The foliicolous Ascomycetes, their parasites and associated fungi: Especially as illustrated by Uganda specimens (Mycological papers)

Book Description

A guide for visitors and residents, this book begins with an overview of Geneva and Switzerland. It discusses the economy, demographics, environment, culture, money, and media. It describes places to stay and methods to get around. A detailed section for new residents follows, which focuses on documents, licences, finding work, housing, utilities and services, health, education and transportation in Geneva. The section titled Exploring Geneva features museums and cultural sights in and near the city. It lists parks and beaches, tours, and sightseeing. Many activities are described, such as most sports, health spas, leisure facilities and clubs and classes. Extensive suggestions for shopping and dining complete the guide.

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Life: Ronald Reagan: A Life in Pictures 1911-2004
Editors of Life Magazine
Manufacturer: Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Reagan, Ronald | ( R ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1932994009

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Ronald Reagan a Life in Pictures 1911-2004 (Time, Inc. Home Entertainment, Time, Inc. Special)

Manufacturer: Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000EHI1GO

Product Description

Ronald Reagan's life in pictures with comments

Book Description

... her memoir is an inspirational chronicle of personal tragedy surmounted by raw courage Publishers Weekly Jackie Nink Pflug's gripping true story of courage and inspiration, told from a survivor's perspective, with a new preface written by the author. Ms. Pflug, who was shot and thrown onto the tarmac during the hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648, tells her story and the lessons learned as she recuperated from this devastating trauma.

Customer Reviews:

Not a sequel.......2007-06-05

I read "Miles To Go Before I Sleep: My Grateful Journey Back from the Hijacking of..." and I assumed "A Survivor's Story..." would be the sequel. It is actually the same book with a new title and cover.

The story is very inspirational. I would love to see a sequel about where Jackie is today.

Count Your Blessings.......2006-11-13

I just heard Jackie Pflug speak at an event yesterday and she was amazing. Her incredible story and her determination to recover and remain positive truly are an inspiration. I had to get her book after hearing her story and she really explains why you shouldn't sweat the small stuff in life. She was simply amazing and blew me away.

Inspirational -- You will appreciate life more after reading.......2004-04-27

I saw Jackie Pflug speak at a luncheon and I knew I had to buy her book. Her speech was the most inspirational I have ever heard and I have been a "junkie" of inspirational speeches. The book did not disappoint.
There is something here for everyone -- a riveting adventure story as she gives a moment by moment account of the hijacking. There is inspiration in her telling of her recovery and the goals she set for herself. Jackie explains her philosophy and spirituality in a way that would be consistent with most any relious belief-- or non belief.
Most of all, you will learn to appreciate every single day. This is not a sappy "survivor" account but a real life experience that happened to change the author's life. This book will give you the courage to face your obstacle's. It is on my gift list for everyone I know.

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For the love of animals

Disappointed!

One of the sweetest books on dogs ever.

Love him, love his dogs.

A Dog Is Listening: The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us
Roger A. Caras
Manufacturer: Galahad Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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A Cat Is Watching: A Look at the Way Cats See Us

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ASIN: 1578660173

Book Description

As readers of A Cat Is Watching know, Roger Caras has a special affinity with the animal kingdom. Now, in a winning mix of psychological insight, factual research, and personal, paws-on experience, Caras takes the reader into the special world of dogs. 25 photographs.

Customer Reviews:

For the love of animals.......2006-01-12

It is obvious that Roger Caras loves animals. Not just dogs, but all animals. So do I. This book provides tremendous insight into the history of dog owning, on how they became pets, how they react, act, in other words, how and why they do what they do.

I loved the descriptions of interaction between animals. So much of that I had the pleasure of observing myself. But put in words makes the book and my personal experiences that much sweeter.

This book is a perfect gift for anyone who owns a dog or plans to own a dog.

Disappointed!.......2000-05-04

First of all, the title is deceiving. "...The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us" was what attracted me to the book. Unfortunately, I found very little information about the way my dogs might view me. Caras covers more than just the "sight" sense. This book was a bit too academic and historical for my tastes. I wished there were more anecdotes and/or behavioral information. The pictures and photos were randomly scattered around and many of them didn't have captions.

While the history of dogs/wolves is interesting, it's not what I paid for.

