Puhpohwee for the People: A Narrative Account of Some Uses of Fungi Among the Ahnishinaabeg

Customer Reviews:

Very informative, and fun to read........1999-07-28

For those interested in Native American history, and or legends this is a great book to read. For those interested in plants or mushrooms and some Native American uses this book provides a wealth of information.

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"I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful." These words spoken by Renfield to Dracula might have been said by Bram Stoker to his boss, the mesmerizing, domineering actor Henry Irving. Stoker was such a mild-mannered, secretive man that the real subject of this acclaimed biography turns out to be the genesis of his novel Dracula, and Irving--the man who, according to Barbara Belford, inspired its famous monster. Other fascinating characters who appear in Stoker's life are Florence Stoker (courted by Oscar Wilde before Bram married her), Ellen Terry (Irving's leading lady), Walt Whitman, the aging Lord Tennyson, W. S. Gilbert, William Gladstone, Lady Speranza Wilde, her son Oscar, Queen Victoria (who knights Irving, the first actor so honored), George Bernard Shaw, and Mark Twain. As Margot Peters writes in the New York Times Book Review, "Stoker himself is pretty much swamped in these heavy seas. But as Ms. Belford's intelligent, well-written and always interesting book makes clear, Stoker lived to serve. His revenge for lifelong self-effacement was Dracula."

Book Description

The first full-scale biography of the complex man known today as the author of Dracula, but who was famous in his own time as the innovative manager of London's Lyceum Theatre, home of the greatest English actors of the day, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry.

Barbara Belford tells the story of Stoker the hidden man. On the surface: the very model of Victorian modesty, reserve, and duty, the devoted husband and father. In actuality: a man whose emotional and working energies were in large part expended on the care and cultivation of the flamboyant, mesmerizing genius of the stage, Henry Irving.

We see Stoker the writer of novels and stories that were imbued with sexuality, violence, and the celebration of death -- works at opposite poles from the decorum he presented in society. And Barbara Belford shows us in Dracula a mirror of the undercurrents of Stoker's own life, as well as a masked exploration of subjects utterly forbidden in his time -- seduction, rape, necrophilia, incest, voyeurism -- universal taboos dramatized with such a myth-making edge that the novel remains resonant and unsettling almost one hundred years later.

We follow Stoker from his sickly childhood -entertained by his mother's twice-told tales of Irish hobgoblins and banshees -- to his years as a Dublin undergraduate and newspaperman, when he first wrote to his idol Wait Whitman, spilling out his innermost thoughts and beginning a lifelong correspondence that culminated in their meeting when Stoker traveled to America on tour with Irving and Ellen Terry. We see Stoker's childhood friendship with Oscar Wilde, and watch as the two young men compete for the hand of the beautiful Florence Balcombe, who became Stoker's wife. And we see Stoker in the literary and theatrical circles of Victorian London among such figures as Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle, James Whistler, Lord Tennyson, and George Bernard Shaw.

Belford gives us a vivid picture of the man, his time, his London -- the domestic and theatrical worlds he lived in -- and the dark imaginary realms that were the wellspring of all his writings, especially of his enduring and enduringly fascinating Dracula.

Customer Reviews:

Insight into Bram Stoker & His Life at the Lyceum........2005-05-17

Barbara Belford's "Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula" is considered to be the most scholarly and thorough of the 3 Bram Stoker biographies that have been published. But Mr. Stoker was a reticent person about whose personal life, opinions, and character there is precious little known. Whether out of humility or caution, he usually took care not to reveal himself. So what we know of Stoker comes primarily from his public life, which was thankfully shared with several grander, more loquacious personalities. Perhaps due to the scarcity of information about her subject, Barbara Belford gives Stoker's friends, colleagues, and the London theater community a lot of attention, especially Henry Irving, the great actor whose fame was dwarfed only by his ego, and whom Bram Stoker dedicated 27 years of his life to serving. Indeed, this biography of Stoker would serve well as a history of Irving's famous Lyceum Theatre for the decades that Stoker served as its acting manager.

