Field, forest, and wayside flowers;: With chapters on grasses, sedges, and ferns; untechnical studies for unlearned lovers of nature,

Book Description

Stroll beneath the world's most dazzling neon, discover which buffet lines are worth the wait, learn the lingo before you join the game or snag tickets for the most liquid stage —Fodor's Las Vegas 2005 offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled the Strip and beyond to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a trip of stunning variety. Before you leave for Sin City be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.

The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."

-New compact trim size make these guides even more portable
-Two-color interior design makes it easier to find the information you need
-Fodor's Choice Ratings flag must-see sights and hidden treasures
-Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets
-Plus multi-day itineraries to help you build the right trip for you and/or your family

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

An Encyclopaedia of Greek and Roman Gods and Heroes (Pelican Big Books)

Average customer rating:

An Encyclopaedia of Greek and Roman Gods and Heroes (Pelican Big Books)
Brian Moses
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Average customer rating:

SO INFORMITIVE!

Rome & Romans Big Books

Manufacturer: Educational Development Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

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ASIN: 0746034911

Customer Reviews:

SO INFORMITIVE!.......2001-06-14

I thought that this book had so much information, it was unbelevable. In school, I am doing a project on Ancient Roman Education, and I got most of my info from this book. It's wonderful!

Average customer rating:

Rome and Romans (Usborne Big Books)
Heather Amery , and Patricia Vanags
Manufacturer: Usborne Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Europe | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0746035233

Book Description

Lothar Baumgarten and Walter Nikkels team up to create this deluxe limited edition of Baumgarten's latest work.

Eklipse Und Strahl Gedichte Mit Zern Zeichnungen

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Eklipse Und Strahl Gedichte Mit Zern Zeichnungen
Joseph Hahn
Manufacturer: Igel Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W24XOA

Product Description

This is the book that the author, former commandant of the Swedish Calvary School said he could not have written as a young man, but only after over sixty years of training horses and riders. It sets down in a wonderfully ordered fashion the Baron's training principles, based on a lifetime of observation, research, and experience. He covers the philosophy of training, biomechanics, what he calls the language of touch, the rider's technique and the link system. And there is full treatment of the movements, described as Purpose and Effect, with the wonderful addition of clear It's Gone Wrong When... and Your Can Prevent It By... headings for each movement. Frankly, these sections alone are so useful it's worth having this book always close at hand! The text is enhanced with clear drawings. For serious riders, this is one not-to- be missed!

Average customer rating:

A terrific primer

First-Time Gardener, The
Pattie Barron
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Fiskars Phone and Garden Pocket #94336974

ASIN: 0517886197
Release Date: 1996-02-06

Book Description

Richly illustrated with 150 color illustrations and 65 color photos, this book covers everything from buying plants and controlling pests to pruning, transplanting, and fertilizing, and even how to plant to attract certain kinds of butterflies and birds.

Customer Reviews:

A terrific primer.......2000-05-03

I bought this book about four years ago and have just got around to reading it (any of you out there like that?). When I purchased it, I did so because I liked the pictures and illustrations, and thought if I had some spare time that spring, I might try to learn a thing or two about gardening. Then I got pregnant, and the book sat on the shelf, collecting dust until now. Motivated by the numerous flower beds at our new home, I thought it might be a good time to open this book up, and what I found was a wealth of user-friendly and good-humored information. Unlike many "beginner" gardening books, this one truly is for the first-time gardener, who doesn't know the difference between a trowel and a spade, and never knew that what type of soil you have can impact how your garden grows. And of course, there are the gorgeous illustrations and photographs that drew me to choose the book in the first place. This really is a perfect way to enter the intimidating world of gardening.

Average customer rating:

First-time Gardener
Kim Wilde
Manufacturer: HarperCollins UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Every budding gardener can make a successful start with the practical advice and step-by-step instructions of this illustrated guide. Beginning with a look at the basic elements—soil, climate, aspect, and light—it then goes on to show novice gardeners how to plan a garden and select a style that's right for them. The next step is "hardscaping": essentials like boundaries, paths, patios, and seating. Then comes the fun part: the plants! Aspiring green thumbs will learn the secrets of good planting and get advice on how to combine plants according to shape, color, and texture, and how to create container displays for year-round color. Packed with color photos, this guide is complete with an extensive section on gardening techniques that takes readers step-by-step through planting, sowing, seeding, and pruning.

