Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of Marsupials (Monographs on Marsupial Biology)

Average customer rating:

Sufficient info and good ideas for trips

so far i am pleased

Good, well balanced coverage of the region

Another strong title from Lonely Planet

short on detail

Lonely Planet South India
Paul Harding , Janine Eberle , Patrick Horton , Amy Karafin , and Simon Richmond
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | India | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Rough Guide to South India 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

The Rough Guide to South India Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map)

Lonely Planet India

India - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)

Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

ASIN: 1741041651

Book Description

Journey to India's gentler side, where laid-back beaches nestle alongside buzzing temple towns, and cosmopolitan cities sound an urban hum of bars, cafes and shop-till-you-drop extravagance. Cruise Kerala's backwaters, find serenity at a Maharashtrian ashram, count cows on a Goan beach - discover the best of India's tropical south with this comprehensive guide.

• GO BEYOND THE TOURIST TRAIL to find tranquil beach escapes, wildlife-packed national parks and remote tribal villages

• ENRICH YOUR EXPERIENCE with our chapters on South India's extraordinary history and culture

• REST EASY in the best accommodation - from backwater houseboats to Raj-era palaces

• TELL YOUR DHAL FROM YOUR DOSA with our chapter on Indian cuisine, and in-depth reviews of the best restaurants in the south

• FIND YOUR WAY from Mumbai to Chennai and back again with the help of our detailed transport information and over 90 maps

Customer Reviews:

Sufficient info and good ideas for trips.......2007-03-11

The guidebook does not include all the options or highlights of places but it has sufficient information for your first or second time visit. Very useful opening times and price guidelines!
...In fact I found myself returning to South India many times after the first review of this book. Even though these are always business trips I try to get the most out of them spending weekends in the more or less touristic places. Thanks to LP I've even guided some Indians around Chennai and Mumbai!
Try out bird sanctuaries or Gingee Forts for example - you'll be surprised by the fact there are places in India charming though not overcrowded (and not located in Himalaya). The book does a pretty good job in this field.
After a while you'll need to search for some more info on the web or in local resources however LP always provides with good ideas and directions for exploring.

so far i am pleased.......2007-02-01

i am on my way to India so i hope this book will be thorough but i use lonely planet books all the time to travel and i travel alot.

Good, well balanced coverage of the region.......2006-12-01

This book proved helpful on my recent biycle tour of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. It's one of Lonely Planet's better guidebooks, however some sights suffer from rushed research. For example, the fort at Gingee--one of India's best--has three sections, but the authors failed to mention the most spectacular of the three. The authors should have mentioned Suchindram Temple, just north of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu; the beautiful stone temple is famous for its musical columns and 6-meter-tall statue of the monkey god Hanuman. I found the book weak on off-the-beaten-path destinations. I would have liked more information on culture--places to visit and background; if this is your main interest, I recommend that you also check out the Rough Guide edition on South India.

Another strong title from Lonely Planet.......2006-02-06

I ventured to South India, Bombay and Goa, last January, and this book never left my side. As a first-time visitor to the country, I was nervous at first, but the information found in this book helped me to prepare adequately for the trip and navigate my way through this often confusing (but always amazing) country. The guide caters to travelers on a variety of budgets, and offers tips for escaping the white-washed tourist trail to really get a taste of local culture. I would recommend ordering a copy a couple months before leaving- there is much to peruse in the book and region, and it will help you to plan out what you want to see, what you need to pack, and how to get by when the culture shock is hitting hard.

short on detail.......2004-02-06

India is really too big to be adequately covered in a single guidebook. That was one of the main reasons I used Lonely Planet's "South India" while travelling there in December 2003. Some of the information, particularly prices for accommodation was out of date, but this is to be expected of a guide book that has been in print for more than two years. What disappointed me about this book was that even though it only covered part of India and should be less constrained by space considerations it was frustratingly short on detail in various ways. Some places could have had more detailed coverage and there were still many places omitted completely. I also think Lonely Planet stretches the definition of South India a bit far by including chapters on Maharashtra and Orissa. Less states and more detail would make this guide book much better value for money.

Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook

Average customer rating:

Not useful for learning the languages

Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook
Richard Delacy , Shahara Ahmed , and Lonely Planet Phrasebooks
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

Translating | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1740591496

Customer Reviews:

Not useful for learning the languages.......2007-03-15

Although this combined edition is more accurate than the previous separate phrasebooks for Hindi/Urdu and Bengali, do not expect to use it to actually learn the languages or even get beyond a couple of dozen phrases.

Perhaps in conjunction with a formal language guide to Bengali, this phrasebook would be more helpful, but at the time of my recent travels, there was no English language language study guide available for Bengali/Bangla (I think the Teach Yourself series has one, but that series is currently going through a one-by-one reissue as the cover format and typeface have changed).

The main problem is the Bengali to English dictionary, which is listed from the point of view of the written form vs. how things sound or how they transluterate to Latin characters. This requires first learning Bengali script, which is quite difficult due to the bizarre rules in all South Indian derived scripts (including Thai and Khmer/Cambodian as well as Hindi) vs. Cyryllic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. And besides which, literacy is not and should not be a requirement for developing the more important day-to-day fluency of speaking and listening skills in a new language while traveling.

The publisher would also be advised to make clear that there are significant regional variants within Bengali (if not also Hindi/Urdu), and thus one is not always understood even with basic everyday phrases as they are published here. They might also be advised to include the related Punjabi language/dialect in the next edition, to be more complete.

Average customer rating:

Not the same as the China guide!
Much improved
This Is The Updated Version 2002
Nothing New
Don't use this book to plan your trip

Lonely Planet South-West China (1st ed)

Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

China: Yunnan Province, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide

ASIN: 0864425961

Book Description

87 Maps

Customer Reviews:

Not the same as the China guide!.......2003-01-05

A couple of the reviews below complain that the coverage of South-West China was just lifted from Lonely Planet's China guide and this is really misleading. To prove a point, the following destinations are covered only in the SW China book and are not covered at all in the China guide:

YUNNAN - grottoes of Shibaoshan, stone city of Baoshan, Weixi county, Tiger Leaping Gorge trek map, Birang Gorge, Dondrupling monastery, Cizhong Catholic Church, the Nujiang Valley, Menglian, Chengjiang, Jiangchuan, architecture of Jianshui, Gejiu, terraces of Yuanyuang, Luxi Caves
SICHUAN - dinosaurs of Zigong, Yibin, Bamboo Sea, Bo Hanging Coffins, Yi people of Xichang and the Cool Mountains, Tibetan area of Muli, Tibetan monasteries around Tagong and Ganzi, Dzogchen Monastery, Pelpung, Dzongsar and Kathok monasteries around Derge, trekking around Derge, Daocheng and Yading Nature Reserve, Woolong Nature Reserve, Barkham, Wenchuan, Langmusi, Aba
GUIZHOU - Xingren, Miao towns of Leishan, Taijiang, Fanpai, Shidong, Huangping, Shibing, Zhenyuan, Tongren, Fanjing Mt nature Reserve, the Dong settlements of Ronjiang, Congjiang and Zhaoxing, waterfalls and caves of Chishui,
Guangxi - Nanning, Beihai, Chongzuo, Detian Waterfall on the Vietnam border, Jingxi, Baise, Guiping

The bottom line is that if you are planning a trip around China and/or only have a week or two in SW China, then take LP's China. But if you want to get off the beaten track, have more time to explore SW China and/or have an interest in Tibetan monasteries, hilltribe villages and minority nationalities in general, then SW China is DEFINITELY the guide to take.

Much improved.......2002-09-14

The negative comments re the first edition are justified, but for this much better second edition clearly a lot of work has gone into improving the Yunnan section (the bit I can comment on).

This Is The Updated Version 2002.......2002-02-09

This edition will take the traveler beyond the main sites detailed in the China 2000 Lonely Planet. Ignore the other two reviews as they criticize the earlier edition for being out of date. This edition will be very helpful for those exploring the diverse regions of Yunnan and beyond in the Southwest of China.

