A New Tree Biology Dictionary: Terms, Topics, and Treatments for Trees and Their Problems and Proper Care

Customer Reviews:

Jumble of ideas and facts.......2001-02-11

This "Bible on Tree Biology" raises mixed emotions.

First impression (positive): a neat hardback with very many pictures on glossy paper, accompanied by a separate xi + 132pp Dictionary (paperback).

Second impression (negative): the pictures are b&w photographs and many are small (ok, there is one drawing). The items to be noted are marked by arrows. There are up to four different kinds of arrows in a single (often small) picture and sometimes it is hard to find even the arrows, let alone what they are pointing to. The text is sometimes hard to understand (dr Shigo does not have a gift for a well-turned phrase).

Third impression (positive): all the pictures are from authentic material and represent the results of almost thirty years work. Obviously Alex Shigo cares passionately about trees and has applied himself. The text moves from dr Shigo's own field into neighbouring fields and all in all quite a lot of ground is covered to bring tree biology to life for the reader.

Fourth impression (negative): whenever dr Shigo moves to another field he is not very careful to use correct terms. He does not shy away from misapplying terms and causing confusion. [To put it popularly: as dr Shigo moves from playing field to playing field he keeps his eye on the ball, but does not pay attention to the rules of the game and commits many fouls.] He invents terms of his own, where this does not appear necessary. There are some weird generalisations here. The Dictionary often is more a restatement of the content of the book than an explanatory aid.

Summing up: this is a great book for looking at trees and tree troubles from an unexpected angle, but it falls well short of the standards of a textbook. A good editor could have done invaluable work here.

Tree philosophy & plenty of practical advice from a master........1999-02-27

Quite simply, this is the best book ever written on the subject of trees. Although aimed for an audience of aborists, this work is filled with personal experiences, observations, and keen insight into mankind's association with trees. I commend this text to all with even the slightest interest in trees, or for Nature in general.

Book Description

Created to complement DK's market-leading Travel Guide, this DK Travel Planner combines a comprehensive, easy-to-use map with a 64-page booklet packed with useful information about Great Britain and Ireland. Both are presented in a compact, lightweight folder designed to match the size and style of the DK Travel Guide. A rich resource for the armchair traveler, an invaluable reference on site, and a unique souvenir, the DK Travel Planner extends the depth and range of any trip or vacation.

Customer Reviews:

Travelling in Great Britian and Ireland made easy.......2000-06-19

The first I knew that Eyewitness also had travel planners is when I was looking through the available titles on this web page. I have used Eyewitness Travel Guides before and have found them to be the best around for more indepth information. I am currently reading the Eyewitness Guide for Great Britian and this travel planner complements the guide perfectly. The planner comes with a comprehensive index in book form with a large detailed map of the British Isles and Ireland. The map also has travelling distances between major cities as well as places to visit in towns and cities. This map have replaced the need to purchase another map for this area, and the great thing about the map is that the symbols used in both the travel planner and the guide are the same so cross-referencing is so easy. I will definately use these travel planners again for my travel.

Book Description

Beginning with the dawn of civilization, this ambitious new book tackles all aspects of civilized life, from settlement, agriculture and trade to crafts, language and transportation. Sections on Sumer, Babylon, the Hittites, Assyria, the Persian Empire, the Parthians and Sassanians, the Islamic Empire on through to the civilizations of the Andes, the Olmec and the Maya, create a real sense of history for young readers, who will be captivated by the vividly told stories and fascinating factual information.

Customer Reviews:

I've seen the light!!!!!!!.......2005-08-24

After reading the response of reviewer "PROPAGANDA for children," I went to my personal library (a rather large collection of ancient civilizations material since I teach sixth grade.) I found in my library several books, including the Brooks text, and discovered that "PROPAGANDA" was absolutely correct. In fact, several of my reference books that cover the scope and sequence of ancient societies include numerous entries of Mesopotamian (Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians), Egyptian and Nubian cultures, while there is no mention that Israel even existed. Such a glaring omission! I did find two books, "The Children's Atlas of Civilizations" by Antony Mason and Martin Meltzer's book, "{Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled" which contain some redeeming references to Israel's history. I am now in search of new books which give Israel its due place in history. Thank you very much "PROPAGANDA" reviewer. I wish you would forward the name of any texts that meet your exacting standards.