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The Complete First Time Gardener
Geoff Hamilton , and Gay Search
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0563371358

The First Time Garden Specialist: Essential Practical and Inspirational Information for First Time Gardeners to Create Beautiful Gardens (Specialist Series)

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The First Time Garden Specialist: Essential Practical and Inspirational Information for First Time Gardeners to Create Beautiful Gardens (Specialist Series)
David Squire
Manufacturer: New Holland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1845379268

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The First Time Gardener
Barbara Kelsey
Manufacturer: The Book Guild Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0863327923

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First Time Gardener (Best Series)
Stefan Buczacki
Manufacturer: Hamlyn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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The First-time Gardener
Jonathan Edwards
Manufacturer: Carroll & Brown Publishers Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 190325812X

Average customer rating:

Good solid read. Very informative.

A great book about The Great Man.

WC Fields by Curtis

A Word of Warning

The Great Man

W C Fields
James Curtis
Manufacturer: Back Stage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Actors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W. C. Fields

W.C. Fields Comedy Collection, Vol. 2 (The Man on the Flying Trapeze / Never Give A Sucker An Even Break / You're Telling Me! / The Old Fashioned Way / Poppy)

W.C. Fields Comedy Collection (The Bank Dick / My Little Chickadee / You Can't Cheat an Honest Man / It's a Gift / International House)

W. C. Fields by Himself: His Intended Autobiography

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

ASIN: 0823084426

Amazon.com

James Curtis's W.C. Fields is the finest biography of the bulb-nosed comedian ever published, allowing the real Fields (1880-1946) to emerge after decades of obfuscation. Fields was always presumed to be the same boozy, child-hating curmudgeon that he played on stage and screen, but Curtis (author of acclaimed biographies of directors Preston Sturges and James Whale) shows us a multidimensional Fields who triumphed in every facet of show business from vaudeville and Broadway to radio and film. A world-class juggler, Fields (born William Claude Dukenfield, in Philadelphia) honed his act for each new venue, evolving out of necessity as silent movies gave way to the advent of sound. As Fields enjoys the luxuries of Hollywood stardom, the pleasure of Curtis's book grows glamorously infectious.

This is also the semi-tragic story of a sickly alcoholic, prevented by Catholic restriction from divorcing his second wife, resulting in decades of estrangement from his only legitimate son. This lends poignancy to Fields that his comedy rarely revealed, but for every episode of bitter resentment, Curtis offers touching evidence of Fields's personal and professional generosity. Domestic passages are most revealing, both melancholy (for Fields, idleness was misery) and hilarious (as when he wages war on aggressive swans near his lakefront estate). Curtis also sets the record straight on Fields's numerous bank accounts, love affairs, and other Fields-related legends. As a biographer's act of compassion, Curtis chooses a perfect (and perfectly devastating) posthumous detail to end this remarkable book, essentially reuniting Fields with the family he never really had. If all comedy is born of pain, Curtis proves that Fields was the consummate comedian. --Jeff Shannon

Book Description

Before he ever made a movie or spoke a word onstage, W. C. Fields was one of the greatest pantomimists and comedians in the world. His career spanned the whole of the twentieth century—in burlesque, vaudeville, the legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radio, books, and recordings. Only death prevented him from working in television.

He shared the vaudeville stage with Sarah Bernhardt and Houdini; he made a command performance before Edward VII; he was compared to Chaplin and Keaton and became one of the great comedians in radio. He wrote, directed, and performed (Mae West and Fields were among the first writer/actor/directors) in some of the most enduring and brilliant comedies of all time, including It’s a Gift, My Little Chickadee, and The Bank Dick. He appeared in fifty pictures and wrote fifteen of them. His understanding of the need to lie and swindle, and his ability to make the most innocent phrase sound lewd, made him a star.

Now James Curtis tells the story of Fields’ life and work. Drawing on Fields’ papers and manuscripts, he shows us the passion and intellect that fueled Fields’ talent and the background that gave such bite and edge to his comedy. Curtis shows us, in illuminating detail, just how Fields’ extraordinary art evolved on the stage in the early part of the twentieth century and how he not only incorporated it into his films, but how it came to define his persona decades later.

He writes of Fields’ hardscrabble Philadelphia childhood; of his father, a drunken breaker of horses who beat his son; of Fields’ clever hands that were quick to master stealing and juggling (he took up the latter—it allowed him to sleep late); of his years in burlesque and minstrelsy; of his seventeen years in vaudeville, hopping trains early on, living a life half in the theater, half on the lam, making his way into the big time, never satisfied with his “act,” always working on something newer and more striking. Curtis writes of Fields’ starring years with the Ziegfeld Follies, finding his voice and his character amid one of the greatest assemblages of comic talent on a single stage (Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, among others); appearing in every Ziegfeld show from 1915 through 1921; of his marriage to a fellow performer, the birth of their son, and their travels together on the Circuit, until Mrs. Fields decided she’d had enough and left—the theater and her marriage. Fields never again loved so deeply.