Nothing New.......2002-02-09

I had been eagerly awaiting the 2002 edition of this guidebook to South West China to help me plan my upcoming trip throughout Sichuan and I was very disappointed. All it did was lift the section on Schuan out of the Lonely Planet "China" guidebook and reprint it. Most of the smaller towns and attractions that I was looking for are not even included. If you have any other decent guidebook of China already, this will be a waste of money.

Don't use this book to plan your trip.......2002-01-27

Published in 1998, Lonely Planet South-West China is essentially the sections for Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan from the previous edition of Lonely Planet China (6th Edition), which has been out of print for a while. China is a country that is changing rapidly as a result of these changes the book contains a lot of inaccuracies. For instance, the Kunming-Dali and Kunming-Lijiang travel times mentioned in the book have been cut in half because a highway has been built since publication and has been operational for a couple of years!

Book Description

90 Maps

Customer Reviews:

Lonley Planet guide to South India.......2000-04-03

This guide is very comprehensive. I have travelled exstensively throughout Southern India and have found that this book is imperative to a well informed and succesful travel experience. The information is unfailing in its accuracy. The book seems to be written more with the budget traveller in mind, but certainly provides a wealth of information for the traveller looking to be a little more spendthrift. Also important to take notice of, is the honest and unbiased perspective conveyed throughout the guide; if something is to be avoided, you will know it. Well organized and profusely detailed. An interesting read just for pleasure as well.

Customer Reviews:

stimulating.......2007-07-08

There are enough ideas in here to keep anyone busy creating for a long time. I believe that is can be used in just about any form of art one may pursue.

An invaluable resource for understanding Synectics!.......2006-03-02

This excellent book illustrates beautifully the analogy building aspect of the powerful Synectic problem solving process, from the standpoint of design. It is also a great companion to Art Synectics by the same author. Both of them never cease to amaze me, as I often turn to their many pages for creative inspiration. Both of them are also packed with easy to follow and fun exercises.

They are among my first few books on understanding the Synectic process. Synectics was created by William J J Gordon & George Prince in the 50's or 60's. The process can be applied in both the educational as well as business settings. In fact, Gordon had created many exercise books for use in the schools. Unfortunately many of his good stuff in this respect are now out of print and hard to get.

Great Ideas about Having Great Ideas.......2002-06-10

As an art educator, this is the book I turn to when my ideas have run out. It has some great starting points for stimulating thought--both in yourself and your students. It offers terrific visuals which suggest all sorts of ideas for starting interesting projects. Read the text and you realise it is even better than it looks--this book is all about how to think in new and creative ways. Any way you'd like to use it, this book is refreshing.

An Art Educator Staple.......2000-03-24

Design Synectics is a stand out browse and reference text for Art educators. I would also highly recommend this book to any creative person. It is like a service manual for the artist/ divergent thinker. Presenting individual visual and cognitive concepts in a schematic that is easy to read and fun to practice. While some of the action items in this book may seem a little too structured, individual educators will have little trouble in customizing the approaches to fit with their style. While many books written for Art teachers only give outdated product based ideas, Design Synectics gives insight into the thinking associated with visual literacy. This book is a true Art educator staple.

Average customer rating:

A must for hairless aficionados

Great Book, and beautiful too!

A must-read for all dog lovers!

For owners of bald dogs, THIS is the book to have!

Best Book for Beginners to long time Breeders

Hairless Dogs - The Naked Truth: The Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli & Peruvian Inca Orchid
Amy Fernandez , and Rhae Kelly
Manufacturer: Kelly Rhae
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Incan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Chinese Crested: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for Your Dog (Kennel Club Dog Breed)

The Complete Chinese Crested (Book of the Breed)

A New Owner's Guide to Chinese Crested: Akc Rank 72 (New Owner's Guide to Series)

Chinese Cresteds (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

ASIN: 096721601X

Book Description

Hairless Dogs - The Naked Truth [The Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli & Peruvian Inca Orchid] is the first-ever breed book of its kind that provides information about all modern day hairless dogs (including the American Hairless Terrier). There is also a chapter devoted to other hairless animals, such as the Sphynx cat, naked mole rat & hairless cow.

