once a second. There were shop races for beers, and in 1886 there was a series of highly publicized typesetting races. They did not happen on the shopfloors where the typographers customarily worked, but in the public arenas known as "dime museums," where the competition would be one of a number of attractions including animal displays and stage shows. Challenges were extended, and appreciative crowds wondered at the capacity of the Swifts to bring down type into comprehensible lines. Cash prizes could be $1,000 (when a top compositor made $30 a week). The promoter who had been responsible for P. T. Barnum's celebrated Jumbo the Elephant offered to put the competing Swifts on tour, and to Chicago, Boston, and other cities the competition traveled, often with a hometown champion thrown into the fray. Victors could endorse products, like the types forged by a particular firm. One of them performed a specialty piece where he composed with the upper and lower cases reversed, and then he composed blindfolded, and then he composed with the reversal and the blindfold in place. The crowds loved it.

It was a short-lived sport. Part of the problem was that after the competition in Boston, there was a novelty added after the men had raced: women typesetters. That would not have been so bad, but the women were faster than the men. The men sniffed that "as much latitude was allowed the ladies in the matter of time and proofs, their scores cannot take rank as genuine records." However, there isn't any evidence that the women had special latitude given at all. But of course the big problem was not that the men were being shown up by women. The year of 1886 was not only the one for the typesetting race frenzy, it was the year that the _New York Tribune_ inaugurated its brand-new Linotype composing machines. The machines, dirty, noisy, and laborious to operate, knocked women out of the typesetting business, to be sure, but they knocked the Swifts out as well. A linotype operator was supposed to live a clean life, he was stuck to his machine and could not travel from one workplace to another, and he could be expected to average a rate more than twice the speed of the fastest Swift. As one of the champions remarked in 1895, "The glory of the composing room is gone forever, and soon will be but a reminiscence..." It was not even a reminiscence, with hot metal Linotypes themselves eventually giving way to phototypesetting and digital typography, until Walker Rumble reminded us of it in this surprising and detailed examination of a strange facet of American history.

Book Description

My story isn't about a particular race being treated unjustly by the American Justice System, but it's a fact that can't be left out or ignored. The American Justice System's primary role isn't justice when dealing with Blacks, it's about merely locking us up, and throwing away the key. According to The Justice's Department's latest reports, blacks constitute 12.6 percent of the US population, but make-up 65% of the US prison population.

Customer Reviews:

A Life Gone Wrong.......2001-05-31

Mr. Nolson's book is not only a story of a young man gone astray, it is also a history book. The history of a strong Black American family deeply rooted in rural Georgia. It is the history of a people migrating to larger cities from farming towns. It is the history of another side of Savannah, written by a young man who walked too far and too deeply into the shadows of a city that is excelling at a rapid pace. This is a story of so many of our young people that are introduced to the penal system even before they enter middle school. Mr. Nolson walks us through the system of correctional facilities in Georgia and tells us how young men and women leave the facilities as educated criminals. He writes about his drug dealing and drug using years, his convictions and an early ongoing life of crime. This book is about inner city America today, with youth left with little or no role models. His story is one that many Americans don't want to acknowledge. Yet his story is real and Mr. Nolson is very candid in putting it directly in our face. His story is about our neighbors, our neighbors children, our sons and daughters, our husbands, our sisters and brothers. Mr. Nolson's book is a must read for youth, especially youth at risk, for parents, especially mothers and for all members of law enforcement. Mr. Nolson has done a great job on his first book. I find his work much on the order of the late Donald Goines. I look forward to reading any of his upcoming novels.

A Life Gone Wrong.......2001-05-31

Misidentified and Falsely Accused.......2001-05-16

In reading this literature, I found it astonishing of how unjust the American system can be. This is not to say that I have not already had prior examples witnessed, but this is a book that really places it into a real life prespective. I think this book is an assest to everyone in America, and I feel that ALL African-American should read it in particular. I urge anyone who really wants to know the truth about our American "system" to read this book. You will regret not reading this one!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books