The book starts by describing Stoker's childhood in Dublin, the third child born to a middle class Anglo-Irish family in 1847 during the potato famine, and his apparent debilitation until the age of 7. He grew up to be a civil servant like his father, and pursued personal interests as an unpaid drama critic for the "Evening Mail", through which Stoker met Henry Irving. After marrying the lovely Florence Balcombe, whom Oscar Wilde also courted, the Stokers moved to London where Bram's efficient management would help make the 1500-seat Lyceum Theatre fashionable and profitable. Since the Lyceum dominated Stoker's life, it dominates his biography, but Belford also discusses his trips to America on tour with the Lyceum company, his effusive admiration for Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln, and his novels and stories.

The upshot of "Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Man Who Wrote Dracula" is that Bram Stoker was a modest, hardworking man, exceedingly courteous even by Victorian standards, whose tireless work for Henry Irving was acknowledged by many but unappreciated and unrewarded by Irving himself. Stoker's genial but reserved manner harbored passionate, worshipful emotions toward his heroes, invariably men of power with larger-than-life personalities. Belford draws an occasional parallel between persons in Bram Stoker's own life and characters in "Dracula". Most notably, she sees a "sinister caricature" of Henry Irving in the vampire Count. Actress Ellen Terry seems to be reflected in Mina, and Stoker's wife Florence may have lent some of her character to Lucy. None of this is a stretch as long as one recognizes that "Dracula"'s characters don't have a single source, but many.

This biography includes a lot of good information for fans of Bram Stoker's work, but a couple of stylistic problems nagged at me. One is Belford's confusing tendency to refer to people by first or last name only, at the beginning of a chapter, instead of starting off with a full name. Another is the repeated use of the phrase "Unholy Trinity" to describe the business partnership between Henry Irving, Bram Stoker, and stage manager H.J. Loveday, which I found melodramatic. But Belford's book succeeds in creating a picture of Bram Stoker's personality without reading too much into his actions or words.

Best Book I ever read!.......1998-04-16

The main caracters in the story are Jonathan Harker, Mina Murry/Harker, and Lucy Westenras. There are several different settings, so I won,t list them specifically. Most of the book, they are in Europe in the 1800's. The plot of the books is Jonathan is a solicitor and meets the "Count". Sopposably the Count is friendly and turns evil. My opinion of the book is it is great it has some diffficult words so I recommend it to 8th grade and above. It is very interesting and fun. I liked the way that the author set up the book and the way he used everybodys point of view.

Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Tales (Penguin Classics)

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Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Tales (Penguin Classics)
Bram Stoker
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0141441712

Book Description

Menacing tales from one of the masters of horror fiction

Book Description

Bram Stoker's bestseller Dracula was first published in 1897. In 1901, Stoker revised and edited the book for a new edition. As the last work Stoker did on the book, it stands as the definitive author's cut-but has been out of print ever since. All other versions in print use the out-of-date text from 1897.

Includes Stoker's story "Dracula's Guest" and an introduction written by Stoker in 1901 for the Icelandic edition of Dracula.

Bram Stoker : A Biography of the Author of "Dracula" (Phoenix Giants S)

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Bram Stoker : A Biography of the Author of "Dracula" (Phoenix Giants S)
Barbara & Bram Stoker (biography) Belford
Manufacturer: Phoenix
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0ZQPO

The Bram Stoker Bedside Companion 10 Stories By the Author of Dracula

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The Bram Stoker Bedside Companion 10 Stories By the Author of Dracula
Charles Osborne
Manufacturer: Taplinger
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KBJIJS

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Nice Collection of Stoker's Lesser Known....

Bram Stoker Bedside Companion: 10 Stories by the Author of Dracula
Bram Stoker
Manufacturer: Taplinger Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Nice Collection of Stoker's Lesser Known...........2001-03-23

As my title says, this is indeed a nice collection of Stoker's lesser known works. It also includes "Dracula's Guest" which was cut from the original masterpiece of Victorian terror. This short story being perhaps the best in the volume. The stories range from the excellent to the hum-drum. I took away one star for that reason.

Either way, I'd recommend this book....if you can find a copy.

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Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of "Dracula"
Barbara Belford
Manufacturer: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JYCKYQ

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Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula.

Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I7ZLZE

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Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula (World Writers)
Nancy Whitelaw
Manufacturer: Morgan Reynolds Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Biographies | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Literary | Biographies | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1931798338

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One of Stoker's best

Terrific stories from a true master of horror

The Replacement Chapter

A very worthy audio classic for horror and classic fans

Best short story of horror genre for it's time period

Dracula's Guest
Bram Stoker
Manufacturer: Borgo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Stoker, Bram | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Stoker, Bram | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1587155788

Book Description

Nine tales of heart-rending tales of terror from the celebrated master of the macabre, Bram Stoker.