PROPAGANDA for children. LIES KNOWINGLY!! and OMITS FACTS.......2003-07-20

While this book would have gotten high marks from me for its bright colored pictures and easy reading for children of all ages, I cannot in good conscience give it anything more than a 1.
The author has purposefully omitted one of the oldest ancient civilizations in the history of the world throughout the book-ISRAEL- and instead he BLATANTLY LIES!!! and states that Islam was an ancient culture.

HELLO???????
Anyone who can read above a 2nd grade level can read the dates of Islamic foundings; in the very heart of the MIDDLE AGES, nearly a thousand years AFTER the ancient worlds years!!
NOT EVER was Islam an ancient culture!
Yet ISRAEL had a bonafide language, codified laws-(WRITTEN down no less, with all children learning to read early on- unlike all other civilizations...), and the FIRST monotheistic PERSONAL religion, strong trade, conquering and being conquered(all with records to prove this)for nearly 3 thousand years before Islam ever thought of darkening this planet. All of which makes it a nation and civilization as valid (more so than, in some cases)as the Greeks, Romans, Hittites, etc...

In NOT ONE historic record is Islam ever accorded such a grand honor as allowing it to be a thousand years older than it actually is. Nor was it a civilization as we define it. It had no one ruler, country, etc(until the Turks-Ottoman). Just a band of tribes who by the sword, were forced to follow the same religion.

The author is either tyring to propagandize children(most likely), or is totally ignorant of all historical records and documents on the time frame involved. Either way it disqualifies this as a good and truthful account of that time period.

NO mention of Israel or even The Temple- which was even once listed as one of the wonders of the world!! Yet it never existed? Hmm. I smell a rat!

The history of Israel even split time as a marker for the nations of the world as we know it! NO other culture has ever done such a thing. Yet it, again, warrants no mention?

Not only is it not mentioned on its own page/section but he curiously leaves out all mention of it by name on any of the civilizations that conquered it. As if it never was there at all. A figment of our collective imagination, perhaps?

I don't think thousands upon thousands of antiquities who actually call Israel by name in the myriad of steles and tablets of its victor's records will back up his omissions. Nope, can't be done. All references to it are missing, in all other cultures 'facts' that he lists in the book. Lies, all lies.
And whats worse, they are all easily found in any historical reference at anytime, anywhere. Who does he think he is fooling?
Not anyone who can read independently, thats for sure!

Perhaps Mr. Brooks has fallen for England's rabid anti-semitism and hatred of all things Jewish/Israel. Or still perhaps he has fallen for its Muslim populations efforts to try and rewrite the thousands of years old historical records of the history of Jews living in and propspering in the land of Israel (only called palestine AFTER 70 c.e.!! by the conquering Roman Emperor by decree. NEVER before that year was it called that, nor is it today, either. It is- since 1948- called Israel) for thousands of years(there has never NOT been a population of Jews in Israel, since they conquered it thousands of years ago! It has NOT ever been bereft of them, despite propaganda to the contrary. Facts back this up)to benefit the Egyptian and Jordanian arabs who call themselves palestinians?(until 1948 all "palestinians" were actually JEWS! FACT!)

Either way, I wouldn't waste my money on such drivel. To accord advances in our cultures or civilizations to a violent band of tribes called Muslims, yet leave out civil and religous laws that shape all of western thought and jurisprudence to this day?!?! Madness!

There are plenty of wonderful books that actually DO list FACTUAL ancient civilizations in them, Israel included.
This isn't one of them.
Its hogwash!
I'm only keeping mine as a souviner of propaganda to teach my children what it looks like in the flesh.

BE forewarned! This is blatant political and religious bigotry trash of the worst kind!!!

topnotch read.......2000-06-21

This awesome book is full of colorful pages that you you seek your imgaination into the ancient past! You get a real feel to the past as you can thumb through the clear pictures and highlited text. This text is a great resource for both the young and old. For students it can help them get a good grasp of ancient history of what can normally be difficult to learn.

Average customer rating:

Children of Long Ago: Poems
Lessie Jones Little
Manufacturer: Lee & Low Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1584300086

Book Description

What was it like long ago? What did children do? Were they like kids today? Lessie Jones Little answers these questions in this classic poetry book by tapping memories from her own rural childhood in the early 1900s. The result is a collection of warm, lyrical poems.