We see Fields’ extraordinary work in the movies, both silent pictures in New York (first directed by D. W. Griffith in the starring role in Sally of the Sawdust, which Fields created on Broadway in Poppy) and in the talkies from 1927 to 1945.

Curtis’ biography narrates the life and the art of the actor James Agee called “the toughest and most warmly human of all screen comedians.”

Customer Reviews:

Good solid read. Very informative........2007-04-06

A well written book I am glad I own. I have not finished this book yet, but am savoring it as I would a good meal.

A great book about The Great Man........2005-10-18

Quite simply, James Curtis has written the finest book on the the funniest of the solo comedians of the golden age. I've read most of books on Fields. Trust me, Curtis' book is the only one you'll need. (sing to the tune of Strawberry Fields Forever).....W.C. Fields Forever....!!!

WC Fields by Curtis.......2005-05-19

This book should be reviewed in conjunction with "The Films of
WC Fields by Deschner". WC Fields was a complex personality.
He seemed aloof from people personally. His childhood was difficult although he perfected the art of juggling during that time. He made a host of popular films including :
- Running Wild
- Two Flaming Youths
- Fools for Luck
- Her Majesty Love
- International House
- It's a Gift
- The Man on the Flying Trapeze
- My Little Chickadee
- Tales of Manhattan
- Song of the Open Road
- WC Fields and the Cosmos and many more

This work will be invaluable for film enthusiasts everywhere.

A Word of Warning.......2005-04-07

There can be little doubt that James Curtis has written the definitive biography of W.C. Fields. Readers looking for a critical appraisal of Fields's wonderful films, however, will find very little here. Curtis appears fearful of giving much in the way of opinion. Equally unfortunate, he has little in the way of a sense of humor, at least as it shows in this otherwise excellent work.

The Great Man.......2005-03-18

I became a fan of W.C. Fields when I aw a double-feature of "The Bank Dick" and "Never Give A Sucker An even Break" while I was in college, and a fan I have remained ever since. I have read three previous biographies, but this latest one is the best by far (definitely an improvement on "The Man On The Flying Trapeze"). We are given more detail, and more intimate information than was previously available, and the book delves deeply into the behind-the-scenes making of Fields' famous pictures, including the two-reelers, a few of which I possess. He was a more complicated man than most people know, and certainly more of one than they learned from other books about him. Not only is this his biography, but it takes us through vaudeville, burlesque, Ziegfield, and the early movies, both silent and talkies. There are also the forays into radio, and the "feud" with Charlie McCarthy. It's a well-written and well-rounded work, and may remain the definitive biography for a long time to come.

W. C. Fields by Himself: His Intended Autobiography

Average customer rating:

Finally--a firsthand glimpse
Full of self annecdotes, photo's, insight into W.C. Fields.

W. C. Fields by Himself: His Intended Autobiography
W. C. Fields , and Ronald J. Fields
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0139444629

Customer Reviews:

Finally--a firsthand glimpse.......2001-09-20

It's not hard, even with the most cursory of examinations, to see why researchers have had such a tough time catching glimpses into the Great One's true nature--Fields took pains to keep his public persona at the front of his popular perception. Ronald Fields perhaps had an unfair advantage over other researchers, having access to the family holdings and all, but nevertheless, this is as close as anyone will ever get to words from the horse's mouth (with the exception of Fields for President, of course). The sketches are a riot to read, and the extended sequences from the movies, even the ones you may not have seen, are side-splittingly funny. I particularly enjoyed the glimpse into Fields' vaudeville days--it's not a subject that seems to interest many people, perhaps because the entire idea of "vaudeville" is somewhat dated today. The book also has the most comprehensive collection of photographs and sketches I've ever seen--these in themselves come close to telling the story.

Full of self annecdotes, photo's, insight into W.C. Fields........1999-09-24

This work was compiled by W.C.'s grandson after years that his work had been locked up in a basement room. The fact that much of it is made up of sketches, photo's, stories/annecdotes, performance materials, letters between W.C. and his family/others, makes this invaluable to theatre enthusiasts/historians and W.C. cultists. Without a doubt a must for any library.

Rocky J. Nickel 1242 S. Market Wichita KS, 67211

Average customer rating:

A Flawed Effort

Interesting

Give Him an Even Break

Great research, but a bit too ýdryý(and not as in martini)

"Woo-hoo!" "Don't let the posie fool ya!"

Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W. C. Fields
Simon Louvish
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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W. C. Fields: A Biography

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

W. C. Fields by Himself: His Intended Autobiography

Never Give a Sucker an Even Break W.C. Fields on Business

W.C. Fields Comedy Collection, Vol. 2 (The Man on the Flying Trapeze / Never Give A Sucker An Even Break / You're Telling Me! / The Old Fashioned Way / Poppy)

ASIN: 0393318400

Book Description

Man on the Flying Trapeze is the first biography in decades-and the only accurate one-of the beloved cinematic curmudgeon and inimitable comic genius W. C. Fields. Simon Louvish brilliantly sifts through evidence of Fields's own self-creation to illuminate the vaudeville world from which Fields sprang and his struggles with studios and censors to make his hilarious films-in the process confirming suspicions (yes, he did drink) and confounding them (he doted on his grandchildren).

Customer Reviews:

A Flawed Effort.......2006-01-27

Louvish seems to spend about a third of the book on Fields' life, another third criticizing Robert Lewis Taylor's earlier Fields biography, and a final third relating the history of the English Music Hall circa 1895-1915. (Pages and pages of this with no mention of Fields whatsoever!)
Taylor's book may be innacurate-but as another reviewer noted, it's a heck of a lot more entertaining.

Interesting.......2002-12-26

W.C. Fields, in my opinion, was the best of the old comedians. I have always enjoyed seeing his old films or hearing recordings of his hilarious old radio shows; but I knew very little about him. This book illuminates his life AND the entertainment world of his era. A very interesting book that seems well documented and authoritative. Recommended.

Give Him an Even Break.......2002-10-25

Although I have reservations, Simon Louvish's *Man on the Flying Trapeze* is a thoroughly competent job, strong in many areas. Louvish paints the vaudeville show circuit out of which Fields's later inimitable character was born with just the right amount of detail. Fields's earliest years were spend both in America and in Europe as one of a series of variety acts presented as part of an evening's performance (he was often on stage for only 12 minutes), and Louvish recreates this ambiance with some deftness, not easy to do when researching materials 90 years old. The Ziegfeld Follies live again! Similarly, by the time Fields starts in motion pictures in 1915, and with an explicitness that grows throughout the book, Louvish gets behind Fields's connection with the studios that filmed him. Chapter 23 on the now obscure producer J. P. McEvoy is a great piece of detective work: here is a key figure who underlies most of Fields's most sympathetic satirical postures.

Louvish doesn't claim to have figured out what he cannot: what caused the breakdown of Fields's marriage to Hattie Hughes? A biography that does include many of Fields's well-known lines--"Have you had this tooth pulled before?"--and reprises the best skits has much else to relish: e. g., the movie studio atmosphere and the hilarious objections to Fields's then-too-smutty-but-now-tame-enough gags. Louvish represents dutifully if a little thinly Fields's decline from illnesses brought on by alcoholism.

Now a few cavils. We need more on why William Claude Dukenfield was able to transform his life into comedy. Why could he and not others sublimate his anger and tensions first into juggling and then into physical and finally verbal humor? If the book needs the inspiration of genius to answer this point, that nevertheless is what a Fields fan wants. It also needs a fuller, richer aesthetic and intellectual context in appraising Fields's films. Less consequentially, Louvish on occasion needs more distance from Fields; adopting the master's voice in the narrative ("Never give a sucker an even break, particularly when he might be your biographer," p. 165) blurs the vision instead of clarifying it. There are a few factual errors: *Babbitt* was published in 1922, not 1921; the poem on p. 388 that Louvish thinks is Fields's was written by Ogden Nash (surely the W. W. Norton Company has editors for such details?)

Nevertheless, *Man on the Flying Trapeze* is an entertaining and illuminating biography, and I am grateful for it. Godfrey Daniel!

Great research, but a bit too ýdryý(and not as in martini).......2002-03-26

Simon Louvish once again dazzles the reader with his tremendous research, and still is able to make an interesting subject boring. Louvish gathers many details about Fields' early life and career and uses this material to punch holes in the constantly repeated misinformation previous biographies contained (most of the misinformation was supplied by Fields himself. For the facts alone this book is worth the purchase for any fan of "The Great Man," but don't expect to be enthralled by the writing style of Louvish, who has a tendency to write while patting himself on the back. Not enough time is spent on Fields' movie career and his personal life remains a mystery despite Louvish's efforts. Probably the best biography available on W.C. Fields, which only proves how well he covered his tracks.

"Woo-hoo!" "Don't let the posie fool ya!".......2001-05-31

I really cannot understand why someone would give this book a bad review.