One of the sweetest books on dogs ever........1998-01-04

I confess. I'm a dogaholic. I may only have one in my home,, but in my heart there are thousands. As many as need homes. Clearly Roger Caras is just that way, too. His "gosh, golly, gee whiz" sense of wonder and humor (sometimes mixed together), fit perfect with the way he tells his "tails". Some of the stories are nothing short of amazing as witness in particular the story of Sheba who alerts her owner to her on-coming seizures. How? It doesn't matter. What matters is that she does. A truly remarkable story in a truly remarkable book.

Love him, love his dogs........1996-11-12

There are dozens of reasons to recommend this book. It is full of insight and anecdotes about those loveable, canine companions. But the best reason to read this book is that on every page it is obvious that Roger Caras loves his dogs. If you own a dog, and why would you read this book if you didn't, then you know how he feels, and in these pages you have found a kindred spirit who can echo your sighs and your gushing 'awes' at the antics of our furry friends. Read this book to learn about dogs, their habits, their senses, their remarkable abilities.. Savor this book for its warmth and emotion, and keep your dog handy, you'll need to hug him at least once a chapter

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Nice pictures but lacks detail

Shop till you drop

A little confusing for a beginner

True source of inspiration

Amazing Inspiration

Altered Board Book Basics & Beyond: For Creative Scrapbooks, Altered Books & Artful Journals
Jan Smiley
Manufacturer: C&T Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mixed Media | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Papercrafts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Scrapbooking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Altered Book Collage

ASIN: 1571203095

Customer Reviews:

Nice pictures but lacks detail.......2005-11-05

Lots of inspirational pictures by the author and other artists, but there is little description of how some of the more interesting techniques were done, like accordian board books and other binding techniques. Found it overall a little disappointing, but at least it wasn't too expensive. Also I wish there was less use of scrapbooking supplies and more use of original background techniques or art papers.

Shop till you drop.......2005-10-14

This is one of the worst books on bookbinding it has been my misfortune to purchase. It lacks detailed information on techniques and substitutes what is generally a "go out and buy" attitude. It encourages the purchase of materials such as premade scrapbooking items rather than giving ideas for an individual to make and incorporate in the creative act.

Altering books is one of the crafts that affords the integration of everyday materials in a way that is fun and INEXPENSIVE. This book should have a shopping list in the back and get it over with.

Showing examples of other artist's work is fine but if that is all there is the author could just put together a book of "other people's ideas".

There are numerous other books on altered books and journals and I would encourage anyone interested in engaging in this craft look to those instead.

A little confusing for a beginner.......2005-09-13

Overall, I think that this book has a lot of information, great photos of lots of examples. The only reason I gave it four stars was that I think it could be better organized. It jumps around a bit and does not explain how some of the books are constructed. That may be simplistic for non-beginners, but this seems to be a beginning book! I found myself enjoying the pictures of the books, but wondering how some of them were made with rings, etc. This book is actually a very good value, but I wish there had been some photos of a book in progress, instead of jumping right in to finished pages! Overall, I am glad that I bought it, even though the instuctions are pretty general.

True source of inspiration.......2005-08-28

Although the size of the book is not large, the scope is great. It is full of solid text and ideas supplemented with wonderful illustrations. It combines how-tos and inspiration in meaningful ways. A true source of ideas for anyone who pursues, or would like to pursue, these crafts. Thanks to all her contributors - there are some great creations presented.

Amazing Inspiration.......2005-08-16

Altered Board Books provides tons of inspiration and creativity for the altered book enthusist who is seasoned or who is trying the techniques for the first time. Combining personal memorbellia with outstanding, easy to accomplish technqiues, Jan Smiley has created a book that is worth the investment.

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The New Englishwoman's Garden
Alvilde Lees-Milne
Manufacturer: Salem House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0881623172

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The New Englishwoman's Garden
Alvilde Lees-Milne and Rosemary Verey
Manufacturer: Chatto & Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MQOXW8

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New Englishwomans Garden

Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 9990496455

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An Englishwoman's View of America : Journey to New York; Delaware River; Stage-coach; City of New York; Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies; Theatres; Public Garden; Churches; Morris Canal; Fashions; Carriages (TRAVEL, 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN CULTURE)
Frances (Mrs.) Trollope
Manufacturer: AREPRINT SERVICE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Delaware | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000H4LDZA

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Reading this book was the greatest gift I gave my children

Re-visiting a Great Guide to Parenting and all relationships

Great Companion Book with the Book Sensory Secrets...

chingman

Order this book!