The Naked Truth is the definitive guide to the care, breeding, and history of hairless dogs. Well researched and meticulously documented, this book will once and for all put to rest the many myths & legends surrounding these curious canine companions. Archaeological evidence is presented tracing the history of hairless dogs from their ancient origins to their present day incarnations.

Full of fascinating details, this unique book provides an in depth look at the genetics of hairlessness (dominant & recessive), its perpetuation through selective breeding, and the development of the four officially recognized hairless breeds of today. Discussion of foundation kennels, pedigrees, breed standards and numerous rare, historical photographs make this book an indispensable reference for anyone with an interest in hairless dogs.

With the publication of Hairless Dogs The Naked Truth, the authors hope to fill a growing need for factual information on hairless dogs and dispel the myths surrounding them. To that end, the scope of the book has been purposely limited to information that has been carefully researched and verified. As a result, the authors are proud to present the most comprehensive exploration of hairless dog ancient and modern history ever written.

For any prospective show or pet owner contemplating life with a hairless dog, or the seasoned professional currently owned by one (or many, as the case may be). If you have an interest in hairless dogs, their history, genetics, conformation and so on, you'll want to know The Naked Truth!!

Customer Reviews:

A must for hairless aficionados.......2007-08-28

Finally an in depth book on hairless breeds.This book dispells myths and enlightens readers on the origin and genetics of the breeds. Included are beautiful color plates. I was finally able to get some definitive information on the "lethal" gene. Not even my vet could explain this to me.
This great coffee table book will attract dog lovers and those with a passion for the wierd and curious.

Great Book, and beautiful too!.......2003-03-03

This book is full of the most current information and research on hairless breeds. It debunks the numerous myths about the Chinese Crested and is worth reading for that alone! The information in invaluable. The two authors seem to be in a battle now about personal disagreements, but don't let their games steer you away from your personal education. It's embarassing to the breed that they're airing their laundry in public, but both of their contributions to the book are excellent, and it's worth reading! The pictures in this coffee-table size book alone are worth the steep price. I had to think a while before I coughed up the big price tag, but I'm happy to say it was worth it. Happy Reading!

A must-read for all dog lovers!.......2000-12-29

This book shows an incredible amount of scholarship, a wealth of photographs and a writing style that will appeal to anyone from the novice dog-owner to the expert breeder. The section on genetics will be of special interest to all and the photographs both illustrate the authors' points and provide amazing appeal.

Buy it! Read it! Read it again!

For owners of bald dogs, THIS is the book to have!.......2000-06-08

A friend loaned this to me, and I decided I had to have the book myself. The authors have compiled an extraordinary encyclopedia on hairless dogs -- from antiquity to the present -- with no effort spared to find every possible reference or archive photo. It's so well done, and for the breeder or the lucky owner of a Chinese Crested (or Mexican Hairless or Xoloxcuinti), this book is indispensible. Some fun facts: the Chinese apparently used to call them "healing dogs", because the were so useful as hot water bottles for arthritic or bedridden patients. And indigenous homes of South and Central American Indians often had 30 or more hairless dogs in the house. (Without hair, they were much better adapted to a hot/tropical environment with a high flea and tick population.) Oh, another interesting fact is that of the 2,000 or so dog breeds that have existed, only some 400 are extant today. Many of them have been eaten -- and in fact, the Chinese Crested has very often been served on the dinner table in times of famine. There's even a picture of a Chinese man on a bicycle, hauling a pile of dead Cresteds... A fascinating book with many illustrations, including some excellent color photos. Highly Recommended.

Best Book for Beginners to long time Breeders.......2000-04-29

This book is a wealth of information for the new hairless dog owner or if you have had dogs for years. The research was thorough and complete, listing all varieties of hairless dogs along with a few other hairless animals, including the Sphynx Cat. If you are thinking of getting a hairless breed or already own one, this is the only book you'll need!