Download Description

This is the complete collection (includes Drac Guest, Judge's House, as well as Burial of the Rats and others.)

Customer Reviews:

One of Stoker's best.......2005-12-24

I consider this to be one of Stoker's best books. I would rate it right up there with "Dracula" and "The Jewel of the Seven Stars". The short stories in this collection are great. I especially liked the stories `Dracula's Guest' (which is supposed to be an exercised chapter from Dracula) and `The Judge's House'.

The nine stories in this collection are:

Dracula's Guest
The Judge's House
The Squaw
The Secret of the Growing Gold
A Gipsy Prophecy
The Coming of Abel Behenna
The Burial of the Rats
A Dream of Red Hands
Crooken Sands

If you enjoyed "Dracula" you should definitely read this book.

Terrific stories from a true master of horror.......2001-09-11

Even had Bram Stoker not penned the fabulously successful Dracula, efforts such as the stories in this book would more than qualify him as a gifted, masterful writer, with a special penchant for writing horror. The most prominent story in these pages is of course "Dracula's Guest," a story excised from the final manuscript of Dracula. This is an interesting, well-told tale, but its exclusion from the aforementioned novel seems to me to be rather inconsequential. The real jewel of this collection is "The Judge's House." I have read this story several times over the last decade or so, and I must say that this is my favorite horror story of all time. It somewhat chagrins me to make such a pronouncement, thinking of the masterful tales of Lovecraft, Poe, and King, yet I am compelled to make it. The ending may be somewhat cliched , but the dark, brooding, smothering atmosphere Stoker creates in this house is powerful and brilliant. The Judge's House may well be the most haunted house in literature.

The other seven stories are less noteworthy but eminently readable. Again, there are some cliches to be found among them, but they all "work." "The Squaw" is my least favorite--it is, to some degree, silly n terms of its characters and ending. I should also add that animal lovers such as myself may well be somewhat traumatized by one incident in the story--I certainly was. "The Secret of the Growing Gold," "The Gypsy Prophecy" and "The Coming of Abel Behenna" are pretty standard fare. "The Burial of the Rats" presents a thrilling, well-thought-out story of danger and escape (as well as a grim portrait of some of society's underbelly). "A Dream of Red Hands" is a sort of moralistic story that puts me in mind of some of Hawthorne's work. Finally, "Crooken Sands" is a good doppelganger tale whose presentation and overall air seem different, if not unique, from the other tales in this book. If you love old Scottish dialogue, you will reap some benefits from this story--for the rest of us, though, it makes for some slightly harder reading (but I think the story would be much less effective without it).

All in all, Stoker was a more than capable short story writer, even though he did sometimes stick too closely to the classic form; cliches and predictable plot points do diminish the quality of a few stories but by no means do they seriously hamper the effectiveness of them. It is unfortunate that many people think Stoker wrote Dracula and nothing else. The selections in this book are classic horror stories that only help to grant legitimacy to the genre.

The Replacement Chapter.......2000-08-15

This "short story" was originally part of "Dracula." It was left out at the behest of the publisher and published after Stoker's death by his wife. I've read "Dracula" many times in my life, and enjoy "Dracula's Guest" as a "lost chapter". It is obvious where the account fits into the book because it builds up to the letter from D. to the innkeeper which *is* in the book.

In defense of the original publisher's ax to the chapter, the story is much more rapid paced and has less of the "haunting realness" that rest of "Dracula" has - it is more in the pulp style of Stoker's "Lair of the White Worm".

SPOILER >> It adds a little depth to Jonathan Harker's journey to the castle in the form of a foreshadowing encounter with another vampire. < < SPOILER

A very worthy audio classic for horror and classic fans.......2000-04-07

I was amazed when I listened to "Dracula's Guest" and "The Secret of the Growing Gold" on this cassette. I am a fan of classic stories, horror films and Victor Garber, but I had never owned an audio cassette of a classic story until now. While the possibility of "listening" to these stories thrilled me, I was concerned if I would enjoy them. My fears were very quickly laid to rest. Victor Garber is a wonderful stage-trained actor who has a very understated and unforced vocal delivery. So, I can only describe these recordings as "classy". The way he changes his voice with each character is very effective although it is clearly his own all the way through.