In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America: (Native American; ALA Notable Book)

Average customer rating:

Campfire Stories
You'll see them reach for this one time and time again.
It's a winner!

In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America: (Native American; ALA Notable Book)
Nancy Van Laan
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0679858075
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Book Description

Celebrate earth's bounty and the inherent value of all living things with a lavish anthology of traditional Native American animal and nature lore, selected and retold especially for young children. Representing 20 tribes and every ethnological region, this definitive treasury includes "Raven, the Rainmaker," the Tlingit tale of a generous act that brought fresh water to the earth; "The Corn Song," from the Dine, which celebrates the blue grain that is the tribe's staff of life; and "Coyote and the Blackbirds," a hilarious Pueblo legend about a conceited coyote who gets his comeuppance. This rich reference tool also contains an introduction, appendix, map, and informative source notes. Nancy Van Laan's spirited retellings and Lisa Desimini's stunning multimedia artwork make this an ideal read-aloud and a must-have addition to folklore collections. A Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Selection.

Customer Reviews:

Campfire Stories.......2000-08-09

I am an interpretive naturalist for a state park. I use the stories in this delightful book for my campfire programs. The stories are excellent for a family audience, amusing, and usually have a lesson within. There are numerous delightful illustrations. This would be a book that could be used for reading aloud to a diverse age range of children.

You'll see them reach for this one time and time again........1998-12-16

This is a book that is guaranteed not just to sit on the shelf. Since we got it, I have found it under beds, in the car, in the bathroom... seemingly everywhere one could possibly read! When it couldn't be located the other day, my son, 9 - who will not hunt for anything - actually became so desperate to find it, that he started to clean up in the hopes of locating it. Also, this is a book that will grow on you. I first picked it up because of the incredibly rich paintings of animals - my favorite is the first one that accompanies The Long Winter. But as we've read it, I've come to love it for its other, smaller illustrations. The text is great because it's not all the same. There are long and short stories and some poems that just stick with you. Nancy van Laan has done an amazing job of researching these stories - her sources includes oral histories and stories previously published only in scholarly journals. But her writing isn't dry at all, but lively. Really, a remarkable book. It would make a perfect gift for anybody - not just a child - fascinated by Native Americans, wild animals or the environment.

It's a winner!.......1996-10-01

You know you have a winner when your children are ready early for school to make time for one more quick story from "the beautiful book," before the school bus arrives. The illustrations are as magnificant as the stories are captivating! A Rare joy for the whole family

Prehistoric Peoples: Discover the Long-ago World of the First Humans (Exploring History)

Average customer rating:

Prehistoric Peoples: Discover the Long-ago World of the First Humans (Exploring History)
Philip Brooks
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books Childrens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Prehistoric | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ancient | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 0754804429

Book Description

Imagine life in a distant age, a time when the first people hunted with sticks and spears made from wood and stone. Discover the prehistoric world, find out what it was like to live through the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages.

Flying Giants of Long Ago (Young People's History of America's Wars Series)

Average customer rating:

Flying Giants of Long Ago (Young People's History of America's Wars Series)
John Kaufmann
Manufacturer: Crowell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Getting Dressed: Long Ago and Today (Times Change)

Average customer rating:

Getting Dressed: Long Ago and Today (Times Change)
Lynnette R. Brent
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1403445346

Average customer rating:

Indian Days of Long Ago
Edward S. Curtis
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

A land full of people, a long time ago: An analysis of three archÃ¦ological sites in the vicinity of Kaktovik, Northern Alaska (Technical memorandum / Edwin Hall & Associates)

Average customer rating:

A land full of people, a long time ago: An analysis of three archÃ¦ological sites in the vicinity of Kaktovik, Northern Alaska (Technical memorandum / Edwin Hall & Associates)
Edwin S Hall
Manufacturer: E. Hall and Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Historic Preservation | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000730S6G

Let's discover people of long ago (Let's discover)

Average customer rating:

Let's discover people of long ago (Let's discover)

Manufacturer: Raintree Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Encyclopedias | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0817217789

Let's Discover People of Long Ago (Let's Discover, 7)

Average customer rating:

Let's Discover People of Long Ago (Let's Discover, 7)

Manufacturer: Steck-Vaughn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

Encyclopedias | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0817226060

Average customer rating:

This book is beautifully Done, however, if you want birds in flight? This one is dissappointing