Hairless Dogs - The Naked Truth: The Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli & Peruvian Inca Orchid

Average customer rating:

Hairless Dogs - The Naked Truth: The Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli & Peruvian Inca Orchid
Rhae Kelly Amy Fernandez
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Incan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MUEF8Q

Average customer rating:
Ghosts of the Trees: Walkingsticks and Leaf-Insects

Manufacturer: Elytra & Antenna
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

A Complete Guide to Breeding Stick and Leaf Insects (Complete Guide to Breeding)

A Step-By-Step Book About Stick Insects

ASIN: 0971912947

Product Description

A comprehensive introduction to Walkingsticks and Leaf-insects, their reproduction, care and diet. Each species account provides common and scientific names, feeding, description, growth and distribution. 49 b/w photographs.

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Walkingsticks
Ulrich Klever
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Textiles & Costume | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This is a comprehensive look at decorative walking sticks, including their use, history,and craftsmanship. Stoeber explores the rise and fall of the cane industry. A chapter on materials familiarizes the reader with the wide range of canes available. This cultural history will become a useful reference for antique dealers and collectors as well as the beginner.

Average customer rating:

Walkingsticks (Insects)
Helen Frost
Manufacturer: Capstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports & Activities | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0736890890

Book Description

From ants and beetles, to wasps and water bugs, amazing up-close photographs explore the fascinating world of insects. Readers learn about the body parts and daily activities of common insects.

3 artists, 3 stories: Nancy Cohen, Kay WalkingStick, Bisa Washington

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3 artists, 3 stories: Nancy Cohen, Kay WalkingStick, Bisa Washington
Nancy Cohen
Manufacturer: New Jersey Center for Visual Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0925915157

The Adventures of William Walkingstick: Volume One: Encounter at Egad's Lair

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The Adventures of William Walkingstick: Volume One: Encounter at Egad's Lair
Brennan Pope , and Janet Pope
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

In his first adventure alone after his father's death, young William Walkingstick has stumbled upon a new world-a world of bitties and hat towns, giants and faeries, woodsmen and enchanted forests. His first acquaintance in this new land is a friendly giant named Eril, who wears a most amazing hat. Upon Eril's hat sits an elegant miniature town with little houses and shops, cobblestone streets, and lampposts shining with pinpricks of light. William is smitten with the tiny folk who live there, the bitties, and dreams of someday earning his very own hat town.

But adventure comes William's way when the hat towns are stolen by Egad the Terrible, and he finds himself caught up in a heart-stopping rescue mission. Drawing from the quiet strength of a gentle giant, inspired by the unassuming and sometimes rib-tickling spunk of a lion-hearted bittie, and urged on by the determined faith of a wayward faerie, William learns the meaning of true bravery and realizes he has possessed it all along.

Ecological characteristics of walkingstick cholla (Bulletin / New Mexico State University. Agricultural Experiment Station)

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Ecological characteristics of walkingstick cholla (Bulletin / New Mexico State University. Agricultural Experiment Station)
Rex D Pieper
Manufacturer: New Mexico State University, Agricultural Experiment Station
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006W23PM

Hidden Walkingsticks (No Backbone: Insects)

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Hidden Walkingsticks (No Backbone: Insects)
Meish Goldish
Manufacturer: Bearport Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Kay Walkingstick: Mythic Dances.
STANLEY I. GRAND
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RRB0OG

Average customer rating:

Kay Walkingstick: Paintings, 1974-1990
Holland Cotter
Manufacturer: Long Island University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

So Fine: Masterworks of Fine Art from the Heard Museum

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So Fine: Masterworks of Fine Art from the Heard Museum
Kay Walkingstick , and Ann E. Marshall
Manufacturer: Heard Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 093435166X

Customer Reviews:

Devotional and Garden Primer.......2007-05-11

As the Religion editor for the Sun-Times said recently, Rolland Hein is passionate about gardening. In this beautiful little book you get an introduction to what some people have known about for years. There is a world of inner growth in the discipline of gardening. Whether you're a veteran or just starting out you'll find great riches in this simply profound book. Hein is emeritus Professor of English Literature at Wheaton College and is a respected scholar of Mythopeia and George MacDonald. To have a man with this kind of knowledge of classic literature guide us through his garden and mine his favorite poets for wisdom is exhilerating! Get yours today.