Some of you may prefer reading over listening but don't overlook buying this cassette. For one thing, it is more fun to listen to these stories than reading silently, and, probably, reading aloud. Both stories are fairly easy to follow, but "The Secret of the Growing Gold" is the hardest. Despite that, I strongly feel that this audio cassette is a must-hear. I recommend this to all fans of classic stories and audio books.

Best short story of horror genre for it's time period.......1999-09-05

The book lives up to it's title. It's a fantastic read for something of its age. It easily beats off the new-comers to the horror genre. I'd recommend it to people who have at least a little experience with Bram Stoker's "Dracula" or something similar.

Book Description

Using a rich assortment of illustrations and biographical sketches, Peter Martin relates the experiences of colonial gardeners who shaped the natural beauty of Virginia's wilderness into varied displays of elegance. He shows that ornamental gardening was a scientific, aesthetic, and cultural enterprise that thoroughly engaged some of the leading figures of the period, including the British governors at Williamsburg and the great plantation owners George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, William Byrd, and John Custis. In presenting accounts of their gardening efforts, Martin reveals the intricacies of colonial garden design, plant searches, experimentation, and the problems in adapting European landscaping ideas to local climate. These writings also bring to life the social and commercial interaction between Williamsburg and the plantations, together with early American ideas about cultured living. While placing Virginia's gardening in the larger context of the colonial South, Martin tells a very human story of how this art both influenced and reflected the quality of colonial life. As Virginia grew economically and culturally, the garden became a projection of the gardener's personal identity, as exemplified by the endeavors of Washington and Jefferson at Mount Vernon and Monticello. In order to recapture the gardens as they existed in colonial times, Martin brings together paintings, drawings, and the findings of modern archaeological excavations.

Book Description

The Stoicorum historia (PHerc. 1018) is one book in Philodemus' extensive History of Philosophy. The Epicurean philosopher Philodemus wrote this work during a stay in Italy ca. 70-60 B.C. with the aim of offering learned Romans an objective and unpolemical history of the Greek philosophical schools. Philodemus sketches the lives and times of the main representatives of Stoicism from Zeno of Citium to Panaetius of Rhodes. The Stoicorum historia hands down a mass of information on the lives and thought of the Stoics which is not found in Diogenes Laertius' Lives of Eminent Philosophers (Book VII). This new edition contains the text of PHerc. 1018, now revised, on a critical basis, and Italian translation and commentary. An introduction and indexes complete the work.

Book Description

Edmund Teske (1911-1996) was one of the alchemists of twentieth-century American photography. Over a sixty-year period, he created a diverse body of work that explored the expressive and emotional potentials of the medium. His drive to experiment with sophisticated techniques, such as
solarization and composite printing, liberated a younger generation of American photographers; at the same time, his subject matter-sometimes abstract, often homoerotic, and always lyrical and poetic-opened up new areas for photographers to explore.
Spirit into Matter
is published to coincide with the first major retrospective of Teske's work, to be held at the Getty Museum from June 15 to September 19, 2004. Julian Cox provides an introduction and extensive biocritical essay on Teske that traces his long and varied career, from Chicago in the 1930s to Los
Angeles, where the photographer took up residence in 1943. Cox investigates Teske's early associations with such influential figures as Frank Lloyd Wright and Paul Strand and his later associations with iconic figures including filmmaker Kenneth Anger and musicians Ramblin' Jack Elliott and the
Doors.
The first major study of this fascinating and influential artist, Spirit into Matter will be a dynamic source of information for students of photography, collectors, and all those with an interest in the life and culture of Southern California, where Teske worked for more than fifty years.

Spirit into Matter: The Photographs Of Edmund Teske.(Books Reviewed)(Book Review): An article from: Afterimage

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Spirit into Matter: The Photographs Of Edmund Teske.(Books Reviewed)(Book Review): An article from: Afterimage
Bruno Chalifour
Manufacturer: Visual Studies Workshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007URD58
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Afterimage, published by Visual Studies Workshop on September 1, 2004. The length of the article is 363 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: Spirit into Matter: The Photographs Of Edmund Teske.(Books Reviewed)(Book Review)
Author: Bruno Chalifour
Publication: Afterimage (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2004
Publisher: Visual Studies Workshop
Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Page: 12(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thompson Gale

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Autobiography of a Yogi (Hindi)
Paramahansa Yogananda
Manufacturer: self-realization fellowship
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S94E5K

Product Description

3rd edition hardback written in Hindi.