Excellent book

Drawing America's Wildlife: An Artist's Portfolio of North American Animals
Doug Lindstrand
Manufacturer: Fox Chapel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Specific Objects | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Drawing Big Game: A Reference Guide

Drawing Mammals: An Artist's Reference Guide to North American Mammals

Drawing Wildlife

Bear: The Ultimate Artist's Reference

Deer: The Ultimate Artist's Reference: A Comprehensive Collection of Sketches, Photographs and Reference Material

ASIN: 1565232038

Book Description

Representing more than 60 species found throughout North America, this portfolio includes field sketches, drawings of footprints, and photographs of animals taken in their natural habitats. Rather than a drawing manual, this is a reference geared toward artists of any media interested in drawing animals. The book's large-scale format facilitates detailed sketches that capture the true nature of the species. Flat artists can use this guide as a starting point for larger compositions, while sculptors and woodcarvers can use it to define natural-looking poses for their subjects.

Customer Reviews:

This book is beautifully Done, however, if you want birds in flight? This one is dissappointing.......2006-02-28

This book, as does all of Mr. Lindstrand's work, shows a very high level of skill through sketchwork done on a huge variety of animals both land and air. There are many birds of prey showing great detail and nuance of differences between each one shown. I had hoped for more work on the Eagle. While there are some good pointers and sketch workups on the Bald Eagle I have yet to find a viable sketch of one of these majestic birds while in flight. this seems true of the other bird depictions in the book as well. The other animals of the cold country north are all shown very nicely in all their magesty, but these birds are lifeless and flightless for the most part and I was sorely dissappointed for that reason. The sheer number of birds included is astounding and I had hoped for more activity of form and flight shown in the work than what I actually found to be there.

Excellent book.......2000-03-05

This book has an extremely wide selection of animals showing actual pictures, footprints, evironments, and drawings of the animals themselves in a variety of poses. Also included, are numerous field notes with regard to habitat, animal behavior, and likely scenarios for drawing these animals in natural settings.

Book Description

In Schermerhorn Park amidst a typical Ozark landscape of oak- and hickory-covered hillsides--brilliant orange cave salamanders hide and bats hang out in the twilight zone of Schermerhorn cave, spring peepers serenade from area marshes, black redhorse and greenside darters swim through swift, clear Shoal Creek, and flying squirrels and Carolina chickadees explore their southeast Kansas woodland home.

Catty-corner across the state in the arid "badlands" along the Arikaree River, mule deer, coyotes, and Ord's kangaroo rats roam among the yucca and prickly pear cactus, while black-tailed prairie dogs scurry about town and burrowing owls guard their abodes.

From border to border, Kansas provides a variety of environments-often overlapping and changing gradually from east to west and north to south-that attract an assortment of animals. In Watching Kansas Wildlife, Bob Gress and George Potts have selected 101 prime sites for viewing the state's amazingly diverse array of wildlife. They've included spots in every part of the state and a variety of terrains and animals of every kind, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.

For each site, the authors have recorded what animals can be seen and what type of environment they live in; information on land ownership (whether private or public, all sites are accessible to the public); availability of park facilities; and viewing tips. Having divided the state into six parts, they have provided maps of each region and color photographs of many of the sites and animals.

Gress and Potts have also made a list of the "dynamic dozen" sites, the top twelve places they consider "can't-miss opportunities" because of exceptional wildlife, scenery, and viewing attributes. These include southwestern Cimarron National Grasslands, where elk, pronghorns, western rattlesnakes, Texas horned lizards, an occasional porcupine or roadrunner, and Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts can be seen on the sandsage prairie; central Cheyenne Bottoms, the largest marsh in the interior of the United States and the most important shorebird migration point in the western hemisphere; and the eastern Flint Hills, the largest remaining expanse of tallgrass prairie in the country.

Whether big or small, well known or more obscure, the sites in this guide provide an opportunity to view animals in their own intricately balanced worlds and some of the state's most beautiful natural environments.

Book Description

René Hoven's Dictionary of Renaissance Latin from Prose Sources has since its first appearance in 1994 become a recognised and valued resource for Latinists and Neo-Latinists, and all those historians of Humanism, of the Renaissance, of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.

Now revised and expanded for this second edition (with the collaboration of Laurent Grailet), it contains almost 11,000 entries (excluding variant spellings and other simple repetitions).