Book Description

Now in paperback: The first comprehensive biography of the American cultural giant who changed popular theater and dance forever with her choreography for Oklahoma!, Carousel, and Brigadoon

Pioneering a distinctly American style that combined modern dance and ballet with a traditional folk idiom, Agnes de Mille popularized what had been an elitist art and irrevocably changed the American musical theater. During a life that spanned most of the twentieth century, de Mille worked and played with a fabulous cast of characters, from her uncle (the legendary Cecil B. de Mille) to Charlie Chaplin, Martha Graham, Cole Porter, Nol Coward, Rebecca West, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Drawing on unpublished papers and extensive interviews with friends, colleagues, relatives, and de Mille herself, Carol Easton takes us behind the scenes of de Mille's extraordinary life: struggling to establish a reputation, surviving a series of disastrous love affairs, meeting the conflicting demands of ambition and motherhood, dealing with a devastating illness. She unforgettably brings to life the combination of intelligence, artistry, and humor that was Agnes de Mille.

Customer Reviews:

Not the Real Thing.......2006-02-16

This biography offers little insight to what already exists, and doesn't convey the passion of De Mille's own writings [although they are quoted lavishly]. You would be much richer served to read her own memoirs:
"Dance to the Piper" [published 1952][early memoir: childhood in Hollywood, struggle to become a dancer]
"And Promenade Home" [published 1959] [early success, and wartime marriage]
"Speak to Me, Dance with Me" [published 1973] [more detail on the early career years, in London and in Hollywood]
"Where the Wings Grow" [published 1978] [about summers at Merriewold, the de Mille estate near the Delaware Water Gap]
"Reprieve: A Memoir" [published 1982] [about her stroke]

Agnes De Mille came from a driven and successful family: her maternal grandfather was the world renown economist, Henry George. Her father, William de Mille, was a Broadway playwright, and later Hollywood scenarist. Her uncle, Cecil B. De Mille, is known world over for his movie directing. She grew up in a milieu that expected achievement, and achieve she did: choreographer of the highest caliber, on Broadway [the groundbreaking "Oklahoma!", "Brigadoon", etc.] and in the ballet world [the groundbreaking "Rodeo", "Fall River Legend", "Three Virgins and a Devil"].

De Mille was passionate about dance. She was passionate about her beliefs [sometime see the video of her debate with a Hollywood columnist during the McCarthy era], passionate about everything. She was also an astute observer, a gifted writer, and self-critical.

You will find her books enthralling. Go to the source!

No Intermission: The Life of Agnes De Mille

Average customer rating:

No Intermission: The Life of Agnes De Mille
Carol Easton
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0756761034

Average customer rating:

No Intermission: The Life of Agnes de Mille
Carol Easton
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSK4TU

No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes De Mille

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No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes De Mille
Carol Easton
Manufacturer: Little Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PFONSU

Average customer rating:

No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes De Mille
Carol Easton
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUBVJK

Book Description

"I danced and danced because the neon light across the road had just blinked on, because it was the middle of spring, because I was twenty-one, because my father was playing beside me. . . ."

In this vivid, seductive, gorgeously written memoir, Mandy Sayer recounts the fascinating years she spent performing on the streets of New York and New Orleans with her father. Gerry Sayer was a jazz drummer, a beguiling Irish charmer with a million stories and an insatiable love for jam sessions and all-night parties. Mandy grew up captivated by his outrageous tales even after he left the family for good and her mother descended into the distance of drink. When her siblings failed him by rejecting the bohemian performing life, Mandy saw her chance to become a character in his stories, part of the only life he really loved. So she learned to tap-dance, and they set off together to satisfy their grand ambitions on the toughest stage in the world--New York.