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It all sounds lovely, but....
Classic...a must read
The best spiritual biography . . . . Ever
A Spiritual Classic For the Ages
Life Changing

Autobiography of a Yogi: Hindi
Paramahansa Yogananda
Manufacturer: Self Realization Fellowship Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 8172241372

Customer Reviews:

It all sounds lovely, but...........2007-09-24

This book was a great read, all the way through, and a great introduction to Hindu philosophy. Some things that struck me about it though, are:
1) The almost homoerotic devotion to the guru: As a Westerner, I suppose I am finding the idea of having a guru as a prerequisite for enlightment off-putting. I don't like the idea that I can't do it myself.
2) The author extolls the benefits of Kriya Yoga all through the book as a speedy path to enlightment, but he doesn't tell how to DO it. In order to find out, you have to PAY for the lessons. That's another thing that discourages me about about Eastern philosophy, the idea that you have to be "initiated" into "secret" knowledge. And before you can get that knowledge, someone has to deem you worthy. You have to be "approved".
3) The culture is misogynistic. Paramahansa Yogananda, who travels with a male secretary, interacts with and discusses few women. And when he does discuss a few female "saints" toward the end of the book, particularly in his depiction of Ananda Moyi Ma, I thought that his tone was condescending.
4) The goal of the book was to describe living "saints" who perform miracles just like the ones that were attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, and then point out the similarities between Christianity and Eastern philosophy. It was at that point that I really began to lose interest, because considering the way that Christianity has been used as a political tool by the Bush administration, I did not think that making comparisons to Christianity was enhancing my view of Hinduism.

Classic...a must read.......2007-08-25

This is the first spiritual book I read, and too this day I read it about once every 2 years. I always find this book an inspiration.

When people ask me to recommend one book - this is the one I recommend.

The best spiritual biography . . . . Ever.......2007-06-17

I read this books about 3 years ago but since that point it has changed my life. The teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda are some of the most excellent teachings in the world . . Bar none. Eventhough, I am not his disciple. Paramahansa's teachings are priceless and is something that we should all study and implement in our lives.

A Spiritual Classic For the Ages.......2007-06-07

Words truly do not do justice to this classic work by Paramahansa Yogananda who wrote one of the premiere books about the science of Yoga.

Yogananda not only helps to introduce Yoga science to the West, but also demonstrates that yoga (which means "union") is the unifying science that shows the underlying truth among ALL religions. Using many scriptural passages from both the Bible and the Hindu Bible (the Bhagavad Gita), he also demonstrates that they are saying, essentially, the same thing; the same TRUTH.

This book chronicles the life of Mukunda La Ghosh whose passion and yearning for God leads him to many saints and sages in India.

We find that it is the wish of Jesus Christ and Babaji (One of India's great masters who has been living for an untold number of centuries) that it be revealed to the world that TRUTH is universal and that it does not matter what path you've chosen (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.)

Whether you are religious or not, you will find this masterfully well-written work touch you in ways that you've not dreamed of. Yogananda orchestrates chapters about the astral realms, great scientists, poets, saints (in India as well as in the West), masters, Gandhi, and others which are both moving and inspirational.

This book also reveals, for the first time to Westerners the lost science of Kriya Yoga (which means, "Divine Union"), which is a scientific technique to develop direct experience of God. Yogananda explains this technique, its history, and why it is so effective.

This is a book that can be read many times, and you will find that each time, it still has a "divine" effect. If nothing else, it will help you to ask yourself about your Self. This is one of the greatest books ever written, not only of modern times, but of ALL time.

Life Changing.......2007-05-13

I have been looking for this book my entire life. It presents spirituality from a direction that we all know exists, but find very few people with the integrity to uphold it. Yogananda takes one over the indoctrinated hump of fear and into the blessings of divinity that is available for all.

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Autobiography of a Yogi: Hindi
Paramahansa Yogananda
Manufacturer: Self Realization Fellowship Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 087612077X

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