Ten Greatest Gifts I Give My Children : Parenting from the Heart
Steven W. Vannoy
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000CC498K

Customer Reviews:

Reading this book was the greatest gift I gave my children.......2007-03-01

I was given this book as a gift when my son was a baby. I was instantly drawn to the message. Mr. Vannoy's advice is from the heart and carries a loving and respectful message. I have read and re-read the book at least a half dozen times and once in a while, I'll pick it up and open to any chapter, just to give myself a parenting boost. It really lifts the spirits and reinforces that we can have deep and meaningful relationships with our children based on love and respect for each other. Over the years, there have been many times where I given thanks that this book came into my life at just the right time. I'm proud to say, it's played an important role in the Mom that I am, which my kids will tell you, is the best!

I've ordered plenty of copies of this book to give out to new parents, including it with their baby shower gifts. And I gave a copy to my cousin, when she married a man, who came with 2 teenage sons.

A big thank you to Stephen Vannoy for writing this important book. A must read for every adult that influences the lives of children.

Re-visiting a Great Guide to Parenting and all relationships.......2006-08-02

I first read this book five years ago and just came back to it as I was confronted with some parenting challenges. What is most clear to me about author Steven Vannoy is that he's not a therapist or "expert." He's just a very observant parent and great teacher. Other reviewers said it perfectly: it's simply the best book on parenting ever.

Great Companion Book with the Book Sensory Secrets..........2002-05-24

Steven Vannoy and Catherine Schneider have encapsulated everything that we need to know to parent effectively from the get-go! I am recommending them to all my friends who are becomming new parents. Thanks!

chingman.......2001-10-18

It's a great book not only on parenting, but also on human relationship and communication. I enjoyed reading this book coz it gives real life examples and the changes made after applying the five tools that can work miracles. The most inspiring tool for me is "forward focus" which keeps us on the positive side of things -- this is essential for bringing up kids with positive perspective that gets them moving ahead in face of the challenges of the world. Regarding the ten gifts that we can give to our kids, I can't agree more. It's truly a book written "from the heart".

Order this book!.......2001-08-28

This book is a great book on parenting. It can be used in everyone's life if they just use what they learn while reading this. I truly enjoyed and agreed with the 10 gifts listed at the end. I enjoyed the stories of other people and how they applied the lessons.

The Ten Greatest Gifts I Give My Children : Parenting from the Heart

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The Ten Greatest Gifts I Give My Children : Parenting from the Heart
Steven W. Vannoy
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HMF72M

Customer Reviews:

Plesasurable reading.......2002-03-09

Rare and Commonplace Flowers innovates in the scholarly field. A carefully documented biography, it reconstructs step by step the story of Elizabeth Bishop and Lota de Macedo Soares.Carmen Oliveira's literary achievement lies in conveying this research of undeniable academid value in a very agreeable piece of storytelling.A must for Women's Studies, the book is recommended to anyone who enjoys a good read.

At last, in English!.......2002-02-18

This book is a treasure, a delightful read. It speaks to a broad range of interests. Fans of Elizabeth Bishop will enjoy learning about her relationship with Lota and her experiences during the 17 years she lived in Brazil. If you are interested in Brazilian history and politics, you will find a rare account of the early sixties in Rio de Janeiro, as the country headed toward military dictatorship. It is also a marvelous and tragic love story.

As an American living in Brazil for the past 20 years, I found it a fascinating account of how Lota and her country provided a haven for Bishop, an orphan prone to writer's block and alcoholism. Rare and Commonplace Flowers, read in addition to Bishop's letters, opens a whole new window on her writing. Ever since I read the original in Portuguese, in 1995, I have been convinced that it merits the attention of non-Portuguese speakers. Thanks to the excellent translation of Neil Besner, you've got it!

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Rare and Commonplace Flowers. The Story of Elizabeth Bishop and Lota De Macedo Soares.
Carmen L. (Bishop, Elizabeth) Oliveira
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUW4LK

Book Description

This book is a rarity among English language books about Joan of Arc: it is the first such English language book, and clearly the best, based firmly on the testimonies given at the retrial of Joan of Arc. Written by the renowned French historian, Regine Pernoud, it uses extensive excerpts from the many people who actually knew Joan, and so it brings to life this great woman and her powerful story in a way that no other format can.