Driven by their dream of making it big, Mandy and Gerry arrived in the city with no place to stay and only costumes to their names. They became part of the thrilling, precarious world of street performers--jugglers, magicians, fire-eaters, dancers--who eked out their livings at the mercy of the elements, the cops, complaining neighbors, and lurking thieves. In cinematic detail, Sayer tells of the first exhilarating season in New York City, earning $200 a night on Columbus Avenue; offsetting the physical pain of endless performance with the incomparable rush that accompanied it; the long, difficult winter in New Orleans, surviving on avocados and raw vegetables in unheated apartments; and their final unforgettable return to New York.

Entwined with this singular story of a busker's life is the deeper, more intimate story of Mandy's transformation from a girl searching for her father's love into a woman who could invent her own language and find her own voice. For ultimately Dreamtime Alice is a triumphant record of a young woman's discovery that she could create her own story at last.

Customer Reviews:

Streets of passage.......2002-07-05

As the author of the authoritative how-to book on street performing (Be a Street Magician!: A How-To Guide), I can tell you that this girl has been there. The book's authenticity bleeds through on every page--the street characters, the money obsession, the work ethic, the vulnerability to all the world's scammers. If you want to know how it is to play the street for a living, it's all here.
But this is more than just a book about the street. In a strange way, it's a chick book in that it explores with earnestness and innocence the yearning of a 20-year-old girl for her good-for-nothing father. But it's more than that, too, because chicks may find the grittiness, sleaze, and violence to be a bit more than Kate Chopin usually offers.
One good sign: Some nights, I found myself involuntarily staying up reading this book until 1 or--God forbid!--2 am. I just couldn't stop reading! Parts of the book dragged, but then, why couldn't I put it down? I can't tell you except to say that the narrative held me.
I know street performers who played New York City during the early '80s and knew Mandy, and they talk favorably about her (if you're reading this, Mandy, they'd like to contact you!).
At times, I wondered whether the narrator fully realized her emotional attachment to her father, and I still wonder. But the book built to a triumphant emotional ending that I didn't expect. It's not the kind of Hollywood ending that we like to expect not to expect, but instead, a triumph of the soul. I learned something about maturing innocence and the growth of the personality.
The book doesn't move like a novel, for this is the recollection of real life. Action doesn't proceed as mathematically as it does in a Le Carre or Grafton book; instead, it proceeds in stalls and jerks. But that's why we love memoirs, isn't it? To breathe in the whiff of what reallly happened. To utter "Wow, she lived through it." Not to pretend, but to know what's true.
Give the book a read. You'll learn something about the street and, at the same time, streets of passage.

A POIGNANT, SAVVY MEMOIR.......2001-03-21

Very much like the two men who looked out from prison bars, one seeing mud and the other seeing stars, Mandy Sayer saw more rainbows than rain when eking out a precarious living tap dancing with her jazz drummer father, Gerry, on the streets of New York City and New Orleans. In a powerful, boldly provocative memoir, Dreamtime Alice, she reveals that her rosy- hued vision was airbrushed by a hunger to share in the life of her alcoholic father, an Irish charmer, a raconteur par excellence who looked to her to draw an audience and looked the other way when his friends sought her sexual favor.

Dreaming of their future, she wrote, "It was in New York... that we would be successful... It was there that we would have lots of glorious fun and return home with bags of money. There that we would live out the long, warm nights that would later fill the repertoire of my father's stories, a repertoire of which I had longed to be a part."

Ms. Sayer, who has been named among "10 Best Young Australian Novelists" has woven a rich tapestry of her recollections - the surface is brilliantly colored, a sometimes coke induced kaleidoscope of aspirations and full money buckets while the seamy underside reveals a busker's gritty existence. Familiar streets and those who earn their living on them will not look the same to us again after having seen them through Ms. Sayer's eyes.

In 1983 the father/daughter act, he 63, she 20, left Australia with little more than their costumes. Rather than the mecca of her imagination, glinting "like a thousand Chrysler buildings," New York City was a tract of unyielding pavement which taught her how to cope - with the police (including a lecherous officer who offered protection for a price), with rival entertainers, with complaining businesses, and with capricious weather.

She met Romano, a handsome street magician, then Bruno and Grimaldi: "Drawn to characters who lived just beneath the surface of convention." When winter threatened, the pair fled to New Orleans and a pink courtyard room behind a witchcraft shop, where Ms. Sayer, an avowed believer in the supernatural, uncomplainingly settled in.