The number of authors from Western and Central Europe covered has risen from 150 to more than 230, adding to an original authors list which included Ficino, Petrarch, Pico de la Mirandola, Poggio, Politian, Valla, Budé, Calvin, Erasmus, Lipsius, Luther, Melanchton, More and Vives, the prose works of among others Ermolao Barbaro, Bembo, Giordano Bruno, Buchanan, John Colet, Copernicus, Olaus Magnus, Paracelsus, Perotti, Pontanus and Vesalius.

The revised work offers coverage of an even wider variety of genres, from literature to science and medicine, collections of correspondence, travelogues, scholarly works, art, historiography, law, rhetoric, philosophy, theology, questions related to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, as well as Neo-Latin translations of ancient Greek works.

Book Description

This Lexique de la prose latine de la Renaissance is the first dictionary of Renaissance Latin and continues on from the Dictionnaire latin-français of F. Gaffiot. However, it comprises 8500 words, more than 7000 of which are not mentioned by Gaffiot, while others are employed with different meanings.

It is based upon a reading of a very large number of texts by 150 authors from Western and Central Europe, including Budé, Calvin, Erasmus, Ficino, Lipsius, Luther, Melanchthon, More, Petrarch, Pica della Mirandola, Politian, Valla, Vives, and Zwingli. The compiler has paid particular attention to variety in the source texts, which cover literature, correspondence, history, law, philosophy, theology, and science.

This work has been long awaited by scholars and students and will become a standard tool not only for latinists and neo-latinists, but also for all those historians, philosophers, theologians, historians of law, and intellectual historians working in the fields of Humanism, the Renaissance, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.

Average customer rating:
Lexique de la prose latine de la renaissance.: An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
Terence O. Tunberg
Manufacturer: Renaissance Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
Renaissance | Movements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B00093TKRW
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on December 22, 1995. The length of the article is 1394 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: Lexique de la prose latine de la renaissance.
Author: Terence O. Tunberg
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1995
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: v48 Issue: n4 Page: p889(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

Those expecting a vicious Hollywood tell-all from Stefan Kanfer's Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball will be disappointed. Kanfer, whose past work includes a biography of Groucho Marx and a history of the animation industry, comes to his famous red-headed subject with admiration, and readers will be drawn by his exuberance for early film and television history.

Kanfer opens with a brief recounting of Ball's tragic childhood (her father died of typhoid when she was 3 years old) and her early career as an unintentionally starving model in New York City. The significant portion of the book begins, however, when Ball gets her first offer for a stint of film work in California and finds herself launched on a moderately successful film career. Here Kanfer provides details of the inner workings of United Artists, Columbia, and RKO as Ball does battle with Ginger Rogers, Kathryn Hepburn, and a host of other young actresses struggling for screen time. But, as Kanfer notes, it was in television that Ball made her great mark, starring with her husband Desi Arnaz. I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, and readers will delight in Kanfer's behind-the-scenes details of the show's production. The first situation comedy to be filmed before a live audience, Lucy offered countless challenge--technical, professional, and personal—for the volatile couple.

Kanfer argues that Ball is one of the few truly enduring television personalities to emerge from the early years of television. His book, entertaining as it is educational, does much to secure her legacy. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

As a movie actress Lucille Ball was, in her own words, “queen of the B-pluses.” But on the small screen she was a superstar–arguably the funniest and most enduring in the history of TV. In this exemplary biography, Stefan Kanfer explores the roots of Lucy’s genius and places it in the context of her conflicted and sometimes bitter personal life.

Ball of Fire gives us Lucy in all her contradictions. Here is the beauty who became a master of knock-down slapstick; the control freak whose comic alter ego thrived on chaos, the worshipful TV housewife whose real marriage ended in public disaster. Here, too, is an intimate view of the dawn of television and of the America that embraced it. Charming, informative, touching. and laugh-out-loud funny, this is the book Lucy’s fans have been waiting for.

Customer Reviews:

This book tells all - both good and bad.......2007-07-02

If you've watched all the "I Love Lucy" episodes, yet never read a book on Lucille Ball, then this is the place to start. Although this book may be seen as a tell-all, there's a strong undercurrent of admiration the author obviously has for his subject.

Ball, as seen by Kanfer, knew she was a star but never seemed to enjoy the priviledges and the adulation that came with the role. Instead, Ball was insecure during all her adult life and showed it by being tactless on the set, overly authoritative to her directors and fellow actors, and hated the fact that she was growing older and people might forget about her (no chance of that). One wonders, from reading the book, how Ball managed ever to have any friends.