The whole tremendous and fascinating historical story is told here by her childhood playmates and relatives, her royal and noble friends, her confessor, her valet, her squires and heralds, and her fellow soldiers.

Included also are excerpts from some of her old enemies, but now they can do Joan no harm: indeed their presence here lends even a more powerful authenticity to her story than if we had only heard from her friends and supporters.

As we follow Pernoud through her remarkably clear, detailed tracing of this history told by living tongues, netting the testimonies together with her learned, perfectly placed notes, we begin to share with her the experience of those men who were making the investigation of Joan. Pernoud's method is so direct and knowledgeable, so dedicated to the discovery and presentation of the mystical truth, which is inherent in the accumulated, eagerly honest, spoken and recorded testimonies of those who knew Joan of Arc.

"This is indeed a beautiful book, and besides its merit as a work of scholarship, there is a warmth and sanity in it that is often absent from books on Joan of Arc. Of all the books I have read on the subject, this is my favorite, a profoundly satisfying work for me."
--Katherine Anne Porter
From the Foreword

The Trial of Joan of Arc: Being the Verbatim Report of the Proceedings from the Orleans Manuscript

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The Trial of Joan of Arc: Being the Verbatim Report of the Proceedings from the Orleans Manuscript
Unknown
Manufacturer: Folio Society, London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0007JYWXK

Average customer rating:

A thorough translation and introduction to the material
Not Quite a Better Mousetrap
A Failed Attempt

The Trial of Joan of Arc
Daniel Hobbins
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

Legal History | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 067401894X

Book Description

No account is more critical to our understanding of Joan of Arc than the contemporary record of her trial in 1431. Convened at Rouen and directed by bishop Pierre Cauchon, the trial culminated in Joan's public execution for heresy. The trial record, which sometimes preserves Joan's very words, unveils her life, character, visions, and motives in fascinating detail. Here is one of our richest sources for the life of a medieval woman.

This new translation, the first in fifty years, is based on the full record of the trial proceedings in Latin. Recent scholarship dates this text to the year of the trial itself, thereby lending it a greater claim to authority than had traditionally been assumed. Contemporary documents copied into the trial furnish a guide to political developments in Joan's career—from her capture to the attempts to control public opinion following her execution.

Daniel Hobbins sets the trial in its legal and historical context. In exploring Joan's place in fifteenth-century society, he suggests that her claims to divine revelation conformed to a recognizable profile of holy women in her culture, yet Joan broke this mold by embracing a military lifestyle. By combining the roles of visionary and of military leader, Joan astonished contemporaries and still fascinates us today.

Obscured by the passing of centuries and distorted by the lens of modern cinema, the story of the historical Joan of Arc comes vividly to life once again.

Customer Reviews:

A thorough translation and introduction to the material.......2007-06-09

Originally encountering this work in a course dealing with interpretations of Joan of Arc, including film, I have found both the translation and introductory article more than satisfactory. It is an objective, empirical translation that places careful emphasis on wording so as to seem a direct translation from the Latin (certainly, it is clear that no small amount of effort was left in representing the complexities of the Latin) while considering discrepancies with the French text (which is of an altogether different nature, due to our lack of a contemporary source).

By taking such an empirical view, and one that is limited to the primary documents, Hobbins has allowed the book to remain academically credible while easily accessible to general readers and undergraduates. He does not fall into the trappings of generic popular history, to decry the injustice of the trial or project unwarranted modern archetypes onto Joan. Hobbins remains steadfast in the introduction when he argues the the trial could have found no verdict but guilty, and to suggest otherwise is to blatantly misrepresent late and high medieval court procedure and politics. Any student having completed a Western Civ course will find this basic knowledge, but it is useful to have it presented so concisely.

Though other reviews criticize Hobbins for not echoing the sensational, less justifiable arguments so common in popular history, I cannot recommend the book more highly. If I have spent more time praising the introduction than the translation, it is because of the lack of flaws within it, and unjustly harsh criticism of it by other reviewers. It seems that with iconic figures, those who seek to make more grandiose claims, or make claims from the perspective of a postmodern world, find eager audiences waiting for them. The argument that this work somehow buys into Hollywood convention lacks credit, be it the immortal work of Dreyer of the recent drivel with Sobieski as Joan. For the serious student of history, wishing to have as neutral a translation as possible in order to draw their own conclusions, Hobbins' text is a worthy addition.