FIRST - It is rare that there is a book written about THE GREAT MAN. We should give a hearty handclap to those who take the time to revisit such a great comedian and orginal personality.

SECOND - It is rare that a book would be honest enough to say where it's shortcomings may be. Meaning that, much to my and I'm sure other peoples amusement, our friend W.C. did a lot of tall-tale telling in his day. It is hard to decifer where truth on his life lay. Louvish checks with all resources to find whre the turth may be. He had access to family members, W.C.'s own scrapbooks, library archives, etc. He presents the book in the begining as a sort of mystery - and that's what it is. Even W.C.'s own authorized bio is full of holes and tall tales - and Louvish proves it. Those who are familiar with THE GREAT MAN know that even he fouled up his own tale telling at times.

THIRD - This book is not only a biography but a historical account. A good biography should not only tell the story of a person but should also give you points of reference in regards to time, event, people & places. Louvish does this. He gives you helpful background on key people and places in W.C.'s life. It allows the reader to understand the subject clearer. And this information is presented clear and concise - not as a "filler" for the text.

FOURTH - For those who feel that Louvish is being a "wiseguy" by the way he writes I ask you to think about who the subject matter is! One of the biggest and most original wiseguy of them all. I feel it makes the book more personal and fun to read.

If you're a fan of Fields you read it & judge for yourself. However, unlike some more ignorant folk, you must remember that ANY biography is not an "end all" to who that person is. A personality is a many layered thing, and so is telling the story of someones' life.

Customer Reviews:

GOOD FOR DIE-HARD FANS & SCHOLARS, BUT NOT FOR GENERAL FANS.......1999-07-09

Gehring's book is like a text book. Like a thesis. It's good on that level; but there's always the ultimate question: Why analyze comedy at all? Once you start to explain it on a serious, scientific level, you've drained it from all it's fun. This book will help understand W.C. Fields & Groucho's worth in the history of Comedy and Satire, but it won't win them new fans. I love Groucho & W.C. Fields; I think they were brilliant, geniuses and true artists. But this book with it's text book, scientific style, is drab and makes you wonder what is so funny about them. If you really want to know and enjoy W.C. Fields & Groucho, watch their films.

Book Description

An intriguing psychohistorical analysis of Patrick Pearse and the Easter Rising of 1916.

Patrick Pearse, an important Irish journalist, educator, and artist, came to play the pivotal role in the Easter Rising of 1916. Here Sen Farrell Moran examines Pearse within the context of contemporary Irish politics and culture to explain how this unlikely revolutionary became the spokesman of the violent forces within the nationalist movement.

"Moran delves into the psyche of Patrick Pearse . . . to outline a man seeking success if not in this life then in the next. Pearse was executed following the Easter Rising in Dublin, 1916, becoming the first modern Irish leader advocating physical force to die for his principles. Moran asks why Pearse, an unlikely hero, did so. . . . As a counter to nationalistic texts, Moran's study fills a niche in academic collections of modern Irish history."-Library Journal

"Lucid, engaging and well researched."-Irish Independent Weekender

"[A]n intriguing character study of Patrick Pearse . . ."-Tom Garvin, Irish Political Studies

"Pearse has been the subject of several biographies, but this is the first to apply the insights of psychoanalysis to either Pearse or . . . any of the other significant figures of 20th-century Irish history. Moran seems well suited to this task."-The Psychohistory Review

Sean Farrell Moran is associate professor of history at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.

"Moran moves the process a stage further, combining a close dissection of Pearse's personality with an analysis of the context, or contexts, of his life: the state of Irish nationalism, and the wider European cultural mind at the turn of the century."-D. George Boyce, Albion

Customer Reviews:

On outstanding, engaging book..........2005-03-03

I really enjoyed this book written by my ex-professor. This is a marvelous psychohistorical, highly engaging, and at times pleasantly shocking reading about one Patrick Pearse. Moran goes deeply into the Pearse's psyche and explores the possible reasons for Patrick's (i)-rational actions. Was he a suitable hero-figure or was he a man driven by circumstances, his perception of injustice, and his powerlessness.

Great insight on the Easter Rising........1998-03-04

Incredibly insightful treatment of the Easter Rising and the man who lead it. This book gives us a new way of seeing this great Irish hero and shows us an in-debt psychological study of what brought him to lead the rebelion. A marvelous book.

Great insight on the Easter Rising........1998-03-04

Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The Mind of the Easter Rising, 1916

Average customer rating:

Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The Mind of the Easter Rising, 1916
Sean Farrell Moran
Manufacturer: Catholic Univ of Amer Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLZW0I

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