But Kanfer shows another side of Ball that displays his admiration of her talent. Ball was perfect on her timing, a very hard worker, and tried to do everything just right. Although these tendencies tended to grate people at time, Kanfer expertly shows that this contributed to her stardom and most importantly, making sure that people would never forget Lucille Ball.

Stafan Kanfer does what few other writers do to famous people - he helps his readers understand Lucille Ball in a much better light by pointing out her faults and making sure they know the world owes much to this red-headed commedienn.

Great biography!.......2007-04-15

You know how some biographies are dreadful to read, filled with mundane details or too much author opinion? This is definately not one of those! After rediscovering I Love Lucy on DVD I became more and more curious as to the woman behind the myth. This book didn't disappoint.

It was very sad in that it completely shattered the persona Lucy and Desi portrayed in I Love Lucy. Desi was an alcoholic and a womanizer while Lucy was a workaholic. Their children readily admit that a nanny raised them and after wanting children so badly, Lucy and Desi were actually terrible parents.

The thing I like best about the book was that Kanfer seems to know what parts of her life made a good story. The parts on her childhood and later years weren't a major part of the book, while I Love Lucy and her film career took center stage. He doesn't sugar-coat anyone. At times you will hate Lucy and Desi, at times your heart will break for them.

It truly read more like a story which is what makes a great biography in my opinion. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially Lucy fans. It will keep you up late into the night!

Rude and too mean to everyone's favorite redhead........2005-09-27

I will never read this book again, nor recommend it to anyone. This book downplays the positive things in Lucy's life, and concentrates on the bad things she did to people and people did to her. Stefan makes it sound as though everything she did in life was for her career, which was not true at all. I think Kanfer needs to take a good hard look at how he portrays his subjects if and when he writes another book.

What a pity........2004-04-22

My esteem for Lucille Ball fell while reading this book. And I don't think it's her fault, I think it was Kanfer's. He doesn't miss a chance to give you the overall impression that she was not in charge of her own life. Anybody who ever saw Lucy knows that she was a woman who had her own demons, but it takes a biographer like Kanfer to show just how much the terrible past reached out its claws and choked her life free of pleasure and fun. To the outside, she gave a vivid impression of a daffy screwball, but to those who attempted to get close to her, she couldn't help revealing the tightly wound, neurotic worrywart. Her relationship with Ginger Rogers was just about the only one she found a jot of comfort in, and Kanfer makes it seem as if she reached out to Ginger as a way to complete her education. All her life she was made to feel inferior to other people. Even marrying an immigrant did nothing for her self-esteem, for he wound up cheating on her. What did Lucille Ball do to deserve such a constricted, joyless life or such an inept and colorless biographer? What a pity.

Behind the Scenes Where No One Loved Lucy.......2003-12-19

Ball of Fire concentrates on the I Love Lucy show, how it came about (and almost didn't get off the ground), behind the scenes tidbits, its effect on America. Kanfer doesn't stint on the rest of Lucy's life, both before and after the Show, but I Love Lucy really is the star of this book.

Never having read a biography of Lucille Ball, this was all news to me, and I enjoyed discovering that Vivian Vance loathed William Frawley, and that Ball was such a stickler and control freak. Kanfer's style is easy and very readable, and there are plenty of photos to round things out, including an unexpected one of a young topless Lucille Ball.

If you are in the mood for an entertaining and, let's face it, unimportant, book, this one is worth the money.

Average customer rating:
Ball of Fire : The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball

Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HJ8I94

Average customer rating:
Ball Of Fire, The Tumultuous Life And Comic Art Of Lucille Ball
Stefan KANFER
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJQ2GK

Average customer rating:
Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball
Stefan Kanfer
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXM8XK

Average customer rating:
Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball
Stefan Kanfer
Manufacturer: Alfred A.Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQNOHW

Customer Reviews:

Great, but needs a new title.......2005-10-22

This is a great book, but it certainly can do with a new title --Michael Collins is only mentioned a few times within the first 3/4ths of the book. Don't let this stop you from reading it, though. O'Conner's conversational style makes it an engaging read on the events leading up to the wretched free state and the war for independence.