In regard to the other reviews which cite the "retrial" 25 years later, this is an even more biased source than the original trial. Though the original text comes to us with English bias, the nullification trial occurred after French victory and relied on the memory of witnesses coming forward 25 years after the incident. By this point Joan had become a French icon, and the natural bias of the French combined with the passage of time hardly allow it to discredit the original minutes, however influenced by the bias of the English. Certainly, the fact that the original trial was spread through an authoritative Latin text, meant to be dispersed across Europe, discredits much of the "cover up" theory. The English did not believe that they had committed some enormously unwarranted action, but justly convicted a heretic in accordance with medieval Church precedent. Both the trial and the nullification trial echo the beginnings of nationalistic bias, but a nullification trial conducted by the French government 25 years after the fact hardly seems a worthy one to discredit our only account of the original trial.

As a final note about the free translations mentioned by other reviewers, these are long outdated versions that have seen their copyrights expire. For instance, the one available at the Fordham Medieval Database, commonly cited, was written before recent dating definitively placed the text 4 years earlier than the one argued for by the author, placing it within months of the trial date. This serves to render much of its introduction useless, and the translation would certainly seem to be of lower quality.

Not Quite a Better Mousetrap.......2005-11-10

The basis for questioning the accuracy of Joan of Arc's condemnation trial transcript has not been its date of creation, but the myriad ways in which the trial was rigged. Joan of Arc was a famous political prisoner. Her trial was funded by the government she had warred against and numerous court officials worked under compulsion, some even under death threats. Court clerks later testified under oath that portions of the official transcript were altered. This document did not stand the test of time. A quarter century later the verdict was overturned.

While this remains an important historical source, it lacks the weight that court records normally carry. Serious scholars will prefer the Latin original. English translations are already available for free on the Internet. A new translation that makes suspect claims for the document's value is not what the English speaking public needs.

I wish Professor Hobbins well and hope he follows up with a translation of Joan of Arc's retrial transcript. A complete and adequate version has never been readily available in English.

A Failed Attempt.......2005-10-17

Although this book's marketing material states that it is designed to counter the Hollywood version, the book instead ironically tries to justify the standard Hollywood claim that Bishop Cauchon was a sincere fellow operating under lawful procedures - in contradiction to the many historians, as this book itself admits, who have soundly and consistently debunked that idea. This book does not present any credible evidence to back up its claims, selectively quoting (or misquoting) testimony at the appeal while ignoring both the majority of the witness testimony at the latter trial and glossing over or excusing the well-documented illegalities of the original trial.

There have been many other books which give a more substantive and accurate accounting of the Condemnation trial, including previous translations such as those by Scott and Barrett.

The Grand Inquisitor, a Bishop and the Maid: Joan of Arc's Nullification Trial and the Reform of Inquisition (The New Middle Ages)

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The Grand Inquisitor, a Bishop and the Maid: Joan of Arc's Nullification Trial and the Reform of Inquisition (The New Middle Ages)
Jane Marie Pinzino
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

Western | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1403962987

Book Description

This book traces enlightenment principles concerning the rights of individuals to obey the dictates of their conscience to an unlikely source: Jean Brehal, a fifteenth-century Dominican friar and Grand Inquisitor of France appointed by Rome to conduct the nullification of Joan of Arc's heresy conviction.

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Another Voice in the Negative
Sullivan's "Interrogation..."
Excellent scholarly work
Passons-oultre
Great Book!

The Interrogation of Joan of Arc
Karen Sullivan
Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

Legal History | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0816632685

Customer Reviews:

Another Voice in the Negative.......2005-10-16

I must agree with the other negative reviews. Normally an original trial transcript would be first-rate source material. Joan of Arc's condemnation trial is a well known exception. She was that special sort of political prisoner who needs to be discredited. Joan had led a rival claimant to the throne to coronation. Condemning her was an effort to undermine her king.

No serious historian believes that Joan of Arc's condemnation trial was fair. Documentary evidence abounds to confirm that her main judges were paid by the government she warred against and that numerous procedural rules were violated during her condemnation. The English occupying government forced several court functionaries to work under death threats. One surviving letter from the English government to her judges even warns that her execution was guaranteed.