Bourbon Street proved even less hospitable than the Fifth Avenue entrance to Central Park, officially limiting their work evening to a two hour stint so as not to compete with indoor nightclub entertainment. Their small nest egg dwindled. Gerry, concerned that he would be deported, found an American wife in a local bar. Although he was not divorced from Mandy's mother, he married in order to obtain a green card.

Throughout the dank chill of Louisiana's winter the pair subsisted on raw vegetables and avocados. Then, with hope again high, they returned to New York City. But there was no reprise. She soon fell ill and was trundled off to an emergency room not by Gerry but by a neighbor. After recovering from an almost fatal disorder she walked alone from Bellevue Hospital, "I fixed my eyes on the horizon," she writes, "....numb with the realization that I had lost faith in my beautiful, difficult father."

Ms. Sayer does not reflect with bitterness but rather with grace, humor and understanding, describing their 18 month odyssey as having "made me grow in directions I could never have anticipated... For I started off wanting to become a character in my father's story, now he's a character in mine."

And what a remarkable story she gas given us - more than a vivid recollection of life on the edge this is a meritorious coming-of-age tale, radiant yet unsparing. Ms. Sayer's enchanting mix of pluck and naivete will win hearts; her haunting, lyrical way with words will garner plaudits. Dreamtime Alice is her triumph.

Ultimately disappointing.......1999-08-27

As a tap dancer and as someone who loves both New York and New Orleans, I really wanted to like this book. It just left me cold. Maybe it was that her obsessive search for an orgasm was such a lame metaphor. Maybe it was her complete self-absorption. Maybe it was the fact that her father seemed to be a much, much more interesting character than she was, and yet he wasn't given nearly as much play. While it definitely has its moments, this book is ultimately a disappointment. And when she finally HAS an orgasm, my guess is most readers will say "so what?"

If you've spent time in NYC or NO, you will enjoy this book........1999-07-15

If you've ever wondered "Who IS this person? Why are they here?" while watching a street performer, this book might satisfy your curiosity. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in the "underworld" of New York and New Orleans.

Did I miss something here?.......1998-07-08

Reading all the other rave reviews, I'm left wondering what I missed. For me, this book totally failed to engage me or even make me care about Mandy and what happened to her. I found her treatment shallow and the whole tale somehow lacked real substance. It just never came alive for me. It seemed there could have been so much more yet all we got was surface descriptions.

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Dreamtime Alice - A Memoir
Mandy Sayer
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IUZFW0

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Dreamtime Alice : A Memoir
Mandy Sayer
Manufacturer: Random House Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0091839939

Four from E.S.T. Marathon '99: All About Al/Deaf Day/Dreamtime for Alice/Goodbye Oscar

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Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch

Four from E.S.T. Marathon '99: All About Al/Deaf Day/Dreamtime for Alice/Goodbye Oscar
Cherie Vogelstein , Leslie Ayvazian , Susan Kim , and Romulus Linney
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822217325

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Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch.......2001-12-30

Three of the four plays were ok, but the first of the titles-all about al--demonstrated nothing but bombastic stupidity. It was so pathetically adolescent that you did not want to read any further. In fact, all you wanted to do was get your money back. Save yourself the time and don't purchase this nonsense.

Stumbling into dreamtime: Rod Moss gives glimpses of extraordinary everyday life in Alice Springs.(Art)(Column) : An article from: Arena Magazine

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Stumbling into dreamtime: Rod Moss gives glimpses of extraordinary everyday life in Alice Springs.(Art)(Column) : An article from: Arena Magazine
Rod Moss
Manufacturer: Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Arena Magazine, published by Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd. on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1871 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: Stumbling into dreamtime: Rod Moss gives glimpses of extraordinary everyday life in Alice Springs.(Art)(Column)
Author: Rod Moss
Publication: Arena Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd.
Issue: 79 Page: 44(2)

Article Type: Column

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Dreamtime Alice
Mandy Sayer
Manufacturer: Random House Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGWEHW

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