And I must disagree with the reviewer who wouldn't recommend this as a 'starting point for studying the Irish rebellion.' It's great. Read it. If you want some more on the topic read Rebels by Peter de Rosa and Bloody Sunday by James Gleeson.

Irish history as it might be taught in a Pub.......2004-03-30

I didn't mean to read this book. I had bought it for someone else but it never quite got there. Ulick O'Connor begins by relating a little of his own family's history and then goes into what can only be called a chronological ramble about Irish history.

This is by no means a biography of Michael Collins. In fact very little of the book is spent on Michael Collins himself. It is however an engaging conversation on the history of Ireland in the early 1900's.

This conversational style is hard to follow. To get something out of this book you must read it as though you are listening to a witness describe to you what happened in those critical days and do it over a pint of Guinness. If you can read the book in that perspective you will find that you have been given a personal introduction to the many men and women that drove the Irish freedom movement to the front of the world stage.

The author writes in a style that feels very personal. Not so much history but a story. A tale of people that were and are important to the author. However, because its so personal it is not very balanced. This is a tale of Irish Repulicans told by an Irish Repulican. No love is lost on the British Government or the Ulster Unionists.

I cannot recommend this book as a starting point for studying the history of the Irish rebellions and the roots of the IRA and Sinn Fein. I can however recommend this book as an excellent addition to a well rounded education on the topic.

Great Starter Book.......2003-09-30

If you've wanted to know about Michael Collins but all you've ever seen was the movie (dramatization) this is a great primer book for his background. I think Tim Pat Coogan's book is better for an in depth analysis of Mr. Collins. I've just started that one but would recommend it as well.

Good, But Probably Mistitled.......2003-06-26

O'Connor's title suggests that this book is strictly a biography of Michael Collins focused on the years 1912 through 1922. In actuality, it covers a wide range of people and events and I cannot recommend it strictly as a Collins biography. However, as a history book that happens to have an emphasis on Collins, particularly in the latter part, I can recommend it. O'Connor has relied on materials from the library of General Richard Mulcahy (the IRA's chief of staff in Collins' time) and on interviews with Eamon de Valera, et al. For those reasons alone, I believe it is worth at least a cursory glance. Because of O'Connor's interest in and work for the Abbey Theatre, this book does emphasize literature and the arts in terms of how they fueled the independence movement. For someone interested in humanities as well as history, this would be one of O'Connor's advantages. This selection is divided only into numbered chapters rather than parts and that can be a bit irritating at times, especially because this is not a traditional biography. Chapter One actually begins by discussing Charles Stewart Parnell and the untimely end of his career. From there, the reader is taken quickly through the Irish political climate from the late 1800s to 1912. It is not until the last third of the book that the audience learns of specific ways Collins kept the republican struggle afloat in tough times. Therefore, this book's usefulness can only be determined by what you intend to use it for. If you are trying to accumulate materials for a general study of modern Irish history, this book is worth owning. If you are looking for a typical Collins biography, this wouldn't be the best starting point.

Nice book.......2003-02-28

When I got the book I thought it would be more on Michael Collins . Despite this I thought it was a good book that help put into to prespective the events and people around him.

Michael Collins and Troubles: The Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922

Average customer rating:

Michael Collins and Troubles: The Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922
Ulick O'Connor
Manufacturer: Mainstream
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1840184272

The Troubles: Michael Collins and the Volunteers in the Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922

Average customer rating:

A Non-Pedantic Picture of "The Big Fella"

The Troubles: Michael Collins and the Volunteers in the Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922
Ulick O'Connor
Manufacturer: Mandarin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A Non-Pedantic Picture of "The Big Fella".......2000-12-30

O'Connor's account of the life and times of Michael Collins is one of the best and most interesting I have read. While it lacks the extensive reporting and annotating of Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Collins (itself a monumental and engrossing account), it brings to life a man unique in Irish history and remarkable by any standards. It succeeds in bringing out both the "hard" and "soft" sides of Collins and painting a picture of a man whose tremendous love of his country and burning desire to free it from English rule brought him to the fore during a harrowing time in Irish history. The descriptions of Collins' interaction with his comrades, his charismatic personality, his unique qualities of wit, compassion, intelligence and ruthless audacity combine to bring to life one of history's most intriguing revolutionary leaders. After reading this book you feel you know Michael Collins and you're grateful Ireland could produce him when it most needed him.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books