Fortunately for posterity, the pope convened a second posthumous trial which reversed the original conviction for heresy and recorded the testimony of well over one hundred witnesses, a number of whom had worked at the original trial. This unusual remedy was not the political gesture that the original trial had been: French king Charles VII did not manipulate the proceedings. If a serious case could be made that the second trial was biased, then it is doubtful that she would ever have been declared a saint.

For an excellent overview of Joan of Arc's life I recommend Regine Pernoud's "Joan of Arc by Herself and her Witnesses." An hour's research either on Google or at a university library should confirm that poor reviews of Ms. Sullivan's book are not biased attacks but the reflection of scholarly consensus.

Sullivan's "Interrogation...".......2002-07-25

Perhaps the best way to deal with this book is to examine the author's main themes: 1) the idea that Joan's trial allegedly revolved around differences in education and perspective (layperson vs clergy) rather than military rivalry (Armagnac versus Anglo-Burgundian); and 2) the notion that Joan used language "miniaturizing" her Voices, thereby allegedly indicating that she rejected them in the end.
The first point ignores the many documents, including English and Burgundian sources, which bluntly show that her trial was, in fact, paid for by the English (as even English financial records show in great detail), and the tribunal was stocked entirely with clergy who were members of the Anglo-Burgundian faction and who, in many cases, were actually paid officials of the English occupation government. There are English documents throughout late 1430 and early 1431, dated Sept. 3rd and 14th, Oct. 24th, Dec. 6th; Jan. 31st, March 1st, April 2nd, 9th, 14th, 21st (etc) detailing payments given by English officials to the judges and assessors, and documenting the taxes levied to pay the cost of obtaining Joan from John of Luxembourg. The chief judge, Pierre Cauchon, had long been a salaried official of the English occupation government (paid 1,000 pounds annually) who also served for a time as Chancellor for the Queen of England. Before that he had been in the service of two successive Burgundian dukes, who often tapped him to commit other crimes aside from his conviction of Joan: for instance, there's a letter from Duke Jean-sans-Peur de Burgundy dated July 26, 1415 authorizing Cauchon to bribe Church officials in order to corrupt justice in favor of the Burgundian faction.The other members of the tribunal are also known to have been partisans of the same faction: the reason why the University of Paris changed so dramatically (as the author herself notes) after Paris came under Anglo-Burgundian occupation is the simple fact that all the pro-Armagnac members had to leave, with the result that the University was thoroughly Anglo-Burgundian by the time of Joan's trial, and therefore rabidly opposed to her because she was defeating their faction's armies. All of the above corroborates the testimony of the Rehabilitation witnesses. It is this corroborative evidence (and much more of a similar type in numerous chronicles, letters, etc) which has moved historians to accept the Rehabilitation as the more credible of the two transcripts - not for 'partisan' reasons, but simply because the preponderance of the evidence confirms the latter. This book, on the other hand, tries to dismiss the prevailing view by accepting at face value the very Condemnation transcript which is proved unreliable by so many other documents. This brings me to the second main point that the author tries to make, concerning Joan's view of her Voices. The book's version of this issue is based on a handful of phrases in the alleged confession mentioned at the end of the transcript, a section which is dated June 7 - a full eight days after Joan's execution. If you look at the original manuscripts you'll see that this section was never signed by any of the purported witnesses nor by the notaries, a fact which the notaries themselves later explained when they testified that the "confession" had never been witnessed by them and in fact did not appear until after she was already dead. This is why historians have viewed it as fictional. But the author of this book accepts it at face value, then engages in a bit of word play in relation to a few phrases in which Joan is made to say that her Voices appeared to her in "great number and small size" (or variations on that theme). The author interprets this as an attempt to "miniaturize" her Voices and thereby "objectify" and in essence reject them, an interpretation which would be dubious even if these quotes were authentic: even those who still believe in this sort of psychoanalysis would say that you cannot psychoanalyze someone who you've never met. But the quotes are not authentic, nor would there be any reason to believe that the phrase "small size" reflects 'feelings' at all. Information that was never signed by either witnesses nor notaries (as required under medieval law) cannot be accepted as valid, especially when the notaries themselves cast doubts on its authenticity.
In much the same vein, the book claims that Joan did not initially identify her voices as specific saints, and only "chose" specific saints during the course of the trial. Not only is this purely subjective, but it ignores the fact that the Condemnation transcript itself includes an explanation of why Joan was initially unwilling to reveal the identity of her Voices to her judges. Unless you can show that this portion is not authentic, you cannot replace her own recorded words with arbitrary speculation about her "real" motives.
This is the problem with Sullivan's methods throughout the book, and the problem with such analysis in general: once an author has decided to reject the plain meaning of recorded statements and to ignore all correlative evidence from other documents, while accepting precisely those portions which are known to be fraudulent (the exact reverse of the proper procedure), a process of invention is followed in which even the smallest word can be manipulated to mean whatever the author wants it to mean and then be used as the basis for an elaborate theory. It's as if someone were to rewrite the life of, say, Abraham Lincoln simply by interpreting his use of a few commonplace words in a dubious text, and then publish a book making the splashy claim that the author has come up with a startling new theory on the subject. This is a good marketing technique, but dishonest scholarship.

Excellent scholarly work.......2002-04-22

It is apparent that Karen Sullivan has a keen analytical mind and thorough knowledge of her subject. The negative reviews posted on this site are ridiculously partisan, not taking into account that the pro-French accounts (and possibly witnesses) are at least as politically motivated as the English, which Sullivan deals with masterfully.
Perhaps the best and most insightful modern book on the topic.

Passons-oultre.......2000-10-21

Since I'm translating the trial transcript which this book analyzes, I thought I would comment. First of all, the author doesn't seem to realize that the Condemnation transcript has never been considered to be a reliable document, for a number of reasons: it doesn't follow the correct form and procedures of an Inquisitorial process (the trial was conducted by a political kangaroo court, not a valid court of the Inquisition); it contradicts itself at numerous points; one section was never notarized; and, most importantly, a number of the clergy who took part in the trial later testified that crucial sections were 'creatively edited' (so to speak) in order to gratify the English who were running the trial, thereby falsifying and distorting Joan's statements. If the author truly had an exhaustive knowledge of all of the texts related to Joan of Arc's life, the author would compare these texts to each other rather than dealing with one in isolation and treating it as if it were a "collaborative work" written jointly by Joan and her accusers (of all the strange notions connected with this subject, this has got to be one of the strangest). Additionally, the claim that her trial was not a political matter reveals a profound lack of understanding of the subject: the Rehabilitation witnesses testified that it was entirely a political charade, which involved intimidation of both the defendant and many of the clergy who had been forced to take part in it.

In short, this book seems to be little more than the latest attempt at sensationalism, billed as a "radical reassessment" as a selling point; and it seems to be based on the currently trendy practice of pretending that historical documents are works of fiction, thereby giving authors an excuse to make up their own alternate version of events. "Literary analysis" is purely subjective, and therefore a convenient vehicle for anyone who wants to invent their own fantasized view of an historical person or event; and as such, it has no academic value.

As Joan often said at her trial in response to irrelevant questions: "passons-oultre" (which we may colloquially render as "let's skip over this one").

Great Book!.......2000-05-15

Sullivan's book is by far one of the best readings of the condemnation trial ever written. She reads the transcripts as not only "literary" material, but as historical documents as well. Her understanding of the texts are exhaustive and she is very lucid in her accounts of what the texts really mean. This book is a great read.

Jeanne d'Arc et la Guerre de Cent ans (Les grandes heures de l'histoire de France)

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Jeanne d'Arc et la Guerre de Cent ans (Les grandes heures de l'histoire de France)
Georges Bordonove
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Laughter for the Devil the Trials of Gilles De Rais, Comanion-in-arms of Joan of Arc (1440)

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Laughter for the Devil the Trials of Gilles De Rais, Comanion-in-arms of Joan of Arc (1440)
Reginald (trans.) Hyatte
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Laughter for the Devil: The Trials of Gilles De Rais, Companion-In-Arms of Joan of Arc (1440)

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Laughter for the Devil: The Trials of Gilles De Rais, Companion-In-Arms of Joan of Arc (1440)
Reginald Hyatte
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Laughter for the Devil: The Trials of Gilles de Rais, Companion-in-Arms of Joan of Arc (LEATHER BOUND)

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The trial of Jeanne d'Arc; (Broadway medieval library)

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The trial of Jeanne d'Arc; (Broadway medieval library)
Joan
Manufacturer: G. Routledge
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